start here!
Ready to read some Otome Isekais, but not sure where to start? Here are my picks for getting acquainted with the genre.
All-Around Best Introductions to the Genre
Eng: My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!
Romaji: Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shite shimatta…
日本語:乙女ゲームの破滅フラグしかない悪役令嬢に転生してしまった...
Here it is, THE definitive Otome Isekai. Known by fans as "Bakarina" (lit. stupid Katarina), it's by far the most popular and well known Otome Isekai. At the time of writing this description in March 2022, it's also the only OI with an anime adaptation (that's quite good!). What is Bakarina about, you may ask? Well, it's plot is literally the archtypal OI. Young girl dies, is reincarnated as the villainess of her favorite otome game, and must make a life for herself in a strange fantasy world while navigating "death flags". The literal translation of the title in Japanes is "I Reincarnated into an Otome Game as a Villainess With Only Destruction Flags". While the latest chapters have a bit of a "jumped the shark" feel, the original story is still one of the best introductions to the genre and will not disappoint.
CW: None
Rating: 8/10
Available to purchase in English? Yes! Translations of the Manga and Light Novel are offered by Seven Seas Entertainment. I also recommend the anime!
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Eng: An Observation Record of my Fiancée - A Self-Proclaimed Villainess (AKA: Bertia)
Romaji: Jishou Akuyaku Reijou na Konyakusha no Kansatsu Kiroku
日本語:自称悪役令嬢な婚約者の観察記録。
Bertia is very similar to Bakarina, which is why it’s another great primer. If you like both of these, chances are you’ll probably like Otome Isekais in general. The main difference between Bertia and Bakarina are the POV and the types of characters in the story. While Bakarina is from Katarina’s POV and its a story that focuses primarily on her developing a group of friends, Bertia is told moreso from the male love interest’s perspective. While a central group of friends also develops, it’s story is focused on Bertia growing to trust in her fiance and to stop treating everything as predestination. It also introduces two other common plot points you see in Otome Isekais: self awareness (Bertia straight up tells her fiance she is a reincarnated villainess who’s gonna be Da Best Villainess), and an antagonist heroine you just LOVEEEEEEE to hate.
CW: None
Rating: 8.7/10
Available to purchase in English? No :(
Quick Reads
Eng: Though I May Be a Villainess, I'll Show You I Can Obtain Happiness!
Romaji: Akuyaku Reijou Desuga, Shiawase ni Natte Mesemasu wa!
日本語:悪役令嬢ですが、幸せになってみせますわ！
OH HELL YES MY DUDES, IT’S ANTHOLOGY TIME!!! And what a fantastic anthology this is! Three volumes have been released so far with 16 stories total. Every one of them offers their own take on a good old fashioned Otome Isekai. The quality of the stories varies, with the worst being a bit predictable/boring, and the best being some of the most memorable this genre has to offer. I love this anthology! It’s a great way to expose yourself to a variety of tropes the genre is known for.
Shown here is the cover for the first volume, and three volumes have been released in the series as of March 2022. The second volume is my personal favorite.
CW: Allusion to possible incest - Vol. 3, Ch 4 Sadly, this chapter is a sequel to one of my favorite stories from volume one... and on the very last page of the chapter it just gets weird. I suggest skipping the last page when reading (it's 26/32 in the MangaDex listing, including the credits page).
Rating: None (anthology)
Available to purchase in English? No :(
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Eng: The Villainess' Slow Prison Life Began with Her Broken Engagement
Romaji: Konyaku Haki kara Hajimaru Akuyaku Reijou no Kangoku Slow Life
日本語:婚約破棄から始まる悪役令嬢の監獄スローライフ
Three cheers for sweet revenge!
A true one shot that’s technically an advertisement for the light novel, but really works as its own self-contained story. This is also the first cheat on my list, as it’s technically not an “isekai” but contains all the trappings of the Otome Isekai genre. It falls into a subcategory I like to call “second chance” where the protagonist is from the fantasy world and is not reincarnated into a new body, but instead gets a second chance at life... or an opportunity to reveal how truly cunning they are.
CW: None
Rating: 9.8/10
Available to purchase in English? No :(
Introduction to Korean Manhwa
Eng: The Villainess Turns the Hourglass
한글: 악녀는 모래시계를 되돌린다
I introduce to you, humble reader, one of my favorite OIs of all time. I am nothing but a spiteful bitch at my core, and I adore stories about revenge. Here’s the set up: Aria is a former peasant whose thrust into nobility after her mother marries a rich count. But after a difficult childhood and being you know… 14, she doesn’t know jack about the needlessly complex ways of nobility. She gets a bad reputation, and through a series of events, lands with her head upon the chopping block. In her final moments, her sweet step-sister Mielle approaches to say goodbye…. Only to whisper “Good riddance, bitch! I got your ass! I fucking hate you and have been working to ruin your life since the beginning because you’re scum!” DAMN! Shocked, horrified, hurt and betrayed, Aria is consumed with rage and a deep desire for revenge in her final moments… And next thing she knows she wakes up as a 14 year old again, with all her memories in-tact! With her second chance ahead of her, Aria is out to get her revenge.
