Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Blog

Long Story Short, I’m Living in the Mountains, Vol. 2

by

By Asagi and Shino. Released in Japan as “Zenryaku, Yama Kurashi wo Hajimemashita” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by N. Marquetti.

So I am here to tell you that the “slow life” part of this series is back in this volume and bigger than ever. You will see lots and lots of food preparation. You will see shopping. You will see vaccinating your animals and the importance thereof. The big dramatic plot point in the middle of the book is a village-wide effort to pick up the litter on the mountain. It’s Slow Life with a capital Slow. The good news is that the other half of the series is also present and correct, and it’s also bigger than ever. Fortunately, Katsuragi’s past catching up with her seems to be dealt with by the end of this book, though it may not stop all her problems. But Aikawa’s fear of women remains, even if he tries to push past it when it’s an emergency. As for Sano… honestly, he is still dealing with not only depression but some serious anger issues. Fortunately, he has his emotional support chickens.

Sano continues to live on his mountains with his beloved chickens, who honestly seem to be monitoring him as much as he is raising them. They’re also getting bigger. Sometimes he goes to visit the villagers he’s gotten to know. He also goes to visit his platonic friend Aikawa, who have a very strong bromance. But he’s not gay. So he says. He gets the village to organize a litter-picking-up event over the course of three non-consecutive days, because these mountains are a tourist trap in the worst sense. And he attends a festival, which everyone tries to get him to attend with Katsuragi, even though he has no interest in her. Speaking of Katsuragi, there’s a mystery man who’s driving around the area looking for her, and he may be related to her abusive ex.

The best part of this book remains the interpersonal drama, which manages to interest me enough that I can put up with the slow life, which is frankly boring. The anti-romance between Sano and Katsuragi is possibly the funniest part of the series. Everyone is trying to ship them, she seems up for it, even as she’s clearly not emotionally ready. But he’s DEFINITELY not emotionally ready, as it’s been six months and even thinking of his ex-fiancee sends him into such a rage he loses track of time. Frankly, he’s more romantically involved with one of the chickens. (I’m kidding, this is not that kind of book.) I also really liked the end of the book. Katsuragi has been tormented not only by her ex, but by her ex’s friend, who it turns out is also in love with her. In the middle of the book she’s basically hiding in her house. Which the village and Sano are definitely justified in getting rid of this loser, she musters her courage, goes out, and confronts him (it helps to have a massive lizard at her side). Hopefully she can be the first of these mountain owners to heal. (But don’t hook up with Sano.)

So yeah, good trauma recovery series, less good “let’s watch everyone make egg dishes” series. But it’s both of those at once.

Manga the Week of 8/6/25

by , , and 1 Comment

SEAN: Still hot. Still humid. Apologies to readers in Nunavut, who must feel left out. But what about manga?

MICHELLE: Florida is a literal and figurative hellscape at present.

ASH: It’s been pretty bad where I am, too.

SEAN: Yen Press have one debut, Guillotine Bride: I’m Just a Dragon Girl Who’ll Destroy the World (Dantoudai no Hanayome – Sekai wo Horobosu Futsutsuka na Tatsuki desu ga) is a manga based on the light novel that Yen put out last year. It’s a harem action series, and the LN was bad. This runs in Dra-Dra-Flat b.

Yen also has April Showers Bring May Flowers 3.

Viz Media debut Astro Royale, a series from the creator of Tokyo Revengers. As a gang battles to decide who their new leader is, a meteor hits, and suddenly everyone has superpowers! I think this was announced for print by Viz right before Weekly Shonen Jump cancelled it.

ASH: Ope!

SEAN: We also get The Bugle Call: Song of War 2, Colette Decides to Die 4, Dandadan 14, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu Academy 6 (the final volume), The Elusive Samurai 16, In the Name of the Mermaid Princess 7 (the final volume), Kagurabachi 4, Kill Blue 2, Marriage Toxin 8, Natsume’s Book of Friends 31, Queen’s Quality 23, RuriDragon 2, Sakamoto Days 18, Spy x Family 14, and You and I Are Polar Opposites 6.

MICHELLE: I really need to check out Colette Decides to Die and catch up on Natsume!

ANNA: Me too!!!!

ASH: Yup.

SEAN: Tokyopop has The Margrave’s Daughter & the Enemy Prince 4 and The Person I Loved Asked Me to Die in My Sister’s Stead 4.

