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Pick of the Week: And Then There Was Son

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SEAN: Tempting as it is to pick the prodigal LGBTQ manga or the old-school Miyazaki, I picked a retro release last week. So this week I’ll go for… something even older, technically, the manga adaptation of And Then There Were None. As always, I will wonder if it skews to the original novel, or to most of the other adaptations that have been done, in terms of the plot and the survival of those therein.

KATE: I’m with Sean: Agatha Christie FTW!

ANNA: Agatha Christie does sound delightful, but I also feel compelled to shout out the rerelease of Wandering Son!

ASH: Wandering Son was (is?) such an important series to me personally. Even if we don’t see the rest of it translated, I am so glad to see the manga available in print again. It’s definitely my pick this week.

The Trials and Tribulations of My Next Life As a Noblewoman: To Seize the Throne, Part 1

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By Kamihara and Shiro46. Released in Japan as “Tensei Reijo to Sūki na Jinsei o” by Hayakawa Shobo. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Hengtee Lim.

We’re definitely heading into the endgame with this book, though there will be three more after it (the series ended in Japan with book 6, and we’ve been getting it since book 2 in halves). The subtitle is absolutely not wrong, and for once the forced cliffhanger halfway through the book is a terrific cliffhanger – no “the book just kind of stops” here. That said, yikes, that escalated quickly, even for That Escalated Quickly: The Series. The entire volume is Karen trying to get word to Reinald to accelerate his plans, which may be a bit tricky given he was sent away to solve an insoluble problem. And there’s also the issue that, well, Reinald is kind of the bad guy here, and Karen spends a lot of the book firmly declaring she knows this but she is on his side anyway. We are choosing blood and conquest, and our heroine, despite her misgivings about gunpowder now being a thing here, is making it happen more than anyone else.

Karen prepares for Six to transport her to the city of Estaverde, where Reinald is doing delicate negotiations to try to get the city to be part of the Empire again – though so far they won’t even talk to him. Unfortunately, Six’s teleportation sends Karen on top of an assassin trying to kill Kiem, the leader of the city in question, and despite technically saving his life she’s thrown into prison. Quickly released thanks to Reinald, she delivers her message: the Emperor and Wilhelmina are teaming up to get rid of him. This forces Reinald to advance his plans, helped out a bit by the fact that Kiem has something he wants and Reinald can help him get it, and also by Karen, whose hair, in this country, makes her a sort of lucky cat statue. Then Karen goes back home and everything gets worse and worse.

The first two-thirds or so of this book is a lot of fun. We once again see, despite Karen thinking he has no feelings for her at all, and Reinald’s insistence that he’s not taking a wife, that they’re perfect for each other, and that Karen understands Reinald better than anyone except his closest aides, and while I think he still struggles to get Karen’s mindset, he’s now accepted it. We also get a really cool swordfight, showing that Reinald loves to fight dirty, not a great look for a supposed royal. That said, I was unsurprised that the moment Lubeck popped up in the narrative again things got worse, though Karen proves herself a very capable agent provocateur. Still, even she was unprepared for what she finds when she gets to The Box to destroy it. Gotta admit, they picked a really, really clever way to protect the box, despite it also being an atrocity in every possible way.

Excitement! Adventure! Really wild things! Horrors that make you ill and probably prevent this getting an anime! All this can be yours in another exciting Trials and Tribulations, a series whose title still does not lie.

Bookshelf Briefs 9/3/26

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Colette Decides to Die, Vol. 7 | By Alto Yukimura | Viz Media – We still had a couple of gods that we hadn’t seen yet, and so it’s no surprise to see Aphrodite show up, finally. Thankfully, Colette and Hades are already together, and Hades is in the Underworld, so any wacky god antics don’t involve them as a couple, but things like Aphrodite’s tendency towards nudity and promiscuity, as well as her quite good relationship advice, particularly “do not stay with a man who hits you.” And of course there’s also her husband, who… well, OK, he doesn’t hit her per se, but let’s just say she should take her own advice. In the meantime, Colette and Hades continue to get closer. Though I’m not sure this is the sort of series to end with a wedding. – Sean Gaffney

