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Pick of the Week: Princesses, Aliens, and Guardian Spirits

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SEAN: Surprising no one, I’m staying on brand for this week’s pick, as The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady is hitting a lot of what I want in both a villainess story and a reincarnation story. What if we ignored the guys and started a cottagecore magic industry?

MICHELLE: I admit that I’m mostly going off the cover for this one (plus aliens!) but Nighttime for Just Us Two looks so cute that I can’t resist picking it this week.

KATE: I’m excited to see that Titan Comics will be publishing Eldo Yoshimizu’s latest Hen Kai Pan. Though his debut series Ryuko was a little uneven plot-wise, it had imaginative, eye-popping action sequences and great artwork throughout. Hen Kai Pan looks equally dazzling, with an interesting and timely environmental theme lending some gravity to the proceedings. Count me in!

ASH: Oh! Thanks for that reminder, Kate! I’d forgotten that another work by Yoshimizu was being released. The artwork in Ryuko was very striking. That being said, my pick this week goes to My Brain is Different; I like seeing the variety of biographical and autobiographical manga being released these days.

ANNA: I’m going to go with Nighttime for Just Us Two just because of the whole alien angle.

Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs, Vol. 1

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By Mishima Yomu and Monda. Released in Japan as “Otomege Sekai wa Mobu ni Kibishii Sekai Desu” by GC Novels. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Alyssa Orton-Niioka. Adapted by Chris Wolfgang.

I had a short period where I was caught up on light novels, so had a poll to see which series I’d never started I should give a chance. I picked three series that I never started because I thought they sounded dull… and this one, which I never started as I’d heard things about it. Naturally, you can guess what won the poll. The series has quite a few fans, and it has an anime just starting this spring. That said, having read the first volume, while I understand why it’s popular, I don’t regret my decision not to read it. Despite its title, this “game” our hero is trapped in is nothing like the otome games available to play in Japan and elsewhere – as the author freely admits in the Afterword. And that’s important, because this is not simply “gender-flipped villainess story” – this story HAS a villainess filling the otome game function. What this is is a more common light novel trope… a revenge fantasy.

I used the word “hero” earlier, but that was a mistake, frankly. Our protagonist is a young man, already kicked out of his family home for supposedly being gay (he was caught with his sister’s BL doujinshi that she planted), forced by his abusive sister to play to 100% an otome game that relies on battle mechanics so she can’t get all the pretty CG she wants just by using a walkthrough. He’s so tired after finishing this that he falls down his staircase and dies. Take a wild guess where he ends up. Now he’s in the otome game he hated playing, and what’s worse, it’s a game where the women have all the power and the men are second-class citizens. He’s determined to escape the fate of a 3rd son in a minor noble family – married off to an old widow and sent off to die in military battle – and he’s also determined to avoid the actual plot of the game, which takes place at the local Academy For Rich Jerks. He succeeds in one of these things.

The author says his goal was to write an otome-game style webnovel only for guys, and I suppose he’s succeeded in that regard… except for the fact that this otome game bears no resemblance to the real thing. And I don’t think it’s enough that its own cast thinks the same thing, wondering “why do we have this world where women have all the power?”. That said, the main reason I want to stop reading the books is Leon. To quote the New Yorker cartoon meme, Christ, what an asshole. He hates the game, he hates the girl who’s taken over the game away from the original protagonist and won over all the love interests (and there are hints that she and Leon are closer than they appear), and he really hates the love interests, causing the last half of the book to basically be a tournament game where he beats the shit out of them one by one. In a giant robot. Because it’s for guys, right?

The writing is actually decent enough if you like what the author is offering you. The two love interests are likeable, and I suspect will be very amenable to sharing Leon, because this also sounds like that kind of series. The translation is actually quite good. I can see why people enjoy it. That said: I do not want to spent another minute in this asshole’s head.

Slayers: Presages of Incarnation

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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.

One thing that I don’t think I’ve talked about in these reviews of very short, action filled Slayers light novels is the way that, if you aren’t a major character in the book, your life expec–

“We’ve done that.”

Really?

“Yes.”

Erm… OK, well, I can mention the way that, despite being very short books, these still manage to have over half their content filled with battle seq–

“We’ve covered that as well.”

