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One Last Hurrah! The Grayed Heroes Explore a Vivid Future, Vol. 2

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By fukurou and johndee. Released in Japan as “Jiji Baba Yuusha Party Saigo no Tabi: Oita Saikyou wa Iroasenu Mama Mirai e Susumu you desu” by DRE Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Vasileios Mousikidis.

I do enjoy some good foreshadowing. It’s the kind where you know this is going to be important later, and think “ah yes, the author is doing that deliberately”, but also not enough so that’s it’s constantly on your mind. By the time we get to the big reveal in this volume, I remembered the ominous mentor guy, as well as the terrible country that sat out the war because they were simply too terrible, but I was distracted by the main plot of the first half, which is the same as the main plot of the first volume. The hero’s party are all now 90 years old, and no one recognizes them, but at the same time everyone knows what they achieved back then. Or at least what the history books say. The funnier first half of this book shows that history is not always written by those who make it, and distortions can be… horribly embarrassing.

Our group of six, making their way slowly to see Ferd and Elrica’s great-grandchild, have arrived at the large magic academy that is run, in part, by Lara and Sazaki’s son. We also meet their own great-grandson Connie, who looks much like Armin from Attack on Titan, and has fallen in with a group of students who include “the shonen guy who has a creepy intuition that is always 100% accurate” and “the girl being forced to relearn everything she knew as her mentor was a lunatic”. There’s also classes, which the hero’s party sit in on. And Connie has everyone over for a round of tabletop gaming… though they are a bit frustrated by the fact that the game appears to be unwinnable. Everything is light and fluffy, and everyone’s smiling the same as a-a-a-a-a-always…

Trying not to spoil TOO much about the last half of the book, but that does make it difficult to write more, so here we go. I do love a good Lotus-Eater Machine, and that’s what we’re getting here. This allows some things to happen that would otherwise have horrible consequences for all involved (Hagen would likely have to leave school, and Emmeline might honestly have to be executed) but still allow everyone to look cool. As for the party themselves, well, this is possibly the one part of the book I wasn’t fond of. I read this series for the fun of seeing powerful old folks doddering around and being powerful but mostly passive. Here they need to get involved in past battles all over again, only the script is rewritten so it’s not as good. This means a lot of fight fight fight. Not why I’m here.

Still, the day is saved, our heroes are off, and we meet more young kids who may be the next generation of heroes. We’ll find out more… when/if we get a third, and presumably final (check the publisher) volume. Good stuff, clever gimmick, did not need the shonen battle arc.

In Another World with Household Spells, Vol. 4

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By Rika and HIROKAZU. Released in Japan as “Isekai ni Kita kedo, Seikatsu Mahou shika Tsukaemasen” by Mag Garden Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by sachi salehi.

Despite the fact that Patience is 11 years old going on 12 in this volume, this is still a series full of nobles, and as such we know that marriage is going to always be on the table. And yes, arranged marriages can be made at a young age, though obviously just “waiting till they’re older”. And Patience, as everyone tells her but she refuses to believe, is a very hot property, financial woes or no. Who will she end up with? Obviously the music-obsessed father and son are out, though the son is certainly a better choice than the father. If she continues to try to invent all the things, Caesar is probably the best choice. Prince Keith is a really obvious choice, but let’s face it, Patience is never going to be royalty. And then there’s Percival, who offers to be husband and wife diplomats with her, which would allow her to do everything she’s already doing and travel the world. Sometimes an obvious choice is really obvious.

Most of this book consists of Fun Academy Life, and there aren’t really any climactic conflicts, other than trying to keep Patience away from the music-mad noble who will kidnap and marry her. She continues to take classes in nearly everything, and passes nearly everything. She’s in the Music Club, still locked in eternal political battles. She’s also in the Alchemy Club, inventing so many things that listing them would take the rest of this review. (Hrm… nah.) And she’s preparing for the noble equivalent of the Culture Festival, along with a ball where she and the other students have to make their own ballgowns. She’s definitely standing out with the polka dots, but since she’s trying not to use household magic even she’s struggling to make it in time. And she’s also attracting the notice of damn near everybody, as I said.

There’s actually little to no household magic in this volume aside from Patience occasionally using it as essentially a Sonic Screwdriver. For the most part she’s relying on her knowledge from Japan and her drawing ability (which is remarked on twice in succession, which made me wonder if it’s an error or a gag) to so the usual “inventing mayonnaise” sort of thing we always seen in these reincarnation isekais. Fortunately, she struggles – yes, she can draw a bicycle and get a reasonable facsimile, but rubber, if it exists here, is unknown, so they have to make do. And she also is not particularly good at noble politics. She can certainly freeze out petty teen Louise, who is trying to intimidate Patience without success, but Margaret can still wrap Patience around her finger, and Patience’s noble relatives can also make demands. This means she barely has time to see her brothers… except no, the brothers are all over this book. She sees them all the time. She’s just obsessed.

Next time we get the ocean, and possibly a resolution to Patience’s “but we are poor disgraced nobles” problem – the Queen hints her fortunes will soon rise. In the meantime, this is fun relaxing “let’s invent all the things” isekai.

Manga the Week of 3/4/26

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SEAN: I’d make a March Comes in Like a Lion joke, but there’s no new volume of that series, and frankly February is Lioning pretty hard right now. Anyway, manga.

ASH: It’s dependable even when the weather isn’t.

SEAN: Airship has new print volumes for Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō 12, A Tale of the Secret Saint ZERO 4, The Too-Perfect Saint 5, and True Love Fades Away When the Contract Ends 3.

And in early digital they have The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 14 and The Tale of a Little Alchemist Blessed by the Spirits 2.

Ghost Ship has the fourth volume of Betrayed by the Hero, I Formed a MILF Party With His Mom! and the second volume of Virgin Ventures.

Inklore has a 2nd volume of King’s Maker.

ASH: BL manhwa with a good dose of court intrigue is probably something I should be reading.

SEAN: J-Novel Club is taking the week off – the only release next week is Looks like a Job for a Maid! 2.

Kana debuts Blades of the Guardians, a historical manhua described as “True Grit meets The Last Samurai”. I think this will appeal to fans of Vagabond and Lone Wolf & Cub.

ASH: Oh, yes. Yes, it does.

ANNA: Indeed!

SEAN: Kodama debuts MAGICA, a series I know nothing about except that everyone who sees it can’t stop talking about how gorgeous it looks. It does look gorgeous.

ASH: I had to look it up, too, but now I’m intrigued. The full-color artwork is very striking.