The Credits Roll into the Sea, Vol. 1 | By John Tarachine | Dark Horse Comics If there’s anything better that watching a great movie with the one you love, it’s making a movie. Unfortunately for our protagonist, her husband has passed away. Since she’s a senior, starting a new career seems like a pipe dream. And yet, after she goes to the movies for the first time in ages, she meets a young man who likes the way she looks at movies. He’s in a film school, trying to create his own vision despite pushback from others. So she decides, after checking out the school, to join it herself. This has some terrific artwork, and strikes just the right tone of nostalgia and forward thinking, with the focus entirely on the crafting of film rather than any romantic endeavors. It was nominated for an American Manga Award, and you can see why. – Sean Gaffney

The Death Defying Princess Creates a Yuri Harem to Survive, Vol. 1 | By Aoi Akashiro, Moromi Kouji, Shinya Murata, and Nobuhiko Yanai | Seven Seas – We’ve seen “I keep reliving my own death” titles before, most famously with Tearmoon Empire, but I don’t think we’ve met a heroine quite as gleefully terrible as Marie here, who keeps getting guillotined. At first we think it’s because she’s, well, the arrogant, letting-poor-people-starve sort. Which she is. But even after fixing that a bit she still dies… and it turns out to be due to her long-suffering aide. So she seduces the aide… then she has to seduce two loyal (?) maids… and then instead of the guillotine, she’s beheaded by her supposed best friend. All of this is done for the sake of comedy, and you will never laugh so hard at a head flying off. Not to mention the revelation that being a lesbian is a talent. – Sean Gaffney

The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Seen, Vol. 2 | By mmk | Viz Media – Now that our lead couple are good friends and have acknowledged that they’re into each other, all that’s left is to dial the sexual tension up to 500, which is what this volume does. This takes place almost entirely at the school, and indeed the school festival, where thanks to an unfortunate live mic, not only does the entire school now know about the two of them, but Ikezawa gets in… well, frankly, he could have been suspended, so I guess he lucked out with being the only guy in charge of all the cleanup. As for Eguchi, she may in fact be falling harder than he is, and her expressions near the end of this are amazing. In any case, this is horny and heartwarming. – Sean Gaffney

Ruridragon, Vol. 3 | By Masaoki Shindo | Viz Media – I somehow forgot to get this volume when it came out. It was worth the wait. I love how Ruri’s dragonness is not only intrinsic to her high school life, but her high school life is intrinsic to her being a dragon. She’s essentially going through puberty nightmares all at once (this volume it’s barfing up venom, which fortunately is not toxic to others), but she’s also able to use her massive powers to save the day by literally altering the weather. Keeping everything low-key is what makes this charming, though it’s also a big issue for Ruri—her not really caring about others is still a big problem, though she’s gotten a lot better since the start. Book four soon. – Sean Gaffney

Skip and Loafer, Vol. 12 | By Misaki Takamatsu | Seven Seas – For those who wished that this series had more of Shima, great news, as this book manages to feature him heavily. He’s playing Frankenstein’s monster in the school play, and naturally is riveting. What’s more, both his parents show up, and we start to see the first steps being taken—by his mother, as they had to be—for reconciliation. (We also see flashbacks showing why they had such a break in the first place.) As for Mizuki, this volume is mostly to show off how together she is compared to the start of the manga—when her sister gets lost, Mizuki is able to find where she is immediately by just a few half-hearted “I’m standing near this” hints. All this plus Yuzuki as a ghost in the obligatory haunted house. I adore this series. – Sean Gaffney

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 27 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – Last time I whined that it had been a year between volumes, and I had forgotten everything. How will I handle this two-year gap? Pretty much as I always do, as this is one of the easiest manga to read I’ve come across in a while. Shirayuki is asked to become herbalist to a household where the local lord is thought to be “impossible.” We get some of that here, he tries to get rid of Zen, with some success, and Obi, with far less success. As for Shirayuki, it looks like she has a complicated logic puzzle-style thing to solve, and we don’t get to see how she does so here. But this is still delightful to see, and I can read about these characters doing not a lot for as long as the author needs. – Sean Gaffney

A Tale of the Secret Saint, Vol. 11

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By Touya and chibi. Released in Japan as “Tensei Sita Daiseijyo ha, Seijyo Dearuko Towohitakakusu” by Earth Star Novels. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Kevin Ishizaka. Adapted by Michelle McGuinness.

