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Bookshelf Briefs 10/10/24

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Friday at the Atelier, Vol. 2 | By Sakura Hamada | Yen Press – The weirdness gets dialed back a lot in this second volume, though we still see our lead woman posing nude with fish on top of her an awful lot. Both of them are growing and changing, and in good ways. She’s slow to realize this; he does realize it, and it’s making him a little nervous, to be honest. He’s used to being an avant-garde artist, so doing ad work is… well, the money’s good, but is this OK? As for Tamaki, she’s no longer a typical wasted pale OL, and everyone is happy she’s feeling better but also worried about why, because she’s the sort to get taken in by scammers. That’s not what has happened, but I get it—if I were her friend, I’d be just as worried. I wonder if we might actually get a confession in the next book? – Sean Gaffney

The Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used to Be Archenemies | By Cocoa Fujiwara | Yen Press – I’m very happy that Yen is releasing this at all, and I was a big fan of the author’s previous series, Inu x Boku SS. This one suffers a bit from the format—4-koma series are always a tough sell, and putting it into a massive omnibus makes it even worse, as after a while it becomes a slog to get through, no matter how cute and adorable the lead couple are. (Also, gotta love the magical girl who says “f*ck” constantly.) That said, this is one giant omnibus due to the unfortunate nature of the manga—it ended abruptly when the author passed away, and even here it’s padded out by another short story of hers. It’s a shame, as I think I’d like to have seen this one come to a conclusion, and that it would have been sweet and funny. – Sean Gaffney

Medalist, Vol. 10 | By Tsurumaikada | Kodansha Comics (digital) – Inori’s in junior high now, which means she’s not only dealing with crushing self-doubt (she’s still struggling with that triple lutz), but also growing pains, which every teen has to deal with but they’re not usually skating in major competitions in the evening while doing so. All this means that she’s unconsciously ignoring her coach’s advice and trying to find an answer on her own. I very much empathize with Inori’s tendency to make friends with adults rather than kids her own age, as that was literally me. I also liked seeing Tsukasa realize that he still has skills that he can teach her, even if it may be too late for him to use them for his own career. All this plus truly stunning artwork, as always. Did I mention this is getting an anime soon? Can’t wait. – Sean Gaffney

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You, Vol. 11 | By Rikito Nakamura and Yukiko Nozawa | Ghost Ship There’s two girlfriends introduced here, so not as much room for wacky one-shot antics, though we do see the Gundam made of girlfriends and also the obligatory glasses chapter. The two girlfriends are Ahko, who is a nice gyaru but whose face has trouble emoting (she has a permanent lazy smile), which has led to trouble with her friends before, and Uto, a self-proclaimed “wandering bard” who is very good at making dramatic proclamations but very bad at actual singing. She’s definitely on the more eccentric side of the girlfriend spectrum. That said, as ever this series is dedicated to showing us it’s not just about Rentaro—the chapter with Ahko and Karane bonding was my favorite. – Sean Gaffney

Spy x Family, Vol. 12 | By Tatsuya Endo | Viz Media – This starts off slow, as it’s in between serious arcs. We do get to see that Handler is a mess, and a reminder that it’s mostly for tragic reasons. We also get another reminder not to let Yor get drunk. But the bulk of the back half deals with one of those questions that we’re eventually going to get whenever this comes to an end, which is what happens if Loid’s cover is blown? It’s not blown YET here, as this ends with a cliffhanger, but Loid is going to have to do some clever scheming to try to dissuade Yuri that he isn’t a spy this time. Assuming Loid lives to do anything about it. Or Yuri, for that matter. The enemy spy we’re dealing with here is a cut above what we’ve seen before. That said, we have Fiona, and her yandere love, so I’m not too worried. – Sean Gaffney

