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BLADE & BASTARD: Saga of the Unknown Adventurers

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By Kumo Kagyu and so-bin. Released in Japan as “Blade & Bastard” by Dre Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Sean McCann.

I think this may be the 6th time I’ve said this, but I have never played or delved into Wizardry. And so far this hasn’t really been too much of a problem. There’s the vague annoyance of the parenthetical telling you that someone’s mental well-being is really something you should roll for, i.e. all the “hit points”. There’s the hilarity that sometimes comes when one of the ridiculously named spells is accidentally something familiar – TILTOWAIT in this book just kept making me think of the amusement park ride Tilt-a-Whirl. But in this volume, I really get the sense that the author is talking about backstory the reader should already know. Are these characters – who everyone seems to know except Raraja, who I have never identified with more than I do now – something from the Lore? Are they part of spinoffs, sequels, side-stories? And in the end, do I really need to care? Or can I go back to thinking that Iarumas and Ainikki really need to bone?

We pick up right where we left off. The prince is missing (and sorry, court ladies, I guess you’re all really dead dead after all), and the dungeon is being overrun by essentially possession goop monsters. Iarumas’ group has to go down there, as they’re the main characters. Schumacher’s group is also going down there, as they’re the less good, more realistic ones. And as for the top party in the city… well, they’re missing, whoops. It will come as no surprise to learn that the bulk of this book is spent is a slow, almost lethal, sometimes actually lethal dungeon crawl, with trick doors, hidden doors, hidden chutes, zombie dragons, and everything else a teenage boy could want to roleplay with. And when they finally reach their destination… wow, are we finally getting Iarumas characterization? Yes! Spoiler: he shows multiple emotions in this book!

Generally speaking, Japanese light novels tend to have first person narration, or third person omniscient. This one has the POV spin from character to character from scene to scene, and frequently within the same scene. One could argue this is bad writing, and to a degree it is, but it also helps to get across the desperation and determination this book is meant to ooze. Iarumas’ party have become, mostly thanks to Garbage, something pretty famous, but the party themselves are filled with doubt and fear. Schumacher’s party is filled with even more of that, along with a heaping helping of self-loathing (hell, even the left-behind childhood friend seems to hate herself), despite the fact that they’re really freaking awesome this book. There’s also a lot of trying to get past the thing you hate the most, be it a dragon that killed you before, a demon that enslaved you before, or just an evil boss who has your face but does a lot more than you do. Ah well. In the end, we can always listen to the words of Garbage. “Arf”, she said.

We’re caught up with Japan again, but fortunately this book finishes up the arc. What will happen next? My guess: dungeon crawling.

Invaders of the Rokujouma!?, Vol. 48

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By Takehaya and Poco. Released in Japan as “Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Warnis.

I had not realized that it had been over a year since the last volume of Rokujouma. The author apparently had heart issues that left them in the hospital for a while. As such, it’s something of a relief to hear that the series is coming to a close soon – thought I’ll take “soon” with a grain of salt, given I originally thought this was gonna end at Volume 29. This is also the 50th book in the series, counting the two .5 volumes, and I was wondering if we’d get an old-fashioned short story volume of fluff to celebrate. But no, we’re in the middle of the big final arc, and there’s no time for delays. As such, the bulk of this book is something that can be fun to read about but is very difficult to review: it’s strategizing and fighting, as our heroes try to rescue Kenji and Nalfa from the clutches of the Gray Knight. That said, if I’m being honest, having Kenji around may be just what the Gray Knight needs right now.

Kenji has figured out who the Gray Knight is, and is trying to see what makes him tick… as well as get a little more freedom so that he can check on Nalfa, who spends most of this volume asleep or depressed. Also depressed is Koutarou, who is dwelling a lot more than he should. Fortunately, although a lot of contingency plans failed, and some people even died, Clan’s last contingency plan worked, and they can mount a rescue mission much quicker than the enemy might expect. They end up on a planet that seems ready for battle, with drones galore, automatic defenses, and reinforcements coming – for the Gray Knight. So things are not looking great. Fortunately, Koutarou not only has a harem, but it’s a Battle Harem, so he and the girls are all in sync with each other and ready to kick ass and rescue their friends!… maybe.