There’s a fascinating moment towards the start of this book where, in front of most of the Saint candidates and several doctors and patients, Fia once again does something completely and utterly ludicrous in terms of her magical power. It’s meant to be played for comedy, and it is funny, but it also reminds you what an anomaly she is. Those gathered don’t see her as a Saint, as she’s supposed to be for this competition, or as a Knight, which she insists she is, but as some sort of monster or cryptid. They rear back, and some literally run away. It’s a reminder of just how different she is – and you could say how far downhill the country has come in three hundred years, but while that’s true to an extent, let’s remember what the Secret Saint Zero books have taught us, that Serafina, in her own time, was ALSO ludicrously powerful above all of the other Saints. She’s just that terrifying. (And hilarious.)

We’re still in the middle of the first round of the Saint competition, and Fia is doing what she does best, which is “helping” all her fellow candidates by doing things that no one else could do as if it was nothing. In my review of Book 10 I mentioned that she failed to cure a man who lost his legs, and theorized that would wait till Book 11, and I was absolutely correct. She’s also winning the Saint candidates over to her side – the three from the last book are in her corner, of course, but even prickly Priscilla, who has really disliked Fia until now, starts to falter in the face of her goodness and niceness. Fia doesn’t have a political bone in her body. Which is good, as it means she’s not getting influenced by any of the political wranglings going on here, but also bad, as God, she’s such a dumbass.

If you’ve read my reviews of the last few books you can skip this entire paragraph, but here I go again: God, I hate the way these books are paced. I also dislike that the last third to quarter of every volume is short stories, but I think I wouldn’t mind that as much if things were not moving so glacially in the main storyline. Look, this is a good series, I like it. And yes, it’s very popular in Japan, and has an equally popular spinoff. The anime even starts soon. But come on, I don’t want to be reading it in 2032. I want to resolve the plotlines, bring in the demons, have Fia confront her past, figure out at last which one is really Sirius reincarnated (I *think* it’s Cyril, but…), and have everyone live happily ever after. Loner Life has an even slower pace, but at least it’s nearly 500 pages per book. Make things happen!

After Secret Saint ZERO 6, of course, which should be around in a couple of months. Till them, please stand in awe of the weirdness that is Fia.

Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter: Tales of the Royal Academy

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By Riku Nanano and cura. Released in Japan as “Koujo Denka no Kateikyoushi 0” by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by William Varteresian.

I had tied myself in a bit of a knot trying to figure out what the header for this review should be. See, this is Volume 0, a common conceit for Japanese manga and light novels that want to do a prequel but sound cool. But it’s also getting a 2nd volume, out in Japan later this week, so it will be Volume 0-2? In any case, then I remembered that I used the subtitles for my reviews anyway so it didn’t matter. In Japan this came out the same day as the 20th volume of the main series, but you know that’s not how we roll here. But we do finally, at last, have the first meeting between Allen and Lydia. Sort of. Amusingly, the VERY first meeting between them is skipped, in order to give the book a more exciting opening scene grab showing the two of them teaming up for the first time. It doesn’t matter, we know why we’re here. For the harem. Which, yes, includes Zel.

The cover features a young Lydia, making a face that we don’t really see at all in this book. The wraparound has Stella, Tina, Ellie, etc. asking Lynne about the time Allen and Lydia were at the academy. From there we cut to the entrance exam, where Allen and Lydia are forced to fight against the headmaster in order to get in. This is fine, though. Lydia can’t use magic, but she has her swordplay, which ends up basically hitting away all magic. Allen, of course, is Allen. Both of them do very well… in fact, they do better than Princess Cheryl, which is controversial, albeit not to Cheryl or her father. Once in the academy, Allen has to deal with the usual prejudice and bullying, as does Lydia to a smaller degree. They also meet Zelbert, who is mysterious and yet somewhat pathetic right from the get go, and honestly comes across as just another character who immediately falls for Allen, just like Lydia and Cheryl. The four of them then get to take on a diabolical dragon conspiracy…

It can be easy to forget that both Allen *and* Lydia are dealing with vicious bullying most of their lives, and with Lydia there’s also emotional abuse from her extended (though not immediate) family. Lydia’s tsundere nature is here in full effect, but the arrogant confidence that she has through most of the main series is completely absent, and without Allen (who she falls for literally immediately), she simply falls apart. We joke about Allen’s dry, deflecting reaction to everyone and everything, but his narration also masks the fact that Lisa and the maids are incredibly, pathetically grateful to him for helping their shut-in daughter to achieve great things. As for Cheryl, she certainly gets more to do here than the main series, and she’s also the secondary narrator when Allen’s not around, but she mostly fulfills the function of “the normal one”, so lacks as much of an impact.

