Modern Villainess is a drama/historical fiction light novel series written by Tofuro Futsukaichi and illustrated by Kei that follows a girl who is enjoying a dating sim game that suddenly dies, and finds herself reincarnated in a world where she is now the villainess of the series, Runa Keikain. The series currently has 3 volumes out in Japan, and 2 available in the US right now, courtesy of Seven Seas Entertainment, with volume 3 in the works to be released in America in early May 2023. With the series being extremely new, debuting only recently in 2020, the series does not have any additional materials for collectors and fans as of right now, but as the series picks up steam, maybe we will see a manga adaptation or some additional merchandise down the line. The series has an extremely unique approach to the current reincarnation/isekai trend that has taken the manga and light novel world by storm in over the last few years, so without any further ado, let us explore what makes Modern Villainess a standout series in the world of light novels.
The series follows a girl who has been reborn as Runa Keikain, the antagonist of a dating sim game, after her untimely death. In this new world, characters from the dating sim game are all present, but this world is not a game at all, it is Runa’s new reality. Runa’s family is an aristocratic bloodline in Japan, that is part Japanese, part Russian. She is also the heir to the Keika Zaibatsu, a mega-corporation that has its hands in everything from chemicals to banking to politics. Modern Villainess gives us a fictional view of how the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis in the United States affected companies and individuals around the world, and takes us through how Runa and her family try to solidify their funds, make investments and navigate the impending global economic crash. The story also has an interesting dichotomy between showing the heavier handed, investment drama side of things, as well as Runa’s day to day and school life, and how she interacts with her peers and classmates.
The setting to Modern Villainess is not your typical isekai/reincarnation setting either. Eschewing the common fantasy or MMORPG setting, the franchise opts for a fictional version of the recent past, being set in Japan in the late 90’s and moving its way through to the subprime mortgage crisis of the 2000’s as the series progresses. A lot of what happens within the confines of the story is accurate to what happened to the financial markets in the real world, and tells that through the internal drama and politics of the Keika Zaibatsu. The series is great at balancing how Runa has to make grand, corporate decisions with billions of dollars on the line with her school and personal life, where we get to see her grow up, be a kid and make friends with other children from well off families. One interesting facet of the book is that Runa retains all of her memories of the route in the game she played in her previous life, so while the early life things are new to her, the people, places and corporations involved are all familiar to her. Using this knowledge, Runa is wise beyond her years and is able to see how decisions will affect her corporation’s standing through her knowledge of the events that played out in the dating sim game.
The characters are another great draw to the series. There are a fair amount of them, and many of the cast members are introduced in the first half of the book, but with the glossary of characters at the beginning of the book, and the Keikain family tree also included before the story, it is easy for the reader to go back and piece together who is who if they need to reference that throughout their read. The characters also each have distinct personalities, so after the initial barrage of who is who, it becomes extremely easy to follow. Runa, as previously mentioned is a wise child, who has surprisingly deep knowledge of the business and financial worlds for her age, and is able to balance that with her fun-loving nature and enjoying her youth. You get to see many members of the Keikain house as well, such as the maids, the butler, and Runa’s family, all get their time to shine and are able to impart some valuable knowledge to the fledgling villainess. Another facet of the story is Runa’s classmates, particularly, her friendships she forms with Asuka Kasugano and Hotaru Kaihouin. Asuka is a girl in Runa’s class that is also from a well-off family, and she has a big personality. She is outgoing, loves to play, and values her friendships dearly. Hotaru is a shy, quiet girl who has a strange talent of never being able to be found in hide and seek. The interactions between the girls is cute and endearing, and really brings out the idea that your young years should be treasured, and that people should not want to grow up too fast. Since the world of Modern Villainess is based off of a dating sim, there are also three potential love interests for Runa in Mitsuya Gotou, Yuujirou Izumikawa and Eiichi Teia. Each of these young boys comes from a family that is more than familiar with the lap of luxury, with each of them being the sons of an extremely well off family with their hands in business and/or politics. This dynamic between Runa and them furthers the character development between all the characters involved, and makes for an interesting romance subplot, as well as some lovable character interactions.
Between Tofuro Futsukaichi’s literary ability and Kei’s artistic prowess on display in the illustrations, the pair give Modern Villainess that feel of high society that makes the story all the more easy to get invested in. The illustrations come at key points, but mostly in ways that drive home some character interaction in Runa’s social life, giving the scene another layer of depth with a visual. From the cover art to the illustrations peppered in throughout the narrative, the regal themes of the franchise are conveyed in a way that compliments the text, bringing the light novel together into a wonderful package. The art itself definitely has its roots in the more modern, new school of manga and light novel art, but there are some inspirations from the 2000’s style of art in there too, particularly in the eyes.
I would recommend Modern Villainess to anyone who enjoys stories about high society, enjoys themes of finance, or historical fiction on recent events. The story takes its own unique approach to the reincarnation theme that is abundant in light novels today, and crafts a truly unique and engrossing story through those means. I have not come across a light novel similar to it yet, and the unique approach to a common trend in the medium gives Modern Villainess its own identity in the realm of light novels.
