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You Are My Regret, Vol. 3

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By Shimesaba and Ui Shigure. Released in Japan as “Kimi wa Boku no Regret” by Dash X Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Andria McKnight.

Generally speaking I don’t really pay much attention to the color pages of a book when I’m writing my review, as they rarely affect it one way or another. I glanced back at the color pages for this third volume of You Are My Regret, though, and I almost laughed out loud – definitely the only time I did that while reading this overwrought, dramatic book. The cover is absolutely an advertisement for the content within, showing Risa, with her box cutter, in front of a garage door covered in graffiti. Then you get to the color inserts… And they’re Ai and Kaoru in “cute romcom girls” poses, all three pictures, with none of the other characters, as if this is a standard “who will he choose” series. And, I mean, I *guess* that’s what it is in a shallow way, but really, this is a “he fixes them” series. The romance is secondary and irrelevant. Why we’re here is to see Yuzuru try to communicate with people until they give in.

It’s summer vacation, and everyone’s going to the beach, giving us the opportunity to get in at least a little bit of the love triangle in this book. But Sousuke, who’s in love with Ai but has already accepted that she’s over the moon for Yuzuru, has a bigger issue. Risa, who we met in the second volume, used to play the bass, and she was fantastic, until one day she quit and refused to ever play music again… and this is also when she started to cut herself. The culture festival is coming up after summer break, and Sousuke wants to have everyone form a band and get Risa to play with them… but she rejects him, and the rejections get harsher as the book goes on. Can Yuzuru figure out what’s really going on here and manage to heal Risa’s traumatized heart?

First of all, much to my relief, Risa does not fall in love with Yuzuru as well in this book, so the love triangle remains a love triangle. Secondly, there is a rather annoying mystery. The premise of the mystery relies on everyone BUT Yuzuru, who it’s repeatedly says doesn’t watch TV or pay any attention to things besides books, to know Risa’s tragic backstory… and NOT tell him, because the point of the book is that it’s a mystery for he and the reader to work out. There doesn’t seem to be any reason for at least Kaoru or Misuzu (a mutual friend of Sousuke and Risa) to explain what actually happened. I suppose the incident is so horrific that they’re remaining quiet so as not to shame her, but come on, this girl is cutting herself to escape her own pain. Tell Yuzuru, who’s good at getting to the heart of the matter, why that is.

This book ends with a nasty cliffhanger that promises the next book will remain a drama-filled potboiler… except the last book was out in Japan in May 2022. So, well, that’s it, maybe? Read it if you love TEEN ANGST to the nth degree.

I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level, Vol. 15

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

This one was scheduled for the summer but got delayed several months, possibly duie to the change in translators we see with this book. Honestly, I’m not too sure it’s a bad thing. As a book series that is supposed to have plot and characterization and an endpoint in sight, this is a failure. This series would run away screaming from actual drama. But I think it’s best if I try to think of it as music. Let’s say you buy a 90s house compilation on CD. You want variations on a basic concept, that concept being 90s house. It should not stray far at all from that core concept, because that is why you bought the CD. Likewise, if people want more drama in their slow life, go read Kuma Bear, which is perhaps one step up from this. This is only the fluff, only the slice-of-life. As such, it’s perfectly fine. It gives you 6 main tracks on the CD, as well as 2 bonus CD remixes that you can skip.

The six main stories: 1) Beelzebub takes the cast to meet a group of living monoliths, as well as their Elder monolith, who houses… well, a big surprise; 2) After hearing that there’s an area of the desert where there are no slimes, curiosity has Azusa and company try to see why, and they find out that they really hate the heat; 3) After Halkara and Laika both discover that this year is unlucky for them, Azusa meets up with a new god, who explains how fate works in this world; 4) Falfa, Shalsha, and Sandra try to discover when Azusa’s birthday is, and then proceed to go on a journey to get her the perfect birthday present (Azusa secretly follows them); 5) The world’s worst thief returns, having been hired to go to a museum that has one of her targets and get rid of the mimics living there; 6) everyone goes to meet a famous hermit, and finds that trying to live up to expectations can be really embarrassing.

