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I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss
Episode 6

by Richard Eisenbeis,

How would you rate episode 6 of
I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss ?
Community score: 4.2

Structurally, this episode of I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss is a bit on the weird side (though I mean that in a good way). Last episode ended with Aileen in a face-to-face confrontation with James which threatened to put their secrets out into the open. This episode also ends with her in a face-to-face confrontation with James which threatens to put their secrets out into the open. Sure, the location and circumstances are different but that doesn't change the fact that the anime basically sidesteps its own cliffhanger for 20 minutes only to return there in the end. And best of all, it works.

This 20-minute diversion clues us into a lot of vital information—like that Auguste and Kyle are spies for the church and Rebecca is about as villainous as a wet noodle. But what's most interesting is all that we learn about Selena. At this point, there are two possibilities (and both might be true at once). The first is that she is a reincarnator like Aileen and is using her knowledge of the future to carve out the ending she wants. The second is that she is being fed information from a reincarnator—i.e., Lilia.

While it was never explicitly stated that Lilia is one, the fact that she wrote her own kidnapping letter when Aileen strayed from the plot and used lines from the game to try and seduce Claude are pretty big hints in that direction. But now, she has been denied the happy end she wanted—having lost not only her position as crown-princess-to-be but the holy sword maiden as well. It would make sense for her to be out for revenge. And knowing that the protagonist of the second game is her obsessed fan and that Claude is heading to that location, what better revenge could she get than having Selena seduce Claude? He'd lose his strongest backer for the throne in Aileen's family and Aileen would be a heart-broken mess.

If this is the case, Selena might be nothing more than a naïve pawn. The things she's doing—like posting the love letter publicly and trying to hook up certain characters with others—seem to be designed to break her own romance flags so that she is free to pursue Claude more than anything else. And if Lilia told her to save the Demon King with her love from the evil fake sword maiden, I can't imagine Selena rejecting the idea.

Of course, the problem with such a plan is the same one Lilia faced in the first arc: Aileen's direct interference. The future any reincarnator would know is already hopelessly different from what is unfolding. The creation of the security team and having Aileen on the student council puts her at the center of the action even more than Selena is. Basically, at this point, it feels like we have a series of half-baked plans all colliding in a chaotic mess. And honestly, that makes the anime super interesting going forward.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• I'm happy to see Aileen has a proper chest binder with some solid support instead of just bandages or the like. It goes far to explain how she is able to continue the charade for so long without problems.

• Duck suit Aileen is back for round 2! (Though I liked that Selene recognized “Ailey's” voice right away.)

• While she may be embarrassed by all the lovey-dovey stuff, Aileen is just as obsessed with Claude as he is with her.

• Since it's unbelievable that Claude would ever cheat on Aileen, I can't help but wonder why he is going out of his way to keep her close.

• Another potential plan could be that Lilia wants Selene to seduce Claude with some “special incense” making Claude go berserk dragon on everyone. That'd get Lilia back to being the next princess real darn quick.

• Solid villainess move from Aileen to protect Auguste and Kyle by claiming they work for her and her kingdom instead of the church. She's basically blackmailed them into doing what she says (at least in public).

I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Richard is an anime and video game journalist with over a decade of experience living and working in Japan. For more of his writings, check out his Twitter and blog.


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