mythical hero's otherworld chronicles

By Tatematsuri and Ruria Miyuki. Released in Japan as “Shinwa Densetsu no Eiyū Isekai Tan” by Overlap Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by James Whittaker.

This book takes its isekai and fantasy world tropes seriously. That is its best feature, but also one of its major flaws. It’s refreshing to read a straightforward military fantasy book – as I’ve noted, there’s a lot of Altina the Sword Princess in this, but it feels even more serious than that series did – and Hiro, now with his memories returned, makes a clever and overpowered protagonist who nevertheless does not need to worry about MP expense as he plans his next moves. The flaw is that this also does not really take into account the subversions that we English-speaking readers would really prefer that it did. There are slaves in this book, who are abused, conscripted, and massacred, and they are there to be mooks and nothing more. Only one of them has a name, and she turns out to be the daughter of a village chief. As for discussion of whether slavery is bad, it’s left to a “demon” character to free her. Not happy with that.

After the events of the previous book, Regis… erm, sorry, Hiro… is called to the capital, there to prove the rumors about his lineage and to get a reward. Of course, what this means in reality is that he’s now embroiled in royal politics, and all the nobles are looking at him as if he has a “50% off” sign around his neck. Fortunately, Hiro proves to be very good at judging people’s true intentions… though that doesn’t mean that he still can’t be dragged along as part of someone else’s plan, especially when they’re related to a certain red-haired princess. After this, there’s still a battle to be fought and won, and Hiro gets to prove that he’s just as able as a military tactician as he is at political maneuvering. All that said, the addition of a zlosta warrior to the enemy ranks will prove more difficult.

The cover art of the first three books very much shows this is going to be a “new girl every volume” sort of series, and indeed Liz sits out most of the first half of this book. Instead we get Hiro bonding with Aura, which I honestly preferred, mostly as they vibe with each other straight away – he even alludes to his actual identity in such a way that she can’t help but understand. We also get Rosa introduced to us, who I hope is there to show that, after the events of Book One, this will not have Hiro’s Sexual Adventures as part of the plotline – I was relieved that he rejected her incredibly forward advances. (Going to a noble party dressed in the gown we see Rosa wearing in the color pages raised both my eyebrows.) As for the rest of the book, it’s military strategy, so as usual, I have little to say.

This remains a very readable book, which is probably its best feature. If you enjoy military fantasy and royal succession drama, and don’t mind a new girl in every port, this is a series to enjoy.

By Tatematsuri and Ruria Miyuki. Released in Japan as “Shinwa Densetsu no Eiyū Isekai Tan” by Overlap Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by James Whittaker.

Sometimes you just want to get serious. Isekai titles have been around for a while now, and we’re used to seeing pastiches, parodies, and satires of the genre. Plus, of course, they’re often written like RPG games, so the writer does not have to worry about pesky things like plot or setting. But suppose you *are* a writer who likes those things? Suppose worldbuilding is your jam? And suppose that you really do take the isekai premise seriously? Well, you’d probably end up with something close to this book. The Mythical Hero’s Otherworld Chronicles is not entirely humorless (sadly, the humor is entirely the “grrr, I am jealous of our princess having no boundaries around you” sort of humor), but for the most part it’s hear to earnestly tell a story of what happens when a hero has to return to the land that he saved a thousand years later to save it again.

Three years ago, a young man named Hiro was found in his bed injured, covered in dirt, and with his hair grown long overnight. Doctors were baffled… as was Hiro, who could not remember anything. He has recently been having dreams, though, dreams where he’s a powerful swordsman in another world. No prizes for guessing that’s what happened three years ago. But then it happens again, and he ends up back in that world, now one thousand years in the future. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have any memories of his previous time there, nor does he seem to have any special powers. Fortunately, he does run across a young princess, 6th in line for the throne, who is on her way to political exile and who seems to take an instant liking to him. Is this really the same world that Hiro saved before? And can he regain his memories in time to do it again?

If you enjoyed Altina the Sword Princess but wished that Regis was an incredibly OP warrior who saved the day through battle instead of strategy, you’d have something of an idea of how this book runs. It’s a very testosterone-driven book, and it did not escape my notice that while there are two powerful young women in the book, both of them need saving by the hero. I’m hoping that’s not a habit. (There’s also an implied sex scene, but you can easily ignore that.) Liz, the princess, has absolutely no boundaries around Hiro at all, to a baffling degree – I get that she takes a shine to him immediately, but it verges on the ridiculous. And her rivals, the other princes in the throne war, seem to all come from the Sword Art Online school of “all villains must be as evil as possible, no grey areas whatsoever”, so we get them literally laying on a pile of captured nude women. As I said, testosterone driven book.

Despite this, the prose is well written, the battles are exciting, and the story makes sense. If you’re looking for a power fantasy and you’re a teenage boy, this is perfect for you. I may read another volume.