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In Another World with My Smartphone, Vol. 21

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By Patora Fuyuhara and Eiji Usatsuka. Released in Japan as “Isekai wa Smartphone to Tomo ni” by HJ Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Andrew Hodgson.

This is not the final volume of In Another World with My Smartphone – the 22nd volume is out in Japan, and no doubt there are limitless numbers of stories that could be told about Touya and company in the upcoming years. But I had decided a while back that this, the volume where Touya marries his wives and they go on their honeymoon – would be my final volume of the series. I definitely had a lot of fun with the early books, but as the series has gone on I’ve been exposed to a few too many of the author’s awful choices and toxic characterization. Fortunately, this is an excellent volume to end with, featuring a minimum of poor taste (though the girl who gets aroused by good deeds becoming a teacher reminds us it’s still there) and a nice victory lap for Touya and his companions, showing them finally tying the knot, having their first times (except for too-young Sue), and bopping around Earth. Yes, Touya’s honeymoon is back in Japan.

As noted, the first half of the book deals with Touya and company preparing for the wedding. As you can imagine, this features the brief cameos of three-quarters of the regular cast, which has ballooned out so much that I barely remembered which one was which. Most of the wedding day jitters are on Touya’s end – his relationship with his spouses that are of age may go all the way this time around (offscreen), but it’s very on point that even during his actual wedding he kisses each of them on the cheek. This is one shy boy. And I mean that literally for the second half of the book, where God allows Touya and company to go to Japan… but since he’s dead there, he goes in disguise as a five-year-old boy. This, as you might imagine, leads to some wacky hijinx. He also drops in on his parents, who have a newly born daughter, in a dream and reassures them as best he can that he’s happy “in the afterlife”.

His parents take this better than you’d expect, as it turns out God has been sending Touya’s adventures as dreams to his parents and his best friend from school – who is now drawing it as a manga. I’d say this beggars belief, but hey, Smartphone. It was amusing to find out that it was not power that went to Touya’s head – he’s always seemed to be a bit sociopathic, and we see him dealing with delinquents before he was killed in much the same way he dealt with bandits in his new world. But really, most of this book is watching the wives shop. And shop. And shop. Oh, and go to the zoo. They get piles of food, they get accessories, they see zebras and hippos, they even go to a school festival and watch a high school production of Beauty and the Beast. It’s a full, rich two weeks.

And in the end, they go back home and life goes on. In the meantime, if, like me, you have been looking for an excuse to not read Smartphone anymore, this is an excellent one, as it could easily also service as a final volume, and leaves few to no loose ends that might niggle at you. Thanks, Smartphone. You drove me crazy, but you were never boring… OK, that’s not, true, you were boring a lot. But I’ll see you off with a smile.

Invaders of the Rokujouma!?, Vol. 34

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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.

This is a plot-heavy volume of Rokujouma!?, so no ‘what if this girl won?’ side stories, and apparently 35 won’t have one either. Instead we are reminded that the series did not end with the 29th volume after all, and that there’s a lot still going on. In particular, this series is very good about avoiding “bwahaha!” cartoon evil villains, and when it does have them it shows them to be easily manipulated by other, better villains. There’s actually a lot of double crossing going on at the moment, both between the Forthorthe villains and the People of the Earth radicals, and between their forces and our heroes, as both end up winning in some ways but losing in others. With Earth still dealing with the revelations of Theia’s planet, and everyone and their brother trying to get their hands on new technology to make them rich and powerful, it’s going to be a while till Koutarou can settle down, though the other girls are certainly taking every chance they can to be around him anyway.

For once the cover doesn’t lie, as Ruth actually does have a significant role in this book. She and Koutarou are waylaid on a shopping trip and she’s almost killed, then the former bad guy of the Radical Faction of the People of the Earth, now captured, reveals that the remains of his faction are allied with Ralgwin, the nephew of Vandarion who plans to keep on carrying out his legacy. They’re also being set up to be patsies for Ralgwin’s faction, which is why Raiga tells our heroes about them. Now it’s time for infiltration something that, for once, is not done by Koutarou but instead Ruth and Harumi, who are led to a suspicious sake brewery that turns out… well, to be a trap, and the real attack is happening elsewhere. Fortunately, the rest of our merry band are there, and each of them gets a chance to show off their stuff as the last quarter of the book descends into a firefight.

