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Earl and Fairy: Requiem for a Goddess

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By Mizue Tani and Asako Takaboshi. Released in Japan as “Hakushaku to Yōsei” by Shueisha Cobalt Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Alexandra Owen-Burns.

After the short story volume form last time, this book storms back with a vengeance, as if it’s determined to start actually resolving things. Are we getting near the end of Earl and Fairy? Hardly – we’re just over a quarter of the way – but we are at last allowed to actually resolve a few plot points and move forward others that have been simmering in the background since the first book. If you’ve been waiting for Raven to do more than be Edgar’s sounding board and occasionally attack random minor villains, I have some good news for you, as Raven and Ermine’s past is explored a lot more thoroughly here. The bad news is that this means that Raven spends a lot of the book as the damsel in distress, with a healthy dash of mind control as well. Now, you might think that it’s better that this happen to the relatively strong Raven rather than Lydia again. That’s the bad news. She’s damseled again, and it’s mostly her own fault.

There’s a serial killer murdering people around London Bridge, and Edgar is investigating, especially after a piece of green stone is found in the mouth of one of the victims. Meanwhile, I’m sorry to tell you, but everyone’s favorite revolving door traitor, Ermine, has run off again, after Raven confronts her about a green diopside stone that she seems determined to keep away from him, and which is tied to their past. Meanwhile, a student of Lydia’s father, Ulya, has appeared, telling her that her father is ill. Lydia accepts this and runs off to see him… and is captured, leading to her needing to be rescued, which leads to Raven being captured. Oh, and she’s abducted by Kelpie. Again. Twice. She’s really having a bad day.

This is a book with very little humor in it. Ulysses appears briefly, but we also see The Prince (or one of his body doubles), and if he’s meant to be a sort of evil Bertie (later Edward VII), it works pretty well. We get a fuller description of Raven and Ermine’s past with Edgar, which also means we hear about her being raped in front of Edgar just to upset him. As for Lydia and Edgar’s romance, things get off to a rocky start, but for once the “being an idiot about things” is tilted more towards the Lydia end of the scales, as Edgar is on good behavior here, having realized that he genuinely does have to treat Lydia differently if he wants to marry her. As for Lydia, she admits that she’s in love with Edgar, and while she won’t say this out loud to him yet, she at least agrees to marry him. Sort of. It’s a cliffhanger ending of sorts, after she’s abducted for the THIRD time in the book. Those kooky kids…

By now I hope everyone knows this is a series with a small but dedicated fanbase, and this volume hits all the right notes if you are in that fanbase.

True Love Fades Away When the Contract Ends: Music of the Flower Gardens and Heaven

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By Kosuzu Kobato and Fumi Takamura. Released in Japan as “Unmei no Koibito wa Kigen Tsuki” by Maple Novels. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Sarah Moon. Adapted by Max Machiavelli.

Last time I wondered if this (at the time) standalone book would be getting any more volumes. With this second one it’s very clear that the series is in it for the long haul, or at least the relatively long haul of a shoujo webnovel (the online version is about five volumes total). One way you can tell this is the case is that the ending of this volume is very unsatisfactory as a standalone. There is a conspiracy to replace the heir to the throne with a more amenable person, and that fails, with the politician behind it punished appropriately. But honestly, the reader has not cared much about that, and it always feels remote and irrelevant. What we care about is Fiona and Giles. And it has to be said, at the end of this volume they’re acting like Fiona is no longer under threat of being murdered if she goes out in the streets anymore, and I’m wondering… why? Because our bad guy is still the big bad guy.

Fiona has caught a rapscallion trying to steal her purse!… who turns out to actually be the one responsible for all the forgeries that have been floating around. He’s mad at Fiona because her catching the fact that that painting was a fake means he was summarily dismissed by Gordon, and is essentially now a street rat. That also means he’s a valuable witness, though, especially because, while identifying another fake, Fiona and Giles discover the fakes have planted evidence urging a rebellion against the crown… and they’re all being bought by the crown prince’s allies. Someone is trying to upend this country and foment rebellion. Is it the stuffy politician who is the leader of the opposition? Or is it the guy that Fiona shamed in the first book, who seems to be trying to ruin her in a much more dramatic way?

