Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Sean Gaffney

Torture Princess: Fremd Torturchen, Vol. 3

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By Keishi Ayasato and Saki Ukai. Released in Japan as “Isekai Goumon Hime” by Media Factory. Released in North America Yen On. Translated by Nathaniel Hiroshi Thrasher.

Given how many of the villains were dispatched in the last book, it should come as no surprise to find that Elisabeth and Kaito finish off her task by the end of this book. The twelve villains she was ordered by the Church to destroy are, more or less, destroyed. Of course, that means that it’s her turn to be executed next. And therefore this is the final volume. Bye, everyone!… wait, no, of course it isn’t. There’s always an out, and the author is now describing the book as the end of the first arc. But what do you do when you’ve killed off the bad guys? Simple, have ma new bad guy for everyone to fear, twice as mean and terrifying, and set Elisabeth out to destroy him! Of course, there is one slight problem, which is who the villain actually is. (It should not be hard to figure this out.) It’s a very clever and also very foolish plot.

This book takes place in the capitol, and as such the cast expands greatly, though really there’s only one name we need to remember. The various knights and paladins of the church are doing their best, but in the end this is something that mercy and compassion are a bad fit for. Izabella in particular is so pure and shiny that she no doubt will be a powerful antagonist in future volumes (she’s the name to remember). In case you were worried that there would not be descriptions of horrific graphical body horror, torture and fates worse than death, fear not, they’re here in abundance – one featuring a children’s theater was particularly horrible. But then you get a fantastic line of dialogue, or an evocative description, or even just Elisabeth briefly turning into Teru from Dengeki Daisy and demanding Kaito go bald, there’s always a new element to remind you why you’re reading this series. (If you are reading this series just for the gore, good for you, and also you may want to visit some other blog.)

And then there’s Hina, who is only in one or two scenes in the book, but they’re so memorable they threaten to overshadow everything else. (That said, props to “The Butcher”, who remains ridiculous in the extreme.) Still in a coma for the majority of the book, she literally dive bombs into the final battle, declaring her love for Kaito as loud as a ball-jointed doll possibly can, and their reunion is actually really sweet. What follows is also the funniest point of the book, where Hina says she loves him even though they can’t have kids, and Elisabeth explains how they CAN have kids – even if the act she’s describing makes her blush. As I said in the other reviews, fans of Rem from Re: ZERO may as well start reading this, because you’re not getting more of her in the main series right now and this Rem actually gets the guy.

And so, at the end of the book, Elisabeth sets out to execute this new villain, Kaito and Hina are reunited and possibly making babies (though I doubt it, honestly), and Torture Princess remains a fantastic read, despite all the gore and torture. For those with strong stomachs, absolutely recommended.

Pick of the Week: Cat Feud

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MICHELLE: There is so much good stuff coming out this week! My Androgynous Boyfriend and The Carp on the Chopping Block Jumps Twice are exciting enough, and then there was the surprise (to me) of a What’s Michael? reissue. What I’ve been looking forward to the most, though, is A Man and His Cat. In these trying times, the heartwarming tale of a kitty and an old dude who find each other sounds like balm for the soul.

SEAN: I am down for A Man and His Cat to be sure, as well as My Androgynous Boyfriend, plus my usual faves like Kase-san and Hayate. But I’m going to go with the What’s Michael? reissue here, because the original is one of the most iconic cat manga out there, because Makoto Kobayashi’s art is so unique, because it’s just so dang WEIRD, and because if it does well maybe we’ll get Club 9.

KATE: I was going to suggest we title this week’s column “Cat Scratch Fever,” but I thought better of it… Emoji I will say, however, that I’m 100% on board with the MB gang’s feline-friendly picks. I’m stoked for both What’s Michael? and A Man and His Cat.

MICHELLE: The Week of the Cat?

ANNA: I’m all in favor of cat manga, but my pick this week goes to the SubLime debut Given, which features music, cute boys, and plenty of angsty emotions. What else could one want?

ASH: I am thrilled that What’s Michael? is back in print (and I’ll likely be double-dipping, despite somehow managing to pull together a complete collection of the original trade release), and I’m very excited about the debut of a new publisher and A Man and His Cat, but I’m with Anna this week in making Given my official pick. (With My Androgynous Boyfriend coming in as a close second!)

MELINDA: I’m also very interested in Given, which I’m really hoping to love, but for my official pick I gotta go cat. I missed What’s Michael? the first time around, so I’m excited about that, too, but I think my top choice has to be A Man and His Cat.

Altina the Sword Princess, Vol. 2

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By Yukiya Murasaki and himesuz. Released in Japan as “Haken no Kouki Altina” by Famitsu Bunko. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Roy Nukia.

This very much feels like the 2nd part of a two-parter, and in fact I think a re-release of the series in Japan saw these two grouped as a single novel. It picks up right where the first one left off, and sometimes that can be a problem, as Altina still has a broken arm, which makes swordfighting difficult. Unfortunately, the plot is not going to wait for her to recover. There are barbarians at the gate – literally – and Regis has to come up with a plan to solve that. The Empire has sent a couple of evil inspectors to see how things are going/sabotage Regis and Altina. What’s more, they’ve been given an impossible order, to attack one of the best defended forts in the area and emerge victorious. In other words, they’re being sent off to die. Of course, there’s an easy way to get around that. They just have to win against the impregnable fortress. Easy-peasy.