We’re New at This, Vol. 17 | By Ren Kawahara | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – The manga ends with the eighteenth volume, and it feels a bit like, now that the author has decided to do a pregnancy arc, they’re speeding through it a bit. The book starts with the pregnancy, ends with the birth, and seems to imply that the final volume will take place about 16-17 years later. All that, plus the inevitable “surprise” in trying-to-have-a-baby series, the fact that it’s twins. Despite all this, this remains a cute and fun series. Ikuma has sort of a dream-time travel thing to talk with his late dad about how to be a father, and finds his late dad was far more unprepared. Meanwhile, Sumika meets other mothers who are in the “at risk” category, and we’re reminded how stoic and off-putting she is to strangers. I’m gonna miss this when it ends. – Sean Gaffney

An Introvert’s Hookup Hiccups: This Gyaru Is Head Over Heels for Me!, Vol. 8

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By Yuishi and Kagachisaku. Released in Japan as “Inkya no Boku ni Batsu Game de Kokuhaku Shitekita Hazu no Gal ga, Dō Mitemo Boku ni Beta Bore Des” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Satoko Kakihara.

I’ve talked before about how we, as the reader, are being driven absolutely mad by these two being both incredibly cute and incredibly horny at the same time, and yet somehow not even getting to kissing each other on the lips. Well, this volume is dedicated to the fact that we are not alone. It takes place almost entirely at the school, as it’s culture festival time, and everyone in the class is us, because all they can do is stare with their jaws dropped as Yoshin and Nanami do what they think is normal stuff that every couple does, and everyone else sees as the boldest, most shameless acts in the world. These two are in love with each other and it shows in everything they do, and frankly for high school kids that’s something to inspire jealousy. Which, well, probably explains the rumors that open the book…

There’s a rumor going round about Yoshin, and the rumor is that he has a harem. (Yeah, sorry, the idea of polycules is not a thing this series wants to deal with at all.) After all, not only does he have the incredibly hot Nanami as his named girlfriend, but he’s also hanging out with her two gorgeous best friends, AND he recently started hanging out with the class president, who also got a makeover just for him! What a player! This means that yes, Yoshin is dragged before the teachers as well, where he realizes the main reason that rumors like this gain traction: he’s only friends with girls. He needs to figure out a way to fix that. Before he can, though, it’s culture festival time, the class is doing a cosplay cafe, and Yoshin and Nanami are on the committee. Will they have time for the Best Couple Contest?

There are other things going on in this book, including an entire subplot about the class president and her tragic backstory, which turns out to be far more teenage than tragic. But for the most part we’re here for Yoshin and Nanami, and boy howdy does this book deliver on sweet romance. You’ll get diabetes. They discover the magic of falling asleep talking to each other on video call. Nanami wears a giant bunny suit to fake out the class, then shows off a playboy bunny outfit only for her boyfriend. Yoshin dresses up as a maid for the cosplay cafe, and everyone agrees that he looks really cute, much to his chagrin… but he’ll to anything for Nanami. The capper is the Couple Contest, when these two go above and beyond, essentially proposing to each other (again) and capping it off with the kiss we’ve been wanting to see. The whole book is there to make the reader go “squee!”.

The afterword promises the class trip next time. The cover of Vol. 9 has a sports festival, though, so buyer beware. Still buy it, though. This is the sweetest frosting around.

Manga the Week of 10/16/24

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SEAN: The leaves are all colors here, and everything is magical. (Note: some leaves may not be available outside New England.)

ASH: I am so happy for fall; it’s my favorite.

SEAN: We start off with Yen On, which had its debuts delayed to later in the month. But we do get Babel 2, Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense 14, Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody 22, Demon Lord 2099 3, The Kept Man of the Princess Knight 3, Orc Eroica 5, and Secrets of the Silent Witch 5.

ASH: Soon every week will be a Yen week.

SEAN: Yen Press does have debuts. Blade & Bastard is the manga adaptation of the light novels being released by J-Novel Club. It’s by the author of Goblin Slayer, and runs in Drecomics. Also, Garbage looks much cuter on that manga cover than she ever does in the LN.

