Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Blog

Manga the Week of 11/16/22

by , , , and Leave a Comment

SEAN: It’s the week of Anime NYC, so I think a lot of publishers are preparing for the con instead.

ASH: That’s fair.

SEAN: Airship starts us off with print volumes for I Swear I Won’t Bother You Again! 2 and I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! 3.

And we get early digital for Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter 7, aka Accomplishments of the Duke’s Wife 2.

Ghost Ship has the 5th volume of Do You Like Big Girls?.

J-Novel Club has a few titles. Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill 12 (which is now caught up with Japan), Death’s Daughter and the Ebony Blade 2, Did I Seriously Just Get Reincarnated as My Gag Character?! 2 (the final volume), Formerly, the Fallen Daughter of the Duke 2, Infinite Dendrogram’s 10th manga volume, Magic Knight of the Old Ways 4, Oversummoned, Overpowered, and Over It! 2 (also a final volume), and Rebuild World Volume 1 Part 2.

ASH: That is a few!

SEAN: Kodansha has a print debut, As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World (Tensei Kizoku Kantei Sukiru de Nariagaru – Jakushou Ryouchi o Uketsuidanode, Yuushuuna Jinzai o Fuyashite Itara, Saikyou Ryouchi ni Natteta). You can probably guess what it’s about from the title, as always. It runs in Magazine Pocket.

Also from Kodansha: An Older Guy’s First VR Love (VR Ojisan no Hatsukoi). This one-volume title from Zero-Sum Online is apparently BL and yuri, probably as it’s a “guy in real life, girl in game” series. It’s also a tragedy.

MICHELLE: Huh.

ASH: Hmmm.

MJ: Well.

SEAN: Hell in a Bottle: Maiden’s Bookshelf is a new series that takes classic short stories and gives them artbook art. This one features the 1928 story Hell in a Bottle by Kyusaku Yumeno.

ASH: I didn’t realize this was going to be a series, but I’m absolutely here for it!

MJ: …for a split second, I read this as “Hell in a Bottle: Manga Bookshelf,” and I worried about what I’ve been missing.

SEAN: And Kodansha’s light novel line debuts with The Dawn of the Witch, the sequel to the very popular (and unlicensed) Grimoire of Zero series. Why not license that, you may ask? Because Grimoire of Zero is a Dengeki Bunko series. In any case, this is theoretically readable without prior knowledge of the first series. A young man with amnesia is recruited by the traditional blonde-haired, immortal girl who nevertheless looks 10 years old.

Also in print, Attack on Titan Omnibus 7, Eden’s Zero 19, Fire Force 29, and Rent-A-(Really-Shy!)-Girlfriend 3.

We don’t know digital titles for next week… or this week. But Kodansha finally announced titles they already released LAST week. We got The Abandoned Reincarnation Sage 7, The God-Tier Guardian and the Love of Six Princesses 3, Kounodori: Dr. Stork 29, and Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister 5. Kodansha’s main site is still under maintenance.

KUMA has a revised and expanded version of Canis: Dear Mr. Rain.

ASH: Interesting.

SEAN: One Peace Books gives us Hinamatsuri 17.

Seven Seas has a new novel debut in its danmei line: The Husky and His White Cat Shizun: Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun. AKA 2ha. The plot is basically a revenge fantasy with a dollop of “traveling back to my younger self to change the past”, but the BL stops our protagonist in his tracks.

MICHELLE: I’ve heard good things about this. And smutty things.

ANNA: I mean, I think that BL would often stop protagonists in their tracks.

ASH: I’ve been looking forward to giving thus series a try.

MJ: I mean, hasn’t the BL stopped all of us in our tracks at some point or another?

SEAN: The other debut is Futari Escape, a Comic Yuri Hime series about an adult couple trying to avoid responsibilities any way they can. I still am not tired of yuri couples who aren’t in school.

ASH: Neither am I!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor 15, Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest ZERO 7, The Dungeon of Black Company 8, Even Though We’re Adults 5, Failed Princesses 6 (the final volume), The Tale of the Outcasts 6, This Is Screwed Up, but I Was Reincarnated as a GIRL in Another World! 4, Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs 6, and The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash 2.

MICHELLE: I really need to read Even Though We’re Adults.

ASH: I’ve been collecting the series, but haven’t actually read it yet…

SEAN: Square Enix gives us By the Grace of the Gods 6.

