The Villainess Is Adored by the Prince of the Neighbor Kingdom Anime Series Review

We've hit the point where, each cour, we get at least one or two villainess anime. However, most of those are either comedy or drama-based or a mixture of both. The vilainess character either tries to change their fate or plays into it (usually failing in the process). What sets The Villainess Is Adored by the Prince of the Neighbor Kingdom apart is the fact that it goes all in on light, fluffy romance—though perhaps not in the way you'd expect.

Isekai fantasy stories aimed at men fall largely into the category of “male empowerment fantasies”—i.e., where the male protagonist acts as the viewer proxy and gains vast powers that allow him to do everything from saving the world to leading a simple life (and often gain a harem of fawning women in the process). The Villainess Is Adored by the Prince of the Neighbor Kingdom is the opposite, a "female disempowerment fantasy," if you will.

Tiara has very little agency in her own story. Despite being introduced to us as the perfect noble lady, trained from a young age to be the next queen, she is often seen to be cluelessly out of her depth, with her sole magic power being able to make sweets that taste good. Things happen to her, and one of the men in her life—usually Aqua or Keith (the Fairy King of the Forest)—steps in to rescue her. She is the damsel in distress rather than the hero.

However, this is not usually an issue, as the majority of the time, the problems Tiara encounters are all in her head—brought to life due to insecurities surrounding the fact that the “villainess” is supposed to have a bad end and Aqua is supposed to marry someone else. It's only in the final arc of the anime that Tiara has to be active beyond speaking up from time to time—firstly chasing after the brainwashed Aqua and secondly using her meager magic to help cleanse the corrupted ocean.

This is the kind of fantasy where you, with Tiara as your proxy, can escape to a world where love (and adventure) fall right into your lap. You don't need to work at the relationship—just being who you are naturally is enough. And if your insecurities get the best of you, the one you love will be right there to assuage your fear through declarations of their undying love for you.

While this makes this anime the exact kind of escapist fiction it's trying to be, the side effect is that, far and away, Tiara and her orbiters (namely, Aqua and Keith) are the least interesting characters in the story despite getting the majority of plot attention. Far more captivating are the side characters—especially Akari and Icilla, the heroines of the otome game series on which the fantasy world is based.

Like Tiara, Akari was reincarnated into this world. However, she is disconnected from the world in a way that Tiara is not. She still sees things as a game—knows the words to say and the things to do to bewitch her romantic targets. She doesn't fully see the fantasy world denizens as people—rather, as obstructions to be overcome to get her happy ending, be that with Tiara's former fiancé, Prince Hartknights, or with Aqua.

Interestingly, what switches her from enemy to ally is the fact that she views Tiara as another player. Once Tiara bests her by winning Aqua's heart, Akari views Tiara as a companion. And while she still harbors a major disconnect with reality, it's important to note that she does truly love the game and all the characters within it—so it's not like she is faking her love for Hartknights (who is forced to marry her). All this makes her unpredictable regardless of what side she's on—especially when it comes to her interactions with the other heroine.

Simply put, Tiara inadvertently steals Icilla's character development. Icilla's supposed to learn about life and love through a relationship with Aqua, yet no such relationship comes to pass. Then, when such feelings awaken within her, she doesn't know what to do with them—and it's only thanks to Akari's intervention that this doesn't end up ruining Tiara and Aqua's wedding.

Yet, this is not the end of her story. In the final arc, Icilla, thrown into depression by not being with Aqua, is given the means to get her heart's desire—and in a moment of weakness, uses it. Worse still, she can't stop herself from exploiting the love potion—even knowing the love is false and that she is hurting Tiara whenever she does so. Her arc is basically learning to deal with disappointment in love and atone for her bad actions.

While there are more than a few issues with the story—namely, its pacing and boring lead characters—the real low point of the anime is its animation. While it can be fine—especially in character closeups—the action scenes are terrible. Proportions are wonky, details are undefined, and movement is stilted. Even in non-action scenes, the anime uses still frames with only the most minimal movement whenever possible. It doesn't look good even in its most important scenes, which really makes the visuals clash with the above-average music. And speaking of the music, the opening and ending songs are both spot on for this type of romance-focused series—especially as they feature male/female duets.

All in all, The Villainess Is Adored by the Prince of the Neighbor Kingdom is a show for people who are looking for a lighthearted romance story where affirmations of love flow freely, and baking is the way to not only win a man's heart but also save the kingdom. It's a "female disempowerment fantasy," where love and adventure come all on their own, and any problems are overcome with little to no effort. While potentially cathartic (at least to its target audience), that doesn't mean the show is particularly interesting or engaging. Aside from the two antagonists, the characters in this anime are largely one-note—cookie-cutter shapes for you to impress your own details onto. If this sounds appealing, by all means, give this one a watch. If not, well, at least there are plenty of other villainess anime out there to choose from.