Is the Order a Rabbit? (Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka?) is a title that would have sold like gangbusters if it were licensed in 2013, but it is late 2024, so hey. This runs in Manga Time Kirara Max, and spawned a popular anime. It’s a cute girls run a cafe story.

ASH: The timing does seem a bit off, doesn’t it.

SEAN: I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History: It Seems Turning Into a High-Born Baddie Makes the Prince All the More Lovestruck (Rekishi ni Nokoru Akujo ni Naru zo – Akuyaku Reijou ni Naru Hodo Ouji no Dekiai wa Kasoku Suru you desu!) is based off a light novel that Yen will release next year, and has an anime airing as we speak. This is another “villainess as the good person, heroine is subsequently awful” story. It runs in B’s-Log Comic.

Lethal Dose of Love (Koi no Chishiryou) is a one-shot BL title from the magazine B’s-Lovey Recottia. A young man confessed to our protagonist, then ran off. Now, years later, he’s back… with another man at his side!

ASH: Uh-oh!

SEAN: The Small-Animallike Lady Is Adored by the Ice Prince (Shoudoubutsu-kei Reijou wa Koori no Ouji ni Dekiai Sareru) is a manga adaptation of an as yet unlicensed light novel. Our heroine, a shy fluffy sort of girl, is engaged to the cold, forbidding prince. She’s got to break off the engagement, royalty isn’t for her. Wait, he’s starting to dote on her? This runs in Flos Comic.

Also out next week: 15 Minutes Before We Really Date 4 (the final volume), Assorted Entanglements 6, Bungo Stray Dogs: Wan! 9, A Certain Magical Index 29, Chained Soldier 9, The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy 7, Elden Ring: The Road to the Erdtree 4, Final Fantasy Lost Stranger 10, holoX MEETing! 2 (the final volume), Honey Lemon Soda 7, Honey Trap Shared House 4, I’m a Behemoth, an S-Ranked Monster, but Mistaken for a Cat, I Live as an Elf Girl’s Pet 10, Interspecies Reviewers 9, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria 24, Kakegurui Twin 14, Laid-Back Camp 15, Mint Chocolate 12, No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular! 24, Overlord 19, Please Put Them On, Takamine-san 8, The Saga of Tanya the Evil 24, Shy 8, Slasher Maidens 11, Sword Art Online: Kiss and Fly 2, Toilet-bound Hanako-kun: Second Stall (a box set of Vol. 11-20), Trinity Seven 30, Whoever Steals This Book 3 (the final volume, and The Witch and the Knight Will Survive 3 (the final volume).

ASH: So. Many. Words. But I did see Toilet-bound Hanako-kun! Those box sets look really nice.

SEAN: Viz has two debuts, though only one is new. We’re getting a 3-in-1 omnibus release of Red River (Sora wa Akai Kawa no Hotori), the classic shoujo manga that ran in Sho-Comi. If you missed the Viz release of this title (checks dates)… two decades ago, or the digital-only release in 2013, it’s a perfect time to get it again.

ANNA: RED RIVER! Red River has everything – modern girls from Japan sent back to the Hittite Empire. Evil Stepmothers! Evil Water! Warriors! Clashes of armies! Horseback riding! Archery! People thrown into prison! Evil Water! Eclipses! Assassins! Romance! Dark Magic!

SEAN: Is there Good Water to balance out the Evil Water?

ANNA: I mean, there’s some normal water, but a lot of wells or pools of water that end up being Evil!

MICHELLE: I never did finish Red River, but I own all of the original release!

ASH: I’ve been meaning to read this one for what seems like ages! And now I will have no excuse.

SEAN: The other debut is Uncanny: The Origins of Fear, Junji Ito’s memoir where he discusses his history with horror.

ASH: Definitely interested in this one.

SEAN: And we also get Dandadan 9, Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. 4, Mission: Yozakura Family 13, Record of Ragnarok 12, Snowball Earth 3, Steel of the Celestial Shadows 4, and Undead Unluck 17.

Square Enix Manga has A Man and His Cat 12.

