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Manga the Week of 7/23/25

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SEAN: Oh no, Yen Press has decided to destroy us all!

ASH: It was bound to happen eventually.

SEAN: No debuts for Yen On, but we get a lot of continuations. The Contract Between a Specter and a Servant 4, Gods’ Games We Play 5, Hero Syndrome 3, Kunon the Sorcerer Can See 4, Liar, Liar 6, Reign of the Seven Spellblades 13, Spy Classroom 9, and The Vexations of a Shut-in Vampire Princess 9.

Yen Press has a lot. We’ll start with Almark, based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel. A city in the north is home to powerful mercenaries, but one boy just isn’t as strong as the rest. His father sends him south to a magic academy to try to be a sorcerer instead. Why am I getting Last Dungeon Kid vibes from this? It runs in Isekai Comic.

ASH: It does feel like I’ve heard this premise somewhere before…

SEAN: Bocchi the Rock! Comic Anthology is exactly what it sounds like. Various artists do their take on Bocchi.

Speaking of things that are just what they sound like, Dead Mount Death Play Side Story: Phantom Solitaire’s Art of Disguising Oneself as a Supernatural Being is a prequel to the main series, and runs in Manga Up!.

Delicious in Dungeon World Guide: The Adventurer’s Bible, Complete Edition is, erm, also what it sounds like. It’s got over 70 new pages.

ASH: It’s got additional content, so I’m picking this one up.

SEAN: Double the Trouble, Twice as Nice (Oshikake Ouji wa Nido Oishii) is a shoujo series from Manga Mee. Our heroine works a horrible job, and was just dumped by her fiance. Also, her phone is dead, and there’s a kid passed out in the street. She takes the kid home to make sure he’s all right… and wakes up to find he’s become a hot guy? Fans of manipulative yet hot shoujo men will like this.

ASH: Huh.

SEAN: Konosuba: Even More Explosions on This Wonderful World! (Zoku Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Bakuen wo!) is another set of manga dealing with Megumin when she’s not around Kazuma. It ran in my nemesis, Monthly Comic Alive.

Level Up with the Gods is one of those “this is Korean but somehow not Ize Press” titles that I haven’t been able to figure out. An ordinary college student joins forces with powerful warriors to defeat the bad guys… and fails. Now he’s sent back in time to train even harder.

ASH: That’s one way to do it.

SEAN: Li’l Miss Vampire Can’t Suck Right (Chanto Suenai Kyuuketsuki-chan) is one of those “sounds worse than it is” titles, and runs in Dragon Age. The most popular girl at school is a vampire, and can control people whose blood she drinks. Sadly, she’s shy and introverted. This is a comedy, obviously.

ASH: That title, though!

SEAN: Lycoris Recoil Official Comic Anthology: React is the first of three LycoReco anthologies we’re getting here.

A Misanthrope Teaches a Class for Demi-Humans (Jingai Kyoushitsu no Ningengirai Kyoushi – Hitoma-sensei Watashitachi ni Ningen wo Oshietekuremasu ka……?) is a manga based on the light novel already released by Yen. It runs in Shonen Ace.

MONSTER TRIBE runs in Comic Newtype, and stars a boy who just wants to be normal… but his entire family are monsters, and he’s half monster. Now he has to save the world.

Neighborhood Craftsmen: Stories from Kanda’s Gokura-chou (Kanda Gokura-chou Shokunin-Banashi) is an award-winning title that tells stories of craftsmen who explain how they ply their trade. This gets a hardcover edition.

ASH: I’m really looking forward to this one.

SEAN: Suzuki-kun’s Mindful Life (Suzuki-kun no Teinei na Seikatsu) is a shousei title that runs in Melody (!). From the creator of one of the culled Tokyopop shoujo titles, The Stellar Six of Gingacho, and stars a boy who looks tough and imposing, but really just loves to sew and cook! When he meets a boy who looks soft and sensitive but is a tough guy, can they become friends? I think this falls into “sounds like BL but isn’t”?

