Synopsis

Exceptionally gifted to his own detriment, Prince Cecil had always found life effortlessly mundane. One ordinary day, his life took an unexpected turn when he became engaged to Miss Bertia, the Chancellor’s daughter. This engagement, however, was anything but typical.

“Prince Cecil! I must confess – I am the villain of this story!” Bertia’s declaration was startling. She claimed to have memories of her former life, where she had been the antagonist in a “Otome game”. Her lofty ambition was to excel as a villainess and thus have her engagement annulled. However, despite her plans for various misdeeds, her attempts have always been unsuccessful.

Is her fiancé, who aspires to master villainous finesse, simply misguided in his endeavours? (Source: Hanashi Media)

The Prince’s Observations of an Otome Scenario!

Written by Shiki and illustrated by Wan Hachipisu, Hanashi Media’s latest title offers up a villainess tale told from a very different perspective. Instead of the story being told through the words of the villainess, this story follows her antics through the eyes of her fiancé, Prince Cecil.

The story begins with its respective observer at a loss. A prodigy, Prince Cecil has become bored with life at a very young age, given that very little challenges him. This all changes, however, when he’s betrothed to Bertia. A self-proclaimed villainess, she thrusts his life into a world completely alien to his own, filled with “villainesses,” “heroines,” and “Otome games,” concepts that he can’t even begin to understand.

For once, the prince is set alight by a new challenge, but what starts as mere interest and observations quickly develops into something deeper.

As the story progresses, Cecil begins to grasp the prophetic claims of his fiancée and the dangers that face the kingdom. Through Bertia’s information, he’s able to stop an epidemic as well as get rid of some of the rot that has begun to infest the kingdom, giving the author the perfect opportunity to show that Cecil’s intelligence isn’t just for show. Furthermore, as Cecil learns of Bertia’s every cute action and idiosyncrasy, his cold, methodical heart begins to think of her not as a plaything but rather as someone to love.

As for the star of Cecil’s observations, Bertia shines in more ways than one. Energetic but oblivious, it’s clear from the outset that she has very strange ideas about what it takes to become a villainess, describing them as “strong, noble, and beautiful.”

Throughout the story, she fumbles her way through her villainess events (much to Cecil’s amusement), ultimately leading her to become beloved by many. Her actions are often misconstrued as graceful sacrifices, leading to her gaining many friends and allies. This also plays nicely with one of the volume’s side plots, as she helps, rather hilariously, to play cupid between the Otome game’s original capture targets.

Unfortunately, not everyone is a fan of Bertia’s antics, and this idea plays out during the volume’s climax. There are two characters who have a particular problem with Bertia by the end of the story, and they end up playing against each other nicely. Of note is the successful misdirection as the author plays on the reader’s preconceived notions of how Otome games play out against them. The author is quick to point out that there are more enemies out there for nobility than a heroine who always follows the script.

Entertaining and a little off-piste, Observation Records’ first instalment provides brilliant foundations for the series’ future. To count among its highlights is a range of vivid and well-imagined characters as well as an Otome plot malleable enough to allow for it to go off the rails.

I Give Observation Records Volume 1: 9/10