Ah. Erm… passionfruit?

“We’ve done the passionfruit.”

Sigh. Once again, I want to note that these are good books. I enjoy them, I want to read more of them, but… what the hell is there to review? Maybe if I was reading the omnibuses, OK, but I–

“You’ve actually whined about this before as well.”

SHUT UP! Look, let’s just go to the recap summary, OK?

After the events of the last book, our heroes join up with Milgazia, the ancient dragon, and Memphys, the arrogant elf, to discuss the events of the last few books, and how they’re all pointing to one thing: another Incarnation War is coming. Then, as with many, many other books in this series, some demons show up, try to kill Lina, and blow up the inn she’s staying at, leaving her to take the blame. Because let’s face it, while the books are more serious than the anime, that’s only by a bit. What’s worse is that they immediately have to return to the city they just left. Remember when I said that things ended a bit too well? Well, I was right. Turns out there’s a new Demon along the lines of Xellos in town, and Xellos is Mr. Not-Appearing-In-This-Book so can’t help out. Can Lina and Gourry join forces with the rest of their allies and find a way to survive this?

I think I may have talked about THIS as well in past reviews, but the Slayers books ran concurrently in Japan with a series called Slayers Special, which featured the adventures of Lina before she met Gourry, which is to say with Naga the Serpent. These also got made into several anime. They are highly unlikely to be licensed over here, and seem far more episodic than the main series. I mention this because it was nice to see Lina actually remember Naga, even though her name is very deliberately not said. The reason she comes up is that Memphys’ attitude is very familiar, as is Lina’s contempt for it. Turns out that our arrogant elf is actually covering up some shyness, adn the one who told her to act like a cut-rate Naga the Serpent was… well, was Naga the Serpent. Honestly, the best joke here is that anyone would take Naga’s advice at all.

So we’ve got two books left in this second arc, and I assume they will tie very closely together. As for this one, it feels like a prologue more than anything else. And oh, look, I’ve hit 500 words. Bye.

The Reincarnated Princess Spends Another Day Skipping Story Routes, Vol. 3

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By Bisu and Yukiko. Released in Japan as “Tensei Oujo wa Kyou mo Hata o Tatakioru” by Arian Rose. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Tom Harris.

We’ve seen a lot of reincarnated as a villainess stories in the last few years, and one thing has become pretty clear: it’s much easier to be reincarnated as a duke’s daughter than as a princess. First of all, it’s easier in that there aren’t major political consequences in the game when said villainess is eventually shamed and exiled/killed. But secondly, there’s far more freedom to actually do things, such as not marry the future evil dude, or not go to the academy of bullying, etc. You can’t do this if you’re a reincarnated princess. Going anywhere means permission and a retinue. And sometimes you really do have to marry the dude to unite the kingdoms. This is why Rosemary is finding it a lot harder than she expected to prove her worth to the King. George goes off to look for the plague cure without her. She can disguise herself and sneak away, but even then she can’t take her crush because he is the Knight Captain of the Guard. Things are hard.

Thwarted in her attempts to go with George and Michael (who’s been avoiding her) to search for the medicine that can help them, she decides to disguise herself and board a ship to get where she needs to go. That said, first she has to figure out why there’s a sudden illness among the sailors that’s attributed to ghosts – if you guessed “here’s where she cures scurvy”, you’ve read your light novels before. Then she has to deal with the fact that she can’t take Leonhart with her, it has to be Klaus… who remains a pain in the ass and just a bit creepy. Speaking of which, she also meets Michael’s sister Bianca, who was a main character in Michael’s route and is the one where readers are upset there isn’t a yuri option. Sadly, she too really likes Rosemary more than is appropriate. And then they board the ship and things really get bad…

Fist of all, the book’s main flaw remains in place, which is not just all the characters seemingly obsessed with a 13-year-old girl, but the fact that Rosemary knows it’s creepy and so points it out to us as often as possible. I suppose it’s meta commentary, but you know, why not just have them not be creepers? The easy scurvy cure also made me roll my eyes a bit. That said, the second half of the book, once we actually board the ship, was excellent, showing Rosemary really suffering and panicking quite a few times, but always digging deep down into reserves of courage and managing to help save the day. Klaus also gets some much needed character development, as multiple people have told him that “just kill the enemy” is not a good way to protect his charge, but it’s only here when battling pirates that it manages to sink in, and he’s rewarded for that by almost losing his life.