Honestly, reading this book makes me feel like a Leinster maid – not that I’m suddenly a combat expert, but that I want to take the Allen and Lydia stuff, record it, and rewatch it endlessly. Fans of the series should eat this up.

Manga the Week of 9/16/26

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SEAN: As the leaves start to change and Sean longs for the end of poison ivy season, what does next week bring us for manga?

23rd Street Books, who may be First Second under a new name, are reprinting Shuna’s Journey (Shuna no Tabi), the manga Hayao Miyazaki drew right before he founded Ghibli. A prince goes on a journey to help his people.

ASH: Oh! I had totally missed that First Second had spun off an imprint for adults.

ANNA: Interesting!!

SEAN: Airship has one print book, The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 15.

And in early digital they have Adachi and Shimamura 13 and I’m the Heroic Knight of an Intergalactic Empire! 5.

Ghost Ship debuts My Useless “Cuddle” Skill Awakened, and Now I’m Building the Ultimate Harem! (Hazure Skill “Soine” ga Kakuseishi, Boku ga Saikyou Harem o Kizuku made: Micchaku Soine de Ganbou Kaihou!? Yuuwaku Saremakkutte Komattemasu!!), which runs in Gaugau Monster. A guy finds that anyone who sleeps next to him recovers all health. Naturally, girls want to sleep next to him… among other things.

ASH: That is quite the talent.

SEAN: They also have The Cursed Sword Master’s Harem Life: By the Sword, For the Sword 7 and Virgin Knight: I Became the Frontier Lord in a World Ruled by Women 3.

Hanashi Media debuts The Side Character Who Thought He Was the Protagonist Mistook the Real Hero for a Side Character and Accidentally Won Everything (Jibun no Koto o Shujinkou da to Shinjite Yamanai Fumidai ga, Shujinkou o Fumidai da to Kanchigai Shite, Yuushou Shite Shimau Ohanashi desu). The title is the plot.

Inklore has the third and final volume of King’s Maker.

No debuts for Ize Press, but they do have Jungle Juice 8, Marriage of Convenience 5, Men of the Harem 7, Murderous Lewellyn’s Candlelit Dinner 6 (the final volume), and Villains Are Destined to Die (the novel) 4.

J-Novel Club has a debut. I’ll Become an Elegant Villainess! Time to Enjoy My Second Life to the Fullest (Karei naru Akujo ni Naritai wa! ~Aisare Tensei Shoujo wa, Tanoshii Nidome no Jinsei o Okurimasu~) has a plot you may be able to guess. Yes, she’s reincarnated, she only knows household magic, but she has no Patience whatsoever.

Also in light novels: Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon 13, Butareba -The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig- 9 (the final volume), D-Genesis: Three Years after the Dungeons Appeared 10, The Diary of a Middle-Aged Sage’s Carefree Life in Another World 11, Imperial Reincarnation: I Came, I Saw, I Survived 7, The Invincible Little Lady 8 (the final volume), The Petty Villain Plays by the Rules: Rewriting This Otome Game with Honest Work! 3, The Reincarnated Mastermind: Sundering Fate with Magic Swords 2, and The Water Magician Arc 1 7.

Kana has Cat’s Eye Omnibus 4.

ASH: I need to catch up with this and the other series from Kana.

SEAN: Kodansha is looking out for your kids next week, as they debut Cells at Work! Picture Book, an edutainment manga dedicated to laying out the human body for the little munchkin in your life.

ASH: I truly appreciate the range of Cells at Work!; no matter your age, there’s something to learn.

ANNA: I’m always surprised by the greater Cells at Work! universe!

SEAN: Also in print: Dead Rock 5, How to Treat a Lady Knight Right 5, Kaijin Fugeki: Kindled Spirits 5, Love, That’s an Understatement 7, Mars 30th Anniversary Edition 2, MF Ghost 7, Sheltering Eaves 5, Snow & Ink 6, and Wistoria: Wand and Sword 13.

MICHELLE: I need to get caught up on Sheltering Eaves!

SEAN: Digitally they have Blue Lock 39 and Ya Boy Kongming! 25.

