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A Tale of the Secret Saint, Vol. 9

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By Touya and chibi. Released in Japan as “Tensei Sita Daiseijyo ha, Seijyo Dearuko Towohitakakusu” by Earth Star Novels. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Kevin Ishizaka. Adapted by Michelle McGuinness.

There are many examples in the light novel genre of “slow life” books, where the main character seemingly spends the entire book farming, or running a store, or petting fluffy animals, and not much of substance happens. After reading nine volumes of Secret Saint, I’m starting to wonder if the writer of this series is actually from another world, and was reincarnated in this one to live the slow life putting out the plot one drip at a time. The author actually anticipates this, writing defensively in the afterword about how we all have to be patient. But come on. It helps even less that, as usual, this book is 60% main plot and 40% side stories. We get one major plot beat here, which actually functions as a cliffhanger into the next book. Little sister is still in a coma. Fia’s cover is still not quite blown. Everything is moving forward very, very, very slowly. Fortunately, Fia is an airheaded savant, so it’s all very readable.

After the events of the last book, Fia is spending part of her days in the royal garden, trying to get the roses to have the magical power to wake Colette from her coma. She’s also meeting the other saints, who are… well, in a power struggle with each other, as the position of saint these days is very political and those whose powers don’t measure up find themselves sent to the remote countryside very quickly. Meanwhile, the Queen Dowager is returning to the capital. She’s the head saint, and she has chosen a woman who is sure to be the next head saint. This comes as a surprise to Fia, who was expecting the grumpy but good deep down Priscilla to get the job. That said, Fia is even more surprised by who the king reveals will be his candidate. (Fia is the only one surprised by this.)

The side stories in this book are based on the 2nd character poll, with the top 6 getting a story of their own. It includes the ZERO spinoff, so no surprises, Sirius is in first place. It actually feels a bit odd to see the younger, Serafina-focused stories in the main series now that she has her own spinoff to play around in. As for the book itself, it’s mostly fun, aside from the Queen Dowager, who has “end of level Boss” vibes to her, does not seem to like either of her sons, and I suspect will really not like Fia once she sees what Fia can do. There’s a ton of humor here, especially when Fia decides, for no good reason, that walking around with her pet dragon on her shoulder will be fine after all. Fia is all heart and no head, and that can be a bit frustrating, both for the reader (if she figured things out this series would be over by now) and for the romantic leads (she doesn’t recognize a date even when told “this is a date” and she’s given presents).

If you’ve been following this series, well, don’t expect huge plot and character development. But it’s fun.

The Dorky NPC Mercenary Knows His Place, Vol. 4

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By Toryuu and hamm. Released in Japan as “Kimo Ota Mob Yōhei wa, Mi no Hodo o Wakimaeru” by Overlap Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Josh DM.

This was a stronger volume of Dorky NPC Merc than the third one, despite the fact that John is generally in far less danger throughout. I don’t really need him in peril here, though it is nice to occasionally see him struggle. But for the most part we read this to see him do a lot of cool space battle things, and then react to most of the aftermath with a sort of flat stare. It’s just the sort of guy he is. Aside from that, this series has one agenda, and it’s “rich arrogant nobles suck”, and it gives you a lot more of that here. That said, like most of these series which do not want to bite the hand that feeds them, it’s only the BAD nobles that are terrible and deserve death. The good nobles, like, say, the Empress who rules, are absolutely fine. THEY don’t treat people horribly. But fear not, that still leaves lots of terrible failnobles to go around.

After then events of the last book, John spends the start of this volume getting himself a new ship, which basically seems to be “my old ship only newer and with better radar and a better ability to store my doujinshi”. Unfortunately, the noble rebellion that’s been hinted at for a while finally starts, and martial law is declared as the mercenaries are all called in to fight for Empress and country. This goes better than you’d expect – the Empress is acting a bit less competent than she actually is to lure out bad nobles (I’m not sure if her “tits out” royal outfit is also meant to obfuscate, but I suspect it’s just part of the artist’s vibe), and the rebels think they have a mole when in fact he’s being a double agent and has betrayed them all. After this, a lot of now disgraced nobles turn to piracy, so John spends a lot of time tracking them down and basically doing his job for money.

