Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I'm Not the Demon Lord

After dying in an accident a college girl finds herself reincarnated into a fantasy world; one identical to a game she has played. She is the raven haired Yumiella Dolkness and is proficient in dark magic... two things that are hated and feared in this world. She is shunned by her family and passes her time raising her magic level. On entering school students magic levels are checked; ten is considered very impressive; hers is ninety nine, the maximum! At first she is accused of cheating in the test but when it becomes apparent she really is that level her fellow students fear her. She sets about trying to fit in and helps other students raise their level, in particular Alicia Ehnleit. She is a practitioner of light magic and was the protagonist in the game. As is usually the case they will ultimately have to face the Demon Lord.

Isekai series are two a penny these days and while this one doesn't exactly bring anything new to the genre it is rather fun if you enjoy the genre. It starts well and early episodes are amusing as Yumiella easily overpowers those who think she is a fraud. While there isn't a real sense of danger there are some decent action scenes as she helps others level up and ultimately face the Demon Lord. The characters are good, especially our protagonist. I liked the character designs and thought the animation was solid. Overall I'd say this is worth watching if you are a fan of the genre.

These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.

Yumiella played a fantasy-romance sim game in her prior life and has now been reborn into that same world as the villainess who is destined to die!

The premise for this series is similar to several other stories, and even the school and the team of heroes seem familiar. Aside from this, the story delivers easy entertainment with cute characters and fun humor.

Yumiella has lived her life shunned and villified, never even seeing her parents. Her response has been to suppress her emotions and simply accept the unfair treatment she is subjected to. Her goal is to survive, and to do this she grinds her way through dungeons, killing monsters to become as strong as possible. She also tries to avoid people that she recalls as death flags in the computer game in her previous life.

Yumiella is socially inept and clueless about how other people think and feel. This creates an abundance of humorous situations. Her deadpan remarks are often funny and horribly misinterpreted by others. When the first hints of romance begin to bloom, she is totally oblivious to possibility.

The animation and voice acting are nicely done. The original light novels have been skillfully adapted into episodes. There is no blood and gore, and no obvious "fan service". I recommend this.

Ehnleit Alicia opens the show. She's level-1. Accepted for her rare light magic abilities, she's the only commoner at the academy. So, Alicia is the protagonist, correct? She's the lead character in an 🖲RPG, but she isn't the lead in this 🌍. Alicia is golden in the video game, which is based on a real world in another dimension. Everybody in this game-world is unaware of that, except the raven haired, black magic wielding Dolkness Yumiella (Yumi). Ever since she recovered her memories of her past life (in which she played this game obsessively), she /does/ realize that. She's known about it since the tender age of 5. She remembers she used to be a modern girl living in modern-day Japan. Now, she's stuck in this game. What's awful is that, supposedly, she's the Villainess. 〰Yumiella is the hidden final boss who emerges after the Demon Lord is vanquished〰 That was GAME Yumi. This current Yumi doesn't care much for that storyline, so she's working on her own fate. She's focusing on getting more powerful so that she can defend herself in this weird world that doesn't seem to have a fitting place for her.

Based on a manga & light novel by Tanabata Satori, VL99IMBTHBBINTDL is a 2024 Jumondou studios release that is rated 7.13 on MAL. It is 1 season consisting of 12 23-minute English dubbed episodes with CC available. I'm just starting to learn anime lingo. This is an isekai tale, a common anime & fantasy device. In isekai stories, the character is transported or reborn into a new, unfamiliar world by means such as reincarnation or timeslips, etc. Alice in Wonderland is one of the early great isekai stories. VL99IMBTHBBINTDL is a fun romp and I enjoyed it immensely. It's played for laughs more than anything else, but there's romance and adventure in the mix.

Back to Alicia. She's locked out! This freshman jerk (Oswald, son of a cabinet minister, and a romanceable option) shut the gate on her while the bell was still ringing! 'You'll have to sleep in town tonight. The rules are absolute. The gate is closed and you missed curfew.' He's the definition of a bureaucrat. Alicia tears up explaining that she doesn't have any money. The authoritarian sees her shabby bag and realizes she must be the single commoner who's enrolled at school. He softens and tells her where a weak spot is in the wall in the back. That's where all the upperclassmen sneak in and out. She heads back there and, sure enough, she's right behind another guy sneaking in. He heave-ho's her over the wall. "You're strong," she notes. " I'm the son of a general," he explains. Then they go crashing through the roof and she lands on no less than the 2nd prince, Valschein Edwin.

Back to Yumi. To level up and get more powerful one must kill monsters. (It is based on a game, afterall). "My gamer blood is boiling," she admits. "I've always been the type to get caught up in what I'm doing," she further admits (Translation: She's obsessive). She spends every available moment out in the forest killing monsters collecting gems and leveling up. Every single moment. She finally hits the dungeons. By age 15, she's strong. Strong enough to not need anything or anybody. All she needs to do now is lay low at school + avoid Alicia and her three love interests ~ avoid anything that has to do with the game, basically ~ and then, she should be able to live a peaceful life. She has no intention of being the final secret boss!

