Warning: Major spoilers for Bibliophile PrincessThe completed first season of Bibliophile Princess, a HIDIVE exclusive romance anime, might not be another villainess series, or even one of HIDIVE’s many excellent Isekai, but the first three episodes do deconstruct one of that genre’s biggest tropes in an incredible way that any villainess Isekai enthusiast can appreciate. Hopefully, readers who are intrigued by this twist can enjoy the many other tropes that this underappreciated series also subverts.
The first three episodes of Bibliophile Princess are akin to a prologue, much like the opening episode of Oshi no Ko, also on HIDIVE, and Frieren, except not on such a grand scale.
Although Bibliophile Princess doesn’t introduce and subsequently break the villainess trope until episode #2, the first and majority of the second installment set the stage for the whole public spectacle before the real story can begin, as originally captured in the light novel series by writer Yui and illustrator Satsuki Shiina.
Bibliophile Princess‘ Villainess Trope Creates A Couple, Not A Humiliated Lover
Produced by Madhouse, based on the light novel series by Yui and Satsuki Shiina
The trope in question can easily be defined as every villainess’ origin story, where a prince or noble annuls his engagement to her during some high-society soirée in an attempt to humiliate and demoralize his former fiancée completely. The tragedy is that these annulments are usually founded upon baseless accusations (that are also shared publicly) as part of some conspiracy, usually perpetuated by the former fiancé as the mastermind or unwitting puppet. In Bibliophile Princess, the eponymous heroine Eli is subjected to such an ordeal, except it’s orchestrated by a female rival, who is subsequently torn down by the prince instead.
The purpose of the Bibliophile Princess‘ first two episodes is clearly to set the stage for the public spectacle, where Eli, and the viewer, are led to mistakenly believe that the prince is distancing himself from her for some nefarious reason. However, all this is disproved when the prince comes to Eli’s aid during her attempted framing, where it is revealed that his actions, while still suspect, were done in an effort to protect her.
Of course, the underlining drive of these early episodes is to help lay the foundations of the series’ romance. None of the subsequent episodes would have been possible if the princess didn’t experience what she did in the prologue; she first needed to leave room in her heart for more than just her first love – books – the series’ other main theme and driver.
The deconstruction of the ubiquitous villainess trope therefore serves as Bibliophile Princess‘ way of bringing Eli and the crowned prince together instead of apart. The true joy and appeal of the Bibliophile Princess is that the princess and prince express their love for each other in a way that few other romances do, including one series that also happens to be streaming exclusively on HIDIVE called Real Girl. Hopefully, new fans come to Bibliophile Princess for the villainess trope and stay for the romance.
Bibliophile Princess is streaming exclusively on HIDIVE
Watch on HIDIVE
