Modern Villainess: It's Not Easy Building a Corporate Empire Before the Crash (Light Novel) Vol. 1

Modern Villainess: It's Not Easy Building a Corporate Empire Before the Crash Light Novel #1

by Tofuro Futsukaichi, KEI (Illustrator)

One girl, one game, and one...Great Recession?!
When the economy collapses in September 2008, an exhausted career woman's fate is left in flux...until she's reincarnated! Now she's Keikan Runa--the villainous daughter of the Keika Group--in an otome game set before the pop of Japan's economic bubble. Keika Group's financial situation isn't great: they're on the verge of ruin if left unchecked. However, Runa is determined to save both Keika Group and Japan through risky, smart investments. Thanks to an interest in cold hard cash, knowledge of future technology, and her awareness of Japan's real-world future doom, Runa might just be able to nip the looming economic collapse in the bud. Witness the rebirth of Japan's economy as Runa uses her knowledge to save her new present from the future!

Genres: Light Novel, Manga, Fiction

295 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 25, 2020

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m hoping the next book has more interpersonal scenes between the villainess and the potential love interests and her friends. Otherwise, I won’t continue. The business stuff is too boring for me to want to try to follow. It’s not bad, it’s just not my jam at all.

Edit: upon further reflection, this is a 2 star and I will not be reading the second volume, despite buying both volumes in physical book form.

2, I’m sure there is a readership for this series it’s just not me, stars.

[Aria · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know what I was exactly the target audience for this one. I like villainess isekai where villainess has a needlessly specific plan, follows it through somehow despite obstacles (in this case: she is a child), and since I do work in this field I can attest that most of the finance history background is sound, as well as the schemes she comes up with to fix the reality she used to live in (her fix-bad debts schemes are a bit repetitive though but hey I mean if it works I get why she keeps using it).

Cannot vouch for her non-financial shenanigans tho but then again she's a pretty and well-connected lady so makes sense she dabbles into child modelling and singing.

Do I think this volume deserves five stars just for the sheer accuracy of events and deep dives into company-wide bad debts? Yes. But do I think it deserves five stars because it's a book I think everyone would enjoy? No, and this is specifically pertinent considering what I have seen in volume 2, which rubs me the wrong way (but that goes into the volume 2 review...ugh). This definitely isn't for everyone but if you're a villainess isekai devourer who likes reading work-adjacent stuff off work time (me) then it makes sense why this wasn't a DNF...

[My · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't feel like the target audience, it's too expository for my liking - like a fictional story in chess opening move instruction form. I wanted to like it, but it's just too dry to read.

[Sasa · Rating 1 out of 5]

i knew i wasn't going to like this going in because of the nature of having to be fine with capitalism to dive in and actually enjoy this. i was hoping this would do something refreshing because it's a modern otome game instead of regency like the majority of isekai-villainess stories. to put it plainly, modern villainess: it's not easy building a corporate empire before the crash isn't good. tofuro futsukaichi seems to know a lot about business and finance and i like their idea of wanting to put a spin on the genre but they should have written a textbook for high schoolers or something because everything else failed. it doesn't help that the mc is an adult trapped in a child's body so her moving the way she did was extra weird. not to mention, the mc is weirdly racist and creates segregation and apartheid in her otome game 🤢

she really just said she's gonna buy land and build a gated community for homeless veterans then keep African Americans and Hispanics out with a moat and a wall... Bruh

Racist Villainess: "All the roads in the gated community counted as private land, so if any African-Americans or Hispanics tried to enter, I could have them arrested for trespassing, or for trying to enter without a resident permit."

Also: "there were many very rich white people who didn’t like their taxes being spent on other groups. They could live a comfortable life inside these walls, enjoying high quality healthcare, perfect water and sewer services, and highly trained maids. It was also necessary to have a special defense force, loyal to the community, to prevent outsiders from coming in" - (comment)

if i wanted to read anything from the pov of a zio fascist billionaire, i'd redownload twitter. not only that, the writing read like the audience was being talked down to in addition to the dry language. i don't think tofuro has the writing chops to make this more compelling. the characters aren't interesting, the info dumps were criminal, and the casual bigotry was so problematic. even without the racism and child pov, i wouldn't be interested in continuing.

[Peacefulbookery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Financial management isekai. The plot is basic and the characters are bland - they are clearly excuses for the author to indulge in expository detail. Which is fine, if that's what you're interested in. I didn't mind reading this first volume, though I'm not sure if I'll persist with the series.

I wouldn't describe this series as an otome isekai - or a villainess isekai. It's more like a base-building isekai - it's focused on explaining financial management theory and behaviour, and growing the main character's material assets. It's not about developing and exploring the characters and their interpersonal relationships, which is a core part of otome isekai.

If you enjoy this series, I'd recommend Carlo Zen's Saga of Tanya the Evil, which focuses on military strategy and tactics with similar enthusiasm. The first book is 幼女戰記 1 Deus lo vult.

