If you enjoy a good isekai manhwa with an overpowered female lead, the just-published The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine, Volume 1 may just be your thing.
Especially as, while the manhwa has been available in English in digital format for almost two years via Tapas, it has not had an English language paperback copy.
Until now.
The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine, Volume 1 was published by Yen Press for the first time yesterday, with Volume 2 on its way on August 20th.
The plot of The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine, by the way, goes like this:
From cooking to alchemy to even brewing tea, Ailette Rodeline is a certifiable child prodigy thanks to her secret weapon: She’s a transmigrator!
Having purchased an insurance package at the moment of her untimely end, Ailette has the perks of a top-tier support system and item shop to fall back on.
And in the world of a notoriously brutal time-loop novel, she’s going to need all the help she can get—because with the hero slated for an early death, Ailette might just have to become an S-class heroine herself!
A brief review of The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine, Volume 1
The manhwa is written by Irinbi, and illustrated by Grrr, and begins with a more modern art style as an unnamed woman dies in a traffic accident after receiving a spam text about a life insurance policy.
Everyone who receives that spam message also quickly dies.
But, as soon as she is reincarnated or “transmigrated” into the body of Ailette Rodeline, a young girl who lives in a fictional fantasy-style world taken from a book the woman once read, the art style changes to one that is more fantasy-like and much more romantic.
As well as really quite beautiful.
Even as it is interspersed with computer-like messages telling Ailette what to do.
Ailette too is an interesting and quirky character with a big personality, especially in how she deals with suddenly being able to purchase new skills so she can solve any problem she comes across.
While Ailette is obviously the focus of the manhwa, the supporting characters she meets are also fully developed with lively personalities and, although some want to control and abuse her, Ailette sure as heck isn’t letting that happen for long.
The way she solves that problem every type it raises its annoying head is extremely fun to watch play out.
As for the story, it is a nice mix of action, drama and humor as Ailette goes through her days leveling up the skills she chooses to concentrate on, while making herself invaluable to the people in the house of aristocrats her family works under.
Once a plethora of gods begin to interact with her, things really start to happen.
Do be aware, however, the world-building in The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine is complicated and, in some cases, not done as well as it could be, and the transmigration system is confusing, which means some of the plot is not always easy to understand.
I have no idea if that is due to the English translation or just the way the story was originally written but, stick with it as it does eventually make sense.
You can buy The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine, Volume 1 in paperback via Yen Press now and, if you enjoy the first volume, also put in a pre-order for Volume 2.
With 70 episodes (chapters) out on Tapas in digital form so far, and with a Season 3 on its way soon, you can then settle in for an epic tale to unfold as each new volume is published.