I'll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History

Episode 11

Jane is an interesting villain. At first, she seems loyal to Liz simply for the fact that Liz accepted her whole, freckles and all. Because of this, she didn't like Alicia from the start—as Alicia has always positioned herself to oppose Liz—and then seeing Alicia make Liz emotionally distraught made Jane downright hate Alicia. But while all of Jane's actions have seemed to be her own, all that is thrown into question here and we are left wondering: How much of Jane's hate for Alicia is her own and how much is due to the magic caused by Liz's own negative feelings?

At the very least, in this episode, it's made clear that Jane is not truly at fault for what she does to Carol. If what we see with Gill is any indication (not to mention that group of girls from last episode), anything close to free will is thrown completely out the window when Liz's full power is brought to bear on someone. Liz is ruining Jane's life and neither have any idea. Jane is just a pawn in a game that no one even realizes is being played—and the one who shows true kindness to her isn't Liz, but rather the person she hates most in the world.

And speaking of Gill, it appears that he doesn't have some special affinity that keeps him safe from Liz's power after all. Perhaps the only reason he's not been under her spell before is the simple fact she's never really tried to get to know him—never had her powers unintentionally focused upon him. Or perhaps there was a moment in their conversation where he was open to her words—where his dislike for her was momentarily outweighed but his thoughts about the village—and in the moment her charm forced its way through that gap.

In any case, the chaos caused by Liz's powers allows Alicia to step into the spotlight and shift the paradigm of the school. Jane cutting Carol's hair was done to make Carol less like Alicia—to take away her independence. But by cutting her own hair, making it the same length as Carol's, Alicia undid what Jane was trying to do—and in doing so gave the power back to Carol.

In this way, short hair has become the symbol for self-determination among the female students. They aren't sycophants of Alicia, as Alicia doesn't command them or even give them a second thought, really. Rather, they are following Alicia's example and forging their own paths. And in a school where Liz's powers are trying to force a homogeneous viewpoint centered around Liz's ideals, this is setting the stage for future conflict.

All in all, this is a fantastic episode of the show. On one hand, it has a minor antagonist who is far more complex than she first appears. On the other we get to see just how terrifying Liz's powers truly are—and just how charismatic Alicia can be. And lastly we're left with the tantalizing idea that we just might learn the secret behind Liz's charm next week—assuming that Mel doesn't fall under Liz's spell before she's able to tell anyone, anyway.

Rating 4.5

Random Thoughts

• It's interesting that Duke was immediately able to understand what was happening to Gill. But perhaps he's seen so many friends and acquaintances charmed directly in front of his eyes that he's become hyper-aware of it.

• I prefer the long hair Alicia design, personally, but the short hair doesn't look bad.

• I wonder if we'll get to see more Carol and Jane after this?

• So if Mel can teleport too, I guess that teleportation is Earth magic… I wonder why that is?

I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

---

Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.