Titan Manga has a 10th volume of Kamen Rider Kuuga.

Steamship debuts Don’t Hold Back, Lord Hades (Gaman shinaide, Hades-sama. ~Reikoku na Meiou no Jun’ai wa Michishirenai hodo Fukakude, Omoi~), a josei title from Otomitsu Mangosteen that asks “what if the tale of Hades and Persephone had more sex?”.

ANNA: There are a lot of romance novels that investigate this line of inquiry.

ASH: I’ve read a comic or two, as well. I might have to read this one, too.

SEAN: And they also have Outbride: Beauty and the Beasts 8.

Square Enix Books has the 6th volume of The Apothecary Diaries light novel in print.

ASH: Which reminds me that I need to start reading the prose version.

SEAN: Square Enix Manga has YoRHa: Pearl Harbor Descent Record – A NieR:Automata Story 4 (the final volume).

Seven Seas has a new danmei title, Joyful Reunion. An abused, neglected child one day has a man show up and say he’s the boy’s father. Now the boy is taken away to a web of political intrigue.

MICHELLE: Hm. I do like political intrigue.

ASH: Same.

SEAN: No God in Eden (Kamisama Nanka Shinjinai Bokura no Eden) is an omegaverse manga that runs in Magazine Be x Boy. Two high schoolers, supposedly total opposites, one day find that they’re alpha and omega. In fact… they’re the world’s FIRST alpha and omega.

Werewolves Going Crazy Over Me is a manwha whose premise sounds exactly like an omegaverse title, but replace omega with “mate” and you’ll get the gist. Young single mom whose child is fighting illness meets a CEO who has a secret. You can guess the secret.

ANNA: I know! Is he…..a vampire??????????

ASH: That must be it!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Cat Companions Maruru and Hachi 4, The Dangers in My Heart 11, Gene Bride 2, How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord 22, Hunting in Another World With My Elf Wife 6, Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout 7, Mii-chan Wants to Be Kept 2, My Deer Friend Nokotan 6, Pet Shop of Horrors: Collector’s Edition 3, and Soara and the House of Monsters 5.

ASH: I recently read the first volume of Soara and the House of Monsters; I should probably read more.

SEAN: One Peace Books has a 4th volume of Hero Without a Class.

No debuts at all or Kodansha. In print, we get A-DO 8, Blade Girl 2, FAIRY TAIL: 100 Years Quest 18, The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity 8, Kaina of the Great Snow Sea 4 (the final volume), Love, That’s an Understatement 2, Sheltering Eaves 4, Teppu 2, WIND BREAKER 13, and Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun 15.

MICHELLE: I really liked what I read of Sheltering Eaves.

SEAN: The only digital volume is the 31st and final volume of Those Snow White Notes.

J-Novel Club has one debut, a light novel. No Wife, No Problem: A Mage’s Life with His Beloved Daughter (Kekkon wo Akirameta Majutsushi, Dekiaisuru Manamusume ga Dekita node Issho ni Shiawase ni Narimasu) stars a powerful mage who is now in his forties and lonely. He asks the gods for a daughter, and they give him one from his own blood – and this daughter is even more OP than her dad. This seems to be in the “no incest, just heartwarming” dad/daughter genre.

ASH: Oh, good!

SEAN: Other JNC novels: Ascendance of a Bookworm: Fanbook 6, Cooking with Wild Game 29, My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World 11, and The White Cat’s Revenge as Plotted from the Dragon King’s Lap 8.

For manga, they have 8th Loop for the Win! 5, The 100th Time’s the Charm 4, The Conqueror from a Dying Kingdom 5, Did I Seriously Just Get Reincarnated as My Gag Character?! 6, Hell Mode 7, and Rebuild World 12.

Ghost Ship has a 15th volume of World’s End Harem: Fantasia.

In print, Airship has The Too-Perfect Saint 3.

And for early digital, we get Reincarnated Into a Game as the Hero’s Friend 5 and Too Many Losing Heroines! 5.

What manga will you get to cool you off (unless you’re in Nunavut)?

Notorious No More: The Villainess Enjoys Feigning Incompetence, Vol. 1

by

By Hanako Arashi and Wan Hachipisu. Released in Japan as “Kitai no Akujo, Sandome no Jinsei de “Musai Munou” wo Tanoshimu” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Jeremy Browning.