The debut from Seven Seas is The Barbarian’s Bride (Hime Kishi wa Barbaroi no Yome) is from Bessatsu Shonen Magazine, and stars a knight who is told to capture the barbaric tribes of the East… and then, when she fails, is married off to their leader!

ASH: Goodness!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Lonely Castle in the Mirror 4, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Kanna’s Daily Life 12, My New Life as a Cat 7, and Mysterious Disappearances 3.

One Peace Books has the 9th volume of Usotoki Rhetoric.

ASH: I’m behind, but enjoying this series.

SEAN: Kodansha Books has the 6th (really the 7th) volume of Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for my Retirement.

ANNA: I did not realize there was a multi-volume series about retirement planning, but maybe being in Another World and saving gold is the solution to the horrors of capitalism.

SEAN: I am sorry to say that this series is vigorously pro-capitalism (and pro-gun, for that matter). But it’s fun in a “please turn your brain off” sort of way.

Kodansha Manga debuts Blue Lock: Episode Nagi, a spinoff manga showing the Blue Lock series from Nagi’s POV.

Also debuting is Versus, from the creator of One-Punch Man. The demons are taking over the world. 47 heroes resolve to fight and defeat them. But in order to do so, they will have to go down a bad path. This runs in Shonen Sirius.

ASH: I’m curious, mainly due to One’s involvement.

SEAN: Also in print: The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity 3, Ninja Vs. Gokudo 3, Pass the Monster Meat, Milady! 6, Sketchy 4, and When Will Ayumu Make His Move? 17 (the final volume.

For digital we see Manchuria Opium Squad 2, My Unique Skill Makes Me OP even at Level 1 14, and WIND BREAKER 17.

J-Novel Club has, for print, My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! —AO— 6.

And digitally, we see The Apothecary Diaries 12, the 7th Full Clearing Another World under a Goddess with Zero Believers manga volume, The Invincible Summoner Who Crawled Up from Level 1: Wrecking Reincarnators with My Hidden Dungeon 3, The Poison King: Now that I’ve Gained Ultimate Power, the Bewitching Beauties in My Harem Can’t Get Enough of Me 2, and Seventh 9.

Ghost Ship debuts The Hungry Succubus Wants to Consume Him (Harapeko Succubus wa Ikasetai no ni!), which runs in Young Magazine Web. A succubus who’s had almost 1000 men finds she’s met her match when she can’t seduce a monk-in-training. But she’ll keep trying!

ANNA: I guess it is good to be persistent about things like this.

SEAN: Also in “mature” titles, we see Succubus and Hitman 7.

From Dark Horse, we get H.P. Lovecraft’s The Call of Cthulhu (Cthulhu no Yobigoe – Lovecraft Kessakushuu), another in the series of Lovecraft adaptations by Gou Tanabe. This ran in Comic Beam.

ASH: Tanabe’s adaptations have been excellent, so far.

SEAN: Airship, in print, has Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship! 10.

And for early digital we see The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain 3, Loner Life in Another World 10, and Too Many Losing Heroines! 2.

Do you ever color in the black and white pages in your manga? Also, what are you getting?

ANNA: RED RIVER! (I already have it in multiple formats!)

Ayakashi and the Fairy Tales We Tell Ourselves

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By Kosuzu Kobato and Meij. Released in Japan on the Shousetsuka ni Narou website. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by Dawson Chen.

This is one of those books that I probably would not have picked up if I didn’t already know the author. Kosuzu Kobato has basically never written anything I’d dislike, This is also complete in one volume, so it’s a good book to take a flyer on. And, unsurprisingly, I enjoyed it. The plot, though, actually ended up being a lot quieter than I expected. There were dark hints in this book that the heroine has bad ayakashi causing her harm (which leads to a reputation of being clumsy). There’s the heroine’s tragic past, as well as the hero’s tragic past. And there’s these weird ayakashi showing up away from the main house and acting, seemingly, menacing. It felt like it was building up to a big confrontation, or perhaps a kidnapping and rescue, or that sort of thing. But that’s not what happens here, and it’s not the point of the book. This book is about accepting your past, and it’s also about accepting that you don’t need to have your entire future mapped out by the time you’re fourteen years old.