Lastly, Viz Media has Asadora! 6, BEASTARS 21, Mashle: Magic and Muscles 9, Requiem of the Rose King 16, Rooster Fighter 2, and Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead 8.

MICHELLE: Ooh, more Rose King.

ANNA: Yay for angst!

ASH: Always!

MJ: All of the above!

SEAN: Told you it was a short week. Don’t worry, we’ll make up for it the week after next.

The Manga Review, 11/11/22

by Leave a Comment

File this under Weird Twitter Kerfuffles: on Monday, manga-ka Kentaro Sato tweeted that “CEO Elon Musk has been posting my drawings without permission, so I’d like a usage fee of one billion. In dollars.” Musk had apparently re-tweeted a meme that used imagery from Sato’s Magical Girl Site, which is currently running in Weekly Shonen Champion. Though it’s not clear from context if the post was tongue-in-cheek, a number of Twitter users rallied to Sato’s cause, urging him to take action against Musk:

\\


There’s been no response from Musk so far.

NEWS AND VIEWS

Jocelyne Allen explains why she soldiered through the rocky first chapter of Kemutai Ane to Zuro Imoto. “I almost had to annoyance-quit reading this title,” she confesses. “But you know I love Battan’s sharp-nosed ladies with their cat eyes and strands of hair everywhere, so I kept pushing forward and found a lot more to like, including a much-needed window into Ran’s side of this story.” [Brain vs. Book]

Over at Shonen Flop, David and Jordan dissect the first chapter of Super Smartphone, a new Shonen Jump series. [Shonen Flop]

Artists Sally Madden and Katie Skelly devote the latest episode of the Thick Lines Podcast to Moyocco Anno’s In Clothes Called Fat.[Thick Lines Podcast]

ICYMI: Joe McCulloch dropped by the Thick Lines Podcast a few weeks ago to discuss Kazuo Umezz’s Orochi: Blood. [Thick Lines Podcast]

In the latest installment of Screentone Club, Andy and Elliot go to extremes–tonal extremes, that is, as they discuss Days on Fes and Franken Fran. [Screentone Club]

Erica Friedman praises Eike Exner’s Comics and the Origins of Manga: A Revisionist History, which won the 2022 Eisner Award for Best Academic Work. “You’re probably familiar with orthodox manga history, tracing today’s modern sequential narrative art from Japan from early scrolls, through sketches of the Ukiyo-e period to (time jump) modern manga,” she notes. Exner’s book, however, “stops the story and asks us to look – really look – at that time jump, and at one of the factors that shaped Japanese comicking into what we know today as manga… Exner’s voice is readable and friendly, with a sense of genuine conviction, rather than an argument that was made to be made.” [Okazu]

REVIEWS

Johanna Draper Carlson gives a mixed review to Blue Box, characterizing the artwork as “adequate but not inspiring,” while praising the series for flipping the script. “What I liked most about this book was a boy developing a crush on a girl because of her determination and accomplishments,” she notes. “A lot of shojo has the girl being aggressively normal, even shy, with no reason to stand out, unless it’s due to her cuteness.”

New and Noteworthy

Complete and Ongoing Series

Invaders of the Rokujouma!?, Vol. 40

by

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.

If this is your 42nd book of Rokujouma!?, welcome back. As a hardcore fan, you’re well aware of the numbering being off due to the two .5 volumes. If this is your first volume of Rokujouma!?, my god, you’re far too late. We’ve already moved in with this series. We have so many in jokes and memes that you don’t know. You must simply be staring at the chaos from your place by the drinks table in the corner, wondering why you didn’t get Vol. 1, 2, and 3 when they came out (at the same time) in 2017. But fear not, I am here for you. I can sum up the series so you aren’t lost. Nice guy. Alien princess and her aide and her rival. Ghost girl and her real body and her alternate world self. Magical girl and her formerly evil magical girl ally and their mentor. Pellucidar girl. And her things that say “ho!”. Sempai and her soul sister. Landlord and her inner dragon. Annoying best friend. Annoying best friend’s sister. God in disguise. Together… they fight crime! See, that was easy.

