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From Bumbling Prodigy to Villainess: Will the Duke’s Love Go Unnoticed?, Vol. 2

By Saki Ichibu and Yukako Fujimura. Released in Japan as “Munou Saijo wa Akujo ni Naritai ~Gimai no Migawari de Totsuida Reijou, Koushaku-sama no Dekiai ni Kizukanai~” by Dengeki no Shin Bungei. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by Joshua C Shupp. I have, inevitably, mentioned this before, but it is still interesting how, due to translations having to actually be translated and not just literally ported over, “Villainess” is having to get redefined in these books. Sometimes it does mean someone who is capable of doing evil things, ranging from murder to throwing wine on someone’s dress. Sometimes it’s someone who enjoys sleeping around, or toying with other men. But sometimes the “bad woman” merely means “strong woman”, and one reason why transposed Japanese otaku, or…

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The Villainess’ Journal: Newlywed Life of an Obsessive Researcher, Vol. 1

By Len Kagizaki and Akira Shigaraki. Released in Japan as “Akujo Nisshi -Otaku na Akujo (?) no Shinkon Seikatsu-” by Maple Novels. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by Emma Schumacker. This review does spoil the biggest reveal in the book, sorry about that. When I saw this was coming out one month after From Bumbling Prodigy to Villainess debuted, I was somewhat puzzled. Let’s face it, the two have a premise that’s so similar it’s almost eerie. But after reading it, I can see the differences that make this one stand out. For one thing, Bumbling Prodigy has one normal guy trying to deal with his very sheltered, eccentric, somewhat autistic nerd of a wife, with help from snickering servants. Whereas this title has the exact…

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The Fearsome Witch Teaches in Another World: I’ll Show You That All Races Are Equal

By Mitsuru Inoue and Suzuno. Released in Japan as “Isekai Teni Shite Kyoushi ni Natta ga, Majo to Osorerarete Iru Ken” by Earth Star Luna. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Gierrlon Dunn. It’s always a bit of a bummer when you’re reading a series and the author makes a decision about the book that you don’t like. And it’s even more annoying when it’s the entire plot of the book. This book picks up where the fourth book left off, with Aoi trying to get the guy who bullied Solare so hard he became a shut-in to apologize… only very quickly that becomes secondary to what these books always end up being about, which is how overpowered Aoi is and how her magic is super duper…

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Observation Records of My Wife: The Misadventures of a Self-Proclaimed Villainess, Vol. 5

By Shiki and Wan Hachipisu. Released in Japan as “Jishō Akuyaku Reijō na Tsuma no Kansatsu Kiroku” by Regina Books. Released in North America by Hanashi Media. Translated by Ethan Holms. I did enjoy this volume a lot more than the previous one, let’s get that out of the way. With that said… there is a point at the start of this book where Charles tells Cecil that he’s going to have to do something that might look very suspicious to others, and Cecil wonders out loud “shouldn’t you tell your fiancee?” The trouble is that what this involves is a minor bad guy who’s been sleeping around and getting women pregnant, and the men in this series all want to shelter their significant others from the horrors of that….

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Repeated Vice: I Refuse to Be Important Enough to Die, Vol. 5

By Kuroakawa Hitsugi and Kushiro Kuki. Released in Japan as “Repeat Vice: Akuyaku Kizoku wa Shinitakunai node Shitennou ni Naru no wo Yamemashita” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by piyo. While amusing, it can also be a pain in the ass when I decide what I’m going to base a large chunk of my review on and then have the author, in the afterword, say what I was going to and that they are well aware of it. So yeah, let’s just get this out of the way: for a harem series, Lilka has been getting a lot more attention than the rest of the girls. This is especially true in this book, where Fol and Yusurika are basically absent, and much of the…

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The Tale of a Little Alchemist Blessed by the Spirits, Vol. 4

By yocco and Junsui. Released in Japan as “Outo no Hazure no Renkinjutsushi: Hazure Shokugyou datta node, Nonbiri Omise Keieishimasu” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Andria McKnight. Adapted by Lex Reno. It’s genuinely hard to review this series. I’ve said before that I prefer happy endings and don’t need to read books where lots of people die. But, I mean, I do like SOME conflict. This is a fun, enjoyable series, but in terms of things I can grab on to to review, I’d rather be reading a tournament arc. Daisy is here, and she’s making cool things. She’s setting up her Montessori school. She’s spending time with her adorable adopted sister, who is starting to show an interest in blowing things up (for…

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The Isle of Paramounts: Reborn into a Slow Life Among the Strongest in the World, Vol. 5

By Heiseiowari and Noy. Released in Japan as “Tenseishitara Saikyou Shu-tachi ga Sumau Shima deshita. Kono Shima de Slow Life wo Tanoshimimasu” by SQEX Novel. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Alex Castor. There have been a lot of amnesia plots over the years, and one of the more popular has always been “what if a bad person gets amnesia and ends up being really good?”. Now, the person affected here is not exactly a villain per se, but the previous few books have certainly featured her as a sort of mentor from hell, and all the magical folks seem to have a twitchy reaction when her name is brought up. As such, the most interesting part of this book is not the reaction of everyone else…

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Manga the Week of 11/4/26

SEAN: All the leaves are brown and the sky is grey, but it’s not winter yet, it’s just November. ASH: But winter is coming. SEAN: Yen Press has a few titles that got bumped to start us off. Full Metal Panic! Family is a Dragon Age manga that’s a sequel to the classic series (and based on an as-yet-unlicensed light novel), taking place 20 years later and looking at Sousuke and Kaname’s children. ASH: That should make fans of the franchise happy. SEAN: Two A.M. at the Dining Table (Gozen Niji wa Shokutaku de) is a yuri horror manga that ran in Harta. A girl’s mother has just passed away, and she’s having trouble dealing with that. Worse, she’s now being haunted by a strangely attentive ghost? ASH: This absolutely…

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Her Royal Highness Seems to Be Angry, Vol. 4

By Kou Yatsuhashi and Mito Nagashiro. Released in Japan as “Ojou Denka wa Ookari no You desu” by Overlap Bunko. Released in North America by Tokyopop. Translated by Katie Kimura. After three volumes of sort of faffing around, even though we have had several cool sorcery battles, this volume pulls out all the stops. Black clouds, Drossel’s past, the mystery of Alec, Leticiel’s own past.. by the end of this book it’s clear we are setting up for a new stage of the series. A stage that may not involve school anymore, as by the end of this book Leticiel is not really a noble anymore. Still, she has options, which is more than I can say for the rest of her family. There’s also a lot of discussion of…

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