And of course the book ends with a cliffhanger, where we find that letting the royal family 3wander around in disguise looking for the plot sometimes results in them finding it, and sometimes results in them being forcibly brought to it. Despite its flaws, this is good “villainess” stuff.

Manga the Week of 4/13/22

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SEAN: Spring has sprung, the grass has ris’, I wonder where the manga is?

MICHELLE: Wings?

SEAN: Yen On has only one title, but it’s a debut. The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady (Tensei Oujo to Tensai Reijou no Mahou Kakumei) is a title whose wordplay sadly gets lost in English. Our heroine is useless at normal magic, but can use magic when she adds ideas from her past life. Then one day her brother dumps a noble who has “evil villainess” written all over her. Our heroine has a suggestion, though… the two of them should move in and research magic together! For fans of Maria and Katarina pairings.

Viz Media has Call of the Night 7, Case Closed 82, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Valley of White Petals (another light novel that is a reissue from 2006), Komi Can’t Communicate 18, Pokémon: Sword & Shield 3, Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle 17, and Splatoon 14.

ASH: I really need to catch up with Sleepy Princess; the volumes I’ve read so far have been delightful.

ANNA: Me too!

SEAN: Tokyopop has the 2nd and final volume of Alice in Bishounen-Land.

SuBLime has two debuts. Links is a single-volume collection of four stories about handsome young men and their half-baked lovers. The creator is famous for her Haikyu!! and Kuroko’s Basketball doujinshi. This title ran in Be x Boy Gold.

MICHELLE: Sounds potentially interesting!

ASH: That it does!

ANNA: I agree!

MJ: Ahhhh okay!

SEAN: Scattering His Virgin Bloom (Takane no Hana wa Chirasaretai) is nothing like that OTHER Takane and Hana. We’re back in the Omegaverse here, where an alpha who works at a cafe with a regular who also SEEMS to be an alpha… but is actually an omega! And a virgin! This ran in Dear+.

MICHELLE: Aaaaand definitely not.

ANNA: No thank you!

MJ: …

SEAN: Square Enix has a 5th volume of Ragna Crimson.

Seven Seas has two debuts. The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace (Heion Sedai no Idatentachi) is a manga adaptation of a popular webcomic, and runs in Young Animal. The artist of the manga version is best known for Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid. The author is well known (infamous?) for Interspecies Reviewers. Some gods who’ve had 800 years of peace have to fight… but they’ve forgotten how!

ASH: I find the premise intriguing, at least.

SEAN: My Brain is Different: Stories of ADHD and Other Developmental Disorders (Hattatsu Shōgai to Issho ni Otona ni Natta Watashi-tachi) is oa one-volume anthology from Takeshobo about the everyday struggles of people with developmental disorders. Based on true stories, including one from the artist.

ASH: I’m rather curious about this one!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas, Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor 14, Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest 8, CALL TO ADVENTURE! Defeating Dungeons with a Skill Board 4, The Case Files of Jeweler Richard 2, The Demon Girl Next Door 5, GIGANT 7, Harukana Receive 10 (the final volume), Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero 4, No Matter What You Say, Furi-san is Scary! 4, and The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 3.

ASH: I still need to read the first volume, but I’m glad to see more of The Case Files of Jeweler Richard out so soon.

SEAN: One Peace Books has the 3rd volume of Multi-Mind Mayhem.

Kodansha has no print debuts, but we do get Attack on Titan Omnibus 4, Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro 10, Knight of the Ice 10, Rent-A-Girlfriend 12, and The Seven Deadly Sins Manga Box Set 2.

Digitally there are three debuts, but you’ve seen one before if you’re an older manga fan. The Wallflower (Yamato Nadeshiko Shichihenge) came out in print starting in 2004. Now you can get Volume 1-36 – the entire series – digitally. Enjoy this shoujo title about four super hot guys trying to transform a girl into a perfect young lady… if only she can stop being drawn in chibi style!

