Akuyaku Reijou no Naka no Hito

Emi Kobayashi, an ordinary girl who loves Otome games, wakes up and finds herself as Remilia, the villainess of the Otome game app「The Star Maiden And The Knight of Salvation.」Emi scrambles to avert the destruction of the world and her own downfall! … In spite of her efforts, the heroine「The Star Maiden,」who is also a reincarnated person, strike at her, and Emi was accused of trying to kill the Star Maiden in addition to breaking the engagement. Instead of Emi, who lost consciousness due to the shock,「Remilia」who was watching over her from inside, wakes up and takes revenge on the Star Maiden and her former fiancee prince who hurt the lovely「Emi.」

Original Publisher

ichijinsha

Original Language

japanese

Type

Web Novel

## My Thoughts on Akuyaku Reijou no Naka no Hito "Akuyaku Reijou no Naka no Hito" presents a unique spin on the villainess trope, and I found myself quite intrigued by the premise. A villainess who's body is taken over by someone else? Color me interested! However, while the core concept shines, the execution does have some stumbles. ### First Impressions I jumped into this story after hearing buzz about the manga adaptation, hoping to get ahead of the plot. The initial setup is compelling: Remilia, the original villainess, finds herself sharing her body with Emi, a reincarnated soul. This leads to an unusual dynamic, as Remilia grapples with Emi's influence and eventually seeks revenge for the injustices suffered. ### What Works Well What I appreciated most was the character of Remilia herself. She's not your typical misunderstood villainess; she's genuinely cunning and, at times, ruthless. Yet, the influence of Emi tempers her actions, creating a fascinating duality. I also enjoyed the revenge plot. It's not about senseless cruelty; instead, Remilia cleverly manipulates events while trying to uphold the values Emi cherished. The story avoids becoming overly dark or edgy, which I found refreshing. There's a strange warmth to it, despite the underlying themes of betrayal and revenge. The side stories, although numerous, add flavor to the world and characters. ### Areas of Concern The biggest issue I encountered was the translation quality. It often felt like a lightly edited machine translation, making it difficult to follow the narrative at times. Awkward phrasing and pronoun confusion were common problems. This made it hard to fully immerse myself in the story. Another area of concern was the pacing and lack of detail in the main story. It often felt like a summary of events rather than a fully realized novel. Key events, like dungeon explorations or village development, were glossed over. The focus is heavily on Remilia, which makes sense, but it leaves other characters feeling underdeveloped. ### ⚠️ Spoiler Warning Some readers have pointed out that Remilia's relationship with Angel, the male lead, feels somewhat forced. Her primary motivation seems tied to Emi's happiness, leading to questions about the depth of her feelings for Angel. There's also the controversial aspect of Remilia's revenge, with some finding it disturbing. ### Final Verdict Despite its flaws, "Akuyaku Reijou no Naka no Hito" offers an intriguing take on the isekai and villainess genres. The unique character dynamic between Remilia and Emi, coupled with a cleverly executed revenge plot, kept me engaged. However, the poor translation and underdeveloped world-building detract from the overall experience. If you can overlook these issues, or if you're a fan of the manga and eager to see how the story concludes, it's worth a read. Otherwise, I'd recommend sticking with the manga adaptation, which addresses many of the novel's shortcomings.