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Peddler in Another World: I Can Go Back To My World Whenever I Want!, Vol. 3

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By Hiiro Shimotsuki and Takashi Iwasaki. Released in Japan as “Itsudemo Jitaku ni Kaereru Ore wa, Isekai de Gyōshōnin o Hajimemashita” by HJ Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Berenice Vourdon.

If you’re looking at the archived reviews of this series, you may note that I did not review the second volume. This is because it left so little of an impression on me that I had absolutely nothing to say. It wasn’t bad. I clearly was interested enough to read the third book. But there was nothing to hang my hat on, nothing where I thought “here is something I can talk about for 500 words”. Honestly, I should be having this problem more often than I am, and I’m not sure if that says something good or bad about me. But this third volume has a couple of good things and a couple of bad things that I wanted to discuss, so let’s pick up where we left off, with this very relaxed, slow-life “Kosaku Shima isekai”. Though unlike the Kosaku Shima series, Shiro will not be having lots of great sex anytime soon. It’s a light novel for teens, not seinen manga.

Things to know from Book 2: Shiro has a fairy companion now, and his grandmother has come back, looking about 20 years old. That’s it. The third book starts with her returning with Shiro to Japan, giving a bit of backstory, and preparing to continue to hide from most of her family the fact that she’s not dead and from another world. As for that other world, Shiro is invited by the mayor, Karen, to go with her to the big city, where she has to drop off the town’s taxes and go to a ball, where she is traditionally mocked for being a hick. As for Shiro, he tries to join a merchant’s guild in the big city, but is mocked and belittled. Can he manage to solve both his problems and Karen’s at the same time?

Everyone loves watching an arrogant noble get what’s coming to him, and though the noble is a merchant here, we get that, in a major scene showing Shiro at his most ruthless. That said, the best scenes in the book were near the end, as Aina, who came with Shiro to the big city, returns with a present for her mother, one that triggers the grief for her missing presumed dead husband she had been burying, and now she and her daughter are crying and thinking they’re terrible. The way Shiro handles THIS, rather than fending off nobility with awesome shampoo, is what makes him attractive as a protagonist. On the down side, I really dislike Shiro’s grandmother here. I’d be OK with her deciding to let the rest of the family believe she had died if she was going to stay in the fantasy world, but having her hang out with Shiro in Japan and pretend to be his childhood friend in front of his younger sisters is creepy and also a level of lying too much for me.

That said, the cliffhanger ending may need to let the cat out of the bag anyway. Till then, good job, Peddler in Another World, you rose above being faceless to only somewhat faceless.

Pick of the Week: Gatherings, Games and Biases

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SEAN: I used to obsessively follow Hana to Yume and LaLa titles back in the days when Tokyopop still existed, and as such I’m a sucker for my pick this week, Last Game. I hope it has messy, overcluttered art. Such nostalgia.

MICHELLE: Oh, man, and with teeny tiny asides in every panel! I will check out Last Game, but I think I’ll officially pick The Yakuza’s Bias, because it sounds fun and kooky.

KATE: My vote goes to Dark Gathering, if only to remind readers that Junji Ito isn’t the only artist cranking out horror stories.

ANNA: I cannot resist the siren call of old-school shoujo, Last Game is also my pick.

ASH: As much as I love Junji Ito, I also love that we seem to be getting more and different horror manga these days, so Dark Gathering has my attention this week. That being said, The Yakuza’s Bias looks like it could be a lot of fun, too.

Loner Life in Another World, Vol. 5

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By Shoji Goji and Saku Enomaru. Released in Japan as “Hitoribocchi no Isekai Kouryaku” by Overlap Bunko. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Eric Margolis. Adapted by Veles Svitlychny and Lorin Christie.

I’ve talked before about how I enjoy the Loner Life light novels a bit more than the manga because the manga makes things lighter and fluffier, but trust me, I 100% get why nearly everyone says “skip the books, read the manga” when it comes to this series. Leaving aside the writing style, which is still so rambling and broken that at times I wasn’t sure if I had spotted an editorial mistake on Airship’s part of just Haruka repeating himself for no real effect, there’s the fact that the plot meanders and wanders all over the place. At the start of the book we learn that war has been declared on Omui, and it’s not until 350 pages later (these books are loooooong) that we finally start the process of taking care of that war. What replaces it? Mostly Haruka making bras. Lots and lots of bras. Because this series is also still deeply, deeply horny, another aspect mostly lost in the manga adaptation.

