Imagine my glee when I discovered that Yuri Hime Comics was releasing a Yuri manga anthology for My Next Life As a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!. I mean, I was pretty darn gleeful! ^_^
Among the many things I enjoyed about the anime and the Light Novels that I have so far read for Hamehura, the top two qualities that make it an island of tranquility in the midst of 2020 is the gentle, wholesomeness of the thing. “Villainess” Katarina Claes lacks all the qualities of a good villainess – instead she is loyal and good-hearted, a bit of a doofus and, while not cunning, per se, she has flashes of disarming insight into people’s inner nature. The format of the Light Novels, particularly, mean that with any given scenario, we experience it twice, once from Katarina’s perspective and once from the perspective of a person who will be charmed by her.
Otome Game no Hametsu Flag Shikanai Akuyaku Tenseishite Shimatta…GIRLS PATCH (乙女ゲームの破滅フラグしかない悪役令嬢に転生してしまった… GIRLS PATCH) follows this formula in several cases and in others simply revels in the Yuriishness of the “friends” ending of the initial arc. There’s nothing more explicit than a kiss and a bit of drunken “breast pillow”ing, I guess one would have to call it. Instead, the rivalry between Mary, Maria, Sophia and Anne, although she’s less a suitor, for Katarina’s love and attention is featured in nearly every story, with at least one story each focused one of them individually.
I’m honestly glad to report there is nothing sexual in this anthology, which would have set my teeth on edge, nor are there stories where one of the three rivals gains exclusive access for more than a scene. Both of these would have shattered the idyll created by the friendship end. Instead there are yummy sweets and tea and farming and tree climbing, just as there was in the initial anime season. What the scenarios lack in originality, they make up for in verisimilitude.
I recognized only one of the artists’ names, but the rest are new to me. My favorite storywas “Triple Booking” by Peke, the final story of the collection in which Katarina agrees to spend the day with each of her friends and we all end by cheerfully agreeing that Katarina’s a goof and we’ll all spend it together. Happy chuckles all around.
Ratings:
I can’t even say ratings are that variable, as they mostly parrot the series art style, with that harmlessly moe character design.
Art – 7
Story – Not really, but that’s not why you’re reading
Character – 100 THIS is why you are reading
Service – 3, maybe 4, depending on your feelings about Katarina’s face on Mary’s chest
Yuri – The feelings are there, but that’s all we can hope for…let’s call it a 5
Overall – 7
There’s nothing here that takes a single step out of the formula for the show, so if you’re not a fan, you can give it a miss, but if you enjoyed Hamehura, and enjoy doujinshi collections for your fave anime….and can marvel at the thrill of a Yuri Hime doujinshi collection for this series(!), as I do, it’s worth your time.
It was basically just a cute romp. Fun tho.
Good morning,
コミック 唯い姫 ? (first line) Niche market : Only Princess or Yui Hirasawa by Kakiffly ?
greetings,
Amaryllis
Haha. This took me a long time to understand, I had to do an infusion today and was given an enormous amount of Benadryl in the morning. I am super extra slow on the uptake. But thank you for the correction and the joke. ^_^
Thanks for the review, I didn’t even think that you would get to this so quickly. It looks like a lot of people were somewhat upset that this wasn’t a full yuri route fantasy about female part of Katarina’s harem, but I’m glad you liked it. If the work is so successful and popular that an author can get a yuri anthology in Yuri Hime, that is a good sign.
P.S. Just one question, if possible. Why do you call it doujinshi? As far as I understand, this is the official anthology.
Because to make this anthology, the publisher very probably recruited work from doujinshi artists, as they have mostly always done. It is very likely that these artists had sold these stories – or something similar – at comic events where they were seen and given this opportunity. That’s not uncommon at all for one of the several pathways to becoming a pro manga artist. The most common paths are assisting a professional, who helps you get a pro gig for your own work, being recruited at a comic market or getting noticed online these days, by a publisher and asked to submit. Contests are still used to discover new talent. And in recent pre-pandemic Comic Markets, editorial staff from magazines were doing portfolio reviews.
The fact that I don’t know any of these artist’s names indicates that they are not among the Yuri circles I follow, or have been made aware of, so I guess they are probably folks who did Hamehura doujinshi and were recruited for this anthology. Ichijinsha likes getting new talent…they come cheaper than established artists. They run contests all the time.
This was a pretty interesting industry insight, thanks! I haven’t read the anthology, but judging by your review, the authors did a pretty good job with premise.