Much of this volume is taken up with the fact that Koutarou, while a wonderful man that they all love, cannot protect everyone all the time. He needs to accept this, which is why he backs down after suggesting he go with Ruth and Harumi on their espionage. They’re both powerful enough now that they don’t need him to protect their fragile selves. The same goes for Theia and company in the final battle, where Koutarou gives “fight at your discretion” as the basic order, allowing the others to prioritize what needs doing rather than just following orders. He’s trusting everyone to save themselves, in other words. This definitely works out well for Yurika, who is touched by Koutarou giving her agency, and proceeds to lay waste to a good deal of the enemy forces by a combination of poison gas and turning the area into a murky swamp. (This also leads to the standard making fun of Yurika, as Koutarou calls her a “dirty girl”, much to her displeasure.)

If you’re still reading Rokujouma, you know what to expect, and this won’t disappoint. Still one of the better harem series out there.

Manga the Week of 12/23/20

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SEAN: ‘Tis Christmas, and still no offers of pantomime. Luckily, we have some manga for you.

ASH: Huzzah!

SEAN: Cross Infinite World debuts Reincarnated As the Last of My Kind. Yes, it’s another reincarnation isekai, but as this little girl grows up, she starts to realize… she may not even be human. It looks cute. And it’s also apparently written by one of the cast of Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei.

ASH: Ha!

SEAN: There’s a quartet of titles from Ghost Ship. Creature Girls 5, Saki the Succubus Hungers Tonight 4, the 18th and final volume of To-Love-Ru Darkness, and Yokai Girls 12.

J-Novel Club debuts Girls Kingdom, a new yuri light novel series. A girl who wants an education finds herself in the predicament of getting educated as a maid! Why did this happen? And why is the rich girl who hired her interested at all? This sounds slight, but I’ll give it a shot.

ASH: I do like to see that the yuri renaissance is actively expanding from manga to include light novels these days.

SEAN: J-Novel Club also gives us a 6th Altina the Sword Princess.

Kodansha, in print, has Attack on Titan 32, Boarding School Juliet 13, Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie 2, and Whisper Me a Love Song 2.

ASH: Ah! That reminds me that I still need to give the first volume of Whisper Me a Love Song a try.

SEAN: Digitally, the debut is What I Love About You (Fechippuru ~Our Innocent Love~). This Magazine Pocket title involves a drunken one-night stand that turns into more… because both parties have a fetish (one loves backs and one loves hair) that turns the other on! How much you like this may depend on how much you tolerate fetishes.

Also out digitally: Am I Actually the Strongest? 2, DAYS 21, Kakafukaka 11, Maid in Honey 4, My Best (♀) Butler 4, the 6th and final Shaman King Flowers, Shaman King: The Super Star 3, and When We’re in Love 3.

MICHELLE: I need to get caught back up on DAYS.

SEAN: Seven Seas is piling everything out the door before Xmas. The debut is the manga version of The Sorcerer King of Destruction and the Golem of the Barbarian Queen, which ran in Shonen Ace.

Also: Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter 7, BL Metamorphosis 3, the third and final novel for Bloom Into You: Regarding Saeki Sayaka, Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average 11 (print), The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter 3 (digital), How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom 9 (print), How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? 4, How to Train Your Devil 4, The Invincible Shovel 3 (print), Monster Musume 16 (print), Mushoku Tensei 8 (print), My Monster Secret 22 (the final volume), My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero’s 3, and Syrup: a Yuri Anthology 2.

MICHELLE: I still haven’t read any BL Metamorphosis. The shame.

ASH: BL Metamorphosis is SO GOOD. Definitely one of my favorite new series released this year.

SEAN: Square Enix has Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town manga 3.

Tokyopop has the 9th volume of Konohana Kitan.

Vertical gives us a 3rd volume of The Daily Lives of High School Boys.

Yen On has two titles, and one is pretty big. Sword Art Online: The Platinum Collection. The first 20 books in the series, in hardcover, in a nice box with prints and a poster. A must have for hardcore fans.

ASH: Wow! I’m not particularly interested in the series, but that’s an impressive looking release!

SEAN: The Saga of Tanya the Evil 8 is also out.

Finally, Yen Press gives us a 9th volume of Gabriel Dropout.

That’s it, then, all the Christmas manga. (OH NO IT ISN’T!) Quiet, you.