Again, the series succeeds best due to its two very likeable leads. Altina is a young, impetuous princess who nevertheless has a really good head on her shoulders, does not believe in needless killing, and knows exactly what she’s fighting for. Her speech to the soldiers as they’re about to storm the fort is fantastic, and reminds you how important the right motivation can be. As for Regis, he remains very clever and very self-deprecating – it takes moving mountains to get this man to admit that he was responsible for something good happening. He also has his amusing flaw, which is his love of books, and that leads to some excellent banter between him and Altina. They’re clearly intended to be a couple in then future, but the author has quite rightly decided not to rush things, which is fine.

There is an attempted rape in this book, from one of the evil inspectors, I will warn people. I do wish that this was not a common “show they’re evil by having them do this” plot. In addition, at the end one of the maids tries to force herself on the suddenly popular and single Regis, and that’s just as bad. Other than that, however, the book is relatively free of all the fanservice-laden exploits you might see in, oh, one of the author’s other licensed series. We also meet Eric, a young soldier who is devastatingly handsome, devastatingly earnest, and who I suspect I should be using gender-neutral pronouns in describing them, as they seem to be hiding a secret (which would be less obvious if the author hadn’t gone “did you spot that? Hmm? Hmm?” in the afterword). He makes a nice change from the rest of the soldiers, who are more like the grumpy Jerome, who seems to get constantly angry at whatever Altina and Regis do but then does it anyway.

Next time Altina will be headed back home to meet the family, and I suspect political intrigue will follow. Till then, enjoy this nice, breezy read.

Strike the Blood, Vol. 14

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By Gakuto Mikumo and Manyako. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Jeremiah Bourque.

This is definitely a stronger volume than the previous one. It starts off by slowly removing all of Kojou’s allies, which gives a nice feeling of impending doom. Asagi is supposedly helping with the rebuilding the island needs by being… a pop idol, but anyone who’s met Asagi knows this is fake. In reality, she’s being held hostage. So is Motoki, who is recovering from his grievous wounds from last time, and thus can’t put up much of a fight when he’s used in a corporate struggle. And even Yukina ends up being a liability when, due to the various events that have been happening since the start and her own superweapon, she’s now turning into a faux-Angel, just like Kanon was. Fortunately, Kojou still has his own typical battle plan, which is use his Beast Vassals, see them fail, get nearly killed, and drink someone’s blood to power up. So far it’s been a sound strategy. Of course, there’s a little catch here.

The subtitle for this volume is Golden Days, which is how Yukina views her time here with Kojou. Leaving aside her romantic feelings for him, this is the closest thing she’s ever had to a normal life, something that Sayaka and Yukina’s mentor Yukari both point out. Yukina’s past has been shown to us on occasion in bits, and we certainly have no doubt that this is true. As such, despite his good intentions, when Kojou readily accepts that, in order not to be turned into a faux-Angel, she’ll never be able to see or help him again, she is very quick to reject this. It’s a lot of good, solid scenes. As for the solution to the problem… well, it’s sort of a macguffin, really, but I suppose we could do worse. While “fiancee” may be a bit much (mostly as it would require Kojou to admit to actually having romantic feelings for a girl without another one beating him up), certainly they’re much closer after this, and Yukina can stick around.

There were a few things I wasn’t as thrilled with. As ever, Strike the Blood’s attempts at humor are terrible, and the whole “this isn’t really a pregnancy test but” joke, even with it signposted a mile away, still made me roll my eyes. Asagi’s skills are shown off here, but – as she herself is quick to point out – all she did was sit around for two weeks. I like books that are more Asagi-heavy. And of course, despite having stronger scenes in general, the overall plot of this book is remarkably similar to about five or six others in this series – I’ve joked before about it being written by an AI, and the joke still holds up. It is designed to be made into an anime. I like the characters, but, except for Yukina a bit here, they simply don’t have the depth to elevate this series above “satisfactory”.

Still, satisfactory is not bad, and this book should please those who enjoy Strike the Blood, particularly Yukina fans, which I’m sure there must be one or two of. Next time we get the “end of Part One” of the series, but I’ll believe it when I see it, to be honest.

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, Vol. 5

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By Rifuin Na Magonote and Shirotaka. Released in Japan as “Mushoku Tensei – Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu” by MF Books. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Paul Cuneo. Adapted by JY Yang.

I was pleased to see that almost all of the things I brought up as negatives in the last review were improved here. Yes, OK, there are several scenes of Rudeus getting distracted while fighting as he literally cannot stop staring at large breasts, but compared to prior volumes, this is on the light side of him perving out. Eris gets a great deal more to do, and the scenes with her and Cliff on her goblin hunt were probably the funniest in the book. It’s also made clearer, in case it wasn’t already, that she is over the moon in love with Rudy. She also plays a part in the main plot point of this book – indeed, the entire book seems a letdown compared to these scenes – where Rudeus is finally reunited with his father and younger sister. Sadly, due to misconceptions on both sides, it’s not exactly a happy meeting. In fact, things go south far more rapidly than anyone could have guessed.

The biggest point of interest in the series is, of course, the dissonance between Rudeus’s adult reincarnated otaku brain and his physical (and, let’s face it, emotional) child self. Here, after getting caught beating up kidnappers who turn out to be his father’s group rescuing slaves, we get the biggest contrast yet, as he tries to impress his father with everything that he’s been through to reassure him that he’s fine, but is confronted with a very real question: why does he not know what’s going on with the entire kingdom being teleported and displaced? I mean, Eris knows – she’s been keeping silent as she assumes Rudy is keeping silent for her sake. And everyone else in the world knows. But Rudy, by various plot coincidences, has never seen ANY of the messages his father left at various guilds. The result of all this? A huge father-son fight.