While it’s always nice to see the girls again, and I enjoyed seeing Sanae, Shizuka and Theia kicking ass, and Maki and Nana being really clever, the most interesting parts of the book revolved around the hostages. Kenji knows that the Gray Knight is really Koutarou from an alternate world, but is trying to figure out how he ended up the way that he did. We’re reminded that Koutarou has the power of eight dead girlfriends at his beck and call, with only Sanae (yeah, remember alt-Sanae? It seems so long ago) missing, and we have assumed, to be honest, that the major point of divergence was that something went wrong and he lost nearly everyone. But that’s not the case, as we find out here. This is a Koutarou that grew up without KENJI. A Koutarou that never ended up trusting anyone because he never had that first crack that made him begin to open up. That’s really fascinating. And it helps me accept the fact that in the end we read 160 pages of fighting back only to achieve very little. They’re still hostages, and will be as long as Kenji gets to play therapist.

There won’t be nearly as long a wait for the next book, though that will catch us up with Japan again. Stay healthy, author!

Pick of the Week: Old Friends in New Outfits

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MICHELLE: I have never read Appleseed, so the prospect of getting the whole thing in one gorgeous hardcover edition was too good to pass up. I am excited to finally check it out!

ANNA: I’m feeling very nostalgic about Appleseed, and am excited to check out the new edition!

SEAN: Same. The new hardcover of Appleseed has all my attention this week.

KATE: I’m going to break ranks and make Say Hello to Mister Wallaby my PotW. I need a light-hearted marsupial comedy right now.

ASH: Say Hello to Mister Wallaby looks like it should be cute, but Appleseed is what has my attention this week. I’ve actually never read the original series before, only Iou Kuroda’s Appleseed Alpha, so a giant omnibus seems a good way to correct that oversight.

Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)!, Vol. 7

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By Atekichi and Yukiko. Released in Japan as “Heroine? Seijo? Iie, All Works Maid desu (ko)!” by TO Books. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Matthew Jackson. Adapted by Michelle McGuinness.

Last time I talked about the fact that this world is still trying hard to re-rail things so that they go the way the game wants them to, and that’s still true, but it’s also astonishing how many “doubles” this has led to, and in some cases triples and quadruples. We have Celesty, of course, now Melody, maiding it up. And reincarnated. And not Cecilia, at least not anymore. There’s Serena, a walking, talking, living doll who Melody accidentally and unknowingly put the soul of her dead mother inside. There’s Celedia, who is really an evil minion of darkness, but is also a young girl who’s also a reincarnate. There’s the missing foreign prince, busy being a lothario servant. There’s his sister, who has lived her life as a man, till given the chance in this book to see what the life might have been like. There’s Luciana, who isn’t the tragic dead one anymore, and Luna, who got her role, and Olivia, who almost got her role. Hell, even Anna-Marie disguises herself as her own maid. And then there’s Maika, and the end of this book, where she may be adding to the heroine pile. It’s a Heroine Pileup.

It’s finally time for the school festival! Given all the fuss about the maid cafe, we don’t actually see very much of the cafe itself. Instead we get a lot of the before and after, as everyone tries to finish the uniforms in time and ensure that everything is perfect. That said, Melody can’t participate, so she’s at a loss for what to do. She’s reminded she promised (without thinking) to tour the festival with Schue, so she does this for a while, until Schue’s own subplot comes smashing through the narrative and he literally flees. Then Lect is told to escort her around, which actually goes pretty smoothly, though her lack of romantic interest in him (or indeed anyone) is very obvious. Unfortunately, there’s still supposedly an event that’s due to happen tonight… in the game. Is this world now so different that it won’t happen after all?

Honestly, of all the characters I thought I’d find most interesting in this volume, Celedia would not have topped my list at the start. And yet, here we are. It’s fascinating the way that she’s written, in an almost Umineko-esque way, not quite multiple personality disorder but something else. Tindalos is filled with darkness, rage, evil plans, and an increasing desperation that nothing is going right. Celedia, meanwhile, is clearly suffering from depression. She’s an absolute mess throughout the book, collapsing twice, and even when she’s out and about she’s so clumsy she causes disasters just by walking around. Honestly, her evil side taking over may be good for her. As for Maika, well, she finally has her magical familiar, but as expected with this series, it’s not quite as it should be. It does allow us to get a magical girl parody in here as well, that was fun. That said, the most interesting thing in the book may be the cliffhanger into Book 8.