OK, clearly not that easy, given the girl on the cover art is “none of the above”. In any event, this is a short story volume but also a prelude to the next arc. The first half is web stories. Koutarou, Clan, the haniwas, and Alunaya all decide to race toy cars. The second story has Maki chatting with Crimson, her former ally-turned-enemy-turned-ally, and has her try to experience things that are not “fighitng is the baddest!”, which mostly fails. Nana goes to visit her old partner Kanae and ends up in a badminton match against Sanae (chan version) and Yurika. Finally, everyone is packing to go to Forthorthe, and we’re even taking Mackenzie and his sister, so that they aren’t quietly killed while everyone is away. Snacks are bought. Underwear is bought. Training scenes occur. And Koutarou remains The Purest Young Lad out there.

Those who have read my Rokujouma!? reviews before know it’s time for the Yurika report, as I gush about my favorite once more. This is a stellar volume for Yurika, possibly as she’s barely around Koutarou at all. In the badminton scene she’s got Nana in the room, so is trying her damndest to show her that she’s a mature and deserving young protege, not even whining when getting a shuttlecock to the face. (That sounds wrong…) We also get a scene showing her training the troops, and seemingly coming to terms with the fact that her “magical girl” magic is unorthodox. Basically, with what appears to be photographic memory and a good eye for improvising on the fly, Yurika is not a magical girl as much as a chemist. And thus is it very important to keep her on the side of good and light. (I hope this is not ominous foreshadowing…)

So as a short story volume goes, this is more important than most. None of the short stories are bad, and the final one is necessary setup for what might (?) be the final (???) arc in the series. And if this IS your first volume in the series… well, you have 41 more to get now.

The Strongest Knight Is Actually a Cross-Dressing Noblewoman?!

by

By Iota AIUE and Hakuseki. Released in Japan as “Hyōgetsu no Kishi wa Dansō Reijō: Naze ka Dekiai Sarete Imasu” by Meteor Novels. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by Grantas Sireikis.

The latest of Cross Infinite World’s offerings, I mostly picked this up because I enjoyed the author’s last book released over here, As the Villainess, I Reject These Happy-Bad Endings!. That one was a textbook villainess story, with the writing elevating it despite it having no real twists on the standard plot. The writing is not quite as good in this book, but it’s essentially similar: this is a standard reverse harem shoujo where the heroine has to dress up as a guy, and the plot goes exactly how you’d think. That said, there are a few points of interest. First of all, it does keep the identity of “who is gonna be the love interest” hidden for about half the book, which is better than most books in this genre. Secondly, it’s… much gayer than I was expecting. I know the cross-dressing invites that, but much of this reads like a BL series, and there’s also a yuri fanboy in it. For het romance, it’s not very het.

Bernstein von Eisberk was born very weak and was not expected to survive. Possibly for that reason, her father had her baptized as a boy. The weakness quickly passed, and she grew up to love horses, swordsmanship, and magic, which she excelled in. That said, she lives in a kingdom where only men can be Royal Knights. As such, she decides to take advantage of this and join the military academy as a man. The deal is that if she’s ever caught out, she has to leave the academy and never return… and also never see her childhood friend (who knows her secret) again. As she attends the academy, and becomes the very model of an elegant bishonen knight, she attracts a lot of lovestruck fans, both men and women. As for her own thoughts… she’s seemingly indifferent… but that will change.

As I said, the broad beats of Bernstein’s character arc are vigorously unsurprising. The love interests consist of a) one childhood friend, who has loved her since he was a child; b) one prince of the realm, who believes that he’s fallen for another man, and is OK with that; c) one underclassman tsundere who masks his affection as spite; d) one older brother figure from her home lands who watches out for her, and e) a weirdo court mage who discovers her secret and is now really into the idea of her and the princess being an item. The last one held the most interest for me, as it was the only part that wasn’t from the standard tropes. As it turns out, he and the princess share a deep love of pairing Bernstein with other people, and it’s mildly amusing. The main flaw of this book is that it feels rushed – It was meant to be a stand-alone, but for once I think an extra volume or two might have helped to make things flow better.

Still, if you like shoujo romance, or if you like BL novels and don’t mind that the main guy is a girl, this is a good choice.

You Like Me, Don’t You? So, How About We Give Dating a Try?

by

By Kota Nozomi and Azuri Hyuga. Released in Japan as “Kimitte Watashi no Koto Suki Nandeshou?” by GA Bunko. Released in North America by Tentai Books. Translated by Noor Hamdan.