SEAN: Kodama also has the 11th and 12th omnibuses of Baki the Grappler and Smile! 2.

Three print debuts for Kodansha Manga. Lonely Deaths Lie Thick as Snow (Furitsumore Kodoku na Shi yo) is a mystery series from Magazine Pocket. A detective called to the scene of a burglary finds the corpses of 13 children. Now he has to track down the house’s owner.

ASH: That cover is beautiful even if the premise is distressing.

SEAN: Perfectly Fine on My Own, So My Fiancé Can Twist in the Wind (Ohitori-sama ni wa Naremashita node. Konyakusha Houchichuu!) runs in Comic Lake. It’s a broken engagement series, as you can see (I’m officially separating those out from villainess books), about a young woman whose fiancé pays no attention to her at all. So she decides to pay no attention to him, and stop caring about love. Suddenly, guess what?

ASH: I can only imagine!

ANNA: I have no idea!

SEAN: A double dose of debuts is next. We get Shugo Chara! 20th Anniversary Edition, an omnibus of the original shoujo manga from Nakayoshi. She’s a magical girl! And we also get Shugo Chara! Jewel Joker, the new sequel running (also in Nakayoshi) about Amu as a middle schooler.

ASH: Oh, wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve thought about Shugo Chara!.

ANNA: Alright!!!!

SEAN: Also in print: 10 Dance 8, The Heroic Legend of Arslan 22, How to Deal When Your Intimidating Neighbor is Actually an Omega 2, and Wind Breaker 20.

ASH: Great to see a new volume of 10 Dance!

ANNA: Note to self about reading this!

SEAN: Digitally there is How to Grill Our Love 19, Manchuria Opium Squad 11, and Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister 20.

One Peace Books has Tetsu’s Coffee: A Beginner’s Guide to Coffee for Manga Lovers, which uses the power of manga to tell you how to make a really good cup of joe.

ASH: This book probably belongs in my house.

ANNA: Ooh I do enjoy a didactic manga from time to time.

SEAN: No danmei for Seven Seas this week, though we do get Lout of Count’s Family 7, which is Korean danmei, and The Twelve Kingdoms 4, which is far too fancy and good to be in the Airship imprint.

ASH: I am still so incredibly happy that The Twelve Kingdoms was rescued.

ANNA: I need to pick up a few volumes!

SEAN: For debuting manga, we have A Tale of a Little Alchemist Blessed by the Spirits (Outo no Hazure no Renkinjutsushi: Hazure Shokugyou datta node, Nonbiri Omise Keieishimasu), the manga version of the LN Seven Seas also puts out. It runs in Dengeki Comic Regulus.

ASH: I like alchemists.

SEAN: They Are Still Being Shaken This Morning (Kesa mo Yuraretemas) is a romcom from Shonen Champion. This is from the creator of My Monster Secret. Every morning, two shy yet adorable teens get on the train and don’t confess to each other. This manga is from the perspective of the rest of the train car, who all are desperately rooting for them.

ASH: That actually sounds really cute.

ANNA: This does sound cute.

SEAN: We Are Not Beasts (Ore-tachi wa Kemono Janai) is an omegaverse series from LiQulle, and is from the creator of Stay by My Side After the Rain. It’s a one-shot about an omega who’s sought after by two strong alphas, but wants to be self-reliant. Can that wish stay intact when he inevitably goes into heat?

Also from Seven Seas: Black Night Parade 9, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (manhua version) 13 (the final volume), I Got Married to the Girl I Hate Most in Class 5, The Kingdoms of Ruin 12, Mocha the Cat and His Forever Family 2, Monster Guild: The Dark Lord’s (No-Good) Comeback! 10, My Goddess is Precious Today, Too 2 (the final volume) and Tales of the Hundred Monsters Next Door 2.

Square Enix Books has an 8th print volume of The Apothecary Diaries.

ASH: I really need to start reading the novels!

SEAN: And Square Enix Manga has the 3rd volume of Assassin & Cinderella.

Steamship has a 3rd volume of SEX DRIVE – My Pitiful Makeup Artist.

Udon Entertainment has, according to retailers, Elden Ring: Official Art Book Volume III: Shadow of the Erdtree. It looks expensive and fancy.

ASH: Udon does a pretty good job of fancy.

SEAN: Viz Media debuts Magical Girl Dandelion (Mahou Shoujo Dandelion), a Sho-Comi series (Christ, when was the last time we got ANYTHING from Sho-Comi?) about a girl who is offered the chance to be a magical girl, but unfortunately her best friend is a villain!

ASH: Uh-oh!

ANNA: This sounds cute.

SEAN: They also have Chainsaw Man 20, Dragon Ball Super 24, Let’s Do It Already! 8, Nana 25th Anniversary Edition 3, Nue’s Exorcist 5, RuriDragon 3, Snow Angel 4 (the final volume), A Star Brighter than the Sun 5, Super Psychic Policeman Chojo 2, and World Trigger 28.

ASH: Nana remains excellent.

ANNA: Yes!

SEAN: And that’s it! Relatively short for a first week of the month. What interests you, my good fellow?

The Fearsome Witch Teaches in Another World: A Remedial Lesson in Crime and Politics

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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.

The running gag of this volume, and indeed this series, is that people meet Aoi, underestimate her because she’s young and small, get their asses handed to them (physically or mentally), and immediately become her minions and/or supporters. Not the first time I’ve read this sort of plot, and it can be funny provided there’s more to it than that. There’s a BIT more. Aoi is absolutely dedicated to advancing sorcery throughout this world (theoretically so she can return to Japan, but I get the feeling that’s not happening), and does not actually care about all of the political mess and possible wars she may cause along the war. In fact, it’s brought up that if two countries *do* go to war, Aoi can probably just, y’know, stop them. You will be dragged kicking and screaming into the modern era of magic. And believe me, some folks here are kicking and screaming. Because they’re being used as test subjects.

This volume is essentially divided into two. In the shorter part, Aoi wonders why she’s seeing fewer students, and discovers they’re being lured into a gambling den run by a crime syndicate. With the “help” of Prince Rox and his men (but pretty much just taking out everyone on her own), Aoi reforms all the crime syndicates in the city to be good businesses from now on. In the longer second half, Aoi and her posse of important supporting characters go to the Holy Maple Leaf Empire, as part of an exchange to learn about their healing magic. What we end up learning is that their healing magic is impressive, but Aoi’s “literally everything” magic is out of this world. Which is a problem, as this Empire believes magic has reached its final form, and does not need any new research. She’ll fix that.