Paul is handled well here – he’s at his wit’s end trying to save people, getting drunk and depressed as most of his family is gone, and suddenly here’s his son back, being smug, and accusing him of sleeping with women when he hasn’t actually done it. You can see why he snapped. At the same time, Geese is absolutely correct in reminding him that Rudy is a child (has he turned 12 by now?) and the mere fact that he survived at all is stunning. Rudy’s genius makes people expect things of him that he is not functionally equipped to handle at times. As we see in the best scene in the book, when Rudy, post-fight, simply lies dazed in his room at the inn Eris tries to comfort him in a really awkward yet sweet way. Fortunately, things are mostly resolved, with father and son making up. That said, the younger sister will take longer – her seeing Rudy punch her dad’s lights out means she is not forgiving him ever ever ever. Eris hates Paul too. Fun times!

So yes, a stronger volume in the series. I also liked seeing another of Rudy’s relatives here, and hope we see more of her. The side story about the princess and her retainers (including the mysterious Finn) was also excellent. I could hope for less horndog antics, but I know that’s vain. Just sit back and enjoy it.

Manga the Week of 2/12/20

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SEAN: It’s Valentine’s Week! Instead of chocolate, why not get your crush manga?

Dark Horse is giving up a 500+-page omnibus of What’s Michael?, the first of two, I believe. I’m pretty sure this is just a straight re-release of the 6 volumes we’d seen way back in the day as an omnibus – still flipped, still censored, etc. But I don’t really care, as I love What’s Michael? to bits, and seeing it back in print in a giant omnibus delights me.

MICHELLE: !!! I’ll take what I can get!

ASH: Same! While I would love to see the rest of What’s Michael released in translation, I’m just happy that it’ll be back in print at all.

MELINDA: What they said!

SEAN: J-Novel Club has two debuts. The digital manga debut is Cooking with Wild Game, whose novel J-NC has already put out. A boy and his elf village who have no idea how to cook meat.

The digital novel debut is Teogonia, which seems like a somewhat grim fantasy with reincarnated memories.

J-Novel also has Seirei Gensouki manga volume 3 and Sorcerous Stabber Orphen LN 6.

Kodansha’s debut (in print or once!) is Beyond the Clouds, which has been called Ghibli-esque, so has a lot to live up to. It originally comes form a French publisher, and its premise reminds me a lot of… well, Laputa, so Ghlibi comparisons fit.

The digital debut is The Dorm of Love and Secrets (Koi to Himitsu no Gakuseiryou), another Dessert title, from an author whose Heart Break Club has been released digitally here by MediaDo. This one’s a quarter of the size of that, and is about… sigh… a school divided into average and elite kids, and… sigh… an average girl who ends up in the elite group. Sigh.

MICHELLE: That does not bode exceptionally well.

ANNA: Oh wow, that has never been done before.

MELINDA: I guess we can just… hope that there will be something fresh about it? I. Yeah.

SEAN: Also out next week digitally: 1122 For a Happy Marriage 5, All-Out!! 12, Ex Enthusiasts – Motokare Mania 3, Farewell My Dear Cramer 7, That Blue Summer 2, and The Prince’s Romance Gambit 6.

Seven Seas makes up for its absence last week. There are SIX debuts (two have come out digital first). Bloom Into You gets a light novel spinoff, Regarding Saeki Sayaka, which I found VERY enjoyable when it came out digitally last year.

The Carp on the Chopping Block Jumps Twice (Sojou no Koi wa Nido Haneru) is the sequel to The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese, and thus has several interested Manga Bookshelf parties.

MICHELLE: Forsooth.

ANNA: Yes!

ASH: It is true.

MELINDA: This!

SEAN: Citrus+, the sequel to Citrus, had a digital early release, but this is the print version. I’m guessing there’s angst.

Kase-san and Yamada finally gives up on the “and ________” title format and gives us what we really want – the two leads, together, in college.

My Androgynous Boyfriend (Genderless Danshi ni Ai sarete imasu) is a josei title from Shodensha’s Feel Young, and the mere fact we’re GETTING another Feel Young title makes me happy. It is about a woman who works in publishing and her boyfriend, who makes himself beautiful for her. It sounds terrific. The author also had the BL title A Lotus in the Mud released digitally recently.

MICHELLE: Definitely looking forward to this one!

ANNA: I am intrigued.

ASH: I’m really looking forward to this one, too.

MELINDA: I’m so here for this!

SEAN: Lastly, there’s Scarlet, a Comic Yuri Hime title about a vampire who got that way by ingesting a drug, a werewolf who’s also Red Riding Hood, and their tortured yuri relationship. Also: they fight crime!

The non-debut from Seven Seas is the 2nd volume of Our Wonderful Days. (So that’s seven new titles from Seven Seas next week, all queer. Dang.)

ASH: That makes me happy.

MELINDA: Well, that’s lovely.

SEAN: We have a new publisher debuting! Square Enix Manga finally has its first release, and it’s one the Manga Bookshelf team are most excited about. A Man and His Cat (Ojisama to Neko) is listed as ‘shoujo’ but also runs in Shonen Gangan, and, well, that’s Square Enix for ya. The title is the story, but this one looks super good.

MICHELLE: A good week for cats!

ANNA: This looks cute.

ASH: Very curious about this one.