ASH: Glad to see this series becoming more readily available again.

ANNA: Nice, I think I lasted 11 volumes or so but I enjoyed it.

SEAN: Also debuting: The Fable is a Young Magazine title about a hitman who’s told he has to lay low for a while… and that’s hard! This has won awards, and seems like very Manly Manga.

Nighttime for Just Us Two (Yoru no Shita de Machiawase) is a Betsufure series from the author of My Boy in Blue. Our drab heroine is rather surprised to find the hottest boy in school wants to be her friend! Then he explains he’s an alien.

MICHELLE: My Boy in Blue didn’t seem especially distinctive, but this one looks really neat! Very much looking forward to checking it out.

ANNA: Aliens!!!!

MJ: I don’t know if this actually sounds good to me, or if I just like Sean’s, “Then he explains he’s an alien.” But in any case, count me in!

SEAN: Other digital releases from Kodansha: Apple Children of Aeon 2, Giant Killing 30, A Kiss with a Cat 2, Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 2, Police in a Pod 11, Saint Young Men 17, Tokyo Revengers 25, and We Must Never Fall in Love! 9 (the final volume).

MICHELLE: Giant Killing is another Kodansha sports series due a marathon catch-up read, always a delightful prospect.

SEAN: A quiet week for J-Novel Club. We see The Great Cleric 7, Hell Mode 3, My Friend’s Little Sister Has It In for Me! 6, Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire ♀ 4, and the 7th Record of Wortenia War manga.

Ghost Ship has the 2nd volume of better-than-it-sounds The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You.

ASH: I’ve been meaning to give this series a try.

SEAN: Airship has, in print, My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero’s 4, The NPCs in this Village Sim Game Must Be Real! 3 (the final volume), and A Tale of the Secret Saint 2.

And Airship also has early digital. Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling 3 and Survival in Another World with My Mistress! 2.

Deceptively small, but don’t forget The Wallflower is 36 volumes at once. Will you re-read it all?

Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower, Vol. 5

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By Miri Mikawa and Kasumi Nagi. Released in Japan as “Ikka Kōkyū Ryōrichō” by Kadokawa Beans Bunko. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by afm.

The words “game changer” can be overused when referring to an ongoing piece of media, but I can’t think of a better way to describe this volume. Honestly, it feels like a penultimate volume, with things getting resolved next time. But I know that there’s six more to go after this. Building on everything that we’ve seen before, it shows us Rimi finding her inner strength and standing up not only for herself but for the Emperor. She’s come a long way from … well, even from the 4th book, really. This despite the fact that she also spends this volume under constant threat of death, but this time it’s from assassination rather than execution. And she’s not alone, as Hakurei also makes great strides in kicking back against manipulation, Shohi manages to do the right thing by simply restraining himself and not exploding in rage, and as for Shusei… well, that’s where it all falls apart, really. Look, I love a good romance as much as the next person. But he’s making the WRONG choice here.

Now that Rimi has accepted the Emperor’s proposal, there’s still a looooooong way to go before they’re home free. Most importantly, the anti-Shohi faction of the palace has said that they won’t stand for it because she’s Japanese… erm, sorry, Wakokuan. The way this is solved is blatant sophistry but also works; have Rimi leave the palace and vanish, and then have the identical Setsu Rimi, whose bona fides show that she’s from Konkoku, show up in the palace and become Empress. Of course, this assumes she’s not murdered in between those two things. And even then, Shusei has to train her to pass the rigorous Empress Question Time, where she gets hammered with seemingly ritual questions where she can memorize the answers… till some of those questions change.

Apart from the cliffhanger ending, the best scene in the book is Rimi answering question from the officials. She’s can’t solve everything with food here, and is especially in danger when Shusei is suddenly forced to leave her side so he can stop feeding her the answers. That said, insulting the emperor so publicly awakens something furious in her, and the response is amazing. Also, apologies to Jotetsu, who I haven’t mentioned yet, as it’s basically his book along with Rimi’s, and we get his backstory along with what drives him and why he wants to help Shusei. Unfortunately, there’s also the simmering “we have a secret child who can become Emperor” backstory that has been simmering for a couple of volumes, and it comes to a boil here. I somehow get the feeling that we’re going to be seeing a lot of military battles in the future of this series. That said, we do at least get to see Rimi save a life with the power of delicious food, so the series gets to stay on brand for those who picked it up as a foodie title.