So yeah, what’s Melody going to do now? Can Celedia use this chance to actually, y’know, achieve a thing? Anything? And will the anime, which ends next week, get a second season? We’ll know in a few months. For Maid fans and Villainess fans.

Royal Spirits Are a Royal Pain! Give Me a Regular Romance, Vol. 4

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By Rei Kazama and Fujiazuki. Released in Japan as “Tensei Reijō wa Seirei ni Aisarete Saikyō Desu…… Dakedo Futsū ni Koi Shitai)” by TO Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by okaykei.

First of all, I feel the need to apologize to Karla, who I clearly jinxed in my last review. Thanks to her family, not only is she no longer a candidate for Prince Andrew’s hand, she’s barely in the book at all. She’s not particularly happy about this of course, and I think is quietly trying to get herself disowned as well. In the meantime, this is good news for Monica and Susanna, the other two candidates. First of all, because hey, Andrew is a catch and you get to be Empress, but also because the “loser” in the wife wars gets Chris, who is himself just as much of a catch. Of course, there’s also the elephant in the room, which is who Deirdre is going to marry. The longer she waits, the worse her options get, and the political kudzu that is her home nation means that there’s a limited number of partners available there. Fortunately, there is one obvious option.

Just as everyone learns about House Johannes blowing up Karla’s social status, the spirits come to take folks to Kohaku’s domain, so that the spirits can meet Andrew properly. This actually ends up defusing another small crisis, as the second prince, Eldred, has been feeling so guilt-ridden over what happened in previous books that he wants to leave the royal family altogether. Elsewhere, Deirdre is busy with her various projects, such as a book – one for children, one for young adults – about how to care for and raise spirits; getting a decent edible chocolate, with the help of Kamil and his country; watch how her other brother proves to be far more romantically adept that her and Chris will ever be; and also meet the spirits of other nations, who quickly get involved in a bidding war for her favor that promises to turn nasty in future volumes.

I appreciate the fact that, by the end of this volume, Deirdre has acknowledged her own ineptness when it comes to perceiving romantic interest, and she’s rapidly also coming to realize that her choice of potential partners who will not somehow make her life a misery is down to one. It was pretty clear in the third book that she and Kamil would be endgame, and it’s made crystal clear here. That said, the combination of Deirdre’s reluctance to get engaged at the age of ten, and her own discomfort with the fact that she’s not only an adult in a child’s body, but an immature adult n a child’s body, lead her to kick the can down the road. Fortunately, a road trip in the next book may help there. As for the rest of the book, there are a few dark suggestions of Deirdre’s future in the story of another woman who was found to be beloved by spirits, and possibly a reincarnator, who ended up killing herself out of depression. Let’s avoid that Bad End, please.

We’ve got a ways to go, though (this is book 4 of 13), so I’m sure there will be drama a-plenty before Deirdre gets both old enough and politically savvy enough to tie the knot. In the meantime, this is a great deal of fun.

The Twelve Kingdoms, Book Six: A Thousand Miles of Wind, the Sky at Dawn, Part 2

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By Fuyumi Ono and Akihiro Yamada. Released in Japan as “Kaze no Banri, Reimei no Sora” by X Bunko White Heart. Released in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment. Translated by Kim Morrissy. Adapted by Monica Sullivan.

This is a book – well, the whole series is, but especially this book – with a message. This whole volume shows us what life is like in a city, and indeed a county, that is so used to corruption and venality that it doesn’t even matter that the new queen is supposed to be better than the old one, things will still continue. We see, over and over in this book, the normal law-abiding folks turning away whenever there’s something horrible going on – or worse, cheering it on – because they’re scared that if they speak up, it will happen to them and their loved ones. The trouble is… sometimes that happens anyway. Youko’s friend in the village, whose name I couldn’t remember from Book Five so I just called her “tragic girl who’s going to die”, lives up to her name. Fortunately, things do get better by the end of the book, as Youko finally comes to terms with that fact that, advisers or no, in the end, she’s the Queen.

