The Isekai Reincarnation Fantasy Anime That Asks How Far You Would Go To Prevent A War
There are many villainess isekai anime out there, almost too many, but 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! offers a bit of freshness with a cunning female lead who is weary after numerous reincarnations. She ends up marrying the enemy that led to her death in all her previous lives, eager to figure out what led him to start a war every time.
Change Fate
7th Time Loop follows Rishe Weitzner as her engagement to the crown prince is annulled. However, this isn’t the first time she’s been through this situation. No matter how she attempts to change her fate, Rishe always ends up dead at the age of twenty, a mere five years after the annulment.
A Drastic Choice To Change Everything
To shake up the next five years, Rishe accepts a marriage proposal from Prince Arnold of a neighboring kingdom. Though he was the source of many horrible situations in her previous lives, this version of the Prince is vastly different. Rishe hopes to find out what caused him to turn so cruel in her previous lives and to stop her fate at the age of 20 in her 7th life.
Based On A Light Novel
7th Time Loop is based on a light novel with the same long name. The original novel was written by Touko Amekawa and started as a web series before being picked up and published in 2020. There is now also a manga adaptation of the novels by Hinoki Kino.
The anime by Studio Kai and Hornets is the newest adaptation of this story, with its first season running from January to March 2024.
An Accomplished Voice Cast
In the Japanese version of the anime, Ikumi Hasegawa (86, Call of the Night) voices Rishe, and Nobunaga Shimazaki (Black Clover, Date A Live) voices Prince Arnold. In addition to these two main actors, Minami Takahashi (Food Wars), Yui Kondou (Baby Steps), Mariya Ise (Fairy Tail), and Daisuke Ono (Drifters) also voice characters throughout the show.
Enjoyable But Overlooked
The ratings for 7th Time Loop are pretty good, though nothing outstanding. It has a 7.54 rating on MAL (My Anime List). However, its ranking and popularity scores are pretty low, with rankings at #1684 and #1841 respectively.
Though 7th Time Loop is enjoyable, it’s easy enough to overlook. On the surface, the show reads like any other romance isekai. However, it does have some unique aspects that make the story stand out.
What Fans Think
One reviewer, tsukimaria, explains why this villainess isekai stands out compared to the sea of other similar stories out there, “It would be just another looping anime, but unlike others, this one deals with an infinite loop featuring a new type of narrative that explores the theme of reincarnation, focusing on Rishe’s seventh life. What intrigues me the most is that she has accumulated experiences from six lives, even though each of the last five lives lasted only for 5 years. However, they were five lives with entirely different purposes and unique experiences.”
Available On Crunchyroll
In short, though the premise of 7th Time Loop is rather basic, the anime has other aspects going for it, such as excellent character writing. Rishe is a character who’s tired of life by her seventh loop, but she’s still incapable of giving up. Every interaction gives her a chance to learn more about her situation and grow.
Not quite ready to throw in the towel on isekai anime yet? The entire first season of 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! is available to watch on Crunchyroll for premium members.
