Introducing our “Yuri Mini Reviews”! As part of our mission to spread the word about all things Yuri, we will be doing quick reviews that highlight the work and give our take on the material but don’t take a lot of time to read. We know you would rather spend more quality time actually reading Yuri but also know it can hard to find what to read next, so we are here to help!
Manga: “The Fed-Up Office Lady Wants to Serve the Villainess”
Volumes: 1-4
Publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment
Author & Artist: Nekotarou
Available to read: BookWalker website and app. (Review copies courtesy of BookWalker.)
Publisher Synopsis: Natori Midori has been giving it all at her hum-drum office job for three years now, only to have the rug pulled out from under her when she's suddenly laid off. But just as she's feeling lost and adrift, she is summoned to the world of the visual novel she's currently playing, Fairy Tale of Jewels. And the person who summoned her there? None other than the game's cruel villainess, Lapis Tenebrau, who's trying to take down the main cast of the game. Driven into a corner, Natori pretends she's psychic and uses her knowledge of the game to save Lapis from danger. Now Lapis has taken a shine to her, and is going to make Natori her private secretary?! Can Natori handle this new job, and her growing feelings for her villainess boss?
Spoiler Free Mini Review: We had the chance to read the first 4 volumes of this series and we are hooked. This Yuri manga offers another take on the classic genre of being reincarnated into a game. Even though the storyline is a common theme, we felt that, unlike other stories, this manga stays more on the serious side rather than the usual cliché comedy scenes or plot points.
The story is anchored by the character Natori, who is driven by her pure natural of wanting to help and please those around her, and the “villainess” Lapis, who is cold-hearted and determined to destroy those who have wronged her. Their love story is a slow burn, and it has a natural progressive feel throughout the volumes. It’s not “love at first sight”, and that actually made the story make more sense.
We also liked the love triangle between Natori and Lapis with the game’s protagonist, Diana. In other stories, love triangles are usually annoying and the reader tends to want to just stay focused on the main couple. But Diana is a likable character that grows from the stereotypical “hero” to a complicated and interesting character.
Overall, we loved the art design of characters and how the outfit details added to the imagination of the game world. The lore of the magic in the story is also easy to follow. Certain stories often get too complicated or tend to spend too much time explaining the world of the game, but this story keeps it simple. The story gives enough to create the world but not to bore you with the details. We were also impressed by the dialogue in a lot of the scenes. Sometimes scenes suffer because of weak writing but we felt that the dialogue stayed strong throughout.
Volume 3 was our favorite volume so far. In that volume, you especially start to see the progression between the character’s feelings, and at the same time, the danger and issues of the game’s world, start become more evident.
We are looking forward to reading Volume 5, which is set to be released on December 22, 2026 by Seven Seas, and will also be available to read on BookWalker.
Source: Review copies courtesy of BookWalker.
