Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shiteshimatta...

My next life as a villainess: All routes lead to doom! seems like a good anime up with both heart and humour. Comedy is the center of the tale of Caterina Claes, who gets reincarnated in an otome game as the villainess, and every route leads to her death or exile. So she gets determined to avoid her doom!

I know that the genre of Isekai is quite full of shows, but in how many do we get a female protagonist (or will she become the antagonist), because she is also the villainess of the #isekai world.

But Caterina Claes is quite a lovely villain, actually ... she is a dumbhead but a lovely dumbhead, who does what she feels like doing and is a sweet addict. I love those little board meetings that she has with different personalities of herself every now and then. She wants to avoid her doom but unintentionally she turned complex characters of the game into adorable characters because like us, they also got trapped with this lovely dumbhead and her sweetness!!!

Since we talked about the characters, they all are quite adorable and stylish in their design, and all the characters are great, and I can't wait for more to be introduced. The show also gives us some interesting questions to ponder upon...

* If you know your future and you don't like it, can you change it the way you want?

* Will your inevitable actions avoid your doom and create situations that leads to happy ending?

Well, this is a fresh Isekai anime with lots of comedy mixed with friendship and romance, cute and fun to watch!

Hey kids, remember when stories about kids/teens going to fantasy worlds were interesting? And had three-dimensional characters, creative worldbuilding, compelling stories, and actually cared about things like character development and storytelling? Yeah, me too. In recent years, a sudden wave of novels and anime involving characters being sent to fantasy or game-like worlds drowned Japan, giving rise to the term "isekai" which means "another world" and many of them...aren't good. You may recognize them by several things: Ridiculously long titles that threaten to break the Twitter limit count, milque toast male main characters with little personality but are magically given God-like powers for no reason ... other than convenience, a harem of beautiful girls who exist to fall all over said male character, video game mechanics, very little effort put into actual worldbuilding, character development, or any kind of compelling conflict whatsoever, and functioning as little more than male power fantasies. Unfortunately, it's still going, and I don't think it's going to die out anytime soon. Luckily, in the pile of stale excrement, there are some gems to be found, so it's safe to say that there are some genuinely good "modern" isekai anime lurking about, even if they're still not as polished or compelling as many of the powerhouses from the late 80s to early 90s. One of them is the subject of today's review, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom!, which took the isekai community by storm.

Based on the light novels by Satoru Yamaguchi, it goes under a variety of names, but many of them are too long, so for the purposes of convenience, I'm going to refer to it as Hamefura. So what's the story? A young Japanese high school girl is killed in a car accident and finds that she's been reborn as a villainess named Catarina Claes in an otome game she owned called Fortune Lover. But she only regains her past life memories when an eight-year-old Catarina trips and hits her head. Remembering her knowledge of the game, Catarina realizes that the person she's reborn into either gets exiled or dies in all of the game's endings. Afraid that she might suffer this terrible fate, Catarina does all she can to avoid anything or doing anything that might potentially force her down that path...which basically amounts to just being a nice person and being nothing like the original character.

So yeah, Hamefura still adheres to a lot of cliche isekai tropes that its contemporaries love so much, such as MCs dying, being reincarnated into a game, gaining a harem, and so on. Thankfully, unlike its contemporaries, none of the characters do anything like level up or look at their stats (If you want to do that, just play an actual game!), nor is anyone overpowered to the point of completely solving every single problem with a snap of their fingers. Much of the show is a gentle parody of the genre, poking fun at the tropes it indulges in without seeming too mean-spirited or overly reliant on breaking the fourth wall. A lot of the comedy is fairly character driven, with Catarina being too dense to see that everyone she interacts with has clear romantic feelings for her, or trying to do something silly only to wind up achieving weird results...or overreacting to every little thing involving the conquerable characters interacting in any way whatsoever. Several of these work fairly well, but other times the comedy can be milked a bit too much, especially when Catarina freaks out about being potentially exiled or killed even though she's already avoided the bad endings by...well, being a nice person and not the character of Catarina. Thankfully, a lot of the jokes and punchlines are well thought out and full of energy.