Haruka has recently moved to the town, and is still settling in at school, though she has made two best friends. She’s a relatively shy, reserved person, and despite being exceptional at ballet and cooking she seems to regard herself as lacking in something. Then one day she runs into (literally) Ayako, a woman who was biking and not watching where she was going. Going back to her home to bandage Haruka’s scraped leg, she then runs into Takumi, who she doesn’t know but who clearly goes to her school. As the book goes on, and she stops by Ayako’s house more and more, it becomes apparent that she can see ayakashi, the mysterious spirits that litter the house. Takumi can see them too, and that fact has caused him grief throughout his life. Can these two damaged middle-schoolers be the best things that happened to each other?

This book sneaks up on you – it doesn’t really get into anything supernatural until about a quarter of the way in, and even then, the ayakashi end up being more of a spice than anything else – the book is solely about its two leads. Honestly, there were times when it felt like we were going to get more – Haruka’s childhood featured her being hospitalized, and the description of how it happened made me wonder if it was going to tie in with malevolent ayakashi impulsively seeking to harm her or something. But no, it was just a garden-variety horrible human thing. But that’s fine, as the book really excels in the two kids slowly recovering and looking forward to the future again. Haruka recalls her past, accepts it, and is able to move forward in being a blushing girl in love. Takumi realizes that despite everything that happened with his family, his father is trying to support him the best he can – he’s just horrible at emoting. The end of the book has them essentially becoming a couple without naming it as that, which fits the reserved tone.

It’s just a sweet little book. I wish there were more of it, but there isn’t. It’s a good read about some serious kids.

The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor, Vol. 6

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By Sasara Nagase and Mitsuya Fuji. Released in Japan as “Yarinaoshi Reijō wa Ryūtei Heika o Kōryaku-chū” by Kadokawa Beans Bunko. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by piyo.

As I write this, we are less than a day away from the premiere of the anime version of this series. As such, I wish to make it clear that I am well aware of the problematic nature of this series. We’ve discussed it before. The series opens with incest, and then it ends up hitting “I’m going to marry a ten-year-old”. It is the definition of “oh dear”. And I am here to tell you that the author is absolutely reveling in it. Given a chance to, say, have a timeskip, or perhaps move away from the incestuous kingdom, she instead insists on doubling down on everything. This volume in particular talks about how awkward it is for Jill to be eleven years old multiple times, and it also manages somehow to double the incest! Unfortunately… or, well, fortunately, to be honest… that does not double the fun. I can tell you that both plotlines are for plot-related reasons, and the plot is insidious, and REALLY wants war.

After the relative light-heartedness of the last volume, we’re bundled back into political intrigue at Jill and Hadis’ home base in this volume. There’s been a poor harvest, and the three dukes whose support Hadis need are 100% ready to throw Jill under the bus at a moment’s notice. They propose an impossible task – revive the Dragon Flower Crown Festival, something which will require the help of all the other consorts who stay at the Empress’ palace. Unfortunately, they’re all (well, almost all) trying to sabotage Jill – clearly at the behest of some mysterious party. Oh yes, and Jill has been getting mysterious love letters confessing to her and urging that she meet in the Garden of Resting Dragons… a place well known for adulterous affairs. There’s a mad old man setting traps in the Dragon Consort’s Palace (a place Jill didn’t even realize was there). Oh yes, and Minerd’s back, and totally not planning something evil.

It’s refreshing to see this series come back to “at any moment, history will revert and Jill will die” territory again. We’re not quite there yet, but we’re one step closer to war, thanks to the events near the end of this book, which lean heavily on the squickiest of the series’ plotlines and rub it in our faces. it’s chilling. As for the actual bad guy, well, they’re rather pathetic and sad, but that’s the point, and fits pretty well with everything that we’ve heard bfeore. Much better are the other consorts, who theoretically present an enemy that Jill simply can’t beat to submission with her fists. She is being forced to actually think politically and scheme… and then, when that doesn’t work, she beats them to submission with her fists. Jill does not quite shout “IT’S CLOBBERIN TIME!” once a volume, but it’s not for lack of trying.