Prince Edwin is the primary male protagonist/love interest of the game. He wields a magic sword. William Ares, the son of the general, is an alternate romantic route. He's "a muscle-head with a strong sense of justice and a short temper," we hear. Then there's the dweeb from the gate: Oswald Grimsarde, "A magic prodigy, and the 'cool headed glasses guy' type." Yumi will avoid these guys at all costs. She wants nothing to do with their quest to kill the Demon Lord.

Yumi grew up mostly alone in the countryside. She's never even met her own parents. I bonded with her when she arrives at school and, in an attempt to navigate the social gauntlet, utilizes the '3 elements for useless chatter'. When a person attempts to conversate with Yumi, her prepared responses are:

I see... That's amazing!

Please tell me more

It starts fine. Everything gets turned upside down during opening ceremonies when they decide to measure everyone's level. Hmmmm. Yumi doesn't actually know what her level is. Most students are level-1. The general's son gauged in at level-10 and the room collectively gasped. Yumi thinks she's more powerful than level-5, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to beat down any dungeon bosses... right? She's trepidatious as she reaches her hand out to be measured. The result: Her life will never be the same, and it certainly won't be peaceful. Yumi measured at level-99. Forget the whole school; the whole world is going to know about this.

'Okay, Ms Level99 (snicker) PROVE YOURSELF!' Nobody believes she's actually level-99! Consequently, they all believe she's an attention-seeking fraud. She's treated like a pariah. Everyone wants to see some proof! 'You fool. You don't realize that whether you live or die depends on my sense of subtlety,' Yumi's thinking. Her focus is more on not hurting anyone. The day is over when she shoots her black hole spell into the sky. That episode ends with the sound of the infantile cries of her classmate.

The black hole pretty much burned a hole through the entire kingdom. Everybody's talking about her. That peaceful life she was dreaming of seems beyond even her powers. Yum's invited to the palace. The king and queen want to get acquainted. She's startled and relieved to receive a gracious apology for the maltreatment she experienced right after her level was tested. Over a private tea with the queen, Yumi is offered marriage to any prince of her choosing, but she declines. "I just want a peaceful life," she tells her majesty. After the queen secures Yumi's vow to help fight them Demon Lord, whom they expect to return within 3 years, they part amicably.

Back at school, she's being swarmed with marriage proposals and friendship proposals and getting all kinds of strange attention now. That ain't peaceful. Yumi actively tries to blend into the background. She's spending so much time keeping her head down and avoiding interaction that she takes no notice of how /she's/ being noticed by Ashbatten Patrick (Ash).

As of ep4 I was enjoying this more and more. The FL is the very definition of lowkey. She talks in deadpan with no inflection in her voice. She sounds like a low hum-drumming. She's got that genius airhead thing going on, too. Her skills are exceptional, but her social IQ is under 70. I think Alicia and her three suitors are a parody of Hermione, Ron, and Harry Potter. They think that they're going to save the world, and maybe they will, but they have an over inflated sense of their own importance, and they're irritating. Edwin despises Yumi, and is more like Draco Malfoy much of the time. He finds Yumi suspicious and can't shake the feeling that she is a threat, especially to Alicia. They all decided that Yumi looks suspicious, and therefore, she IS suspicious, but they have no true logical basis for it. Then one day, Alicia bluntly asks Yumi: Is she the demon lord?

Yumi is asked to proctor the field training (she's too powerful to take part in it). Yumi's been practicing in dungeons with a power ⬆ncreas⬆ng amulet (protective amulets are for wimps). The school places a high premium on keeping their students, the whelps of the nation's rich and powerful, SAFE. Therefore, the training is woefully lightweight and wholly inadequate. Yumi's appalled. This isn't education; it's swaddling! Ash is voicing the same concerns that she has. These 2 are on the same wavelength. There's noble families who live in the capital, but many live in the rural regions. The regional nobles must fight monsters regularly, something of which the city nobles know nothing. The way it shakes out results in a big motivation-disparity. The city kids don't take their training nearly as seriously, so they train the 2 groups separately.

But there's not enough monsters to really get anything started. They only have half a dozen Houndooms wandering around. Here's where the fun kicks it up a gear. Yumi says: 'I can fix this.' She takes out her /monster calling flute/ and blows it. No warning. Thankfully, the class notices that they're about to be overrun. Training just got REAL! Ash, a natural general, forms a rear-guard and a vanguard. They work together and alternately attack so they all level up equally. Turns out, Yumi's a RELENTLESS teacher. She blows that flute until the sun sets. The students wail in exasperation.

That's the flavor. Yumi has to make sure that the 4 heroes (Alicia and her 3 flunkies) are leveled up sufficiently to scuttle the Demon Lord while she tries to keep herself out of trouble and UN-engaged to any princes. Ash patiently hangs around wondering how he could have fallen for a woman like this? Yumi doesn't understand her own growing attraction and causes him confusion and consternation before the final commitment. She picks up a pet worthy of her level, and they level up the laughs with Ryu, as e'er body is terrified of Ryu. Yumi just takes it as them not liking animals. (She didn't realize so many people weren't animal lovers, though). Only Ash seems to like Ryu...

