V — THIS VILLAIN EMPEROR’S GOTTA CHARM THE MALE LEAD TO SURVIVE

If you see me bending the rules of the challenge, kindly look the other way.

“And focus only on me instead… ” *smirks in ikemen*

Greetings! Here I am with another challenging letter. Today’s pick is a web novel adaptation, and from the title, I guess it’s straightforward that it has a light novel-y setting. What comes first into your mind when light novels are mentioned? Yeah, transmigration. Let’s hop on to the review ~

They are much less dramatic than they look.

Title: This Villain Emperor’s Gotta Charm The Male Lead To Survive
Author & Artist: Wang Yi (artist), the original novel based on Yiyiyiyi/The Shubl Website
Release Year: 2021
Status: Ongoing, 31 episodes so far.
Licensed? (Y/N): Yes, on Tapas!

The title includes everything you need to know about the story, but still, let me put details to the summary. Yuan Xiao is a domineering CEO who comes from a family of… domineering CEOs. He has it all; the looks, the lineage, the charms, the money, you name it. Don’t let his financial prosperity and physical beauty fool you though— just like us, he invests his free time in reading web novels and fanboying over them with his personal assistant. There’s a certain novel that he enjoys, but the ending leaves him dissatisfied, so for the first time he feels the urge to leave a comment. And when he opens his eyes, his scenery is changed completely.

He wakes up as the Northern Empire’s emperor, who was the villain in the story. After his father has failed in conquering the Southern Empire and died, the son has no interest in politics and spends his time in his harem. He is also killed at the hands of the main character from the Southern Empire later on. Yuan Xiao understands immediately that he, unfortunately, woke up as this tyrannical douchebag. However, not all hope is lost! All he has to do is to charm the main character by being nice and rule the Northern Empire a little better so he won’t d-word. Easy peasy.

The first time I’ve come across the ‘waking up not as the main character but the villain’ trope was with My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! and it was a very welcomed, well-handled change! As for my thoughts on the webtoon; I bookmarked it because the cover art looked to my taste and was able to make time very recently to read it. The first couple of chapters suffer a little in terms of the quality of the writing, especially the inner monologue of the Yuan Xiao was a bit repetitive. There’s less of an exploration of the world he just woke up in or assessment of his situation and more mental praises thrown at Yan’s piercing gaze or washboard abs. While I understand the sentiment, because Yan’s *coughs* one wholesome fellow, it feels too abrupt. Especially when we don’t even know if Yuan Xiao was gay or not in his modern-day self.

With that said, around the 7th chapter or so I started feeling more comfortable with the characters and the story became more fun to read. The character designs, color palettes, and backgrounds are truly pleasant to the eyes. While I wouldn’t say it’s a magnificent webtoon to behold, I’ve had fun time reading it. I’ve read 10 chapters so far and I’ll stick to reading it for another 10 to see how it goes. Plus, it’s easy to collect points on Tapas so I don’t worry too much about spending money. I have to mention, though. Yuan Xiao the CEO has a terminal illness that is briefly mentioned at the beginning. I don’t know yet how or if the illness will be incorporated into the story, I’m guessing it will be. I know some people are sensitive about it and avoid reading such stories, so be warned if you’re interested in the title.

I kept whining how I have so few titles left but gosh, four letters means a whole month! Never did the math before. When I wrap it all up, I’ll also arrange the masterlist under the posts as well. I hope a relaxing weekend is awaiting you and you enjoyed my pick of the week. See you next week!