Otome Game no Hametsu Flag Had Everything to Be Excellent… Had
Before we even start this review, a little notice. Since the full name of this Anime is Otome Game no Hametsu Flag Shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei Shiteshimatta (My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!), I’ll just call it Otome Game no Hametsu Flag. I know some people call it HameFura for short, but I’ll just stick with Google Trends for better SEO.
When I picked Otome Game no Hametsu Flag, I fell in love with the Anime in the first episode. Here it was: a romantic comedy, isekai style, that made me laugh throughout 20 minutes. The premise was excellent and unique, the characters were likable, and it was actually funny. Unfortunately, the Anime wasn’t able to stick to its guns for the most part of the season. You know there’s a problem when you can skip half of the episodes without losing anything important.
Synopsis
An average high school girl is just starting her average day when the unthinkable happens. She’s hit by a truck, dies, and gets reincarnated in one of the main characters of the otome game she’s been playing. Unfortunately, instead of reincarnating into the story’s heroine, she wakes up in the main villainess’s body. Now, she needs to do everything in her power to stay away from all story routes that will bring her to her doom.
The First Episodes Were Great
Otome Game no Hametsu Flag starts really strong. The main character wakes up in the body of Katarina Claes when she was a child and now has a few years until enrolling in high school to ensure that she creates a happy ending for her. Each episode is used to introduce a few characters, but what I loved the most was how funny this arc was. I’ve seen my fair share of comedic Anime and, most times, the Anime stops being funny after a couple of episodes. That’s not what happens with Otome Game no Hametsu Flag. The story balances jokes and cute scenes perfectly, and every episode was a joy to watch.
As the main character, Katarina Claes shows off the bat that she shines more than everyone else. She’s not only the funniest of the bunch, but she also shows various loveable qualities. Katarina is strong, reliable, and friendly, while at the same time being clumsy and a bit dense. In other words, she’s nothing like the Katarina Claes from the video game. Moreover, her inner thoughts (led by mini versions of her) are just hilarious!
So, yeah, I thought I was watching what was going to be one of my favorite romantic comedies of all time. Unfortunately, I couldn’t be further from the truth.
Everything Went Downhill When We Reached High School
We see Katarina as her teenager self for the first time in episode four and she’s ready to survive through her demise. She tried her best to have a positive impact on all characters, learned to grow veggies just in case she gets deported and tried her best to improve her magic skills (though with low to no success). The first episodes of this arc are alright – we finally meet the game’s heroin Maria, and we can finally see all of our beloved characters all grown up.
However, things fall apart pretty fast, as most episodes until the final arc don’t really add anything to the story. Besides the episodes that show Maria falling in love with Katarina and her past, there are various parts that fall flat. In reality, there’s nothing to add, as most doom flags have already been averted.
For some reason, the creators also decided not to have Katarina falling in love with one of her wooers, which could give a little bit more to the plot. Instead, we get several episodes showcasing how everyone is competing for Katarina’s love. I would be ok with this, but since the Anime’s main joke isn’t being used – the doom flags – everything just ends up being monotonous. Sure, this could be ok if we were watching a slice of life. However, if you create the mood of a funny Anime where you’ll laugh your ass off every single episode, it’s impossible not to feel underwhelmed.
Final Episodes Went Back to It Again
On the final episodes, we have Sirius arc – a guy who is able to do dark magic. Surprisingly the Anime turns serious (pun not intended) for the last episodes. Dark magic is only attainable by sacrificing a person, so you can imagine that these episodes aren’t really the most lighthearted. We also get to see the main girl returning to her ‘real’ life for brief moments, which was an excellent addition. Honestly, I think this was my favorite part throughout the Anime. It was well written, exciting to watch, and I really saw myself rooting for the characters. Even when I already knew everything would end well because of Otome Game no Hametsu Flag’s nature.
The ending itself isn’t noteworthy, as I was expecting a little bit more. Even if there’s no official couple by the end of the story, I thought it would be cuter overall. That being said, it was a nice change of pace, considering it happens right after the Anime’s most serious arc. Furthermore, it makes sense that the Anime has an open ending, as the second season is already scheduled to go out in 2021.
Will I Watch Otome Game no Hametsu Flag’s Second Season?
Probably not. Again, what made this story funny and unique was having Katarina trying her best to dodge her doom paths. Now that the first year of school has ended, she has already done that. So, I’m not even sure what they’re going to come out for a second season. Maybe this time they will actually focus on having Katarina falling with one of the other characters – I’m rooting for Allan! If that’s the case, then Otome Game no Hametsu Flag will just become a regular reverse harem, and I’m not sure if they have the characters to pull that off.
Is Otome Game no Hametsu Flag Season 1 Worth Watching?
Even though I was underwhelmed with the pace and story evolution, I would say go for it. If you’re a fan of the genre, then you’ll love the beginning and end of the series. The middle is quite basic, but hey, I’ve seen worse. You can always try to find on the internet which episodes you can skip ahead, that’s what I did with Naruto’s fillers.
Overall, the Anime is hilarious, cute, and enjoyable to watch. I loved Katarina’s character and it was fun to see her every week for the past 3 months. Moreover, it’s interesting to see how Katarina was able to impact all the other characters. It really makes you think about how you can change someone’s life by being a nice person.
What about you? Have you watched Otome Game no Hametsu Flag? What are your feelings towards it? Tell me all in the comments! ?