Can Someone Please Explain What’s Going On?! ~A Sign-on-the-Line Wedding Story~, Vol. 4

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By Tsuredurebana and Rin Hagiwara. Released in Japan as “Dareka Kono Joukyou wo Setsumei Shite Kudasai! ~Keiyaku Kara Hajimaru Wedding~” by ArianRose. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Mattias Hirsch.

Despite the fact that we’re only at Vol. 4 of 9, it is sometimes difficult to remember how far Cersis has come since the start of the series. Let’s recall the premise: he asks Viola to become his wife on paper so he can continue to fool around with a dancing girl. It’s hardly a surprise that, having fallen in love with Viola instead, she does not really believe he’s all that serious. (Viola’s amazing self-worth issues don’t help, though thankfully there’s far less of that in this particular book.) That said, we’ve slowly seen him grow and change, both as a commander and as a somewhat clueless husband. It should therefore not come as too much of a surprise when, towards the end of this new volume, he admits to his past faults and is resolving to become the best duke he can be, everyone is staring with their jaw dropping. Including Viola. He now has to prove that he means it.

the first half of the book wraps up the war storyline, with our gallant soldiers returning home victorious, and Viola forced to go to the palace to have the King welcome everyone back. (Which he does. At length.) The King gives all the soldiers a two-week vacation, and Cersis decides to use the time to take Viola on a tour of his duchy, starting with the manor that his parents normally stay in when they aren’t doting over Viola. Everyone and their brother are calling this the honeymoon that she and Cersis never actually had, and are expecting them to spend most of it trying to conceive some children. Everyone except Viola, of course, who is far more interested in the town scenery and the local shops. Fortunately, Cersis by now has sort of figured out how much of a job he has ahead of him, and just rolls with it. Unfortunately, the duchy, thanks to the war, is in more dire straits than expected…

I’m going to be honest, I was among the people who were boggling at Cersis’s change of heart at the end of the book. I was expecting that the conflict in the Town that he got into was arranged by him for Viola’s sake… though perhaps not the kidnapping attempt. But credit to him, he is trying hard, taking note of the issues that lead to the unrest, and taking Viola’s suggestions on how to handle things based on what she did in her much poorer Earldom, where they can’t afford a constant fleet of guards to keep the peace. It is also very in character of the series so far that, even after directly confessing his love to her – again – Viola’s response is still “sorry, I’m still just not really that into you”. Romance is a foreign nation to her. That said, this is going to change, and now that Cersis is no longer the bumbling doofus husband (much), I look forward to seeing how he wins her over. I will warn, though, there’s one scene where where Viola narrates a fight between her would-be kidnappers and Cersis, and there is a repeated use of the word “fatso” which, while I’m sure was also bad in the Japanese, might have been replaced with something else.

This is one of those shoujo light novels that feels the most like a Western romance, with a definite lack of magic, past lives, or villainesses. Even Calendula, the dancer and former beau of Cersis who kicked this all off, is a relatively nuanced and sympathetic woman. Definitely checking out more.

Bookshelf Briefs 12/17/20

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Chainsaw Man, Vol. 1 | By Tatsuki Fujimoto | Viz Media – It’s a little hard to live up to the hype that this title has gotten on social media, and I admit this first volume did not wow me as much as I’d expect. It seems to run on gonzo and gore, and (from what I’ve heard) gets better as it goes along. That leaves us with this volume, where a young man trying to pay off his father’s debt gets nearly brutally murdered, only to fuse with a chainsaw dog, making him the titular character. He’s taken in by an agency whose head seems so deeply, deeply suspicious I’ll be very surprised if she turns out not to be evil. It’s OK, though, because it means he might one day squeeze her chest! I might have liked this better in a different year, but I will give it another shot with volume two. – Sean Gaffney

The Invincible Reincarnated Ponkotsu, Vol. 1 | By Reona Umitsuki | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – This may be one of the dumbest manga I’ve read since the halcyon days of Sasameke. That said, it’s not trying to be anything else—ponkotsu means “airhead,” but apparently not the same way a tennen is. Our protagonists get reincarnated into heroes. Sanae has absolute brute strength, but only when used by accident. Shota has supposed high defense, but he keeps ending up near death anyway. And Kana can heal Shota (because she has a crush on him)… but only with her boobs. It’s deliberately over-the-top and silly, and sometimes I did crack a smile, but mostly I just sighed, especially towards the end when it briefly tried to be serious. For hardcore ponkotsus only. – Sean Gaffney