[Zenith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book because I wanted to read about a topic I'm not to familiar with Banking and high finance. The author does a great job explaining all unfamiliar terms ether through the story or the glossary at the end of each chapter. This isekai is closely based on our world and the economic bubbles we created in the past. Our main "antagonists" uses her new found knowledge of future events to prevent her ruin and enjoy life to it's fullest. Honestly I probably would have loved it even more if I knew of japanese events in the 1990's but the glossary helps a bit in that department. It's still definitely fun to read her struggle with a family debt, the Japanese politics and financial institution, on top of all that her young age of an elementary school student. Please give this a slow read, because I know I had to do a few takes on the same page to understand, and enjoy "villainess" story unfold a new.

[Valeska Guzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

It definitely isn't your typical villainess isekai story. A lot of times villainess stories just say that a character is rich and we as readers just accept it. But here, it was explained how the MC built herself a fortune to try to save her country's economy while maintaining the role of a villainess. Although she's a kid in this book so I didn't feel that she was truly a villainess, just someone exceedingly clever. I learned a lot about how economies are made of various moving parts in a country which was definitely unexpected. The parts about how the money is made can sometimes be a little dry but I found myself paying as much attention to them as the rest of the story. I recommend this story, it's definitely something different from what's out right now. I'm looking forward to vol. 2

[Hammerhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is highly recommended for veterans of the "reincarnated into an Otome game" genre. You will find more enjoyment of of this book if you're already familiar with the mechanics of the genre and aspects of Japanese culture. Aside from that, despite the title and the genre, the story is actually a very compelling Mystery. The alternate history and world-building is fertile for drama and intrigue, it's is still up in the air whether the author can satisfyingly weave all those threads together but for now it's enough to keep me hungry for more.

[Lissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

This was so interesting & unique!!!

Our protagonist gets reborn as the villainess of an otome game, Keikain Runa. The catch? Rather than a fantasy world, it’s an alternate Japan before the Great Recession!

Lots of insight into big corporations, the economy, politics, debt, etc. which was really interesting! Admittedly, a lot of it went over my head but it was really fascinating.

I’m very keen to see where this series goes! Do recommend.

[Liam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Economic alt history

We follow Runa as she tries her best to escape debt and poverty thanks to mistakes from her deceased parents, all while manoeuvering around large businesses and eventually politicians. It's pretty fun, even if the economics talk is a bit complex.

[Mina ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

~~ read till chapter 10 ~~

-ps: i'm using this light novel space to actually rate the manga
-ps2: i'm dropping this manga. i read 10 chapters and this is it. i'm not going to put myself through THIS.

[Thanh Hoang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Closer to 3.5, but I'll round up since it was quite entertaining to read a superficial economics-based light novel. Completely embraced game logic that eight years old could rule to the world. But hey, I dig it enough to go on to read volume two.

[huntërre thomässön · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heavy jargon. Amazing plot and story. Great villainess book.

[glim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot is quite interesting, some of the parts fell a little boring thought. However I am very excited to read the second book!

[Shady Lubbad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing, this is exactly what i was looking for... i need more...

[Dark Ape · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit heavy of financial history and manipulation, but was still mostly interesting. I -am- hoping there is more personal plot in the next book though.

[Cell · Rating 4 out of 5]

由各種收購、複雜的政商關係、架空歷史、羅曼諾夫血脈、不太日常的校園等要素組合成的混沌小說
第一次翻開看到近二十人的角色介紹加上族譜，就嚇得把書合起來
內容有很多金融名詞及操作效果看不太懂，像是反向併購、債轉股、債務回收、減資增資……
讀起來挺頭痛的，但莫名地想看下去

期待下一集以及髮型與小泉純一郎有9成像的角色發威

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Using the popular reincarnated as a villainess trope, the book introduces Runa, who, armed with foreknowledge, endeavors to alter her fate amid an impending recession. While the premise aligns with my reading preferences, the modern-day setting, a departure from my usual choices, adds an off-brand touch.

“This was your common reincarnation narrative. Armed with memories of my previous life, I’d worked hard to avoid my ruin, and now…here I was.” (Pg. 13)

Runa's character is a notable focal point, reborn into a game as the antagonist, yet actively steering away from anticipated plot points. Initially, it appeared she aimed to conceal her intelligence and mature demeanor, especially considering her adult consciousness in a child's body. However, as the narrative unfolds and introduces other children with similar traits, my confusion grows. In this world, mature child characters seem commonplace among the elites, making Runa's attempt to hide her nature puzzling.

The light novel takes an unconventional approach, incorporating glossary entries at the end of chapters, although the lack of alphabetical order is a drawback. Some terms, like the Tobashi Scheme, feel like they should be in the glossary. Additionally, the reliance on in-story publications to convey crucial information struck me as unusual.


The narrative delves deeply into financial strategies, business backstories, and complex family histories, often requiring an explanation of the book's alternate history. This denseness, while informative, may be overwhelming for some readers.

Despite these quirks, my conflicted feelings arise from an undeniable urge that prompts me to consider picking up the second book. However, recommending this story proves challenging. While it captivated me enough to continue, I recognize several narrative issues that may deter potential readers.