Part of my love for this manhwa comes from how Aria herself is not the most likeable protagonist at the start - sympathetic, yes, but she's also the most gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss protagonist I've seen in an OI. But it's all worth it for the revenge, because at the end of the day, whatever Aria does to live her best life this time around is nothing compared to the abuse and manipulation she suffered in her prior one. So she'll set up the dominos, watch them fall, all while wearing an innocent, saccharine smile. When the pieces fall into place, it's so satisfying. If you’re like me and you love to see a girl get what’s hers…. Read this.
CW: Incest [Spoilers] Starting chapter 51 on, it's alluded Aria's older step brother has grown infatuated with her. Aria reacts with repulsion internally, but will occasionally play to this somewhat in order to manipulate him.
Rating: 10/10
Available to purchase in English? Yes, via TappyToon
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Eng: Beware the Villainess!
한글: 그 악녀를 조심하세요!
hello everybody, have you ever wanted to read an otome isekai about a chaotic bisexual who's blunt, bold, and sick of everyone's shit? don't answer, this is rhetorical and i'm text on a screen. anyway, check this shit out.
Beware the Villainess is not fucking around. Instead, it fucks hard because Melissa is not taking any shit. She’s freshly isekai’d and sick of all the shit ass men in this world who think that just because a girl is too nervous to say “no” they can pester her like the flies they are. She is here to kick ass and be fuckin awesome and there’s a lot of ass to kick and chapters for her to flex her charm. Also goddamn is this funny as hell!
CW:Mild stalking The original novel's male leads are stalkery towards the original heroine. This is explicitly presented as being a negative thing in the story and is not romanticized.
Rating: 10/10
Available to purchase in English? Yes, via Tapas
For Yuri Fans
Eng: I'm in Love With the Villainess
Romaji: Watashi no Oshi wa Akuyaku Reijou
日本語:私の推しは悪役令嬢。
Full disclosure: The light novel of this series is my favorite entry on the entire recommendation list. It's a yuri -- but it's a genuine, sincere lesbian romance. This one is for the wlw out there. The main character is an honest-to-god lesbian who loves the villainess in an otome game. She gets reincarnated into said game, and romantic comedy shenangins ensue. Starting out, it seems like maybe the affection will be one sided - but no, dear reader, I can assure you it is not. It's so sweet and sincere. Its a fantastic example of a satisfying build up of a romantic relationship without the mind-numbing “will they, won’t they” that plagues romance mangas/light novels.
I will give an extremely important caveat here - read the light novel. The manga is available, but in my personal opinion, it's pacing is too fast and it strips a lot of the internal dialogue that helps flesh out this story and characters. Some scenes in the manga come across as more... how should I put it.. exploitative? There's one that stands out in my mind - a bathing scene in the light novel is cute, with light teasing but that's it. In the manga it comes across like the main character is playng into the predatory lesbian trope... not a fan. But seriously, the light novel is very easily accessible and it's an easy read. Highly, highly recommend!!
CW:Homophobia: Discussions of being in the closet bc you’re not accepted for who you are, homosexual orientations are treated as “weird” at first (this becomes less of an issue over time)
Incest: [Spoilers] arc where two characters are revealed to be in an incestuous relationship, nothing explicit is mentioned but it is equated to being a “forbidden love” (yuck)
Emotional Abuse/Possessiveness: one rival for Claire’s love, at one point, becomes very possessive of her and controlling to encite Rei’s jealousy.
Note: I have not finished the full series, so there may be some content warnings I have not yet come across late in the story!
Rating: 10/10
Available to purchase in English? Yes, the light novel and manga are being translated by Seven Seas.
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Eng: I'm the Villainess, but I'm Being Captured by the Heroine?!
日本語:悪役令嬢ですが、ヒロインに攻略されてますわ!? アンソロジーコミック
Another anthology series! But this one is for the girlies. Honestly, there's nothing too mind blowing here, but LGBT Otome Isekais are hard to come by and I want to highlight any decent ones as much as possible. Though the stories are not as good as the other anthology series I shared above, it's a totally solid place to start.
CW: None
Rating: N/A, anthology
Available to purchase in English?: No :(
defining otome isekais -- THE OTOME ISEKAI RECOMMENDATION LIST -- anticipated questions