MELINDA: And that demographic confusion is my love affair with Square Enix in a nutshell, isn’t it?

SEAN: SuBLime has a debut as well, Given. It runs in Shinshokan’s Cheri +, and seems to be the gay version of Anonymous Noise.

MICHELLE: I’ve seen the first chunk of anime episodes and liked it a lot.

ANNA: It is absolutely adorable. Love the cover.

ASH: I’m excited for the chance to read this!

MELINDA: I didn’t love the straight version, so maybe this is the one I’ve been waiting for!

SEAN: They also have a 2nd volume of Yarichin Bitch Club.

Vertical given us the 5th Kino’s Journey manga.

Viz gives us the 8th Fullmetal Alchemist: Fullmetal Edition, Hayate the Combat Butler 35, Komi Can’t Communicate 5, and A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow 2.

ASH: I just picked up the first volume of A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow; maybe I should go ahead and pick up the second, too.

MELINDA: There are a few things I’m interested in, there.

SEAN: Lastly, Yen On has a straggler light novel with the 2nd volume of The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn As a Typical Nobody.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Which of these titles will you accidentally eat thinking they’re chocolate?

Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 22

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By Mizuho Kusanagi. Released in Japan as “Akatsuki no Yona” by Hakusensha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Hana to Yume. Released in North America by Viz Media. Translated by JN Productions, Adapted by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane.

Last time I asked when Yona was going to finally realize her romantic feelings for Hak, and I guess the answer is “not that long after”, as she admits it to Riri, if not to Hak. The two have a heart to heart, and Riri, of course, wants Yona to immediately confess. Yona, though, is now aware of her feelings but has to contextualize them with the rest of her life with Hak – she can’t simply flip into “oh, I love him” right away. Especially as we’re still not quite sure how she feels about Su-Won. Though Hak seems to think he knows how she feels, and proves it by spending most of a chapter trying to retrieve the hairpin that Su-Won gave Yona. Hak’s self-sacrifice can verge on the ridiculous at times, and it should be clear to the reader that we’re likely a couple of volumes away from a confession. Still, it’s nice to see Yona’s awareness.

While it’s clear to the reader that Yona and Hak are the big romantic pairing in this series, romance is only one facet of this fantasy action series, and the facet begins and ends with those two. This leads to an amazing scene where Su-Won goes to visit a recovering Riri, and sparks absolutely do not fly. In fact, he begs her to treat him normally, as it’s just too uncomfortable having Riri using polite language to him. (Given how often Su-Won goes undercover, this must happen quite a lot.) Others may see her as a potential bride for the King (witness the amazing sword dance that goes on as Riri gets a quick makeup job) but Riri likes Yona… erm, pardon me, older men like Geun-Tae, and Su-Won does not seem to grasp the concept of love and romance, something he freely admits. Which is possibly why he gave Yona that remarkable hairpin before murdering her father.

We finish up one plot and begin another in this book, which means we get nice comedy moments in between arcs, as always (no, Jaeha’s foot does not grow huge like Gija’s hand) before the Happy Hungry Bunch are called to Xing, another kingdom that is about to go to war with Kohka. The kingdom is divided between the two princesses, and Yona and company meet the younger one, Tao, who is trying to save lives by having her country surrender. Needless to say, this makes her a target for those who disagree. Tao looks like a classic “I appear to be an adorable pushover, but am actually very clever” sorts, and I took to her right away – especially when she noticed Yona’s discomfort around the guys due to the sudden incursion of an unusually painful period, and took immediate action. Hopefully she survives the cliffhanger ending, though given she’s with Zeno, who has gotten very good at using his powers now that we know what they are, I think she’ll be OK.

As always, it’s hard to say “this is a must buy and essential shoujo” after every review, but it’s true. An excellent volume.

The World’s Least Interesting Master Swordsman, Vol. 1

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By Rokurou Akashi and Shiso. Released in Japan as “Jimi na Kensei wa Soredemo Saikyou desu” by PASH! Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Noboru Akimoto.

I was very much on the fence about this title when I heard it announced. The idea of a boring but overpowered lead is not new to the world – see One-Punch Man for the most obvious example – but whether the title succeeds or not is very much dependent on the surrounding cast and situations. In this regard Least Interesting Master Swordsman does a fairly good job. The cast is hefty, especially for a first volume, with a kingdom with four noble families, several princesses, several isekai’d heroes, and any number of magic powers and romantic back and forth. Contrasting all of this is our hero, Sansui, who not only has been practicing with his wooden sword for so long that he’s unbeatable but also has been living for so long that he no longer has the desire to eat, drink, or get romantically involved with anyone. All this is fine. The problem is that for the majority of the story, Sansui is also the narrator, and his tone is just as dry and boring as his swordsmanship.

