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Oh no. Oh god noooo
The Reincarnated Young Lady Aims to Be an Adventurer! - Vol. 2 Ch. 11
- Thread starter MangaDex
- Start date
@zz2000
@pokperson1000
Given this context, it's very easy to see what the thought process of a person reincarnated as the heroine would be: I'm the star of the show, I've played this game enough times to know exactly what will happen. They treat the entire thing - all the places and people they meet - as a game. They don't see anything wrong with expecting things to just fall into their lap, because unfortunately, that's how a lot of writers piece together otome game plots: shit just HAPPENS to the heroine and they're praised and treasured for it. They appear toxic and arrogant to us as readers because they are, and they won't change because they've somehow convinced themselves (offscreen usually since all these heroines aren't just hanging around their villainesses all the time) that this is their dream come true, to a point they won't even consider the idea that someone else could be reincarnated with them because this is THEIR fantasy.
By contrast, the villainesses are the foil, the opposite of the beloved heroine. They usually have the same knowledge, but by the placement of their role, they knows this is no idealistic dream VR experience. Their desperation to survive the upcoming events means they actually have more contact with the world, thus making them aware of the world they now live in. This is no game; this is their reality. When you put the villainess' active awareness and interaction beside the heroine's, it makes the heroine's entitled apathy even more obvious.
Most isekai stories involving male protagonists are NOT set in actual games, and if they are, they're usually MMOs, which typically have a looser plot that a player would follow to allow for more open-ended gaming. Most all of the otome isekai invariably take place in a novel (visual or otherwise) that, while possessing multiple branches to allow for multiple endings, are still much more heavily driven by storytelling; the heroine's choices determine the fates of everyone involved. To compare otome isekai with RPG-esque isekai is a little unfair given the context of the settings alone.
@pokperson1000
As mentioned, otome games are invariably some kind of visual novel; yes, there are many otome games out there now that throw in other elements like RPG mechanics, rhythm games, and match-3 puzzles, but at their core they tell a story with multiple endings so the player can shalalala kiss all da boiz. Because of the structure of a novel (visual or otherwise), a player/reader can very quickly grasp the situation and what will happen if they've read the story enough times - and coming from someone who's played through every route in many otome games, you usually go through the "common route" a minimum of 4 or 5 times in a single title making different choices to chase the various love interests.
Given this context, it's very easy to see what the thought process of a person reincarnated as the heroine would be: I'm the star of the show, I've played this game enough times to know exactly what will happen. They treat the entire thing - all the places and people they meet - as a game. They don't see anything wrong with expecting things to just fall into their lap, because unfortunately, that's how a lot of writers piece together otome game plots: shit just HAPPENS to the heroine and they're praised and treasured for it. They appear toxic and arrogant to us as readers because they are, and they won't change because they've somehow convinced themselves (offscreen usually since all these heroines aren't just hanging around their villainesses all the time) that this is their dream come true, to a point they won't even consider the idea that someone else could be reincarnated with them because this is THEIR fantasy.
By contrast, the villainesses are the foil, the opposite of the beloved heroine. They usually have the same knowledge, but by the placement of their role, they knows this is no idealistic dream VR experience. Their desperation to survive the upcoming events means they actually have more contact with the world, thus making them aware of the world they now live in. This is no game; this is their reality. When you put the villainess' active awareness and interaction beside the heroine's, it makes the heroine's entitled apathy even more obvious.
@shibaweeb Thanks for the insight! 😀
To add to your post on the villainess role, I've noticed their original game role in these stories are more akin to the bitchy love rivals you find in some shoujo manga and soap operas.
To my knowledge most actual otome games don't have love rivals like these. Route focuses tend to be on uncovering the love interests' various emotional issues and the game heroine helping to resolve and heal them. The closest would be a plot-related villain/villainess that drives the game's underlying narrative but might not have romantic connections with the male leads.
In short, otome isekai genre feels like a hybrid creation of sorts at times.