This volume is plotted out in a very odd way, though I did end up quite enjoying it. The backstory of our villainess is quickly tossed off in about a page or two, as if it’s totally irrelevant – though it’s not, and I really want to find out what actually happened in the past. The feigning incompetence part is also given short shrift, as is the “everyone at school bullies her” part. That’s all just setup for the bulk of the book, which is a test that rapidly turns into a “death game” sort of environment. But this too is a sequel to something we only see in a side story at the end, as our heroine and her fellow low-ranking students all share a close bond of trust and are a fantastic team. What, you may ask, is this book interested in, then? This book is interested in taking shallow, arrogant nobles and destroying them.

Beljeanne was, so it is said, a cruel and heartless villainess who tried to kill her rival by summoning a demon. She was killed, and reincarnated as a Japanese girl. There, she went through school, work, getting married, having children, and dying happily at the age of 86. Whereupon she is reincarnated back in her original world, two generations later. as the granddaughter of the rival she supposedly tried to have killed. With ALL her memories, of course. What’s more, her mother enjoys hitting her, her father is indifferent, her brother is priggish, and her adopted sister is the “otome game heroine who’s evil because this is a villainess book” sort of girl. Clearly there is one thing that she can do in order to get the life she wants. Yes, it’s time for sandbagging.

Given that this book has a long sequence where Laviange ends up wreaking her revenge against all the nobles who have wronged her in this life, you may be wondering how I felt about it, given that Livid Lady had a similar plot and I hated it. But Notorious No More is very careful to only go after the specific people who deserve it. The noble who is killed off in this book because of Laviange’s actions tried to use mind control magic to brainwash her while they were in a dangerous area surrounded by powerful monsters. She’s very good at being nice to those who deserve it – the one good member of that team is not only spared by Laviagne but also used as fodder for the romance novels she writes as a side job – but those who have sinned against her are (with one exception) not offered second chances. We see the second prince, who has not only bullied her but is also being seduced by her stepsister – gradually realize that he’s been a complete piece of shit and trying to fix it. He fails. Fortunately, he’s only the second prince.

How much you like this book likely depends on how much you like protagonists taking down anyone they don’t like, but the people she doesn’t like are terrible, so I’m down with it. Hopefully in the next book we might find out what really happened in her first life. For smug villainess fans.

Bookshelf Briefs 7/29/25

by Leave a Comment

Kageki Shojo!!, Vol. 14 | By Kumiko Saiki | Seven Seas – The bulk of this volume shows us Sarasa’s parents, why they abandoned her with her grandparents to go off and have careers, and why they don’t really regret it. Sarasa does take after her mom in some ways, but the sympathy pretty much lies entirely with her, and I was happy to see that she seems to take it pretty well. She’s moving forward so much that she breaks up with Akiya—as a text!—because she feels she needs to stand on her own now, and regards their relationship as being her relying on him. That said, maybe she should have talked with Akiya about that, as he seems happy to try to ask her out again once she’s settled in. Fortunately, the last chapter in the book gets us back to the acting, and I assume that will take up most of volume fifteen. Love it. – Sean Gaffney

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 34 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – The series ends with the 37th book, and as such there are a large number of students introduced here with two pages, learn what weird eccentricity they have, move on. I suspect the author is sort of wishing they had made it fifty friends, but that would not fit the folklore. Fortunately, there’s also a solid story in this volume as well, seeing Komi taking charge of the culture festival, where the class decides to run a ramen stand, and succeeds despite arguments and the rules of culture festival cooking regulations. Komi really shows off how far she’s come here, and is rewarded with a walk round the festival with Tadano… who is in women’s clothing, because of course he is. Never stop a running gag just because you’re near the end. Komi only has a few more friends to go, and also college worries. Fortunately, her romance seems to be on easy mode. – Sean Gaffney

Rainbows After Storms, Vol. 3 | By Luka Kobachi | Viz Media – Nanoha and Chidori… are keeping it a secret from everyone. But… they’re dating. I appreciated that they reversed the usual tagline! I also appreciated that it appeared a lot less. This mostly revolves around two big events. In the first, the friend group all goes to the beach, and Chidori wears a nice bikini and regrets it almost immediately, as all of her friends who are not Nanoha are leering at her. (Nanoha finds her super sexy, but is cognizant that Chidori does not like her large chest.) In the second half, there’s a school festival where Chidori’s old sempai shows up, who was her first crush and confession… but got a “we’re both girls” rejection. That said, after seeing Nanoha’s forthright “yes, we’re dating, what about it?”, the sempai is regretting things. Cute. – Sean Gaffney