As with Book 3, there’s less overt romance here. First Girl Fialka still seems to be the only one who has extended interaction with him, though her default tsundere state makes things difficult. And Second Girl (and default “childhood friend”) Scuna sees him carrying out an investigation by borrowing a prostitute’s bedroom and gets the wrong idea. The most interesting part of the book is the rebellion – we get the POV of a few noble families who are essentially being blackmailed into doing this, and there’s mention of a horrible financial penalty to all who participated but were coerced in the rebellion – though this too turns out to be a ploy by the Empress. I have a sneaking suspicion, especially after she and Fialka have a relatively friendly meetup at a noble reception, that the Empress is going to meet John pretty soon, and may end up dragging romance back into things. Over his dead body, of course.

This is never going to be required reading, but if you’re bored with fantasy isekais, and would like a bit of space opera that manages to avoid being a misogynistic hellhole, this is a good choice.

Restaurant to Another World, Vol. 6

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By Junpei Inuzuka and Katsumi Enami. Released in Japan as “Isekai Shokudou” by Hero Bunko. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Elliot Ryouga. Adapted by Rebecca Schneidereit.

It has been over five years since the last time I reviewed this series, so pardon me for forgetting literally everything about it. Which is a shame, as this is a series that very much rewards the sort of reader who keeps a spreadsheet showing the main characters and when they first arrive and what their favorite meals are. There was a two and a half year gap between the 5th and 6th books in Japan, but the likely reason this one took so long is a) renegotiating the contract with a publisher that is famously cool towards translating its stuff, and b) the fact that we still don’t have a Book 7. Nothing since 2021. Well, the manga is still running. That is to say, the second manga, which is digital-only and chapter-only, apparently. Basically, this is a somewhat cursed series, but at least there’s delicious food throughout. It still makes you hungry as you read it.

As with previous volumes, this consists of 20 chapters, each titled with a food dish of some sort, and gives us a little story about who is ordering it. That said, there are a few other plot-related things going on here. There’s an infestation of moth monsters that’s going to go out of control unless something is done, and this will involve getting the hiding Princess Victoria involved – under her code name Pudding, which makes it especially amusing when she runs into fellow diner Heinrich, aka “Fried Shrimp”. We also meet a new waitress from our own world, who is the niece of the Master and is trying to learn so that she can be a chef and start a restaurant of her own. Fortunately, she has her uncle’s temperament as well, so takes the otherworld stuff in full stride. Though Aletta might be a bit jealous of Saki’s reading and writing skills…

The fact that this takes place across a long period of time, and you never know when each new chapter will be, keeps the mind alive in among the long, lingering descriptions of people eating food. One chapter shows us a woodcutter and his wife, along with their two kids, showing a noble who has gotten lost the restaurant. Two chapters later, we see a younger woodcutter proposing in the same restaurant. And in another we see the late owner of the restaurant running the show, with the current Master just a newbie who’s still learning the ropes. A large chunk of this seems to take place before Kuro arrives at the restaurant, as there’s very little of her here, but we do get a lot of Aletta, who constantly worries she’s not being useful enough (hence why Saki’s arrival sent her into a panic.) Unlike the anime, there’s little to no romance – while the restaurant is encroaching on the fantasy world more and more, it’s in terms of establishing bonds of friendship that will allow them to reach out in times of need.

This was really good. I hope it’s not the last one.

Pick of the Week: More Titles For All

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MICHELLE: There’s nothing that strongly calls to me this week, but the cover to Afterglow is striking, so I’ll pick that on that basis.

SEAN: I’m going to pick One Last Hurrah! The Grayed Heroes Explore a Vivid Future, as I love the idea of senior citizens headed out on adventures and still kicking ass.

ASH: I’ll admit to being curious about Tease Me Harder. Kinky yet wholesome josei? Yup, I’ll read that.

