Kill the Villainess
Review
Writer: Your April
Artist: Haegi
Publisher: Tapas
Release Date: September 20, 2021
Format: Webtoon
Kill the Villainess is a refreshing take on the classic "transported into a romance novel" trope. With its cast of well-rounded and captivating characters, this series is a must-read for romance webtoon fans.
Kill the Villainess
ReviewWriter: Your April
Artist: Haegi
Publisher: Tapas
Release Date: September 20, 2021
Format: Webtoon
Kill the Villainess is a refreshing take on the classic "transported into a romance novel" trope. With its cast of well-rounded and captivating characters, this series is a must-read for romance webtoon fans.
By now, many may be tired of the constant reuse of the reborn/transported into a romance novel as a villainess concept in webtoons—but not I! If executed well and creatively, this trope is nothing more than a setup for a great story. I would like to introduce you all to “Kill the Villainess,” a favorite webtoon of mine that puts a unique spin on the concept.
Image: TapasOverview
All Eris Miserian wants to do is die. More specifically, she just wants to die and return home to her family. Ever since waking up in the body of “Eris Miserian,” the villainess in a romance novel, she’s been living in misery within a fictional world. No matter how many times she attempts to kill herself, she is unable to die. Any action taken to change the course of the story gets rewritten back to the “original plot” by the novel’s Laws of Causality. The only way Eris can escape her fate is to complete her role as the villainess in the novel. But she is not one to submit to such rules. With the help of a witch and devoted knight, Eris sets out to find a way back to her world—even if the only way is to kill Helena, the protagonist.
Image: TapasReview
While the “transported into a romance novel as a villainess” concept has been done before, Kill the Villainess takes the trope in a different direction that makes the story refreshing for any ready. The webtoon touches on aspects of a person’s normal reaction and the reality of getting transported into the body of a character from a novel. Most webtoons that follow the trope easily dismiss the idea of characters wanting to return to their original world. But in this webtoon, the story’s core is how much Eris misses her family and home. She wants to escape the fictional world she is in, and she tries to find a way. Even with such a straightforward plot, the creator incorporates plenty of unique twists and turns that leave readers craving for the next chapter.
The world-building of “Kill the Villainess” also seems purposely simple to lead the focus on the characters. From the villains to the sidekicks, no character feels flat in this webtoon. The story will occasionally shift to different POVs and backstories to give greater context to other characters without ever feeling overdone. As the series goes on, Eris develops into a precious character who you can’t help but want to protect. Meanwhile, the story is also great at shaping its villains as the scum of the Earth that readers want to step on. The characters are the stars of this webtoon and their clashing personalities carry the drama throughout.
Another favorite detail of mine in the webtoon is how the characters are named. For Eris Miserian, miser in Latin means “unhappy, wretched, pitiable.” One of the other main characters is named Father Hubris, the priest in love with Helena in the original novel. In Greek tragedy, hubris is “excessive pride toward or defiance of the gods.” Such small details combined with everything else are what lead readers to feel the desperation of Eris, the disgust for most other characters, and sympathy for Helena. Your April crafts such a mesmerizing tale of wretchedness with specks of wholesomeness, and Haegi brings it to life with their art.
Image: TapasFinal Thoughts
“Kill the Villainess” is a must-read for romance webtoon fans. With 89 episodes out since 2021, the story seems close to an end, as it just reached its climax in the most recent episodes. It won’t be long now until we find out if Eris will be able to escape back to her world or if she ends up stuck forever in the novel. Join 105k other readers to discover what lies at the end of this journey of hope and woe.
Why You Should Read Kill the Villainess
- It's the "Transported as a Villainess" trope with a twist.
- The story is explored in not cliche ways.
- The characters are very well written.