We’ve all read the “other perspective” Light Novel by now, haven’t we? My Next Life as a Villainess, for instance, ends every chapter with the same story from the other person’s perspective and, while cute, it doesn’t add that much to the narrative.
Heimin no Kuse ni Namaikina!, Volume 1 (平民癖に生意気な！) is once again a brilliant exception to a Light Novel rule. This volume covers the same story as the first novel of I’m in Love With the Villainess, but has so much original content and such a completely different perspective on key dramatic elements. That said, that’s not the only reason it’s worth reading – as usual, it’s the characters that put it over the top for me. Including a new character who never appeared in the original story and, plausibly, has several solid reasons for not doing so.
Claire François, the only daughter of the Bauer Kingdom’s Minister of Finance, is a young woman of extraordinary privilege. She knows this, in a theoretical sense. In a not-theoretical sense, Claire believes in the nobility – that they have an important place in society and that she has both rights and responsibilities because of that role. When a commoner in her class suddenly confesses her love, Claire has no comprehension as to why? Why her? Why this…? Claire hopes to shake her off but her best friends, Pipi and Loretta, dissuade her by imagining much more severe bullying tactics. When the commoner manages to becomes Claire’s maid, everything starts to change.
Educated by her new maid and her old one, Lene, Claire begins to see the world from the perspective of the commoners and she’s deeply put off by what she has learned. As Bauer fights internal and external strife, Claire François starts to understand the values she holds may not be up to the strain. But – importantly – Claire herself is up to the challenge. Her belief in her position, her power and her friends makes this book an outstanding read.
We learn so much about Claire’s apparent henchchicks in this novel that they never again will appear to me as merely hangers-on. Pipi and Loretta get not just backstories, but massive character development, especially in volume 2 of this series. In actual fact, it is a scene with them that has made me cry in this go round. I’m also leaving out everything about the new character, because I don’t wish to spoil anything at all about that.
As a result of my experience with other LNs, I was deeply unsure that this book would offer anything worth reading. It has blown me out of the water. Everything in it is worth reading. Not only do we get a much better idea of who Claire is, but we can see something that Rae herself could not – how effectively Rae hid herself in the first novel…and when that disguise slipped. Claire turns out to be remarkably insightful in a lot of ways and a very good friend to the people she cares about. This book was so good, I read it very slowly and carefully, so I wouldn’t miss a word. inori-sensei’s writing has absolutely leveled up. hangata-sensei’s art is still quite cute and is a little less portrait-y than it was in previous LNs, but still focuses on the figures over the action….typical of Light Novels.
This book has once again been released by GL Bunko in digital form and, like other GL Bunko novels, you can get this on US Kindle in Japanese. I will of course be writing GL Bunko(info@glnovel.com) to ask them to please continue the series. There are so many stories yet to tell.
Another way to read this novel is to support Inori-sensei on Pixiv Fanbox and read the sanctioned fan translation, which is released in English and Korean. And, of course, please let Seven Seas know that you’d like to see She’s Such a Cheeky Commoner! in print in English. I know I would. It was really good.
Ratings:
Art – 7 hanagata’s art is so much more confident now
Story – 10 Outstanding writing never mades me feel like it’s the same thing over again
Characters – 10 I cannot express to you how *good* the characters are here
Service – 3? 4? A bit, sometimes
Yuri/LGBTQ+ – Super complicated question! Rae’s feeling are not returned, but the queer content is still totally there.
Overall – 10
This is nothing like the typical “other perspective” trope. While you would have to have read Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou., Volume 1 at least, readers are well-rewarded in this volume for their time. It’s really an excellent book.