Sansui is, as so many of these stories begin with, a typical Japanese boy accidentally killed by God – his name is sort of the equivalent of Amos for North American countries, and therefore God thought he was old and killed him. As an apology, he’s sent to another world, and offered the choice to get insanely strong, which he happily takes up. Unfortunately, his teacher teaching the sword just has him doing practice swings. And, as he’s immortal, he does them a long time. After five hundred years, he’s got nothing more to learn, and also comes across a baby about to be eaten by wild animals, so heads towards the civilization (with baby). Years later, he and his adorable adopted daughter are living with the House of Sepaeda, with him serving as the bodyguard to its spoiled princess Douve, alongside Blois, her bodyguard and attendant, who has a crush on Sansui. They head off to the Magical Academy, and the plot comes with them…

Sometimes this book feels like I’m reading an isekai from the POV of the villain’s party. Sansui is relatively nice, but he’s so monotone it doesn’t come off well, and he will happily kill people if his mistress asks him to. Douve is pretty awful, seemingly doing anything as long as she’s entertained, but fortunately this makes her fun to read rather than annoying. There’s a 2nd cast that’s meant to read as “the normal isekai party”, with a Japanese guy with superpowers (who loses to Sansui over and over, of course) and his harem of princess, foreign princess, and cursed princess. They contrast nicely with Sansui, and when the narrative voice switches to one of them the book comes alive a bit more, not a good sign. As for Sansui, he doesn’t really get aroused anymore after 500 years, and his reaction to Blois can be summed up as “OK, whatever”, but he at least doesn’t reject her.

Again, there’s a lot to like here – the plot is pretty good, and there are some funny lines throughout. It just feels lugubrious when Sansui is narrating everything as if he’s reading his grocery list, and it took me a while to plow though. I’ll read another, but I hope he gets a bit more interesting.

Pick of the Week: Yona and Others

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SEAN: It’s Jump/Beat week, folks, and once again my pick is Yona of the Dawn, because it remains one of the best manga Shojo Beat is putting out.

MICHELLE: It is super hard to choose between all the Jump/Beat offerings! Since Sean’s got Yona covered, I’ll pick My Hero Academia. I really like this arc, pitting class 1A and 1B against each other, and even though I know how it ends (courtesy of my Shonen Vault subscription) I’m still eager to revisit it.

ANNA: It is a tough week for me, because needing to pick between Yona of the Dawn and other Shojo Beat offerings is very difficult. But I’m going to go with Shortcake Cake because in it, a romance moves forward after some incredibly cinematic love confessions. This volume is shoujo turned up to 11!

ASH: Like seemingly everyone else this week, Yona of the Dawn is one of my top picks, but I’m also really looking forward to the latest volume of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.

MELINDA: I’m not feeling as excited about the ongoing Jump/Beat series this week, so I’m going to stray into digital and take a look at Kodansha’s debut, Let’s Kiss in Secret Tomorrow. I’m not sure what to expect, but I’m always a fan of childhood friends-to-lovers, so I’ll give it my pick for the week!

Isekai Rebuilding Project, Vol. 1

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By Yukika Minamino and Kotokan. Released in Japan as “Isekai Saiken Keikaku” by Legend Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Adam Seacord.

This is a title with a lot of things going for it, starting with one of the best pieces of cover art I’ve seen for some time. The premise is also strong. Our hero Eiji is… a man who is happy with his life. He has a good career, a fiancee he loves, etc. But one day he is… NOT killed by a truck. Instead he ends up transported in from of a “goddess” (though it’s made clear that’s how his brain is formatting this) and told he’s being asked to help save worlds that had heroes sent to them before. Unfortunately, those heroes, in introducing modern concepts to an otherwise pre-industrial world, ended up making things worse. Eiji is being asked to fix this, then he can go back to his cool life. He’s well-versed in light novels and isekai… as is the author, clearly. There’s also a well-handled twist at the end. It’s just that I found the actual plot in the middle… a bit boring?

Speaking of that twist, this paragraph will be spoiler-free. Then I’ll put a break line in the review, and then I will discuss the end of the book. In any case, Eiji arrives and is given a partner, a female dragon (she’s his own height and walks on two legs, though) who he names Tiamat, because of course. The two of them end up at a city where the inhabitants are slowly dying from beriberi, aka B1 deficiency, because the previous isekai’d hero loved his white rice and introduced the area to it, forgetting that brown rice is where the vitamins are. So he and Tiamat, through trial and error (he very deliberately has no powers at all) have to find substitute foods with B1 in them. This is not as interesting as it sounds. There’s also a lot of time spent deconstructing isekais, which is fine, and Eiji has a point, but I don’t think that this series is sufficiently different enough for him to be too smug about it.

Break line summary: the twist means I’ll be reading more, but I’m finding that Legend Novels trying to be for older readers means that sometimes the book is also duller.

OK, let’s talk that twist. It’s handled well enough, making the reader guess something is up as the book goes on, but not quite what. It doesn’t really kick in till they tell you WHO the prior hero was. That said… I found Tiamat’s constant spouting of Japanese trivia and media through the book rather irritating, and the fact that she turned out to be who she is didn’t mean that I went back and said “Aaah, so she’s not annoying!”, it just made me say “ah, that explains it”. While I don’t think that’s what we’re getting in the second book (Eiji herre dying – ironically not on Earth but in the isekai world – and asking to try again) , I’d love to see a book from Tiamat’s perspective, which would also get into how she feels about the previous hero. In addition, the way the world is “saved” feels, not to put too fine a point on it, grim and gritty. It’s why Eiji wants to return – it leaves a bad taste in his mouth. But it does in mine as well.

So good idea, great cover, the execution could use some work. Still worth reading for those who enjoy deconstructions or snarky dragon women.

By the Grace of the Gods, Vol. 1

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By Roy and Ririnra. Released in Japan as “Kami-tachi ni Hirowareta Otoko” by HJ Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Mana Z.

