Alicia Ehnleit is a sweet girl, but sometimes that kindness of hers can be a hindrance, like when stopping to heal someone makes her late to the magical academy she’s due to attend, meaning she gets locked out as the curfew bell rings. Then again, it’s that sweetness that keeps her mood cheery and charms the government minister’s jerk of a son who locked her out, setting him up to become her first conquest of the heart, no doubt. And also setting Alicia up to encounter a general’s son next, as she scrambles over the wall and into campus. And then the second prince of the kingdom as she lands on him after falling through a skylight while breaking into the dorm. All this before the opening credits roll! Which they do now…but for the wrong series?! Ah, so this is a mediocre otome on purpose! The next day, the opening ceremony bleeds into a final confrontation, three years later, and the game finishes as the real MC is revealed: she’s a former college student who had a close encounter with Truck-kun and reincarnated—not into her favorite game by any means, just into a run-o-the-mill game, but at least a) she’s the ultra cool villainess who is actually the ultimate hidden boss, and b) no one knows how powered up she is so if she can just lay low and avoid triggering the secret boss ending, she can live a peaceful life. And then the teachers have to go and bring out the sorting hat level-reading crystal ball during the opening ceremony. Sigh. So much for staying incognito!
Villainess anime are on the rise as a leading isekai sub-genre and pretty soon we’ll be able to say that they’re a dime a dozen, but for now, they are inhabiting the sweet spot in the lifespan of a genre: there are enough series out there now for the tropes to have solidified, and consequently, there is a lot of material to work with in fun and inventive ways to play with those tropes and still keep things fresh. That’s what this series is going for, and it may well hit the spot…in another episode or two. As for this premiere, it gets off to a rather sluggish start with too much time spent working the Alicia angle. The bait and switch isn’t quick or punchy enough to really make a splash, and the episode drags on for over 13 minutes before things finally start to get interesting with the introduction of the deliciously named Yumiella Dolkness. She’s a more interesting character, not just because of the reincarnation element, but because she narrates her own life and practically oozes with agency, in contrast to poor sweet Alicia who is told by everyone else who she is and just bumbles around like the mid self-insert character she is. The contrast between the two MCs is well done and ensures that no one is going to prefer the initial MC over the true MC, but I do wish we hadn’t wasted so much time getting to the point. As for what to expect going forward, Yumiella’s strategy is reminiscent of Princess Mia’s in Tearmoon Empire: she will avoid the ones who killed her in the game. But whereas Mia couldn’t help but become involved in her nemeses’ lives, and in surprisingly heart-warming ways, Yumiella looks set to be able to do a better job of avoidance. Again, due to the poor pacing of this episode, we don’t get to see enough of our villainess to get a clear sense of her direction, but I live in hope. Definitely giving this another few episodes because I really like the idea of an otaku who is not invested in the game she finds herself living in and just wants to do her own thing. But if the otome cast continues to dominate the storytelling and remain so very mid, it’s going to get really tedious. 
Villainess Level 99: I May be the Hidden Boss but I’m Not the Demon Lord is streaming on Crunchyroll.
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