I sometimes get the feeling that light novels have a quota system, where the author is allowed to actually get to the plot they want to write about provided they include at least three scenes of the heroine teasing the hero, one where it rebounds back on her, five different descriptions of her voluptuous body, etc. There’s even the standard sudden cliffhanger that is there for no reason than to force people to pick up Book 3 and not drop the series. (That said, I will warn readers: this volume came out two years ago in Japan, and there has been no sign of a third.) Fortunately, when the book does get around to actual interesting stuff, such as Kasumi’s past and home life, it manages to elevate itself to ‘pretty good’. That said, now that we’re in a semi-glut of “cutest girl in school goes out with reader-surrogate’ books, it’s going to have to lift a bit above its weight class, and it’s not doing so.

The first half of this book is essentially plotless, showing the low-level relationship our two protagonists are in, and watching Kasumi having fun trying to get a reaction out of Soukichi. The two of them discuss cheating, and the definitions of what it entails, and it will surprise no one that Soukichi is quite pure. Even if he does read erotic light novels. The second half of the book introduces actual plot: Kasumi’s friend Ann corners Soukichi and asks him for advice on how to hook up with Soukichi’s friend Tokiya, who rescued her from her ex-boyfriend the other day and who she is now smitten with. Also, Soukichi and Kasumi go on their first real date, and it’s very cute and fluffy… except for one point where Kasumi has an awkward meeting with a middle school girl, who turns out to be connected to her.

The good part of this book is examining the way that Kasumi carries herself and behaves around others, which she seems to see as a weakness, but nearly everyone else sees as her strong point. It will come as no surprise to find that she thinks of Soukichi the same way. The balance between growing up fast and still being able to be childish is tough, and she’s found someone she can relax and be immature around with Soukichi. As for Soukichi himself, he still puts her on a massive pedestal, but he’s also still working with his editor friend on a new novel… and then gets introduced to an actual editor, in a crossover from another of Nozomi’s light novel series, You Like Me, Not My Daughter?!. Overall, though, the main feeling I got after reading this series was that it was pleasant but also a bit flat. A bit boring. The family bits were good, the Ann stuff felt shoehorned in to make the book the right length. (And it’s not a very long book.)

So yes, if you read the first one, read this one, because it’s okay. That said, the fact that there’s no third volume yet should not devastate too many people.

The Saint’s Magic Power Is Omnipotent, Vol. 7

by

By Yuka Tachibana and Yasuyuki Syuri. Released in Japan as “Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannou desu” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Julie Goniwich.

Let’s face it, as much as we love the slow burn romance between Sei and Albert as a fictional couple, in real life things are not that simple. Sei is a hot commodity, and her age does not seem to be holding people back. As such, we are starting to see her have to deal with the world outside of her little research and monster hunting bubble, and make contacts with important families while fending off families who might merely want to use her fame and power to advance their own position. This is a problem with Sei, who has a certain amount of social anxiety, something that we may have forgotten about given how good the kingdom is about keeping her surrounded by people she trusts. That said, if you DO like Sei and Albert, the last quarter of the book has some tasty romance for you. And if you’re reading this book but hate the romance (???), I feel I should inform you that there is a giant zombie dragon.

The ball starts rolling with Liz telling us something that I’ve been expecting to happen since Volume 1: her engagement to Prince Kyle has been called off. Because this was due to his own issues (he’s being exiled to China), she does not suffer the reputation hit that you might expect from a villainess novel, and in fact will soon have suitors beating down her door. And so will Sei, who doesn’t have to get married but does actually have to poke her head out and wave on occasion. She manages to get past the first tea party, with Liz’s mother and other “safe” noble women, and from that comes up with the idea of showing off the regional foods of all the noble territories by having what amounts to a food festival. Which ends up being a much bigger deal than she was expecting…

First of all, in case you are wondering about Ten’yuu from the previous volume, there is an extended interstitial story here giving his backstory and also reassuring us that Sei’s medicine saved the day. The bulk of the book is dedicated to Sei having to try hard to be outgoing and friendly despite the fact that public events exhaust her, and she ends up doing a pretty good job of it. She also goes on an expedition with the First Corps of Royal Knights, the only ones not to go monster hunting with her, though this ends up being an excuse for them to fawn over her. Honestly, the best reward in the book (which hasn’t happened yet) is the discovery that in the domain of Albert’s family, which is Switzerland in all but name, they have… hot springs! Which can even have healing properties, something that startles the family when she mentions this. And, of course, there is Sei and Albert. Who get their cutest moment when Sei pulls a Katarina and falls through the wall of a cave.