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 10 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – I was running behind when I reviewed volume nine, so I got to read volume ten straight away. And it’s a big sea change—there’s a new year and new classes, and most of Komi’s friends are not in her new class. Fortunately, Tadano is, so she’s not completely alone. (Also fortunately, this means Yamai is now elsewhere, though we see her once or twice.) In their place we get Rumiko Manbagi, who is a hardcore gyaru with tons and tons of makeup, who is also suffering from her friends now being in another class. The makeup doesn’t last, but she and Komi bond more than any other friend Komi’s had except for Tadano. Speaking of Tadano, Manbaki is acting awfully tsundere with him. A great addition to the Komi cast. – Sean Gaffney

Mujirushi: The Sign of Dreams | By Naoki Urasawa | Viz Media – I primarily picked up Mujirushi for two reasons: (1) Urasawa is one of those creators whose manga I will always try and (2) the volume is part of the “Louvre Collection,” a series of comics commissioned by the Louvre highlighting the museum and its art. Considering these two things, as well as the somewhat ominous cover image, I really was not expecting Mujirushi to be as much of a comedy as it is. (I also wasn’t expecting masks reminiscent of President Trump’s face to come into play multiple times.) In addition to the Louvre, Mujirushi is also inspired by Fujio Akatsuka’s Osomatsu-kun. In particular, Iyami, a character from that franchise, is pivotal to Urasawa’s story. The real star of the show for me, though, is the whip-smart Kasumi on the cover. Mujirushi is an entertainingly absurd caper, featuring an art heist which is certainly not to be taken too seriously. – Ash Brown

Practice Makes Perfect, Vol. 2 | By Ui Hanamiya | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – There’s a sweet romance going on here, as our two protagonists realize that they’re not really content with this just being practice after all, and I enjoyed the big press conference at the end of the book after they’re found out, where both admit—on air—to being virgins. I read this title more for the hilarious aspects of treating sex as another Olympic sport like volleyball or judo. The two shouting at each other about training harder is great, but I think the top moment of the title was when (pardon me, it is a mature manga) Takaya tries to get advice on how to use his fingers to pleasure Nohara, and whines “they’re going to cramp up!” Still better than I expected. – Sean Gaffney

Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie, Vol. 1 | By Keigo Maki | Kodansha Comics – This did not really go in the direction I expected. Shikimori is indeed cute, and does show off that side of her to her boyfriend. Sadly, he has bad luck and is pretty weak, so essentially needs saving constantly, which inevitably makes her more cool than cute. Of course, he loves that too, but Shikimori is a fragile young woman, and would much rather be cute. There’s no real ‘are we going to break up’ dangers here, and indeed they start the book already together. The reason to read this is Shikimori’s embarrassed blushes and cool poses, which is exactly the same reason that her boyfriend loves her. It’s not the best romantic comedy in the world, but it’s pretty damn cute. I mean cool. – Sean Gaffney

Spy x Family, Vol. 3 | By Tatsuya Endo | Viz Media – There is so much wonderful comedy in this series. Yuri’s huge sister complex, Anya and the dodgeball game (complete with Bazooka Bill!), and everything about the “extra chapter,” where Yor gets shot in the ass during an assassination and has to endure the pain with a massive frown on her face. But there’s also a lot of heartwarming family stuff here as well—Yor doubting her skills as a wife, Anya getting upset whenever Lloyd and Yor aren’t getting along, even that same extra chapter, which is very funny but also has Anya tell an enemy agent to hang it up and go keep his girlfriend happy instead. It’s that balance that makes this one of the breakout hits of the last two years. – Sean Gaffney

UQ Holder, Vol. 20 | By Ken Akamatsu | Kodansha Comics – There’s a lot going on here—flashbacks (or is it flashforwards?), training arcs, lots of big old battles, and, for once, surprisingly minimal perverse antics. (Akamatsu is in shonen fight mode rather than harem nudity mode.) The general question we see in this book… and really the entire series… is “is being immortal a good thing?” Especially if it comes at the expense of a great deal of the solar system. Touta continues to show off how much he’s not like Negi—unfortunately, that makes him far more normal, and there’s less to distinguish him from other idiot heroes. I still enjoy reading UQ Holder, but, as with all of Akamatsu’s series, it feels like it should have ended a while earlier and is coasting a bit. – Sean Gaffney

The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten, Vol. 1

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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.

