Summary
- Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss But I'm Not the Demon Lord!! begins with an unexpected perspective, catching viewers off guard.
- The anime quickly shifts to a more familiar storytelling mode, becoming a stereotypical villainess isekai.
- The final stretch of the episode retells the story from the villainess' perspective, offering a fresh and unique approach.
Warning: Spoilers for Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss But I'm Not the Demon Lord!!
The following anime is an adaptation of the light novel series by writer Satori Tanabata and illustrator Tea.
The premise of Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss But I'm Not the Demon Lord might be very formulaic, but the overall delivery tells a completely different story. Anyone who goes into the first half of the premiere knowing it's a villainess Isekai will most assuredly be caught off guard at first because of the unprecedented perspective it takes. But, this effect doesn't last long, for the second half quickly shifts to a mode of storytelling that most are familiar with. Even if that's the case, some lingering effects from the anime's opening scenes still continue to impact the rest of the premiere, creating something wholly unique in the process.
Adapted from the light novel by writer Satori Tanabata and illustrator Tea, Villainess Level 99 unprecedentedly begins with a focus on an unidentified female character, who is clearly from the world where the story is taking place.
This pink-haired girl immediately shares traits most commonly attributed to many heroines in villainess series, like the protagonist in the sometimes unexpectedly deep I'm In Love With The Villainess. Namely, the girl is a commoner, who's lucky to have been accepted into a school of nobles. And even though she's also happy-go-lucky, some viewers might find themselves wondering if the girl is actually the villainess, who not only shares the same qualities as the heroine, but isn't Isekai'd.
Villainess Level 99's Isekai Surprise Delivers Something Unique Amid Disappointment
Produced by AT-X
Although an unlikely theory, it doesn't help that the title of the episode is "The Hidden Boss Enrolls in the Academy", and the majority of it shows a girl enrolling. However, the episode quickly drops all pretenses when the true villainess enters the picture around the midway point. From then on, Villainess Level 99 becomes a stereotypical villainess isekai with a normal girl who gets transported into her otome game. Although eventually conventional, the anime still takes a fresh approach in the episode's final stretch when it retells the beginning of the story from the villainess' perspective, which is how it should have begun if no falsehoods were meant to be impressed upon viewers. This allows the viewer to adopt both a real-world fantasy and isekai'd point of view.
Truly, the first half of "The Hidden Boss Enrolls in the Academy" is a much more intriguing telling of the episode's initial events just because of its overall shocking perspective, thanks to the anime's flawless use of ambiguity. Luckily, the premiere's final scene still delivers a hilarious moment that even justifies the latter half for those who might have been let down by the aforementioned upset and were initially excited about seeing something fresh. The segment in question, naturally, takes place when the isekai'd villainess' overall plan to save herself from her character's fate crumbles, as it inevitably always does. There's also the added benefit that the unfortunate event happens in a public setting.
Regardless, the question that's now on everybody's mind is if the unprecedented first half of the episode is a preview of more unconventional villainess twists to come or if it will be an isolated incident that was meant to draw anime-goers in. Even if the latter is unfortunately true, Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss But I'm Not the Demon Lord's isekai surprise was definitely worth it.
Villainess Level 99 is streaming on Crunchyroll
