Though I am an inept Villainess – Exlied in Good Health

Switching bodies has always sounded like a nightmare to me. To lose your sense of identity and be seen as a whole different person while knowing you’re someone else. It’s always made me uneasy. I’ve never considered how good it might be for someone to become someone else if it meant no longer being chronically ill. To be placed in a body that doesn’t struggle with normal daily activities doesn’t sound too bad. Kou Reirin opened my eyes to the fact that switching bodies could be a blessing in disguise. Even if she was demoted from court butterfly to a sewer rat.

Though I am an Inept Villainess introduces viewers to the characters before swiftly switching their bodies, which I think works out in the long run. Viewers are only given surface-level information about the two main characters through word of mouth to start. Kou Reirin is a gentle butterfly who is often ill, but strives to be strong. She pushes herself so as not to be defined by her illness. Shu Keigetsu is a cruel, jealous woman who is called a rat, but she’s really a witch. She actually knows forbidden magic and initiates the swap. To her, it’s the only way to get the admiration she feels she deserves. She’s frustrated with being the palace punching bag. For Reirin, the body swap is an upgrade she can move and live without the hindrance of constant illness. Keigetsu realizes that being a delicate butterfly isn’t all it was supposed to be as she struggles to function in such a sick body.

I would think the hardest part of the body swap for Reirin would be her closest friends treating her like a villain because of her outward appearance. They do attempt to feed her to a lion. She manages to take it in stride and doesn’t harbor any feelings of resentment over their actions. Reirin is kind, but it never comes off as performative or annoyingly too nice. She has a genuinely kind heart that helps her talk her way out of situations. It also heals the trauma hiding in the royal palace.

Leelee is the first person to realize Keigetsu isn’t actually herself. It’s something that happens gradually. Leelee is banished alongside Reirin. While Reirin is thrilled by this new arrangement, celebrating by planting a garden and cooking, Leelee is mortified. Leelee is tormented daily by other ladies of the court for being the child of a foreign dancer. She’s looked down on and made to feel like nothing. The opportunity to leave the Shu court and join another palace presents itself to Leelee, all she has to do is torment Keigetsu while in exile. Who is now actually Reirin. Leelee jumps at the chance, with the hope of escaping somewhere better where she’s respected. She attempts to make Reirin’s life hell, but Reirin is really laid-back and sees the bright side to her antics. Leelee finally realizes the body is Keigetsu’s, but her soul is not, when Reirin asks Lee to teach her to dance. Dancing is ingrained in Leelee’s childhood, and she’s had to hide it to avoid further ridicule. Reirin praises it as a beautiful skill and showcases the dance Leelee teaches her at an important festival. She then sticks up for Leelee, determined to end her silent suffering. From that moment forward, Leelee would follow any scheme Reirin planned. None are particularly evil, though.

Halfway through, Though I am an Inept Villainess becomes a mystery. The body swap was not inherently Keigetsu’s idea. Someone is poisoning the maidens and consorts of higher standing. I did figure out the culprit before the big reveal, but I personally think the breadcrumbs were well laid out throughout the series. It all made sense when it was pieced together. Shu Gabi was the favored consort thought to become empress. Things didn’t go to plan, and another consort was chosen. It was her best friend. On top of that, she lost her child during childbirth, while her best friend’s was healthy. It ate away at her, and the jealousy consumed her until she came up with a plot to kill her best friend. It started with taking Keigetsu under her wing to learn the magic she knew. I think during the big reveal of it all, as Gabi brags about using Keigetsu she realises she had another chance at motherhood. She claims Keigetsu hung on her every word, and she stumbles in her villainess monologue. If she had treated Keigetsu with kindness, she could have been like a daughter. Instead, she was ready to sacrifice Keigetsu.

This is the second villainess I’ve felt bad for recently. She was brought up to be hateful for someone else’s personal gain. Her guardian threw her under the bus to be judged by the court. In a way, I feel like she was abandoned without really being abandoned. I’m glad that Reirin extends her hand for friendship multiple times. She saves Keigetsu even after all she did. Though I Am an Inept Villainess is about being able to understand why someone does something to hurt you and still being able to forgive them. While still giving them the punishment they deserve. Noble consort Gabi tries to kill the empress, but the empress understands why. In a way, she turned her back on her best friends in her time of need out of fear of not knowing how to face her. The empress forgives Gabi, but she is still exiled. Reirin forgives Keigetsu, and even after everyone knows about the body swap, Reirin confesses she wants to continue swapping. Reirin considers it Keigetsu’s way to atone for her crimes.

Characters note that Reirin is no longer the same after her time as Keigetsu. Though we didn’t know her much before the swap, I think she’s grown bolder. She’s no longer a delicate butterfly. She’s resourceful and plays her cards boldly, but carefully, to get what she wants. Her heart manages to stay just as kind.

Though I Am an Inept Villainess is a gorgeously animated story of a girl feeling free for the first time in her life. No longer restrained by the physical limits of her sick body, she can enjoy the world in a new light. It also has villains with human emotions who are evil for sympathetic reasons. If there was anything about this show I didn’t like, it was the romance alluded to between Reirin and the emperor. Her cousin. It’s history, though. The story is currently only half told, with the second half coming in January 2027. Would you switch bodies with someone you were jealous of?