After that nasty cliffhanger, it’s a good thing we’ve got the next volume coming s–what’s that? Short story volume? Sigh. Of course. In any case, please enjoy this series, which rampages through its problematic aspects with TINY FISTS.

Invaders of the Rokujouma!?, Vol. 45

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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.

After the events of Vol. 43 (44 being a SS volume), you will not be surprised to hear that this is a very serious affair. There’s almost no humor to be found, and even the romance, with the exception of Elfaria (who joins everyone else in the cast in trying to make it clear, but not TOO clear, that he’s the only one for her) is absent. The reason for this is that after the events of the last book, Koutarou is depressed and uncertain how to go forward. It’s a good reminder how little time this series has taken place in – we’re only about two years later here, and much as the girls are all cognizant of their own feelings and able to support each other, when it comes to the man they love they don’t have the fortitude to kick him in the ass, and have to leave it to Kenji, who of course can baseball it out of him. No one is quite mature enough to confidently be in a polycule revolving around one man just yet. Least of all the man.

We pick up just before the cliffhanger of the last book, as we see Ralgwin’s final moments before his soul is overwritten by Maxfern’s. He seems rather calm and accepting of this, and is apparently assuming that Koutarou will somehow save the day. Unfortunately, that point is not this volume. Koutarou, as I said before, starts off in a big funk, especially once Maxfern goes on live TV to declare war on the royal family and ask allies to join him. Now they need to avoid another war, and in order to do this have to infiltrate the enemy… which is a lot easier given that they’re bringing in a lot of new troops and staff. Unfortunately, they all fail to realize that Maxfern is, unlike every other villain we’ve seen in this book, someone who does not care about ANYONE. And that troops don’t necessarily have to be alive.

So yeah, I hate to break it to you, but once you take zombies out of the box, you really can’t put them back. That said, this is part of a new theme with this book. All our previous villains, be they Ralgwin, or Elexis, or even Darkness Rainbow, have all had someone that they care about and want to protect, in some way, shape or form. Their goals are not 100% genocidal. Maxfern is different. He died swearing vengeance, and he will get vengeance, no matter who dies or is left unhappy. The second half of the book sees our heroes infiltrate the e3nemy for clues, and they barely escape with their lives, because the villain doesn’t care about just throwing death at a problem until it goes away. It’s genuinely scary.

We get a cliffhanger suggesting Maxfern is going to attack the “smart girls” in the group – Clan, Kiriha, and Ruth – next time. Till then, this is still good, but it’s a bit less “fun”, per se.

Pick of the Week: Detectives, Seduction, and Magic the Gathering

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KATE: For anyone who missed My Dear Detective: Mitsuko’s Case Files when it was on the Azuki platform, Seven Seas is putting out a print edition this week. The series will appeal to readers who like kinder, gentler mysteries in the vein of Miss Marple or Columbo, as it’s blissfully free of gruesome serial killers or brilliant investigators with messy personal lives.

MICHELLE: Actually, Kate, that sounds marvelous. I will join you in picking My Dear Detective!

SEAN: An excellent, sensible pick, and one I will try to balance out by picking utter trash. When the Villainess Seduces the Main Heroine is, let’s face it, what we all wanted from Bakarina but never got. It’s not good, but it’s funny.

ANNA: I’m going to pick Destroy All Humans. They Can’t Be Regenerated. A Magic: The Gathering Manga not because I think I’m going to read it but because I think it is amazing that there’s a manga based on a MTG card.

ASH: While I am likewise amazed at the existence of a MTG manga of this type, My Dear Detective is the (print) debut that has captured most of my attention this week and am most looking forward to reading.

