Have you seen those AT&T commercials with the slogan “just OK is not OK”?
Well, sometimes just OK is OK, but whether that’s OK with you is up to you.
The Misfortune Devouring Witch is Actually a Vampire?! is set in a world very similar to ours. For example, Yuuri’s family’s homeland of Watoh is clearly Japan with its black hair, haori, and hanafuda; The story in Hylant, which is equivalent to around early 1900s England. I really don’t know why Himawari made a fictional world so akin to ours. I guess it gave her freedom to not worry about any facts, but readers will replace “Xingka” with “China”, etc. because it has no real identifying features of its own.
Anyway, a noble and friend of the king, Ernest, swings by a shop rumored to be run by a witch in order to request her assistance. Well, the “witch” is actually an apothecary, but Yuuri does agree to help the queen. In a 3D chess move, to protect herself in case the royal family ever deems her a threat for knowing too much, Yuuri divulges her weakness to Ernest: she’s actually a vampire, and she will help him in exchange for his blood. Ernest is charmed by Yuuri’s seemingly indifferent but actually expressive nature, and the story takes off from there.
On the vampire front, Yuuri suffers from the usual maladies like sunlight. It wasn’t clear initially, but while a vampire initially can drink blood from anyone, once they fall in love, they can only be satisfied with their beloved’s blood. That’s why Yuuri initially requests Ernest’s. But as her feelings for him deepen, her being ashamed of her heritage is the main obstacle for Ernest’s courtship.
Speaking of her family, Yuuri has a strained relationship with her parents and brother, Simon. Yuuri’s relationship with Simon is a highlight of the novel. He tries hard to be a good sibling, but a mental issue regarding their mother prevents Yuuri from getting too close. It’s not often we see siblings trying to handle the blatant favoritism between their parents, at least not without one being a phenom.
Anyway, what The Misfortune Devouring Witch is Actually a Vampire?! is less successful at is the events of the story. There’s little buildup. Ernest is immediately thinking about marrying Yuuri shortly after their meeting. The second-to-last chapter is almost entirely a flashback about Yuuri’s grandmother. The final trigger for Yuuri to be honest goes from meeting someone to the return of a previous character to a tough situation in about as many pages. I just didn’t find myself getting invested in the story since it’s a lot of short episodes strung together by Ernest teasing Yuuri in order to make her more comfortable with him — both as a food source and a potential partner.
I think the story would have been stronger had it stuck to either Ernest swinging by Yuuri’s shop or as more of an adventure story where a vampire and a noble help others and/or investigate. Because the novel doesn’t do well finding that balance, it lacks a lot of explosive moments. I like the characters, as Yuuri still operates the shop despite a lack of customers while Ernest is a wholesome flirt — but only to Yuuri! But I don’t feel like cross-dressing or repairing a couple’s engagement brought them closer together, and Yuuri likely would have fallen for Ernest if he just remained her only customer at the shop.
So while The Misfortune Devouring Witch is Actually a Vampire?! isn’t bad, it doesn’t do much to make it a stand out. It is something to consider if you want to see the male lead fall in love quickly and try to woo the protagonist or see how awkward it can be to deal with a sibling who recognizes the fact they are the favorite.
Sorry, AT&T, but sometimes, just OK is OK.