The animation really helps sell the comedic aspects of the show here, showing a wide array of silly, cartoony expressions, zany movement, and bright colors. But even when not focusing on the comedy, the show is still well animated, with creative character designs that don't go too over-the-top, smooth character animation, pretty backgrounds, and just as much shoujo sparkle to make you feel like this is, indeed, the world of a fantasy otome game. I'm rather mixed on the music, though. I mean, the soundtrack itself is very versatile and well done, with ominous violins during the dramatic scenes, soft piano tunes for more low-key moments, and energetic fiddles and banjos for when Catarina does something silly. Seriously, when was the last time you heard banjos being used in an anime soundtrack? But the opening and ending songs didn't really wow me, per se. The opening, while well sung, seems like it's trying to mesh a bunch of different musical styles together without trying to make them form a cohesive whole, making any transition between them feel jarring. I mean, going from J-pop to classical to hard rock within several beats doesn't give it a whole lot of flow. The ending song is...okay, but again, it didn't really wow me, and it was mostly just still images of the characters framed with sparkles.

My mixed feelings continue with the characters as well. Most of them, anyway. Several of them are more developed and fleshed out than others, with Catarina having the best of it. She's a fun lead character with a lot of personality and charm to her that it's easy to see why people would like her. I'm glad the show is at least careful to give her some character flaws, such as being rather dense (Though thankfully not the obnoxious kind of dense) and being rather reckless, so she doesn't come off as an overly idealized cipher the audience can project themselves onto. Plus, it is kind of funny to see her freaking out over anything that involves the game's progression, though sometimes even that could be a little much, especially when it's made clear that she'll never meet her doom simply because she decided to be a nice person and not the game's villainess. Maria, Sophia, and Alan also receive some good development, though they aren't nearly as fleshed out as Catarina is, and I liked the whole ensemble. Even Catarina's maid, a side character, is given her own backstory and personality, and from what I hear, she's pretty popular. Unfortunately, two of them, Geordo and Nicol, don't really change much throughout the series, with the former being especially notorious for it because the show is constantly telling us that he's a black-hearted, sadistic prince, but nothing in the show indicates as such. Anime, remember to show, not tell. All he really does is be nice, a little snarky, and constantly remind everyone he's engaged to her. Plus, Nicol doesn't really do anything other than just stand around looking pretty, and his reasons for falling in love with Catarina just feel forced. "Hey, this random girl is nice to my sister. I've found my true love at last!!" As a result of the show not really doing anything with them, Geordo and Nicol just feel bland and woefully underutilized.

Which also leads me to my biggest problem with the show. It's nothing that completely turns me off to it, but the show seems really intent on having EVERYONE have some sort of crush on Catarina in some fashion. From what I heard, the light novels are marketed as a mixed gender harem, which is fine, but the show seems to bend over backwards just to have every single character Catarina interacts with fall in love with her in some way, or interpret anything she does as seduction. In one early episode, when Alan first shows up, he accuses Catarina of trying to seduce Mary, even though all she did was become her friend...and keep in mind, this is a child accusing another child of seducing a girl. First off, how in the world would a nine-year-old know what the word seduce means, much less enough about it to accuse a girl of doing so to another girl? I myself didn't learn what seduce meant until early high school! Second, episode 8, which from what I heard is a filler episode, has all the characters except for Mary and Maria being sucked into a magic book which reveals all of their deepest desires. Everyone's desires except for Catarina's involve...well, trying to either bang Catarina or seduce her. It was at this point where I was like, "Okay, now you're just trying too hard." Why make EVERYBODY fall in love with Catarina? Having every single character do so just feels forced and unnecessary, and like the writers just want them to get with Catarina because they want them to rather than just letting their friendships (or in some cases, romance) develop naturally, and the show did do the latter in its first half! I mean, a little romance is okay, but having everyone want to smooch Catarina and get jealous if any one of them so much as looks at her, even a little bit (Though they're thankfully still nice to each other, so I'm glad the show doesn't go down the cliche route of having everyone try to kill each other) just doesn't feel organic.

