Surviving in Another World as a Villainess Fox Girl! is one of those titles that is more interested in hooking the reader than actually describing the book. It's not entirely false—not just one, but two of the characters are, in fact, reincarnated from our world. One of them is even reborn as a fox girl. But both Claire and her twin sister Miku are side characters from the original game, not villainesses, and the story is primarily told through the perspective of Miku, who is not the reincarnated twin. While you could perhaps make a case for Claire being at least slightly villainous for the way that she is keeping such a close eye on Miku to ensure that she doesn't fall in love, her motivations and Miku's love for her sister quickly make a mess of that. So if you're looking for another villainess novel, you're probably not going to find it here. On the other hand, if you're looking for a lighter-hearted take on the otome game isekai story that has more in common with Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte, you're in luck.

The story follows twin fox demi-humans Claire and Miku, who have grown up in a small village surrounded by forest. When she was two, Claire hit her head and was knocked unconscious, and when she woke up, she began spouting all sorts of things about having been reborn from a different world into this one. She claimed that she was now living in a game she played in her past life, and as such, she became determined to prevent her sister Miku from falling in love. Miku isn't sure why this is such a priority for Claire, but she loves her sister and is willing to go along with her. Her trust is not misplaced, and on their 15th birthday, a trio of three preternaturally beautiful young men arrive at the village, just as Claire had said they would. But despite knowing they would show up, Claire's predictions of how the boys would act turns out not to be entirely accurate; this we soon find out because one of the boys is also reincarnated. The catch? He thinks he's been reborn into the bishoujo game spinoff of the otome game that Claire played in her past life.

What's interesting about this setup is that it allows for a more in-depth exploration of whether or not a former game world is still a game world or is instead a real world all its own. As far as Miku is concerned, this is reality, but both Claire and Ektor (the other Reborn) can't help but see it as a world governed by the mechanics of the games they once played. That Claire is unaware of the version of the game Ektor played suggests that she died before it came out; it also appears that Ektor has a slightly easier time looking at everyone as people rather than as characters, possibly because he is aware of the multiple versions of the game. While Claire is frightened and frustrated when things don't go as she thought they would, Ektor is a little bit more adaptable, and this causes them to butt heads frequently. Of course, the fact that they are working towards opposing goals is also a factor; Claire doesn't want Miku to fall in love with anybody, but Ektor is actively trying to get her to fall in love with him. This brings up one of the major differences between this series and others in the same subgenre: Miku is neither villainess nor heroine, but instead a fan-favorite character who both Claire and Ektor stanned in their past lives. That means that in Claire's version of the game, she was simply a side character who fared badly, while in Ektor's version, she was one of the many romance routes available to the hero.

It isn't hard to see why Miku was such a favorite character. The novel is primarily told in her first-person voice, with brief chapters in both Claire's and Ektor's to round things out and add perspective. Miku has the kind of wide-eyed charm that doesn't feel cloying; she's earnest and lovable in a way that makes you think that she deserves better than the fate Claire is actively trying to avoid for her, the kind of romance option you save for last because you feel guilty about romancing a different character after you've cleared her route. That she is cursed based on her particular form of magic power does feel cruel, and by a couple of chapters in, it's hard not to want her to be happy just as badly as Claire and Ektor do. The sneaking suspicion tempers that perhaps Claire and Ektor in their present incarnations are really well suited to each other, meaning that Miku still has a wide field of potential suitors available to her, even if Claire and Ektor don't quite realize it yet.

The main problem, of course, is Laura, the heroine of the otome game and the main route of the bishojo version. Laura doesn't come into this novel, but she is looming large over both of the characters who know about her, which adds a real sense of urgency to their actions concerning Miku. Whether she does it on purpose or not (and with two reincarnated characters already I think we need to find a way to write off the possibility that Laura will also be one), the advent of the heroine spells Miku's doom. Even with all of their hard work, it is by no means certain that Claire and Ektor will be able to prevent Laura from hurting their favorite, and that forms a line of tension that runs through the book overall.

Surviving in Another World as a Villainess Fox Girl! owes a lot to the books that have come before it, at least in terms of English language release, if not chronological. Laura has the potential to follow the template laid out by I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss. The dual reincarnated characters are something that we have seen in I'd Rather Have a Cat than a Harem! and Cross-Dressing Villainess Cecilia Sylvie. But despite having these elements in common with other light novels, this feels like its own thing. It's a fun take on the genre, with likable characters and a breezy, readable translation. It's a fun, frivolous read, perfect to sit down with and while away the hours.