When we come to the ends of arcs in anime and manga series, how well a creator handles the end of one part and lead-in to the next can be tricky. There’s a delicate balance to these types of cliffhangers. Plus, you have to wonder if enough seeds are sewn to show what lies ahead, and if existing plot threads that are dangling will be tied up. Sarasa Nagase deals with this exact issue in volume 7 of the The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor manga and comes through it perfectly, setting things up perfectly for the next part of the story.
Editor’s Note: There will be spoilers for volume 7 of The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor manga below.
A lot of the events of the previous volumes of The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor felt like the characters of the manga were in survival mode. After all, the series starts with Jill dying, then getting a “do-over” at 10-years-old before the events are set in motion that led to that first death. With all her memories intact, of course, to prepare her. She proclaims her love and engagement to the Dragon Emperor Hadis, who was an uncontrollable, chaotic, and violent villain in her original timeline, and finds here that he’s agreeable, fine, kind, and watched over and guided by the Dragon God Rave.
While that works out as a major timeline split and to put her in a good position, things were still dangerous! For starters, we had to see the two of them get used to each other and actually develop a relationship. We find out why the Rave Empire and Kingdom of Kratos are hostile toward one another, as well as why Prince Gerard and his mysterious sister Princess Faris are such a threat. There are lore dumps too, as well as backgrounds into Hadis’ family and betrayals to deal with. Volume 7 basically starts by dealing with all of that and finding a way forward to explain things and keep Hadis from turning into the uncontrolled and dangerous individuals Jill knew from her first time around.
So to start things off, we see the rescue of Hadis being resolved. After the events of the sixth volume, his elder sister Princess Elentzia turned traitor and worked with their usurper Uncle George and his fake Heavenly Sword to capture the Dragon Emperor. This involves Jill proving her power and intelligence again. She goes head to head against a Black Dragon with no magic, finding a way to still make herself a threat, prove herself as the consort, and get her onto her side for the rescue operation. It’s an incredible moment that shows how smart she is, putting her fighting knowledge from her past life and resourcefulness to use to convince a powerful ally.
From there, we see her use that intelligence and strength again to resolve the final fight against Elentzia and George. Again, I won’t offer any specifics for the sake of avoiding spoilers. But even without magic, she holds her own when fighting against Elentzia, gets the Black Dragon there to free Hadis from the magicked wagon, and then manages to talk him down from going into the sort of rage that could push him into the uncontrollable, villainous state she remembered from her first life. (And does so in a way that’s very “her” and suited to their relationship dynamic.)
This leads to yet another incredible Jill moment. Throughout the sixth and seventh volumes of the series, we’ve seen her understanding important plot points around her and being wise enough to work out solutions using brains, brawn, and her abilities as the consort. With Rave’s assistance, we get to see her confront the mastermind of the series and person who’ll be the true villain of the next part of the series. She even stands tall at this person’s attempts at gaslighting and misleading her.
But what really tops it off is we get to see Hadis and Jill be genuinely happy for a time at the end of the seventh volume of The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor manga. Following the way in which George was defeated, the people of the Rave Empire now support him. His family is united following the events as well, giving him a chance at a positive support system for the first time. Jill’s also even shown in a more formidable position, as we’ve seen her grow over seven volumes.
Truly, The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Prince leaves the main cast in a perfect position at the end of the seventh volume of the manga. Everyone’s fine and happy in the moment. Loose ends? Gone. But at the same time, the final confrontation between Jill and the real antagonist sets the stage for what might end up being the final confrontations in future volumes.
Volumes 1-7 of The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor manga are available now, and Yen Press will release volume 8 eventually as well. Cross Infinite World handles the light novel. The first season of the anime adaptation is on Crunchyroll.
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