Our three heroines continue along their journey of self-discovery. 1) Youko goes touring around the land of Wa in disguise, occasionally helping people out, and discovers that things are much, much worse than she expected… then goes back to the village where she’s staying to find death and disappearance; 2) Suzu decides, after the death of her friend by the evil guy in charge of the city, that murder is okay, but fortunately before she can put her poorly thought-out plan into action she hooks up with the local resistance group, who are here to tell you “murder is okay but only if you have a plan for post-murder”; 3) Shoukei, having finished being shown the life of an abused commoner and also having finished being educated about life in other countries by Rakushun, manages to hook up with the OTHER local resistance group. Eventually the three women meet each other, and they all agree that while murder may be OK, revolution is the way to go here.

The bulk of the character development here goes to Suzu, who got the least last time. She spends most of the first half of the book in a rage, snapping and deciding that murdering Shoukou will solve all her problems, then realizing that in fact it doesn’t solve the most important part, which is that she blames herself for Seishuu’s death, and then realizing that her entire life here to date was built around passively accepting abuse without doing anything, and that changing that is what she needs to do. Youko, meanwhile, simply needs to be galvanized into being proactive, and once she gets past “I don’t know enough about this world” by going on the road and finding out, she quickly cleans house and starts what will hopefully be a prosperous reign. As for Shoukei, she’s not only had recent experience as an abused commoner, but also years as a pampered princess. I admit her character arc here was a bit too “I’m suddenly mature now”, but hey, talking with Rakushun for weeks on end can do that to a person. I’m not sure we’ll see those two again (Youko I’m sure will turn up), but it was nice to follow their journey.

Next up… short story collection? Short story collection. Till then, please read this lovely series that reminds you that overthrowing the state can be a good thing… though admittedly it helps when the leader of the state is on your side.

Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden, Vol. 10

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By Umikaze Minamino and Katana Canata. Released in Japan as “Kyōran Reijō Nia Liston: Byōjaku Reijō ni Tenseishita Kami-goroshi no Bujin no Kareinaru Musō Roku” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by okaykei.

If you have been following A Livid Lady’s Guide to Getting Even: The Anime, and felt that she was perhaps going a bit TOO far and getting a bit TOO evil, may I recommend the latest volume of Nia Liston? In which Nia gets very angry, and gets her revenge. But it’s the sort of revenge that may actually make everything better, and, while she confesses this is a surprise to her, no bad guys actually die who are not giant insects. Ah yes, that reminds me: if you like to see tiny ojou-samas fighting ants with the power of fists and kicks, also good news! Nia is here to kick ass and kick more ass, and she’s not remotely out of asses to kick. She does have a soft spot for her cute l’il orphans, of course, as well as the Fourth Princess, who she, um, literally buys. OK, that’s a bit too much like Livid Lady. But it’s OK, it’s not as a slave, it’s as her next disciple.

Having had her mansion destroyed by Mech Knights, Nia returns there to find that officials are busy erasing the evidence that there was any wrongdoing done there, and shortly thereafter they send Nia a bill for all the repairs. To the neighborhood. This is, by the way, while Shylrane has been desperately trying to get Nia on their good side, as she needs her to defeat the insects that are barely being held back by the country, which turns out to be on the verge of doom much more than folks know. Needless to say, Nia is unhappy with the bill. She decides to work off her stress by beating up the head of the mafia underworld, taking the contents of his safe, and then going on a bug-hunting party, where she wipes out the first level of the bugs – the only level, so far, the nation had been able to fight. This, of course, means the more dangerous bugs are no longer held back. And then she’s arrested and thrown in prison. Really, we’re very lucky this ISN’T Livid Lady…

I’ve always found the “Nia beats people up” part of this series to be the least interesting, and I always like it when the author throws in curveballs. Of which the biggest has to be Akashi’s obsession with inventing the car. This may seem baffling, given this is a book filled with sky islands, pirate airships, and flying cars, but the idea of cars on the ground – and, in particular, the prototypes crashing into walls – is not only hilarious and fun, but a terrific Magivision idea. Which, in case you forgot, is why Nia is here at all. I am also very amused with the Lynokis subplot. I’ve never had time for her stupid lolicon persona, which is present and incorrect here as always. But now Nia not only has a royal princess who’s studious and respectful towards Nia’s teachings, but also a young prodigy orphan girl who’s blazing through leaning about chi in record time. Seeing Nia get tired of her maid/bodyguard who doesn’t really want to get stronger is magical. As in it’s basically “let’s torture her”.