MICHELLE: You had me at Melody, and then invoked The Stellar Six of Gingacho! After Silver Diamond, that’s the one I’m saddest about not getting to read all of in English (yes, still, after fourteen years). This looks really cute.

ANNA: Oh yeah! I’m similarly nostalgic for Stellar Six so I will be checking this out for sure.

SEAN: In addition to those THIRTEEN debuts, we also see… oh dear… Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside 10, The Beginning After the End 8, Cheeky Brat 14, DARK SOULS: REDEMPTION 2, Elden Ring: The Road to the Erdtree 6, The Failure at God School 2, GOGOGOGO-GO-GHOST! 4, Higurashi When They Cry: MEGURI 5 (the final volume), The Holy Grail of Eris 10, I Don’t Know Which Is Love 3, I’m Quitting Heroing 8, I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level Spin-off: The Red Dragon Academy for Girls 2, In Another World, My Sister Stole My Name 3, Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun 16, No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular! 25, Nomi x Shiba 2, Pandora Seven 5, The Reformation of the World as Overseen by a Realist Demon King 6, Rejected by the Hero’s Party, a Princess Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside 3, Secrets of the Silent Witch 4, Shadows House 9, Sister and Giant 4, The Small-Animallike Lady Is Adored by the Ice Prince 3, Strategic Lovers 3, Studio Apartment, Good Lighting, Angel Included 7, Toilet-bound Hanako-kun 22, Touge Oni: Primal Gods in Ancient Times 6, Touring After the Apocalypse 6, Übel Blatt Deluxe Edition 3, The World’s Strongest Rearguard: Labyrinth Country’s Novice Seeker 8, and Your Forma 3.

MICHELLE: A couple in there I’m interested in!

ANNA: So. Much. Manga.

ASH: That is quite the list! I think I saw Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun in there?

SEAN: And I guess it doesn’t really matter what I write anymore, as no one’s reading past all of that. ANYWAY. Viz Media gives us Boy’s Abyss 10, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 7–Steel Ball Run 2, One Piece: Heroines 2, and Ponyo Film Comic All-in-One Edition.

Retailers say Udon Entertainment is releasing More Than a Married Couple, but Not Lovers 2 and My Stepmom’s Daughter Is My Ex 2.

Tokyopop debuts The Unwanted Bride Loves the Crown Prince With All Her Heart (Nozomarenu Hanayome wa Ichizu ni Koutaishi wo Aisu), based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel. A princess is delighted to find she’s going to be married to the prince of the nation they were at war with, who she deeply loves! Sure, he doesn’t remember her. Sure, everyone in the country despises her. But love will prevail!

Steamship has a one-shot coming out, You Will Become My Wife (Konya, Kimi wa Boku no Mono ni Naru) ran in Opa x Comi. An heiress is engaged to a handsome, talented man… she just wishes she knew what he was thinking.

They also have Alpha Wolfgirl x Omega Wolfboy 4 (the final volume), Healer for the Shadow Hero 3, and Virgin Marriage: A Maiden Voyage into Passion’s Embrace 2.

Square Enix Manga gives us Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! 14.

MICHELLE: Woo.

SEAN: Seven Seas. Lion Hearts is a BL one-shot from Comic Pixiv. Two kids were inseparable, but one moved away. Now he’s back, can they find love?

MICHELLE: Another BL with a cute cover. I think I gotta read this one.

ASH: It does look cute!

SEAN: Tough Love at the Office: The Complete Yuri Collection (Black & White) is similar to SHWD – Seven Seas released one volume of it a long time ago and then it stopped. Now all three volumes are out under a new title. Two office women at a bank either beat each other up or screw each other. Now they have to team up to stop a conspiracy at their office.

MICHELLE: I’d be into this except for the beating each other up part.

ANNA: Yeah, I’m not sure…..

SEAN: Two Guys at the Vet Clinic (Doubutsu Byouin no Ofutari-san) is a BL one-shot from Gene Pixiv. A young vet student finds himself falling in love with the older owner of a vet clinic.

