Drop is a very hard novel to rate. On the positive side, it’s a pretty decent, slow-paced, slice-of-life Otome Game story which takes the time to really develop its characters. At no point are you reading about cardboard cut-outs but about sometimes surprisingly multi-facetted characters that fully live in their world. Relationships of different kinds are also developed, Cordelia’s family, the people at their mansion and later her friends are gradually introduced and usually given time to breathe. The romance is slow but very sweet and develops in a way... more>> which seems believable for the children that the main characters are. It’s not the most gripping or exciting story ever. Most of the time, crises are small-scale and easily resolved, and in all honesty, not much happens. Which is fine. Although there are a few storylines that make use of slightly darker elements, they have so far always been played out quite lightly. I guess I would describe it as a very gentle story.

Although most of the story is told from Cordelia’s point of view, the chapters are written in the third person and have actual paragraphs, which is a welcome relief after the many webnovels that use and sometimes ab*se first person narrative and single line writing. Chapters not from Cordelia’s perspective are in first person, which occasionally makes for a nice change of pace.

If that were all there was to it, I would recommend this WN whole-heartedly to anyone looking for something sweet and mellow. Unfortunately, there is more to it. There is all the time spent on herbs. Or flowers. And their various uses. It seems churlish to complain in a way. For one thing, the author clearly stated – twice in fact – in the actual title that the story would revolve around a girl who likes perfume. Readers were warned. For another thing, this story takes the complete opposite direction of most of these reincarnated-into-a-game (or whatever) world where the characters can use their apparently endless and arcane knowledge to create pretty much whatever happens to be useful that day. Ever rolled your eyes over the fact that the MC can reproduce sophisticated items in an environment where manufacturing is practically stuck in the Bronze Age? Ever had to suspend disbelief when they find the one vital ingredient or component for their “invention” which only happens to grow in one place (usually their back yard) but is there in abundance despite the fact that no one had ever figured out a use for it? Ever been annoyed at how they go from raw materials to fully completed end product in a matter of days, with the only concession to realism being that they had to “experiment” for a while before attaining success?

Well, don’t worry, Drop does not do that. With Drop, you are left in no doubt whatsoever that Cordelia was knowledgeable about herbs in her past life, that she puts in a lot of study over them in this life, and that she researches intensively and, some might say, obsessively, into how best to use them. As perfume. Or as essential oils. Or as scented soap. With details about the respective manufacture of all these products and more. Maybe for those who are into these things, reading this is fun. But for me, it was about as exciting as reading the list of ingredients on a bottle of shampoo. A case of too much of a good thing perhaps? Be careful what you wish for? At any rate, there are just too many explanations about the things Cordelia researches and produces. I found myself looking forward to chapters from others characters’ points of views simply to escape from the endless herbs, and flowers, oils, scented candles and so on and on. The translators deserve medals for translating some of the drier parts of this story.

All in all, a pleasant story which probably won’t rock your world but which does have a slightly more serious tone than most of these fluffy Otome reincarnation stories, as well as likeable characters, mellow story-lines and even a bit of world-building in the later parts. Just skip the endless paragraphs about those damn herbs and their uses. <<less

This is still early but... it's one of those story where the MC reincarnates as a villainess who would've eventually fallen in ruin, so MC decides to use her knowledge and pursue a different path, in this case, herbology. You know these kind of stories tend to be interesting and the MCs are usually smart and/or capable enough to think their way out. They're willing to use their head and are hardworking for the sake of their future.

This particular MC actually has a good head. She's clever and capable, uses... more>> her knowledge properly. She also has cuteness which she uses heh.

This seems to be a lighthearted cute story, or at least in the beginning anyways. <<less

At first I was thinking WTF is this ****** prologue. The opening of the story was kind of lame but as the story progresses, the first person dialogue of Cordelia starts getting a little interesting. It's a dark story but I started hoping for a good outcome for the girl.

Also this might be dropped even though it just started getting good

This story is surprisingly good and captivating for reincarnation genre. The start is a bit slow but I like the idea that is presented

I've read the current raws, which is up to the part of the game plot where the villainess should have died and and heroine is supposed to get her happy end with the prince.

Good: There are actual reasons in the story for the game plot to happen and why it derails, in both the villainess/heroine character and background scheming. The characters are interesting and have depth, plus the world has a bit of depth.

Questionable: The main girl's focus on herbs and perfume amounts to a rich girl's hobby boutique of... more>> questionable value should she actually take any damage to her reputation. She doesn't develop much personal strength, instead focusing on making connections and relying upon others. Whether this is good or bad will probably vary by personal taste.

Bad: The heroine makes little actual progress towards any of her goals. Avoiding romance with the prince? Avoiding dying in a fight with the heroine? Developing herself so she can defend herself? At the end of the story she's basically a damsel in distress making it through with luck and plot armor events. The ending is feeling really forced at the moment, although it's still being written so it might be salvaged.