ANNA: Ok, I’m going to have to pick the Witch Hat Atelier coloring book, I love the art in this series, so the coloring book sounds fun.

Royal Spirits Are a Royal Pain! Give Me a Regular Romance, Vol. 1

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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.

I am, as readers of this blog know, a sucker for many things. One of those things is “girl tries to be a normal, average person but it immediately fails because she’s so utterly bad at it”. It’s underlined and enhanced in this new series, where she ends up working out as a small baby, is controlling multiple spirits before she’s a year old, and is talking in complex sentences before she’s three. Fortunately, she’s in luck, as she also has two older brothers who are also freaks, though it takes till the end of the book before we get the full story on both of them. As you’d expect, a lot of this book is Deirdre trying to get everyone to treat spirits well so that they can all be more powerful while, at the same time, trying not to get involved in political disputes as she wants to fall in love and get married normally. Good luck, honey.

A young woman, working to finish a doujinshi in time for the deadline, dies and wakes up in the body of a tiny baby. As it turns out, she’s now Deirdre Abel von Belisario, the daughter of a margrave. She’s got maids! She’s got two older brothers, She’s got a very doting family. And she’s got these spirits that hover around her. As she tries to use context clues to figure out where she is and what’s going on, she finds the traditional “one cheat item you get to take with you when you go to another world”, which is magical Wikipedia, which gives her a lot of information on this world… namely that it’s a political hotbed. Unfortunately, as she grows up, works out, invents radio calisthenics, and gains the attention of more spirits, it rapidly becomes apparent that avoiding politics is simply not happening.

Generally speaking, any series where the main character has magical Wikipedia (and yes, there are multiple series with that cheat) should be ridiculous, but this one has more depth than you might expect. The empress and her sons are in the middle of a power struggle with rich nobility, and it’s led to the royal capital being deforested and bereft of spirits. The empress uses Deirdre and company in order to get the jump on her enemies… but this does not win Deirdre over, and instead puts her more on her guard. Deidre is beloved by the spirits, including the Four Major Spirit Elements, but this is not great when they’re supposedly subjects of the Empire, and the spirits make it clear they support Deirdre over the royals. Even middle child Alan, who seems to be the normal one of the trio, shows off in a side story how that’s only a matter of degree, as he goes on a rampage to stop some kidnappers and does seven impossible things before breakfast.

So yeah, there’s a lot of meat here to get your teeth into. Which is good, as this is 12 volumes in Japan, so we’ve only just begun. For fans of tiny terrors who are trying to keep a low profile but failing miserably.

High School DxD: Professor Valkyrie

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By Ichiei Ishibumi and Miyama-Zero. Released in Japan by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Haydn Trowell.

This is a shonen series, as I’ve said many times before, and one of the ways that it is most like a shonen series is that the cast is simply too damn large. And no, I don’t just mean trying to remember that minor villain from 7 books ago who pops up again, I mean that I actually had to use the wiki to remind myself about Rossweisse, who’s been around since Book 4 or 5 but who doesn’t stick in my head quite as much as everyone else in Issei’s orbit. This is definitely a series where you think “Thank God there’s a wiki page”. That said, I’m not all that sure that failing to remember exactly who someone is matters all that much at this stage. There are the good guys and the bad guys. The good guys want to do good things and protect people. the bad guys want to do bad things and kill people. Hell, the entire motive rant of the main antagonist here is “I want demons to be seen as bad guys”. Very shonen indeed.

As Issei and the women in his orbit enjoy a nice bath together, Rossweisse comes to them to ask for a favor: she needs Issei to pretend to be her boyfriend. She’s getting a lot more family pressure, especially from her grandmother, to get married and have children, and this will help to delay that a bit (and, of course, she’s got the hots for Issei as well). It becomes more relevant when the main cast all visit Sona’s new school, one that teaches all demons rather than just the rich or powerful ones. This is a controversial school right from the get-go, as you’d expect. Unfortunately, in addition to people disliking the concept of the school, there’s something else going on: mages are being kidnapped, and they’ve all got one thing in common: they’ve researched the Number of the Beast. As has Rossweisse.