The Villainess and the Demon Knight, Vol. 1

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By Nekota and Asahiko. Released in Japan as “Akuyaku Reijō to Kichiku Kishi” by Ichijinsha Melissa. Released in North America by Steamship. Translated by Christina Chesterfield. Adapted by Arisia Santiago.

A word of warning before we begin: this is a sexually explicit book – in fact, that’s pretty much the book’s main purpose. That said, I’m not going to be reviewing the sex writing. It’s fine, particularly if you are a fan of what I believe the kids today call “dubcon”. I will say that there is, in my opinion, a bit too much of it, though honestly there’s also a bit too much of the book in general. This book is 413 pages. It’s Loner Life sized. it’s Tanya the Evil sized. That’s possibly too much, especially since I’d estimate the writing of sex scenes by themselves take up one-third of that. That said, I enjoyed almost everything about the book when it wasn’t talking sex. The exception I’ll get to, but for the most part this is a fun and amusing cast, and has a “villainess” who is having trouble just keeping up with everything.

(Don’t like the cover, which is true to the way Cecelia is described, but also makes her look like she’s been broken.) You’ve seen this plot before. Cecelia Cline has been reincarnated in an otome game as the villainess. Unlike Catarina Claes (surely a coincidence those names are so similar), she barely has time to realize who she is before her fiance the second prince is publicly shaming her and announcing he now loves Mia, a girl of much lower station. And then suddenly Cecelia is sold off to a brothel! That was fast. What’s worse, her first customer is Lucas Herbst, a duke’s son and bodyguard for the Imperial Family. Lucas has purchased her for the entire night, and proceeds to spend it… well, you can guess how he spends it. Once we get through the sex, which starts on page 20 and goes to page 58, we start to get the actual plot, and learn – surprise – that not all is as it seems, and that Lucas and Cecelia may be a couple who have more between them than just really good sex.

The weakest part of this book is Lucas – even if I did like yandere guys, which I don’t really, he’s just less interesting in general, and doesn’t have enough soft, sweet moments to balance it out. Cecelia is pretty good – most of the book is her POV, and while a lot of it is “I am freaking out in my inner monologue” style narration, we do see that she’s working hard to become a good partner for Lucas – b oth in bed and outside it. The main thing I liked, though, was the rest of the Herbst household. Lucas’ siblings are all basic variations on “smug sarcastic asshole”, only they’re both good guys, so it’s fun. Best of all are the maids, who were also my favorite part of the manga when I read it. I love assassin-style maids, and these three are also firmly in Cecelia’s corner, and not afraid to remonstrate with Lucas when he goes too far. I hope for more of them if we see a second volume.

Yes, there are at least three more volumes to this, and it was decent enough for me to pick it up. I won’t be reading it for the sex, but the sex isn’t a reason not to get it, either. Just be aware that you’d better like that “Non-Consensual/Reluctance” tag.

A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life, Vol. 11

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By Yuu Tanaka and Nardack. Released in Japan as “Deokure Tamer no Sono Higurashi” by GC Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by A.M. Cola.

I’ve mostly given up on trying to make sure these reviews don’t repeat themselves. I can manage it with books where the plot is “awkward teens in love” or “Guy with a +2 Sword of Awesome and His Catgirl Maid Harem”, but this is one of those slow life books that genuinely IS a slow life book, and it doesn’t even have the decency of being a reincarnation or an isekai. This is a game, and the only reason we know that the series will eventually end is that Yuno took two weeks off his job just to play it all the time, and eventually those two weeks are gonna end and he will presumably go back to being a salaryman. The goal here is to find new awesome things to use in the game and cute things to gawk at in the game. Well, that and to rubberneck as Yuno ends up doing ridiculous bullshit without realizing it. Let’s face it, most light novels have the reader imagine they’re the hero. We can’t even. We’re one of the schlubs gushing about the hero.