Class Rep is back on the cover art again, which means Haruka is on the “alternate cover”, just like the first volume. He’s crying and hiding his face, though, which reminds you that there’s a core of real pain and anguish behind all this nonsense. Most of the book involves the girls all trying to get past Level 100, and also defeat a dungeon boss all by themselves with no help from Haruka, Angelica, or Slimey. They succeed in the former, but not quite in the latter, partly as they’re too wedded to the “fantasy” aspect of this world to realize, as Haruka does, that he can use normal science-based solutions. Elsewhere, an assassin, who turns out to be the Princess’ maid and childhood friend, comes to kill Haruka, which goes about as well as you’d expect. And then there’s that pesky war…

Everyone is familiar with the meme “I know writers who use subtext, and they’re all cowards!”. If you take that and add “no” before the word subtext, you’ve got Loner Life, a series which requires you to read between the lines to have any hope of enjoying it. So much of this series is a meditation on grief and mourning, about trying to improve daily lives so that people don’t have to live in fear and can think of the future. Haruka remembers everyone he couldn’t save, and all those deaths haunt him almost to breaking point. Class Rep talks about the girls going nuts over food and clothing mostly so that they don’t end up crying in despair over never being able to see home again. The owners of the inn where they’ve been staying just cry silently as they watch Haruka rebuild it into an eight-story inn/bunker that will be a safe haven for innocents during the upcoming war. As for the bra scenes… yeah, OK, sometimes it’s not subtext but text. The bra scenes are there to titillate. Still, it’s nice that the girls all have well-made underwear now.

The volume has no real ending, and you get the sense we got to page 420 and the editors said “just stop here and we’ll begin Book 6 where you left off”, which is the danger of webnovels. If you enjoy overanalysis and ridiculousness, Loner Life continues to provide. But prepare for incoherence as well.

Bookshelf Briefs 5/14/23

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Insomniacs After School, Vol. 1 | By Makoto Ojiro | Viz Media – The anime to this manga is currently airing this season, though I haven’t watched it yet. I hope it does its subject justice, as this was a very nice first volume. It’s clearly a setup for some romance, but that’s not in the cards yet, with boy-meets-girl being more like boy-and-girl-desperately-need-sleep. The problems with insomnia and what it can do to a person are not dwelled on in great detail, but are also thoughtfully examined, and I like how the guy’s crankiness is clearly more the lack of sleep than his actual personality. The one danger I can see in the future is that the lead girl’s insomnia stems from a medical condition, and, as others have already said, I hope this doesn’t go Your Lie in April on us. – Sean Gaffney

Kageki Shojo!!, Vol. 8 | By Kumiko Saiki | Seven Seas – I was right in that this whole volume was about the reaction to Sarasa leaving the performance to see her grandfather, but I was wrong in that the bulk of the criticism comes from Sarasa herself, especially when her grandfather turns out to be relatively OK, making her journey bittersweet. There’s a lot of discussion over which is more important for an actor, family or performance, and the book settles reluctantly on the latter—as does Sarasa’s grandfather, who reminds her that he’s going to inevitably die before her. Fortunately, there is some levity in this book, and it comes from Ai, who resolves to take over from Sarasa, and does a great job, but flubs a line very memorably, and that’s all anyone can think about. – Sean Gaffney

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 25 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – Entirely dedicated to its finale, Kaguya-sama has, for the most part, abandoned its subplots for the main plot, which involves the decline and fall of the Shinomiyas, and how that’s interacting with Kaguya herself. There’s much discussion of how succession and financial success or failure works in a family this large and this corporate, especially when all the siblings seem to hate each other. Or do they? As Chika notes (and yes, this is Chika being serious, because the situation warrants it), Unyou might behave like an asshole, but in the end he’s as much a tsundere as his sister. That said, we still have a long way to go till Kaguya is rescued, and it might require intervention from their chief rivals, the Shijos. Good stuff. – Sean Gaffney

