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My Next Life As a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Vol. 11

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By Satoru Yamaguchi and Nami Hidaka. Released in Japan as “Otome Game no Hametsu Flag Shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei Shite Shimatta…” by Ichijinsha Bunko Iris. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Marco Godano.

I get the sense that the publisher may be telling the author “can we start to move towards the ending, however little”, because the first half of this book has Katarina finally admit out loud… and more importantly, admit to Jeord and Keith… that the reason she has been bouncing off their love confessions is not because she doesn’t like them or is afraid of their advances. Nor is it because love is not something that she can feel. It’s because she’s gotten so completely fixated on “if I fall in love I will turn into the Katarina of the game and get jealous and evil” that love terrifies her. As explanations go, it’s not too bad, and works within the confines of the series. She still puts them off, saying she has something she needs to do first. That being avoid the ending off Fortune Lover 2. That said, it’s no surprise that fans of Jeord and Keith loved the spoilers for this book much more than everyone else.

Of course, just because Katarina’s love life may be closer to resolution does not mean we still don’t have lots of plot points dangling. The mad relative in the attic that Katarina keeps running into when she visits the palace insists that she’s leading all her love interests on. And the King also wants to discuss Maria and Katarina’s grimoires, but also tell them about the kingdom’s bloody and brutal past, just in case. Fortunately, both handle it well. The second half of the book forcuses on Dewey, who is dealing with both a crush on Maria and guilt stemming from his family back home. The two come together when a letter calls Dewey home and Maria and Katarina follow along… along with Larna, who has her suspicions. Turns out Dewey’s upbringing manages to be even worse than Maria’s. Can Katarina work her magic? Or, for once, is this a job for someone else?

As with all books since the end of “Season 2”, if you’re a fan of Mary or Sophia, you really should give up (and you probably have, judging by what I see on Tumblr). Fortunately, as with the rest of the series, Maria is an exception. Here we see how, as with Katarina, she too is maturing. Sometimes this comes across when she deftly rebuffs any attempts to date her – Dewey asking her out to lunch becomes “and Katarina will come too” so fast it was stunning. She knows who she likes. More to the point, after resolving her relationship with her mother, and gaining confidence from simply being around Katarina, she’s able to try to resolve things with her father, who has been doing the old “I will make them look good by making myself look bad” shtick. That said… boy, that resolution took five seconds. A bit more conflict might have made more impact.

So even as Jeord fans rub their hands gleefully, and Mary fans bite their handkerchiefs, the series itself is caught up with Japan, and Book 12 is not scheduled yet. So it will be a while. Till then, enjoy Katarina using empathy as a superpower again.

Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte: Disc 2

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By Suzu Enoshima and Eihi. Released in Japan as “Tsundere Akuyaku Reijou Liselotte to Jikkyou no Endo-kun to Kaisetsu no Kobayashi-san” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Mikey N.

One complaint a lot of people have about villainess novels it that it seems highly unlikely that the heroine would really be so oblivious not to realize that the original premise of the series went off the rails the moment she started making everyone fall for her/becoming an adventurer or world leader instead/sipped tea in a prison cell while bullying her ex, etc. But let’s face it, when you know the script, it can be hard to improvise. It may be a bad end, but dammit, at least it’s a straight line. So I don’t blame Endo and Kobayashi for thinking that, even though they’ve improved Lieselotte’s life vastly, they still have to deal with the whole evil witch possessing her. Indeed, the first half of the book sets us up for just that. But what follows is… well, it’s a lot less satisfying from the perspective of a game fan, but it’s a heck of a lot funnier for us, the reader.

As I said, the start of the book makes it seem as if the Witch possessing Lieselotte and forcing a bad end is still very much in platy. Toward that end, not only does Sieg have to keep his fiancee happy, but they also have to recruit the other two love interests… only this time without them falling for Fiene, who already has a boyfriend. What’s more, they suddenly realize that if this isn’t a game and they aren’t limited to the school grounds, they can ask actual adults to help! Meanwhile, Endo and Kobayashi are also getting ready for the culture festival, and fending off the idea that literally everyone thinks they’re already a couple. Unfortunately, when Kobayashi’s older sister arrives we get one of those classic “I came in halfway through the conversation and completely misunderstood everything” moments. Can they save Lieselotte AND manage to confess to each other?