This is never going to be exciting and heart-pounding, but it’s always going to be relaxing and nice. I enjoy it.

Pick of the Week: Spilling the Tea

by , , and Leave a Comment

SEAN: My pick this week is the final volume of light novel series Torture Princess: Fremd Torturchen. There really is an AWFUL lot of torture and gore in it, so it’s all the more impressive that the writer managed to get me addicted to it anyway. Though I admit that I’m expecting it will end with the death of everyone in the world. But gorgeously written.

MICHELLE: There wasn’t a whole lot that appealed to me this week, but Matcha Made in Heaven looks cute enough that I’ll go out on a limb and pick that!

ASH: I’ll admit, Matcha Made in Heaven is the debut that caught my attention this week, too! Which is entirely on the other end of the spectrum from my other top pick, Berserk…

ANNA: Matcha Made in Heaven does sound cute, that’s my pick too.

Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter: The Lightning Wolf and Upheaval in the Kingdom

by

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

I really do appreciate that this series is finding multiple reasons to keep the harem antics going beyond just “he ignores it all” (which admittedly is better than “he doesn’t notice any of it” in other series). It’s made clear multiple times in this book that the issue is that Allen is a commoner, with no last name, and a questionable reputation, and all of his love interests are various kinds of nobility. The Leinsters have been trying to find ways to have him perform a feat that would get him a title and allow Lydia to marry him, but every time it happens, it turns out to be a state secret that can never be talked about, or it turns out he gives everyone else all the credit. Or both. Fortunately, the series seems to have figured out a way to take care of these problems once and for all, which is to kill Allen off.

Allen and Caren finally manage to get the rest of the cast on a train back to their respective homes. This means the book is divided up. Half of it is spent with the other love interests, as we see Tina, Ellie and Stella plot to try to figure out how to get Allen’s attention while also humblebragging about what they’ve done already; and we see Lydia get completely dragged by her whole family for not simply grabbing Allen, declaring her love, and running away (which is apparently how her mother got married). The other half of the book is Caren, as we see some flashbacks showing why she’s so devoted to him, and a few other cute festival scenes. Unfortunately, the rebellion no one thought was going to happen is happening. And now most of Allen’s hometown is on fire.

No, I don’t think the series is killing Allen off, but his absence from the next book might be a good idea, as the one main problem with his harem is that they’re too dependent on him. We see this with Lydia, the classic tsundere, who nevertheless falls completely to bits on hearing he may have been killed. We don’t see the reaction of the others, but I expect it will be similar. As for Caren, well, she does kick a lot of ass here, but sadly she too has to be sent away at the last minute so that Allen can go on a suicide mission and not return from it. I’m fairly confident the war will not last long – the author drops several not-so-subtle hints that the nobility in charge of it are bad planners – but that’s not really helping things now. And I also wonder if the chieftains of the beast people may decide to go after Allen when this is over for disobeying pretty much every order they gave.

So yes, Allen’s dead, o noes. Please enjoy Book 6, which focuses on Lydia, despite the author stating that he was going to balance out the harem antics by sending Lydia away. I’m beginning to suspect we can’t trust a word the author says…

The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten, Vol. 4

by

By Saekisan and Hanekoto. Released in Japan as “Otonari no Tenshi-sama ni Itsu no Ma ni ka Dame Ningen ni Sareteita Ken” by GA Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Nicole Wilder.

I’m going to talk about the ending of this book, for the one or two of you who have never read my reviews before and don’t know I tend to spoil. It’s sort of unavoidable. Honestly, it’s something of a surprise to see the book has finally come out – it’s been 11 months since the last volume in English, and I’m not sure why there was such a delay. It could simply be to allow the reader time to recover from and prepare themselves for another wacky adventure with Amane’s self-hatred, which continues to drive the plot, because otherwise the series would have been one book long. Unfortunately, since the last volume of this Tentai Books has released a good 3-4 different series with a similar premise, so it now has competition. Can it manage to be sweet and syrupy while also separating itself from the pack? Yes, thanks to the ending. I wasn’t going to wait 5 volumes.