To explain it with minimal spoilers, when the prince was finally going to be honest with Cordelia, they were interrupted by a forced plot event that set up him rescuing her from the s*upid plot event seemingly so the prince to skip explaining himself and working things out. It kinda feels like the author gave up on the developed plot to force a "happy" ending. That could change, but it doesn't feel like it.

I don't think anyone wants to read a hundred chapters just for that to happen, so I thought I should mention it. <<less

Originally I thought this was junk, but it turns out the writing style changes after the first few chapters. It starts out as a monologue which didn't let me immerse myself properly in the story. Think of it as if the prologue extended into the early chapters.

Following this, it turns similar to other otome game novels.

... more>>

Spoiler

The main character reincarnates as the villainess with a future bad ending which must be avoided. She decides to avoid develop perfumes and oils to polish her beauty. As is common in novels like this, she goes about town disguised as a commoner and uses magic. Possible future love interests who are characters in the otome game are introduced.

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Basically, it is an otome game novel with a crafting element. <<less

I absolutely love this story. I love the type of stories where the MC start making their own products and area bit dense in the romantic area, and this is exactly what this story has to offer. The MC's relationship with her doting father is also very endearing. The story is a bit slow paced and doesn't really have any romantic scenes at the moment, but we're only at chapter 10, so I'm expecting there to be a lot more things happening in future chapters.

I like this a lot; the childhood arc is quite cute so far. The cute parts kind of come at you by surprise. The chapters are all serious about science, noble etiquette, household politics, etc. And then all of a sudden something super adorable happens. These smaller moments make the novel for me.

For other things to note, I find the main reincarnated character very likable and more realistic/level-headed in thought process than most of the reincarnation novels on NU. Aka Not spineless or idealistically heroic. (Although the trait of being... more>> unrealistically dense on romance is emerging, welp.)

My main negative feeling towards this story thus far is that the author tends to draw out each character's train of thought, basically repeating the same exact thought in six+ different ways, making the chapters a lot longer than they really need to be. Regardless, eagerly awaiting the next chapter (s) ! <<less

Pretty good till now. The links for "cherrie cake" are broken so haven't progressed far.

I'd say a bit different than the avoiding prince strategy cuz the character attempts to think about all the aspects of being a duke & her parental background is also well-written. Let's hope this gets a translation in English & the story remains good

I was expecting some mindless teeth rotting fluff but ended up being pleasantly surprised. There's no obligatory school arc since Cordelia spends her time researching herbs and developing new products while striving to be the perfect Noble lady. Oh, I also removed the Harem and Reverse Harem tags that's been a misleading eyesore so rejoice my fellow harem haters.

The cast of characters doesn't exist to simply fawn over Cordelia. A prime example being her family. Her father is more along the lines of the Prime Minister from Duke's Daughter and... more>> the scheming cold-hearted King from Tensei Oujo; strict and wise. He is doting like most fathers but everything he does is laced with expectation for his whimsical daughter's creative mind. Her brothers who are both knights occasionally appear during their offdays while her older sister is consistently mentioned throughout the story.

It's pretty episodic with mini arcs and a possible emergence of a plot woven in between walls of text detailing her hobby. So if you don't mind those and enjoyed the current translated chapters, I suggest to read the RAWS. <<less

It's an interesting web novel. The story is cute and light but has a good potential to have an interesting plot turns. I hope somebody will pick this up and continuously translate it. It

Fairly typical otome game villainness reincarnation story with tech-development / economics

Fairly typical as these go, though of course the emphasis is always a bit different.

In this one, that emphasis is on the main character's relationship with her family, especially her father and her absent mother, as she tries to build something closer with them, and on botany / herbology magic. Mix in childhood friendships with other characters from the original otome game (including, of course, the prince, though she doesn't realize that), and tech-development in the form of some basic... more>> chemistry / alchemy and you end with nothing groundbreaking.

My biggest qualm is what the tech-development involves: every time the MC starts talking about etheric oils and their seemingly magical medicinal properties, I get a bit of a taste of snake oil. Her previous life was probably something in the cosmetics industry. Maybe this is male bias talking. <<less

Usually I like crafting and "reincarnated as the villain" stories, but this one just couldn't catch my attention. It felt like the stakes weren't high enough for it to be exciting, while it also didn't have enough joy/whimsy to be a captivating slice-of-life story. Add on the characters' lack of motivation or emotion, and it just felt bland to me.

Maybe it really does pick up the pace later on, but for now this mostly just felt like an information dump for people interested in researching herbs. And don't get me... more>> wrong -- I usually like stories where the character is researching, collecting, concocting, etc, but the writing style just lacked enough "spark" to keep my attention. At the point where I felt like I was forcing myself to keep reading, I decided to drop it.

Someone might be able to convince me to pick this back up after more chapters are translated, but for now I'm going to move on. <<less