This volume is relatively light on erotic aspects, at least from Issei himself. Asia’s dragon going full Gordon Ramsay on everyone showing the best way to cook and eat Asia’s panties was probably enough, frankly. Plus this book is very much about the fighting. Issei is still too intuitive and relying on “punch everything hard”, but he’s gotten better, and we see his analysis of things has grown leaps and bounds since the first few books. He also gets to work together with some former enemies, including Sairaorg, who is frankly Buff Issei, and also likes to punch things. As for Rossweisse, she’s realized she loves being a teacher, which is good, and I hope that we’ll see more of her with the main harem girls so that I don’t have to look her up again. That said, she struggles to stand out among the heroines even in her own focus book, so that’s not all too surprising.

Apparently next volume will see the demise of my running gag, as it apparently *is* an Irina focused book, where everyone goes to Heaven. Till then, boy, this has a lot of characters and fighting.

Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian, Vol. 8

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By Sunsunsun and Momoco. Released in Japan as “Tokidoki Bosotto Russia-go de Dereru Tonari no Alya-san” by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Matthew Rutsohn.

I’ve talked many times before about the stark contrast between the backstory of Masachika and Yuki and their family drama, the romantic plots with Alya and Maria both being in love with Masachika, and the wacky comedy shenanigans. The drama gets more attention this volume, and the shenanigans are confined to the middle of the book for the most part, and almost feel perfunctory. They read like the author watched a random anime and used that plot as the antics of the book. When I say “there’s a party with chocolates that have a small bit of alcohol in them”, the average fan could write the rest of that scene in their head and be 100% accurate except that it’s only one girl who gets drunk, not all of them. And there’s also an invented game that involves penalties, but since we already had the sexy antics earlier, these punishments are more just silly. The drama, though, is the main reason to get this.

The festival is over, but the aftermath of its events are still reverberating. Masachika’s mother was ill after his performance and had to go to the nurse’s office… and what’s more, Masachika found his father comforting her! Oh, and she’s also now sleepwalking. Masachika himself is filled with all-new self-loathing about his piano playing, which briefly impacts his ability to play until he gets some good advice which is basically “stop overthinking everything you do”. Oh, if only that advice would stick. As for Alya, well, she’s admitted that she’s in love with Masachika, at least to herself, and is briefly really, really happy. Can’t have that, of course. Enter Nonoa, who levels up here from minor supporting character to possibly the main antagonist of the entire series.

The big news here comes right at the cliffhanger for the book – Masachika is finally going to admit the truth about him and Yuki to Alya. This is good, because after overhearing him saying that Yuki will always be the most important person in his life, Alya has spent most of the volume dealing with agonizing unrequited love issues. These two are, frankly, very similar, which is why they’re such a good couple – or at least they will be, eventually, when the series is allowed to end. As for Yuki, she gets less to do here, but is also part of the cliffhanger. I’m not sure if her relapse will last longer than the next book, but it’s a reminder that she’s just as tied into the dark backstory as her brother, and is not simply about being a tease and making incest jokes. There is also a lot of Maria, of course, but even though she’s clearly deeply in love with Masachika, all her plots here are comedic. We know what that means.

And then there’s Nonoa, but let’s save her for another time. Till then, I enjoy wading through the most predictable comedy ever to get to the good bits.

Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?!, Vol. 20

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By FUNA and Itsuki Akata. Released in Japan as “Watashi, Nouryoku wa Heikinchi de tte Itta yo ne!” by SQEX Novels. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Tara Quinn. Adapted by Maggie Cooper.

One of the very first things I observed about this series, back in the first volume, is that it gives its heroine a supporting cast and then replaces with with another, seemingly similar supporting cast. Now, as the series has gone on, we’ve found that this works fine: the Wonder Trio, for all that they came first, are basically three very similar girls who are “upper class”, “middle class”, and “lower class”. Reina, Mavis and Pauline have been given far more opportunity to show off they are more than just that and also they are lunatics. As is Mile. The Wonder Trio can be a bit eccentric, but compared to our main girls they are common sense personified. That said, now that they’re here, they can help develop the main cast, as they are nearly perfect at everything – and Reina and Pauline, as it turns out, are not.