Short Game: Mitsuru Adachi’s High School Baseball Collection | By Mitsuru Adachi | Denpa Books – If you’re buying a chicken sandwich, you want it to taste like chicken. As such, if you’re buying a collection of baseball short stories by the great Adachi, you know what you’re getting. Baseball triumphs, baseball failures, what happens after baseball. Lots of people who communicate strong emotions through seemingly blank expressions and relying on the other person to figure things out (the girls). The other person usually needing heavy-handed hints to figure anything out (the guys). There’s also a gag manga version of the manga Touch, which would be awesome if Adachi were popular enough to get more of his 40-year-old manga out over here. Since he’s not, I’m very happy with this excellent collection. – Sean Gaffney

A Star Brighter Than the Sun, Vol. 2 | By Kazune Kawahara | Viz Media – This one is a bit more disappointing than the first book, but that’s not the fault of the writing and characterization, which is fine. It’s just that this author is now famous enough to write long series, and therefore we simply can’t have these two talk things out, realize they’re each other’s crush, and get together this early. As such, fans of communicating with others may find this deeply annoying—though, to be fair, Sae does talk to all her other friends about this. It’s just she’s so certain that he loves someone else and not her that no one can see past her own denial. I do enjoy seeing, in a genre where timid heroines also tend to be shy wallflowers who don’t do much, that Sae takes change in class and is generally awesome. For genre fans and fans of the author. – Sean Gaffney

This Monster Wants to Eat Me, Vol. 4 | By Sai Naekawa | Yen Press – This remains very compelling but also very creepy, since it’s just drenched in Hinako’s suicide ideation. The idea seems to be, as of the fourth volume, that Shiori wants to help Hinako get what she wants to do, whereas Miko wants to help Hinako live, but that may not be what Hinako wants. This is also tied in with romantic feelings, of course. The back half of this book is the best, where Shiori bluntly says “the two of us will never be friends” to Hinako, but I think means it in a reassuring way. And we meet another monster, this one someone who normally doesn’t eat humans, but Hinako is once again said to be “just SO tasty.” Now, I can’t see this series ending with Hinako’s wish to die being granted, so I do wonder what’s going to change. Great stuff. – Sean Gaffney

A Witch’s Life in Mongol, Vol. 1 | By Tomato Soup | Yen Press – This one I knew was critically acclaimed, and it’s also very striking, with the artwork and the story combining well. A young girl is sold as a slave to a rich wife in Iran, and gradually begins to learn how to read and do science (and also falls for the young son of the household, who goes off to get more knowledge). Unfortunately, it’s the early 1200s, and here comes the Mongol Empire to ruin everything. They kill nearly everyone in the household, and they take the book of Euclid’s Geometry which everyone knows is incredibly important. Seeing Sitara, the girl who stars in this, go from sullen slave to intellectual sponge to broken captive to rage-filled young woman is quite a trip, and I absolutely want to read more of this. – Sean Gaffney

The Devil Princess, Vol. 1

by

By Harunohi Biyori and Geso Umiu. Released in Japan as “Akuma Koujo” by K Lanove Books. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Julie Goniwich. Adapted by Emlyn Dornemann.

Well, that sure went places. I mean, the basic premise suggested that it would. The author did too, as this author is also responsible for The Otome Heroine’s Fight for Survival, which is definitely a series that Goes Places. But I admit, I was kind of taken in by the narrator, as is often meant to happen. The reason unreliable narrators are a popular literary device with authors is that we are meant to trust them. it’s what narrators are FOR. First-person narrators are there to be the POV character, the one you root for, mostly. Sometimes they’re bad people, but they still are fun to read. And our heroine Yulucia is fun to read. She starts off the book as a classic “dying in the hospital from weakness” Japanese girl, then ends up as a little demon slime, who rapidly, without knowing it, becomes a far more powerful demon. She becomes the crush of the most powerful demon there is. And then she decides she wants to be human. And this is where the story really starts.