Fear not, the romance between Fiona and Giles is still very much at the forefront… well, as much as it can be at this point. Fiona is falling for Giles but doesn’t realize it, and keeps reminding herself that this is fake. Giles has fallen for Fiona and admitted it, but she’s still just a baron’s daughter, so he has a long way to go before he can make it reality. And he also has to get her to realize his feelings, which would involve… telling her. Can’t have that. The really surprising scene in this volume is meeting Giles’ father, who has always been cold and aloof with him, and finding, like a lot of dads in these shoujo romance novels, that he’s cold and aloof mostly as he’s bad at feelings, and that he actually is looking out for Giles in his own way. As for Fiona, well, she still loves art first, her uncle second, and Giles a distant third.

Still, a side story suggests her own engagement, which is currently “on hold”, might be falling apart naturally. At least I can be more confident there’s a third volume coming, if only as the bad guy got away. A solid volume.

Housekeeping Mage from Another World: Making Your Adventures Feel Like Home!, Vol. 8

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By You Fuguruma and Nama. Released in Japan as “Kasei Madoushi no Isekai Seikatsu: Boukenchuu no Kasei Fugyou Uketamawarimasu!” by Ichijinsha Bunko Iris NEO. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Hengtee Lim.

It’s been over a year since we saw the last volume of this series, so I was already struggling to recall what happened in the last book. For the author to them spring a major supporting character we had not seen since the first volume might be just a bit mean. But it ended up being a really good subplot, so I will forgive them. Honestly, this author is pretty good at mapping out the past, present and future of this world. We’ve gotten most of the past already, and we get another big chunk in the side story that ends this volume. The present, as always, is what’s taking forever, as all of the things that Alec and Shiori have to do at the end of the last book… they still need to do. And we get glimpses of the future all through this book, as we’re starting to see the “little did they know that in twenty years” narrative device used by authors who see an ending in sight.

Having finally gotten together with Alec *and* confessed about all of her past (including being from Japan), Shiori is now ready to move forward, which means teaching the other adventurers and mages in the city about her housekeeping magic. It’s harder than it seems, as most of them are either dealing with having to hold back or else simply never having had the imagination to think about such things. All these mages have is hammers, and Shiori is teaching them all the other ways to solve a problem besides nails. Unfortunately, her class is interrupted by a nearby avalanche, and they head to a nearby village to help… only to find that there’s also a magical beat on the loose… one that may have been engineered by the Empire.

So yeah, I wasn’t expecting to see Vivi again, mostly as I had completely forgotten about Vivi. Remember when those three girls abused Shiori back at the start of the series? And she used illusion magic to terrify them so badly that two fled back home and one ended up dead? Well, Vivi is one of the ones who fled back home, she’s had a heaping helping of humility, and she wants to apologize to Shiori, who graciously accepts it. (Of course she does. Were you expecting something else?) The interesting thing is that we them have Vivi attending Shiori’s housekeeping mage class, and also following to help with the avalanche. The extended focus on her POV not only allows us to see the depths of how much she actually has changed, but also demonstrates the dangers of using magic the same way every time (her left hand can now barely use magic since she always casts with her right) as well as how apologizing doesn’t always solve everything – the rest of the group are very reluctant to approve of her till after the disaster, when her actions help demonstrate what her words didn’t. I was very pleased with her entire subplot.

Will Alec and Shiori be any closer to marrying next time? Or will the building of the magic academy (oh no, not a magic academy!) take up all its time? Fortunately, we won’t have to wait another 14 months to find out – the next volume is out in the spring.

Pick of the Week: This Pick Goes to 11

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MICHELLE: I am obviously looking forward to They Were 11, as I have never read the continuation that will be included in Denpa’s edition. But I’m also interested in I’m Here, Beside You. Something about that cover is kind of haunting.

KATE: Is this a trick question? The correct answer is ANYTHING BY MOTO HAGIO! I am delighted to see They Were 11 back in print, as it’s one of Hagio’s most tightly plotted and delightfully weird stories.