It couldn’t last forever, even though it seemed like it would. After a few years of the trend being “light novels will only get licensed if they have some sort of fantasy or gaming element”, we are finally starting to see a few series being licensed that are old school high school romances. Credit to this no doubt can be given to the one-two punch of My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As I Expected (which has had three seasons of anime) and Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki (whose anime is forthcoming), which has helped to open the door to other series whose premise is not “I ended up in another world with superpowers and a bunch of girls who fall in love with me because I am nice to them.” Well, OK, this is MOSTLY not that. The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten may not be an isekai, and our protagonist doesn’t have a sword, but it’s still a classic male fantasy.

Amane is a well-off kid living on his own in a big apartment, but he’s got classic teenage boy problems. His skin is pallid from not eating healthy, he’s a complete slob, and he’s somewhat unsociable, at least compared to his friend Itsuki. Then one day he comes across the class “angel” sitting in a park in the rain. She’s gorgeous, smart, athletic, etc. He’s not sure why she’s sitting getting soaked and looking depressed, but he gives her his umbrella. And then he promptly gets a terrible cold. Fortunately for him, not only does Mahiru live right next door to him, but she wants to thank him for the umbrella, so she makes him some nice porridge. And forces him to clean his apartment. And begins to cook for him every day. They’re not a couple, but… isn’t she just spoiling him?

This is a well-written book, and the characters are likeable. If there’s one big negative it’s the actual premise – it is right upfront about “seeming loser guy gets waited on by his amazingly beautiful high school classmate and neighbor” being the plot going forward, and it can be a bit much. This being a standard Japanese romcom, Amane doesn’t take advantage of this, and in fact is perfectly happy to tell himself he’s not falling in love with her, even though we can see that isn’t true. Likewise, Mahiru slowly warms up to him, showing off her natural personality rather than the “good girl” she perfects at school. It’s implied her relationship with her parents is poor, but he doesn’t pry. Actually, I take that back, this isn’t a romcom. While there are funny moments, for the most part it’s a plain serious romance, with two awkward introverts slowly realizing that they’re basically living like a married couple half the time.

By the end of the first volume they’re still just good friends, but that’s to be expected. It’s also very much a ‘small world’ here – the only characters in the book are the two leads, Amane’s overbearing mother, Amane’s friend Itsuki, and Itsuki’s girlfriend Chitose, who is outgoing, loud and bubbly and therefore quite jarring compared to our Angel. If you can get over its premise, this is a quiet, easy read.

Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement, Vol. 2

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By FUNA and Touzai. Released in Japan by K Lanove Books. Released in North America by Sol Press. Translated by Lukas Ruplys.

When I reviewed the first volume of this light novel… 19 months ago… I remarked that it was relatively mild in terms of the eccentricities of its author, FUNA, and their other works, I Shall Survive Using Potions! and Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average!. I regret that now. This, the second novel in the 80,000 Gold books, is absolutely bananas. Mile and Kaoru wish they were this overpowered. Our heroine stops a war using modern artillery, gains a domain of her own to rule, and sets about ruling it, all the while flitting back and forth between this fantasy world and modern-day Japan. Can she keep it a secret? LOL. Not at all, and by the end of the book dragons are now “real” and Mitsuha is telling readers about the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine. The good news is that the book remains a lot of fun provided you don’t believe in gritty realism, and Mitsuha has toned down her fourth-wall breaking tendencies… somewhat… so is a far more tolerable narrator.

When we last saw Mitsuha she was running her little shop that sells shampoo and other luxury items. But that’s more a job for the heroine of her other book; Mitsuha has bigger things to do, even if she really doesn’t want to. She befriends the princess, who is a cutie and also loves to escape her guards, and from there the king. This means that she’s also called in when the country goes to war, and after an assassination attempt wounds her and mortally wounds Alexis, Mitsuha decides to stop holding back and calls out her friendly mercenary friends to destroy the enemy army (with has orcs, ogres, and teenage dragons) with modern-day tanks and rocket launchers. Her reward for all this is becoming a viscountess and gaining her own territory, which she spends most of the rest of the book sprucing up. And if that means bringing in experts from Japan to help her with the harder stuff… and indeed just selling the rights to the world in auction… well, that’s how Mitsuha rolls.