We’re still in the middle of this arc, but I am hoping that the next book has a bit less people being awful and a bit more filming reality TV. Oh yes, the anime is out soon!

Manga the Week of 9/9/26

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SEAN: As September crawls along, let’s see what manga and light novels offer us.

Yen On moved half its releases back two weeks, so we don’t have quite as much as usual. We get Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody 25, The Irregular at Magic High School 27, Legend of the Far East’s Savior 2, Lord of Mysteries 4, Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table 6, Spy Classroom 11, To Sir Without Love, I’m Divorcing You 2 Part 1, and The Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess 11.

ASH: I imagine sharing the wealth with the other weeks of the month will make some things easier for some people somewhere.

SEAN: Viz debuts The Amazing Digital Circus, a manga adaptation of the popular web series. It runs in CoroCoro Comic. A young woman puts on a weird headset and finds herself trapped in a strange cartoon world… and she’s a cartoon as well!

ASH: I’m not sure I realized there was a manga adaptation.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Akira Falling in Love 4, Animal Crossing: New Horizons 11, Fly Me to the Moon 33, Hayate the Combat Butler 49, Minecraft: the Manga 7, Spider-Man: Kizuna 4, and the 10th and final volume of Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon.

Titan Manga have Working for God in a Godless World 6.

SuBLime debuts Sunshine in Hades (Cerberus wa Shisai ni Kuraitsuku), A gladiator has been told to breed powerful warriors… but he’s a virgin. Fortunately, a priest is here to give him intimate lessons.

ASH: That is fortunate.

ANNA: Education is important!

SEAN: They also have Bride of the Shark Clam: Married Life (basically Volume 2, and the final volume), and Candy Color Paradox 7.

ASH: I vaguely remember enjoying earlier volumes of this series; I should probably read more.

SEAN: Steamship has the 4th volume of I’ll Never Be Your Crown Princess! – Betrothed and the 5th and final volume of Sweet Heat Before Falling in Love: The CEO and His Fated Omega.

No debuts for Seven Seas next week. We do get Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 13, Drugstore in Another World: The Slow Life of a Cheat Pharmacist 13, I Quit My Apprenticeship as a Royal Court Wizard to Become a Magic Item Craftswoman 6, I’m Running for Crown Princess, but All I Want is a Steady Paycheck! 4, Lost in the Cloud 4, A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof 4, and Re:Monster 13.

One Peace Books has the 27th manga volume of The Rising of the Shield Hero.

Kodansha Manga’s print debut is Say Hello to Mr. Wallaby! (Kyou mo Ashita mo Wallaby-sensei), a josei series from Kiss. A professor on a tour of Australia meets a wallaby who’s also an otaku, and takes him back to Japan with him.

MICHELLE: I was into the josei part, but am kind of dubious about the otaku wallaby.

ASH: That definitely went a direction I wasn’t expecting.

ANNA: Yeah, I am not sure about this one too.

SEAN: Also in print: A-DO 10, Blue Summer Haze 2, FAIRY TAIL: 100 Years Quest 21, Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 18, The Heroic Legend of Arslan 23, Lonely Deaths Lie Thick as Snow 4, Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 16, Medalist 13, Tokyo Tarareba Girls Returns 2 6 (the final volume), and Wind Breaker 23.

MICHELLE: I’m literally reading the first volume of Blue Summer Haze today!

SEAN: Digital next week: Giant Killing 58, Manchuria Opium Squad 14, Parasyte Reversi 8 (the final volume), and Wind Breaker 26.

MICHELLE: Hooray for Giant Killing, as per uzsh.

ASH: For sure.

SEAN: Print for J-Novel Club is Campfire Cooking in Another World With My Absurd Skill 7 (the manga).

After a long hot summer, J-Novel Club finally has debuts again. Two light novels. Father, Have You Sinned? An Assassin in Priest’s Robes (Moto Saikyou Ansatsusha wa Inaka de Hissori Shinpu ni Naru ~Daishusse Shita Oshiego-tachi ni Shitawareru Ossan ga An’yaku Suru Hanashi~) stars a former assassin now having a humble life, teaching orphans life lessons and combat skills. Then one of his former students returns, and she wants to drag him into the light.