ASH: Only a trick question if it doesn’t actually come out this week! If it does, They Were 11! is absolutely my pick. And if it doesn’t, it looks like a decent week for other interesting manga to tide me over, like Dogs and Punching Bags or Tokyo Alien Bros.

ANNA: I WANT TO BELIEVE! They Were 11! is totally my pick, but as a backup I also want to celebrate the rerelease of Red River.

SEAN: And yes, of course my pick is They Were 11! as well, though I will admit I’m equally looking forward to The Trials and Tribulations of My Next Life As a Noblewoman.

MJ: I haven’t weighed in here in a while, since I haven’t been keeping up with new manga releases. But I’ve loved They Were 11 in every form it’s been released here so far, and I’m really excited about any additional material being included in Denpa’s edition. If it doesn’t show up on shelves this week, I’ll be waiting for the day it does!

The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold to Another Kingdom, Vol. 1

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By Fuyutsuki Koki and Masami. Released in Japan as “Kanpeki Sugite Kawaige ga Nai to Konyaku Haki Sareta Seijo wa Ringoku ni Urareru” by Overlap Novels f. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Tiffany Lim. Adapted by Shaenon K. Garrity.

This one really took me by surprise. The first, oh, forty pages or so read like Saint by Numbers, frankly. We’ve read this story before. Our heroine, who is fantastic at magic and smart and pretty but perhaps overly serious, is shunned by her fiance the prince, and exiled from the kingdom – in this case, literally sold to another kingdom for cash. When she arrives at her new homeland, she’s rather stunned to find that everyone there is treating her nicely, happy to see her, and urging her to take breaks and enjoy herself. Something that, well, she’s not particularly good at, as she grew up as the abused eldest daughter you almost always see in these sorts of books. We also hear about the youngest daughter, also a Saint, who supposedly loves her sister, but is now going to end up with the prince instead. Uh uh, I thought. Cue evil sister. Oh, how delightfully wrong I was.

For the summary of the start of the book, see above. Philia is somewhat horrified by this, but having been raised since birth to have almost no sense of self-worth, she quietly goes along with it. That said, Philia is only one of the two protagonists in this book. Back in her old country, Mia, the younger sister, is equally horrified to hear that (according to everyone else, that is) Philia chose to run off to another country, leaving Mia as the sole Saint. What’s more, after a brief period of being devastated by his fiancee leaving him that lasts about three days, the prince is now proposing to Mia instead. She suspects something is rotten in the state of Denmark, and decides to play detective to figure out what’s really going on. (Hint: treason.)

So yes, the big reveal is that Mia is not only the co-protagonist but just as likeable as her sister. Mia was raised in a family of love, separated from her older sister (we find out why later), and is relatively well-adjusted, so is definitely the one to be trying to investigate the potential multiple assassinations happening around her. Philia, meanwhile, is “dull, unfriendly, and far too serious”, according to the prince, and he’s not really far off. She was raised in a household without love, her education ranged from strict to ludicrous, and basic human decency baffles her, to the point where she’s poleaxed when people tell her not to immediately go out and save the country but take a day to rest. And honestly, for the best she didn’t, as it turns out Philia is better suited to save the entire WORLD.

This isn’t perfect – as always with this genre, the evil nobles are cartoonishly evil, and Philia’s two potential romantic interests seem to be there only because this genre always has two princes both in love with the Saint. But its main conceit is terrific (it’s getting an anime in April), and even though it seemingly wrapped everything up in the first book, I’ll read Book 2, which doubtless will focus more on those romantic loose ends.

The Dorky NPC Mercenary Knows His Place, Vol. 2

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By Toryuu and hamm. Released in Japan as “Kimo Ota Mob Yōhei wa, Mi no Hodo o Wakimaeru” by Overlap Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Josh DM.

As I started to get near the end of this second novel, I began to wonder if the author is actually interested in any of the fanservice or romance in it at all. I know this might be a surprise given that the cover of this volume looks like the title of the series is “That Ass Knows Its Place”, but there’s a lot less thirst for our dorky hero this time around, with the obvious exception of Fialka, the designated tsundere and lead girl. But most of the sexy in this book is entirely down to the artwork rather than the plot and characters, John still has zero interest in anyone, and the author states in an afterword that they got into an argument with the editor about how robotic Shelly the maid should look. (The author lost, and passes it off as editorial making the right decision, but still…) In the end, if you want a harem look elsewhere. This is about space battles. 9-to-5 workaday space battles.