You know the basic plot. Mahiru loves Amane and is trying to subtly show him it’s OK to ask if that is the case. Amane sees the signs, but cannot possibly imagine anyone liking him romantically, so keeps pulling away. If this annoys you, why are you four volumes in? The main events here are exams, which features Amane trying to do better than before for Mahiru’s sake; getting in better shape, which features Amane trying to do better than before for Mahiru’s sake; and the sports festival, which features Amane trying to do better than before for Mahiru’s sake. He’s nearly got it! He’s almost there! That said, he still needs one last push, and it all comes down to the Scavenger Hunt, where Mahiru chooses to give up on “not rocking the boat” and drops a bomb in the middle of the school.

Not an actual bomb, of course, but she makes it clear in front of the student body that Amane is the guy she loves. She is aware this will trouble him, because the last four books have all been “we need to hide our friendship or else I will get attacked at school”, but honestly, I admire her waiting this long. I wanted to punch him in the face, as did his friends. That said, it is in fact the grandest gesture that makes Amane give in and confess to the rest of the class that he is in love with Mahiru. There’s an undercurrent here, seen in a lot of other high school romcoms, of “looks and shared interests are not as important as simply understanding one another”. That said, this honestly works out a lot better than you’ expect. Amane isn’t disliked or an outcast. he’s just “that tall guy who almost never talks”.

Best of all, now maybe Mahiru can stop0 being such an Angel at school. The author assures us they have a lot more volumes planned, even if this felt like an ending. That said, they also warn that we still have Amane’s self-hatred to deal with. Ah well, if you’re going to buy into a fluffy series you’ve gotta buy into its less-fluffy things, I suppose.

Slayers: A Chance Encounter in Atessa

by

By Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. Released in Japan by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Elizabeth Ellis.

The Slayers main series ended in 2000, but that does not mean that the Slayers series was abandoned by its author. There are 39 novels (!!) starring a younger Lina Inverse with her traveling partner Naga the Serpent, and these continued until 2011 (that said, don’t expect J-Novel Club to be licensing them anytime soon, I expect). There were also two new anime series, Slayers Revolution and Evolution. And then, in 2018, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko was celebrating the anniversary of Dragon Magazine and wanted Kanzaka to write a new Slayers novel in the main storyline. As such, we’re bringing the band back together, at least for this particular book. Well, the band members who weren’t horribly killed in the 2nd arc of the main series, that is. You’ll be delighted to hear that Amelia and Zelgadis are present and accounted for. And there may be someone else, but I’ll leave that a secret -desu. And the plot? Does Gourry meet Lina’s family? Ha. No. Instead, it’s elf wars!

On their way to Lina’s hometown, Lina and Gourry happen upon a city that if having a problem with bandit attacks. The trouble is, these are very well-trained and adept bandits. In fact, notes Lina, one of them seems very familiar… Meanwhile, the situation has grown so dire that Amelia arrives from Saillune to take charge, and also to fight for justice… mostly in that order, for once. There’s also an elf in town, Alaina, who would be very helpful in resolving things if she did not have severe social anxiety. (She has a terrific cap, though. Really, more characters should wear that cap and NOT be a delinquent.) As for the cause, well, it might come as a surprise to the reader of the old, 20th century Slayers novels, because we’ve had Lina hanging out and being allied with elves before… why are we getting cliched elves now?

Because it’s a Slayers novel, that’s why. This one is definitely in a much lighter vein than the previous couple of books, and the body count, while it is there, is minimal. This allows for some more amusing humor, which can stem from Gourry being dumb or Lina being narratively obtuse (her description of a “light” breakfast was pitch perfect.) As for Amelia, I was pleased to see that she really has matured as a princess and acts it. The novels never really had an Amelia problem the way the anime did, but I get the sense the author was listening to anime fans complaining, as she gets a lot of really cool things to do. Indeed, possibly more things to do than Zelgadis, who feels like he’s there because you need to have everyone there. As for the bulk of the book itself… it’s magic battles. Come on, it’s still a Slayers book. It’s ALWAYS 50% magic battles.

Good news! There is another book coming soon, written in 2019. Bad news for fans of “the gang” – it’s a Lina and Gourry solo book. That said, any excuse to reconnect with Lina is a good one, and this was a decent volume that didn’t show any rust after an 18-year break.