I’m trying not to spoil, but I have to admit, possibly the best part of the book is the appearance of the witch, and who she really is. As a climax to an otome game plotline, or a major supernatural battle, it’s abysmally awful, but I was laughing my ass off. This also helps, though, as it makes the final part of the book, back in Japan, be far more about Endo and Kobayashi’s misunderstood feelings rather than about the possessed Kuon trying to forcibly take back his long lost love even if it means destroying the world. I also appreciated the fact that in the end they get to have Lieselotte in THEIR heads explaining exactly what they’re missing… as well as the “witch”, who does sort of help. I guess. It’s a satisfying conclusion to a book that was always meant to be more fun than dramatic.

This is the final volume, which feels about right. Dragging this out would lose the impact. At two volumes, it’s a great read, especially if you’re looking for a villainess novel but also love Twitch streamers.

Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter, Vol. 4

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By Reia and Haduki Futaba. Released in Japan as “Koushaku Reijou no Tashinami” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Andria Cheng.

One problem that a lot of stories brought over from Japan or elsewhere have is that by the time they are licensed, there’s already a known number of volumes out – and many, such as this series, are already finished. Now don’t get me wrong, I know a lot of fans prefer this as they don’t want to get trapped in a “Japan has cancelled your favorite series with no ending, ha ha” scenario, but it does mean that it’s much harder to be surprised. Everything in this book seems to be leading to an ending. Not necessarily a GOOD ending, especially if you’re a romance fan, but an ending. The traitors have been purged, the throne war has been resolved, and Iris and Dean have… well, resolved to live in agonized pain for the good of their country. But of course this is Book 4 of 8, and so there’s always something worse coming along just to make sure that even a bittersweet ending is not going to happen.

The book starts off relatively normally, with Iris inventing Worker’s Compensation and getting proposals from foreign princes disguised as their own messengers. Unfortunately, bad things are happening as well. Her friend Mimosa is engaged to a pawn of Yuri’s, and seems to be very fatalistic about it. The king finally dies, meaning that the succession crisis is happening right now. And there’s a massive flood, causing one domain to be reduced to destitution, and the crown is demanding that over half the recovery supplies be donated by Iris’ domain. Then, finally, Edward makes his move to put himself on the throne. After all, the first prince isn’t even around. What can he possibly do? As for Iris, she’s just missing Dean.

So yeah, Iris finds out what the reader has known for a while, which is that Alfred = Dean. She’s not as shocked as I’d expected, possibly as she finds out in a meeting of all the noble leaders, and also as she’s not the type to faint dead away, but it also fills her with bittersweet feelings. She doesn’t see a path in her life anymore where she is allowed to control her own destiny. If she marries Dean she’ll be happy, but she can only see her own reputation and that of her family getting in the way. (Self-loathing is something Iris just can’t seem to shake off.) If she marries the foreign prince, she’ll basically just be a wife and nothing else. Everyone is trying to tell her “do what YOU want, not what the kingdom needs”, but she just can’t listen to them. Fortunately, something comes up that will postpone all these breakups. Unfortunately, it’s a war.

So overall, quite a roller coaster book, and I didn’t even get into the decline and fall of Yuri, who by the end of the book has lost her mind, but at least no longer has to pretend to be the sweet otome game heroine. Next time I expect a lot more battles and a much higher body count (which is disturbing given this volume already had quite a high body count to begin with).

Manga the Week of 2/9/22

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SEAN: February still exists, despite all our best efforts. What manga is there next week?

ASH: It still does, doesn’t it?

SEAN: We start off with Airship, which has early digital editions for The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter 6 and The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 4.

Ghost Ship debuts 2.5 Dimensional Seduction (2.5 Jigen no Yuuwaku), which runs in Shonen Jump +. The manga club president is only into fictional girls. But wait… what if real-life girls cosplay AS fictional girls? This comes with a recommendation from the creator of One Piece, well known for his realistic body designs on women.

ASH: With the right creator that could be a cute premise.

SEAN: Ghost Ship also has Peter Grill and the Philosopher’s Time 7 and SUPER HXEROS 5.

