Here is my personal top pick for new light novels that had their first volume release during the month of January. Please note that my recent reviews were on the prepub editions of series and will be in contention for top pick of the month when their digital edition releases in February.

I’d Rather Have a Cat than a Harem! Reincarnated into the World of an Otome Game as a Cat-loving Villainess Vol. 1

Tags: Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life, Shoujo, Villainess, Isekai

Well I guess my guilty pleasure for villainess light novels is finally revealing itself. Written by Kosuzu Kobato, I’d Rather Have a Cat sees the protagonist Amy navigate the world of an Otome game, dodging any potential game plot choosing instead to cuddle up to cats than any romantic capture target.

Unusual for most villainess novels, this setting sees Amy reincarnated alongside her entire family from Japan. A premise I find to be rather refreshing given the sea of other series where either the only reincarnated character is the main protagonist or where both the villainess and heroine happen to be reincarnated. This scenario usually sees the heroine end up as the antagonist as she’s trying to win the entire cast of capture targets and wants the world to progress exactly like in the game. However, with the entire family reincarnated, it allows for a smoother progression towards the overall lighthearted feel of the series. There is less confusion as to where Amy fits in with her past and present self and she’s allowed to follow the path she wants within the world given that this former Japanese family don’t ascribe towards noble family traditions. Thus, Amy can finally achieve one of her dreams that she thought impossible in Japan given her allergies, own a pet cat. Before she can do this though, Amy has to put in the work making sure that she learns healing magic just in case she still has her allergies from the previous world.

This series truly is the definition of a feel good novel with plenty of cute and wholesome scenes of Amy playing with a myriad of different fluffy animals and bonding with her cat Tigger, who she decides to adopt after they hit it off almost immediately. There is a true love between Amy and Tigger and even when events overwhelm her, Tigger is always there for a reassuring cuddle and a relaxing atmosphere. These moments can also make for great interludes where readers can enjoy Tigger play about with other animals like the owl on the cover illustration.

As for the original setting of the Otome game, this series takes a more unique approach than most towards the subject. The setting for the Otome game is purposely left rather undefined, leaving it open as to whether this world is the same as in the game. Amy can only recognise certain facial features of the games main characters so its uncertain as to how likely it is that any of the events are following a similar path as they normally would. Whilst there is no formal introduction to the heroine of the original game, some of the characters are a part of the main cast. The Prince is a particularly well made character, starting off as friends with Amy as they both love animals, he’s understandable towards her wishes, respects boundaries and is genuinely trying to win her over by becoming a man deserving of her. Any potential love triangle drama that tends to be a staple within the genre is also gotten away with. Each character has clearly defined ships, all of whom seem to be good matches for each other. I’m currently interested to see the developments that occur during the musical recital which will be coming in near future.

Overall, a refreshing take on the villainess sub-genre that focuses on fluffy and cute cuddly moments. There are some really great moments and characters that subvert genre clichés that’ll hopefully continue onto the next volume.