Love, That’s an Understatement, Vol. 1 | By Fujimomo | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Having loved Fujimomo’s Lovesick Ellie, I figured I would enjoy Love, That’s an Understatement and I did. I must admit, however, that on the surface it has some pretty standard shoujo tropes, such as the manga starting with the heroine saving a beat-up delinquent in the rain—didn’t Honey So Sweet start that same exact way?—and having thoughts like, “This feeling… what do I call it?” But Fujimomo does excel at taking characters who appear cool and aloof and showing their vulnerabilities, and here that’s happening with both model student Risa Amakawa—seemingly composed and super capable—and Zen Ohira the hoodlum. Risa’s upbringing has led to her feeling like she has to handle everything alone, and Zen not only proves to be a reliable ally but someone who sees the real her. Echoes of Lovesick Ellie there, but I am very here for it. – Michelle Smith

No Longer Allowed in Another World, Vol. 2 | By Hiroshi Noda and Takahiro Wakamatsu | Seven Seas Good news for those who didn’t like the fact that the first volume was a variation on one joke: this volume does introduce an actual plot, and shows us what power our hero actually did get when he was transported. Unfortunately, for those who DID like that the series was a variation on one joke, there’s far less of that, and far more of the standard bullshit isekai things. This reminds me a bit of The Executioner and Her Way of Life, in that the bad guys are other kids from Japan who gained monstrous powers and, well, turned into monsters. Our hero has a way to “save” them, but I’ll be honest, I was hoping for more of the dark comedy. – Sean Gaffney

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 24 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – I still greatly enjoy this series, but it’s pretty clear that, now that it’s pretty much an assured success that can end whenever it wants, some of the arcs are dragging a bit, and this one is a good example. We’re still in the midst of finding out who’s using the drugged scent and why, and the answer probably lies with a young woman who used to be Lord Eisetsu’s gardener. There’s danger, and more danger, with a cliffhanger showing Ryu’s in danger. Kageya is a very interesting tragic figure, but I am 100% certain she’s going to die protecting someone in a few chapters. The question is whether that’s actually the root cause of things, and the answer is probably not. New arc soon, perhaps? – Sean Gaffney

Spy x Family, Vol. 9 | By Tatsuya Endo | Viz Media – The wrap-up to the cruise ship arc is pitch perfect, and threatens to drown out the rest of the volume. Yor may not have firmly decided to give up being an assassin, but it’s clear her heart is no longer in it anymore. The rest of the book is one-shots, of the sort this series does in between arcs, with highlights being the unlikely team-up of Franky and Fiona, and Becky’s elementary schoolgirl attempts to act sexy and mature so Loid will notice her (then she sees Yor and realizes she’s doomed). There’s also a good mini-arc, where Bond tries to save victims from a fire, which turns out to have been set deliberately. A nice volume that shows off the entire cast well, and I think we’re now ready for more of the main plot. – Sean Gaffney

Usotoki Rhetoric, Vol. 2 | By Ritsu Miyako | One Peace Books – The cases get a little more substantial in the second volume of Usotoki Rhetoric, as the first involves solving a ten-year-old murder, but still a little less than satisfying, as the culprit is apprehended and confesses entirely off-camera. Kanoko has a crisis of self-doubt when her ability to hear lies causes her to suspect an innocent person who was only concealing a certain fact to protect someone else, and we see more about how she was shunned in her home village. She attempts to quit working as Iwai’s assistant, fearing hurting anyone else, but then realizes that he will be hurt if she quits. Lastly, Iwai and Kanoko handle a dispute in which a fountain pen figures prominently, to my delight. All in all, this is more low-key than a true mystery series, but still very enjoyable. – Michelle Smith

Earl and Fairy: The Elegance of a Villain

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By Mizue Tani and Asako Takaboshi. Released in Japan as “Hakushaku to Yōsei” by Shueisha Cobalt Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Alexandra Owen-Burns.