So how does the show fare as an isekai show? Well, it's not nearly as compelling or polished as the ones from the eighties or nineties, but it's far better than a lot of the crappy wish fulfillment shlock we've been bombarded with over the past several years. For one, even with its problems, it still TRIES to give the characters more personality and development beyond their assigned archetype, actually has a story, a little haphazard as it can be, and is overall just pure mindless fun. Hamefura is also one of the few shows that didn't get delayed because of the awful pandemic, and considering the current times we're living in, I think we can all use a little mindless fun once in a while, if only so we remember that there is some good to look forward to in this crazy world.

Overall, if you're looking for some good mindless fun and a good laugh, feel free to check out My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom! It's funny, sweet, and Catarina will surely steal your heart some way or another.

If dense MCs and stories where the focus is more on the harem rather then the story itself don't bother you -- then this is a great show. It was definitely my favourite show of the season. It focuses around a girl who falls into her otome game as the villain with s a death flag over her head. As the villain she's never supposed to get the man, even her fated husband. However, even though she is not the MC of the game this time, her personality really shines through as she finds a way to make everyone else fall for her anyways (both ... platonically and romantically); she really has no concept/compass/suspicion the type of spell she's casting on her friends. (... to this second I can't decide if it's more endearing or more annoying).
I think the story -- although not completely original -- is refreshing. It's not your traditional isekai -- yet it definitely isn't real life. I would have loved to have experienced a bit more world building, or one on one relationship scenes but it seems it's not fated in the works. (Unfortunately for her friends who are desperate for her love...senpai has not noticed.) It may be due to the genre, but I definitely got the vibes that this was a B-grade anime. That said, it has pretty great animation/seiyuus and comedy. It gets a tad bit exhausting near the end as it seems like there reaches a certain point where they just give up on the story line of the world itself and just poke fun at how the MC is a Bakarina, but overall it's endearing and well paced.

When I first heard about this show I figured it was just some average comedy trip to kill time with and decided I could not be bothered to watch it. Especially because I had important things to take care of, I really didn't want to waste my time on a show I likely wouldn't care too much about.
Now, a year later, I am once again avoiding taking care of important things and YouTube keeps throwing scenes from this anime at me so I decided I'll watch it. Mind that I still thought I wouldn't care at all.

The premise itself is already a quite interesting ... one seeing as people with Isekai-Syndrome tend to not be the main antagonists of a pre-existing story. However, it would only be half as good as it is if not for the execution. Katarina starts out as a child and so both she and the viewer have plenty of time to get the basics of this world down. We essentially learn everything either as we need it (see the basics of this OtoGe World at the beginning) or as Katarina learns it. Those instances also rarely feel out of place or out of character which makes them fit in with the rest of the story.
The story overall is fairly predictable in my opinion and the final twist is mostly obvious if you pay attention except for the details of who and why. This is executed well though and I think it's more about the fun we had with the friends we made along the way than purely about the story.

Personally speaking this anime felt mostly like a comedy, having a bunch of scenes that play on the fairly simple traits of all the characters but even within those comedic scenes there is story progression and character growth. Inbetween all the laughs though, there are a bunch of moments, usually the ones about a characters past, that evoke a genuine heart-felt reaction as well. Balancing those main aspects together with the romance and some smaller ones is something this anime does surprisingly well.

Now, I called the characters fairly simple and I stand by that as they are mostly definable within a sentence or two. But that doesn't mean they don't get to grow, which they do in a relatable way. Also, they are at their core still OtoGe characters so a really complex character would likely not suit them too well.

The art and sound are nice as far as I could tell and I was surprised to find myself enjoying this anime quite a bit.

Overall this was definitely worth my time and I might stick around to watch the second season once it comes out.