What’s next? Chaos. Till then, please enjoy the best volume yet.

Forget Being the Villainess, I Want to Be an Adventurer!, Vol. 2

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By Hiro Oda and Tobi. Released in Japan as “Tensei Reijou wa Boukensha wo Kokorozasu” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Kim Louise Davis.

Well. That escalated quickly. After all the setup from the first book, I was expecting more adventuring, more knight training, and most importantly more school. Sadly, that went off the rails pretty quickly the moment General Avenger says “hey, I’ve found this guy who can give you a good fight!”. Accurate, BUT… now the rest of the book is anything but that. I did enjoy everything that was going on, it was just a bit of a surprise direction. That said, the other thing that happened in this book also surprised me, and that’s on me, I was being dumb. Because most of these villainess stories are, at their core, romance novels. Yes, our heroine may say that she has no desire to get married after being betrayed in the game, etc., but there’s still a guy who is going to be “the one”. After meeting him last time, I assumed it would simmer in the background for several books till Serephione grew up. Then this book covered several years of her life…

As noted, we do start off the same as last time. Serephione is attending the Knight School while also doing adventuring work on the side, including such things as protecting a royal as she travels to the magic academy. You know, the one that Serephione has been avoiding with great avoid. Then Prince Schneider arrives, and he now knows all about Serephione… and tries to kill her. This turns out to be for slightly better reasons than “I am evil just because”, but only slightly – both have their agendas that they can’t let go of. Now Sere is far from home, and she doesn’t even have Leo for company. She does have Miyu, the cute little snake girl she met last volume, and together they slowly make their way to a country where she can hide from her enemies… mainly =because she accidentally helped along this country’s revolution.

This book is mostly fairly light and adventurey, but when it gets serious it gets pretty damn serious. The fight between Sere and Schneider felt like it belonged to a different book, and this happens a couple of other times in the book. There’s no blending of genres, just a straight tonal shift, and it can be jarring. The other interesting thing is how this world appears to be a port authority for dead Japanese people. We already know about Serephione and her nemesis, the heroine Maribelle (who doesn’t technically appear in this book, but you can tell she’ll be the final confrontation). Now we hear that Schneider is also a reincarnate, and that he hated the Wild Rose novel. So he’s a bit bitter that he’s now in it. We’ve seen this sort of thing in other villainess stories, but usually it’s between people who actually knew each other in Japan. This book just sucks up anyone and everyone.

Despite some hiccups, this was still a fun read, and I’m happy there’s at least one more volume of it. Let’s hope it has more of the badass grandma, who barely appeared in this volume.

Pick of the Week: Spies, Assassins and Skip Beat!

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MICHELLE: There is soooo much good stuff coming out this week and there’s really only one thing that beats Yona of the Dawn with such ease, and that is the latest installment of Skip Beat!. I sometimes feel like I should pick something else for the sake of not repeating myself, but this truly vaults to the top of my to-read stack every single time.

SEAN: Man. New Kaguya-sama, Queen’s Quality, Skip Beat!, Snow White with the Red Hair, Spy x Family, AND Yona of the Dawn. I am tempted to simply make my pick “Viz”. But in honor of the start of the anime this week, I will pick Spy x Family.

KATE: As a certifiable Middle-Aged Person, I am 100% rooting for the protagonist of Sakamoto Days, even if he’s “legendary hitman.”

ASH: It really is a Viz sort of week, isn’t it? As the debut, I’ll join Kate in picking Sakamoto Days, but I’m actively reading just about everything that Sean mentioned, too.

ANNA: I’m with Michelle this week, my heart belongs to Skip Beat!!