This may come as something of a shock to all of you, but I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to light novels. As such, you’ll need to simply smile and nod when I tell you that my reaction to hearing about the license of Earl and Fairy was not “oh my god it’s a 20-year -old series” or even “oh my god it’s 33 volumes long”. but rather “oh my god it’s a Cobalt Bunko title”. Back in the day, the main reason I became interested in light novels at all was due to an anime – based on a light novel – called Maria-sama Ga Miteru. That was ALSO published by Cobalt Bunko, Shueisha’s novel line for young women. For years, Shueisha light novels were in the “nope” category of license requests, and even after it opened up a bit Cobalt was still “nope”. This is a big deal, folks, and hopefully opens doors. The good news is that the book itself is a classic shoujo potboiler.

Lydia is a bit of an eccentric young woman. Leaving aside her red hair and green eyes (which in England in the time period this is set in means she’s a target of abuse), but she’s also a self-proclaimed “fairy doctor”, trying to follow her late mother. For the most part, no one believes anything she says. Then, when journeying to see her father in the city, she’s kidnapped – and then kidnapped again by a different kidnapper rescuing her from the first kidnapper. Her rescuer is Edgar, a handsome if somewhat jerkass man who not only is the chief suspect in a string of horrible murders but is also possibly the heir to an earldom that has connections to fairies. Only Lydia can help with her fairy knowledge… which Edgar doesn’t really believe in either.

The ‘category’ on my page says this is ‘earl and THE fairy’ because I reviewed the Viz Media manga of this series a long, long, time ago, and they translated it with the extra the. The whole series is old-school shoujo fantasy, and it’s all the more enjoyable for it. Lydia is quick-thinking and intelligent, doesn’t trust Edgar but feels drawn to him anyway, and thankfully is not a constant ball of aggrieved rage, which, frankly, Edgar sometimes deserves. He treats Lydia horribly, but we’re meant to listen more to his two servants, who note how nice and charming he’s being to her rather than resorting to his usual behavior (i.e. threatening to kill). He’s just as drawn in as she is. Also, this is definitely a fantasy, because spoilers, fairies really do exist. The mythology is actually very well done, and there’s nothing here that would scream “this is Japanese” at all. Which may be a good selling point in this era of “long title that is also the plot” books.

I urge people to pick this book up. It’s a good story, buying it means we’ll get more of it, and buying it even more means we might get more Cobalt titles in the future. Less Isekai’d dudes with swords more of this.

Manga the Week of 5/17/23

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SEAN: Mid-May, and will it be a quiet week?

ASH: Is that something that exists anymore?

SEAN: From Airship, we see new volumes! The Most Notorious “Talker” Runs the World’s Greatest Clan 4 and Reincarnated as a Sword 12.

And for early digital there is Classroom of the Elite: Year 2 5 and Vivy Prototype 4 (the final volume).

Ghost Ship gives us a 6th book of 2.5 Dimensional Seduction and a 7th volume of Creature Girls: A Hands-On Field Journal in Another World.

J-Novel Club blesses us with print titles! We see An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride 14, Ascendance of a Bookworm 18, and the 3rd Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles manga.

ASH: Bookworm! In print!

SEAN: Digitally there are two debuts. Accidentally in Love: The Witch, the Knight, and the Love Potion Slipup (Koisuru Majo wa Elite Kishi ni Horegusuri o Nomasete Shimaimashita: Itsuwari kara Hajimaru Watashi no Dekiai Seikatsu) is in the Heart line, as you can imagine. A girl trying to hide that she’s a witch meets the man of her dreams… but she didn’t mean to drug him, honest! I think Cross Infinite World had a series with a similar premise.

ASH: Whoops!

ANNA: An easy mistake to make, I’m sure.

SEAN: There’s also Only the Villainous Lord Wields the Power to Level Up (Ore dake Level ga Agaru Sekai de Akutoku Ryōshu ni Natteita). This is a villainess book… but since it’s a male villain, it means he needs to be trapped in an RPG world as well. There are rules, after all.

ASH: That there are.

SEAN: There’s also new volumes: Death’s Daughter and the Ebony Blade 5, Der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight -Origins- 9, Haibara’s Teenage New Game+ 3, and The White Cat’s Revenge as Plotted from the Dragon King’s Lap 7.

