Forum - View topic
(An) Observation Log of My Fiancee Who Calls Herself a Villainess (TV).


Goto page 1, 2, 3  Next

Anime News Network Forum Index -> General -> Series Discussion
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Edjwald



Joined: 03 Aug 2017
Posts: 3507
PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2026 4:04 pm Reply with quote


(An) Observation Log of My Fiancee Who Calls Herself a Villainess (TV)

Source: Light Novel (ongoing @ 7 volumes, written by Shiki, illustrated by Wan Hachipisu)

Demographic:

Animation Studio: Ashi Productions

Genres: comedy, fantasy, romance

Themes: aristocracy, isekai, medieval, otome, reincarnation, villainess

Plot Summary: Bertia is reincarnated into her favorite otome game—not as the heroine, but as the villainess engaged to the perfect Crown Prince Cecil. Fully aware that her role is to sabotage his future romance, she’s determined to bloom as a wicked flower and wither away according to the story. But no matter how hard she tries to scheme, her "evil" plans only make her more endearing.

Air Date & Platform:
April 6, 2026 (Monday)
Available on: Crunchyroll

Episode Count / Runtime: Pending

Trailer

[EDIT: Fancy opener stuff edited. -TK]
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Edjwald



Joined: 03 Aug 2017
Posts: 3507
PostPosted: Fri Apr 03, 2026 12:32 pm Reply with quote
Wow, I've heard of wearing your heart on your sleeve, but the "villainess" of this anime wears hers on a sandwich board. I found the earnest, naive, clueless, and intense female lead of "Always a Catch" a bit overdone and annoying, but seeing that same type person swearing that she will devote herself to being sinister, scheming, manipulative, and evil was amusing to me.

I could have been annoyed by the too perfect prince, but thinking about it, I realized that the reason he's too perfect is that in some other world he was written to be the unrealistically perfect prince charming type by some otome game creator. Now he's weirdly isolated by the bad writing from another dimension that gave him OP character specs.

Thinking about it that way made the whole "Everything's too easy and predictable" attitude more interesting and less irritating.

And I got a kick out of the prince's servant, who's loyal but still wants to see this annoying know-it-all prodigy get kicked in the teeth by life a little bit.

To top it all off, the end scene added another wrinkle. The heroine is apparently another iskeaier. Somehow, I doubt she'll fulfill her game role any more gracefully than the villainess.

I enjoyed this.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
smurky turkey



Joined: 30 Jan 2022
Posts: 4990
PostPosted: Fri Apr 03, 2026 3:43 pm Reply with quote
It is indeed an amusing start. Bertia is likely to make the world a far better place with her 'schemes'. I like that despite her realizing that she is in an otome game (or a world based on one) she is anything but savy with it. She is loud, overly energetic and honest to a fault but it is charming in this case. It is all up to the perfect prince to make the schemes work and that makes good use of him being a too perfect super genius (if he will ever fail it will be due to Bertia). Given the opening they may not stay as children for very long.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
zfunk



Joined: 05 Nov 2016
Posts: 546
PostPosted: Fri Apr 03, 2026 7:25 pm Reply with quote
Interesting take on this type of series. The person that is reborn as the villainess is not the main character, and unlike in most series in which said character tries to change things so they can have a happy ending. Bertia is trying to fill her villainess role even though she knows would leave her and her family in ruins.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
smurky turkey



Joined: 30 Jan 2022
Posts: 4990
PostPosted: Fri Apr 10, 2026 3:21 pm Reply with quote
2:

The second episode set up a lot of interesting elements and fully sold me on the show. Aspects/developments such as spirits being a thing, taking care of the rot in the kingdom and a baby being born were surprising. That is not even mentioning that the heroine seems like a person you would want to avoid. The thing I enjoy most of all is Bertia making life difficult for Cecil, it is a joy to see her put him in tricky situations with that baby news being hilarious.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
zfunk



Joined: 05 Nov 2016
Posts: 546
PostPosted: Fri Apr 10, 2026 3:28 pm Reply with quote
Bertia wants things to happen as they are suppose to and be the sacrificial lamb, but she has one weakness, she doesn't want her mother or little brother to die for that to happen. I like that, there is a line for her in which is really to risk the outcome of the universe.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Yttrbio



Joined: 09 Jun 2011
Posts: 3822
PostPosted: Fri Apr 10, 2026 4:40 pm Reply with quote
I don't get why Bertia wouldn't know about spirits. Shouldn't she know all the setting stuff from playing the game?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
smurky turkey



Joined: 30 Jan 2022
Posts: 4990
PostPosted: Sat Apr 11, 2026 3:44 am Reply with quote
That very much depends on the game. If said game is all about the romance and spends as little time as possible on how the world works then I can see it not being mentioned. Why spend time on magic or world logic when there are romance routes to be conquered.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Edjwald



Joined: 03 Aug 2017
Posts: 3507
PostPosted: Sat Apr 11, 2026 4:10 am Reply with quote
I could be wrong - it's not exactly an isolated phenomenon - but I think the implication with this whole spirit thing is that the game presented a cheery, perfect version of events, but there was a darker current underneath them.