ASH: I’ll admit, my first thought was of Sister from Arakawa Under the Bridge, but that’s decidedly a different series.

ANNA: Continuing the theme of education being important this week!

SEAN: A Young Maiden’s Growing Pains: I Reincarnated and All I Got Was This 100X Stat Buff! (Seichouritsu 100 Bai Cheat no Tensei Youjo ~Heion ni Kurashitai no ni, Mawari ga Sou Sasete Kuremasen~) stars a tiny girl who gets truck-kun’d and ends up isekai’d. She wishes for a powerful body. She means tall and alluring. The gods keep her tiny, but now she can beat up most men. Worse, unless she finds love, she’s cursed to be a child forever!

Also, in not-quite-debuts, there’s the first volume of Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter 0, which is – at long last – the prequel we’ve been begging for showing us how Allen met Lydia.

Other J-Novel Club light novels: Blade & Bastard 6, Chivalry of a Failed Knight 11, DUNGEON DIVE: Aim for the Deepest Level 13, Flung into a New World? Time to Lift the 200-Year Curse! 5, I’m a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, So I Might as Well Try Mastering Magic 11, The Trials and Tribulations of My Next Life as a Noblewoman 5 Part 1, and Worthless at Home, Whiz to the World 6.

And for manga they have The Eternal Fool’s Words of Wisdom: A Pawsitively Fantastic Adventure 10, Looks like a Job for a Maid! The Tales of a Dismissed Supermaid 5, Make It Stop! I’m Not Strong… It’s Just My Sword! 3, and Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! 12.

Ghost Ship has a 4th volume of Makina-san’s a Love Bot?!.

Denpa, according to retailers, have Nana & Kaoru: Last Year (Nana to Kaoru: Last Year), the final series in the erotic comedy-drama showing them about to graduate high school. It ran in Harem (yes, that’s the magazine name).

Dark Horse Manga has a giant, 800-page hardcover omnibus of Appleseed, and boy it looks amazing. It ran in Comic Gaia. If you don’t know what it is, please buy this. The translation by Dana Lewis and Toren Smith is still the same, as you don’t mess with perfection.

MICHELLE: This looks fabulous.

ASH: That it does!

ANNA: Oh man, I think I collected this back in the day when it was the fashion to release 32 and 48 page comic book size manga chapters in translation.

SEAN: Airship, in print, has Betrothed to My Sister’s Ex 3, Modern Villainess: It’s Not Easy Building a Corporate Empire Before the Crash 7, and She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 17.

There’s a digital-only debut. Predator Witches (Hoshokusha-kei Mahou Shoujo) is another one of those “what if magical girls but it’s grim and depressing?” series.

And in early digital they have Magical Buffs: The Support Caster is Stronger Than He Realized! 3 and A Tale of the Secret Saint 11.

And Ablaze have Gannibal 7… one week after Gannibal 6. I feel the need to add “retailers say”, in that case.

Still crawling? If so, what are you buying?

From Corporate Drone to Mincemaster! One Order of Dragon Coming Right Up!, Vol. 1

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By Minato Minato and Tsukito. Released in Japan as “Makikomarete Shoukan Sareta Genkai OL, Guild Shozoku no [Mamono Kaitai Jou] toshite Funtouchuu ~Dragon desu ka? Mochiron Sabakemasu!~” by Mag Garden Novels. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by piyo.

I mean, it’s FINE, I guess. I enjoyed reading it. I’ll read more. The main characters are all likeable enough. But god, I do not think I have ever come across a light novel with as little originality as this one, a LN that feels like someone completed a Mad Libs for Isekai and wrote the book based on the results. There’s an office lady so ground down from overwork that the only surprise is that it’s a normal summoning and not “dead from work”. There’s her opposite number, a saint who seemingly ticks all the “evil” boxes from the moment she opens her mouth. We get an awkward dorky guy who clearly likes her, and a cool but distant guy who clearly likes her, and one of these is very clearly far ahead of the other. Sorry, dorky guy. There’s an adorable pet monster. And there’s Sachi herself, OP as hell and plucky as all git out.