This is another one of those light novels where you get a chunk of the book from the main character’s perspective, and then switch to someone else to get their view of things. While that can normally be a bit exhausting, I’d suggest it’s welcome here, simply as Aoi’s deadpan, emotionless point of view can be a bit off-putting. At one point we discover, as I noted above, that the Empire tests its holy powers on either mortally wounded adventurers, or criminals. We are treated to a gore-filled hospital with the screaming of patients, and everyone else looks sick, but we’re in Aoi’s POV, so she’s just like “Yup. Well, anyway”. Even when she’s threatened by a knight of the crown, and taken before the Emperor for having gone way beyond what she was permitted to do, her response is “so what?”. It would take a lot to make Aoi really angry, I think. If only we had a bullied student in the cast who’s there to suffer… oh, good news for the next volume!

I’m still enjoying this, but I do wonder how fresh it’s going to feel several volumes down the line (it’s at 9+ volumes in Japan). For those who like people who kick ass while barely cracking a smile.

Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter: The Sacred Shield, Guardian of the Key

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By Riku Nanano and cura. Released in Japan as “Koujo Denka no Kateikyoushi” by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by William Varteresian.

This review will contain a lot of spoilers, so let’s start with the synopsis. The book is pretty much balanced between checking in on the bad guys, who are bemoaning the fact that our heroes are so good at what they do but still also clearly taking the lead in the “who wins” race. As for Allen and company, they’re in the home stretch, but still need to get lots of vital bits of information, such as more details of what happened generations ago and who was involved, and – most importantly – who Allen really is. Was he really found by his adopted parents the way they say? As for the current generation, well, they’re all concerned with the most important thing: getting Allen that last name, that title, and that nobility so that they can finally write off “but he’s a commoner!” on the reasons no one will accept every single powerful woman in the kingdom being in love with him. Of course, this assumes that the ceremony actually happens…

This series has been hammering home for over ten volumes the fact that Allen’s achievements in this current time are comparable to Allen the Shooting Star, the legendary man from the past whose name he shares. It hasn’t remotely been subtle. As a result, the fact that “Allen’s backstory is more than it seems” is not exactly a spoiler. What’s more, given that we’ve seen any number of formerly good people turned to the forces of evil in this series, including Allen’s best friend, it’s also not that much of a surprise who Allen faces off with near the end of this volume, even if they seen to be an amalgamation with a traitorous noble. Allen the Shooting Star was always destined to meet his Successor, Allen the Head Patter. Unfortunately, the meeting is not really all that much, mostly as it’s a fight because we’re at the point in the book where extended backstory is cut short, but also because another blast from the past shows up.

Leaving aside surprise evil dead sisters, the big surprise here is that Lydia takes a near-fatal wound, and appears to be at death’s door as the volume ends. I’ve always been fairly cynical about this author, so I don’t think there’s any question that Lydia is not going to die from this, but if she did, well, it’s pretty much exactly the way that everyone in the cast worried that she – or any of the other girls in love with Allen – would go, sacrificing herself to save his life. I expect she’ll be sitting the next book or two out, and while I’d love to see Allen go completely feral like she did when she thought he was dead, we know that’s not happening. The author likes to keep the harem balanced, but Tina throws the scales off too much, so sometimes she’s just written out for a bit. With that, let’s see, who’s on the cover of Book 20…

Yeah, there we go. Tina is, alas, still acting pretty immaturely, which may be one reason why she’s not only not #1 in the rankings (Lydia), but not even #2 (Stella). Now she has a book to do something about that. Let’s see what happens. Or maybe… maybe Lydia really IS dead!

(Nah.)

Bookshelf Briefs 2/22/26

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A Bride’s Story, Vol. 15 | By Kaoru Mori | Yen Press – Last time I said it would be another year until 15, and it turned out to be more than two. Still, it was worth the wait. The bulk of this book is set in England, as Smith takes Talas home to get approval for the family… which goes about as well as you’d expect, though it helps that Smith is already considered eccentric even within his family. Still, she gets to see nice horses, and gets to keep sheep, which helps to brighten her up a bit. The back half of the book concerns a young man rumored to “have a lot of money,” which irritates the childhood friend who was interested in him before but now he’s nouveau riche. As it turns out, rumors are mostly just rumors. This remains an absolutely stellar work that everyone should be reading. – Sean Gaffney

A Curtain Call for You, Vol. 1 | By Shiho Satou | Kodansha Manga – What starts with an introvert’s worst nightmare (the extroverted kid finds their secret notebook and reads it) turns into a manga that was indeed written for me, as it turns out this extrovert wants to start a drama club and she’s found a writer. This is a yuri manga, apparently, but I’m more interested in the growth of the two leads, as Sakura’s observational skills and talent help her to assert herself and Tsubame’s over the top exterior hides a lot of doubt and pain. I also really liked the third member of the cast, an actress who’s also at their school who shows off that she’s already figured out what our two leads are struggling to find. All this plus some really good scenes showing off the joys of writing and acting a new play. I definitely recommend this. – Sean Gaffney

I Don’t Know Which Is Love, Vol. 4 | By Tamamushi Oku | Yen Press – Mei knows, deep down, that it’s wrong of her to be falling for every woman she meets, and that she really needs to take a stand and ask one of them to go out with her. It’s kind of a shame that she chooses the one who’s most likely to be macking on someone else when that confession happens. Aside from that, this series knows what its lane is and sticks to it, as we see lots of the main cast almost snapping and banging Mei like a drum, but holding themselves back… or, in the case of her teacher, literally passing out before she can do anything. Mei may not know why her true love is, but everyone else can tell that these girls all love Mei and it’s really obvious. Which can be a problem if you’re a teacher, or a model, or a wannabe actress. Horny fun. – Sean Gaffney

Gabriel Dropout, Vol. 15 | By Ukami | Yen Press – For those who (like me) read this manga mostly for the yuri tease between Satanya and Raphael, rest assured there is a wonderful amusement park date here that is not really a date but yes it is. For those who are wondering if the manga will be coming to an end soon, probably not, but there are a few scenes showing Vigne struggling to figure out what to do after graduation, mostly as she realizes it might involve not being in Gabriel’s orbit forever. And we also find out that Raphael is only a sadist when the other person hates it—she’d be a bad dom for real. (As if we couldn’t guess that.) And we see that the teachers really do care about their students, or at least about Satanya not sounding like a chuuni all the time. Very fun, very gay. – Sean Gaffney