John (and it feels weird to use that name, given that it only appears three times in the entire book and everyone else has space names) is doing his usual thing, taking jobs once he knows that they’re not inherently dangerous, keeping his head down, avoiding nobility (with little to no success there), and being very, very good at what he does. He’s helped by a new guild receptionist who will not treat him like a creep or scum, and she’s a gorgeous young… woman? No, wait, really pretty young man. Never mind. He’s good at his job, though, which not only John but also the recently disgraced “hero” appreciate. And he’s got plenty of work, as there are more and more pirates, and more and more mercs are being hired to help take care of them.

Once again, the series’ main draw is how good it is at validating its hero’s mindset towards his life and job. Even the other characters are admitting he has a point about staying a knight and not getting involved. Partly as there are more jobs you CAN’T turn down when you get promoted, but mostly as almost every noble in this entire series seems to be some variation of “sack of shit”, and they all seem to run into John and hate him personally. It’s not clear if they recognize him from his famous past, or if they’re just like “portly guy who’s not gorgeous like everyone else in this universe, must be someone I can bully”, but it does make me wonder if the author has a bit of an agenda. Not that I mind all that much. The space battles here are pretty good, the girls who seem to revolve around him are, with one exception, nice enough, and the exception is comedy relief.

So, like the first book, this isn’t great, but it’s good, and the setting interests me. I’ll keep on trucking.

Re: ZERO ~Starting Life in Another World~ Short Story Collection, Vol. 2

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By Tappei Nagatsuki and Shinichirou Otsuka. Released in Japan as “Re: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu: Tanpenshuu” by MF Bunko J. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Sarah Moon.

The first volume of the Re: Zero short stories was supplemented by some stories written directly for the volume. Unfortunately, that appears to be a one-off, as the volumes from this one going forward consist entirely of stories from Monthly Comic Alive. This volume came out near the end of the third arc, between Books 8 and 9, but is still entirely concerned with that period after the second arc, with every story happening around Roswaal’s mansion. The stories themselves appeared between July 2014 and July 2015, which is to say around the start of the third arc. Why am I writing so much about trivia like this? Because this is still a short story book in the end, and there’s a limited amount of things they can do to affect canon and be important characterization, especially given they’re all “buy in a manga magazine” stories. That said… this is a lot of fun, and should be greatly enjoyable for Re: Zero fans.

There are six stories here. 1) After the events of Liliana’s visit, the mansion’s residents are horrified to discover that Emilia is tone-deaf, and try to teach her how to sing; 2) Subaru accidentally uses Ram’s special medicinal tea that she needs to help her mana, and now he, Ram, and Puck have to go into the forest to get the dangerous ingredients required to make it again; 3) Subaru asks if there are ghosts in this world, and discovers that some of the residents of the mansion may fear them (they’re “hollows” here. He decides to use the Japanese “divination” game of kokkuri to have some fun; 4) Trying to get sedentary Beatrice to be more active, Subaru bets her that he can catch her in a game of tag played around the mansion. Beatrice accepts, but forgets how cunning Subaru cam be; 5) The mansion is freezing over due to Puck needing to get rid of his magic, and Subaru decides to help him along by holding a snow festival in the village; 6) Subaru finds a stash of alcohol under a trapdoor, and Roswaal gives permission to host a party with it, since in this world Subaru is old enough to drink.

The last two stories were adapted into an OAV of the anime, and it’s easy to see why, as they lend themselves very well to that sort of thing. Last time I talked about how odd it was to read about the “original” Rem from Arc 3 after all the time we’ve spent (in North America) with her in a coma. This one reminded me that I’ve gotten spoiled by the Emilia of the 5th and 6th arcs, who’s gotten herself together and is kicking ass. This is a return to the old, naive and somewhat goofy Emilia, which isn’t as cool but I will admit can be funnier; Emilia with Mr. Bucket may be the comedic highlight of the book. Most of these are downtime stories, with little danger. The second story has Subaru step off a cliff and get menaced by monsters, but honestly he was more in danger from Ram’s sarcasm there than anything else. Likewise, the danger of potentially dying of the cold in the 5th story is hilariously undercut by Subaru pointing that that Puck has to “fart out all that mana”. This stays on the funny rather than heartwarming side of the scale, though the final scene with Subaru and Beatrice is sweet.

