Akuyaku Reijoutachi wa Yuruganai - Vol. 1 Ch. 2

[Knighto]

Cause Seraphina doesn't do bullshit and nips it in the bud. Sad we can't get more of her story but it makes sense with her personality haha

dammit she's too cool for us 😭😭😭. She should have her own serialization with the prince making the kingdom a better place.

 

[whermit]

This saint kid,

,

So let me break it down for you

 

[Short_Circut]

y'know these kind of "angry libtard gets destroyed with facts and logic" moments really only work deeper in a story when there's been actual establishment of the characters involved so one can get a better idea of who these characters truly are


also some of these points feel like they're just there to sound cool. She "loves the country" and wants to nurture it etc. etc. yet openly supports class inequality lmao wut. does she think the country is built on the rich or smth

and the prince for whatever reason thinks just hanging out with the boys or any number of guy friends is somehow more suspicious than going fuckin shopping with another girl. not even like a mixed group of girls and guys but a singular girl

ayo this country fucked

 

[MasterKurosawaKakeru]

y'know these kind of "angry libtard gets destroyed with facts and logic" moments really only work deeper in a story when there's been actual establishment of the characters involved so one can get a better idea of who these characters truly are

Those never work and always just read as a bunch of pretentious nonsense. This manga is just especially shit at it.

Other people saying they're compelled to bow before her. Why? She's gross. And since when are nobles actually "noble"? Pretty sure historically nobles were morons no better than the average person, rather than this refined image this manga so desperately wants to give them. "I live to make my country better", said no noble in history. "Let them eat cake", now that is the kind of detached from reality shit nobles actually think and say.

 

[Qriiz]

Just for having characters with common senses, I'm perfectly willing to buy this manga once it's available.

 

[Haru777]

Those never work and always just read as a bunch of pretentious nonsense. This manga is just especially shit at it.

Other people saying they're compelled to bow before her. Why? She's gross. And since when are nobles actually "noble"? Pretty sure historically nobles were morons no better than the average person, rather than this refined image this manga so desperately wants to give them. "I live to make my country better", said no noble in history. "Let them eat cake", now that is the kind of detached from reality shit nobles actually think and say.

You do realize that quote was never actually said by Marie Antoinette and was just more negative propaganda by commoners to paint nobles in an even worse light.

While at times nobles are flawed and can be corrupt, quoting the French Revolution is probably the worst comparison since all sides ended up being very vicious and corrupt. Especially if you look at the time a mob of commoners stormed the prison holding noble families and slaughtered them all, women and children included. Or would you say even the women and children of noble families deserved it?

History lesson aside.

This is a fantasy genre yo. Why so serious?

 

[MasterKurosawaKakeru]

You do realize that quote was never actually said by Marie Antoinette and was just more negative propaganda by commoners to paint nobles in an even worse light.

While at times nobles are flawed and can be corrupt, quoting the French Revolution is probably the worst comparison since all sides ended up being very vicious and corrupt. Especially if you look at the time a mob of commoners stormed the prison holding noble families and slaughtered them all, women and children included. Or would you say even the women and children of noble families deserved it?

History lesson aside.

This is a fantasy genre yo. Why so serious?

I do, actually, and you'll note I never mentioned her name in my previous comment. Yes, she did not say this (according to Rousseau, some other princess supposedly did, though it may well have been fake), but it has since become a symbol for the divide between nobles and commoners, which IS a real thing, even if the quote itself isn't.

And anyway, I don't think all sides being corrupt during the French Revolution is a particularly important counterpoint. My point is that nobles were not in any way special. They were no better than regular people and just happened to be born in nobility. Which goes entirely against the concept of nobility as this class of well-meaning betters who kindly rule over the lowly peasants. They weren't.

And I'm really not keen on this manga pretending otherwise. Nor on the fact that several readers here seem to be genuinely enchanted with this lady, even though she can't stop reminding everyone of her status for more than a minute.

 

[Haru777]

I do, actually, and you'll note I never mentioned her name in my previous comment. Yes, she did not say this (according to Rousseau, some other princess supposedly did, though it may well have been fake), but it has since become a symbol for the divide between nobles and commoners, which IS a real thing, even if the quote itself isn't.

And anyway, I don't think all sides being corrupt during the French Revolution is a particularly important counterpoint. My point is that nobles were not in any way special. They were no better than regular people and just happened to be born in nobility. Which goes entirely against the concept of nobility as this class of well-meaning betters who kindly rule over the lowly peasants. They weren't.

And I'm really not keen on this manga pretending otherwise. Nor on the fact that several readers here seem to be genuinely enchanted with this lady, even though she can't stop reminding everyone of her status for more than a minute.

People are enamored with her because she acts as she is supposed to with the ideal of Noblesse Oblige.