Two light novel debuts for J-Novel Club. Fantasy Inbound (Isekai, Shuurai) is an MF Bunko J title, and this time around, the fantasy world is crossing over to Japan… to invade it! With the world in chaos and destroyed, can one man stand a chance to save it?

The other title is Saint? No! I’m Just a Passing Beast Tamer! (Seijo-sama? Iie, Toorisugari no Mamono Tsukai desu!), a Kadokawa Books series about a girl who SHOULD be the Saint who will help to guide the Church… but will that get her cute animals to snuggle? Will it get her fluff? No. Ergo, she must change jobs!

ASH: I can follow that logic.

SEAN: Other light novels are The Greatest Magicmaster’s Retirement Plan 12, A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life 2, and The Tales of Marielle Clarac 8.

On the manga side, they have Der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight -Origins- 5 and My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! —AΩ— 3.

ASH: It took me a moment to fully parse how many titles you just listed there.

SEAN: Kodansha has some print books. Cells At Work: Baby! 3, The Hero Life of a (Self-Proclaimed) “Mediocre” Demon! 2, I’m Standing on a Million Lives 11, Lovesick Ellie 2, Perfect World 10, Shaman King Omnibus 7, Toppu GP 7, and The Witch and the Beast 8.

ASH: Seems like the first print volume of Lovesick Ellie was just released not too long ago; I need to pick that up!

ANNA: It is really good! I didn’t realize the second volume was coming out so fast.

SEAN: Two digital debuts. Falling Drowning (Ochite Oborete) is a Dessert series about a high school love triangle. (Sorry, sometimes they just sound like that.)

MICHELLE: I will probably be checking this out.

ANNA: It sounds like my kind of thing, but I’m terrible at reading digital manga.

SEAN: Fungus and Iron (Kin to Tetsu) is a sci-fi shonen series that comes from Bessatsu Shonen Magazine. A young man risks it all for love… but the risks involve mushrooms!

ASH: Okay, I’m curious.

SEAN: Also digital: Are You Lost? 9, Giant Killing 29, I Was Reincarnated with OP Invincibility, so I’ll Beat ’em Up My Way as an Action-Adventurer 2, In the Clear Moonlit Dusk 3, It’s That Reincarnated-as-a-Virus Story 2, Police in a Pod 9, The Springtime of My Life Began with You 5 (the final volume), and Tokyo Revengers 24.

MICHELLE: I really must catch up on Giant Killing.

SEAN: Seven Seas has Seaside Stranger 2 and Skip and Loafer 3.

SuBLime debuts Change World, a Dear+ title that is a sequel to Sayonara Game.

They’ve also got the special limited edition of Yarichin Bitch Club 4.

Tokyopop debuts Alice in Bishonen-Land (Shinkyou Alice to bishounen to bishounen to bishounen to bishounen to bishounen ~Otome Game Royale~), a shoujo series that seems to combine idols with trapped in a game survival stuff. Our heroine is a manager?

Viz debuts Deadpool: Samurai, a series which runs in Shonen Jump + but stars everyone’s favorite Marvel headcase. Will Deadpool meet the stars of Shonen Jump? I wouldn’t put it past him…

ASH: That could be fun.

ANNA: Truly, there is no way to escape Deadpool.

SEAN: Viz also has Call of the Night 6, Fullmetal Alchemist: Fullmetal Edition 16, the light novel Fullmetal Alchemist: The Abducted Alchemist, Hayate the Combat Butler 39, How Do We Relationship? 5, and Komi Can’t Communicate 17.

Yen On has three ‘delayed from January’ books: Baccano! 18, The Genius Prince’s Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt (Hey, How About Treason?) 8, and High School DxD 6.

And Yen Press gives us Combatants Will Be Dispatched! 6, Days on Fes 4, and In Another World with My Smartphone 4.

Can you make February go away with your MIND? Or with manga?

Slayers: The Dynast Plot

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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.