Spoiler Free

I enjoyed this anime much more than i thought i would. I avoid shoujo anime unless i hear it has action or good story . I bumped into this anime purely by chance and i enjoyed it . this is the only reverse harem i can think of where i can understand why the boys fall for her , she got my heart too. ( Do i have a thing for enigmatic girls ....... i liked Muge from "a whisker away" too )

Story

What happens when a girl get reincarnated ? the answer is WATCH THIS ANIME!!!

Art
Great animation awesome colors.
...
Character
Other than the first episode there is not much character development for the heroine . All the rest of the characters only develop within the episode they are introduced in.

English Dub
I honestly thought this anime would have better dub to be honest . not much effort was put into trying to match character and voice actor.

Enjoyment
other than episode 9 and the first half of the last episode (which i found very cheesy ) the rest was awesome

SO! Hamefura was NOT on my list of potential favorites this season. Man oh man was I wrong! It has turned out to be such a pleasant surprise that caters to everything I wanted and needed and loved and didn't know that I did. This show delivers when I didn't even order.

I won't summarize since the page already has a summary, but I think that this is such a unique direction to take an isekai in. And I know many people would agree with me on that! We're used to isekai being about carnage and falling into a world that's filled with dangers and monsters ... and high stakes drama. And while some of them are amazing (still looking forward to the Re:zero sequel) some of them... not so much. It can be so tiring of watching a show that's just about gore and war.

Which is definitely why there has been a surge of lighthearted, fun isekai anime to choose from. However, Hamefura stands out from the others in that the world the protagonist falls into is... a dating sim. An otome game. For a girl otaku, this should be heaven right? (Unless you're a lesbian like me, but honestly this show has been catering to me in that department too, but we'll get to that.)

It should be heaven. But Katerina is the RIVAL CHARACTER. Not the protagonist. And if you're familiar with dating sims, that's usually bad news. Dating sims - particularly Japanese Otome games are BRUTAL. Absolutely dark and wild sometimes. Even the good endings can mean some bad ends for the rival.

This show would be interesting even if Katerina was the intended protagonist! She's just such an interesting and fun character anyway, but added with the premise and the rest of the cast, the chemistry is amazing. The cast is filled with the usual stereotypical otome game romance route types with fun little twists to them. And, even if they're pandering, I appreciate the girl character's appreciation for Katerina. Won't spoil much but... there's no way all the characters are straight. And that's definitely a winning factor for me.

All in all, it's just such an endearing and lovely show to get into. It made me binge the manga that I didn't even know existed because I could not get enough. I sit here on Sundays now waiting for Hamefura to post like I'm an addict waiting on their dealer.

It's just such a fun, lighthearted show and I can't wait to see the rest of it!

- May Contain Spoiler -

For a long time what we have seen, read every time in novels, stories, movies, animes is a typical villain or villainess who tries to make hero or heroine's life hard, make them suffer or do bad things to them (censored). But something extraordinary is happening here, we have a villainess here who is somewhat, actually totally different from these typical villainesses.
Katarina Claes, who was once an arrogant and selfish child. One day changed after getting a hit on her head, by tripping her leg and falling on the ground. Now she is energetic, humble and caring. Why did she change? ... well because she regained her memories of her previous life.
Yes, another transfer to another world anime spotted.

Story - The story is - "Fortune Lover" which actually was a game in" Katarina Claes" previous life, has become her new reality, she has been reincarnated in this new world as a villainess. And after regaining her previous life memory she's been trying to avoid any bad ending flag which will lead her to her doom by doing everything in her power based on her experience, knowledge of her previous life game which she used to play.
The Story is based on a game story which is now has turned into a different story. We known what the actual game story is but by avoiding those bad ending flags which will lead Katarina Claes to a bad ending, the story has taken a different route and ending. I like how the story has turned out, Not just ending but also how other events with different characters have turned out, which are somewhat funny. The comedy, story flow, character involvement everything is done nicely and well, with no risk taken in anime, what I mean is the scenes in which "Katarina" does and says other character's lines.
Story - 8/10