Our two groups have settled into their new country, and are able to easily fend off merchants who are trying to lowball them on jobs. That said, there is an elephant in the room: Mile has her fantastic Storage Magic. Mavis can now also use it. The Wonder Trio has Inventory, which they are quietly pretending is Storage. But Reina and Pauline, since they’re not Nanomachined up, are struggling. Perhaps… the problem is how they’re being taught? After this, everyone decides to take a quick trip back home to check in on folks, only to find that when you’re the heroes who saved the world, a lot can happen in the little hometown you came from. This hits Reina especially hard.

This was a solid volume, with the usual good points and bad points (Mile once again tells us how AWESOME child labor is if you’re an orphan). I liked how the difference between Mile’s teaching (teaching magic as it’s learned here, trying to convey the power of imagination) and Mavis’ methods of teaching (we must use the power of EMOTION and FEAR to make your storage POWERFUL!) and, as it turns out, this is exactly what Reina needs. She gets the climax of the book, which has some wonderfully black comedy (what’s happened to her parent’s graves in the interim) and some triumphant power-ups (about to be murdered when trying to save a group of children being sold into slavery, she unlocks her inner storage through the power of not wanting to die), and you really feel great for her. Pauline also gets some nice development (quiet, you) as she realizes that maybe, with the Crimson Vow’s weird party makeup, she needs to learn how to direct a battle rather than be the support.

All this plus our heroines asking each other about marriage and gradually realizing that they’re all gay (no, not really, but yes, really). FUNA fans will have a ball.

Manga the Week of 11/19/25

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SEAN: It’s Almost Thanksgiving! Happy Almost Thanksgiving to those who celebrate. And Canadians, who already had it.

Yen Press shifted most of its releases to the week after next, but there’s a couple things. They have Elden Ring: The Road to the Erdtree 7 and Tales of Wedding Rings 15 (the final volume).

ASH: It’s a Ring sort of week, apparently.

SEAN: Viz Media debuts Assassin’s Creed: Forgotten Temple, a manhwa that’s part of the Assassin’s Creed universe.

ASH: I’m not familiar with this one, but I have enjoyed some of the other Assassin’s Creed comics. (Shockingly, I’ve never actually played any of the games, though.)

SEAN: Also from Viz: After God 7, Choujin X 10, Cosmos 3, Hirayasumi 7, Hunter x Hunter 3-in-1 4, Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. 10, Snowball Earth 7, Steel of the Celestial Shadows 8, Terra Formars 23, Trillion Game 8, and Undead Unluck 22.

ASH: Whoa! It’s been so long (six years, I think?) that I’d forgotten Terra Formars was still ongoing.

SEAN: Tokyopop debuts Call Me Master (Yaou no Inu), another BL title that ran in from RED. Another host club title, this one features a rookie who manages to top the top host.

They also have a 6th volume of Boys Gilding the Lily Shall Die!?.

Titan Manga has Cosmic Censorship 2, Kamen Rider Kuuga 11, Sanda 2, and Working for God in a Godless World 4.

ASH: I’ve actually heard some pretty good things about Sanda.

SEAN: Steamship has a 4th volume of Loving Moon Dog.

Square Enix Manga gives us Dragon and Chameleon 5 and Otherside Picnic 13.

Lots of Seven Seas debuts again, so let’s start with the danmei. Three Hundred Years of Longing: Bu Jian Shang Xian San Bai Nian stars a nobleman who wakes up one day to find himself chained in prison and branded as an archfiend. We’ve all had parties like that.

MICHELLE: Heh.

ANNA: I hate when that happens!

SEAN: Afterglow is a BL oneshot that ran in Gateau. A troubled doctor who practices in the middle of nowhere after an incident in his past finds his depression being healed by a yakuza.