Debuting in print from Kodansha is The Yakuza’s Bias (Yakuza no Oshigoto). This runs in Ichijinsha’s Comic Pool, but was also a popular webcomic. A yakuza hitman is also a huge K-pop stan! Hijinx no doubt ensue.

MICHELLE: This sounds potentially fun.

ASH: It really could be!

ANNA: It does sound fun.

SEAN: Also in print: Bakemonogatari 16, NO. 6 Manga Omnibus 3 (the final volume), Peach Boy Riverside 11, The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse 8, SHAMAN KING: FLOWERS 2, and When Will Ayumu Make His Move? 11.

ASH: Still glad to see NO. 6 staying in print. (And still living in hope that one day the novels will be translated, too…)

SEAN: The digital debut is Small Nozomi and Big Yume (Chiisai Nozomi to Ooki na Yume), which runs in Morning Two. A high school girl wakes up one day to find she’s lost her memories… and is also about five inches tall. Fearing being eaten by a cat, she takes refuge in the apartment of a drunken NEET and must convince her that she’s not hallucinating a tiny girl.

Also digitally: Blue Lock 19, Gamaran 9, We’re New at This 13 and Ya Boy Kongming! 11.

One Peace Books has a light novel, the 2nd volume of The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic.

Three debuts from Seven Seas. Last Game is old-school shoujo from LaLa. A young man who is a winner at life (and also rich) arrives at high school and finds… a girl has beaten him! A commoner girl! At study! At sports! There’s just one thing to do: he has to make her fall for him! For those who love goofy but problematic old-school shoujo titles.

MICHELLE: It definitely gives S.A vibes.

SEAN: Shibanban: Super Cute Doggies is a spinoff manga based on the popular LINE sticker set of Shiba Inu dogs.

ASH: They really can make a manga out of anything!

ANNA: I’m amazed.

SEAN: Who Made Me a Princess is a manwha series that ran on the usual manwha online places. A girl finds herself in the story of her favorite novel… as the princess who gets executed! Still, she’s a baby, so has time to change her fate. Right?

ASH: Time will tell!

SEAN: And there’s also The Kingdoms of Ruin 6, Marmalade Boy: Collector’s Edition 2, The Most Notorious “Talker” Runs the World’s Greatest Clan 4, Re: Monster 6, Reincarnated as a Sword: Another Wish 4, The Savior’s Book Café Story in Another World 5 (the final volume), and The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash 3.

MICHELLE: Speaking of old-school shoujo titles, looking forward to continuing my Marmalade Boy reread!

SEAN: From Square Enix we get The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses 3.

Tokyopop has three debuts. A Complicated Omega’s Second Love (Kojirase Omega no Nidome no Koi) ran in Gentosha’s Lynx, and is complete in one volume. An omega who hates alphas and has resolved to never be mated wakes up one morning… mated with his colleague.

Ogi’s Summer Break (Ogi-kun no Natsuyasumi) is a slightly less sexual BL title from Studio C.I.’s Haruto magazine. It’s a college romance between a boy who falls hard for another boy, who is blind.

And We Can’t Do Just Plain Love (Tada no Renai Nanka de Kikkonai – Kojirase Joushi to Fechina Buka) is josei, from Taiseisha’s Love Coffre. A new office worker discovers that her boss can’t be around women without getting aroused. Fortunately for him, she has a solution… if he’ll help her with her scent fetish.

The big title from Udon Entertainment is an artbook. Hidetaka Tenjin’s Artistry of Macross: From Flash Back 2012 to Macross Frontier is a deluxe 144-page hardcover that should please any fan who hates Carl Macek.

They also have Persona 4 Arena 2.

Viz debuts another horror title, but hey, it’s not by Junji Ito. Dark Gathering runs in Jump Square, and features a young man who is trying to avoid the supernatural (he can see spirits) tutoring a young girl who is trying to find the spirit who took her mother.

ASH: Ooooh, a horror manga, you say?

SEAN: Viz also gives us Choujin X 2, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: The Official Coloring Book 2, Twin Star Exorcists 28, and Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead 10.