Also from Seven Seas: ENNEAD 6, Gap Papa: Daddy at Work and at Home 5, Hate Me, but Let Me Stay 4, Reborn as a Space Mercenary 9, and Todai Revengers 5-6 (the final volume).

And for danmei they have the 2nd and final volume of Riverbay Road Men’s Dormitory.

One Peace has the 24th volume of the manga version of The Rising of the Shield Hero.

Kodansha Books gives us As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World 6.

Kodansha Manga debuts Last Samurai Standing (Ikusagami), a seinen manga from Weekly Morning. It’s a historical title but also appears to be a sort of death game series?

ASH: Sounds like something I would probably read.

SEAN: They also have, in print, Ajin: Demi-Human Complete 4, Blue Lock 20, Fate/Grand Order -mortalis:stella- 4, and Gachiakuta 7.

And digital only has A Couple of Cuckoos 24.

J-Novel Club has three debuts. Blade Skill Online: Crushing the Competition with My Abysmal Stats, Useless Class, and Garbage Weapon! (Blade Skill Online: Gomi Shokugyou de Saijaku Bukide Kuso Status no Ore, Itsunomanika “Last Boss” ni Nariagarimasu!) is a manga version of a light novel J-Novel Club will release later in the year. It runs in Comic Gardo. A guy plays a VRMMO, but gets tricked into bad stats, and he’s also in the body of a gorgeous girl. How will he possibly cope?

The Bladesmith’s Enchanted Weapons (Isekai Toushou no Maken Seisaku Gurashi) is a new light novel series. It stars a number of people who are united in one purpose: they’re complete lunatics about enchanted swords.

ANNA: Always nice to find people to share a hobby with!

ASH: It’s true!

SEAN: Take These Talents Elsewhere: A Delightful Demotion to the Countryside (Saishuu no Ki wo Motsu Koyakunin no, Henkyou Nonbiri Slow Life: Shusse Dekizu Sasensareta Hazu ga, nazeka Mawari kara Tayoraremakutteimasu) stars a guy who’s spent ten years in government but never got promoted. Annoyed, his brother exiles him to the countryside, where he has to be “father” to a 14-year-old princess… the daughter of our hero’s first love! Nothing in that description inspires me.

ANNA: I am similarly uninspired!!!

SEAN: Also from J-Novel Club: Bullet Hellion 2, EXP Is Golden 3, From Villainess to Healer 4, and Isekai Walking 3 are the light novels.

For manga we see Black Summoner 20, I’m Capped at Level 1?! 5, My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer 8 and My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World 5.

Ize Press debut the novel version of Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint. A young man finds himself inside of his favorite, very very obscure, novel. Now he needs to survive. This series is ridiculously popular.

ASH: Maybe I’ll actually give it a try at some point.

SEAN: They also have Beware the Villainess! 4, The Boxer 11, Itaewon Class 6, Lady Devil 2, Lover Boy 2, See You in My 19th Life 7, Semantic Error 3, SSS-Class Revival Hunter 4, and Tomb Raider King 11.

Inklore has a 4th volume of the manwha Father, I Don’t Want This Marriage.

Ghost Ship gives us 12 Dirty Deeds to Unite the Princess and Her Heroine 2.

Airship has, in print, The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 12.

Debuting in early digital is The Devil Princess (Akuma Koujo). A demon who longs to have family and friends and a brighter life ends up being forcibly reborn into the body of a human princess. She’s revered as a saint, but her demonic impulses – and other demons – haunt her.

There’s also Though I Am an Inept Villainess 9.

Ooooof. Anything?

The Legendary Witch Is Reborn As an Oppressed Princess, Vol. 5

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By Touko Amekawa and Kuroyuki. Released in Japan as “Shiitagerareta Tsuihou Oujo wa, Tenseishita Densetsu no Majo deshita: Mukae ni Koraretemo Komarumasu. Juuboku to no Ohirune wo Jamashinaide Kudasai” by Overlap Novels f. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Jeremy Browning.