Kageki Shojo!!, Vol. 15 | By Kumiko Saiki | Seven Seas – There’s an ominous suggestion that Sarasa’s personal life and parents may blow up in the press, but that’s a problem for future books, as this one is centered around a fictional musical they’re doing (as in, not like Rose of Versailles), which is called Rippling, and is a time-travel romance. Sarasa isn’t the lead, but she is second lead among the ‘male parts,’ and gets to be the big love rival. For Sarasa in particular it solicits a big change in her appearance that stuns everyone. Ai *is* the lead, and the back half of the book shows us the actual storyline, which is actually a lot of fun, and I can see why it’s a hit in the Kageki Shojo!! world. This is coming to a climax soon, and I can’t wait to see where it goes. (I wish it had a soundtrack, but let’s face it, it could never measure up.) – Sean Gaffney

Maid to Skate | By Suzushiro | Viz Media – If you picked this up knowing its origins as a Twitter artist who loved to draw skateboarding maids and wondered if they would create a compelling story to go with it, you may as well put it down right now. This is not the manga for you. If, however, you know of its origins and wondered “I wonder if there will be more cool pictures of skating maids,” then good news, there are indeed! Just as May I Ask for One Final Thing? turned out to pretty much be “she punched evil nobles,” this title is pretty much “the maid skates really good.” There’s even a really fantastic action sequence involving a cat, a baby carriage, and several jumps. But yeah, the worldbuilding in this book is basically “maids skate here,” and that’s about it. But oh man, the aesthetic is worth it. – Sean Gaffney

Rainbows After Storms, Vol. 7 | By Luka Kobachi | Viz Media – After the lead couple have had their big fight and resolved everything, it’s time to resolve the other big outstanding subplot, and that’s Mai’s one-sided love. As you’d expect, she loves Nanoha but doesn’t want to break up a couple so is content to bury her feelings forever (and rejoin the basketball team). Chidori’s not having that, and urges her to confess and get rejected because in the end she’ll regret it less. Which is true. So she does, and she is. But hey, maybe she can find a second love with the manager of the basketball team. As for Nanoha and Chidori, they worry they’re too obvious, so dial it back at school—well, try to. Nanoha’s a bit bad at that. We even get the return of “we’re dating, but it’s a secret.” We know. Everyone knows. – Sean Gaffney

This Monster Wants to Eat Me, Vol. 5 | By Sai Naekawa | Yen Press – The anime has aired since the fourth volume came out seven months ago, and so I was a bit spoiled as to what was going to happen. But yeah, there are plot guns being fired here, as we finally get the skinny on the whole “you’re just so tasty and I can’t wait to eat you” from Shiori, and while the first part may be true in general the second part is absolutely not. More to the point, Miko is really standing out as the only sensible person in a manga filled with people making bad decisions. That said, Hinako is the one suffering the most here, and we get one of the best partial title drops I’ve ever seen in a manga. Unfortunately, I get the feeling this may tip the suicide ideation over into actual suicide. We’ll see next time, but boy this is well-written and dark. – Sean Gaffney

A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life, Vol. 14

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By Yuu Tanaka and Nardack. Released in Japan as “Deokure Tamer no Sono Higurashi” by GC Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by A.M. Cola.

Another day, another attempt to squeeze 500 words out of “Yuto sure is a main character”. I’ve even compared it to Bofuri before, but the obvious comparison comes up again here. The designers of the game suddenly find that Yuto has done several random things that, when taken together, accidentally open up a boss battle well before they’re ready for it, so they have to make the boss more powerful, then they have to also give the players an out so that they don’t get too discouraged. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the help they give, and where the event takes place, and the connection means that guess who saves the day and gets the biggest bonus? Honestly, it’s a good thing that everyone adores Silver-Haired (some a bit too much), because they’re right, this game’s balance is always in danger of collapsing. Sorry about your daughter, my technician guy, it’s probably doomed. On the bright side, Yuto isn’t eating poison… yet. And romance is unlikely to be even one-sided here.

Yuto has always done things his own way, sometimes deciding to just relax and take it easy, so it should not be a surprise that he finds an area where he can literally weaponize being “chill”. (Later, he finds another one for being “rowdy”, with opposite yet comparable skill sets.) This allows him to do what he does best, which is make friends with NPCs, do things that make you smile, and then suddenly find he’s actually unlocked the key to the universe again. Then he’s asked by his friend Hamakaze (who seems like the sort of person who’s an overly stressed class president in the real world) to help her defeat some yokai… which ends up getting him more cute monsters. That he can play with in his new additions to his house, or take out on monster hunting quests, or break Alyssa’s mind again.

I do appreciate how we get the standard Alyssa breakdown here, but we’re also dragging in her co-worker… whose name, possibly deliberately, is Maple. It doesn’t matter who he tells, because he lacks the gamer common sense that everyone else has. This actually leads to the funniest joke in the book, where, during the final boss battle, he sees some of his weirder friends going all out, and asks Hamakaze if the more eccentric players are more powerful. She stares at him like he’s in The Office, and I get it. Yuto being oblivious to his own eccentricity is great. But it also underscores the other point of this series (and Bofuri), which is that there’s no way to play a game wrong. Just do what you want to do. Well, provided the designers agree with you. We do see in this volume that the folks who invented a game to be the complete opposite of this one bombed badly.

This series is in no danger of ending, and in no danger of having character development I could talk about. It is what it is. Relaxing fun.

Lady Bumpkin and Her Lord Villain, Vol. 6

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By Ageha Sakura and Kurodeko. Released in Japan as “Imokusa Reijou desu ga Akuyaku Reisoku wo Tasuketara Kiniiraremashita” by Overlap Novels f. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Vasileios Mousikidis.

This series continues to be pleasant. It has a nice cast, and after the drama of the last book, I was expecting a more lackadaisical one. That said, I’m starting to feel like Agnes does through most of this volume. I wish that the book would stop coddling me and actually go places. It’s been very clear for a while now that the author’s idea for the way the series goes began and ended with the first book. This is quite common with light novels, where the publisher says “It sold, write more”, and the author says “more what?”. I was wondering if the series might end with Agnes giving birth to her child, but no, that’s the beginning of this book, and it ends up going so smoothly and easily even Agnes is surprised. Worst of all, the author is aware that there is a certain lack of conflict in this volume, and brings back the series’ worst villain, Robin. Who is still the worst.

