- #1
The story is quite charming. It's a bit of slice of life, a bit of action, a bit of comedy and a handful of fantasy. I'd say it scratches the same itch as "The Villain Wants To Live".It's actually unique in that you aren't turned into the villain before they've ruined themselves. No the protagonist has become the buttler of the villain and is slowly trying to redeem the villain. And if nothing else, blunt how much damage her plans can cause. But keep in mind, the story starts after the villain has already fallen.You could perceive the protagonist as a "simp" as others have claimed, but that would imply he's simply physically attracted to her. His motivation for what he does is largely due to his own feelings of gratitude for saving him as a child. It's likely that he's in love with her as well, but a simp is someone following someone for their external beauty. The protagonist has even gone so far as to say she's pig-like in appearance.Others criticize uses of "deus ex machina", which as I understand it, is the resolution of a seemingly hopeless development using an unexpected and contrived plot device. That definition covers a LOT of stories, and I suppose this counts as such. But I personally don't mind this instance at all. Have you ever read one of those stories where the protagonist hides all these amazing secrets from everyone, constantly taking all the pain onto themselves? The deus ex machina is basically used to tell that protagonist "screw you, I'm going to show people exactly what happened." And it's really satisfying for me personally.That's not to say the deus ex machina is always a good idea here. In fact, the author has twice used it in completely inappropriate situations that confused and damaged the situation more than it helped. Telling things to people that only caused them unnecessary trouble.Around chapter 50 the story starts degrading a little. The home life of the protagonist is established and the author doesn't have anymore plot to develop there, so it becomes filled with meaningless side-stories: (protagonist learns how to make bath additives with the lady.), (protagonist gets a dog) They aren't bad, I'm just not enjoying them because they feel hollow.