Putting her country and the people first isn't easy since people are very human. Systems become corrupt over time naturally (like how Marie was married into a system that was hard to redeem and her husband had no idea what he was doing most of the time, swayed and indulging in the corruption).

Status is everything ad they said and the high school is a microcosm of it. She throws around her status because that is tied to her future responsibilities which is first and foremost.

In future chapters her direct contrast is Orva, who neglects his fiance for the Saint and also is terrible at/neglects his duties when he is supposed to be the head of the house.

Seraphina however is actively communicating to the same goal as the prince, to lead the country, and they both work together to find those that want to dearabilize the palace by spreading rumors and supporting Aini as the queen despite her education and social skills being lacking to the point of causing scandal.

Its an idealistic representation of how nobles should act and even realistic of how they should behave when an interloper tries to inject themselves into this sort of world.

 

[CT-9904]

Muy elegante, my lady. At your service my Queen

 

[Zoratsuki]

wtf this is the most normal ahh nobility manga that i've read....no random bullshits

 

[Chaos47]

It's cool that they are making the "villainess" act rational and all, but if you look at the bigger picture, it looks like the people around the "heroine" are actually enabling her to act the way she is. She is becoming popular for acting without regard for rank. The fact she has followers means there are people out there who are not entirely happy with the current system. Any ruler worth their salt would be aware of such things. Instead, the three villainesses gather the male characters along with the heroine, and they proceed to roast her and tell her how childish she is being, while at the same time the prince comes forward and tells her she is nothing but an interesting animal to him? Isn't that a bit mean? Couldn't one of them talk to her and actually explain how things work (and no, don't let the bookworm ROBOT girl do it, she sucks at being human, if that isn't obvious by now, it will be enforced later once we get to her arc). All I'm saying is that this really looks like a bunch of privileged rich kids picking on an ignorant kid who still hasn't realized how demanding noble society is, after she's been enabled by those around her to believe that.

 

[Gotham2298]

Even in cases of concubines and royal mistresses, by nature of their position their influence is heavily restricted unless they know how to play the Game of Politics and Thrones. It doesn't matter if the monarch loves her more than his official consort, they would just be making their positions worse if they don't have proper backing or reasons for their actions.

Love is a nice thing to have, but a good marriage for both nobles and ordinary folk is about couples who can mutually support each other. Media has so overused the idea that arranged marriages don't have any love. While that's not necessarily wrong, it doesn't matter if the couple can support each other. Even if its not always equal, it at least sustains their marriage and the networks around them, longer than simply love.

 

[BlackAeronaut]

Why on earth this trope is so rare.

I realize you're probably being facetious, but I also feel, as an aspiring writer, this deserves a bit of an explanation.

The other Otome Villainess stories tend to be a decostruction of the Otome game genre. Basically, the Author/Mangaka is saying to themselves...

"Okay, the idea that this one girl of a low-born status subverting the hearts, minds, and politics of these people does not make sense. These are the young men who will be the stewards of their country. So what would have to happen for this to actually make sense?"

The answers they come up with vary by degrees. But in general, these are degrees along an axis with one end being "These royals/nobles are absolute garbage" and "the so-called heroine is a manipulative piece of shit".

Many of them come together in the middle. Two excellent examples of this are The Splendid Revenge of A Super-Dreadnaught Villainess and The One Within The Villainess.

But this story? It's a deconstruction of a deconstruction! Where the author/mangaka took a long hard look at the Otome Villainess subgenre, and said...

"Okay, this is all fine and good. But why on earth would these people act this way? They're the next generation of their country's leadership! Surely they know better than this! So how can I do this in a way that makes sense?"

And their answer? Make them act like actual Royalty and Nobility. These people act completely out of an obligation of duty. Their lives do not belong to themselves, but instead to the people they are responsible for. They absolutely cannot let themselves be swayed by frivolous things.

Have you ever seen the Raffaella De Laurentiis version of Dune? I'll admit, it wasn't all that great, but it had some great moments. One of those was in the very beginning where Gurney Halleck comes to Paul Atreides for his regular training. Keep in mind, Paul is the son of a Duke - who is just one step below in Royalty in the ranks of the Nobility. It would not have been out of place for Paul to have been betrothed to Princess Irullian, and thus in-line for succession of the Padishaw Emperor, Shaddam IV.

Paul glibly complains to Gurney that he's not in the mood, at which Gurney kinda loses his shit. (And justifiably so!) Here's the entire exchange...

