Review of Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I'm Not the Demon Lord
Level 99 Villainess is very generic with the exception of the antics, interactions & internal dialogue of the stoic, kuudere, socially inept, gamer brain main character Yumiella. While her character has its faults, she significantly carries the show and therefor if you aren’t entertained by the aforementioned, this show will likely fall flat & become a pile of nothing. Everything that the show offers outside of the main character is shallow, generic, rapid & formulaic to the point there’s nothing else to latch onto if she doesn’t interest you. Anyone who is not the main character is severely underdeveloped, these side characters either regress or receivepersonal growth that feels jarring when we the viewer last saw them in a complete opposite state & mentality. One could argue that the shallow one note characters are the result of the world being based on a video game due to a certain story thread, but with its lack of depth & exploration, I feel like saying such a thing is a cop out.
THANKFULLY, I can say that this show is not hindered by a weird age gap, creepy love interest & wtf moments (force feeding medicine into an unconscious girl’s mouth) that the genre is so fond of using & placing center stage to the detriment of everything else. The romance felt genuine with wholesome and caring moments between the two characters although it felt a tad underdeveloped in regards to interactions & relied on the dense protagonist angle a bit too much. If the show focused on the romance instead of the multiple threads of story, this would be one wholesome fantasy Otome Iseaki.
In regards to story, there are hints of intrigue or threads to an interesting idea but they all fizzle out or lack further exploration. The only thread that saw some showcase was the societal prejudice against those with black hair but even that has little consequence, repercussion or remorse to any events surrounding it & is undermined by the power level discussion. The lack of the aforementioned & additional pacing issues are more visible during the final episodes when major time skips are used in order to provide a seemingly conclusive ending with little to no threads left open.
At the end of the day, Level 99 Villainess’ formulaic, generic and shallow nature can be entertaining to those who like to turn their brain off and enjoy media without a critical eye & those who enjoy the antics & dialogue of the main character. For those who want anything beyond, they will be greatly disappointed.