At the start of the story, I found it pretty good as it was the first villain novel I read, and it was entertaining to see the story of an average urban character from the opposite side. It’s a casual underdog story of a person who is destined to lose everything, but he decides to change his fate and approach, making himself the center of the story and slowly pushing the actual main character (MC) out of the narrative, giving a glimpse at some of the clichés that we often take for granted.
However, the novelty of the story became less entertaining for me, and I started to notice that the new MC—or villain, to be precise—seemed robotic. His rather normal treatment of Wanxi gave me hope to continue.
**Spoiler**
I found the way he treats his arranged fiancée, Ruyan, to be rather too harsh. He agrees that his previous self was an idiot, and Ruyan agrees with him and doesn’t want to marry him, so I don’t see the reason for his ego to be hurt that she didn’t like him. (Some of the initial slaps were acceptable, but it soon became too much and childish.)
There are going to be spoilers (past the current translation), so read only if you are okay with spoilers up to around chapter 750.
The most effective way of gaining counterpoints is to win over the heroines, but after Wanxi and Mei Yuxian, the rest of the heroines become too bland. Here’s what I mean:
To get Ruyan, he just keeps ignoring her, and she automatically wants to love him more, until she becomes a flat character, and he gets her.
To get Shaying, who is proud, he embarrasses, disrespects, and brainwashes her into liking him.
For Chi Qiyan, he is better than her at everything to gain a little affection from her—chess, fighting, shooting, music, drawing, scriptures, and more. Some of these, I could just ignore, but later he stoops so low as to use his cheat to make cats like him more, so he can childishly claim another victory over her. The author makes her like him more for that...
Ning Mei (a character not yet introduced) is blackmailed into liking him, and while she is S-type, his actions are way too much.
...
...
While there is clearly an attempt at creating unique characters, the simple, repeated method of winning their affections makes it too two-dimensional for me.
He claims to be better than the MC, yet he exclusively follows his path and no girl who wasn’t originally part of the MC’s harem joins his. He pretty much replicates the MC’s moves, going into the same business, medicine, mask-making, and more. For all the criticism he directs at the story and the MC, he just follows the same path, only being a tiny bit better than Ye Fang, getting there ahead of him by one step.
While I can see his reasons for being ruthless to enemies, you notice that he also treats others who are not his enemies with the same ruthlessness, which makes the story less likable.
The story goes downhill as he uses the same moves repeatedly to win the affections of the girls. He keeps beating them in everything they are good at, keeps humiliating them so they can like him more (it reads like one of those videos where a mouse learns to press a button to get food). With Chi Qiyan, you can guess the next 5-10 chapters will be him beating her at something else, and her affection increasing by 5-10 points. Shaying will get humiliated, Mei will get forced, and so on and on.
In summary, the action element gets quite boring as the enemy, Ye Fang, has no room for growth; he is always one step behind, so there is no real tension. In other overpowered (OP) MC stories, you get stronger and stronger enemies to create an illusion of tension, but here it seems like he just keeps hitting a person who is already down. There is no satisfaction in his victories after a point.
The girls become boring as there is a cycle of the same repeated moves that slowly move the romance progress bar in the MC/Villain’s favor. The MC seems obsessed with Ye Fang’s plot and girls, and he uses Ye Fang’s moves to get them, making the process rather dull. He doesn’t really make anything of himself, apart from brief moments at the beginning of the novel. (Large harem, but all are Ye Fang’s girls; best knowledge of medicine, but just uses it to defeat Ye Fang—he could do so much more with that knowledge, given his wealth.)
So far, for me, the beginning of the story was rather interesting, but later on, it felt like 80% repetition of the same plot with only 20% new things. I can’t rate it higher than 2. However, the translation is good, so I’ll add 0.5 points for that, bringing the rating to 2.5.
Edit: Also, the filler words describing the heroines take up a majority of many short chapters, which gets boring and annoying.
really like everyone says, it's great, you might find the protagonist's style strange at first, but that's just because you haven't got the right way of reading the work, when you get used to it... 200 chapters will fly by.
I'm eagerly anticipating a high-quality translation! I find the concept intriguing and was initially very excited about it. The book isn't difficult to read, focusing primarily on the slow-burning romance, so don't worry about excessive political intrigue getting in the way.
I resorted to using Google Translate as a temporary solution due to my impatience ?, but I'll definitely stick with the official English version for a more accurate understanding of the story ?. So far, up to chapter 51, I've been thoroughly enjoying the revisits, especially the sweet moments between the main characters as their love grows. It's truly touching.
I've been re-reading parts of it, and it feels like a dream come true to comprehend everything without relying on guesses, hah! If anyone has recommendations for similar stories with a similar vibe, I'd love to explore more titles. "Coldxcold" has left me in stitches with its humor.
just so you know you don't need a spoiler alert for that
yeah but those are machine translated
"It's a delightful and soothing novel. The characters stick with me even after taking breaks between chapters. I started reading it when the manga adaptation came out."
The captivating premise of "The Main Heroines are Trying to Kill Me" revolves around a compelling regressive tale with a protagonist cast as a "false villain." Frey, the central character, embarks on a treacherous path of wickedness and duplicity to safeguard the world from doom. However, this puts him at odds with the leading ladies, who recall the past and harbor resentment towards Frey's villainous deeds.
Despite its dramatic setup, the novel delves into profound emotions and complexity, transcending the typical轻小说 genre. Frey confronts challenging decisions, inner conflicts, and the weight of isolation and misunderstanding. As the heroines' perceptions evolve, their relationships with him develop in significant ways.
The story abounds with unexpected plot twists that keep readers guessing Frey's true intentions. Supporting characters are well-rounded, displaying shades of grey rather than black-and-white roles. While the fantasy setting may not be entirely unique, it adds intrigue to the unfolding narrative.
In summary, "The Main Heroines are Trying to Kill Me" triumphs in subverting conventional storytelling. Frey's anti-hero journey captivates with its emotional depth and nuanced exploration of moral ambiguity. For those who appreciate intense dramas and the blurred lines between good and evil, this book offers a deeply satisfying read. Yet, be prepared for an emotionally charged journey that ultimately leads to a hopeful resolution.
The narrative is masterfully crafted, drawing readers into the lives of new characters introduced in each segment, even though these encounters are relatively brief. The depth of these characters evolves over time, with ongoing development beyond their initial introduction, rather than being reduced to mere plot devices. This isn't a tale of an endless hero saving the world; instead, it's a poignant exploration of the protagonist's failures and the numerous adventures and relationships he forms along the way, all captured within the title and summary. It centers on the protagonist's relentless efforts to save the world, no matter how absurd his endeavors may become, and the diverse cast of people he encounters and interacts with.
I'd guess he will have multiple love interests around him but only 1 actual love interest
Well to be honest I am dying to find such a novel, I have
Visited many websites but this is probably best slice of life of all the
Times, I have read many peak novel, ri, lotm, kb, rgtok
But when it comes to slice of life, nothing compares to this one.
I never got attached with characters so much.
(by the way romance comes way later, where did you get romance
Early here)
Its been a beautiful and fun ride. Its a very out of the box type of lN and threw some really interesting thoughts into my head. It is in my eyes a 8/10. The end was a bit confusing but still a worthy one.
Thank you, and your English is good don't worry.