So yeah, as noted above, our little demon suddenly finds that she is a human baby. She’s also spoiled rotten… and kept from doing anything at all… so it’s hard to figure out what’s actually going on with her family. Eventually, as she grows older, she learns that she tends to terrify people who are not her immediate family and staff, likely due to her demon past. She also has tremendously powerful holy magic, and also summoning magic, which she thinks is also due to being a former demon, but the local religious folks think may make her a Saint. Eventually they can’t put it off any more, and she is allowed to go out and socialize, and make friends with other… noble children? Wait, is he the prince? Just how important is her family? And then, of course, she’s kidnapped. And THIS is where the story REALLY starts.

So the main reason I found this so fascinating is trying to figure out along with Yulucia exactly what kind of world she is now living in. It’s pretty apparent from the start that she’s rich and probably nobility, but her dad is rarely around, she’s not allowed to leave the house, and her mother also never leaves the house. She also has a head maid with powerful healing magic, which is rare for adults. And, oh yes, she’s so inhumanly gorgeous that she looks like a perfect doll rather than a human, and everyone around her is either immediately taken with her or repulsed. The other good thing about the book is Yulucia’s determination to be human, as she worries that she’s still a demon underneath, due to being scary and inhumanly beautiful and being unable to taste most food. I don’t want to spoil the last quarter of the book, but let’s just say that her issues get resolved in a big way, and your jaw will drop. I suspect things will escalate as this series goes on.

This is 5 volumes so far in Japan, so there’s certainly a lot more “and this is where the story really starts” we can get. Please keep surprising me, Devil Princess.

Pick of the Week: Another Chance to Pick Planetes

by , , , and Leave a Comment

SEAN: Look, I get that Ichi the Killer is a big deal, but it’s just not my genre at all. So yeah, I’m picking Planetes. Again. You can never pick it enough.

MICHELLE: I hope this doesn’t diminish my manga cred, but I never managed to finish Planetes! I read the first three volumes back in 2010 and then life intervened, I guess. All of which is to say, I am going to buy these fancy hardcovers and read them, dangit!

KATE: Will no one think of the poor animals on this list? I’m going to throw my weight behind Cat + Crazy (Nekottake!), as everyone can use a little cuteness in their life right now. (But yes, Planetes is worth a look if you missed it.)

ANNA: I do cherish my old Tokyopop editions of Planetes, and am always happy to celebrate this series!!!!

ASH: I adore Planetes, so I’ll take this opportunity to make the fancy hardcover my official pick. (I’ll probably need to get around to reading Ichi the Killer at some point, though…)

Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court, Vol. 9

by

By Satsuki Nakamura and Kana Yuki. Released in Japan as “Futsutsuka na Akujo dewa Gozaimasu ga: Suuguu Chouso Torikae Den” by Ichijinsha Novels. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Tara Quinn.

So yes, there is a cliffhanger. Sorry. However, the cliffhanger does not mean this particular arc is ongoing. Everything hanging from the last few volumes about this arc is dealt with here, thankfully. But yeah, this was, from what I hear, supposed to be the finale, but the series got popular, so the author was asked to continue it. And it works pretty well, though I will admit that I do grow a bit weary of the “you can’t trust anyone, can you” aspect to some of this series. There is also a lengthy flashback explaining the Emperor’s past and why he’s been so gung ho about sorcerers. It’s well handled, but I’m going to be honest, I read this series for two characters, and the Emperor is neither of those two. Any time we cut away from Reirin and Keigetsu, I begin to lose interest. And that’s because they’re so dynamic and vibrant that I can’t look away.

After rescuing Reirin from her near drowning, the cast get together to check their notes and explain exactly what’s going on. We find that the Emperor’s older brother, the only sibling who actually gave a damn about him, was assassinated as part of the massive throne war that was going on. Assassinated by a sorcerer, who had been let out of prison expressly for that purpose. And the sorcerer then got away, so the Emperor has spent the last twenty-five years searching high and low. Fortunately, Reirin spots a way that they might be able to talk the Emperor down and convince him that Keigetsu can help him. But to do that, they’re going to need to pull off another really good acting job. Which is a shame, as everyone knows that when Reirin tries to imitate Keigetsu, she’s been failing miserably.