And there’s one single title from Yen Press next week, and it’s a debut. The manga adaptation of a beloved light novel classic, requested by many over the years. Yes, it’s Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon (Jidou Hanbaiki ni Umarekawatta Ore wa Meikyuu wo Samayou). This runs in Dengeki Daioh, and features a young man reborn as a vending machine, though the “wander” part is mostly incorrect. I Now Get Carried Around The Dungeon By My Ludicrously Strong Beastgirl Friend is more accurate.

ASH: Wow!

ANNA: What will they think of next???????

SEAN: Assuming you have not been reborn as a villainess or a vending machine, what are you buying next week?

The Manga Critic: Vizion Quest

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This week’s big story is the launch of the VIZ Manga app. For a monthly fee of $1.99, the app gives subscribers access to a library of 10,000+ chapters from series like Call of the Night, InuYasha, NANA, and Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead. Not everything in the VIZ catalog is included; as Dean Simons reports, “mature rated books and series will not be available on the app due to content restrictions.” Also debuting this week is Kodansha’s K MANGA app. Kodansha’s approach is a little different than VIZ’s; instead of charging users a flat monthly fee to access its digital vault, Kodansha is using a ticket-and-point system that sounds, frankly, like a needlessly complicated way to offer freemium content.

In other news, the winners of the 47th Annual Kodansha Manga Awards were just announced… Dark Horse will be re-issuing Kohta Hirano’s Drifters in a new omnibus edition… anime tourism is on the rebound… fans just can’t get enough of Oshi no Ko… and manga sales remain robust, even if buyers’ enthusiasm for Chainsaw Man has cooled a bit. Looking at the April 2023 Circana Bookscan data Brigid Alverson observes, “There are 15 different series on the April chart, a far cry from January, when 10 of the 20 slots were taken up by Chainsaw Man and an 11th by another book by the same creator. In fact, there is only one volume of Chainsaw Man on the April chart, and like most of the other handful of backlist titles, it’s Volume 1.”

AROUND THE WEB

Patricia C. Baxter pens an essay about SHWD and She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat, “two very different series [that] showcase plus-sized sapphic women as people worthy of respect and desire.” [Anime Feminist]

Over at The Wonder of Anime, Lisa De La Cruz examines her complicated emotional response to BJ Alex. [The Wonder of Anime]

ICYMI: artist Harmony Becker makes a list of 7 Manga Titles Perfect for Any Young Adult Reading List. [New York Times]

If you missed the Leiji Matsumoto panel at Anime Boston, Samantha Ferreira has the next best thing: a detailed summary. [Anime Herald]

Visiting Japan this summer? Don’t miss “BL Evolution: From Pioneers to Global Phenomenon ―Tracing the 50 Year History and Impact of Boys’ Love through Manga, Literature, and Media.” The show opens on May 20th at the Kadakowa Culture Museum and closes on July 16th. [Otaku USA]

Brigid Alverson previews July’s best new manga. [ICv2]

Harry reflects on the phenomenal success of Fairy Tail creator Hiro Mashima. [Honey’s Anime]

Before Cross-Game, Touch, or H2, there was Nine, Adachi Mitsuru’s first major foray into baseball manga. Ichi offers good insight into why this particular series hasn’t aged well, or been translated into English. [SportsBaka]

Anita Mowete explores the deeper themes of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man. “If there was one question that captured the essence of Chainsaw Man, it would be: What does it mean to be human?” she argues. “Every storyline and character set about different ways of answering this question.” [How to Love Comics]

LISTENING IN

Check out Mangaroos, a brand-new podcast with a great logo and a growing library of great episodes! Their latest conversation focuses on Shuzo Oshimi’s psychological thriller Blood on the Tracks, a series filled with “deeply creepy mom stuff.” [Mangaroos]

Kory, Apryll, and Helen discuss I’m a Terminal Cancer Patient, But I’m Fine and I Want to Be a Wall. [Taiiku Podcast]

Should you read Rooster Fighter? King and Jones weigh in on the first two volumes. [The Manga Men]

Go Berserk with Matt, Sam, Jae, and Jacob, as they dissect Kentaro Miura’s perennially popular series. [OverMangaCast]

Elliot and Andy compare notes on Yuri Is My Job! and Smoking Behind the Supermarket With You. [Screentone Club]