To add to your post on the villainess role, I've noticed their original game role in these stories are more akin to the bitchy love rivals you find in some shoujo manga and soap operas.
To my knowledge most actual otome games don't have love rivals like these. Route focuses tend to be on uncovering the love interests' various emotional issues and the game heroine helping to resolve and heal them. The closest would be a plot-related villain/villainess that drives the game's underlying narrative but might not have romantic connections with the male leads.
In short, otome isekai genre feels like a hybrid creation of sorts at times.
Fed-Kun's army
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She's annoying
I wonder if there's a way for them to stop this attraction for Roux. Maybe prince from the other country can help?
Anyway, hasn't she realized that the story isn't going as planned because Sera isn't in the magic academy? I just want to foil her plans so much. The Maribelle from the story is already so annoying and now this entitled reincarnator too. Sigh
Edit: thanks for the update
I wonder if there's a way for them to stop this attraction for Roux. Maybe prince from the other country can help?
Anyway, hasn't she realized that the story isn't going as planned because Sera isn't in the magic academy? I just want to foil her plans so much. The Maribelle from the story is already so annoying and now this entitled reincarnator too. Sigh
Edit: thanks for the update
@redmikan @elitemilo IIRC Maribelle's origins are explained much later towards the end.
The explanation was that she was a battered soul which had greatly suffered on Earth.
Earth's god took pity on her, and requested the fantasy world goddess to reincarnate her into the fantasy world so she could be happy. Goddess took pity and promised to help Earth god out. Earth god also cast a powerful blessing on Maribelle so she'd be loved by all (including divine beasts).
However, none of them knew that Maribelle's past sufferings would twist her soul to become malicious and selfish. By the time the fantasy goddess found out, it was too late and heroine was driving the world to destruction thanks to her selfishness. The Earth god's blessing was too powerful for her to overcome, and she didn't want to break her inter-divine promise with him (gods consider these things sacred).
So she used her power to turn back time, and seek the help of another balanced soul that could help stop heroine's future rampage. Enter MC.
@zz2000 It depends on the "era" and subgenre of the game, but generally you're correct. Some have female rivals with actual potential to shut down a route, some have, as you so aptly put it, "the bitchy love rivals you find in some shoujo manga and soap operas". Then there's more recent games that have everything from the generic female fatale foil to other LIs (I'm looking at you, yanderes) to the targeted LI himself to........... deadly epidemics, revolutionary civil war, localized revenge terrorism, interdimensional politics shenanigans, psychopathic undead serial killers, and straight up magic.
The last "magical/noble academy setting" games I've seen are Wand of Fortune and Wizardess Heart and those were originally released in 2011 and 2014 respectively. Twisted Wonderland TECHNICALLY counts as an otome game but I've yet to see any real romance develop, and the protagonist is genderfluid (no portraits are ever given, no gender specific pronouns used) for a true "self-insert", thus potentially opening it up to BL/LGBTQ+ players. Not to mention that the characters are all designed by the Black Butler artist.... But anyway, rather than a hybrid, I would argue that otome isekai took one very old setting and trope in otome games and just continued to run it into the ground. Forever.
The last "magical/noble academy setting" games I've seen are Wand of Fortune and Wizardess Heart and those were originally released in 2011 and 2014 respectively. Twisted Wonderland TECHNICALLY counts as an otome game but I've yet to see any real romance develop, and the protagonist is genderfluid (no portraits are ever given, no gender specific pronouns used) for a true "self-insert", thus potentially opening it up to BL/LGBTQ+ players. Not to mention that the characters are all designed by the Black Butler artist.... But anyway, rather than a hybrid, I would argue that otome isekai took one very old setting and trope in otome games and just continued to run it into the ground. Forever.
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@phoenixir ah yes, Bakarina, Villainess so dank and takes no shit she ascended, and whatever that last one is
I haven't read it
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Well ofc she was a bitch huh.
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Adorable baby snake !
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