Explaining My Issues with The Villainess Turns the Hourglass and Aria Roscent
The Villainess Turns the Hourglass was one of my first manhwas. I generally love true villainesses and morally gray female leads, but my biggest issue with Aria is how the author turns her into a Mary Sue and presents her revenge story as justified despite the extremely unfair power dynamic that allows her to win from the very beginning.
The entire premise of the story is that Aria wants revenge on Mielle because Mielle caused her death in her first life. However, when you look closely, that is not entirely true. Mielle manipulated Aria, but she never forced her to do anything. In the end, Aria made her own choices.
For example, if I tell someone to jump into a fire, that does not mean they have to do it. Aria was the one who chose to hurt her loyal maid, Jessie, who was kinder to her than her own mother. Aria cut off Jessie's tongue, cut her hair, burned her arm, and threw her out of the mansion. Aria was also the one who wasted her life chasing parties and men who did not deserve her. She hurt people because of her own decisions. In her first life, Aria was a naïve and cruel girl who harmed others.
What bothers me is that the moment Aria realizes Mielle manipulated her, she suddenly becomes a genius strategist in the second timeline. From the very first chapter, she is portrayed as intelligent, manipulative, and capable, despite not having studied, received an education, or developed any of those skills yet. The change happens instantly with almost no character development, which makes little sense.
Another major issue is her revenge itself. Aria is mentally twenty-four years old, yet she decides to seduce Oscar, Mielle's fiancé, who is only sixteen. If the genders were reversed, many readers would call this grooming. Mielle never stole Aria's romantic partner in the first timeline, yet Aria stealing Mielle's fiancé is treated as acceptable simply because it is called "revenge."
Aria constantly complains about how evil Mielle and the Roscent family are for looking down on commoners. However, Aria herself also mistreats commoners. She abused Jessie despite Jessie's loyalty and kindness. When Aria first met Asher and believed he was poor, she immediately looked down on him. She acted as if he was beneath her and even destroyed the flower he gave her. She assumed that revealing a low social status would ruin his chances with her.
When Aria received expensive gifts, she often compared herself to those of lower status and internally thought about how they could never be like her. She clearly enjoyed the difference in status and superiority. In other words, Aria herself developed the same classist mindset she constantly criticizes in others.
Aria hating and abusing commoners
She hated the Roscent family, but if not for them, she and her mother would likely have remained trapped in poverty. This also makes Count Roscent's decision to marry Aria's mother difficult to understand. He claims he wants to avoid unnecessary trouble, yet he marries a former prostitute who knows nothing about noble society or politics in a world where nobles already look down on commoners. Such a marriage would naturally create scandals and political complications.
The story becomes even stranger when Aria's mother, Karin, cheats on Count Roscent with Aria's biological father while the Count is injured and vulnerable. She does this before divorcing him. Yet Karin is rarely criticized by the fandom for this behavior.
Another thing I dislike is how many readers label Count Roscent as a terrible parent while excusing Karin's actions. Karin never truly tried to build a relationship with Mielle and Cain. She never educated Aria properly in the first timeline despite watching her make mistake after mistake. In the second timeline, she even encourages Aria to pursue Oscar, Mielle's fiancé.
Karin telling Aria to seduce Oscar (Mielle's Fiance)
When Mielle and Cain are eventually executed, Karin shows little emotion. Instead, she spends much of her time focusing on her own romantic interests. Yet many readers praise her as an amazing mother simply because she brought Aria into a better environment.
Taking your child somewhere safer is the bare minimum expected of a parent. Once Karin married Count Roscent and became Mielle and Cain's stepmother, she also had responsibilities toward them. What confuses me is that many of the same readers who praise characters like Mildred from I Raised Cinderella Preciously and Shuli from A Stepmother's Märchen for being loving stepmothers excuse Karin for doing almost nothing.
People often argue that Mielle should have tried harder to get close to Karin. But Mielle was a child. It is completely normal for children to feel distant from a new stepparent, especially one who makes little effort to connect with them. Karin was the adult and should have taken responsibility.
In the end, Mielle begins the story as a thirteen-year-old girl and is labeled the main villain, while the adults who truly shaped the situation receive far less criticism. The real villains were arguably Count Roscent, Karin, and Emma, Mielle's nanny, who heavily influenced and manipulated her.
If Mielle is considered foolish for falling for Aria's schemes, then Aria was equally foolish for falling for Mielle's manipulation in the first timeline.
The revenge itself feels extremely unbalanced. Aria is mentally twenty-four years old, possesses knowledge of the future, and has a magical hourglass. Mielle is a thirteen-year-old child. This is hardly a fair battle.
Aria constantly claims to hate Mielle, yet she gradually becomes just like her—and in some ways even worse. What is the point of revenge if you end up becoming the person you despise?
I also do not find Aria particularly intelligent. The story often makes other characters act foolish so she can appear smart. Lady Isis was one of the few genuinely intelligent characters, but she was removed from the story relatively early. It often feels as though any woman who opposes Aria must either lose, be humiliated, or die.
Aria's treatment of Sarah is another example. Sarah was kinder to Aria than Karen ever was, yet Aria initially viewed her primarily as someone she could use for her own goals.
Another reason Aria feels like a Mary Sue is her beauty. The story repeatedly emphasizes that she is the most beautiful and attractive girl in the empire at fifteen years old. Nearly everyone falls for her charms, and her appearance frequently solves problems for her. She rarely faces meaningful challenges because the narrative constantly favors her.
Meanwhile, Mielle is pushed into madness and ultimately tortured before her death. While Mielle certainly did terrible things, the punishment Aria inflicts feels excessive.
Asher is also a weak male lead in my opinion. Much of his personality revolves around liking and protecting Aria because he finds her interesting. Aria herself only becomes seriously interested in him after learning that he is a prince and wealthy. The childhood-friend reveal later on feels unnecessary.
I also dislike the revelation that Aria is secretly of noble blood. It undermines one of the story's original themes by suggesting that she was special by birth all along.
The subplot involving Aria's children traveling back in time to save her also feels unnecessary. Even worse, Aria treats her daughter coldly and harshly before realizing who she is. Regardless of the circumstances, it is difficult to understand why anyone would behave that way toward a child.
Aria threatening Bliss
Overall, my biggest problem with The Villainess Turns the Hourglass is that it presents an extremely one-sided revenge story. Aria is given every possible advantage: future knowledge, a magical hourglass, beauty, wealth, noble status, and powerful allies. Meanwhile, her main opponent is a manipulated thirteen-year-old girl.
The result is a story filled with double standards, an unbalanced revenge plot, a male lead with little personality, questionable relationships, and a protagonist who is constantly portrayed as perfect despite many of her own flaws and cruel actions.