After the review of the last volume, I said that I hoped this one would be a bit lighter in tone. It is, but only a little bit. This is still a series where not being Lina or Gourry gives you a high chance of dying horribly or being turned into a horrible monster. Indeed, one of the surprises towards the end of this book is when some of the cast we’ve met along the way *isn’t* killed off. And we also have Luke and Mileena, who are back for this book but, let’s face it, are there to be off-brand Amelia and Zelgadis – indeed, a joke in the final pages has someone mention how much Lina’s companions have changed. But honestly… I don’t think Luke and Mileena have the plot armor that Lina and Gourry do. Still, the end of the arc is still three books away, so in the meantime we have “let’s look into bad things happening” on a more mild level.

After giving her report on the previous book’s events to a very disbelieving sorcerer’s council, Lina and Gourry are forced… erm, asked to investigate a bunch of lesser demon sightings. Much to their surprise, these turn out to have been taken care of by a “white giant” on the mountainside. then, as often happens with Lina and Gourry, they run into a corpse and the murderer of said corpse, who is rather doggedly trying to eliminate witnesses. The they run into Luke and Mileena, who are with a young man, Jade, trying to save his kingdom from a very familiar person who seems to be putting poison into the king’s ear. Can our heroes manage to solve things with a lower body count than usual? Who’s destroying lesser demons up on the mountain? And doesn’t the resolution of this book seem a bit too easy to be true?

I’ve talked before about the author’s total lack of romance in the series, which seems to stem more from an inability to write it well than anything else. This comes up near the middle of the book when Lina, in a rare moment that’s just her and Mileena, asks why Mileena is always traveling with Luke. Mileena’s response is “because I’m very awkward”, which may be the most romantic thing we’ve heard in the series to date. And that’s not saying much, as you can see. As for Lina and Gourry, all I can say is that when Mileena asks about their relationship, Lina likens her and Gourry to a sex worker and her “gigolo”, which made my jaw drop but I can see her thought process. Lina’s making all the money and Gourry is the “guardian”. It makes sense if you completely remove sex or romance from the equation, and it’s clear Lina has done that.

As noted above, our heroes win, but… they win pretty easily. Even Lina suspects something else is going on here. I’m sure we’ll find out more next time. Till then, hooray for me, who managed to write 500+ more words about some very short fantasy books that are mostly fights.

Sword Art Online: Progressive, Vol. 7

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By Reki Kawahara and abec. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Stephen Paul.

As I was reading this volume of Progressive, I wondered why I was having so much trouble remembering what had happened in the previous book, then it hit me that it’s been two and a half years since the previous book. That said, it did not take long to get back into the swing of things, because as much as I sometimes can’t remember which ones are the two main rival guilds or which player killer we saw last time, as long as I remember Kirito, Asuna, Argo and Kizmel I’m good. This book deals with the seventh floor, a summer weather floor that also boasts a beach, some lovely restaurants, and a casino where you can win big… or lose your shirt. Asuna is not all that happy about having to get involved with the casino’s machinations, but when it turns out that this will also involve the dark elves, she and Kirito are quick to help. Unfortunately, after the events of the last book, they may not get a warm welcome from the elves.

The author mentions in the afterword that the main series has Kirito and Asuna separated in the current arc (Unital Ring), so he’s very happy to have them spend the entire book together like this. Indeed, it’s the bread and butter of the series, whose fans are reading it mostly to see the two be cute and romantic. We definitely get some of that here, as despite the death game aspects of the plot the start of the book could easily be a date by the seaside. We also see that when Asuna has trouble sleeping she goes to Kirito, and being next to him knocks her right out. She may not be verbally admitting anything, but her actions speak pretty loud. As for Kirito, he reminds us again and again that he’s 14, and it feels like it. For the most part he’s still thinking that Asuna needs a larger stage to shine on (i.e. one away from him), but he also feels the need to keep her at his side. It’s cute. Argo agrees with me.

As for the non-shippers plotline, we get more of the other purpose of this series, which is the idea that this is a real world that people have lived in for centuries, rather than a game populated by NPCs. This is not to say that the NPCs can’t be cliches also, as we meet the casino’s manager (a cool collected 12-year-old girl) and her battle maid. As for Kizmel, yeah, things not going so well. Not only is there a prison br3eak sequence, but they’ve got to find a way to get the keys back while at the same time dealing with the quests they have at the casino. There’s so much going on that it’s a surprise it gets fit into one book… OK, no, it doesn’t. There’s a cliffhanger, and we’ll have to wait for Book 8 to resolve it.

