Danica Davidson
March 8, 2024 
If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love opens with the villainess, Brigitte, getting dumped by her fiancé, the prince. Though she’s already been engaged, they’re still only in high school, and her ex is hanging out with another girl who wants to get engaged with him. Brigitte and her ex used to be close, and he used to be nice, but then he tried controlling her life, down to wanting her to get worse grades than him, because he likes his women “simple.”
Brigitte isn’t really a villainess, but she’s seen that way in school. Her own family doesn’t like her because she wasn’t able to contract with a good spirit, which matters in the magical world this manga takes place in. With her fiancé mostly out of her life, she starts taking control again, including getting better grades and improving her studies. She also starts to hang out with the “villain” at the school, Yuri Aurealis. Yuri is smart, lacks social etiquette in some ways (meaning he’ll say what he’s thinking, whatever it is), and can come off as cold and aloof. However, as Brigitte gets to know him, she sees he’s much nicer and more supportive to her than her ex ever was. She comes up with a competition to have with Yuri, which he agrees to, and the first volume ends with a cliffhanger.
If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love was originally a novel series, and this is the manga adaptation. Both versions are being published by Yen Press. It’s nice to see Brigitte taking her power back, and Yuri seems to be a more sympathetic, complicated character than one might expect at first. There are also people trying to sabotage Brigitte, so she’s not just dealing with an obnoxious ex. The manga takes place in a world of magic, which has the potential of being very detailed. Right now, though, the story works fine without a whole lot of understanding about the magic at play, because the characters are relatable, likable, and vibrant. This is a fun read for fans of shojo manga.
Art: Chiru Ukai
Original Story: Harunadon
Character Design: Yomi Sarachi
Publisher: Yen Press
Translator: Erin Husson
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