Six volumes in and we’re no closer to figuring out why the cover art always has a little chibi-Agnes floating around. I had wondered if it might be their future child, but no, Agnes gives birth to a healthy baby boy, named Solis. What’s more, not only does he have rare soil magic, but he’s seemingly been able to use it from inside the womb, as it turns out that was the reason behind Agnes’ magic soil powers in the last volume. That’s not to say she doesn’t do a lot of Cool Magic Tricks here, including essentially putting up a dome to protect the entire estate from a nasty storm. Unfortunately, Robin has escaped from his light novel stereotypes prison, and is helped out by an apathetic, aggrieved man from another country. They’re supposed to flee to that country, but Robin can’t help going to Sutrena to try to make Nazel’s life miserable.

To get the bad stuff out of the way, I hate Robin. I know that’s deliberate, but I hate how he’s written too. It’s interesting that one of the funnier things in the book was how Agnes got Robin to stop being obsessed with her – she put her old pancake makeup from Lady Bumpkin days back on. But yeah, Robin is stupid, arrogant, and terrible, and him being put back in prison also means we get a lot more “hah, it’s funny because prisons have lots of gay rape!” bits. On the bright side, I quite liked the aggreived foreign aide, who seems to realize that he’s on a mission where everyone will abandon him when it goes wrong, and when it does, he’s absolutely right. Fortunately, he’s in this series, so it turns out his magic is far more amazing than he expected. Also, because he’s in this series, Agnes wins him over with the sheer power of niceness, though he doesn’t fall for her.

So yeah, I’m basically reading this series on inertia, but I still want to read more, unlike her other JNC series I dropped recently. And we may get another child soon, if Nazel’s behavior at the end of this volume means anything. For fans of series with chibi-versions of the protagonist floating in the air for no reason.

Mercedes and the Waning Moon: The Dungeoneering Feats of a Discarded Vampire Aristocrat, Vol. 4

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By Fire head and KeG. Released in Japan as “Kaketa Tsuki no Mercedes: Kyūketsuki no Kizoku ni Tensei Shita kedo Suteraresō nanode Dungeon wo Seiha suru” by TO Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Maddy Willette.

I do love it when a character I 100% vibe with arrives on the scene. I love, as I have said in a few reviews before, incredibly strong, powerful women who are also dumb as a bag of hammers. It just tickles me. And we get that in spades here with Julia, a vampire who’s on the side of the bad guys and actually forces Mercedes to try. See, she’s not only strong, but it seems to be entirely instinctual – she hasn’t been taught anything, but when she sees a move she’s able to work out counters and the like just on her own. And she’s also the funny kind of dumb, which is important. She will fall for them pretending to be on her side and spill all sorts of secrets. The big bad, when their plans inevitably go south, assumes it’s her fault simply because she causes chaos wherever she is. I was so happy she wasn’t killed off.

Things are going pretty well for Mercedes, though she’s still struggling with the whole succession thing. Unfortunately, Sieglinde may be the official princess, but the country does not really want her to rule, especially since the empire next door were all misandrists. So she’s got to get married, and the person who marries her will have all the power. Then Mercedes gets a visit from a guy named Basil, who she notes looks exactly like a typical anime bad guy (he looks a lot like Gin from Bleach, in fact). Basil says that there is, in fact, another royal with a claim to the throne – and he has a dungeon. Sure, he’s a naive ten-year-old who is clearly being set up as a puppet king, but that’s irrelevant – he has a dungeon, and he’s male. How are they going to handle this?

As it turns out, the backstory that led to all this turns out to be rather convoluted, especially since it means that there’s another person with a connection to the royal family. My favorite part of the book was possibly Mercedes’ unreliable narrator moment. To be fair, it’s not without signposts – there are several points where she notes that she’s being too kind or too soft, and we think “wait, back up, Mercedes? Too soft?”. But her father clocks her right away, and instantly lays out her entire thought pattern in three paragraphs. It’s very clear that whenever this series ends (I’m estimating 1 or 2 more books), it’s going to end with Mercedes battling her father for supremacy. In the meantime, congratulations to the country, which now has its royal who can be king, and he’s at least semi-competent. Oh yes, and the little boy who was being manipulated is not killed but put in prison instead. I’m sure that will be FINE.

The 5th volume is not out yet, so get ready to wait. This is a decent little OP cynical vampire series, even if I could have done without hearing about how vampire’s breasts never sag because of their eternal youth (or, in the case of Mercedes, eternal tweenhood).

Manga the Week of 2/25/26

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SEAN: As February draws to a close, what manga does it bring us?

ASH: Let’s find out!

SEAN: Yen Press debuts Dungeons That Surely Slaughter Adventurers (Boukensha Zettai Korosu Dungeon), a Web Comic Apanda title from the creator of Voynich Hotel. Two people reincarnated as dungeon staff are annoyed that everyone else got to be reincarnated as adventurers… so they make the dungeons even harder, to kill them all!

ASH: I remember enjoying Voynich Hotel and as far as reincarnation premises go, I am amused by this one.

SEAN: The Fake Alchemist (Nisemono no Renkinjutsushi) is a Kadocomi title about a guy trying to get by after being isekai’d by being an alchemist… but he’s cheating!

ASH: That usually leads to trouble.

SEAN: The Idol’s Escape (Idol Escape) is a 2-in-1 omnibus with the entire series, which ran in Comic Beam. A gay man who wishes he could be as put together as his favorite idol winds up helping her escape from an abusive producer.

ASH: I wish them both the best!

SEAN: Keyaki Shopping District’s Sakura Bathhouse (Keyaki Shoutengai Sakura no Yu) is a BL title from Gene Pixiv. An outgoing high schooler accidentally injures a tough guy, and says he’ll do anything to make up for it. Now he’s… working at a bathhouse?

ASH: Hmmm.

SEAN: Mad Miniscape is Dengeki Maoh title. A girl lives in an apartment with her childhood friend… who is dead. And evil. And wants to take her life. But as long as he’s THERE, that’s fine.

ASH: We all have our issues to deal with.

SEAN: Once Upon a Witch’s Death: The Tale of the One Thousand Tears of Joy (Aru Majo ga Shinu made: Owari no Kotoba to Hajimari no Namida) is the manga adaptation of the light novel Yen also puts out, which also has a recent anime. Meg Raspberry may be cursed to have a year to live, but she won’t let that stop her living a full life! This runs in Dengeki Comic Regulus.

[OSHI NO KO] TV Anime 1st Season Official Guidebook: First Report is exactly what it sounds like.

