Muse reviewed My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! Volume 7 by Nami Hidaka (My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! (Light Novel), #7)
Sunk Cost Fallacy
2 stars
There are times when a predictable plot line is exactly what I want. There can be something comforting in turning to a story and knowing how each beat will play out, a balm to the nerves during tough times or just when trying to wind down after a long day. But even when that’s the kind of story I crave, I still want at least a little variety. Shake up the details just a little bit. Add some unexpected conflict for zest. For me, part of the fun in following a story where you already know the ending is in seeing the characters overcome the obstacles put in the way of that predetermined fate.
But seven volumes deep into My Next Life as a Villainess, I have to admit that even a change in circumstances is not enough to keep the boredom from creeping in. Katerina only knowing the bare-bones …
There are times when a predictable plot line is exactly what I want. There can be something comforting in turning to a story and knowing how each beat will play out, a balm to the nerves during tough times or just when trying to wind down after a long day. But even when that’s the kind of story I crave, I still want at least a little variety. Shake up the details just a little bit. Add some unexpected conflict for zest. For me, part of the fun in following a story where you already know the ending is in seeing the characters overcome the obstacles put in the way of that predetermined fate.
But seven volumes deep into My Next Life as a Villainess, I have to admit that even a change in circumstances is not enough to keep the boredom from creeping in. Katerina only knowing the bare-bones outline of the game sequel she’s living through should create more tension with the new people in her life, but in practice it’s just more of the same. She meets someone, they make an assumption about her, she breaks that assumption, and they fall for her. Admittedly there seems to be a twist this time around where someone falls for Maria instead, but the formula holds true. And while the writing has improved by leaps and bounds since the first two volumes, the author is still not skilled enough to stop drawing attention to the formula their entire series hinges on. And once you notice the formula, you notice that there’s little difference in the variations as well. And once that happens…it really hinges on how much you like villainess isekai stories if you want to stick it out.
As for me, I have to tap out here. The anime version brought a lot of nuance and detail that this version lacked, and after shaking off my initial surprise at how simple the original is, I’m not finding the fun in endless repeats of Katarina accidentally enthralling the world anymore. Maybe I’ll come back on a rainy day, when this kind of plot is exactly what I’m looking for, but for now, I’ve got a backlog calling my name.