Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou., Volume 9 ( 私の推しは悪役令)。picks up in the middle of Cardinal Lily’s delusion that she has a chance to be someone in romantic relationship with Rae.
I know I am in a minority of one when I say that this Lily is my least favorite character in the story. And because she is the overwhelmingly most popular character in polls, this volume adds extra Lily and Rae shenanigans into the narrative. So we accompany Lily and Rae on what Lily thinks is a date and Rae thinks is just part of their investigation into corruption among the nobility. Rae teaches everyone about plea bargains and she, Lily and Claire work their way up the hierarchy. After confronting Prime Minister Salas, who is apparently unnecessarily rude to his daughter Lily, Claire is left to imagine the worst about her own father.
BUT, this is not really what this volume is about. This volume is about Rae dragging Lily to underground MMA bouts and a magical circus, where Lily saves a giant griffon, thus making a friend for life. It’s about goofy reactions and action scenes and running away from mayhem. In all of this, the volume excels. Aonoshimo’s art is absolutely fantastic enough to carry even the absurd plot line of “in the course of an investigation of corrupt nobles, while Rae is also tracking down the Resistance leaders, she and Cardinal Lily end up at a magical circus.”
Silly mayhem in the middle of an otherwise quite grim arc? Sure, why not. It breaks up interrogating boring corrupt nobles and Salas’ sneering.
The volume ends on an oddly personal conflict. Prince Rod has a proposal for Rae…that is to say, he asks her to marry him. Her reaction sets Rae and Claire at odds for the first time since before the Scales of Love. What will happen to them? Volume 10 is currently ongoing, with no release date, but I expect to see it soon.
I know I am asking a lot, but I would love for this manga series to extend past the Revolution arc into the Demons and Nur arc. Aonoshimo-sensei drawing Dorothea would be breathtaking. The idea gives me a(nother) reason to live. ^_^ So everyone run out and keep buying this series so we can meet Aleah and Mae and see the cooking contest and the Demon Queen and Dorothea. Please. Thank you. Volumes 1-7 of I’m In Love With The Villainess manga are available in English from Seven Seas.
Ratings:
Art – 9
Story – 8
Characters – I really struggle with Lily
Service – A bit here and there?
Yuri – 11 Lily needs an off switch
Overall – 8
If you love inori.-sensei’s work, don’t forget her newest self-published book Homunculus’ Tears: Alchemy For The Broken-Hearted is available for digital pre-order with an April release, and Yen’s print and digital EN edition of
