Kadokawa Brings Two Villainess Romance Manga to English

Kadokawa announced on Wednesday two new manga arriving in English, and both are fresh spins on the popular villainess reincarnation genre.

The first is Love Potion Paradox, by Usagi Hoshimi and Yakata, which arrived on October 24. It follows a young woman who is reborn as Renese, the villainess of her favorite romance novel. Knowing how the story is supposed to go, she sets out to rewrite it so that her beloved knight Elden ends up happy, but a misplaced love potion lands on Elden instead, and he suddenly begins pursuing her with surprising passion.

The second is The Resurrected Evil Princess Rewrites Her Dark Past, by Mito, Hiironoame, and Tetsuhiro Nabeshima, released on September 26. It is a revenge story with a romantic streak, centering on Ariadne, who is betrayed and executed only to wake up years in the past as a fifteen year old.

Given a second chance, Ariadne is determined to avoid her grim fate. This time she chooses to ally with Arnold, the first prince she had poisoned in her previous life, hoping a different path will lead to a better ending.

Both titles lean into the wish fulfillment fun of knowing the future and trying to change it, a hook that has made this genre so popular.

My take: I have a real soft spot for do over stories where the heroine outsmarts her own tragic script. These two sound like cozy, satisfying picks for anyone who loves a clever villainess.