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

Episode 8

So here we are at the resolution of the second arc of the story. The “demon rebellion” has been stopped, neither Claude nor James went berserk, and Selene has been revealed to be a pawn instead of the mastermind behind the whole plot. Yet, while the bloody conclusion seen in the game was averted, most of the events of the game still happened—even though, thanks to Claude's ascension, there was no reason for a demon rebellion to form in the first place.

This means that there had to be a puppet master behind the scenes, someone who not only knew of future events but also the deeply-hidden secrets of all the actors involved. And while it's been rather obvious for a while that Lilia was involved in some form or fashion, the fact that both Aileen and Lilia now know each other to be a reincarnator completely upends the status quo.

Up until now, Aileen has had the advantage because she was acting totally off script—trying to make her own happy ending without any regard towards the original story. Lilia, on the other hand, was focused on trying to keep the story the same as the game she played in her past life—forcing the events of the game to happen even when they logically wouldn't due to Aileen's change in goals/personality. This allowed Aileen the ability to use her knowledge of the game to its greatest extent because Lilia was constantly at work to keep those things true.

But now that Lilia has confirmed that Aileen is a reincarnator like Lilia herself, it's obviously futile for Lilia to continue trying to force a square peg into a round hole as far as the plot's concerned. And more than that, it's unlikely she'd even want to try.

We learn in this episode that Lilia still views herself as a player and this world a game made for her amusement. To her, the people that populate the world are no more real than any digital character made of ones and zeroes. Therefore, she has no moral qualms about toying with them as she sees fit, and she certainly doesn't empathize with them as humans.

However, the flipside of this is that she sees Aileen as a real person and another player like herself. That means that this is no longer a single-player adventure, and since Aileen has made it clear she does not agree with the way Lilia views the fantasy world and its people, co-op is off the table and what's left is PvP. And for Lilia, the win condition has changed from romancing the boy of her choice to defeating Aileen, and she no longer has any reason to follow the plot of the games at all. Now she, like Aileen, is totally off-script as we head into the series' final arc.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• Welp, Aileen sure made a lot of men question their sexuality in this episode.

• Again, I can't help but feel that Rachael got the shaft in this arc. Instead of becoming a formidable villainess in her own right, she's been reduced to being Aileen's lacky—though at least she's found love and purpose in her new role.

• While we don't get to see the outcome, the episode does bring up an interesting idea. Can Aileen use the power of the holy sword in a purely defensive way—one that protects the humans without hurting the demons?

• I did like the lampshade of James realizing how easily he was swayed into becoming Aileen's lacky.

• The cage bit was equal parts disturbing and hilarious.

• Though the two obviously need to learn to be open and honest with each other, Claude also needs to come to terms with the fact that Aileen is a woman of action. She cannot, will not, sit on the sidelines.

• While Aileen is influenced by her past-life's memories, she's still largely the villainess she always was. It's just that her motivations and goals have changed drastically. Which makes me wonder: how much of the kind-hearted girl who won the heart of a prince is still left in Lilia?

• I hope we get more with Selene in the next arc. Having her realize that she was in the wrong and try to make amends could be interesting. Then again, so could her doubling down and refusing to accept that Lilia is evil.

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.