There’s also the 2 CD drama scripts. In the first, Falfa and Shalsha try to figure out who hit Halkara over the head with a massive metal jar (knowing Halkara’s proclivities might help get them the answer), allowing them to act like they’re in Case Closed, and in the other, Laika worries that she’s training the same way each time, and meets with each of the rest of the cast to try to figure out how to expand her boundaries. These both suffer greatly from being unable to hear them – they’re written for audio, and it shows. As for the rest of the book, well, it has what you’d expect. Lots of found family, lots of Azusa tsukkomi responses, lots of Laika having a massive crush on Azusa without any danger of it coming to anything. This is more than slow life, it’s almost no life. It does add a mimic to the cast… but we’ll need to wait till the 16th book to find out anything about her.

But it’s still relaxing, and still likeable, and yeah, I’ll likely grump about 16 as well.

Manga the Week of 11/27/24

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SEAN: Let’s all give thanks for manga!

ASH: Thanks!

SEAN: No debuts for Yen On, but we do see Astrea Record: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Tales of Heroes 3 (the final volume), The Detective Is Already Dead 9, The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady 8, and Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- 26.

Yen Press has one new title. April Showers Bring May Flowers (Busu ni Hanataba wo) is a seinen romance from Young Ace. An unpopular girl is caught one day by the class hottie when she’s in the classroom by herself “pretending to be a heroine”. Now he’s promising to support her with everything he’s got?

ASH: Sounds like it could be cute!

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Adults’ Picture Book: New Edition 3 (the final volume), Aria of the Beech Forest 2, Bocchi the Rock! 5, Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense 8, CLAMP Premium Collection Tokyo Babylon 5, GOGOGOGO-GO-GHOST! 2, If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love 2, In Another World with My Smartphone 13, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Familia Chronicle Episode Freya 4, She Likes Gays, but Not Me 3 (the final volume), and A Sinner of the Deep Sea 2.

ASH: A good reminder that I should read the first volume…

SEAN: Viz Media has JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 6–Stone Ocean 7 and a huge 584-page hardcover omnibus, Kiki’s Delivery Service Film Comic: All-in-One Edition.

ASH: That is rather large!

SEAN: From Tokyopop we get Boys Gilding the Lily Shall Die!? 2, Lullaby of the Dawn 2, and My Beautiful Man 2.

Square Enix debuts Always a Catch!: How I Punched My Way into Marrying a Prince (Nigashita Sakana wa Ookikatta ga, Tsuriageta Sakana ga Ookisugita Ken). Based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel, it’s about a girl who spent her childhood learning martial arts now finding that all the bachelors are taken. Can a different kingdom help her find her true love?… wait, broken engagement? Huh? This runs in Manga Up!.

ASH: Okay, this is exactly the sort of ridiculous premise I can get behind.

SEAN: Seven Seas debuts a manga whose light novel came out digitally just last week. Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud Of It)! (Heroine? Seijo? Iie, All Works Maid desu (ko)! @COMIC) is a Comic Corona title adapting the comedy OP maid novel.

Todai Revengers is a parody spinoff of Tokyo Revengers which runs in Magazine Pocket.

The third debut is Wild Roses and Pretenders (Nobara to Pretender), a BL title from Magazine Be x Boy. A man, trying to support his sickly mother, becomes a manservant to a Lord. Unfortunately, the Lord wants to avoid getting married, so demands his new manservant pose as his male lover!

ASH: That always goes well.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! 6, Black Night Parade 5, CANDY AND CIGARETTES 10, Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 9, The Dungeon of Black Company 11, Headhunted to Another World: From Salaryman to Big Four! 7, I Think I Turned My Childhood Friend Into a Girl 7, I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! 5, Let’s Buy the Land and Cultivate It in a Different World 6, and Otonari Complex 2.

MICHELLE: I need to get on the Otonari Complex train before it leaves me behind.

SEAN: One Peace Books has a 10th manga volume of The Reprise of the Spear Hero.