Romcom fans will like this show much more than Ash like Ryu. It's funny, clever, low on flaws and worth the time.

IMHO〰🖍

📣8 📝7.8 🎭8 💓6 🦋6 🎨7.5 🎵/🔊6 🔚8 ▪ 🌞5.5 ⚡6.5 😅4 😭3 😱2 😯1 🤢2.5 🤔4 💤0 🤗8

Age 10+ Rated: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Re-📺? Fo sho

💘 Ouran High School Host Club-8,, Ao-chan Can't Study-7.8, Kayuga Sama Love Is War, Special A Class-8.2, Maid Sama-10, Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke's Mansion-8.4, 7th Time Loop-7.9, Princess Principal 8.6.

Villainess Level 99: I may be the hidden boss but I'm not the demon lord anime follows the story of a young woman named Yumiella, who finds herself reincarnated in a fantastical world as the infamous villainess of a popular video game. Unlike the typical tales where the main character is destined to meet a tragic end, Yumiella is determined to rewrite her fate.

Armed with the knowledge of the game's plot and her formidable level 99 skills, she navigates the treacherous world of court intrigue, alliances, and magical battles. Despite her fearsome reputation, Yumiella is surprisingly kind-hearted and clever, using her abilities to help those in need and uncover hidden threats.

As Yumiella's journey unfolds, she forms unexpected friendships, including with the game's supposed hero, who begins to see her not as an enemy but as a valuable ally. Together, they face challenges and unravel mysteries, all while Yumiella maintains her quest to live life on her own terms, proving that even a villainess can be a force for good.

The phrase "reinventing the wheel" applies to many creative fields, especially when genres become saturated with repetitive ideas. This is true for the AniManga industry, where even promising new trends like the "Villainess in an Otome Game" theme can fall victim to formulaic storytelling. However, this season, two light novels are breathing fresh air into the genre: "Loop 7-kaime" by Touko Amekawa and "Villainess Level 99" by Satori Tanabata.

What makes "Villainess Level 99" so enjoyable is its ability to set up a familiar Otome Game scenario and then completely subvert it. The main character, Yumiella Dolkness, finds herself reincarnated into the world of an Otome game she once played. While she possesses the memories of the game, she's not actually the Demon Lord as everyone expects, but a hidden boss with immense power. Yumiella longs for a peaceful life, but her dark appearance and magic make her an outcast. To avoid trouble, she spends her childhood diligently training, unknowingly reaching the unheard-of level 99 by the time she enters magic academy. Now, Yumiella must navigate her place in this new reality, prepare for the true Demon Lord's arrival, and overcome people's prejudice against her. This unexpected turn of events throws a wrench into her plans for a quiet life, forcing her to balance her duties with building relationships.

Yumiella doesn't care about the main plot. In the typical Otome Game story, the heroine wields light magic and fights the Demon Lord. Yumiella, however, is stuck completing odd jobs (like side quests) to get back on track with the pre-written story, while accidentally pushing the other love interests' paths forward.

Meet the Hero (sort of). Alicia, the supposed hero, uses light magic, making her Yumiella's opposite. Both girls are assumed to be low-level (around 10). This worries Yumiella because she's destined to fight the Demon Lord much later, and Alicia seems unprepared. Initially, they clash due to their opposing magic. Alicia even gets close to the capture targets (the guys you can romance in the game). However, the game has been messed up, and Yumiella has to replay parts to get back on track. This makes Alicia dislike Yumiella even more, fearing Yumiella weakens them for the future battle against the Demon Lord.

This game flips the script on typical otome RPGs. Capture targets, meant to be helpful companions, are now arrogant and self-serving. This separates Alicia and Yumiella, who were supposed to work together, and throws Yumiella under the bus with accusations of faking her abilities. Edwin Valschein, the second prince and a magic swordsman, exemplifies this shift. Though talented, he's overshadowed by his attendants: the gifted mage Oswald and the master swordsman William. These three, known for their arrogance, constantly torment Yumiella, except for Edwin who merely insults her. Unlike them, Yumiella hides a secret: powerful level 99 skills and dark magic. This makes her both a target and a valuable asset, as she's the only mage capable of facing large demons.

The saying "revenge is a dish best served cold" applies perfectly to Eleonora Hillrose, daughter of the noble faction leader. Everyone picks sides at the magic academy, but Yumiella remains neutral. This frustrates Eleonora, who tries to recruit her. Interestingly, Eleonora is both lovestruck by Prince Edwin and part of a jealous clique that resents Yumiella's connection to him. Ironically, Yumiella ends up defending Eleonora from her own friends, bonding over their shared love of dragons. This act of kindness earns Yumiella a best friend, proving her loyalty lies with those who deserve it.

Highly recommend "Villainess Level 99"! You won't be disappointed.