English Dub Review: The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess “Kindness, Strength, and the Man I Must Erase”
Overview (Spoilers Below):
Iana attends upon the Vampire King, but it’s all an act. Traces of Konoha’s saintess blood on her handkerchief allow Iana to escape being turned into a vampire, and she challenges the Vampire King to battle alone. Then, when she goes back to find Yomi, she discovers that there has been an unexpected turn of events. What is happening in the pages of the Dark History?
Our Take:
Iana’s vampiric transformation in the previous episode would’ve been the tragic conclusion to the villainess’s new life. However, it turns out to be a ruse formed by Iana to kill the Vampire Lord due to her having a sample of Konoha’s blood. It was a pretty anticlimactic way of defeating the final boss of the first season, but it was a conclusion regardless. Unfortunately for her, that doesn’t mean all of her problems magically disappear, as the true mastermind behind everything decides to reveal themselves at the last minute. By “mastermind”, I mean a certain elf who’s actually far from innocent: Kagura.
It turns out that Kagura, whose real name is Agni, was responsible for freeing the Vampire King and is actually the shadowy figure who’s watching over the events of the season. It’s also revealed that Agni is a member of a secretive group called Schwartz Le Chevalier, which seeks to awaken Konoha’s powers for their nefarious yet unknown purpose. Of course, since this reveal isn’t part of the original story Iana created in the real world, it puts even more pressure on her to distinguish what she remembers and what she doesn’t. Additionally, this final reveal further demonstrates an anime trope of showcasing character reveals in season finales as teasers for what’s to come.
In the case of The Dark History, season two would likely see Iana get into more mishaps as she tries to avoid her death flags. At the same time, she’ll also be dealing with Agni and the mysterious appearance of Schwartz Le Chevalier and their strive to awaken Konoha’s magical abilities. But, she would also have to learn how to handle isekai cooking first, which, by the way, was my favorite part of the season finale regarding its humor. In fact, I was surprised by how funny the show’s comedy was, even though it won’t impress everybody with its self-awareness and over-the-top presentation. It would be a shame if they decided not to move forward with its second season, given how much I enjoyed it. Although I would continue the story via its manga, it would probably be less fun than hearing Kelsey Cruz’s frenetic performance as the reincarnated villainess in anime form.
