Self-Proclaimed Villainess, Genuinely Good Fiancée

One trope of anime that I have come across a lot is the villainess trope. It is usually when a girl dies and is reincarnated into her favorite otome game or novel as the villainess. The girl then uses her knowledge of the game to avoid the fate that the game/novel has in store for the villainess. There are quite a few shows that follow this format, like I’m the Villainess So I’m Taming The Final Boss, The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior, and My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom. However,  An Observation Log of My Fiancée Who Calls Herself a Villainess takes a different approach. It is the first one where I have seen the point of view through the male love interest of the story instead of the villainess. Just that one change sparked some new life into the trope. 

The story is told through Prince Cecil. He can complete any task that is put in front of him with ease. Since everything is so easy for him, he becomes complacent and emotionless. However, his world is turned upside down when he is introduced to his fiancée, Bertia. She claims that she has been reincarnated into her favorite otome game as a villainess. She is determined to become the best villainess to make sure Cecil falls in love with the heroine of the story. Cecil thinks that Bertia has a fantastical imagination, but he finds her intriguing because he can’t figure her out. However, as some of the things that Bertia says start to happen, he begins to wonder if Bertia’s claims of reincarnation are real. 

I found Cecil to be a fascinating character.  He didn’t automatically have Bertia declared insane. When she talks about things that happen in the game, he always gives her his utmost attention and tries to resolve the problems she brings to his attention. For example, when Bertia warned him about the disease that was going to kill hundreds in the land, he took her seriously. He did research, figured out what the disease was, and presented his findings in front of medical professionals so that they could get in front of the outbreak. Because he listened, he was able to prevent hundreds of people from getting sick. 

The show also draws a line between fantasy life in a game versus reality. Bertia is determined to follow the events of the otome game she used to play. The problem with doing that is that the game gives you limited options of what to choose from. Real life is not that simple. Making one tiny change can have a ripple effect. For example, Bertia used her knowledge to stop a disease from spreading and killing her mother, but that had consequences for the years that followed. Her father never became evil because his wife didn’t die. Since her mother was able to live, she was able to have a baby boy. Since Bertia’s father had a male heir, he no longer considered adopting Courtgain, who is supposed to be an important character in the game. 

One of Bertia’s biggest hindrances to following the game is that she is not naturally evil. She is a good person who doesn’t want anyone to get hurt. Cecil tries to guide Bertia toward that fact by pointing out her good qualities and the many good deeds that she has done, like playing cupid for various couples and helping her fellow friends with their problems. Through all these things, Bertia eventually realizes that not everything in life can be directed to one result. Life is full of surprises, and you can’t always predict what happens next. 

Overall, I loved the show. It found a unique way to illustrate that you can’t control all the outcomes in your life, and you can’t change your inner self to fit a scenario. I also liked that through Cecil and Bertia, we can see how one person can change your life. Cecil saw life through a grey lens until Bertia brought color to his world. He became not only interested in life again, but in the lives of others. The show is the perfect illustration of the unpredictability that life brings to everyone, and is a good binge for this upcoming holiday weekend.