Art, Sound and Characters - art and animation are done nicely and smoothly and are beautiful.
Sound and music are also done really well, I really liked the opening theme plus some of those background funny and chill music. Character work are also done really well, every character is funny and interesting one or in some way. Plus we have seen a reverse harem here which is kind of not my thing but I liked the little bit romance part, not much of intense stuff.
Art (animation) - 8/10
Sound - 7/10
Characters - 8/10

Enjoyment - as for enjoyment, I enjoyed most of the parts in anime, plus I also liked episode 9 which shows us how good personality she has now. Also liked how Katarina Claes plans every part but when actually time comes she unknowingly does what she does not mean to and realize later that she has done something which she doesn't mean to. which I found funny (dense xD)
Enjoyment - 8/10
Overall - 8/10

Before I get to the pros, I'll start with a few of the cons. This was too short. It needed to be longer in order to actually expand upon a lot of these characters. It felt somewhat like Clannad. You address someone's backstory, then they fall to the background. Then, they just reappear for the group. The premise of the story feels somewhat clickbaity compared to what it actually is.

You would imagine it would be a story about a isekai'd girl trying to avoid certain death. She would have to actually think and apply herself to get out of certain situations. Maybe it would have ... been better if she came into this world mid-bullying rather than several years prior. But, she's a fool who only cares about food/books and stumbles upon situations. She overthinks things and is far more dense than even your typical shonen protagonist. My main issue with the series has to be the fact that her character is incredibly dumb. If any real person was put in this very situation, we would have probably caught on immediately. She read manga and watched anime in her past life, so my statement stands.

As for the pros, I gotta say wow. I binged all of it in one sitting. I actually found myself much more invested in the side characters and their backstories than the protagonist herself. She's sort of like a Mary Sue, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. She stumbles upon situations that happen to resolve everything or completely set her up for success. Everyone loves her (rightfully so). The one thing that actually surprised me was that she genuinely had no OP ability at all. Yet, she actually relies on charisma and pure luck to get her through these situations. It made for a very refreshing isekai experience.

I don't need to be surprised from expert level story telling. I don't need to be blown away a genius's unpredictable writing. Sometimes it's good to just sit back, relax, and know exactly what's coming.

Even if the story was meh and the characters felt sometimes very one dimensional, I enjoyed it. It's 12 episodes, so you can't really expect them to flesh out 8 characters with this type of premise. Which is why I'll argue it would have probably been a 10 had it been longer.

I absolutely love watching reverse harems and playing otome games. I'm always on the hunt for more. Maybe i'm a bit biased since this anime is themed around two of my favorite things. In all honesty though it is pretty rare to find genuinely well produced reverse harem, due to how little there are compared to the normal harem counterpart.

My Next Life as a Villaness is a unique anime with not your usual cliches, along with the surprising Isekai theme. The story follows a nerdy girl who must live in a world of an otome game she once played in her past life. One ... of my favorite things about this anime is that there is a strong female lead. One where there's a decently smart individual with power, the power to conquer hearts. Unlike most Isekai's these characters aren't over powered in the sense of skills nor smarts so to say. While each character can be a bit of a ditz, naive or gullible, it isn't overwhelming and well balanced. The character design and animation is well done, simplistic, cute females and males, and finally, a female that has a forehead!

Overall this is an easily enjoyable anime for a casual watcher. For those who actively seeks out good otomes and reverse harems, this one will not disappoint.

It is a nice and pointless anime.

I noticed quite some people were praising this anime as refreshing and that it is. It is nice to have it. Even before I finished it, I finished manga. So I knew in advance, this anime has no content. I dont mean to say it is a bad anime, just that praising it for anything else than being fresh might need some strong argumentation.

The reason is, that story ended first episode after school started. You might notice MP doesnt develop. At all. In manga, it is even worse, because there are some 2. season chapters, that let you know, ... she wont ever grow. Entire growth comes from her group of romantic harem friends. And yes, if you are one of those that are loosing your hair how male MP cant choose one girl ... this one is better. Because those girls AND boys do grow instead of MP. It is nice. But also, their growth ends when they come to school along with their powerlessness to explain to MP they do love her, like for real. The last one to join is Maria.

