My Next Life as a Villainess romance options shouldn't work as well as they do. You've got a protagonist who is denser than a black hole, a collection of suitors who range from mildly obsessive to full-blown yandere, and somehow this setup produces one of the most entertaining harem dynamics in modern anime. The thing is, nobody actually wins because Bakarina herself is too busy trying to avoid death flags to notice she's collecting love interests like some people collect stamps. It's messy, it's weird, and honestly it's refreshing compared to the usual dense protagonist tropes because at least there's a reason she's clueless. She's not just pretending to be dumb for plot convenience; she genuinely thinks everyone is just being really friendly while they're plotting to marry her.
The setup is simple enough on paper. Catarina Claes hits her head, remembers her past life as a Japanese high schooler who played the otome game Fortune Lover, and realizes she's been reincarnated as the villainess who dies in every route. So she does what any rational person would do and decides to max out her farming skills while accidentally seducing every single character in the game both male and female. The result is a harem where the central figure has no idea she's the center of attention. You've got princes, commoners, adopted brothers, and the original game's heroine all competing for her attention while she just wants to eat snacks and climb trees. The whole thing is held together by the fact that Catarina is weirdly charismatic in the most chaotic way possible.
The Male Leads Range From Concerning To Complicated
Let's talk about the guys first because that's where most of the drama happens. Prince Geordo Stuart is technically the main love interest since he's Catarina's fiancé from the original game timeline, but he's got some serious boundary issues that make him hard to root for. In the original Fortune Lover game he was the yandere capture target who would lock you in a dungeon if you picked wrong choices, and while he's softened up thanks to Catarina's influence, he still has moments where he gets uncomfortably possessive. He'll grab her without asking, ignore her personal space completely, and generally acts like he owns her because of their engagement. Fans are split on whether he's genuinely devoted or just controlling, but either way he's not winning any healthy relationship awards. The fact that he treats her like property half the time makes his route in the official otome games feel kind of gross even when he's being romantic.
Then there's Keith Claes, the adopted brother, and this is where things get really awkward. The game and anime try to push him as a legitimate romance option, but let's be real here, they grew up as siblings from the time he was like seven years old. Catarina literally calls him her little brother and treats him that way, so when he starts having romantic feelings it creates this weird cognitive dissonance where the audience is supposed to root for a sibling relationship to turn romantic. It's not even a step-sibling thing where they met as teenagers; they were raised together as family from childhood. His route in Pirates of the Disturbance has some decent moments where he's protective without being creepy, but the fundamental premise of the romance is still uncomfortable for a lot of people. He ranks high on some fan lists because he's genuinely caring, but the brother angle makes it a hard pass for others.
Prince Alan Stuart, Geordo's twin brother, is actually one of the better options if you're looking for someone who respects Catarina's autonomy. He started out as a rival character who was jealous of his brother, but over time he developed into someone who appreciates Catarina for who she is rather than who he wants her to be. He doesn't try to change her, he doesn't get weird about her tomboyish hobbies, and he actually listens when she talks about farming or climbing trees. The problem is that he has almost zero romantic chemistry with her because Catarina still views him as a friend first and foremost. In the visual novel routes he comes off as resigned to the fact that she'll never see him the way he sees her, which is kind of depressing. He's a solid choice on paper but the spark just isn't there compared to some of the more intense connections.
Nicol Ascart is the mysterious quiet type who supposedly has a beautiful smile that captivates everyone, but his whole deal is kind of bland if we're being honest. He likes Catarina because she helped his sister Sophia come out of her shell, which is sweet and all, but it means his initial attraction was basically gratitude rather than genuine romantic interest. He's also weirdly passive about the whole thing, just standing in the background looking pretty while other people make moves. His route in the games feels disconnected from the main story because he's too busy being loyal to his sister and Geordo to actually pursue Catarina aggressively. He's nice enough but there's not much substance there beyond the surface level "mysterious handsome guy" archetype.
The Newcomers In Pirates Of The Disturbance
The Pirates of the Disturbance game added two new male options that weren't in the original anime or light novels, and honestly they're a mixed bag. Rozy Linde is the ship's engineer who's supposed to be this older, mature option, but there's a glaring problem with his route that a lot of fans noticed immediately. He's twenty-three years old and Catarina is sixteen. That's a seven-year age gap in a game where the protagonist is still a minor, and the game doesn't really address how creepy that dynamic is. His route is also bogged down by flashbacks and info-dumps about the ship's mechanics that kill any romantic momentum. He spends more time talking about engineering than he does actually connecting with Catarina on a personal level. The age gap alone makes this route feel sketchy, and the fact that the story tries to force a connection through trauma flashbacks rather than natural chemistry doesn't help.
Silva, the pirate captain known as the Demon of the Fog, is actually the standout among all the male options new and old. He's the only one who doesn't start out already in love with Catarina, which automatically makes his route more interesting because you get to see the attraction develop naturally instead of just being told that he's been obsessed with her since childhood like everyone else. He's got his own agenda and his own personality outside of just being a Catarina simp, which is refreshing in a cast where everyone else's entire character revolves around the protagonist. His route isn't perfect, some fans say it feels rushed in the final chapters, but he's the only one who feels like an actual match for her chaotic energy. He doesn't try to tame her or change her; he just rolls with her weirdness and treats her like a person rather than a prize to be won.
