"My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!," commonly known as "Hamefura," is scheduled to begin airing in April 2020. Born amid the boom in reincarnation in other worlds, this work's intriguing destination is, as the title suggests, the world of an otome game! The protagonist, who is reborn as Katarina, the villainous daughter in the world of an otome game, scrambles to prepare for the day to come, desperately trying to avoid the same disastrous outcome as in the game. How exactly will she change the future? Here's a rough summary of the story, including spoilers!
The story begins when Katarina turns 8...
The only daughter of Marquis Claes, Katarina was pampered and raised in a pampered environment. One day, at the age of 8, she accompanied her father to the castle. There, she fell in love with the third prince, Geordo, and clung to him. However, she clung to him too tightly, causing her to fall and bleed from her forehead. While the injury wasn't serious, this moment triggered a flashback to Katarina's past. "Child on the outside, adult on the inside..."—a phrase I've heard somewhere before—came to mind as the 8-year-old Katarina's 17-year-old personality was born within her.
Memories of a Girl's Game Resurrected
Katarina, whose memories of her past life returned, stared blankly at herself in a hand mirror. Though she was more beautiful than in her previous life, her bulging eyes made her look like a villainess. Thinking about this, a sudden flashback occurred to the otome game she played in her previous life. The scheming prince Geordo, the villainous young lady Katarina... and the many events that have occurred up until now. Though skeptical, Katarina suspects that this world is the world of the otome game "FORTUNE LOVER" that she played in her previous life, and begins to trace the connections between the two while tracing her memories from her previous life. As a result, she realizes that everything fits perfectly into the world of an otome game, and that it all leads to ruin...
The Second Flag of Ruin Arrives
While Katarina was troubled by the first flag of ruin, Geordo, the second flag of ruin arrived before long. Katarina and Geordo were engaged, and her father, needing an heir, welcomed a boy named Keith from a branch family. In the otome game, Keith falls in love with the heroine, and as a result, Katarina faces a future where he will either be banished or killed. To avoid this, Katarina takes action to ensure Keith doesn't feel alone.
Alan, Mary, and the Unreasonable Reality
At her first tea party, Katarina befriends a girl named Mary while tending to her garden, and they begin spending time together. Then, one day, the fourth prince, Alan, visits Katarina with a sullen look on his face. Alan's defense was, "Don't seduce Mary!" It seemed like Alan didn't like the fact that his fiancée, Mary, was constantly talking about Katarina. However, Katarina was also a strong-willed character. Eventually, the two quarreled and ended up competing in a tree-climbing contest.
Will Mary, in the same situation, not be doomed?
As the story of the otome game "FORTUNE LOVER" progresses, Alan also falls in love with the heroine. In fact, Katarina has almost no involvement in the game when Alan and the heroine fall in love. Instead, his fiancée, Mary, becomes the protagonist's rival. In Alan's happy ending, he marries the protagonist and Mary tearfully withdraws, while in the bad ending, Alan and Mary remain united (though the protagonist is rejected). Katarina, who is constantly faced with the choice between exile or death, is furious at this difference in treatment.
Sofia and Nicole
One day, Katarina, who was completely immersed in romance novels, attended a tea party hosted by Geordo and Alain. Her goal was to recruit more romance novel enthusiasts! There, she met a girl named Sofia. Having found a fellow romance novelist, Katarina immediately invited Sofia to her house and eagerly awaited the day they could meet again. On the appointed day, Sofia's brother, Nicole, arrived with her. Nicole, too, was a target for the protagonist in the game. Katarina was momentarily wary. However, since Katarina wasn't involved in Nicole's route, she decided not to worry and instead deepened her friendship with Sophia.
Katarina is finally 15! The otome game begins!?