Bookshelf Briefs 4/4/22

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Falling Drowning, Vol. 1 | By Yuko Inari | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – On the surface, Falling Drowning looks like cookie-cutter shoujo. Our protagonist, a high school student named Honatsu, is part of a love triangle with her protective childhood friend Toma and the surly new transfer student, Shun. There’s even a scene where Honatsu and Shun get stuck in a storeroom! However, there’s an element of mystery to this title that’s quite appealing. Six years ago, Honatsu lost her father in an accident (or was it an accident?) along with eleven years of memories. Now, she’s trying to learn as much as possible and become independent. She feels at ease around Toma, and it’s clear he likes her, but what he offers is the promise of safety. Shun, on the other hand, instinctively understands her desire to challenge herself. I enjoyed this first volume quite a bit and look forward to seeing how it develops from here. – Michelle Smith

Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends, Vol. 19 | By Yomi Hirasaka and Itachi | Seven Seas – At last, we get the answer to the question that every Haganai fan who despised the light novel ending has been asking: will the manga be different? Well, I’m not sure the actual ending will differ (he’s still avoiding all romance), but it’s definitely different on the Yukimura end, as he shoots her down here. Indeed, she’s not the only one he shoots down, as he admits to Yozora, who finally confesses, that he sees her only as a friend. I can’t wait to see how this ends when it comes out in… erm, what? I forgot to read this volume? The final volume is already out? Whoopsie! Well, in any case, even if it ends with him picking no one, it avoided the biggest hate sink of the novels, so that’s a plus. – Sean Gaffney

Love at Fourteen, Vol. 11 | By Fuka Mizutani | Yen Press – Remember when I said I liked the sad lesbian helping out her sad high-school equivalent? Well, the author did, and they then pulled the rug right out from under us. That said, it feels a lot like “I am pretending to be a terrible person for your own good” than “I was secretly evil all along,” so it would fit right in with the rest of this somewhat cursed manga, which is all about not acting on relationships that might be considered taboo in one way or another. As for Kanata and Kazuki, well, the ending is a sort of “lady or the tiger” cliffhanger, where we’re given an indirect answer to the question of “did these two finally go all the way.” Likely will be another six months till we get it confirmed. Sketchy soap opera. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia, Vol. 30 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – Whoops, it’s not just Haganai. I forgot this came out a month ago as well. Still, at least we’ve finally reached the end of the Paranormal Liberation War arc…. what’s that? We haven’t? It’s still going on? Well then. We do get some setup for villain-saving for both Shigaraki and Toga, though both seem to be of the “but we won’t actually be saved” variety. And we finally get all of Dabi’s tragic backstory, which might be a bit more tragic if it did not also feature liberal applications of “I am laughing like a madman.” In the end, I agree with Uraraka: if you want a chance at redemption, perhaps do a bit less murder when asking for it. It should end next time? Right? – Sean Gaffney

We’re New at This, Vol. 10 | By Ren Kawahara | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – In this volume of sweetness and light, the closest we get to conflict is Sumika having to face up to the fact that Ikuma can be attracted to other women who aren’t her (he doesn’t remotely act on it; it’s a TV show host), Ikuma’s mom dealing with the melancholy of her family having finally all moved out… and the despair when all three daughters end up moving back, and a fake tropical vacation (in their living room) that leads to oily massages and oily sex. The author really has done a good job of making this a series where the leads have a very active love life, that we see, but also making them a wonderful couple whose lives other than sex we also want to see. Sweat and Soap fans might try this one. – Sean Gaffney

When Pink Rain Falls | By Youyi | Star Fruit Books – In the opening pages of When Pink Rain Falls, twenty-something Hanao flees the church where his best friend (and longtime crush) is getting married. As luck would have it, Hanao bumps into Touma, a sensitive but hunky florist who just so happens to need an apprentice. But do they share more than just a passion for flower arrangement, or is their budding relationship strictly professional? This delightful one-shot is only 37 pages, but Star Fruit Books has given it the deluxe treatment with oversize trim (7” x 10”), glossy covers, and high-quality paper—a smart decision, I think, since it allows the reader to appreciate how much of the story is told through glances, gestures, and artfully designed bouquets. Though the plot hits familiar beats, the sincerity and simplicity with which Touma and Hanao’s romance unfolds more than compensates for a few cliché moments. – Katherine Dacey

