Sometimes there can be one element of a manga that can really pull you into its story. In the case of Yen Press’ manga The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor, it’s the sense of mystery surrounding Emperor Hadis Teo Rave. Because our heroine Jill Cervel was a mighty mage, warrior, and fiance for Prince Gerald der Kratos when the story began, it means we have knowledge about the “mad” Dragon Emperor. With the almost immediate “do-over” that sends Jill into her 10-year-old body with all of her knowledge of her 16-year-old self, it means it’s about her making the most of her abilities and sudden chance to see things from the other side.
Volume 1 of The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor begins with Jill about to die. She made the fiance of Prince Gerald when she was 10-years-old, because people were aware of her magical potential. So even though she didn’t really possess the nobility to make her notable, she could be useful. She became basically his “dragon,” facing all sorts of odds in battle in his name. However, when she discovered a dark secret about him and another relationship he’s involved in, which I’ll omit for both trigger warnings and spoilers, she’s sentenced to death.
However, she doesn’t really die. Her consciousness is sent back to the moment when she was about to officially become Gerald’s fiance at a party. While she tries to run from him, she sees a goofy-looking dragon is also at the party. (Nobody else seems to notice him, though!) She runs, claims she fell in love at first sight with the person behind her, and says she must marry him. That person turns out to be the “cursed” Emperor Hadis. He accepts.
It’s around then that the manga’s author Sarasa Nagase occasionally teases out details of Hadis from what Jill knew when encountering him. There’s a flashback to her facing him on the battlefield, when he’s crazed and demanding the deaths of everyone — from women to children — as a form of revenge. She recalls standing against him, perhaps even pulling him out of his rage, and him standing down. She recalls faint details about the Dragon God Rave and the Goddess of Love and the Land Kratos. There are suggestions about how Hadis was declared “cursed,” as well as a suggestion that becoming his “wife” and there being love between people could lead to something.
However, the fact that things are so vague initially makes it all the more enticing a read. Information about Hadis, his empire, his background, and Rave are slowly teased out over the first volume. The pacing is perfect, to ensure we’re getting bits and pieces. We tend to learn thing as Jill does. Likewise, we’re starting to get exposed to different elements and factions, leading to political movements that could influence certain events. It’s fascinating. Especially since it all also ends on a cliffhanger.
The only thing that really puts me a bit on edge about The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor is the age gap. The manga begins with the heroine Jill at age 16. When she’s thrust back in time and gets a second chance, she’s 10. Hadis is 19 at that point. (He was 25 before the backward time skip.) So it is awkward. Especially since Hadis really does seem to want someone to love and trust him, and who he can rely on in-turn.
However, Nagase does address this fairly early in the manga, which helps the set up seem a little more plausible. It is happening during a medieval sort of period, where larger age gaps might have happened. Also, when Jill starts bringing up the situation, Hadis initially seems more pleased about a partner who is so magically inclined. He quickly becomes flustered and suggests it would be moving too fast to get into anything like a real relationship, suggesting things like having tea, exchanging letters, and really getting to know each other.
Which means much of volume 1 is about processing what happened to Jill, understanding how her actions saved her, and seeing what could happen now that she’s changed her life so drastically. It’s also especially fascinating because she has the powers of her older self, something the Dragon God Rave noticed and recognized, the knowledge of what Hadis became in her timeline, and perhaps the opportunity to improve everyone’s lives. It’s fascinating, especially since the first volume is all in the teasing phase. So yes, while there are some mature concepts surrounding Gerald’s relationship and the age difference between the two leads, it still seems like a fascinating premise.
Volume 1 of The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor manga is available via Yen Press, and volume 2 will debut on December 12, 2023. An anime adaptation is coming in 2024.
