7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life

Episodes 1-3

Sometimes, a title makes sense, and sometimes, you get the distinct feeling that it contains random keywords that may have helped it to get readers but ultimately have no bearing on the plot. That's the case here – Rishe is the furthest thing from a villainess, and any "villainy" implied by the title is utterly absent from the first three episodes. (Or, if I'm allowed to mention it, the first four novels of the source material.) Yes, the classic denunciation scene marks the start of each new loop, but it's plain to see that the prince himself is the problem, not Rishe. She's more victim than villainess, at least in how her life gets upended.

I daresay she'd object to being called a "victim," though, or at least in any case but that of Arnold Hein. In each of the six lives Rishe has lived out prior to the one we're watching, she's been killed, either directly or indirectly, by Arnold, who at the time of her death is the emperor of Galkein, having murdered his father. That's at least part of why, in this loop, she decides to do something drastically different in the hopes of preventing her death at his hands: she's going to marry him. And then she's going to try the whole "relaxing" thing that she's largely left out of lives one through six, although it must be said that she's doing a terrible job of it right now. But Rishe's not the kind of person who can sit back and chill – she's intelligent, active, and ready to break this cycle once and for all, and she will need all of those things, plus what she learned before, to pull that off.

Rishe is the best part of this story. She could easily come off as the female version of those OP male protagonists we see so often in isekai and loop stories; the only real difference – and I think it's a significant one – is that she can't just do stuff because she's awesome, she can do it because she learned it all before. She does comment that her body isn't as tough right now as it was in one of her more active lives, so it's not that everything is coming to her easily. It's more that she's lived and learned, and now she will put it all to good use, whether Arnold likes it or not.

These episodes imply that he will like it, though. Their meeting in episode one, when she bumps into him in the back hallways of the palace, shows that her gumption and weirdly menacing presence instantly strike him. He proposes to her because he wants to know more about her, or at least, that's how it looks right now. Based on the opening theme's images and the fact that they meet in every life in some way, I think there's a real possibility that he's been looping through time, too. Maybe he's been searching for a life where he doesn't have to kill Rishe or go down the blood-soaked path that's been his lot. Or maybe he sees someone who has the guts to stand up for herself and fight for herself in a way he's never been able to; episode three's reveal of the horrible scarring on his neck and shoulder offers some pretty concrete proof that he hasn't had an easy life, and when combined with Rishe's knowledge about his patricide, he may simply have had no one to rely on for help and reached his breaking point. If Rishe can break his cycle, she may wind up saving more than herself, and Arnold may recognize that his hope lies in her.

Even if that's not strictly the case, it's clear that he's enjoying being in her company. Their dance in episode three is not only gorgeous; it's a full-on flirtation as they each try to outdo the other with their bodies in a match of both wits and physical prowess. Arnold doesn't want to announce his engagement at the ball because he wants to fend off other ladies; he wants to show Rishe off as the amazing woman he already realizes she is. She may not have quite figured him out yet, but he's all-in when it comes to her – would he have offered to spar with her otherwise? He already knows she could be dangerous with a blade, so his offer speaks of his trust and fascination.

Rishe's past lives weren't for nothing, although I could see her feeling that way in a down moment. She's lived and learned, and she's not going down the same path this time, although she will use all of the skills she acquired to shape things. If anyone could break out of the loop she's been stuck in, it's the Rishe of the seventh loop. I'd like to see anyone try to stop her.

Rating:

7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.