Manga Review - 'The Villainess is a Marionette, Vol. 1' by Manggle (Adaptor), Hanirim (Original Author), Kakao Entertainment (Translator), Elena Pizarro Lanzas (Letterer)

'The Villainess is a Marionette' is one of those things where I can overlook any flaws because it is so absolutely, spectacularly, flourishingly, goddess-darn pretty, and, oddly, it makes me feel warm and cosy inside.

Not that it is style over substance. It is not a type of cosy fantasy. It is far from those attributes. It just manages to make me feel positive upon hindsight and regarding it, even with its dark content and elements underneath its pretty, rosy, exquisitely packaged exterior.

Much like every character in 'The Villainess is a Marionette'.

Indeed, every character is complex, in mostly similar ways, and in differing ways. And there are a lot of them.

I won't reveal too much, but basically, 'The Villainess is a Marionette' is yet another monarchy/nobility villainess isekai manhwa (I don't know how this became its own genre, and how it became so popular, but okay), where a modern woman in Korea reads a book and relates to the villainess princess character in it, who is beautiful, but that is seen as her only virtue, as she is spoiled and stupid, existing only to be manipulated, abused, and discarded by her own family when she is no longer deemed useful to them.

Manipulated her whole life, like the woman herself was.

Then the woman dies is murdered by an embittered former colleague, and she comes back as the villainess princess from the story. (It also turns out she was the princess in her first life, and her life in Korea is her second, and now she's back as the princess in her third life, her second attempt as the fictional (?) villainess. Like, what? How? Why? What? It's confusing, unnecessary, and doesn't affect anything much). Armed with more knowledge than she had before, the marionette villainess will turn the tables and become the manipulator of others, for her own gain, for her own freedom.

She is awfully, scarily good at it. More so, in fact, than her creepy, violent, narcissistic, rage-filled royal empire relatives.

But she won't stoop to their level. Formerly wicked, selfish and horrible, now she is smarter, more than a pretty blonde princess, and not only out for herself in her goal to change her deadly fate, free herself and be her own person; she will help free others from systematic abuse and oppression as well.

Her name is Princess Kayena Hill. Beware this not-so villainess.

There are also gardens, greenhouses, flowers, crystals, sparkles, tea, baking, the most amazing and spellbinding dresses, and the prettiest shoes, to go with all the royal and political intrigue and machinations.

Seriously, it is stories such as these that make me glad to go against my younger self's wishes to be a princess of some kind; that is a fairy tale, an illusion, a lie; I could not be happier not to have been born into royalty or of any higher class in society. I mean, fuck, is anyone actually happy there? Actually relaxed? Are they constantly on edge, and on eggshells? Do they actually love anyone, even their family? Is everyone and everything a competition and one-upmanship to them? Is everything conditional and a fight for survival every day? Are they actually privileged after all? The lives of royals and politicians sound like hell to me, like not living at all.

That is the reason why money isn't everything.

And yet my child at heart can't stop adoring the princess fantasy, and so indulges in every princessy media there is.

In 'The Villainess is a Marionette', each main and side character receives adequate page time, introspection, and development, though some more than others. Not every presumably important character gets the attention they should, while I wonder why many minor players suddenly intrude on so much, which to me is the manhwa's only legitimate flaw. Then again, it is the first volume of an ongoing story. Hopefully everyone significant will come together, and have their big moments of triumph or ruin; everything will come together to be wrapped up in a pretty, neat, intricate bow.

Meanwhile, I'll wrap up this inadequate review by saying, once again, that 'The Villainess is a Marionette' is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo pretty!!! And it makes you think, and be wary of people in positions of power and "privilege".

Pretty privilege! How deceptive both those words are.

It is like 'Villains Are Destined to Die', another villainess isekai manhwa I enjoyed, though it is not quite as good. I recommend both titles.

"Villainesses" as heroines taking their lives back FTW!!!

Maybe there is a good reason why this burgeoning genre is popular.

Final Score: 4/5