Fortunately, Book 8 is on sale this spring, so we will not be waiting another two and a half years. Till then, there’s lots to read about here, but mostly what we want is the cute not-yet romance. There’s plenty of that here.

Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense, Vol. 4

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By Yuumikan and KOIN. Released in Japan as “Itai no wa Iya nano de Bōgyoryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Andrew Cunningham.

I mentioned this in the review of Book 3, but want to go into greater depth here: the differences between this series and its anime counterpart are fascinating, and for once it’s not a case of “one is so much better than the other”. They’re doing very different things. If you were to ask me what genre the Bofuri anime falls under, I would likely say “comedy” very quickly. It’s filled with gags. The light novel does have funny moments, particularly when it’s describing Maple’s… Maple-ness, but for the most part it is an action series that just happens to be using a game as its setting. This volume has the Battle Royale between guilds that wrapped up the first anime season, and there’s quite a bit that’s changed or removed to make the anime pace snappy and funny. And yet… this volume is also quite a lot of fun. And… dare I say it (I’m always wary of saying this)… sometimes I appreciated the narrator explaining the gaming stuff to me.

There’s a new team event for this book. Each guild has an orb to defend, and has to steal orbs from other guilds. It’s an event that obviously favors the larger guilds with lots of players, and not small ones like Maple Tree. But that reckons without the fact that everyone in Maple Tree is a broken monster, and so much of the book is our heroes running rampant all over the map destroying everyone. That said, the top two guilds are made of stronger stuff, and when they end up fighting Flame Empire, with its hotheaded (and slightly embarrassed) leader and The Order of the Holy Sword, with self-proclaimed “rival” to Sally Frederica and the strongest player Pain, they actually have to expend a lot more effort. Indeed, is this where we finally see Maple’s defense not be enough?

I do enjoy the fact that we’re seeing a lot of folks playing and enjoying the game in a normal, sensible fashion, and it doesn’t really criticize them for it. Yes, a lot of folks now want to “think outside the box” the way Maple’s gang does, but they also seem to see Maple as an outlier that should not be counted. The main players that we see from both Order of the Sword and Flame Empire are overpowered as heck, but they’re overpowered in the normal, grinding for skills sort of way you’re supposed to do to get good in this game. That said, while Maple doesn’t get to do everything in this book (which tries to give everyone in the guild a chance to show off), she’s the reason people are reading, and in a volume where she doesn’t have an opportunity to gain new skills it’s nice to see her put her broken OLD skills to good use. She really is an excellent gamer, she’s just… a flake.

So now that we’ve caught up with the anime what new adventures await Maple and company? Should be fun to read. Though I also look forward to seeing what comedic antics will be enhanced in the anime whenever Season 2 rolls around.

Lovesick Ellie, Vol 1

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Lovesick Ellie Volume 1 by Fujimomo

I picked this up on a whim, and I knew I was in for something a little out of the ordinary when I saw the title of the first chapter, “#HoorayforPervs!” The Lovesick Ellie in question is a fantasy twitter account run by Eriko Ichimura, a girl who remains largely invisible to her classmates. She’s decided to dedicate herself to living her best life in her imagination and pretends to be secretly dating the most handsome and popular boy in school, Ohmi.

Lovesick Ellie Volume 1

One day Eriko overhears Ohmi talking in a casual way to one of their teachers, and she discovers that he’s nothing like the smiling polite facade he maintains around everyone else. He’s actually not all that happy about being singled out for so much attention. Eriko is discovered and she promptly runs away, leaving her cell phone behind! Ohmi picks it up and reads her tweets and finds them hilarious. All of this happens in the first few pages of the manga, and the rest of the volume shows Eriko and Ohmi striking up an unlikely friendship. Eriko gradually realizes that Ohmi’s actually lonely. He encourages Eriko to befriend another girl who is as obsessed with costuming as Eriko is with over the top fake date narratives. Eriko’s tweets appear here and there to contrast reality with fantasy. There’s plenty of blushing and over the top emotions in the art, but Eriko isn’t really believable as an invisible plain girl because all the character designs are generally attractive.