WITCH WATCH, Vol. 1 | By Kenta Shinohara| Viz Media (digital only) – The author of this new Shonen Jump series is best known in North America for Astra: Lost in Space, but reading the first volume of WITCH WATCH tells you this is more like a return to his breakout hit (never licensed here), Sket Dance. Morihito is a sullen young man with fighting skills far too powerful for his own good. He’s somewhat horrified by the return of his ditzy childhood friend Nico, a witch-in-training who needs a bodyguard. Fortunately, Morihito (aka Moi) is an ogre, which is why he’s so strong. That said… this is a wonderful manga, but the plot is pointless. It’s an excuse for comedy, and the author does some very good comedy. Read this if you love laughs in your Weekly Jump. – Sean Gaffney

Young, Alive, In Love, Vol. 1 | By Daisuke Nishijima | Star Fruit Books – This minimalist comic focuses on two teenagers: Makoto, a teen who owns a Geiger counter, and Mana, a teen who sees spirits. After a meet-cute that’s anything but cute—Mana pukes on Makoto—the two become inseparable as they try to solve the mystery of the enormous power plant that looms over their town. My summary sounds relatively straightforward, but the story unfolds in a circular, sometimes cryptic manner that raises more questions than it answers. Contributing to the aura of mystery is the artwork, which borders on the abstract; the characters and their environment have a kind of studied naïveté that makes them look more like stick figures than people, an impression compounded by the elliptical dialogue. I can’t say that that this was My Thing, but I have a feeling that someone will find the unique rhythms of this story right up their alley. – Katherine Dacey

Even Dogs Go to Other Worlds: Life in Another World with My Beloved Hound, Vol. 1

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By Ryuuou and Ririnra. Released in Japan as “Isekai Teni Shitara Aiken ga Saikyou ni Narimashita – Silver Fenrir to Ore ga Isekai Kurashi wo Hajimetara” by GC Novels. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by Mittt Liu.

When I got to the afterword of this first volume and the author revealed that the original idea for the book did not have the dog, I wanted to slap my forehead a bit, given that the dog is the only reason anyone would read this in the first place. Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad. The characters are pleasant, the story is pleasant, the dog is pleasant, and it is a perfectly nice slow life book. It just… verges on boring, that’s all. And by verges I mean that we’ve pulled off the road into the Town of Boring and are booking three nights at the local motel. The second half, where you start to get a vague idea where the series may go, is slightly better. But this book suffers, as so many others do, with the curse of “slow life” books: in order to portray that accurately, you have to have nothing happen.

I’m not precisely sure if Takumi, our hero, dies from overwork or not – he just passes out and wakes up in the fantasy world. But he certainly fits the type, as we get the “I am an overworked corporate slave” intro before this happens. His only good thing in life is his pet Maltese. Now he’s in the middle of a forest, next to a monstrous Silver Fenrir… who apparently IS his Maltese, only she’s now the size of a car. Not sure where he is, he and his dog wander around till they hear a cry for help and end up killing an orc that was about to murder a young woman. Orcs! Is this a fantasy world, like all those novels talk about? Returning to civilization with the young woman, Takumi quickly finds himself out of his depth and having to get used to magic, monsters, and mayhem. Fortunately, he has a pupper. A big pupper.

I think I can sum up my feelings towards this book when Takumi and Claire (the young woman) arrive at her palatial estate, the smaller of her two estates, and meet up with her butler, who is named… Sebastian. Of course. This by now 50-year-old in-joke shows that everything in this book is going to be exactly on the nose, with surprises not on the menu. I did briefly hope that Takumi, who definitely fits the nickname “potato-kun” given to bland isekai protagonists, would be completely powerless and have to rely entirely on his dog, but no, he’s overrpowered too, in the “magical herbs” sort of way that we’ve seen in other slow life isekai series of this nature. Even the romance between him and Claire is predictable. She likes him. He likes her. They’re both shy. Will anything happen? Not in this book.

There are hints that we’ll get more plot development in the next book. And again, this book’s only fault is that it’s dull. The prose is fine, the translation reads great, it’s got dogs. But for me it’s another GC Novel to throw on my pile of GC Novels book I’ve tried and failed to enjoy.