One Peace Books has a manga debut. The Villainess Who Came to Marry Into the Frontier Noble’s Household Is an Exceptionally Capable Wife, Isn’t She? (Henkyo Mob Kizoku no Uchi ni Totsuidekita Akuyaku Reijo ga, Mechakucha Dekiru Yoi Yome nanda ga?) is an adaptation of an as-yet unlicensed light novel. it runs in Dra Dra Flat ♭. An isekai’d guy finds his new wife is the villainess of the otome game, but she’s actually a sweetie… right now. He has to stop events turning her evil.

ASH: He better be helping out with keeping the household, then.

SEAN: Seven Seas has a danmei debut, Panguan: The Twelfth Gate. This is in the same world as Copper Coins and Three Hundred Years of Longing. There’s cultivation. There’s homoerotic longing. There’s… actually, I think that’s all danmei needs.

MICHELLE: Pretty much!

ASH: It’s certainly a solid start.

SEAN: And in not-danmei-but-nearly, we see Lout of Count’s Family 9.

Two manga debuts. Gilded Seven is a seinen manga from Comic Zenon. What if the Wild West was riding high, but Lincoln was never assassinated? This action series seems to ask that question.

ASH: It does seem like at least a few things would have been different.

ANNA: Is Lincoln also a vampire hunter????

SEAN: I Like Cat Butts (Neko no Oshiri ga Suki Nan Desu) is the story of a cat owner and her chaotic cat and his chaotic butt. It ran in Comic Ruelle. And yes, OK, fine: I like cat butts and I cannot lie, you other owners can’t deny, that when a kitty walks in with an itty bitty… OK, that’s enough.

MICHELLE: Snerk.

ASH: That is immediately where my brain went.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Chainsmoker Cat 4, Exotic Animal Doctor 2, Fluffy Café in Another World 3, Hope You’re Happy, Lemon 4, I’m in Love with the Villainess 11, The Lady and Her Butler 6, Time Stop Hero 15, Wolf’s Daughter: A Werewolf’s Tale 4, and A Yuri Love Story That Begins with Getting Dumped in a Dream 3.

Square Enix debuts My Ex-Boyfriend Loves Boys’ Love (Motokare ga Fudanshi ni Natte Orimashite), which ran in Gangan Pixiv. A girl looking for manga discovers her old high school boyfriend… in the BL section! But he wasn’t interested in BL in high school! What happened?

ASH: I love when fudanshi get a chance to shine.

SEAN: They’ve also got Holoearth Chronicles Side:E Yamato Phantasia 3, A Starlit Darkness 2, and The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest 32.

Takumigraphics are trying to make sure Gary Groth isn’t a liar by trying again with Wandering Son (Hourou Musuko), and this time it’s coming out in two-volume paperback omnibuses and a digital version. The story may be a bit less cutting edge than it was twenty years ago, but it’s still really good stuff.

MICHELLE: Ooh! Somehow, this was not on my radar!

ASH: I hope we might be able to get the rest of the series with this release, too.

ANNA: Good, glad it is being released again.

SEAN: Titan Manga debut The Assassin Laughs at Twilight (Ansatsusha wa Tasogare ni Warau), a manga based on an as-yet-unlicensed light novel, this ran in Comic Gardo. A doctor killed in an earthquake while operating on his sister finds himself in a fantasy world… where he’s a killer.

ASH: That was somewhat unexpected.

SEAN: Titan Manga also have a second volume of Strange Pictures and a third of Villain Actor.

Three debuts for Viz. And Then There Were None (Soshite Dare mo Inakunatta) is a manga based on the famous Agatha Christie novel, and ran in HayaComic, which seems to be devoted to manga adaptations of novels. The cover features a handsome young man, a pretty woman, and eight background folks. Some are more None than others.

MICHELLE: Huh! I have read the novel, so might have to see how this compares.

SEAN: Nobuo Uematsu: On the Record is a biography of the famous Final Fantasy composer.

ASH: Oooooooh, very nice.

SEAN: Sound of a Blink (Mabataki no Oto) is the latest from Shuzo Oshimi, and it runs in Big Comic Superior. A young man seems to have it all, till his younger brother is diagnosed with a brain tumor and he finds you can’t escape family.

Viz also has Choujin X 13, Fool Night 10, Haikyu!! 3-in-1 10, Kingdom 11, Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt 26, Not So Shoujo Love Story 4, One-Punch Man 34, Sakamoto Days 23, and Taika’s Reason 2.

Some pretty damn good titles in there. What are you buying?

