Watashi wa Gotsugou Shugi na Kaiketsu Tantou no Oujo de Aru
The Princess of Convenient Plot Devices

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The Princess of Convenient Plot Devices has a surprising amount of conflict, easy to understand world building. There's a lot of BL scenes (note here that I said "BL scenes" and not "BL") and as a fellow sapien, I'm glad the homies get to kiss and hold hands in this fantasy world. The manga is self aware but not in a obnoxious fourth wall breaking way. It can be read and enjoyed even if you have no idea about how BLs are like.

Background art could look better. Additionally, for a manga that is so open about the men loving each other, the main cast seems ... to be a little too straight. I was also not very comfortable with how androgynous men (not sure what the right term is) had internalized their place in this world. Perhaps it is social commentary on how women are treated in real life and how that could be affecting the way we view LGTV people. Subtlety is not this manga's strong suit though so I'm probably just overthinking it. There is no overt dehumanization and the manga can be tender and intimate when it want to be so.

Strongly recommend this one for people looking for another slightly absurd mystery comedy fantasy otome isekai to binge on as long as you do not mind the BL. If you are here for that last bit, there's not much of it but the story manages to successfully blend the premise into the plot itself so do give this manga a chance to make you smile.

Not going to lie, I thought this was going to be generic isekai, and to a certain extent, it is just your generic shoujo isekai. But it's done super well. And its concept as an isekai is unique.

I think the isekai genre is overshadowed with reincarnated shoujo stories at this point, but where this one differs is it's set in a BL world. As a fan of both BL and Shoujo, I thought this was a unique premise. I think this is amplified by how realistically Octavia acts. She just wants a boyfriend, the only problem is, all her male attendants and boys she ... ends up meeting fall for other boys she interacts with.

I think where this manga shines is in its comedy. Though Octavia is ignorant, it's not in a 'stupid' sort of way like Katarina. She's ignorant because she believes in this world, BL laws in a way, where pretty boys want to be with pretty boys, not her. This leads to some very funny interactions. But her ignorance also sets up a plot line where her brother thinks she's trying to overthrow him for the throne, which is actually really interesting, as her ignorance leads to plot relevance.

Then there's the idea of a BL world existing as a bit of a meta-commentary on itself, which is also hilarious too. Since Octavia is of course a fujoshi, she likes aspects of this world, but she finds it frustrating she herself can't get a boyfriend, since all the males in her life end up with other males. Since this is a BL world, there are a lot of BL relationships, it's very normalized which was part of what I liked. The fact she doesn't even see her new guard as someone interested in her seems realistic.

One part I didn't like, was the fact that 'sisters' of the families in this world specifically give up their children to their male brothers and friends, that part seems a bit misogynistic. However, Octavia doesn't want to fall in line with this attitude and doesn't even agree with it, trying to escape this fate. I'm hoping later chapters address this a bit more, but I'm not expecting it to.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this though. This manga is a gem, and worth the read for fans of BL/Shonen Ai, Comedy, Isekai and Shoujo lovers. The comedy mixed with the plot is very well executed, and I look forward to more chapters.