Also out next week from Yen Press: Almark 2, April Showers Bring May Flowers 4, The Beginning After the End 10, Brunhild the Dragonslayer 4 (the final volume), Bungo Stray Dogs: The Official Comic Anthology 5, Cheeky Brat 16, D.N.Angel New Edition 2, Daughter of the Emperor 13 (the final volume?), The Ephemeral Scenes of Setsuna’s Journey 2, The Failure at God School 3, Futari Switch 2, I’m a Behemoth, an S-Ranked Monster, but Mistaken for a Cat, I Live as an Elf Girl’s Pet 12, Imitation 8, In Another World, My Sister Stole My Name 4, In the Land of Leadale 7, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria 27, Konosuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! 20, Laid-Back Camp 17, The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady 7, Mechanical Marie 2, Murciélago 26, Nomi x Shiba 3, Please Put Them On, Takamine-san 10, The Shiunji Family Children 5, Shy 12, Slasher Maidens 13, Spring Storm and Monster 5, The War of Greedy Witches 4, The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat 8, and Übel Blatt Deluxe Edition 5.

ANNA: Could that be….too much manga????

ASH: I had to scroll much longer than I was anticipating.

SEAN: Viz Media has Cosmos 4 and Insomniacs After School 13.

Udon Entertainment supposedly has Vol. 3 and 4 of Veil. Take that with a grain of salt.

ANNA: I want to believe!!!!

ASH: It would be great to see!

SEAN: Tokyopop has the 4th volume of We Can’t Do Just Plain Love.

Steamship has His Sensual Whisper: The Voice That Sets Me On Fire 2 and Winter Wolf 2.

Square Enix Manga debuts My Favorite VTuber Is Scary IRL (Haitatsusaki no Onee-san ga Kowasugiru), a classic “shy boy meets the girl of his dreams” manga. It’s on Gangan Online.

Seven Seas has one danmei, Mistakenly Saving the Villain 3.

They also debut Kitayama and Minamiya (Kitayama-kun to Minamiya-kun), a spicy BL comedy about a guy who can always picture what someone looks like when they’re aroused… except this one guy. It runs, appropriately, in Splush.

MICHELLE: Snerk. Wow.

ANNA: What a terrible problem to have!

ASH: It does seem like that could lead to trouble.

SEAN: A Prince of a Friend (Ouji-sama no Tomodachi) is a shonen title from Dra Dra Sharp #. Rui is tired of every girl he likes confessing to his best friend… who is gorgeous, and the school prince. So she offers to teach him the ways of love.

Wait, I Love You (Matte, Suki), which runs in Byou de Wakaru BL, is about an actor and his stylist boyfriend trying to make things work despite their busy careers.

MICHELLE: Potentially interesting!

ANNA: Yeah!

SEAN: Seven Seas also has Cupid is Struck by Lightning 2 (the final volume), The Dangers in My Heart 12, How Do I Turn My Best Friend Into My Girlfriend? 5 (the final volume), Ichi the Killer Omnibus 3, Karate Survivor in Another World 9, Monster Musume: Deluxe Edition 2, My Girlfriend’s Not Here Today 6, Mysterious Disappearances 8, Now That We Draw 4, and Yes, No, or Maybe? 3.

One Peace Books has Detectives These Days Are Crazy 3 and Hero Without a Class 5.

Kodansha Manga has Blue Lock Omnibus 1, which has the first three volumes of this popular soccer series.

ASH: It’s probably time I get around to reading this.

SEAN: GALAXIAS is a Weekly Shonen Magazine title about a girl who finds she knows nothing about this world that her father has kept from her, so sets out on a journey of discovery.

Hitting Rewind With You (Okuremashite Seishun) is a shoujo manga from Dessert. A girl who’s been too busy grinding grades to date decides to go out on Halloween in her old high school uniform… and runs into a handsome high schooler! Only… he’s in college too?!

MICHELLE: I might go for this one!

ANNA: Me too!

SEAN: Also in print: A Curtain Call for You 2, The Darwin Incident 9, I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day 7, Nina the Starry Bride 14, Rent-a-Girlfriend 35, and You Can’t Bluff the Sharp-Eyed Sister 3.

ANNA: I need to get caught up on Nina the Starry Bride, I do enjoy it.

ASH: I still need to start it. I’m so far behind on so many things.

SEAN: In digital: Am I Actually the Strongest? 16, Fungus and Iron 8, Love, That’s an Understatement 7, Saving Sweets for After-Hours 5 (the final volume), WIND BREAKER 22, and Ya Boy Kongming! 22.

J-Novel Club has one print debut, the manga version of My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World. It runs in Kadocomi.

No digital debuts for J-Novel Club. For light novels, they have Cooking with Wild Game 32, Guild Handyman? More like Mastermind! 2, Haibara’s Teenage New Game+ 9, An Introvert’s Hookup Hiccups 12, Knock Yourself Out! The Goddess Beat the Final Boss in the Tutorial, So Now I’m Free to Do Whatever 3, The Misfit of Demon King Academy 11, One Last Hurrah! The Grayed Heroes Explore a Vivid Future 2, and Revenge of the Soul Eater 4.

For manga, there is I Want to Escape from Princess Lessons 6, Imperial Reincarnation 3, The Invincible Summoner Who Crawled Up from Level 1 6, Looks Like a Job for a Maid! 3, My Death-Defying Dog 2, and A Wild Last Boss Appeared! 9.

Hanashi Media has I’m Just a Villager, So What? 3 and Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy 13.

Ghost Ship has a 2nd volume of Virgin Knight: I Became the Frontier Lord in a World Ruled by Women.

Dark Horse Manga debuts Cyberpunk: Edgerunners MADNESS, a spinoff title featuring Pilar and Rebecca that runs in Comic Alive +.

Cross Infinite World has two debuts. Goodbye, Horrible Fiancé, Hello, Fun Magic School Life! (Konyakusha wo Sutetara, Tanoshii Mahou Gakkou no Seikatsu ga Matteimashita) is the first, where after a broken engagement a noblewoman tries enrolling in the obligatory magic academy.

Strawberry Princess: The Time Loop Defying Villainess (Shiitagerareta Maihime wa Seijo no Loop ni Ichigo de Aragau) is a one-shot light novel about an abused princess who’s time-looping… but it’s not her doing it, it’s her evil half-sister trying to get the perfect man! And now she’s set her sights on our heroine’s fiancé! Wait, what do strawberries have to do with this?

ANNA: This sounds very complex.

SEAN: We also see If the Heroine Wants My Fiancé, I’ll Marry a Yandere Villain Instead! 2.