For obsessives only, but it’s great the obsessives finally have a chance to buy it.

Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden, Vol. 5

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By Umikaze Minamino and Katana Canata. Released in Japan as “Kyōran Reijō Nia Liston: Byōjaku Reijō ni Tenseishita Kami-goroshi no Bujin no Kareinaru Musō Roku” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by okaykei.

Last time I asked for less of Nia hitting things, and that’s what I got – Nia’s antics being super overpowered are confined to the final quarter of her part of the book (the last fifth of the book is a short story starring Fressa), and most of the rest of it is devoted to what I’m actually here for, which is the magivision stuff. Admittedly, I’m more worried about Nia on that front. After the first couple of books talked about her programs, each successive one has cared about them less and less, which this fifth book in the series only noting that she’s filming a lot and that it makes her tired. It’s even pointed out point blank that Reliared and Hildetaura are having far more popular shows and are coming up with far more innovative ideas. Nia briefly worries about it, and thinks they need to come up with some ideas in her own domain, but then goes back to earning cash. Maybe her “downfall” is due to low ratings.

The start of this book has Nia hired by the second prince to film the wedding of Zackford and Phyledia, so that he can better show off the strengths of magivision to his kingdom. This requires a ridiculous amount of prep, as filming is still brand new, so there’s all sorts of rules to follow and contracts to sign. It ends up coming off perfectly, though. Back at school there’s now a junior magivision club, which our heroine is not a member of, but her advice is sought out when it turns out that their ideas and actual filming experience are subpar. She also continues to train her underlings in chi… and is very angry when she finds out that one underling has been training others without her permission. Finally, she’s accosted by space pirates, which allows her to do the overpowered Nia Liston things that are increasingly difficult to hide as being her own invention and not her “master”.

It will not surprise folks that I find the quiet character moments in this book more interesting than child whupass time. The best scene in the book is when Nia takes the newlyweds into a side room so that she can show them the magivision video they spent the previous day flying all over to record – greetings from all their family and friends who were unable to attend the wedding. They’re brought to a side room as Nia knows they’ll cry and she doesn’t want that to be public. It’s very sweet. We also meet new supporting players who I suspect will get more to do later, but I did like the surly punk-looking one who, after observing the art of magivision, realizes that not only does this actually interest him but he could probably be really good at it. We’ve all had those “eureka” moments when we find something that we love and can achieve. It’s nice to see here as well.

Is Nia still marching slowly towards her doom? Is her doom a late-night cable magivision show where she sells pocket fisherman and veg-o-matics? Is this the era of Nia Popeil? Probably not, as long as she can keep punching things.

Adachi and Shimamura: Short Stories

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By Hitoma Iruma and raemz. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Molly Lee. Adapted by Emlyn Dornemann.

I wasn’t really expecting a lot out of this short story volume. The stories are, with one exception, microstories, ranging from half a page to about 6-7 pages, and feel like the sort of bonus you’d get if you bought the book in a certain store (they probably were). But they’re laid out cleverly if that is the case, thematically giving the book a weight and progression it might not otherwise deserve. We see Shimamura finally expressing herself in ways she really never has before, we are taken once again into the deep, deep, drowning waters of Adachi’s obsessive love, and we even get a short story from the point of view of Yashiro, which honestly reads more like she’s an AI than an alien. But the last quarter of the book is one story, from the POV of Adachi’s mother, and it’s both the most interesting and the hardest to read. Our heroines are very, very much like their mothers, and that’s both good and bad.