Yes, that’s a new tamed monster on the cover. After leveling up the bit of the sacred tree that he planted at his farm, he finds it summons a demon… a demon who is immediately, and really easily, tamed. She’s called (of course) Lilith, and she’s just as goofy as she looks, but she also helps Yuno with some fairly useful skills. He also manages to figure out a really obscure way of evolving his olive treant, who now becomes another wood nymph, which is to say a cute… well, a cute non-binary child. (There is a literal debate about Olea’s gender on the series’ equivalent of Reddit.) He manages to traumatize Alyssa even more just by telling her about the completely ordinary things that he’s done, which of course are anything but. And he has five of his tamed monsters create things to put up for an auction… not realizing that they will sell for ludicrous amounts to fans of Yuno and his crew.

There is a cliche in light novels that all a romantic lead has to do is be nice to a girl once and she will immediately fall madly in love with him. Here, in a series with no romance at all, we see how it actually works when you have a genuinely nice, selfless hero. At one point Yuno triggers an event where he’s thanked by the Gnome Chief for being so good to Olto, and that they should help each other grow. No one else got this event ending, and we find that’s because no one has raised the affection level of their tamed anything more than Yuno has. And he does this by involving everyone in his daily life, helping them when they need it, helping them fight, and caring about their opinions more than his own (except when they try to dress him in tacky yukatas). He cares about his tamed monsters and sees them as a family, not as cute NPCs, not as pets, and not as glorified fetishes. It makes a difference.

So yeah, still enjoying this series that is nothing but watching a guy game real good the only way he knows how.

Brunhild the Dragon Princess

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By Yuiko Agarizaki and Aoaso. Released in Japan as “Ryu no Hime Brunhild” by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Jennifer Ward.

No, this isn’t a direct sequel to Brunhild the Dragonslayer, and thank the Lord that the author decided against the weird “Brunhild wanders through Hell” plot they mentioned in the afterword. In fact, this takes place long before the first book. That said, you will find the cast of characters familiar. As if this was a Tezuka series, we see the main characters of the first book recast in the second book, as if they’re a company of actors. That said, there’s a totally different plot for the characters, and a lot of the thing that we thought we understood from the first book are upended here. The first book was about Brunhild’s revenge against humans. This definitely isn’t. Also, while the first book was more a Wagnerian tragedy, I think this one swings more Greek. It’s still a tragedy, though, believe me. Brunhild was voted the series least likely to get a 4-koma spinoff manga. That said, it is, like the first in the series, a VERY well written tragedy.

Brunhild is a priestess whose family works closely with the royal family. She lives in a kingdom that is protected by the Divine Dragon, who will keep everything peaceful and happy provided that a) no one leaves the kingdom, and b) he gets sacrifices every month. This is a problem, as the current priestess, Brunhild, is an all-loving sort who will even pick up dying children on the street and nurse them back to health, so the fact that she has to give seven people a month, mostly orphans that no one will cry over, to the dragon is a bit upsetting. She tries to talk the dragon out of the sacrifice, but he absolutely does not agree. Then she makes the mistake of staying behind to see what happens. Something if going to have to be done. And all Brunhild has is her manservant (who she picked up when he was dying on the street), her bestie Sigurd (the royal prince), and Sigurd’s good but kinda stolid guard Sven.

It’s hard to talk about this book without spoiling some very good things, but I will do my best. It’s divided into four chapters, and each of them essentially ends up upending everything we thought we knew about where this story was headed. There’s also a lot of great themes here, such as the desire to be able to trust allies and friends versus the feat that they will betray you in the end (which, trust me, gets zigzagged throughout this book), what love is and how someone can be deeply in love and never realize it just because they don’t understand what trauma is, and how sometimes you need to try to achieve an impossible dream, even if you fail badly and end up regretting everything. This book is just as dark as he last book, but it reads very easily. You’re really rooting for them to defeat evil and save everyone and… well, there is more to this series, I guess.

Yes, next time we get another book in the timeline of this country with more Brunhild. Just not this Brunhild, or the one from the first book. I’ll still be looking forward to reading it, though.