Kodansha Books debuts Shimazaki in the Land of Peace (Heiwa no Kuni no Shimazaki e), a Weekly Morning title about a boy who was kidnapped and forced to join a revolutionary army. Now, thirty years later, he’s free and returns to Japan… can he really go back to an ordinary life? Despite sounding like Full Metal Panic!, this is apparently quite serious.

ANNA: Interesting.

SEAN: Also from Kodansha: The Boy I Loved Became the Jaded Emperor 2 (the final volume), EDENS ZERO 30, The Heroic Legend of Arslan 20, I Cross-Dressed for the IRL Meetup 2, I’m Standing on a Million Lives 18, and Ninja Vs. Gokudo 4.

ASH: Oh, I had somehow forgotten about Arslan.

SEAN: Digitally we see The Café Terrace and Its Goddesses 15, A Couple of Cuckoos 20, and Gamaran: Shura 26.

J-Novel Club has one debut. Lady Bumpkin and Her Lord Villain (Imokusa Reijou desu ga Akuyaku Reisoku wo Tasuketara Kiniiraremashita) is about a noble girl who is ridiculed for her outdated fashion and heavy makeup. But she’s really sweet. She goes to a ball in a last ditch attempt to get a man, and meets the fiance of the princess… right before the princess breaks off her engagement, branding him a villain! Nice reversal.

They’ve also got the 2nd The 100th Time’s the Charm: She Was Executed 99 Times, So How Did She Unlock “Super Love” Mode?! manga volume, Black Summoner 19, the 4th Butareba -The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig- manga volume, the 5th D-Genesis: Three Years after the Dungeons Appeared manga volume, the 4th Duchess in the Attic manga volume, Heavenly Swords of the Twin Stars 4, I Parry Everything 7, In Another World With My Smartphone 30, Management of a Novice Alchemist 3, and the 3rd My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World manga volume.

Hanashi Media has the 4th volume of Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy.

Ghost Ship gives us Ayakashi Triangle 12 and The Witches of Adamas 9.

And for mature Seven Seas titles, we see Hate Me, but Let Me Stay 2 and You’ve Got Mail: The Perils of Pigeon Post – Fei Ge Jiao You Xu Jin Shen 2.

ASH: Speaking of ridiculous premises, really do need to give that one a try at some point.

SEAN: Cross Infinite World debuts How I Became King by Eating Monsters (Monster no Niku wo Kutteitara Oui ni Tsuita Ken). A young prince is at constant risk of assassination… mostly from the prime minister… and so goes out to hunt his own food. There he meets an eccentric swordswoman who tells him that eating monsters makes you stronger!

ASH: Makes sense!

SEAN: Also from CIW: The Former Assassin Who Got Reincarnated as a Noble Girl 2, Soup Forest: The Story of the Woman Who Speaks with Animals and the Former Mercenary 2, and Third Loop: The Nameless Princess and the Cruel Emperor 3.

Airship, in print, gives us the debut of Mushoku Tensei: Redundant Reincarnation (Mushoku Tensei: Dasoku-hen), the “after story” to the main series.

And they have Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō 7.

And the early digital debut is A Tale of the Secret Saint ZERO (Tenseishita Daiseijo wa, Seijo de Aru Koto wo Hitakakusu Zero), the story of Princess Serafina’s adventures 300 years before being reincarnated as Fia.

Hope none of these mangas are turkeys!

Dagashi-ya Yahagi: Setting Up a Sweets Shop in Another World, Vol. 2

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By Bunzaburou Nagano and Neruzo Nemaki. Released in Japan as “Dagashiya Yahagi: Isekai ni Shutten Shimasu” by Earth Star Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Mizuki Sakamoto.

I always feel a little awkward when I’m reviewing these slow life titles, because I inevitably feel like I’m picking on them. Most of this volume consists of the slow life stuff itself, and it’s fine. I enjoyed it. There’s lots of selling new snacks with odd status buffs, or accidentally giving the gnomes their legendary armor. Meryl is funny, we actually learn a bit about Mira’s family. My favorite part was when the three of them set out to track some monsters that have big treasure chests in their lair, take out the monsters, and actually get the treasure, which does indeed have so much money that even Meryl puts most of it into savings in the bank. The trouble is there’s very little to actually review about slow life. So I have to look for other things to talk about. And frankly, those things are less enjoyable. Ah well. At least we got to see Meryl’s hilariously bad luck a few more times.