There is also final one who is also final boss ... but his conflict could be solved on his own. It is like he was in a game, waiting for MP to come along and save him, but ... if you remember, that is usually a PROBLEM that games have and why movies try to avoid it. This is anime made as a game, repeating same in-game solutions to game structure that doesnt occur in real life. And love will save the day ... let me repair your life in 1 minute of talking nicely with you. It is weak and for most part pointless, even if true to source material. Animators knew that, which is why they started pulling endings out of MP's ass which she didnt know about just an episode ago. Friendship ending, reverse harem ending, hidden character ending ... it is almost as if author was desperately searching for a reason to continue this story, give it meaning, but forgot his main problem. MP and her group stopped growing long ago. Because she is dumb? Unbelievably dumb? Or just because you wrote her as such.

So, nice anime, I liked it when I wasnt too angry how much wasted potential it has. How pointless second half of the anime is.

Also, let me praise adaptation for a bit. I quite like it, it has a soul, they just have to work with material they had.

When you think of Isekai shows, many terrible titles may pop into you head of the countless garbage that plagues the anime industry in today's world. And at first glance this show seems like another one of those with a luke-warm gimmick and a forgettable plot that you will either watch waiting for something else to release, or drop immediately if you don't skip it outright.

What Villainess (I don't even try Japanese names) becomes is quite possibly the most underrated hidden gem in the Isekai genre. It has nothing that really stands out in terms of visuals and sound. The character design is average and ... the animation is pretty mid-to-low tier compared to other heavy hitters. This is a show completely carried by the cast of characters and the chemistry that plays between them. The gimmick this time around is that the MC reincarnates as the villain in the game she is transported to instead of the main character, and must navigate to the end of the game's plot safely and intact.

You may think of this as another Isekai that is worth skipping, but I implore you to at least give it a shot. You might be surprised.

Did Like / Would Recommend

Take this with a grain of salt since I do love "isekai" /in another world stories, but I'd say this show is honestly so enjoyable.

The story, art and sound and character's aren't anything incredibly unique, but overall it's very very enjoayable, why?


The cast of characters is very endearing and the protagonist is a loveable idiot.
If you've seen hinamatsuri's hina or any of the main cast of Kaguya wants to be confessed to, you know what I mean.
They give off this vibe that is just almost impossible not to like.

The surrounding cast liking the protagonist doesn't feel out of place and she seems like a genuinely ... nice person that people would like.

On the whole if you want a mostly wholesome and light hearted show with fun characters go for it.

A pretty fun show that doesn't take itself too seriously. It is hard not to root for the MC while she changes and accidentally conquer the hearts of every "major game character" (regardless of gender) in an attempt to save herself from the "bad ending" for her own character. The MC is generally likeable in personality, although dense and generally untalented. The other cast members may be somewhat underdeveloped, but they don't carry enough of each episode that this becomes a problem; it is fun to watch them interact with the MC and each other nonetheless. The early foreshadowing of potential "bad endings" to come ... is a neat plot hook to keep the audience interested in the events to come, curious to see how much of the timeline have changed now that the MC have significantly shifted the canon in-game story and the development of every major character.

Out of 100 Nobles watching…
78 were impressed!
12 weren’t wowed by the plot
10 though the jokes got old

This was a show I wanted to check out for awhile after seeing the OP on Japanese cable. It seemed like it had an energy like Watamote which is funny because I had no idea Silver Link did that very same adaptation. I really had no idea what the show was about, but I liked Katarina the MC’s character designs and I wound up surprised, but not entirely upset with what I got.

Just knowing the base concept of the show, I expected Katarina’s character to play her part. ... The title being “My Next Life as a Villainess…” I was really hoping for a kind of fresh take on isekai or a romance show. The most important thing anyone can read before going into this show is that after about one or two episodes this anime becomes as typical a reverse harem otome anime as you can get. It’s competent and delivers a fun experience, but it definitely doesn’t really do anything special.

