Kadokawa recently unveiled a treasure trove of details for the upcoming anime adaptation of Satori Tanabata and Tea’s “Villainess Level 99” light novel series. This exciting revelation included a promo video, captivating visuals, a talented cast, a skilled production staff, and most excitingly, the confirmed debut date of January 2024.
In the vast world of anime and manga, there exists an intriguing yet often misunderstood archetype, the villainess. These women of fiction are featured in countless series, wielding their unique blend of charm, cunning, and sometimes, pure evil.
From fairy tales to intense sagas, these characters are commonly seen and can be overused. With a heard-before premise, Villainess Level 99 introduces us to the protagonist who is reincarnated into her favorite otome game, but instead of playing the heroine, she takes the role of the villainess.
With a casual yet engaging narrative style, will this story be an absolute treat for readers? If you’re ready to embark on a journey where the villain cannot let people find out she’s the villain, you’re in for a hopefully witty and thrilling ride.
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Villainess Level 99: Staff, Cast, Plot
The anime adaptation of Villainess Level 99 is directed by Minoru Yamaoka and produced by Jumondo. The series scripts are handled by Fumihiko Shimo, Hitomi Kaiho and Lo Ho Kim designed the characters and Kana Utatane composed the music.
Authored by Satori Tanabata, this series started as a web novel on the user-generated novel platform, Shōsetsuka ni Narō, in 2018. Soon after, it caught the eye of Fujimi Shobo, who decided to publish it as a light novel, with illustrations by Tea, under their Kadokawa Books imprint, starting in 2019.
The story has since been compiled into five volumes as of June 2022. A manga adaptation of the series, illustrated by Nocomi, made its debut in Enterbrain’s B’s Log Comic magazine in 2020, and it has been collected into three volumes as of February 2023.
The Cast
The cast includes Fairouz Ai voicing Yumiella Dolkness, Yūma Uchida voicing Patrick Ashbatten, Azumi Waki voicing Alicia Ehnleit, Taku Yashiro voicing Edwin Valschein, Haruki Ishiya voicing William Ares, and Kōhei Amasaki voicing Oswald Grimsarde.
The Plot
Yumiella Dolkness’s rebirth into a video game character isn’t exactly the thrilling adventure she hoped for. Discovering she’s become the hidden boss, she’s determined to rewrite her fate and avoid the impending bad ending. Her plan? Sharpen her skills and keep a low profile when she enters the school alongside the heroine and her love interests.
But Yumiella’s talent for honing her abilities exceeds all expectations, taking her to the unheard-of level 99. Now, not only do the heroine and her entourage take notice of Yumiella, but they also suspect her of being the very demon lord they must defeat.
Villainess Level 99 might walk familiar ground in the world of reincarnated villainess stories, but it manages to carve out its enjoyable niche. The protagonist, Yumiella, is a self-aware yet clueless character, making her a delight to follow.
Her attempts to avoid her fate as the hidden boss in an otome game with RPG elements take unexpected turns, leading to some entertaining situations.
However, the series does fall into some genre clichés, such as the emphasis on character levels and the questionable portrayal of black hair and eyes. Still, these elements are often used as parodies within the story.
While Villainess Level 99 may not offer groundbreaking twists, it remains an enjoyable read, especially for fans of the reincarnated villainess genre. Whether you prefer the manga or the source light novels, this story is worth exploring, especially with an anime adaptation on the way.
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