The first third of the book is the closest to the normal series, as it’s all from Shimamura’s POV, showing her hanging out in the gym with Adachi around the start of the series, several stories after they’ve become a couple, and a few stories of her office life after they’ve gotten an apartment together. The second third is Adachi’s POV, which is much the same only it’s a lot pricklier and more desperate, both in a good and bad way, and also shows us Adachi’s idea of heaven, which is kind of sweet but also very worrying. After a few stories from the POV of various side characters (but not Hino and Nagafuji, who are absent from this collection), the final story, a full quarter of the book, has Shimamura’s mother dragging Adachi’s mother to a “sleepover” with both their families, which turns out to be an attempt to have Adachi and her mother try one last time to communicate with each other.

The Shimamura stories were adorable, honestly. They have a healthy dollop of Yashiro, as you’d expect, but for the most part what you get out of them is that Shimamura has come to terms with loving Adachi, and she’s extremely soppy about it. Adachi’s stories are less interesting except for one, where she finds herself in a black and white cityscape where every person in the world is a teenage Shimamura. It’s said that this is Adachi’s idea of heaven, and she does not dispute it – she thinks of this as the goal after her life, an afterlife where she can care about only Shimamura with literally no one else. It’s eerie, but shows the bottomless depths of her love. As for the story with Adachi’s mother, it’s painful to read. She confesses to Shimamura’s mother that she finds interaction exhausting as it’s hard to “read the room and manage all their feelings”, which Shimamura’s mother boggles at, wondering why she bothers to do that. The story ends with Adachi’s mother giving her daughter the only advice she feels she can: “please don’t turn out like I did”. Chilling, but compelling.

So yeah, this is still a series by Hitoma Iruma, meaning I recommend it, with reservations.

Since I Was Abandoned After Reincarnating, I Will Cook With My Fluffy Friends: The Figurehead Queen Is Strongest At Her Own Pace, Vol. 6

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By Yu Sakurai and Kasumi Nagi. Released in Japan as “Tenseisaki de Suterareta no de, Mofumofu-tachi to Oryouri Shimasu: Okazari Ouhi wa My Pace ni Saikyou desu” by M Novels F. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by Emma Schumacker.

This is the final volume of the series, and so it has quite a lot to pack into its pages. We have to resolve the Queen situations, of course. And then there’s Laetitia’s past life issues. There’s also the fact that several countries appear to be at war with several other countries. I’m going to be honest, of the six books, this one has the least amount of cooking with the fluffy friends. There’s pancakes coated in honey at the start, but that’s about it, really. That said, it’s quite good, and manages to have some nice elements of romance, thriller, and isekai. Admittedly, the romance may be the least important element. Now, don’t get me wrong, there is romance here, as our clueless couple finally manage to get together. But I get the sense that the author is not nearly as interested in this as they are with the thriller, backstabbings, and isekai shenanigans.

We’re getting closer to when Glenreed has to choose his queen. He’s pretty much decided, but unfortunately for him, Laetitia can’t get rid of the “temporary” in her head and is doing everything she can to try to help him find someone else. She meets with the fourth of the queen candidates, Fillia, who… seems nice. Unfortunately, the obnoxious princess from a foreign country is lurking around Laetitia, doing her best to frame her for something every chance she can get. As this is going on, meanwhile, Laetitia and Glenreed are learning some secrets about this world, secrets which go back over 600 years, and are apparently responsible for the prosperity each of the countries around them has had. Unfortunately, things come to a head when Laetitia confesses her past life memories to Glenreed, which leads to him… pulling a sword on her and trying to kill her? What’s going on here? And did the evil princess somehow manage to poison herself?

The twist for this final book is an interesting one, tying in past lives, curses, and free will. The question is, do you rule wisely for years and then risk leaving your beloved country to a son or daughter who might not rule wisely? And if that’s the case, shouldn’t you do something to stop it? That said, we’re all meant to agree with Laetitia, and I do. You have to let people screw up, you have to let them learn from mistakes, because that’s what leads to progress. The message is a bit heavy-handed, but I didn’t mind it. In lighter news, I was very happy to see Laetitia admit that she was in love, though I was worried, as the confession on her end came in the second side story, after the main one had ended. And for those who like tear jerkers, we also get a reunion with the one thing she cares about more than anything else from Japan. No, not her family, her dog.

In the end, this was a good series, and one which did manage to justify its length. Recommended for those who like to see women who can kick your ass as well as cook sweets, and decide to prioritize the sweets.