The shows OP lured me in and I watched it every episode. Probably not everyone’s cup of tea, but I like weird lyric delivery. Music and sound design otherwise were serviceable, but we don’t get any Youjo Senki explosions or anything. Some of the character interaction I liked a lot, but a good bit was also very caricature-ish and left me wanting a bit more substance for the investment involved.

Katarina carries the show with an overall loveable personality and quirky behavior, but she will definitely need the rest of the cast to have some depth in the upcoming second course. Mary Campbell and Sophia Ascart both got great character development so when the time comes you feel invested in what’s going to happen to them in the story. If they keep that sort of thing up going into the next season with other characters, I hope the show can graduate for “pretty fun” to “pretty good”

Idea of this story is pretty cool, especially for an isekai. Fighting fate is a beautiful scenario which I really enjoy. But, for shame, this cliche wasn`t realized at its best in this anime.
First episode is the best in terms of story and it is the most fatalistic one. Getting the same result no matter what is done would give a much better story, that would actually tell about fighting fate. What we got tells about eating cake and drinking tea. Even though it is still enjoyable, it is so not because of the story which was very promising, no. It is so because of ... the atmosphere of kindness and friendship.
But even regarding all joy I`ve got from watch the story could`ve been much better

[Slight Spoilers]

Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shiteshimatta... (2020)

Well first off this is a very good show but be careful with the synopsis for the show since it is a slight bit misleading. It isn't a show about a villainess who is a villainess avoiding death from social and life situations because it is actually an Isekai into a game of which the main character makes herself the heroine as opposed to villainess. For the whole of the season, it is essentially following the route of avoiding the bad endings.

To the main character Katarina it is essentially in the ... summary a friendship harem although the others seek more romance. It is clear from the first episode that it is not what you would expect. Also, the animation style is not what you would expect so it isn't too mistifying.

The shows art is a high standard throughout. It takes a pretty light stance which means it doesn't handle combat and such as well as it could otherwise.

The sound comes with a great OP and good ED. Generally, sounds are great except for combat where they are a bit lacklustre.

Character development in this is more important than the story itself. You get a variety of characters although many are generic archetypes. Maria, for example, the poor girl that has rare magic etc.

You get a nice surprise with who Sophia is in the show in reality. It would be nice to get more expansion on how she is there also in the first place. She is the best girl in the show if I am honest. You will understand why.

Also, the boardroom/courtroom scenes are hilarious.

Generally speaking, the show holds a high standard throughout. Episode 11 is the cringiest episode of anime I have seen in a long time. Episode 12 handles its resolution a bit oddly due to talking it out and well the lesson that rich people can do crime and not get done effectively outside of not graduating but well your rich who cares.

I would say the show is worth watching it was a very good show. The very end of episode 12 after the credits made it feel like an OVA may also come or even a new season perhaps.

Might contain light spoilers so yea..

This is the very first reverse harem I've ever watched and I'm glad this got to be my first. You'll see in this show how creative the isekai genre can be just by changing the setting, in which here, our main character's role in another world isn't actually the main character but the villainess. Although the show may have been a bit cheesy towards the end (like, really cheesy), I still think it was still a relevant resolution to the conflict at hand in which yes, this show actually has a conflict for those who somehow dropped the show midway ... through. The fact that there will be a season 2 will just make you wonder what else is there for the show to offer now that the story of the anime's universe "Fortune Lover" has come to an official end.

One thing I'd rly like to discuss here is her well known "bakarina" personality and how her "dense" aspect is actually understandable with the setting in the story, unlike the other dense harem protagonists out there (looking at you Ichika from IS). Her main focus is to do everything she can to avoid her doom endings and funny enough, in doing so, she inadvertently created her very own harem consisting not only the initial game's routes, but also the females stemming from those routes and the main character herself (actually didn't expect this tbh). From this point on it just snowballed to a goofy reverse-harem situation with all the people around her competing for her attention. Also, the reverse-harem setting Katarina has found herself in gave us viewers a bit of background on each of the characters of the story and I just find it really fascinating, normally people would just shrug off the harem elements of a show deeming it unnecessary but this one utilized the genre really well.