Airship debuts in print I Like Villains, so I Reincarnated as One (Akuyaku Suki no Ore, Oshi Character ni Tensei: Game Joban ni Shujinkou ni Korosareru Oshi ni Tenseishita node, Ore dake Shitteru Game Chishiki de Hametsu Flag wo Tsubushitara Akuyaku-tachi no Teiou ni Natteta Ken). It’s another “guy reincarnated into his favorite game as the pathetic villain who dies” story, and you know he’s not going to take that lying down.

ANNA: Maybe they should make one where he does take it lying down, for variety!

SEAN: Also in print: Mushoku Tensei: Redundant Reincarnation 3.

The digital debut is My Girlfriend Cheated on Me, and Now My Flirty Underclassman Won’t Leave Me Alone (Kanojo ni Uwakisareteita Ore ga, Koakuma na Kouhai ni Natsukareteimasu), whose title is the plot.

There’s also The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain 7.

Is there something here that will entertain you?

True Love Fades Away When the Contract Ends: The Secret of the Rose

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By Kosuzu Kobato and Fumi Takamura. Released in Japan as “Unmei no Koibito wa Kigen Tsuki” by Maple Novels. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Sarah Moon. Adapted by Max Machiavelli.

There’s not actually any art forgery in this book – all the paintings that Fiona gushes over throughout the book seem to be genuine. This is probably because the mastermind behind everything is behind bars – note that I did not say safely behind bars. A novel needs a climax, after all. This allows the book to delve deeply into the other outstanding plotline, which is Fiona and Giles’ fake relationship. Both really don’t want to break it off, but know they have to. Well, Fiona knows she has to. Giles has an epiphany in this volume, and suddenly is finding that he’s absolutely not in favor of that anymore. Unfortunately, he’s still an earl and she’s still the daughter of a baron, so there are issues. What’s more, her father is unhappy with the idea. And this book sees her uncle returning to town, and Fiona just loves him. (No, not that way.) That said, we may be more familiar with him than we thought…

After the events of the last book, Gordon has been taken into custody, which means that Fiona can finally go home and stop imposing on the Heywards. (She is the only one who thinks it is imposing.) As it happens, she gets home just in time, as her uncle Reginald has returned from abroad, and he’s brought paintings to sell. In fact, they’re paintings from the famous Raymond, which is even bigger news. Reginald, however, does not like Giles at all. He knows Fiona wants to be independent, and having her as the plaything of an earl is the last thing that’s good for her. Unfortunately for Reginald, Fiona is not the only one unaware she’s fallen in love – Giles is as well, or was, until Reginald makes him realize that he is. Things will all come to a head at the grand ball which is supposed to be their final one as a couple…

As noted, 4/5 of this book is a romance. Reginald doesn’t like Giles, but he quickly realizes that Giles is not a manipulative bastard and just settles for glaring at him a lot. There is, though, the last fifth of the book, where you realize that both of the main antagonists of the series aren’t dead, and so of course bad things can still happen to Fiona, who has a kind heart even when facing off against a broken woman calling her a whore. Sadly for Caroline, who has spent her entire life planning to be Giles’ wife, reality is not kind to her. I’m frankly stunned by her fate in this book, which is more than she deserves, as everyone else points out. As for Gordon, well, guess what, they never found the body, so I guess we’ll see him again in Book 4. At least he gave us some good royal backstory and angst.

The webnovel is done, with enough material to finish with Book 4. When the published book will be out in Japan is beyond my predictions. Till then, if you like romance and nobles and art, this is still a very good sampling of all of those.

The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold to Another Kingdom, Vol. 5

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By Fuyutsuki Koki and Masami. Released in Japan as “Kanpeki Sugite Kawaige ga Nai to Konyaku Haki Sareta Seijo wa Ringoku ni Urareru” by Overlap Novels f. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Amelia Mason. Adapted by Shaenon K. Garrity.

I always enjoy it when a series that has long since evolved away from its title decides to backtrack and remind us of it. Sure, we remember the “tossed aside’ part, mostly as her fiance is such a clown, but it’s easy to forget the ‘sold’ part, especially because she was sold for a lot of money – money that had to come from somewhere. It’s never really come up since then, mostly as the purchase of Philia as the Saint turned out to be the best one they’ve ever made, but it does make you wonder where the money to pay for her came from. As it turns out, their world is not all that different from our own, and it turns out that a lot of the money came from grants being given to various research and development facilities around the kingdom. Which can be a problem if some of those researchers are, shall we say, a bit obsessed.

Having finally wrapped up the wedding (and sent Mia home, so alas she is not in this book), Philia and Osvalt are finally ready to embark on their honeymoon… but Philia is still Philia, which means their honeymoon involves a lot of research. She’s touring the ruins of the country to try and figure out if there’s a way to stop the magic fluctuations in the volcanic area so that they can get more flowers. While there, unfortunately, they come across what seems to be an attempted break-in… and then, at another site, they catch those responsible. The main culprit is a merchant named Harry, who smiles but seems to lie as easily as he breathes, has been selling arms to the country just in case of foreign invasion, and has a far closer connection to Philia… or rather, Philia’s attendants… than anyone realizes.

Leaving aside the spoilery relationship that makes up the bulk of the last half of the book, it is entertaining seeing Philia actually coming to terms with herself as an emotional being. Getting married seems to have freed up her body to actually do things like smile and cry, and I don’t think she’s come to terms with it yet… nor has she come to terms with losing somebody near and dear to her, which we come close to this time around. She’s mirrored by Osvalt, who his brother doesn’t trust to deal with tense political situations because he’s too empathetic, but he ends up doing really well here, showing off that empathy can also be “really good at reading people”, which is actually quite handy for political situations. Lastly, a brief wish: I really hope we’re not suggesting Grace will marry Reichardt when she grows up. I like her as the little sister of the group, and hope she stays in that role.

That said, if she keeps saying things like “I’ve never seen a magic tool that large before”, I may have to reconsider. Oooooh, Matron!

The Isle of Paramounts: Reborn into a Slow Life Among the Strongest in the World, Vol. 2

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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.

The general theme of this book seems to be that everyone has a certain amount of stress in their lives, and that the best way to get rid of it is to totally relax in a place where your work can’t get to you. The two mages who were sent to check on Reina, and don’t really like her much, by the end of the book are just another part of the extended family being built up here. Of course, it helps when everyone on the island is so ludicrously powerful that there’s no point in stressing – you’ll just die if you don’t relax. Above everyone else is Arata, who gets annoyed every time someone implies he’s not human but by the end of the book is starting to get why they say it. As far as we can tell so far, he’s literally omnipotent. Even the vampire, who is able to take anyone else out no trouble, has issues dealing with him. He is OP Guy personified.