Sachi Hasumi is 21 years old. Her parents are dead. She dreamed of inheriting her grandfather’s restaurant, but he told her to go to college and work a nice job. Then it turned out the restaurant was about to go under. Then he died. Now she’s working for a black company, pulling triple all-nighters for no extra pay. No boyfriend, no friends. Then, as she walks home one night, she is summoned to another world! Or rather,.. the girl next to her is. The other girl is the Saint. Sachi is a “mincemaster”. She’s essentially left forgotten by the side of the magic circle. Oh, and of course, one way trip, no returning home. Then she meets the vice-chairman of the adventurer’s guild, who thinks her mincemaster talent is just what they need, given they’re drowning in monsters adventurers have brought back.

Now that I’ve gotten the bad out of the way, this is perfectly fine, it’s just the most unoriginal thing ever. Things I enjoyed: Sachi’s growing realization that she now has a job where people appreciate her work, she has normal hours and days off, and she’s paid well. There’s no doubt this is partly written as an OL fantasy of getting out of your hellish job, and it works just fine there. I also did appreciate, even if I wish we’d seen it at the start, the brief side story showing the saint, months later, on the road, desperately trying to level up her miserable saint powers, and discovering most of her arrogant bravado came from sheer relief at being away from her Education Parents who say she will be a doctor or she will be disowned. I expect she will still be a bitch when she sees how well Sachi is doing, but at least she has a REASON to be one. Oh yes, and Sachi’s receptionist friend Ann is great fun, especially when she mocks the fact that Sachi is 100% oblivious to the two hotties hitting on her.

This does have a Volume 2, so we will get more. I expect it will remain a coloring book that does not step outside the lines, but it is… pleasant.

Assassin Empress Bellreuge

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By Aoi Miyamae and Hatori Kyouka. Released in Japan as “Ansatsu Jotei Bellreuge ~Shiitagerareshi Koujo wa Ai o Ete Nariagaru~” by Mag Garden Novels. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by Alex Castor.

I think for the sake of my sanity I’m going to treat this book the way that I treated Once Upon a Witch’s Death, which also was licensed by Yen as a one-shot and then had future volumes roll out much later in Japan. CIW notably has not called this Volume 1, implying it’s complete in one book. The webnovel is very clearly complete, but this book stops just before the climactic battle and has a bunch of side stories instead. The author says in the afterword they were surprised this got a LN pickup at all. So, let’s put it this way: if this does have a second volume to wrap things up, then I definitely recommend it, as I found it a lot of fun, especially its heroine. If this is all that we get, I suspect it will just be frustrating. And if it turns out the book is actually complete and my digital copy is missing a chapter or two, please let me know.

Let’s also get a content warning out of the way: this book is filled with blood and gore, most of it caused by the heroine killing people. They’re all trying to kill her, to be clear, she’s not evil. Bellreuge is the 2nd princess of an empire, an illegitimate child, and has spent literally her entire life dodging assassination attempts and learning from her mother how to fight back. Her older sister was briefly sweet and loving to her, but when the Queen died big sis turned 100% evil. To avoid constant assassins every day, Bellreuge became her sister’s handmaiden, essentially working as a slave and being abused left and right. Now, finally, her sister is going to be married. Except… the margrave’s son, a man with a bloody reputation, proposes to Bellreuge instead!

That synopsis covers about the first 2 pages of this book. The rest involves Bellreuge being forced to escape constant walls of people trying to kill her and going to the margravate, which turns out to be a country of hotheads who love to fight, and her new fiance is merely the worst of them. Bellreuge herself is so emotionally beaten down by years of abuse and constant death threats that, while she’s perfectly capable of acting like a royal princess if she needs to, she also tends to go to “stiletto in the brain” as the “when all you have is a hammer” answer. She and Asturm, her fiance, are awkward around each other for about half the book as they simply haven’t communicated at all, and the scene where they turn an archery contest into a “yes, I think I could fall in love with you” is the best in the book. Unfortunately, much as Bellreuge wants to simply avoid anything to do with her situation, everyone else in the world knows she has to fight her sister and become Empress. They gather armies and prepare to do battle…

And then we get short stories from the POV of her maid/bodyguard, Asturm himself, and his little sister to round things off. The end! Highly recommended if there’s a 2nd volume eventually, mildly recommended if this is all we get.