For example, the idea that the heroine had a spirit that was enchanting people and basically making them her love slaves would make a lot of sense. It explains how a commoner woman in this particular world could logically have five powerful lovers existing peacefully together in a reverse harem. But, the idea is not romantic. That's not a Cinderella story, that's a Cinder-slaver kind of story.

This means (A) the game is the result of some person from "our" world psychically having dreams or inspirations from another world that really existed. or (B) the anime world was somehow created to mirror the game, and then it had to start making adjustments like creating spirits or underground criminal activities and such to make the game work realistically.

I think. By the way, this anime gives every indication of being a keeper past next week.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
TJ_Kat



Joined: 11 Jan 2007
Posts: 868
Location: Saskatoon, Canada
PostPosted: Wed Apr 15, 2026 8:37 pm Reply with quote
Edjwald wrote:
I could have been annoyed by the too perfect prince, but thinking about it, I realized that the reason he's too perfect is that in some other world he was written to be the unrealistically perfect prince charming type by some otome game creator. Now he's weirdly isolated by the bad writing from another dimension that gave him OP character specs.

Thinking about it that way made the whole "Everything's too easy and predictable" attitude more interesting and less irritating.

Thank you for contextualizing it like that. I hadn't even thought of that, and it should make it a lot more enjoyable with that in mind.

I do think Bertia enthusiastically trying - and failing - to be a villainess is a fun subversion of the genre.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
smurky turkey



Joined: 30 Jan 2022
Posts: 4990
PostPosted: Fri Apr 17, 2026 2:58 pm Reply with quote
3:

I am not sure if the anime adaptation is skipping some source material or if said material hurries things along to get to the interesting bits too. The result is a lot of new characters being added all at once. Bertia now has her minions/friends plus fan club and Cecil is surrounded by his support party. Oh right, Kuro is now in human form but has not said anything yet.

The second half had me laughting a fair bit due to the heroine definitely being another player and her seemingly being just as crafty as Bertia when it comes to setting things up (as in not at all). Try all she might but Cecil is not interested at all and seems to be getting a tad annoyed instead.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
zfunk



Joined: 05 Nov 2016
Posts: 546
PostPosted: Fri Apr 17, 2026 3:02 pm Reply with quote
Yes an interesting love triangle, in which the two girls interest aligns, they want the same result, just the guy has no interest.

I wonder if Bertia and the heroine will realize that and form an alliance.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Edjwald



Joined: 03 Aug 2017
Posts: 3507
PostPosted: Fri Apr 17, 2026 4:22 pm Reply with quote
I was chuckling a fair bit while the heroine was reciting the no longer relevant dialogue about the first meet cute as if she couldn't think of anything else to do but recite the lines she'd apparently memorized, then chuckling some more at her increasingly desperate attempts to get the prince to "wake" her.

I too got the impression that the heroine wasn't much more ept (you know, opposite of inept) than Bertie, but I also got the impression that she wasn't as nice.

I thought the cousin (Joanne?) was an interesting addition.

I didn't get the sense that things were rushed until the prince said that a year had already passed at the academy with Bertie and the heroine.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
TJ_Kat



Joined: 11 Jan 2007
Posts: 868
Location: Saskatoon, Canada
PostPosted: Fri Apr 17, 2026 9:44 pm Reply with quote
I can't help but think that Bertia's minions... err... friends were the mean girls who bullied the heroine in the original game, but because of Bertia's abject failure to be a villainess, they're going to wind up being really nice to everyone.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
smurky turkey



Joined: 30 Jan 2022
Posts: 4990
PostPosted: Fri Apr 24, 2026 3:19 pm Reply with quote
4:

Episode 4 goes even further with Bertia setting up all the side couples. It made for a highly chaotic yet fun episode with some of her plans succeeding while others failed yet still achieved their goal. Given the ending said goal also succeeded in making the heroine very frustrated. All of her routes have been blocked off and thus she is angry, likely angry enough to be turned into a villainess.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> General -> Series Discussion All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page 1, 2, 3  Next
Page 1 of 3

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group