I admit to being quite surprised that this volume wasn’t the final one. Frankly, all the plot guns and secrets have now been well and truly revealed (and yes, I will have to spoil a lot of them further down this review), and yet there is a 6th and final book that is going to wrap things up. I am worried that the final book will just be a big fight, but that’s future Sean’s problem. As for what IS in this book, well, as you’d expect, Claudia wakes up three years later, but it’s everything else that manages to be the surprise. We’ve got multiple master plans being carried out at the same time. We’ve got alternate universes. We’ve got even more reincarnations. We’ve got concealed backstories. And yes, we do have a bit of cool fighting, though even that is made up of “you fell for it!” gambits.

Three years after the fourth book, Claudia remains in a state of suspended animation, basically dead but her body remains as it is and doesn’t decay. Meanwhile, Noah has risen to become Commander of the knights, and spends his spare time meeting with all the other allies and friends Claudia has made in the previous four books to find out how to revive her, as it’s taking a long time. They’re a bit hurried as Lemilsia’s “mourning period” is almost up, and everyone knows the moment it is Sieghart is going to invade. And sure enough, he does, muttering constantly about making Adelheid his and being controlled by a mysterious person. As for Claudia, she has in fact woken up… in an alternate universe where her magic is still suppressed and everyone knows who she is. And in this world, Leonhard is her enemy.

If I had a nickel every time that a reincarnated noble who was formerly one of the most powerful witches in the country ends up fighting against what turns out to be one of her former minions who was deeply in love with her and that love has turned to possessive need and a complete disrespect for what she actually wants, I’d have two nickels. In fact, call it three, as this is also very similar to one of the previous books in this series. But yeah, if you’ve read The Countess Is a Coward No More, this might seem a bit familiar. That said, this series is better written than that one, and there are a lot more surprise twists, mostly involving Claudia’s mother, who we get to know here, and who turns out to be trying to look out from her daughter beyond the grave, which involves a complex memory spell that only lets people remember things when it’s needed. Handy, that. As for the identity of the person behind all this… well, yes, it’s her obsessive minion, but it’s who they’re possessing that’s the other big reveal. We’re getting the family back together for a reunion.

As of this writing, the 6th and final book is not out in Japan yet, so it will be a long wait. Ah well, there’s a new 7th Time Loop by the same author that just came out in Japan. That’s something, right?

The Hero-Killing Bride: The God-Killing Maiden

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By Aoikou and Enji. Released in Japan as “Yuusha-goroshi no Hanayome” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Faye Duxovni.

I spoil one of the major “surprises” of this book in the third paragraph, just letting folks know.

There’s an implication in the afterword of this third volume that there will be more, as the author says this is the end of the first “arc”, talks about an online-only prequel, and tries to blackmail readers into buying enough copies to justify more of the series by implying they’ll throw sex in later. That said, it definitely has the feel of a final volume, and al the plot beats and secrets are revealed for all to see, so I won’t be surprised if we don’t get more. Alicia is still Best Girl, but I admit I was less wild about this volume than I was the first two, mostly because, in order to wrap things yup, it ended up being over 50% fighting against an annoying bad guy. As a general rule, anytime I can read a scene and have the bad guy say “Don’t you understand? Your weapons are USELESS against me!” a la MST3K and have it work perfectly, your bad guy is too over the top.

Now that Alicia’s mentor (and her beloved cat) have disappeared, Alicia and Cion are going around trying to stop the demons and negotiate with their leaders. This does not go particularly well. It goes even worse when the saint is also kidnapped, and there’s a huge wolf guy who is reminding Cion a lot of her missing mentor. And then there’s the guy we meet in the prologue, a former slave who tried to destroy everything ten years ago or so and has now reappeared and is trying to do all that over again. That said, the bad guy is very good at making our two heroines doubt themselves. Cion, who admits in the heat of battle that she loves Alicia without actually realizing it, is thrown off her game by almost anything, but especially the idea that Alicia may actually be an assassin sent to kill her. That can’t be right, can it?