We’re starting to get the second generation of isekai writers here, those who did not start their webnovel after watching El Hazard and playing a lot of RPG games, but rather those who started their webnovel after reading a giant pile of isekai webnovels. By the Grace of the Gods and its author, Roy is definitely a book written by an isekai reader, and the lead character is also a fan of the novels, so dying and meeting gods does not surprise him. In fact, little surprises him. He is reincarnated in another world, a fantasy world, as a young eight-year-old boy. Of course, he also brings along a large amount of magic power. And a large number of ridiculous skills. And this is in addition to his old life in Japan, where, despite being a salaryman, he was a martial arts expert who worked out daily and also has swordsmanship drilled into him by his father. If anything in those last few sentences irritates you, I advise you to stay away. If, on the other hand, it’s fine, you should enjoy this book, as Ryoma ends up in his fantasy world and immediately… hides away from civilization for three years.

Ryoma is the anti-Tanya. The gods love him… in fact, he has blessings from FOUR gods, and makes sure to pray to them. His three years spent living in a cave away from people have allowed him to research slimes, which takes up most of his time, though he still finds time to kill bandits and learn more powerful magic. Fortunately, there’s a timeskip towards the start of the book, and an eleven-year-old Ryoma meets a duke and his party who are in need of some medical aid, which Ryoma is able to provide (he can make medicine too). The duke is nice, and has a family who are also nice, including a girl Ryoma’s own age who is bright and shiny and innocent and the opposite of the soft-spoken, stoic Ryoma. Invited to leave his cave and go with them, Ryoma finally interacts with a fantasy city… which is good, as his trained slimes are desperately needed to stave off an epidemic.

As you may have gathered, this book is ridiculous, but one thing I haven’t mentioned yet is that it is also a “slow life” book. Things happen at a leisurely pace, there are no action sequences, and there’s no romance as Ryoma and Eliaria are eleven years old (despite Ryoma’s old memories). It just wants to hang around Ryoma and watch him be cool, but he’s cool in a very nerdy scientist sort of way. He has his specialized slimes, and they get to show their stuff. They can clean the hardest grime. They can kill off bandits when ingested. And, in the thrilling climax to the book, they can eat sewage from a filthy cesspit… which also shows there is a potential deadly bacteria there as well. The best part of the book is the relationship Ryoma develops with his found family, who treat him like an orphan with a tragic backstory and love him to death.

Again, this is second generation isekai. It assumes that you’re okay with OP heroes, and that excitement and adventure are about 4th on your list after friendly chats about slimes (which are the first three slots). For those readers, this is a solid choice. I enjoyed it.

Otherside Picnic, Vol. 2

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By Iori Miyazawa and shirakaba. Released in Japan as “Urasekai Picnic” by Hayakawa Bunko JA. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Sean McCann.

The second volume starts up with a dangling plot form the first volume, as Sorawo and Toriko go back into the other world to rescue to US Marines who remained trapped there. It makes for a tense chapter, as moving an entire company (which has been growing smaller the longer they stayed there, admittedly) is not that easy in a space like that, especially when they come across the Japanese Urban Legend Monster of the week. After this they end up in Okinawa, and decide to stay and hit the beach… but instead end up back at the other world, beach version, which features more disturbing things and the appearance of the woman who is Toriko’s obsession and is rapidly turning into Sorawo’s nemesis, Satsuki. Both of these chapters are well told, and the characters are fun to read, but I felt they weren’t quite as terrifying as the first book could be.

The third story delves more into the characters, as we meet another student at Sorawo’s university, who has heard rumors that she can help with supernatural issues and is being stalked by ninja cats. Yes, ninja cats, and a good deal of the chapter is spent trying to deal with the seeming silliness of the proposition. The ninja cats do end up posing quite a threat, and there’s another tense sequence, but mostly what this third wheel does is show off how tight-knit Sorawo and Toriko have become, as well as the difference between them – Sorawo is distancing herself from everyone but Toriko – at least in her head – while Toriko sees it as Sorawo having opened up to other a lot more – so much that she doesn’t need Toriko anymore. This miscommunication leads to the fourth and best chapter, where the horror pops back into the pages like it was waiting for you to relax.

The final chapter shows us who Kozakura is getting the money from to pay for Toriko and Sorawo’s other world finds, and also shows us that the other world is a big business… and one that is breaking many other people. From the moment we enter the seemingly empty building that serves as the “lab” where Satsuki worked, everything becomes terrifying, with some of the most evocative descriptions of body horror I’ve read in some time. It’s clear that Toriko’s hand and Sorawo’s eye are relatively minor compared to the issues of other researchers. This reach a fever pitch when Sorawo triggers what might be a trap set by Satsuki… a literal puzzle box that starts to kill the other of them in a nasty and lingering way. Can Sorawo work together with Toriko to stop it? And stop Toriko sounding as if she’s about to run away forever and/or kill herself?

My first review mentioned this was the first license from Hayakawa’s “yuri line” that was multiple volumes, adn I’m even more relieved that there’s at least two more after this, as I’m becoming very invested in the story. The yuri, while still not explicit, is much stronger here, and the horror is a slow burn till the end when it hits a fever pitch. Recommended for fans of both genres.