Seven years have passed since she was reincarnated into the world of the otome game. Finally, Katarina enrolls in the magic school where the game is set. Having taken every possible step in those seven years, Katarina has devoted herself to farm work in preparation for the coming time...but unlike in the game, her relationships with those around her are quite good. In fact, everyone, regardless of gender, clearly has a special affection for Katarina. However, Katarina is completely unaware of this and feels increasingly threatened by the upcoming arrival of the protagonist.
Finally Appears! The Greatest Enemy? The Protagonist, Maria Campbell
After attending school, Katarina finally meets Maria Campbell, the protagonist of a girl's game. Her story, a commoner girl with light magical powers, had sparked a buzz, garnering Geordo's interest. Furthermore, upon hearing a similar scene to the game's event, in which Keith picks up Maria's dropped handkerchief, Katarina sensed a sense of crisis as she headed toward a ruined ending. She devoted herself to farm work in preparation for her eventual banishment.
What impression does Katarina actually have of Maria?
In the otome game, their relationship is that of the protagonist and the villainous young lady who bullies her. However, in this world, their relationship is extremely positive. Katarina's impression of Maria is that she's "kind and such a nice girl!", to the point that one wonders, "Why did Katarina bully such a nice girl?" In this world, Maria is bullied by other students even when Katarina isn't the one bullying them. However, whenever she finds out, Katarina comes to her rescue and drives away the bullies, and Maria begins to develop special feelings for her.
The Sudden Katarina Condemnation Event!
Katarina had used various methods to build good relationships with those around her in order to avoid the destruction flags, but one day, the "Katarina Condemnation Event" suddenly occurred. In the cafeteria, the female students proclaimed that they would expose all of Katarina's misdeeds. They had a pile of documents and witnesses who witnessed the crimes at the scene, and they insisted that all of them were proof that she had been harassing Maria Campbell. While this scene in the otome game is certainly similar to the one in which Katarina is forced to leave the country, something feels off.
Differences between Otome Games and the Real World
First of all, the basic premise is that Katarina is harassing Maria, but of course, in this world, Katarina does not do anything like that. However, as Maria, Geordo, and the others gather at the cafeteria, just as in the otome game, Katarina feels a sense of crisis, wondering if this will end up just like the otome game. However, the outcome is completely opposite to that of the otome game. With the help of Maria and the others, Katarina survives the condemnation event. (Although the slightly mocking reason given is that "she's too simple-minded to be able to harass them so meticulously,"...)
The Mastermind Behind the Condemnation Event? The mastermind behind this is an unexpected person...
Maria, who had a suspicion about the girls' attempts to condemn Katarina, suddenly disappeared that day. Despite a desperate search for her and her fellow student council members, she was unable to find them. Katarina and her team began to suspect that the "condemnation event" the girls had caused involved the use of dark memory-manipulating magic. Then, Katarina remembered a hidden character from a girl's game...the student council president, Sirius. Katarina recalls Sirius' use of dark magic in the game, and after hearing his true intentions, is put into a deep sleep by his dark powers.
Katarina awakens and heads off to rescue Maria
Katarina had been sleeping for two days with no sign of waking up, but with the help of Sophia's mysterious power, she finally wakes up. In her dream, her friend from her past life, Atchan, tells her where Maria is being held captive, and she rushes off to rescue her. After successfully rescuing Maria, they finally face the final dark force: the president.
The doom flags are successfully avoided and the story moves on to the graduation party. But the story...
The final event of the otome game is Nicole and her friends' graduation party, where Maria marries the man of her dreams and Katarina meets her doomed ending. Katarina has been running simulations for eight years in preparation for this day. She was bracing for the doomed ending at any moment, but it never came. Ultimately, the story ends with a surprising friendship ending! Or so it seemed... However, it seems a sequel has been released for the otome game "FORTUNE LOVER," so it looks like Katarina's story may continue.
"Hamefura" Plot Summary
So far, I've given a fairly quick and rough introduction to the story. If I were to go into detail, it would become quite long, so I've kept it brief. However, there are various events planned between the stories introduced this time, so be sure to check them out in the anime!