Spy Classroom: Monika’s Thin Veneer

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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.

Don’t worry, this is still Erna’s arc. I’m sure she’ll get the next cover. But each of these books has featured one of the main characters going beyond, finding new ways to live, new ways to be a spy, and new ways to cope with what they are inside, and then getting ushered off the stage for a while. Last time it was Sara, who spends this volume in prison, being tortured. (I was going to bitch once more about how fiction makes people believe torture works great, but the convoluted plot this series always has makes it work.) And this volume it’s Monika, who gets what may be the best “big action scene fight” we’ve seen in this series to date, and makes the most of it. Because she’s up against Nike, who is strong as hell, smart as hell, and angry as hell. This is a good matchup for Monika, then, who is also strong, smart, and angry. And, as it turns out, they may have even more things in common.

We pick up where we left off, with everything being terrible. Sara is in prison and getting the crap beaten out of her, and we hear that she’s revealed the names of her companions. Erna has PTSD after dealing with Nike, a mental block that makes her natural twitchy mess of a self even more of a twitchy mess. And Annette… is Annette, I’m afraid, no matter how much Erna might be trying to make her see the virtue of not being a psychopath. Fortunately, there are more allies. There’s Sybilla, who accomplishes a hell of a lot in this book by just going around, helping people, and talking to them. There’s Thea, who does what she does best – having amazing sex in order to advance the aims of her nation. And there’s Monika, who sees that Nike has made Erna scared and decides that the best solution to this problem is to kill Nike. Easy peasy.

I remain impressed at how this series is handling Monika’s sexuality. It’s a core part of her character. Its illegality in her nation means that suppressing it, keeping her feelings inside, is not only natural to her but what is the right thing to do for her. And she recognizes that in Nike as well, recognizes a fury and drive that stems from a repressed love for another woman. They’re kindred spirits, and Nike even says that she’s incredibly upset Monika isn’t on her side. (There’s also Thea, who sleeps with both men and women in this book, but her arc is more about “enjoying sex is not only part of my job, it’s also great, and I’m not a slut because I have it.) I also appreciated that – finally! – we got a flashback to Monika’s heart to heart with Lily. Monika being Monika, she triers to do the “let’s pretend it never happened” thing, but Lily doesn’t want to do that. She realizes that she hates it when guys leer at her because of her body (can I read this as a tacit critique of most Spy Classroom artists – she gets more skeevy fanart than the other girls combined) and the only thing holding her back is her inexperience with love at all. Basically, I like that this series makes LGTBQ issues part of the intrinsic plot without making the romance the point or making it for fanservice.

The author says the 5th SS collection is next, but bad news, we already had that one. As a result, we have to wait to see when Yen schedules 12, which I think wraps up this arc. Good luck, Erna! And your increasingly small number of allies!

BLADE & BASTARD: Saga of the Unknown Adventurers

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By Kumo Kagyu and so-bin. Released in Japan as “Blade & Bastard” by Dre Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Sean McCann.

I think this may be the 6th time I’ve said this, but I have never played or delved into Wizardry. And so far this hasn’t really been too much of a problem. There’s the vague annoyance of the parenthetical telling you that someone’s mental well-being is really something you should roll for, i.e. all the “hit points”. There’s the hilarity that sometimes comes when one of the ridiculously named spells is accidentally something familiar – TILTOWAIT in this book just kept making me think of the amusement park ride Tilt-a-Whirl. But in this volume, I really get the sense that the author is talking about backstory the reader should already know. Are these characters – who everyone seems to know except Raraja, who I have never identified with more than I do now – something from the Lore? Are they part of spinoffs, sequels, side-stories? And in the end, do I really need to care? Or can I go back to thinking that Iarumas and Ainikki really need to bone?

We pick up right where we left off. The prince is missing (and sorry, court ladies, I guess you’re all really dead dead after all), and the dungeon is being overrun by essentially possession goop monsters. Iarumas’ group has to go down there, as they’re the main characters. Schumacher’s group is also going down there, as they’re the less good, more realistic ones. And as for the top party in the city… well, they’re missing, whoops. It will come as no surprise to learn that the bulk of this book is spent is a slow, almost lethal, sometimes actually lethal dungeon crawl, with trick doors, hidden doors, hidden chutes, zombie dragons, and everything else a teenage boy could want to roleplay with. And when they finally reach their destination… wow, are we finally getting Iarumas characterization? Yes! Spoiler: he shows multiple emotions in this book!