In the first book there was a great scene where Mitsuha, talking with her “newly adopted” family, suddenly remembers her dead parents and starts to cry without realizing it. There’s a similar scene here, after Mitsuha is shot with a crossbow and Alexis ends up taking several other crossbow bolts to defend her, where she just has a complete freakout. The author is good at this sort of scene (Potions has also used them), and it helps to un-smug Mitsuha, which is occasionally needed because most of the time she is pretty smug. I was rather startled at how fast her “I can travel to a fantasy world and back” thing became public, though at least she’s managed to hide that it’s “Mitsuha Yamano” who is doing thing. (This also leads to the funniest joke in the book, where the merc squad nicknames her Nanoha, because there’s no kill like overkill.) In between these parts there’s a lot of ‘building my little fiefdom’ sections, which are not as exciting but are fun for those who like Realist Hero and its ilk.

The other good news is between the first volume and this one, Sol Press learned to format digital books properly. As a result, there are no issues with the interstitial art and everything looks fine. As for the book itself, again, if overpowered – LUDICROUSLY overpowered – heroines annoy you, stay well away. But I found it relaxing, goofy fun, despite the very high body count. Mitsuha may be nicknamed Nanoha, but she’s not “befriending” her enemies.

Pick of the Week: Horror, Pets, and Tragic Backstories

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MICHELLE: I am looking forward to bicycle boys and creepy planets of doom, but I was so totally charmed by the first volume of With a Dog AND a Cat, Every Day is Fun, that I must make the second volume my pick of the week.

KATE: I never say no to pet manga, but the idea of Junji Ito in space is just too irresistible for me, so my pick is Remina. (May it erase the memory of Ito’s adaptation of No Longer Human…)

SEAN: Baccano! fans have been waiting for this novel more than any other since the series was first licensed. The second part of Huey Laforet’s tragic backstory, Baccano! 1710: Crack Flag is my pick this week.

ASH: I’m with Kate this week in picking Remina! I’m curious to see Junji Ito tackle a work that leans at least a little (if not a lot) more towards science fiction than some of his other horror manga.

Slayers: The Ghosts of Sairaag

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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.

Like virtually every English-speaking fan, I was exposed to Slayers via the anime long before Tokyopop put out the novels way back when, and also long long before J-Novel Club rescued them. This means that more than anything else, I am surprised at how short and plot-heavy these books are, having absolutely no time for anything that would count as a breather. The author’s afterword in this book talks about the fact that he frequently sketches out hints of backstory that he then never gets into, because doing so would “make the world smaller”. Which is a very fantasy author way of thinking, I suppose, but it also means that character development and depth take a backseat. No one suffers more from that here than Sylphiel, the newly introduced priestess, who gets to be nice, have a seeming crush on Gourry, and that’s about it. Now, to be fair, that’s all she was in the anime too, but at least it took 8-9 episodes to show us that.

The book starts badly, in misogynist fantasy “of Gor” territory, with Lina and Gourry captured by some goons who decide to rape her, and Gourry convincing them not to by implying Lina has syphilis. It’s meant to be funny, but isn’t. It turns out that EVERYONE is after them lately, as there’s a wanted poster with their faces, as well as Zelgadis, on it… and the bounty for their capture is being paid by Rezo the Red Priest. Which is a surprise to Lina, who killed him in the first book. Getting of the bottom of things takes them to the woods outside Sairaag, a city that was destroyed in the legendary past but has now recovered and is a bustling metropolis. They meet up with Lantz (remember Lantz? From Book 2?) and a bounty hunter named Eris, as well as Sylphiel, who Gourry had met previously in an adventure that is frustratingly never explained to us. Can they escape the Red Priest again? And is this really him?

There are some strengths here. Sometimes the humor does work – there’s a wonderful part where Lina and Gourry fend off a fishman by simply changing their clothes, as Lina says they can’t tell humans apart… then she fails to recognize Lantz because he now has a beard. Rezo – if that is who this really is – makes a suitably creepy villain, especially at the end, and the artwork showing him off is horrifying. And the reveal of another villain is pretty well handled and surprising. Unfortunately, the book’s shortness as well as its deliberate avoidance of depth means that other things meant to be tragic and horrifying just aren’t. Our heroes never enter Sairaag or see anyone in it, so its destruction – again – lacks any impact, especially as Sylphiel recovers pretty fast from the loss of everything she’s ever known. It desperately needs fleshing out, something that anime actually did… well, not much, but at least they actually go to the city!

