I got my hands on the first few volumes of "Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is tough for Mobs" .
The premise is that our "hero" recollects memories of himself playing an otome game for his sister. He recognizes the world he lives in as that game world. By definition, this is not a re-incarnation story, but is most certainly written in the same kind of spirit!
Our hero, Leon is not a part of the game and he even recognizes himself as a background character (or "mob"). For the most part, he wants to stay that way - i.e. out of the limelight. Unfortunately, being that the world he lives in is based off an otome game, things do not go according to his wishes. He is supposed to live in a matriarchical society, but I think that that's just an excuse used by the author to setup silly scenarios. Polygamy is a thing in the world. As is the age-old custom of marriage for political/financial benefits. The head of the house, Leon's mother (NOT his biological one), wants to get him married to someone more than thrice his age - this understandably upsets him. So what does he do? He remembers the drop-off point for a pay-to-win item in the game and heads over there. To his relief, the item (a sentient AI robot) is actually present! He uses this as a bargaining lever to get out of the forced marriage.
Unfortunately, his antics also make him eligible to attend the academy where the otome game actually takes place in. He goes there, recognizes most of the game cast - the heroine (Olivia), the villainess (Angelica), the capture targets ...etc. An anomaly is that the heroine is not doing any capturing. Instead, there is this other female (Marie) who seems to have taken her place by capturing the targets instead and heading for a reverse-harem ending.
A pivotal moment comes up where the villainess, Angelica challenges the upstart, Marie to a duel. All 5 of the capture targets choose Marie's side - including (to her public humiliation), her fiancee - the crown prince. This is when our hero, Leon, steps in and volunteers to fight for the villainess. I do not remember why. Either he wanted to avoid the story going the reverse-harem route, or he was just upset with the shenanigans of the capture targets - regardless, it comes as a shock to everyone (including Angelica) that someone was willing to stand on her side.
Thanks to the earlier cheat item, Leon wins the battle. Angelica's honor is kind-of intact, but it gets decided (by her parents and the crown) to cancel her engagement. Additionally, there were 4 other engagements the other capture targets had, which too get cancelled. Marie does get her reverse-harem situation, but is horrified that she won't get to live a life of luxury and ease. As for Olivia, thanks to how kind Leon was to her (i.e. just treating her as a fellow student and being polite), she grows fond of him. About here is where book 1 ends.
Volume 2 continues on with their academy life - school fairs (or celebrations), field trips ... etc. During all this, a trio forms - Angelica, Olivia and Leon. I found the bunch very likeable. Different events take place to discredit Angelica/Olivia with Leon stepping in to help them. After most fights, he becomes something of a mercenary ; i.e. is rather aggressive about collecting wealth. He also gets promotions within the kingdom, effectively becoming an independent noble. Volume 2 ends with Leon becoming serious about pursuing Angelica and Olivia as wives.
Volume 3 ends with the 3 of them becoming engaged. i.e. I skipped the story and jumped to the last chapter. That was just soo sweet! Wanting to see if the relationship went anywhere, I peeked at volume 4, where it turns out Leon *might* get a 3rd fiancee and officially becomes a womanizer. i.e. there were some paragraphs in the last chapter of volume 4 where it looks like Leon is two-timing. That was a turn off for me.
I might actually read volume 3 and 4 later, but not immediately. Overall, I like the story. There are strong hints of Marie being Leon's sister from his time on Earth, but I'm not sure when it becomes official/gets revealed.
Unlike other harem stories, the *world* in which this plot takes place in actually supports such relationships. At least, Leon's relationship situation is not unique. THAT is a personal turn-off for me with harem plots - i.e. only the Main Character collects a group of attractive mates around him/herself.
Speaking of harems, in the world in which Leon inhabits, it is not possible for a half-breed (eg: half-elf) to impregnant a human female. This is taken to the extreme such that many females have them as personal butlers/companions and it is a socially acceptable thing! Heck, none of the 5 capture targets seem to mind that Marie has one of her own. I can't decide if this is a serious thing, or a gag about otome games ... ?
Bottom line: It's a *weird* world. But Leon's story for volumes 1 and 2 is fun to read!
-chronodekar