English Dub Review: I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss “The Villainess Tricks Her Fiancé”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Aileen overcame all the difficulties and got engaged with Claude. Just when she thought she found her happily ever after, she receives news that a demon named Ashtarte attacked a human village in the Mirchetta region. Sensing new dangers, Aileen infiltrates Mische Academy in the Grand Duchy of Mirchetta to investigate the situation. There, she meets James Charles, the last boss of Regalia of Saints, Demons, and Maidens 2, as well as the other quirky members of the student council.

Our Take:

Last week’s episode would’ve been the end of Aileen’s journey to tame the game’s final boss, with her being engaged to Claude. More importantly, Claude regained his faith in humanity while rescuing Aileen from the princely asshole, Cedric. However, it turns out that the game isn’t over yet, as Aileen goes on a new quest to deal with another final boss. But to do that, she’ll have to go undercover.

“The Villainess Tricks Her Fiancé” begins the show’s new arc with Aileen investigating an attack by one of Claude’s demons, Ashtarte. To do that, she disguises herself as a boy to infiltrate Mische Academy in Mirchetta, where its village was destroyed by Ashtarte, with Isaac keeping an eye on her. But, of course, Aileen will also have to deal with the final boss from another game, who’s also the student council’s president, James Charles, making the show’s title more fitting, to my surprise. Additionally, Aileen encounters August, one of the council’s members, and Rachel Danis, the game’s villainess.

Last week’s episode concluded the surprisingly quick first arc of the season, which helped avoid padding out this simple concept before it grows stale. Additionally, it provided a satisfying character arc in Aileen, where she attempted to write her own story and move on from Cedric’s rejection. So now we see Aileen using her game knowledge once more to solve a new mystery involving Ashtarte and James.

I’m the Villainess has an approach of having a new final boss in each arc in one season, similar to My Hero Academia and Fairy Tail. This direction helps keep the concept fresh enough to keep the show from falling deeper into monotony. But will it be enough to make the season’s second arc as enjoyable as the first? Based on this episode and its mystery involving an attack on a student, I hope that’s the case.  

“The Villainess Tricks Her Fiancé” offers a solid introduction to Aileen’s most challenging task yet, with her encountering something shocking about James while Claude poses as the Duke’s proxy. It also isn’t without a couple of decent gags, like Claude’s desperation for Aileen and Aileen disguising herself as a duck mascot. Based on how it ended, I don’t think a marriage proposal would be enough for Aileen to tame this mysterious half-demon boss.