Bookshelf Briefs 2/1/20

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Anonymous Noise, Vol. 18 | By Ryoko Fukuyama | VIZ Media – It took a while for me to get into Anonymous Noise, and I still wouldn’t call it a favorite exactly, but it must be said that this final volume made me verklempt on a few occasions. I particularly liked that Nino and Momo getting back together is not the main focus, because that was so not what I was most invested in with this series. Instead, we get Nino telling Yuzu she wants to sing his songs forever, and him realizing that means even more than winning her heart. There are some awesome concert scenes—that full-page image of Yuzu singing!—and a sense of joyous confidence as they contemplate their musical future together. Too, I appreciated that the final appearance of Yuzu and Nino wordlessly confirmed that, yes, he did eventually grow taller than her. I think I might miss this series now that it’s over. – Michelle Smith

Giant Killing, Vol. 18 | By Masaya Tsunamoto and Tsujitomo | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – The second half of the season has begun! Tatsumi’s strategy going forward is to foster bettter communication and flexibility, so he’s been having the players swap positions, giving chances to non-regulars, etc. The best thing about this series is how Tatsumi has truly earned the players’ trust, and now the team feels more cohesive, each player secure in the knowledge that Tatsumi is looking out for them on an individual level and will help them to improve. Well, mostly everyone. Tsubaki is getting frustrated with his “terrible” playing and is pretty much useless after making a poor decision (while playing an unfamiliar defensive role) that leads to an ETU player’s injury. I really like that, even if they lose, they’re not a high school team trying to reach Nationals, so there’s still hope for the season. Have I mentioned lately how much I love Giant Killing? Verily, I do. – Michelle Smith

Haikyu!!, Vol. 36 | By Haruichi Furudate | Viz Media – I think I forgot to review the 35th volume of Haikyu!!. No doubt it was very good and also filled with volleyball. As is this 36th volume. It is a credit to the author that he has kept the games interesting, and I can easily distinguish between the major adversaries, which is more than I can say for some manga. There’s a few more flashbacks, some really killer moves… a lot of people jump high in the air… I may have to wait till the game finishes to review another volume, though, as I just can’t keep typing up “this was really cool volleyball” over and over again without stretching things out like I’m a contestant on Just a Minute. At least the series is ending in Japan in a week or two, so we’ll soon catch up. -Sean Gaffney

Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol. 1 | By Gege Akutami | Viz Media – I forget where I first heard of Jujutsu Kaisen, but the general impression I’ve garnered from others has largely been positive. Now having read the first volume myself, I can honestly say that I enjoyed the manga. However, it’s clear that the series still has some room to grow before it truly distinguishes itself. Jujutsu Kaisen is Akutami’s first long-form work which may partly explain why the series comes across as being so heavily influenced by other manga. But even while its ideas aren’t particularly new and the tropes that are used are well-worn, the specific and sometimes seemingly disparate combination of them in Jujutsu Kaisen has a sort of quirky charm—which is admittedly kind of a strange description for what is essentially a horror manga about demon hunting. There is darkness, seriousness, and drama in Jujutsu Kaisen, but many of the characters tend to be likeable goofballs. – Ash Brown

MabuSasa, Vol. 1 | By Nanase | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – With its cute cover and male lead who looks like a scary delinquent but who is actually kind, I thought MabuSasa was going to be a sweet love story akin to Honey So Sweet. I was very wrong. It’s not advertised as such anywhere that I could find, but this is actually a 4-koma manga. True, there aren’t titles for the strips, but the page layout fits, as does the sensibility. Mabuchi is indeed a sympathetic character, but he’s surrounded by one-note caricatures. Most infuriating is Akira Sasagawa (the Sasa of the title), our fujoshi heroine who absolutely refuses to listen when Mabuchi swears that he’s not in a relationship with his best friend, Sota Ando. She concocts BL scenarios at every opportunity, even when Mabuchi meets and plays with her little brother. All of this is meant to be funny, I’m assuming, but I didn’t smile once. – Michelle Smith

Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 13 | By Wataru Watanabe | Yen Press – Sheesh, the Inter-High still isn’t over in this volume. It literally takes 300 pages to go 3.5 kilometers! In that time, there are a couple of big matchups. The first is Imaizumi versus Midousuji, where the former is bolstered by the power of friendship while the latter pulls off new and even more nightmarish contortions while scoffing at the notion that friends are anything more than useless. Imaizumi emerges victorious but a crack in his bike’s frame means that Sohoku’s hopes now rest with Onoda, who goes head to head with Manami. Probably my favorite parts were the reactions of the Sohoku third years to the announcement that Onoda is still in the running to take the whole thing. 500 meters remain at the end of the volume. Next time for sure, right? – Michelle Smith

Invaders of the Rokujouma!?, Vol. 31

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

And so I finally finish my Rokujouma catchup. This is also where the upcoming print boxset that was Kickstartered will end, as it had to cut off somewhere, and this is as good a place as any given the series is still coming out in Japan. It’s another one of those “three short stories from the online site and one half-book original” novels, only in this case the half-book overwhelms the short stories even more than usual. The short stories aren’t bad – first there’s a Triathlon our heroes are competing in, and we focus on Clan, who is out of shape, and Yurika, who is in shape but has little motivation. It’s cute, even though they’re also both very pathetic. We then get Harumi and Maki playing board games, which if nothing else shows off how desperately these two nice introverts need someone else to bounce off of. And Shizuka and Ruth have another sentai battle, bringing back Ruth’s beetle phobia, which, let’s face it, no one wanted to bring back.

The half-novel is the first of the “what ifs” the author said he was doing, but it’s framed as also being canon – in the brief interval between when Koutarou and company bring Nalfa back to Room 106 and when she wipes everyone’s memories, the idea of alternate universes comes up. Koutarou was relieved to hear that there are universes where his mother is alive, and Nalfa offers to show him one of those in a dream. (Pointedly, we don’t see that world, possibly as I suspect it would be rather sweet but dull.) The girls all then realize they can look at a world where they won and Koutarou is their boyfriend, and after a jan-ken-pon competition, Harumi is the first to see what that life would be like. She ends up sort of providing color commentary on the dream world, which works because it’s her but I was relieved when the afterword said it would not continue after this.