On the latest episode of We Appreciate Manga, hosts Steven and Will “are perplexed by the plot” of Welcome to the NHK. [We Appreciate Manga]

What’s new at Glacier Bay Books? Morgana, Seamus, Darfox and dakazu share their thoughts on three recent releases: PANDORA, Mothers, and A Favorable Wind on Full Sails. [Manga Machinations]

REVIEWS

If “passionate Amish yaoi manga” is your thing, Danica Davidson has the title for you: The Scene of My Rumspringa… Josh reviews the first three volumes of Dandadan!, “a madcap paranormal adventure that keeps raising the bar for how weird it’s willing to go”… Nicholas Quah gives solid marks to Apple TV’s “very loose” adaptation of The Drops of God… Erica Friedman reviews the final volume of Catch These Hands!… Megan D. takes the first volume of Kaze Hikaru for a spin… and the latest Reader’s Corner has the low-down on The Art of Haikyu!!, I Saw It: The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima, and more.

New and Noteworthy

Complete, OOP, and Ongoing Series

A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life, Vol. 6

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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 Yuko C. Shimomoto.

This is, for the most part, another solid volume in the series, with one exception that I’ll get to later. For all that I’ve been talking about Yuto accidentally becoming overpowered and a celebrity, that’s mostly just due to his personality and the way that he reacts to things vs. how everyone else in the game reacts. Looked at objectively, he’s rather clever, tends to choose the right option, and his constant experimentation usually pays off, even if it can lead to disasters at the start. Heck, even those disasters can be monetized -I loved the idea of selling his experiments with carbonated beverages as a “mystery box” where you could get delicious or awful. I also enjoy his interactions with Alyssa, whose freakouts every time Yuto casually mentions something he’s done are always funny. As always, there’s limited to no plot or character development, though that may change in the next book in the series, which implies he’ll buy a house. But that’s next book.

Most of this volume consists of Yuto and his companions going through various dungeons, each one hidden in a different cardinal direction. Given that a lot of this involves battling rather than taming or crafting, it’s not a surprise that it takes him a while to plow through them, and both he and his tames monsters suffer a bit. (The image of Sakura constantly being set on fire is, thankfully, not illustrated.) The reward for each dungeon turns out to be a broken child’s toy, and the implication is that this will pay off once you get them all – which turns out to be true. More importantly, though, Amelia invites Yuto to a tea party that’s going to be livestreamed, and leads to hilarious consequences as, once again, Yuto fails to realize how iconic he’s become.

Right, let’s get around to the thing I didn’t like. There is some good in it – the book introduces a necromancer who is a boy dressed in feminine clothing, and Yuto and various people say, a few times, that there’s nothing wrong with that. And, when the same character is bullied and shamed by another player, a few people come to his defense, including, eventually, Yuto. It’s more realistic than I’d expect, with a lot of folks sitting there doing nothing till they realize the tide has turned and it’s safe to speak up. The problem is that the author can’t resist the old anime trope of having everyone, including Yuto, think of said feminine boy in a romantic light and then quickly doing a “no homo!” bit to show off that it’s OK, still safe to read this, any men who might enjoy this series. And unfortunately, the latter eventually outweighs the former. It’s aggravating.

Other than that, though, this is a perfectly good volume in this very mellow series. I think we’re in a “time to renegotiate the contracts” lull right now, so it may be a longer wait till Book 7, but I’m happy to read more.

Housekeeping Mage from Another World: Making Your Adventures Feel Like Home!, Vol. 5

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By You Fuguruma and Nama. Released in Japan as “Kasei Madoushi no Isekai Seikatsu: Boukenchuu no Kasei Fugyou Uketamawarimasu!” by Ichijinsha Bunko Iris NEO. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Hengtee Lim.

Welcome to Housekeeping Mage from Another World, the Zeno’s Arrow of light novel titles. Every volume we get closer and closer to Alec and Shiori sitting down and talking about their respective pasts, and every volume it continues to not happen. We’re closer than ever here. Shiori has pretty much figured out by researching who Alec really is. Alec has pretty much figured out where Shiori comes from, mainly due to her slipping up on occasion. Indeed, one of the big subplots of this book involves her doing something really impossible for this world. They’re kissing, and petting, and at the end of the book have moved in together. But trauma still holds them back. Shiori is hung up on a) Alec’s status vs. her own, and b) the scars on her limbs from her earlier experiences. Each volume she heals a little more, and we keep hoping to get that final step. Alas, still not quite there.