The Female Options Are Where The Real Chemistry Is
Now here's where My Next Life as a Villainess romance options get actually interesting. The female love interests have way better chemistry with Catarina than almost any of the guys, which is why fans were so mad when the official Nintendo Switch otome game came out and didn't include yuri routes. Maria Campbell, the original heroine of Fortune Lover, has a relationship with Catarina that's built on mutual rescue. They save each other multiple times, they bond over sweets and light magic, and Maria is genuinely devoted to Catarina in a way that feels earned rather than forced. In the light novels and manga there's heavy subtext that Maria is in love with Catarina, and some fans argue that the only reason they don't get together in the main timeline is because the story is afraid to commit to a full yuri ending. Maria respects Catarina's boundaries, supports her dreams of becoming a farmer, and would literally die for her. That's more than you can say for most of the male cast.
Mary Hunt is the obsessive gardener who rivals even Geordo when it comes to possessiveness, but at least her obsession is kind of funny. She's relentless in her pursuit of Catarina, using gardening as an excuse to spend time with her and getting jealous of anyone else who tries to get close. Her whole character is basically "I will fight God for this woman" and while that sounds toxic, and it kind of is, it's also weirdly endearing because she's so open about it. She doesn't hide her feelings like the guys do with their weird pining from the shadows; she just declares her love constantly and tries to seduce Catarina with rare plants. The downside is that she's extremely codependent and would probably have a breakdown if Catarina actually reciprocated, but as far as entertainment value goes she's one of the best options.
Sophia Ascart might actually be the true endgame if we're following the reincarnation logic. The theory that she might be connected to Catarina's best friend from her past life adds a whole layer of destiny to their relationship. Even without that, Sophia understands Catarina on a level nobody else does because they share the same taste in trashy romance novels and fantasy stories. They can talk for hours about fictional scenarios and worldbuilding in a way that Catarina can't with anyone else. Sophia sees Catarina as a kindred spirit rather than just a love interest, and their bond feels deeper than simple romantic attraction. If there was ever a route where Catarina ends up with a girl, Sophia makes the most sense because they actually have compatible personalities and interests.
Why Catarina Herself Might Be The Problem
Here's a hot take that gets discussed on forums a lot. Catarina Claes might be aromantic or asexual, or at least somewhere on that spectrum, and that's why none of the romance options stick. Think about it. She never shows romantic or sexual desire for anyone. She can acknowledge that people are attractive, like when she notices Nicol's smile or thinks Maria is cute, but there's never any indication she wants to date or marry any of them. Her personal fantasy is living alone on a farm with a cat in her old age, not growing old with a partner. She's completely immune to romantic advances and genuinely doesn't understand why people are being so weird around her.
This theory explains why the harem dynamic works without becoming a traditional romance. Catarina collects all these people who love her, but she doesn't have to pick one because she doesn't actually want a romantic relationship with any of them. She's happy having a bunch of friends who adore her while she eats cake and plays in the dirt. Some fans think this is just her being dense, but looking at the source material it seems more like a fundamental lack of romantic orientation. She's not playing hard to get; she genuinely doesn't get it. If that's the case, then the best ending for her isn't with Geordo or Maria or anyone else; it's the ending where she stays single and keeps her independence while maintaining her weird little found family.
Ranking The Chaos From Worst To Best
If we had to rank these romance options by how healthy or viable they actually are, the list looks pretty different from what the games suggest. At the bottom you've got Rafael Walt, also known as Sirius Dieke, who is still dealing with severe childhood trauma and dark magic possession. He's in no state to be in a relationship with anyone, let alone someone as oblivious as Catarina. Just above him is Geordo with his boundary issues and controlling behavior, followed by Rozy with the massive age gap problem. Keith is in the middle despite the brother angle because at least he genuinely cares about her wellbeing, even if the romantic aspect is weird.
Alan and Nicol are tied for being boring but harmless. They're nice guys who would treat her well but there's no passion there. Silva ranks high among the men for being the only one with actual personality and healthy boundaries. Among the women, Mary ranks lower than Maria and Sophia just because her possessiveness is so extreme, though she's still more entertaining than most of the guys. Maria and Sophia are the top picks for actually understanding and respecting Catarina as a person. But the real number one spot goes to the solo ending where Catarina doesn't pick anyone. She gets her farm, her friends stay friends instead of becoming romantic partners, and she avoids the weird power dynamics that come with dating a prince or her adopted brother. Sometimes the best romance option is no romance at all, especially when the protagonist is too busy trying to survive her own story to deal with dating drama.
The Games Keep Dropping The Ball On Female Routes
The official otome games like All Routes Lead to Doom and Pirates of the Disturbance have been criticized heavily for omitting the female romance options despite the anime and manga heavily implying that Catarina has romantic chemistry with Maria, Mary, and Sophia. The Nintendo Switch game has six male routes but zero female ones, which feels like queer-baiting when you consider how much subtext is in the source material. Fans were expecting at least a Maria route since their relationship is basically the emotional core of the series, but the developers decided to stick with traditional otome game conventions even though the story is explicitly about subverting those conventions. It's a weird choice that alienates the bisexual audience that made the anime popular in the first place. If you're going to make a game based on a property known for its bi disaster energy, you should probably include the bi routes.
Why The Harem Ending Actually Makes Sense
Given that Catarina is probably never going to pick just one person, and given that all her suitors seem weirdly okay with sharing her attention, the harem ending might be the only logical conclusion. In some of the game routes and fan theories, there's speculation about a polyamorous ending where she doesn't have to choose between Geordo and Maria or Keith and Sophia. Everyone just lives together on her farm and she keeps them all happy while eating sweets and avoiding political intrigue. It's the only solution that doesn't leave anyone heartbroken, and it fits her character better than forcing her to settle down with one person. Plus it would be hilarious to see the princes trying to run a farm while competing for her attention. The series keeps teasing this possibility without fully committing to it, probably because it's still technically aimed at a mainstream audience, but it's what most fans actually want to see happen.