MICHELLE: Potentially interesting!

ASH: I’m game!

ANNA: It does sound amusing.

SEAN: Dysfunctional Family Theory (Daraku Kazoku-ron) is a BL title from Cheri +. Two guys are told that they’re potential fathers to a 6-year-old who needs a papa, and now they have to live together until she picks one.

MICHELLE: My Two Dads: The Next Generation.

ASH: Oh, goodness!

ANNA: Sounds cute.

SEAN: The Greatest Wolf of My Life is a webtoon series from the creator of Reborn Rich. A girl with a terrible life suddenly finds that it can get even worse after she’s accused by an idol of stalking him.

ASH: Uh-oh.

SEAN: HOOL!GAN’S (horrible apostrophe not mine) is a shonen title from Bessatsu Shonen Magazine. 19th century London, mafia, alchemy… this has most of the popular trends of the last decade.

ASH: Hooligan’s what? Who is Hooligan? I must know!

SEAN: Tease Me Harder: A Sweet and Kinky Romance (Ijimete Gokko) is a josei title from Kuromitsu. Two sweet shy folks have been dating for six months, but not much has happened. Then he finds her secret – she’s a masochist. But he loves her so much! So he’s going to learn to be the best dom ever for her! This is apparently adorable. And also smutty. Please be OK with kinks and cuteness before reading.

ASH: Oh my gosh, this looks delightful. And hooray for josei!

ANNA: Alright!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas (danmei): The Husky and His White Cat Shizun: Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun 10.

Also from Seven Seas: Black Night Parade 8, The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace 9 (the final volume), My Senpai is Annoying 13 (the final volume), Noss and Zakuro 2, and Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs 13 (the final volume).

One Peace Manga has Higehiro 12.

Kodansha Books has As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World 7.

Kodansha Manga has a print debut that’s actually a “back in print” debut: The Drops of God omnibuses are getting a re-release.

ASH: Whaaaaat? How did I miss that?! These are excellent; glad to see them back in print.

ANNA: Nice!

SEAN: Also, 13 years after the first volume came out here, they give us Totto-chan, the Little Girl at the Window: The Sequel, as the author decided to revisit Totto-chan in contemporary times.

And apparently we get Witch Hat Atelier Coloring Book?

ASH: Ooooooh.

ANNA: Oh wow, I might get that!

SEAN: Also in print: Blue Lock 24, Gazing at the Star Next Door 7, Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 15, Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law 9, Ninja Vs. Gokudo 10, Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement 13, Sue & Tai-chan 6, and Whisper Me a Love Song 10.

Digitally we see A Couple of Cuckoos 26, Elegant Yokai Apartment Life 31, Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 28, and MF Ghost 23.

J-Novel Club has four debuts, all light novels. The Amazing Village Creator: Slow Living with the Village Building Cheat Skill (Bannou “Murazukuri” Cheat de Otegaru Slow Life: Mura desu ga Nani ka?) is another series where a kid has a bad blessing so his family hates, disowns, and banishes him. As one does. Guess what, his blessing is actually amazing! I know, you’re surprised. This seems to be one of those “he wants a slow life, but doesn’t get it” series.

ASH: That’s too bad, the slow life can be good.

SEAN: The Fearsome Witch Teaches in Another World: Pay Attention in Class! (Isekai Teni Shite Kyoushi ni Natta ga, Majo to Osorerarete Iru Ken) is a light novel whose manga came out only a few weeks ago from JNC. A woman is reborn in another world with terrible regrets. But now she knows sorcery, and is headed to the magic academy. Can she do things better in this reborn life?

ASH: Probably?

ANNA: I hope so!

SEAN: Heir to a Monstermancer (Mamono Tsukai no Musume) stars an adventurer who runs across a girl who can tame any monster. Together… they bicker! And possibly fight crime!