The main reason this book is fantastic is the fight that’s been coming for a while now between Reirin and Keigetsu. After the events of Book 8, Reirin thinks that Keigetsu is making other friends, and thus doesn’t need her any more. Which, unfortunately, triggers Reirin’s tendency to use “and then I sacrifice my life” as her Plan A all the time, which causes Keigetsu to lash out, scream in anger and say “I hate you”. We are reminded that these girls may be consorts in not-China, but they’re also teenage girls who have grown up unable to express emotions like normal kids. As a result, Reirin needs to be sat down and have it patiently explained to her that Keigetsu is, in fact, still her best friend and would be very upset if she died, and Keigetsu has to have it explained to her that Reirin has the emotional sensitivity of toast when it comes to their friendship, and thus cannot read between the “I’m worried about you!” lines that Keigetsu is throwing at her. They make up. It’s great. Reirin possibly overcompensates, but that’s not a surprise. But hey, everything solved…

…OK, no, there’s a cliffhanger, and so not QUITE everything is solved. Still, this was great, except the bits not about our two heroines, which was merely good.

The Bladesmith’s Enchanted Weapons, Vol. 1

by

By Kazuma Ogiwara and CARIMARICA. Released in Japan as “Isekai Toushou no Maken Seisaku Gurashi” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Ryan Burris.

I usually try, when J-Novel Club announces their usual pile of licenses, to try one or two that I otherwise might not. With the ones announced in April, this one piqued my interest, mostly as it did not seem to involve “weak to strong”, revenge fantasies, or harems of elves and beastgirls, the current hot new subsubgenres. This seemed to be about a bunch of sword nuts, and had a likeable cover. Why not give it a shot. And I am happy to say this is definitely on the “good” end of the “give it a shot” spectrum, leaning towards “very good”, though that comes with a caveat I’ll get to later. The biggest surprise for me was that, while this was indeed a title that featured a bunch of sword nuts, it also has a really sweet and lovely romance at the center of it, which I was not expecting. When your “ah, slow burn, I wonder how long they’ll drag it out” turns out to be “twenty pages”, you know it’s a different sort of romance.

Lutz is a struggling smith who lives in the poorer areas outside the city, and he’s just forged an incredibly beautiful katana. Perhaps a bit TOO beautiful, as while examining it he almost kills himself with it. He’s not sure what to do with it, though, and doesn’t even sign or name it. Then he has to go rescue his friend and business partner Claudia from a bunch of thuggish knights who plan to sell her into slavery, and ends up trading the katana for her (afterwards, brought together by peril, a rescue romance, and them both being incredibly attractive, they quickly become lovers, then spouses). The katana ends up attracting the attention of an old enchanter, Gerhard, who is also fascinated by beautiful blades. And when they bring in an engraver who also falls madly in love with a sword created by Lutz, we have a combination that may prove far more dangerous than anyone could imagine.

I made that sound a lot more dramatic than the book actually is. While there are some tense, dramatic moments, such as Claudia getting rescued, or hero Ricardo facing off against some dangerous creatures, this ends up being a lot lighter and more goofy than you’d think. A lot of this is due to the fact that it’s a pretty horny book. Claudia and Lutz, once they hook up, are very sexually active, which is a refreshing change from most LNs that drag things out 15-20 books. But what I actually mean is Lutz’s weapon that ends up with Ricardo, which, well, makes people want to kill themselves, and also arouses them beyond belief. Erections are mentioned more than once. As is the word ‘ahegao’. It’s also a really sweet book. Lutz and Claudia’s love is adorable, even if Lutz would sometimes rather the adorable part not be revealed for all to see.

Basically, unlike almost everything else out there right now, this doesn’t pigeonhole itself easily into a subgenre. Even the “isekai” in the title isn’t quite right – this is a fantasy world, but no one’s here from Japan, at least not in Book 1. It’s worth your time, assuming you don’t mind a slight layer of eroticism over the whole thing. These blades enchant people. Yes, like that.

Spy Classroom: Annette and Her Many Knickknacks

by

By Takemachi and Tomari. Released in Japan as “Spy Kyoushitsu” by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Nathaniel Thrasher.

The author says in the afterword that this is an attempt to write a much lighter book after the events of the last arc, and I guess it is technically? There’s certainly a lot of wacky shtick going on here. There’s childhood marriage promises, There’s a search for PIRATE GOLD!, there’s Annette… being Annette, and there’s Thea… being Thea. That said, this is also darker than you’d expect, with even one of the jokes being an incredibly dark one about disposal of a corpse. There’s murders, there’s revolution, there’s tortured confessions getting brutally rejected. And there is Annette being Annette, because she is who she is, and despite the cover art changing for the first time to show her being all happy and a beachside setting, at the end of the day this is just a brief delay. We know, and Lamplight all gradually figure out, that these happy days are coming to an end, and it’s time for then to evolve further.