Arata and Reina have gotten completely settled in on this island (and are essentially acting like husband and wife, though his cluelessness and her shyness means they’re not really going much further than “we’re really good friends”). They’re also getting new visitors: as I noted above, two of Reina’s fellow mages wind up washed ashore on the island, and are quickly forced to get used to what life is like here. (Notably, they both specialize in an element and are jealous Reina can use all of them, while she’s jealous they’re really strong in one of them, calling herself a jack-of-all-trades.) We also meet the ancient dragons and ogres… or at least their teenage versions, who are fighting for supremacy but refuse to let Tailtiu join… not because she’s a girl, but because she’s too strong.

There’s a glorious scene midway through the book where, I thought at first, Arata had been yeeted to a completely different light novel to solve their problem and then yeeted right back. As it turns out that’s not true – while the Saint and the Hero were trying to summon someone to solve their problem, they exist in this world as well, and as it turns out Arata can solve the killer dragon problem but can’t help with church politics. I get the feeling we’ll see them again. I’m also not sure if this series is going to go polyamory, and if it does how many wives Arata will get. Reina is a given, of course, but Tailtiu, who is currently in the “little sister” role, does not look as if she’s prepared to stay there, especially as, once again, Arata solves all her personal issues by punching a few people till they understand. That said, give his “no, no, mustn’t have sexual thoughts about anybody” attitude, I doubt I need to worry for a while.

This is sort of a slow life series, even if the life is hanging around on what is basically the island where the gods live. I enjoy it.

Royal Spirits Are a Royal Pain! Give Me a Regular Romance, Vol. 2

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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.

Last time I described the events in this series as being “a political hotbed”, and if anything I feel bad now for underselling it. I joked online that TO Books waylaid JNC after it had licensed Trials and Tribulations of My Next Life as a Noblewoman and sold them this series, like Sheldon Leonard’s tout trying to sell Jack Benny a horse. (Never let it be said I don’t provide modern references for the youth of today.) This book starts out with Deirdre and company getting involved in major rivalries, then moves to finding out that half those rivalries were not what they were told about at all, and ends in… well, I’ll talk about the last quarter or so of the book later. It’s absolute dynamite, though. The writer knows that light novels are drenched with 6-year-olds who talk like they’re middle-aged women, and so decides to weaponize it, with everyone not in her family seeing Deirdre as a terrifying creature.

Deirdre is six years old now, meaning her parents are finally letting her out of the house so that she can have destined encounters with dusky pretty boys… destined encounters that she totally ignores, of course. She’s also going around to various domains and trying to patch things up between the rulers and the royal spirits, who have made it perfectly clear that if they have to choose between destroying the entire nation and Deirdre, the nation will lose. Unfortunately, things are still very bad with the Empress and her family. What’s more, the faction that was supposedly opposing our heroine and her family… may not be after all? It turns out there’s another family in this race behind the scenes manipulating things. Oh, and there’s also an Evil Religion. It *is* a reincarnation book, after all.

Let’s talk about the last quarter of this book, which is when I started to compare it to T&T. It certainly racked up a hefty body count, and not the bodies that I was expecting. I had wondered whatever happened to the magical Wikipedia that Deirdre used in the first book, but it comes back with a vengeance here, as it’s a great way to summarize all of the backstabbing and manipulation that’s been happening to either keep the empress on the throne or get her off of it. Even Andrew, the closest thing in the Royal Family they have to an ally, doesn’t fully trust Deirdre and her family as they’re simply too powerful, too eccentric, and do not remotely care about power or the throne. Deirdre is here as a spirit guide. That said, she is quietly amassing a badass group of young girls who will presumably grow up to be a badass group of young women. Assuming they get to grow up.

The epilogue of this book shows us Deirdre about to turn ten, and I am assuming by the cover of the third book we’re headed off to the academy that always happens in these sorts of books. That said, I’m sure politics will not go away. Also, the thirteenth volume that just came out in Japan is the final one, so while we have a long way to go there’s at least an end point.

Once Upon a Witch’s Death: Celebration Rings Over Crystal Waters

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By Saka and Chorefuji. Released in Japan as “Aru Majo ga Shinu Made: Aokiumi ni Shukufuku no Kane wa Narihibiku” by DENGEKI no Shin Bungei. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Megan Turner.

When I reviewed the first book in this series, it was the only book in this series, and I wondered in the review if there would be any more of it. Since then, of course, we’ve had three more volumes (the fourth of which seems to be the final one). And an anime, which was not particularly popular here but was well received by the few who watched it. Fortunately, almost two years later, we finally have the second volume, with the third scheduled for the summer. Of course, I watched the anime as well, which leads to the problem that I broke one of my rules, which is “try not to watch an anime that passes where you’ve read”. This second volume contains the bulk of the back half of the anime, so folks who watched it know what’s going to happen. Fortunately, the story is still well-told, and honestly, we read this for Meg being a freakish gremlin in any case.

While technically not a short story volume, this book can be rather neatly divided into four sections. 1) Meg goes with Faust and Sophie to a giant witch convention that only happens every twenty years, and while there runs into a young girl who seems to be lost and also is more than she seems… and also a terrifying witch who has another bad prophecy for Meg. 2) Meg notices that a young girl… and later, her mother… have a dark mark on their necks that no one else can see. Faust says it’s a sign they’re going to be a sacrifice to Satan, and warns Meg not to get involved. Meg gets involved. 3) The huge tree in the town is overfloweing with magic and needs to be destroyed… but Meg has made friends with the spirit inside the tree, who is also getting corrupted. 4) After the events of Story 3, Meg has a broken leg, and goes to the city of Aquamarine to get treatment from a powerful medical witch. While there, she also learns about her past.

The first book was there to introduce us to Meg as a goofy little ball of energy who talks and acts like a dirty old man, has a big heart full of compassion, and seems to think she’s just an ordinary minor apprentice to a witch. This second volume is here to remind you that her master is possibly the second most powerful witch in the world, she’s best friends with the third most powerful, wants to intern with the fourth most powerful, and also is habitually achieving the impossible seemingly every single day, especially in the back half of the book. We see Meg basically invent her own magic here, twice, and most of it has to do with the fact that society has tried to math up magic to the point where it’s forgotten about the feelings. Since Meg is zero logic and all feelings, it’s no wonder she’s destroying all the common sense laws of how to cast spells.

This reads breezily, has a great main character voice, and some surprisingly dark horror within its pages. it’s a winner. Also, you can sing the title to the opening line of Secret Love by Doris Day.