The bulk of this volume is taken up with a mystery story, though the author makes it a bit easy for us by signposting the guilty party immediately. The whodunnit is not the point. It’s the Nativity Festival, and a singer from another city is coming to give a performance. Unfortunately, someone is apparently trying to sabotage her. Half her orchestra has come down with what appears to be food poisoning, and without a full orchestral sound the performance will not be nearly as impressive. Shiori is asked if she could provide the illusion magic with stories that she’s done at the orphanage to help pep things up. Alec, meanwhile, is asked to help them try to find the saboteur. Is it the singer’s friend, the #2 singer in the city, who might be jealous? Mmmmm… probably not, as when we meet this other singer she’s about as conniving as a ball of yarn.

If I had a nickel for every time Housekeeping Mage from Another World had a major plotline end up being heterosexual when everything before that pointed to it being gay, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice. This one is not quite as obvious as the one from the last book, but I was very much wondering if this would be a love triangle with the two singers as a couple, but no, this series is far too heteronormative for that to happen. We’re even given a flashforward to assure readers that everyone is properly married in the future. I will also admit that at times the writer gets a bit too syrupy for my tastes… usually when trying to pour on the heteronormativity, in fact. Other than that, this is a very solid volume of the series, with some fun “mystery” and excellent Alec and Shiori interaction, despite their still not quite opening up fully.

Will things finally come to a head next book? Maybe, maybe not, but it’s definitely worth a read.

The Mythical Hero’s Otherworld Chronicles, Vol. 3

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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 is likely my final review of this series, but I want to assure everyone that it’s not for the usual reasons of “oh hey, this just became intolerably bad”. It’s more that this has simply not become a story I personally wish to read. I can see why others would want to read it, though. It’s very teenage boy. There’s a kickass guy with an eyepatch, taking out swathes of enemies by himself, with multiple girls as love interests, a couple of whom actively try to seduce him whenever they get the chance. It is, in other words, a light novel. The one drawback, and the reason I’m moving on, is that it’s so goddamn serious 90% of the time, I had picked this up as it had a lot of similarities to Altina the Sword Princess, which is on indefinite hiatus forever, but even Altina, which had some dark moments, was fairly lighthearted. This is just too straightforward. There’s no subversion, no meta, no in jokes. It’s a cool guy being cool.

After the events of the last book, Hiro and Liz are asked to come back to the palace to get even more accolades. For Liz this means command of an army, which goes out to quell someone or other. For Hiro is means a new job… a somewhat suspicious job. He’s asked to head north to Lebering, the kingdom to the north of the Empire. Hiro almost immediately finds himself caught up in a throne war while there, and needs to try to escape, save the crown princess who appears to be the one member of the royal family who is not dead or bloodthirsty, and try to quell a rebellion WITHOUT asking for help from the Empire – who would likely simply annex the kingdom and make it part of its own. Can Hiro pull all this off and still find time to pose dramatically?

There’s not a total lack of humor. Liz is by her very nature a fun character, even if she’s written as a bit too naive, and Rosa toes the line of being “the annoying sexy one” without ever actually going over it. The battle scenes are well-written, even if sometimes they go a bit too far into “we’ll write a lot of rape scenes offscreen to show that these are the EVIL soldiers”. The main issue is Hiro, who remains steadfastly uncompelling, despite being isekai’d from Japan *and* the old warrior Mars now come back to life. There are hints that he might get more interesting in future books, but the hints are that he might go down a darker, more amoral path, which are not hints I like. Even the big reveal at the end, which should have been more surprising, suffered because it was filtered through Hiro’s “of course, I knew all along” boringness.

If you’re the sort of person who enjoys those fanfics that rewrite Naruto or My Hero Academia with the hero being “darker and more badass”, this is a great book for you. But I just want something a bit *less* straightforward these days.