One Last Hurrah! The Grayed Heroes Explore a Vivid Future (Jiji Baba Yuusha Party Saigo no Tabi: Oita Saikyou wa Iroasenu Mama Mirai e Susumu you desu) stars a party of heroes who saved the world… decades ago. Now retired, the former hero and his wife, the former saint, go on a journey to visit his great-grandchild… but find adventure hitting on them once more.

ASH: You don’t see too many great-grandpa’s as a protagonist!

SEAN: Other light novels: Blade Skill Online 2, Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 19, Chivalry of a Failed Knight 0 (a short story volume), In Another World With My Smartphone 31, Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter 18, Record of Wortenia War 30, This Gyaru’s Got a Thing for…Vampire Hunters?! 2 (the final volume?), and Worthless at Home, Whiz to the World 2.

Manga titles next week are Imperial Reincarnation 2, Only I Know That This World Is a Game 10 (the final volume), and Sometimes Even Reality Is a Lie! 6.

Ize Press continues to have a busy month. We see Kill the Villainess 4, Murderous Lewellyn’s Candlelit Dinner 3, the 2nd Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint novel, The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine 6, Semantic Error 4, Unholy Blood 8, The Villainess Is a Marionette 3, and Villains Are Destined to Die 8.

Ghost Ship has 2.5 Dimensional Seduction 16.

Dark Horse Comics has a 3rd and final volume of Danganronpa 2: Chiaki Nanami’s Goodbye Despair Quest.

Airship has print volumes of The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain 6 and Loner Life in Another World 13.

And for early digital they have Classroom of the Elite: Year 2 12.5 and Drugstore in Another World 8 (the final volume).

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online: Invitation from Vivi

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By Keiichi Sigsawa and Kouhaku Kuroboshi, based on the series created by Reki Kawahara. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Stephen Paul.

After fourteen volumes, it has not escaped my attention that the volumes of GGO that I enjoy the most are the ones that do not have the words “Squad Jam” in the title. Possibly it’s because of their one-off nature, possibly it’s due to them being a change of pace, and possibly it’s because the Squad Jams all tend to combine a VRMMO game with the most annoying aspects of reality TV where we’re all watching waiting to see when they figure out who the traitor is. So this volume was always going to be starting off well for me. It finished well, too – this may be my favorite volume of the series to date. There’s some really cool game battles, lots of ludicrous things happen to Llenn, everyone’s reasonably funny, and there’s even a surprise or two. This may be Keiichi Sigsawa’s vanity project, but since we’re never getting his main project (thanks, Tokyopop), I’m cool with seeing him work his chops here.

After the events of the last Squad Jam, our core cast are celebrating in a virtual karaoke room when they get a request from David, the leader of MMTM. Vivi, the leader of the machine gun squad XEMAL, has issued a challenge, and if David wins he’ll get to meet her in real life. The challenge doesn’t say that he can’t invite others, so of course he’s turned to our girls, who are reasonably happy to help him with his live life – after all, this is just a game, so if they lose badly, it doesn’t mean anything. Miyu, aka Fukaziroh, is especially excited for this – she’s lost time and again to Vivi in ALO, and thinks she has a good guess as to who she is in real life. That said, first they have to clear Vivi’s challenge… which ends up being nearly impossible. Fortunately, they have a Llenn.

I’ve always been a fan of Fukaziroh as comedy relief, and we get a lot of that here, but this is a really fantastic volume for her in general. She gets to do clever and explosive things during the challenge, and her guess as to Vivi’s identity is… well, it’s wrong, but it’s only wrong by a very little bit. (There is also the joke that she and one of the machine gun players share a name, and will get married in the future, which makes me wonder if Sigsawa has been sitting on that for ages or if he just realized he used the same last name twice and decided to make it into a joke). As for Vivi, not spoiling too much, but this not only makes for a satisfying reveal, but also ties back into the main series. It can sometimes be hard to remember this takes place in the world of Kirito and company, and that VRMMOs can be used for reasons other than just having fun and shooting each other.

There’s no new volume in Japan yet, and if the author wanted he could probably end it here, but I suspect we’ll get another Squad Jam at some point. In the meantime, this is pretty much the series hitting on all cylinders.