Eriko’s twitter asides are genuinely hilarious, as she will take a small detail like a misplaced jersey and spin it out into paragraphs of slightly perverted situations. For Ohmi, it seems like Eriko is one of the few people he can actually be himself around, and while he takes a certain delight in teasing her, he’s actually having some difficulties navigating his own emotions as their relationship develops. For a manga with such a goofy premise, it actually ends up being rather heartfelt. I found myself smiling multiple times reading Lovesick Ellie, which is a great shoujo title for anyone wanting something funny and romantic.

Pick of the Week: My Melancholy Baby

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MICHELLE: Although I’m excited about catching up on Yona of the Dawn, the cover of Hello, Melancholic! is just too dang cute for me to not pick it this week.

KATE: You had me at “tall but shy trombone players,” so I’m going to join Michelle and name Hello, Melancholic! as my Manga of the Week.

SEAN: Short of a Jack Teagarden manga series, this may be the closest we get to trombone supremacy. I too will go with Hello, Melancholic!

ANNA: I’m also excited for more Yona and Hello, Melancholic! sounds delightful. However I’m not going to pass up the chance to pick Knight of the Ice two weeks in a row, such is strength of my devotion!

ASH: While I’ve been enjoying both Knight of the Ice and Yona of the Dawn, my pick of the week goes to Hello, Melancholic!, as well. To be fair, I’ll give just about any music-related manga a try, but this series honestly seems like it should be great.

MJ: I’m going to have to go with the crowd this week and choose Hello, Melancholic! Trombone supremacy, indeed!

I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level, Vol. 11

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By Kisetsu Morita and Benio. Released in Japan as “Slime Taoshite 300 Nen, Shiranai Uchi ni Level MAX ni Nattemashita” by GA Novels. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Jasmine Bernhardt.

I read this volume immediately after a volume of The Saga of Tanya the Evil, and I highly recommend it, because it probably made the book feel better than it actually is. That said, there are other reasons this is a very solid book in the series. First of all, the stories are slightly longer, which allows for a bit more depth to a series for which depth is eternally absent. Secondly, the side stories at the end move to focus on Laika, and I am far happier to read about Laika at Lillian Girls’ Academy (or whatever its name is here, MariMite is clearly what it’s supposed to be, though) than I ever was with Halkara. Seeing Laika wound up so tightly is both nostalgic and also a bit bittersweet – at least we know she has a peaceful future ahead of her. As for Azusa, well, she’s discovering that just because she’s resolved to take it easy and relax in her next life doesn’t mean she has to do that all the time.

Stories in this volume: our main cast has a moonlight picnic, which unfortunately leads to an existential crisis for the newest cast member Canimeow caused by our other newest cast member, Wynona; Azusa learns that, in fact, this world does have actual physical laws that she cannot break, so a trip to the moon is not happening soon; The cast take a day off by visiting the demon world’s main town, and help Fighsly raise a slime child… pet… whatever; after Azusa is paying too much attention to an injured Sandra, Falfa and Shalsha decide to run away from home; Halkara wondering what it would be like to eat a slime leads to a jellyfish that feeds off negative emotions; the aftermath of that, as Halkara, freed from her base desires, is super annoying; and the entire cast run a relay race.

The most interesting story was probably the relay race. Pecora has been reading yuri romances again, and declares that Azusa and Beelzebub have been “taking their friendship for granted” and not bonding the way that true friends do. Which Azusa is not going to be bonding with anyone anytime soon, she does come to a realization that she can occasionally try her hardest. Her past life doesn’t get a mention in this book specifically, but it’s clearly what has been driving her to sort of half-ass everything in this new life. She literally worked herself to death before. So of course she’s not going to want to do anything that goes near that. But at the end of the race, when she has to run faster and harder than she ever has before, she discovers that sometimes it’s OK. Sometimes you can try your hardest. Hopefully this is something that she can continue to teach her extended family in future volumes.

All this plus Laika at school, where we see her desperately trying to get out from under her sister’s shadow, and only partially succeeding. Despite the excitement of the race at the end, this is still a book for those who enjoy relaxed fare.