Honestly, Hamefura may not have deemed itself as the best isekai title but it is one of the best harem titles I've come across. Looking forward for the second season of this title.

This show made me laugh. A lot. Debatably the most wholesome harem I've seen so far!

Looking back, I cant say that this anime was ground breaking in any sense, but what tropes it followed it absolutely rocked out of their boots. It had a very refreshing concept, the main character is positive and fixated on her goal(and gardening), and so so dense. Somehow, this turned into a harem so naturally that I barely noticed it. All the characters were introduced and nurtured in a great way, while expanding on Catarina herself. The comedy manages to be the same in a way, but not at all ... repetitive.
Plus, the finishing blow, a good plot to sum everything up in a cute blue bow!
There is a fitting end to the season, but there is definitely room for more.

Catarina is a heartwarming character, perfectly unaware, dragging the good out of everyone she meets. The side characters were also well fleshed out and carried out in a way that I found myself rooting for each and every one of them. They all are very distinct in mannerisms and ways they try to win her over but what also shows is that they care for each other too. That "fighting" was goodwilled& light hearted that it created the comedy naturally, thus I laughed a whole lot, cause it wasn't at someone’s expense. Just wholesome and cute.

The art wasn't too extravagant but it was pretty, aside from some 3D carriages and horses. The character designs were beautiful too. The music was fitting, setting the mood for every scene.
The plot was very good and balanced, not letting you get bored watching Catarina clear her way to a happy ending, making jokes out of her tunnel vision and ability to throw everything to be (oblivious) with her friends, sweets and veggie garden. Or pulling them into a new adventure.

Overall, I think if you manage to let go a bit and go with how wholesome& carefree this anime is for its biggest part (it has more than that too) I believe you will enjoy it a lot! And that’s why this anime is a great show in my books!

What a series! Initially when it first aired in my opinion it started off somewhat slow. The comedy was always there, but the plot was a bit slow. After two episodes I put this show on my On-Hold list. It wasn't until mid-January when I decided to pickup the show again. Boy, did I not regret it.

This show is what a Harem-Romance/Comedy looks like at its upside. Throughout the series I was very engaged in the plot and the relationships between Katarina and her friends ("love-interests)". Normally I dislike characters who are really really dense, for example Ichika from Infinite Stratos. But in this case ... Katarina being really dense actually compliments this anime. It is really entertaining to see that her "analytical" (I say that sarcastically) mind is so hyperfocused on surviving that she totally fails to realize that she charmed every single character (yes even the female characters ;) ) and avoided disaster. Every character is in love with her, but she is totally Ash Ketchum dense. "I achieved the friendship ending" Meanwhile, everyone got friend zoned. I love it.

In my opinion I rank this anime high because of its originality and pure entertainment. I do wish to see more character development and backstory of the other characters. It really is Katarina's unpredictability that keeps me in engaged and wondering what will she discover and do next.

8/10! Go watch this anime if you have a chance. I cannot wait for the 2nd season!

Honestly, my opinion on this anime thus far is overwhelmingly positive. Many factors make it seem quite stereotypical due to the cover and harem, but once you decide to watch it, the anime turns out to be so much more.

The main heroine of this anime is such a genuinely enjoyable character, and in this rare case, I find her dense personality to make her a strong lead for this series. The other characters are a lot of fun too and I find myself liking all of them, not having a favorite at this point. A huge key point is the representation of multiple sexualities, and ... how those characters aren't overdone or treated abnormally as well.

In conclusion, I most definitely suggest everyone to watch this anime as soon as possible! It's very fun and I find myself wanting more rather than waiting for it to be over, which is hard to find these days.