The “Harumi wins” world is very similar to this one, oddly – it takes place over about the first 8-9 books, and the rest of the cast still arrive and are trying to get control of Room 106. They’re barely in the story, though, as here Koutarou is all about Harumi. Amusingly, it’s because their initial meeting went worse than in canon – when trying to pull away from the dude harassing her, she sprains her wrist and Koutarou has to give first aid. This allows two very hands-off people to touch earlier than usual, and everything springboards from there – Koutarou opens up to her faster, she realizes she’s in love faster, and they confess rapidly. That said, which that world’s Koutarou and Harumi are blissfully happy, OUR Harumi is dissatisfied. A life without the rest of the cast just isn’t the same, even if their real-life romance isn’t resolved. Another reminder that found family story beats sappy romance story.

In Vol. 33 we’ll apparently get Clan’s “what if” story next, but before that it’s back to the ongoing plot. Till then, enjoy this what if that also reminds you that the main plot is best.

Manga the Week of 2/5/20

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SEAN: It’s February! The worst month! And it’s a day longer this year! Why not read some really good manga, then?

ASH: Sounds like a good plan.

ANNA: Indeed.

MELINDA: I’m in.

SEAN: We’ll start with J-Novel Club, who have a plethora of releases, both print and digital. Full Metal Panic! gets a print omnibus of its first three volumes in a fancy hardcover edition that looks cool. Fans won’t want to miss it.

Isekai Rebuilding Project (Isekai Saiken Keikaku) is another one from Kodansha’s Legend Novels, and is about what happens after the hero arrives from another world, bringing with him smartphones, modern economics, and weaponry… and then leaves them to their own devices. Yes, it’s an isekai cleanup squad for when things don’t go according to keikaku. The cover art looks fantastic.

ASH: That really is a great cover.

SEAN: Outer Ragna (Game Jikkyou ni yoru Kouryaku to Gyakushuu no Outer Ragna) is also from Legend Novels, and doesn’t quite have an isekai, but the gamer now finds he can ‘possess’ the heroine to help save the world.

They’ve also got the 2nd Faraway Paladin manga, How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord 8 in print, If It’s For My Daughter I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord 7 in print, In Another World with My Smartphone 8 in print, the 3rd Infinite Dendrogram manga, and The Magic in This Other World Is Too Far Behind! 7 in print.

Kodansha, in print, has Boarding school Juliet 10 and Granblue Fantasy 3.

The digital debut is Let’s Kiss in Secret Tomorrow (Ashita, Naisho no Kiss Shiyou), a Dessert manga with an unusual premise: the couple start the manga together, as childhood friends turned lovers. But they’re in high school, and now have to hide their relationship. And the guy is suddenly really hot! Can they stay together?

MICHELLE: I will at least give it a try, since I generally like things from Dessert.

MELINDA: It had me at “childhood friends turned lovers.”

SEAN: Also digitally: Drifting Dragons 6, Our Precious Conversations 6, Smile Down the Runway 6, The Tale of Genji: Dreams at Dawn 10, To Be Next to You 2, and To Write Your Words 3.

MICHELLE: To Be Next to You was pretty interesting, too, in that the heroine seems like the outsider (and out of her depth) in the love story the object of her affections is experiencing with another girl.

SEAN: Seven Seas has but one title: a digital release of Classroom of the Elite light novel 4.5 (yes, it’s one of those .5 novels).

TOKYOPOP has RePlay, a done in one BL manga from Comic Magazine LYNX. It’s about BL and baseball. (Insert Michelle comment here.)

MICHELLE: Crud. I may have to patronize TOKYOPOP.

ASH: I try to avoid TOKYOPOP, too, but some of the licenses are very tempting.

ANNA: I’m going to be strong and just read BL from SuBLime. You can’t trick me TOKYOPOP!

MELINDA: I’ll wait for Michelle to read it first.

SEAN: It’s the first week of the month, and you know what that means. No debuts for Viz this month, though!

Shonen: Blue Exorcist 23, Food Wars! 34, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure 4-4, Jujutsu Kaisen 2, My Hero Academia 23, My Hero Academia SMASH! 3, Seraph of the End 18, Twin Star Exorcists 17, and We Never Learn 8.

Shoujo: Ao Haru Ride 9, Shortcake Cake 7, Takane & Hana 13, and Yona of the Dawn 22. Getting all of these.

MICHELLE: Yep, every single one of the shoujo, and several of the shounen, as well.

ASH: JoJo and Yona are where my priorities are but, yeah, there’s a lot of good stuff in those lists.

ANNA: My favorite week for shoujo releases.

MELINDA: I’ve fallen behind on most of this, but I will catch up!

SEAN: Lastly, some Yen Press stragglers, including a couple of debuts. The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious has its manga debut, and should be highly amusing.

IM: Great Priest Imhotep is getting its print debut. It runs in Shonen Gangan and is to Magi what Black Clover is to Fairy Tail.

ASH: I’ll admit I’m curious.

MELINDA: Well, huh.

SEAN: And there is also Hinowa Ga CRUSH! 3 and Though You May Burn to Ash 6, which has a surprising number of volumes given that you’ve already burned to ash.

ASH: I do a double-take every time I see this series mentioned. XD

SEAN: What manga is spicing up your February doldrums?