[I'll never find the line between full-fledged characters and chibi]
I noticed one detail: it seems that Lilly in my performance, if she is wearing an autumn outfit, is doomed to have some kind of flag in her hands.
I don't think that's a problem... It's just funny.
This year, today, art was inspired by a special month and a couple of Twitter stories that I read. Since Rae works as a kind of Sensei for Lilly, I thought that such a simple sketch would make sense?
If last year it was just a random joke, because I just wanted to play with the flags on my head. After eight minutes of tinkering and after I was convinced that they could hang so ridiculously, the idea of a mini-comic came to me.
Happy Birthday to absolute best girl Lilly Lilium from I’m in Love with the Villainess!
I absolutely adore this little gremlin and her story. She’s got it all: that cool one-eye-covered-by-hair thing, an evil alter ego, absolutely crippling self-loathing and guilt, and an eternally unrequited love!
Poor girl is so doomed by the narrative when she deserves the world
I'm in Love with the Villainess Spoiler-Filled Review [Part 2]
Continued from Part 1 (which was published yesterday)
Typically, Claire tries to deny her feelings, after making this declaration. Rae and everyone one refuse to believe it. This surprises Rae. She doesn't want to let Claire go. In a post-credits scene, Manaria departs for Sousse. Rae believes that Manaria wanted Rae and Claire to begin a romantic relationship from the start. Many of Claire's friends (like Misha, Loretta, and Pipi) and the Princes, wish Claire the best. They root for her and Rae to marry. Claire likes this idea, saying that Rae would be her bride, before attempting to take it back. Later in the manga, both characters marry. Hopefully, that would be animated if this series is renewed. NOTE: This includes spoilers for the anime AND the manga, so if you don't want to see those, then please turn away and don't read past this paragraph.
Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the sixty-first article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on December 30, 2023.
In another powerful scene in Watashi, Rae refuses to reveal who she is to Manaria. She says, in an inner monologue, that she is doing all of this to prevent a future tragedy. She shakes Manaria's hand and agrees to take care of Claire. They are some other nice moments. Rae teases Claire. She blushes like nobody's business, since she is having fun with Rae teasing her. The series ends happily for them and was crafted to give them a "happy ever after." However, as Steven Universe told Spinel in the 2019 film (which has conflicting messages on happy endings), "there's no such thing as happily ever after. I'll always have more work to do." The RWBY Volume 8 theme declared, "Happy Ever Never After Again." Both are applicable here.
A possible second season could involve new twists, like Rae's plan, which echoes Mia Tearmoon's efforts in Tearmoon Empire, to avoid Claire's execution (her "downfall ending" as one Q&A puts it). Characters like Lilly Lilium may appear. Storylines which accurately portray sexuality would continue. The latter isn't surprising. The manga's author, Inori, is a lesbian (is possibly trans) and is influenced by various yuri works. She has another recently published yuri novel. It's entitled The Girl Who Wants to Become a Hero <me> and the Girlfriend Who Should Become a Hero <you>. It's not known when an English translation will be available.
I'd love to see some trans characters and perhaps even have some Claire-centered episodes. After all, there are light novel series entitled I'm in Love with the Villainess: She's so Cheeky for a Commoner, from Claire's perspective, and "Claire's Diary" which some fans happily translated. Other fans have even translated all the opening and ending sequences, TV spots, promotional content, Q&A, and more. Even though I highly doubt there would be any criticism of marriage as an institution. Nothing in a future season would echo Young Love. On the other hand, this series is more positive on lesbian romance than others. This is no shock. Rae, throughout the manga, has four women interested in her: Claire, Manaria, Lilly, and Lana Lahna! At one point, Claire even calls Rae a "womanizer" as a result, which surprises her.
I'd love to see some trans characters and have some Claire-centered episodes. After all, there are light novel series entitled I'm in Love with the Villainess: She's so Cheeky for a Commoner, from Claire's perspective, and "Claire's Diary" which some fans happily translated. Other fans have even translated all the opening and ending sequences, TV spots, promotional content, Q&A, and more. I highly doubt there would be any criticism of marriage as an institution. Nothing in a future season would, probably, echo Young Love. On the other hand, this series is more positive on lesbian romance than others. This is no shock. Rae, throughout the manga, has four women interested in her: Claire, Manaria, Lilly, and Lana Lahna! At one point, Claire even calls Rae a "womanizer" as a result, which surprises her.
Unlike some other anime, the subbed and dubbed versions aired simultaneously. Surely, the Japanese voice actors, including Yu Serizawa and Karin Nanami for Rae and Claire, and Nana Mizuki for Manaria, did an excellent job. Serizawa voiced Mutsu in Love Live! Sunshine!!. Mizuki voiced Airi Amano in D4DJ First Mix and Riko's mother in Love Live! Sunshine!! The same can be said for Princes Rod, Thane, and Yue. They are voiced by Ken'ichirō Ōhashi (also known as Kenn), Daisuke Namikawa, and Yoko Hikasa. All three are talented voice actors. The same is the case for Aimi Terakawa, Ikumi Hasegawa, Sara Matsumoto, Minami Kurisaka. They voice Misha, Lene, Loretta and Pipi respectfully.
Aimi is known as Kasumi Toyama in the BanG Dream franchise and Kyoko Yamate in D4DJ. Hasegawa voiced Sorane Matsuyama in If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die, Desumi Magahara in Love After World Domination, Koito in My Master Has No Tail, Ikuyo Kita in Bocchi the Rock!, Kotoko Nogisaka in Ippon Again!, and Shizuka in World Dai Star. Matsumoto voiced golf mafia boss Charlotte in Birdie Wing: Golf Girls' Story as well.
English dub voice actors, like Hannah Alyea, Lindsey Sheppard, Corey Wilder, Oscar Seung, Ciarán Strange, Marisa Duran, Kara Edwards, Erin Nicole Lundquist, Abigail Blythe, and Katelyn Barr, are talented too. Alyea, a non-binary actor, who voices Rae, did the dubbed voice for Aoi Inuyama in Laid-Back Camp and for Lumi and the Great Big Galaxy, an indie animation. Sheppard, who voices Claire, is known, in part, for voicing Saphron Cotta-Arc in RWBY, Amy Sibble in Wild Card: The Show, and Kaede in Sasaki and Miyano. Like Alyea, Duran, who voices Misha, is also non-binary, and of Spanish descent. She's voiced a variety of roles. Wilder, who voices Rod, is a non-binary Black man, voiced a wide array of characters.
This also the case for Seung and Edwards. They voice Thane and Lene. Strange is a talented trans non-binary man. Lundquist is Latina, queer, and "military veteran voice actor." Blythe describes herself as a "demi lesbian." She said that voicing Pipi is a "dream come true," noting she'd been a fan of the manga, and was overjoyed to voice "a sapphic character in a sapphic anime." Barr is a seasoned voice actress known for roles such as Hina Hikawa in BanG Dream! and Chiaki in Laid-Back Camp.
While I have criticisms of Watashi, it remains the stand-out series of 2023, with amazing music, and is fun, goofy, serious, deep, and very queer at the same time. Avid viewers and fans may encourage Ichijinsha (the publisher of the light novel and manga) for a second season, per Erica Friedman's suggestion on her site. This series comes when there are many yuri series in 2024. This includes possibly yurish Pon no Michi and Metallic Rouge in January. By April, others with yuri themes will include Nijiyon Animation season 2, Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night, Laid-Back Camp season 3, and Whisper Me a Love Song.
I'm in Love with the Villainess is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