Basically, more modern fantasies have spoiled me for character depth, and Slayers can sometimes seem lacking as a result. This is the danger of iconic series who have been imitated a bit too much. In the meantime, for those anime viewers wondering where Amelia was during all this, well, the anime swapped book 4 and 3. Which means next time we get to see both Amelia AND Phil, something that makes me happy no matter how short and outline-ish the book ends up being.

Tearmoon Empire, Vol. 3

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By Nozomu Mochitsuki and Gilse. Released in Japan as “Tearmoon Teikoku Monogatari” by TO Books. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by David Teng.

When we last left Mia, it appeared that she had managed to avoid her dreadful fate – indeed, the author says what we all guessed in the afterword of this book – it was supposed to be two volumes originally. But the series grew to be quite popular (there’s even a live-action stage musical coming out in Japan), and so Mia’s story lives on! Because Mia may have avoided the guillotine as a young bratty princess, but that doesn’t mean she can’t later be killed off as an adult! And so we now get Mia’s granddaughter Bel, who has traveled back in time to avoid her own horrific fate, because 50 years on or so, the whole of Tearmoon Empire has gone to hell again. There’s only one way to fix this and keep Mia from a horrible fate… she has to defeat the Saint, Rafina, and become Student Council President!… wait, what?

Most of the book has what made the first two books so much fun. Mia trying to act selfishly and failing; Mia’s actions being completely misinterpreted by everyone around her. The snarky narrator is there but does not seem quite as mean or nasty to Mia this time around. That said, Mia is not magically a good and noble-hearted person; she’s still growing up and trying to mature, and it’s a slow process because she doesn’t want to. When it’s suggested that she can use negative campaigning to win the election against Rafina, she’s thrilled, as the idea had never occurred to her! Of course, this is then balanced out by her realization that this sort of thing was also done against her in his first life, and she absolutely hated it. As a result, she refuses. She also has an excellent memory for names… we see her groping to recall someone’s name a few times in this book, but unlike other heroines of this type, she always gets it right. Her instincts usually steer her correct.

As for the rest of the cast, I was rather surprised at how little an effect Bel had on the plot. As Mia’s granddaughter, you’d expect her to be taking over having to replace the timeline, but she is there mostly as she ran away rather than to fix things, and she’s also four years younger than Mia. As a result, she’s there to be cute, occasionally tell Mia what life was like in the future, and be cute. (Yes, I said cute twice.) The other major character here is Rafina, and the reader gradually realizes, before Mia, why Mia’s winning the election is so important – Rafina is stretched too thin and has no one she can trust as a friend. In the future, this leads to tragedy and hardens her heart. Here (again via misunderstanding Mia… stay on brand, Tearmoon) she realizes what Mia is trying to do and acquiesces. There’s also a sneering villain sort of character (no, the book really describes him as this) who gets taken down by Mia, almost accidentally, immediately. Both he and Rafina benefit from having “please forgive me for my own mistakes” be thought of as “please forgive OTHERS for their own bad choices”.

Another thing I really enjoy about this series its its forays into the ‘Bad End’ pasts (or rather futures) of the characters. Anne visiting Mia in prison is a short story that is truly sweet and tearjerking. And Dion gets most of the last fifth of the book – first in the second bad future, showing him fighting to the death so Bel can escape to allies, and then in the present, as he delivers a missive to Mia and also has her show him around the city. It’s a good reminder that, while Mia is usually pretty good at covering up her airheadedness, not everyone is 100% under her spell – Dion does misinterpret her actions, but he also thinks that her face is that of someone “not thinking anything at all”. This also leads to the other tearjerking moment in the book, when Bel hugs Dion and thanks him for saving her, something which he is rather nonplussed by (as he hasn’t done it yet). Tearmoon Empire can be hilarious, but I also love the sweet heartfelt bits.

This is not quite as top-tier as the second book in the series, but it’s definitely a solid read, with well written and translated prose. The fourth book suggests Mia’s school she set up in Book 2 is not going as well as hoped. The good news is that we only have to wait three months rather than 5 for the next volume. Highly recommended.