After the events of the last book, Chichi is in prison, and Yahagi and Michelle are living a happy if still chaste cohabitational life. Yahagi has realized that, for some reason (honestly, it sort of beggars belief), no one has tried to map the dungeon, so he sets out to try to do so, selling them to adventurers as he completes floors. Also, his stand is now definitely a shop, complete with a living space at the back, much to Michelle’s delight. He’s also discovered that he now has actual magic! And not just his Dagashi-ya magic either. Unfortunately, Chichi is not going to simply sit back and accept being imprisoned. She’s got a plan to escape and get her revenge on her sister and Yahagi…

So, in reverse order from least annoying to most annoying. 1) like a lot of light novel folks, our hero and heroine seem to think that the only sex they can have is the missionary kind that runs the risk of pregnancy, so all they do is kiss and cuddle. I urge them to remember there are other ways to express physical love. 2) Yahagi learns a spell that allows him clairvoyance, to the point where he can even search backwards in time, but it gives him mild to mid-range heart attacks. ARE YOU KIDDING? I hope this is dealt with in later books, but dude, stop giving yourself heart attacks and then NOT TELLING ANYONE. 3) the main redemption arc in this book was carried out through the use of mind-control snacks that charm you into falling in love with someone if used too often (they literally say this), and also having the evil buffed out of you by an angel from heaven so that you’re no longer a main antagonist. I can’t even begin to say how annoyed I was with that whoooole subplot.

But, other than that, it was fine. I’ll read the next one. I would sum it up as “mid (affectionate), with a slight side of mid (derogatory)”.

From Two-Bit Baddie to Total Heartthrob: This Villainess Will Cross-Dress to Impress!, Vol. 2

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By Masamune Okazaki and Hayase Jyun. Released in Japan as “Mob Dōzen no Akuyaku Reijō wa Dansō Shite Kōryaku Taishō no Za wo Nerau” by TO Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Caroline W.

As folks may know, I tend to pay attention to publishers a bit more than is normal. I have my favorites, and I have those where I always say “uh oh” (looking at you, GC Novels). Generally speaking I tend to really enjoy TO Books releases. They do Ascendance of a Bookworm, and Tearmoon Empire. They’re solid. And, like most LN publishers these days, they take the webnovel that’s already published online, have the author revise and add a few scenes to it, and publish it. What makes TO Books different from, say, Hobby Japan is that the cutoff point for where to end a book is much longer for them. To put it bluntly, these books are too dang long. Even the shortest of them usually top out at 260-270 pages, and most can get in the 350 range. And when you’re reading a book that’s doing obvious things, like this one, it can get exhausting.

Everything that Elizabeth has been changing herself for has finally arrived at school: the heroine is here. Lilia has transferred in, and she has Saint powers. Now all Elizabeth has to do is cut off everyone else’s romance routes and seduce her. Well, friendship her. Elizabeth doesn’t want an actual romance route or anything, she just wants to block the “otome game” from running down its rails. However, when Lilia arrives, Elizabeth is in for a shock: she’s clearly ALSO reincarnated from Japan, and is trying herself to hit those routes… and rather puzzled that she has run into this hunk rather than the sickly Prince Edward. Now Elizabeth has to try to step up her seduction while also dealing with a Lilia who has no idea what she should be doing now. Perhaps… it’s time to give up the act?

The best part of this book is the relationship between Elizabeth and Lilia… eventually. That’s what I meant about these books being too long. Though in this case it actually works in the book’s favor, as all the character development is towards the end of the volume. Lilia is written well – she’s not an “evil” heroine, and she’s not a BL fangirl who will love all the guys swooning over the “handsome” Sir Burton – she’s a girl who found herself in this role and is trying to survive while being rather annoyed and also depressed over how everyone forgives her everything because she’s cute. Yes, she DOES find out Elizabeth is really a girl, and it does lead to a brief fight. But just as Elizabeth realizes she’s been too wedded to trying to stop the game she’s forgotten to treat everyone as people, Lilia realizes that just because she’s the heroine doesn’t mean she has to romance one of the targets. The book ends with Elizabeth admitting she’s also from Japan, and Lilia doubling down and saying she has fallen in love with her and will seduce her. Now, this isn’t a yuri book, quite – Lilia seems very happy the game is Rated “T” so she doesn’t have to do any of the ICKY lesbian stuff – but Lilia seems quite happy with her bisexual awakening.

