Gillian Owens is a character in the novel "Practical Magic" by Alice Hoffman. She is known for her bewitching spells and mystical abilities. Throughout the book, Gillian is portrayed as a powerful witch who is skilled in the art of casting spells and charms. Gillian's spells are often described as enchanting and mesmerizing. She has the ability to weave magic into everyday objects, creating potions and charms that can bring luck, love, and protection. Her spells are said to have a strong influence on those around her, captivating their senses and emotions.
Marika is bright and cheerful, but painfully stubborn. Once she sets her sights on something, she charges straight ahead!
I bought this expecting a comedic, R18 otome game about a girl going to Earth to find a husband while doing her best to overcome their cultural differences. Instead, I ended up with a boring, slice-of-life plot with a protagonist who was slowly relegated to the background because the POV was given to the two love interests with daddy issues.
Her spells are said to have a strong influence on those around her, captivating their senses and emotions. One of Gillian's most notable spells is her love potion, which she concocts using a variety of herbs and ingredients. This potion is said to have the power to make anyone fall in love with the person who drinks it.
Fxxx Me Royally!! Horny Magical Princess Review
Fxxx Me Royally!! Horny Magical Princess is an 18+ otome game about a magical princess named Marie—who soon takes on the Japanese pseudonym Marika—traveling to Earth in search of the ideal husband. Marika’s homeland differs from Earth not only in its magical nature, but also in its openness about sexuality, with young adults being downright encouraged to sleep around as much as possible. Marika soon narrows down her romantic prospects to two cute college students, Kaoru and Ryuusei, but has to overcome some of the difficulties posed by this major cultural difference in getting to know them and planning her future. And it turns out the plotline of the game really isn’t nearly as sex-focused as you’d expect either, with plenty of time dedicated to Marika and the guys just hanging out and learning about each other’s wildly varying backgrounds. Read on for more of my thoughts on Marika’s adventures!
By the way, I’m not censoring this myself—the title of the game literally says “fxxx.”
I had been really excited for the release of this translation ever since it was announced. Not only is it by the same developers as the excellent Fashioning Little Miss Lonesome, but it was also brought to the English-speaking world by the same translator, Verde, whose work I’ve praised before for its especially funny and natural dialogue as well as all-around good quality. On top of that, it sets itself apart from the majority of other translated Japanese visual novels I’ve read by including sexual content written from a female character’s perspective—specifically, a confident bisexual female protagonist who can have casual relationships with several characters at once. It even totally gender-flips the typical eroge trope of “all virgin heroines”; instead, both of Marika’s male love interests are inexperienced and initially intimidated by how forward and sexually aggressive she is. And there’s also a three-way route? Sign me the fxxx up!
It even has a cute cat, and unlike a shocking amount of other visual novels, no one ever puts this cat in a box.
However, I didn’t always feel like the game used the concept to its full potential. With a title like that, I was expecting a whole lot of porn—or at least some raunchy comedy—but a fair amount of the story is simple slice-of-life that could have fit into to any other average otome game. It’s cute enough if you like the characters and enjoy that kind of thing, but I was expecting Fxxx Me Royally to be a lot more unique. I was also pretty disappointed by the end of the common route, which suddenly throws in some drama involving an attempted rapist villain that really brings the whole light-hearted mood down. It felt like the developers might have been going for a nice message about the importance of consent there, but then they also turn around and undermine it with some uncomfortable victim-blaming; Marika gets rescued from the villain before he manages to do much to seriously hurt her, but her right-hand woman Sanae scolds her for “falling for his tricks.” All-around not my favourite part of the story!
An accurate illustration of my reaction to those unfortunate plot developments.
But aside from that one uncomfortable scene, the rest of Fxxx Me Royally is a pretty good read. I really liked all the art, which includes several alternate outfits for the sprites, and some very cute chibi CGs for funny moments. The h-scenes may be much fewer and farther between than I had expected, but they’re cute and well-written when they happen. And one thing I really appreciated was that Kaoru and Ryuusei always remain close friends with each other, as well as with Marika, even in routes where she chooses one of them over the other. No jealousy drama in this one! I also liked that Sanae has a side route, even if I would have liked it to be a bit longer. The same goes for the threesome route, but it’s also very sweet and funny, and I was happy to see it included.
Not to mention that it’s an improvement over the complete nonsense threesome route of Fashioning Little Miss Lonesome.
All in all, I would recommend Fxxx Me Royally if you’re interested in a slice of life otome game with a supernatural twist and a fun and confident protagonist. It wasn’t exactly the game I had imagined, but I hope that it sees some success that might encourage developers and localizers to bring more 18+ otome games to the English-speaking world in the future. I’d love to read some more VNs with the same sex-positive tone, and with representation of more bisexual women like Marika. I’d go hang out with her in her magical kingdom any day.
Heroine: Princess Marie wants that D and she’s going to get it, so help her God. She’s a huge contrast to the heroine in the last game I played from Kalmia8, which was Fashioning Little Miss Lonesome. Marie is outgoing, sociable and eager to smash everyone she can. Unfortunately, she quickly becomes little more than a background character later on and loses most of her agency to progress the “plot” and romance.
Gillian is sought after by many people in town who are desperate to find love, and she is known to help them by casting her spell. However, not all of Gillian's spells are benevolent. She is also known to cast spells that are meant to manipulate and control others. Her ability to bewitch and manipulate is often seen as a reflection of her complex and sometimes dark personality. Overall, Gillian's bewitching spells are a central aspect of her character in "Practical Magic." They highlight her power and influence within the magical world of the novel. Her spells are both enchanting and mystifying, captivating the reader and adding a touch of magic to the story..
Reviews for "Gillian Owens's Spellcasting: Beyond Mortality and Time"
1. Emily - ⭐⭐
I was really excited to read "Gillian Owens Bewitching Spells" as I am a big fan of witchcraft and magic. However, I was quite disappointed with this book. The writing felt amateurish and lacked depth. The characters were one-dimensional and seemed to lack any real development. The plot was predictable and lacked originality. Overall, I found it to be a mediocre read that didn't live up to its potential.
2. Jacob - ⭐⭐⭐
"Gillian Owens Bewitching Spells" was an average book in my opinion. While it had its moments, the overall execution fell short. The pacing was slow, and it felt like the author was trying too hard to create suspense. I also found some of the magical elements to be cliché and lacking imagination. The characters were forgettable, and I struggled to connect with any of them. It had the potential to be an engaging read, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me.
3. Samantha - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
As a fan of the witchcraft genre, I had high hopes for "Gillian Owens Bewitching Spells," but it didn't quite meet my expectations. The plot was intriguing, and the idea of a witch with unique powers was fascinating. However, the execution fell short. The writing felt disjointed at times, and the pacing was uneven. I also found the romance subplot to be forced and lacking chemistry. Overall, it had some potential, but it didn't fully deliver on its promise.
4. Michael - ⭐⭐
I found "Gillian Owens Bewitching Spells" to be rather dull and uninteresting. The characters lacked depth and felt flat. The plot was predictable, and I didn't feel any sense of urgency or suspense. The writing style was underwhelming, and I found myself skimming through pages just to get to the end. It's unfortunate because the premise had potential, but it fell short in execution. I wouldn't recommend this book to others who are looking for a captivating witchcraft story.