Lamplight are on an island resort (with an attached Naval base) taking a vacation after the events of the last three books. After partying on the beach on the first day, Klaus has one instruction for them: they can’t all gather together as one unit till the 13th day of their vacation. As a result, Grete ends up dealing with an island teenager who met Klaus years ago and wants to marry him; Thea and Sara investigate the naval base, as well as a grisly murder that is one of a string of grisly murders that have been happening every three months; Lily, Sybilla and Monika decide to try to find that legendary pirate gold, and discover a lot more than they had really planned, and Erna… fishes. (It’s OK, she gets the bulk of the prologue for the next arc.) As for Annette, she’s helping to plan a wedding at first, then loses interest and helps Thea at the naval base, then ends up finding the three pirate hunters, and then … vanishes?

The best part of this book is showing how the character development everyone got in the last few books has not vanished and is being built upon. Grete’s love of Klaus is not demeaned or made comedic, and he’s taking it seriously. We don’t know how Monika and Lily’s discussion went, but they’re treating each other the same as always, and a newly risen from the ashes Monika can now even be part of the goofy comedy relief when it suits her. Thea … OK, Thea has the grandest goal in mind for her future, but she also has the furthest to go, as this volume shows – but I did love the conflict between her and Sara and how it doesn’t damage their friendship at all. And Annette is still a sociopath, but she’s figured out how to use that as part of her job, and she’s also realized that she doesn’t want to get SO evil that her friends stop liking her. She’s growing up! They all are. The next arc, I expect, is gonna be dark again.

So get ready for… short story collection? (sigh) Short story collection. This was excellent.

Reign of the Seven Spellblades, Vol. 13

by

By Bokuto Uno and Miyuki Ruria. Released in Japan as “Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai suru” by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Andrew Cunningham.

One of the memes that goes around about Reign of the Seven Spellblades – let’s be honest, it may be the only meme – has Fred from Scooby Doo in front of a villain with “Harry Potter” as a mask, and he says “Now let’s see who Reign of the Seven Spellblades *really* is!”, and removes the mask, showing Fate/Stay Night. I have, in fact, made this joke myself throughout these reviews. That said, no volume quite hammers this home as much as this one. Shirou and Saber… pardon me, Oliver and Nanao… are competing to see who can be the biggest death seeker (OK, that’s not quite correct, but both think death within a year or two is inevitable). Meanwhile, I’ve already talked about the ways, both physical and mental, that I think Chela is like Rin, but I wasn’t expecting her to also be Sakura. And of course, if you’ve played the original Fate game, you know how explicit it gets. This volume comes close to that.

In the aftermath of the last book, Guy has to distance himself from the rest of the Sword Roses, which is particularly devastating to Katie. To make things more annoying, they’re fourth years, and now is the time when they all have to essentially “choose a major” – decide what specific course they’re inclined to pursue in detail. Oliver has not really thought about his future at all, so simply goes along with Katie to keep an eye on her. Nanao accidentally forgets the most obvious path, mostly as she too is not bothering to think about the future. And Guy is seeing if he could be a good curse breaker, and also has the folks from Book 12 he fought with – including comedy relief Annie Mackley – trying to separate him from the Sword Roses. This all comes to a head when Katie gets so uptight she needs… relief, shall we say, and Chela asks for what is an obvious solution. Things go badly.

This book reminds us of two big things. The first is that our protagonists, the Sword Roses, are all thought of as huge freaks within the rest of the school. They’re literally described as ticking timebombs, and the main reason seems to be the fact that they’ve been so close knit since they first met at the start of their first year – most friend groups in this school drift apart. The second is that, despite all of this, there’s still a lot of secrets that have never been told between this friend group. Nanao learned one of Oliver’s worst tragedies from the past, but Chela didn’t, and that ends up blowing up in her face – mostly due to Chela’s OWN backstory, which we get another part of here, and – as Chela herself points out – she and Oliver are similar yet also opposite in some ways. I’d said that I wondered if this would end with just Oliver and Nanao dead or everyone dead. I now suspect this may be an all-or-nothing series – either the six survive or they all die.

All this plus a whole lot of… well, there’s no other way to put it, mutual masturbation… reminds us that this remains a really well-written, really horny, and really suspenseful series. I have no idea what’s going to happen next.