Elizabeth’s ethics are questionable – she’s no Katarina in that respect – and she’s even MORE oblivious than Katarina at times, who I think at least might recognize the voice of her own fiancee – but I still like this enough to recommend it. Also, she fights a massive bear.

Pick of the Week: A Pick for All Seasons

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ASH: The releases this week seem to have a bit more variety to them than some weeks bring, but maybe that’s just because I’m paying closer attention. And so the book I’m perhaps most curious about is the one we don’t have as much information on, Festival of Heresies. A one-shot horror novel with a striking cover seems like it should be up my alley.

SEAN: My pick this week is for A Smart and Courageous Child, if only as it’s a rare manga that has the assassination attempt of Malala Yousafzai kickstart the plot. Plus it’s gotten rave reviews.

MICHELLE: I’m not terribly enthusiastic about anything, but I’ll cast my vote for Agents of the Four Seasons: Dance of Spring, if for no other reason that it runs in LaLa.

ANNA: I’m with Michelle, manga published by LaLa is doing the heavy lifting for me this week.

KATE: If you missed Moto Hagio’s The Poe Clan the first time around, I have good news: Fantagraphics just released a boxed set. Buy it for a fellow manga fan, or buy yourself an early Christmas present; I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)!, Vol. 1

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By Atekichi and Yukiko. Released in Japan as “Heroine? Seijo? Iie, All Works Maid desu (ko)!” by TO Books. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Matthew Jackson. Adapted by Michelle McGuinness.

It could be argued that I’m reading too many of these sorts of books. Because, not to spoil something you should be used to by now, but there’s an otome game in this novel, and a villainess. We have definitely hit the point where we’ve got burned-out fans, especially as we’re now getting at least an anime a season with that premise. And yet, I persevere. Because sometimes I get something as completely batshit as this book, whose heroine starts out OP in Japan and only gets worse when she’s reincarnated, who can accidentally solve the entire premise of the otome game she’s been reincarnated in without realizing it, who is secretly the daughter of a noble and already has a love interest who is tortured because he can’t reveal that. And the reason he can’t reveal it is that her one goal in life is to be a maid. The BEST MAID EVER. And nobility will, frankly, just get in the way of that goal.

Ritsuko was an incredibly talented child in Japan. So talented she grew jaded… until she discovered MAIDS. The concept of maids fascinated her and became her obsession, to the point where she traveled to England to become a maid… or at least, she would have if not for that plane crash. She’s reborn as Celesty, a silver-haired girl in a small village, and lives a normal life… until her mother dies, which fills her with grief. On reading a letter from her mother revealing her real past, she suddenly develops magic. Strong magic. Impossibly strong magic… which she quickly manages to hide, because having overflowing strong magic would get in the way of her goal. Instead, she bids farewell to the village and heads off to the big city, where she plans to find work as a maid. Because she is still over the moon about maids, no matter what the world.

So as you likely gathered, this is a broad comedy. It’s at its best when it’s leaning into its genre and feels like a deconstruction. Celesty (who quickly changes her name to Melody, which she’ll be going by from now on) is not the only person on that plane crash who was reincarnated. Yes, there’s a villainess as well, and she’s trying to change her fate, along with her “not my boyfriend” who in this world is the crown prince and “not my fiancee”. They’re in a standard otome game light novel, but unfortunately for them Melody is not a standard heroine, and they spend most of the book panicking that the plot has gone off the rails. There’s also a narrator who is quite happy to point out that Melody’s maid-obsessed head is mostly full of air, and they seem borrowed from Tearmoon Empire. Oh yes, and all the girls in this series seem to be bi, despite the chance of yuri being zero. They’re just all really attracted to pretty girls. I can roll with that.