Paul: ...My father sent you to test me, didn't he?
[He indicates Gurney's baliset]
Paul: Music, then?
Gurney Halleck: No music. I'm packing this for the crossing.
[He sets down the baliset]
Gurney Halleck: Shield practice.
Paul: Again? Gurney, we had practice all this morning. I'm not in the mood.
Gurney Halleck: Not in the mood? Mood's a thing for cattle and loveplay, not fighting!
Paul: I'm sorry, Gurney.
Gurney Halleck: Not sorry enough, not yet!
[He activates his shield and attacks Paul, who activates his own shield barely in time]
Paul: [to himself] What's wrong with Gurney? He's not faking this!
Gurney Halleck: Now, guard yourself for true!

Boom. With this, the writer brings home exactly how seriously Paul should be taking his position in the Ducal House of Atreides.

And that's pretty much what's going on here. In just two chapters, the Author/Mangaka has brought home how serious and sober this setting actually is. And they've done an absolutely masterful job.

NOTE: Edited to correct the name of the producer of the Dune film I referenced.

 

[BlackAeronaut]

It's cool that they are making the "villainess" act rational and all, but if you look at the bigger picture, it looks like the people around the "heroine" are actually enabling her to act the way she is. She is becoming popular for acting without regard for rank. The fact she has followers means there are people out there who are not entirely happy with the current system. Any ruler worth their salt would be aware of such things. Instead, the three villainesses gather the male characters along with the heroine, and they proceed to roast her and tell her how childish she is being, while at the same time the prince comes forward and tells her she is nothing but an interesting animal to him? Isn't that a bit mean? Couldn't one of them talk to her and actually explain how things work (and no, don't let the bookworm ROBOT girl do it, she sucks at being human, if that isn't obvious by now, it will be enforced later once we get to her arc). All I'm saying is that this really looks like a bunch of privileged rich kids picking on an ignorant kid who still hasn't realized how demanding noble society is, after she's been enabled by those around her to believe that.

Your thoughts are understandable, but the way they went about it is believable if you look at it from a context of, "It is my duty to remain unswayed by frivolous things - the country comes first and foremost."

In this way, they're dropping the boom on this girl by making it abundantly clear to her: Absolutely DO NOT believe everything you've been told - read the fine print and consider the bigger picture before you act. It's painful, sure, for her to experience that. But sometimes a person really does need this kind of slap to the face. Someone who has been stubbornly pursuing these boys with reckless abandon counts big time.

That said, she is most certainly being manipulated. But that manipulation is more likely than not either being brought about by a faction in the Nobility that is opposed to the Royalty, or by commoners who have no idea what the hell they're doing (or, worse, they do know what they're doing, and they're doing it purely for entertainment value). And in this case? As the Royals have come out saying that their duty is to the country they will be leading, it's obvious now that this faction is only aiming to gain things they have not rightfully earned.

Sure, they can tell her to stop associating with the people who are misleading her. But that sort of thing tends to have the opposite effect, causing a person to double-down on what they're doing. And sure, they can probably find out who's been misleading her, but being all "OFF WITH THEIR HEADS" (even if only metaphorically) can cause ripple effects among the Nobility. What do I mean? Simple. If this is a case of political subterfuge, then all the perpetrators need to do is to prey on everyone else's ignorance and/or insecurities by going, "Look! They did this to me! And they can do it to you, too!"

Have you ever seen the film, Wargames? It's old. Like, telephone handsets on dial-up modems and shit like that. But the basic gist is that someone made an AI where all it does come up with wargame scenarios for Department of Defense to use in simulations at NORAD. But without anyone knowing about it, some kid discovers it's existence, except that he completely misunderstands what this computer is and what it does, because he doesn't know anything. He's just a young hacker who somehow found the phone number to dial-up into this thing's system. And so, he unwittingly starts a series of wargames, and the AI believes that its being asked to run these simulations for the people at NORAD to respond to. But the commanders at NORAD thinks it's the real deal, scrambling their forces, and spooking the Russians in the process. And here, in this exchange, we learn about the lesson the AI never learned because REASONS...

Stephen Falken: The whole point was to find a way to practice nuclear war without destroying ourselves. To get the computers to learn from mistakes we couldn't afford to make. Except, I never could get Joshua to learn the most important lesson.
David Lightman: What's that?
Stephen Falken: Futility. That there's a time when you should just give up.
Jennifer: What kind of a lesson is that?
Stephen Falken: Did you ever play tic-tac-toe?
Jennifer: Yeah, of course.
Stephen Falken: But you don't anymore.
Jennifer: No.
Stephen Falken: Why?
Jennifer: Because it's a boring game. It's always a tie.
Stephen Falken: Exactly. There's no way to win. The game itself is pointless! But back at the war room, they believe you can win a nuclear war. That there can be "acceptable losses."

But it seems that this is a lesson that these youngsters have learned already. As the AI, Joshua, says at the end of the film, the only winning move is not to play. By refusing to even engage at all, they defeat this faction by default.

 

[Hibikin]

Hold up, something ain't right with my usual villainess story.... The prince is smart?