Ginger and the Cursed Prince doesnt exactly have stunning reviews. In fact most of the reviews Ive seen are highly critical primarily focusing on the protagonist Ginger. I find it odd since I highly enjoyed the series and I think it has a lot to offer the otome isekai genre. Its not the first otome isekai Ive started but its the first one I finished. It was recommended to me by one of my lovely Anilist friends when I was looking for otome isekai recommendations just so that I could get a feel for that subgenre of shoujo and gain some perspectives before all the otome isekai anime came out. Im glad I heard about this because its stunning. Our story begins with Lady Ginger and her rival Lerazie. Theyve always hated each other since Lerazie has always seen Ginger as a stupid petty annoyance while Ginger hates Lerazie for repeatedly stealing her boyfriends. One day Ginger finds a book that has a surprisingly accurate account of her life and rivalry with Lerazie. To her surprise the book not only recounts the past but it tells of the future. She and Lerazie will go to the ball where the prince makes his debut after being locked in a tower his whole life due to his father fearing the curse placed upon him. They will both fall in love with him but Lerazie will win his heart and Ginger will disgrace herself in an attempt to make him love her. I loved the story. Its very nuanced as Ginger realizes that the story is much bigger than her petty rivalry with Lerazie. The prince her rival and even the book are all part of something else. I never felt like any character or plot development was out of place. The only thing I had issues with was the epilogue arc just because I felt like everything was already wrapped up very well with the way the main series ended. It was perfect the way it was. The epilogue was by no means bad and it really hammered in the main theme of trust but I felt like it was unnecessary and repeated some of the character developments in the main series. That was what kept me from giving it a perfect 10. As for the characters liking Ginger appears to be very controversial. I understand that people want strong female leads to serve as role models for young girls and I understand that people want otome isekai to deliver. The thing is it currently isnt leaving much of a space for flawed female leads to overcome their issues over the course of the story. I love a good flawed shoujo protagonist. Ginger is petty and selfish at times. She wants things just to keep her rival from having them. But shes also determined and doesnt just accept hardship. She works to make things better for herself. As the story goes on she overcomes so much and becomes a much better and much more compassionate person. People often describe her as dumb but I never felt like she was. Gingers just average in terms of intellect. Shes just a bit ditzy and forgetful. She makes mistakes but theyre normal human mistakes. Heck if I were in the story Id be making those mistakes and probably more. I just think people think shed dumb in comparison to the super genius villainesses that you sometimes see in otome isekai. Izana is our male lead. He is also a deeply flawed person though he doesnt get nearly as much hate as Ginger. Hes mysterious and commanding at first glance. However hes a deeply traumatized individual who has lost his ability to trust. Hes always suspicious and on guard. But its Ginger who is able to bring out another Izana whos more cheerful and loves to tease. Hes also able to help Ginger with her trust issues stemming from her past relationships. The entire plot centers around Izana and I was not disappointed with him as a character. Our third character is Hamel Bray the second male lead. I like him better than Izana. Not necessarily as a love interest for Ginger but I like his character type a lot more. Hes also shrouded in mystery trying to keep his controversial past hidden. He too is unable to trust since he fears what will happen once his true identity is discovered. I just wish his future was covered more since so much of his character arc is about his happiness and love. Its such a shame that we dont get to see what that is for him since hes such a lovely person. Our main antagonists Lerazie and Kiki play their parts well Lerazie as a selfabsorbed mastermind and Kiki as her dumb narcissistic pawn. Its interesting how small their roles actually were in the story considering how they both viewed themselves as main characters. The art is gorgeous. Ginger has such pretty dresses and hairstyles. It satisfies my weaknesses for stunning outfits and pretty art. In all Ginger and the Cursed Prince is a highly underrated otome isekai series. Well technically it isnt otome isekai since there is no isekai but it has the vibes and style traditionally attributed to otome isekai akin to Your Throne. The ratings just dont do it justice.