If you’re not yet tired of these sorts of books, this is a winner. It’s funny, knows its genre, and loves maids. Also, it has a cute puppy! OK, sort of a puppy. You’ll see what I mean when you get to it.

The Obsessed Mage and His Beloved Statue Bride: She Cannot Resist His Seductive Voice

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By Crane and Hachi Uehara. Released in Japan as “Yandere Mahoutsukai wa Sekizou no Otome shika Aisenai – Majo wa Manadeshi no Atsui Kuchizuke de Tokeru” by Mitsu Neko Bunko. Released in North America by Steamship. Translated by Molly Lee. Adapted by Kathleen Townsend.

I had to remind myself a lot while reading this that I am not the intended audience for this sort of book. Not only is this an erotic light novel written for women (which is why it’s in the Steamship line rather than Airship), but it’s for women who see the word “Yandere” in the Japanese title and go “oh hell yes!”. In that sense, they absolutely get what they want, as Alistair starts the book off as a 12-year-old bratty yandere with tremendous magic power and a lust for his mage mentor, and ends the book as a 32-year-old yandere who really has not changed a bit. There is a brief scene where we see that he apparently really did do good things in the 20 years in between because he believes in those values, and not just to get into Lara’s pants. Which is good, as that’s really the only scene. I won’t get into what he does to the statue in the interim.

Lara is a low-level mage with not a lot of power but a lot of precision and one really neat trick. She’s told to mentor Alistair, a young boy whose magical power is off the charts and who was abused so much as a child that he not only murdered his parents but also the entire mountainside they were on was destroyed. Fortunately, Lara is a big sweetie pie. Actually, to be honest, Lara is a bit of a saint. And a doormat. Nevertheless, for four years, she trains Alistair and thinks of him as a little brother, ignoring that he’s hopelessly in love with her. Unfortunately, they run across a dragon, and he’s badly injured. Telling him to live on, she draws the dragon away and seemingly sacrifices herself… but in fact her one cool trick is that she can turn herself to unbreakable stone to protect herself. Twenty years pass, and now her stone body comes back to life… but what’s with this hottie?!?

So yeah, if, after reading that description, you went “ergh” a bit, I don’t blame you. This relies on “reverse age gap” romance as its main thing, and if that squicks you, don’t read it. As for the sex, unlike the other Steamship light novel, this does prioritize the plot – somewhat. That said, when the sex comes, there’s quite a bit of it, and most of it kind of consensual, in a romance novel sort of way. I will admit that hearing that men found “nothing sexier than a woman with big tits and a baby face” makes me wonder if this book was trying to draw in male readers as well – Lara is certainly a male fantasy sort, being super nice and caring, has super low self-esteem, and of course is very easily aroused. The main “plot” takes a back seat to their romance, which dominates the book, as you’d expect, though I was amused by her mentor and his wife, who Alistair is insanely jealous of, because see: yandere. Honestly, given how they both treat her, he’s right to be jealous.

In any case, if you’re looking for a romance with sex in it, make sure you fit the narrow demographic this book is in. If you’re in that demographic, it’s fine.

The Hero and the Sage, Reincarnated and Engaged, Vol. 2

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By Washiro Fujiki and Heiro. Released in Japan as “Eiyū to Kenja no Tensei Kon: Katsute no Kōtekishu to Konyaku Shite Saikyō Fūfu ni Narimashita” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Joey Antonio.

It can be very difficult to combine comedic stuff with serious stuff in the same series, and frequently the balance is off in some way or another. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised by this second volume of Hero and Sage, which I enjoyed more than the first. For the most part this is content to show our lead couple being ridiculously flirty and at ease with each other, and it’s also not afraid to go full on silly with scenes such as Kristia, the nation’s princess and Eluria’s childhood friend, forcing Raid to participate in a game show to determine who loves her best. But it also has a serious core, as the two of them are trying to work out why she died in the past and who is trying to kill her in the present. And then there’s the entire subplot with Lufus, which is almost all serious and made me wonder if this fluffy series might actually kill a cute kid off.