Generally speaking, Japanese light novels tend to have first person narration, or third person omniscient. This one has the POV spin from character to character from scene to scene, and frequently within the same scene. One could argue this is bad writing, and to a degree it is, but it also helps to get across the desperation and determination this book is meant to ooze. Iarumas’ party have become, mostly thanks to Garbage, something pretty famous, but the party themselves are filled with doubt and fear. Schumacher’s party is filled with even more of that, along with a heaping helping of self-loathing (hell, even the left-behind childhood friend seems to hate herself), despite the fact that they’re really freaking awesome this book. There’s also a lot of trying to get past the thing you hate the most, be it a dragon that killed you before, a demon that enslaved you before, or just an evil boss who has your face but does a lot more than you do. Ah well. In the end, we can always listen to the words of Garbage. “Arf”, she said.

We’re caught up with Japan again, but fortunately this book finishes up the arc. What will happen next? My guess: dungeon crawling.

Invaders of the Rokujouma!?, Vol. 48

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By Takehaya and Poco. Released in Japan as “Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Warnis.

I had not realized that it had been over a year since the last volume of Rokujouma. The author apparently had heart issues that left them in the hospital for a while. As such, it’s something of a relief to hear that the series is coming to a close soon – thought I’ll take “soon” with a grain of salt, given I originally thought this was gonna end at Volume 29. This is also the 50th book in the series, counting the two .5 volumes, and I was wondering if we’d get an old-fashioned short story volume of fluff to celebrate. But no, we’re in the middle of the big final arc, and there’s no time for delays. As such, the bulk of this book is something that can be fun to read about but is very difficult to review: it’s strategizing and fighting, as our heroes try to rescue Kenji and Nalfa from the clutches of the Gray Knight. That said, if I’m being honest, having Kenji around may be just what the Gray Knight needs right now.

Kenji has figured out who the Gray Knight is, and is trying to see what makes him tick… as well as get a little more freedom so that he can check on Nalfa, who spends most of this volume asleep or depressed. Also depressed is Koutarou, who is dwelling a lot more than he should. Fortunately, although a lot of contingency plans failed, and some people even died, Clan’s last contingency plan worked, and they can mount a rescue mission much quicker than the enemy might expect. They end up on a planet that seems ready for battle, with drones galore, automatic defenses, and reinforcements coming – for the Gray Knight. So things are not looking great. Fortunately, Koutarou not only has a harem, but it’s a Battle Harem, so he and the girls are all in sync with each other and ready to kick ass and rescue their friends!… maybe.

While it’s always nice to see the girls again, and I enjoyed seeing Sanae, Shizuka and Theia kicking ass, and Maki and Nana being really clever, the most interesting parts of the book revolved around the hostages. Kenji knows that the Gray Knight is really Koutarou from an alternate world, but is trying to figure out how he ended up the way that he did. We’re reminded that Koutarou has the power of eight dead girlfriends at his beck and call, with only Sanae (yeah, remember alt-Sanae? It seems so long ago) missing, and we have assumed, to be honest, that the major point of divergence was that something went wrong and he lost nearly everyone. But that’s not the case, as we find out here. This is a Koutarou that grew up without KENJI. A Koutarou that never ended up trusting anyone because he never had that first crack that made him begin to open up. That’s really fascinating. And it helps me accept the fact that in the end we read 160 pages of fighting back only to achieve very little. They’re still hostages, and will be as long as Kenji gets to play therapist.

There won’t be nearly as long a wait for the next book, though that will catch us up with Japan again. Stay healthy, author!

Pick of the Week: Old Friends in New Outfits

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MICHELLE: I have never read Appleseed, so the prospect of getting the whole thing in one gorgeous hardcover edition was too good to pass up. I am excited to finally check it out!

ANNA: I’m feeling very nostalgic about Appleseed, and am excited to check out the new edition!

SEAN: Same. The new hardcover of Appleseed has all my attention this week.

KATE: I’m going to break ranks and make Say Hello to Mister Wallaby my PotW. I need a light-hearted marsupial comedy right now.

ASH: Say Hello to Mister Wallaby looks like it should be cute, but Appleseed is what has my attention this week. I’ve actually never read the original series before, only Iou Kuroda’s Appleseed Alpha, so a giant omnibus seems a good way to correct that oversight.