After the events of the first book, The Magicians’ Association really, really want to expel Raid, but can’t find a good enough reason to, so he is neither rewarded not punished. That said, there are exams coming up, and they will make sure to make them extra impossible for him to do. In the meantime, those exams will happen with the rest of their core team… including Fareg, whose flunkies are still on medical leave, so he needs to be part of their group. They also meet Lufus, the young redhead who was briefly seen in the first book. She’s very proud of her skysteel dragon, Lafika, but more importantly, she can apparently summon four Guardian dragons, which is very unusual. In fact, a bit too unusual. And when Raid and Eluria discover Lufus’ mother is Very Disappointed with her, they realize that things may be more dangerous and potentially tragic than they expected.

I mentioned in my review of the first book that Eluria’s new best friend Millis is comic relief – she even calls herself comic relief – so I was relieved to see that, appropriately, that’s not ALL she is. When she busts out her inscribing skills halfway through the book I was waiting for the punchline, but no, it’s just something that a lot of college kids have dealt with: just because you’re fantastic at something doesn’t mean you want it to be your career. Millis wants to be a magician. And from what we see in the exam, she’s very good at it (after having the crap beaten out of her by Raid and Eluria as part of training). Likewise, Kristia is introduced as a big goofy joke, which lasts just long enough to be funny and then is replaced with an interesting revelation and also shows us how much of this is a deliberate act. This is what I meant by the comedy and drama being well balanced.

The cliffhanger is 100% making me thing “child from the future”, but that’s the third book’s problem. In the meantime, this book is fun and cute – mostly.

A Surprisingly Happy Engagement for the Slime Duke and the Fallen Noble Lady, Vol. 3

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By Mashimesa Emoto and Kasumi Nagi. Released in Japan as “Slime Taikō to Botsuraku Reijō no Angai Shiawase na Konyaku” by HJ Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Minna Lin.

I get the feeling there’s another story that we’re missing here, especially towards the end. I remember when I was reading Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter and we took two books to learn about her mother’s backstory. Maybe we need that sort of thing here, because all of a sudden Slime Duke is feeling like a sequel series to the main one that starred Adele, a villainess who was shunned by her fiancee and moved to another kingdom, only for the Emperor’s son to fall in love with her. Then we get this series, which is about what happened to the main character’s younger sister, who was always worried about but never actually seen in the main series. Now, as far as I know that’s not what actually happened, I think this is indeed the main series. But it also possibly explains why I’ve found this series a bit mid-tier when it comes to Japanese romances, especially Japanese romances with slimes. Best duck romance, though.

It’s time for Gabriel and Francette’s wedding, and we spend the entire book getting there. There are two main worries. First, they want her wedding dress to have fancy pearls, and unfortunately the country that gave everyone fancy pearls is having a shortage due to the royal relatives being toxic jerks. So the two of them decide to try and make their own pearls in Gabriel’s land… but this proves easier said than done. Secondly, Francette’s mother and sister will be coming to the wedding, and she’s very worried about finally seeing them, especially since she really did not tell them “by the way, I’m now living in poverty in a slum”, which is where she was at the start of the series. Fortunately, their reunion works out. Unfortunately, we then get a wacky sibling switch leading to a less wacky kidnapping.

I’m used to dealing with heroines with a sense of self-esteem so low it’s on the floor, but this is a rare series where the entire family suffers from this problem. Everyone is very quick to credit everyone else for all the solutions to life’s problems. That said, those crediting Francette are more right than others, as she really pulls off a lot here. That said, the solution on how to make the pearls is one that I was expecting to be the FIRST thing they tried, so it felt a bit underwhelming to come up with it after exhausting everything else. Second, we get a second absentee dad, though at least the series tries to explain how it’s walking a fine line between “they should be allowed to love life the way they want” and “that doesn’t mean they’re forgiven”. And, as noted, I want to read Adele’s story. And Emilia’s, to be honest. Probably more than Francette’s.

This is the final volume, so well done. At least we’ll always have the attack duck.