And then there’s Alicia. She’s always been able to do most anything involving mana, even as she complains about running out of it. She’s survived being dead. Twice. And when she got a transfusion she grew animal ears and a tail. Funny, that. Oh yes, and she’s an orphan. Now we get the big reveal that she is in fact the daughter of the demon lord, which allows the bad guy to twist the relationship between her and Cion (who, y’know, killed the demon lord). That said, Alicia’s ancestry was never really why we read this book – and if I’m being honest, whether Alicia and Cion end up as a couple is not the reason either. We’re reading this to see if Alicia can meld her intense cynicism and bitterness over religion and the world they live in with the kind, pure heart and desire to save people. Which she finally does, trying her damnedest to save everyone, even the villain who has already murdered a WHOLE LOT of people. Fortunately, she gets a reward of “ignoring her boss and going on a vacation with her girlfriend and cat” at the end.

So yeah, good series, but too much fighting and it felt like a “you’re being cancelled, wrap it up” volume. For fans of Executioner and her Way of Life, as always.

Sword Art Online, Vol. 28: Unital Ring VII

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By Reki Kawahara and abec. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Stephen Paul.

And here we are, almost two years later. I’ve talked before about how I think the author is trying to do too much with this arc, where they have a perfectly good plotline with Unital Ring (it’s in the title!), but they also can’t resist going back to Underworld for more battles that could actually kill people rather than just log them out. But it’s not just the main series, it’s everything. Right now Reki Kawahara has going on, at the same time, Sword Art Online (last JP volume June 2024), Sword Art Online Progressive (last JP volume March 2025, almost four years after the last one), Accel World (new volume due out next month, but has only had four since 2020), Demons’ Crest (last JP volume November 2024), and The Isolator… wait, did I only imagine The Isolator? Does it really exist? it’s been so long… anyway, my point is, if he tries to juggle any more series I may have to start calling him Ryohgo Narita. As for this volume? It’s good, but needs focus. Surprise!

We pick up with the cliffhanger from the last volume, and it does not go well. Kirito is simply too overstretched, and Eolyne is kidnapped. Meanwhile, the villains are doing their damnedest to destroy Central Cathedral, with only Alice and Fanatio there to try to stop them. In order to fix things… and this sounds sillier than it actually is… Asuna will need to convince her father to drive her to Rath in the dead of night to log in and help them. Meanwhile, in Unital Ring, everyone’s still trying to figure out how to go to the next level without abandoning their beloved cabin. And Kirito, now back from Underworld, has to fight in a mock duel, because everyone still sees him as their leader. As for who’s behind everything in Underworld and Unital Ring… could it be the same person?

I’ve said this before, but a lot of the time in SAO the most interesting parts are what’s happening in the real world. I loved Asuna’s talk with her dad, who has very good reasons not to want her to keep diving into potentially lethal VR all the time, but also understands that she’s pretty much an adult now and she has to rescue those she loves. Then there’s the whole scene with her and Argo/Tomo at the cafe near her old school, which also brings back bittersweet memories, but allows her to reunite with another face from the past. It’s a reminder that not everyone who was in SAO was allowed to go off to the school designed for survivors, and some simply were told to resume their normal life only with FAR MORE PARENTAL CONTROL. Which, again, understandable, especially given the difference between Kawahara’s idealized AI of this world and our current AI woes. And it also allows him to tie things in to his movies as well. Because of course. And hey, Kizmel gets mentioned once!

If you have to read all things SAO to keep up, this is a quick, easy read, even if I did have to google some names to remind myself. As for what’s next? Probably Progressive sometime next year, but for the franchise, we’re back to GGO in the fall, so Swords Down, Guns Up.

Sword of the Stallion, Vol. 1

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By Gakuto Mikumo and Manyako. Released in Japan as “Sword of Stallion: Taneuma to Yobareta Saikyou Kishi, Ringoku no Oujo wo Netore to Meijirareru” by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Jake Humphrey.

This wasn’t too bad a book, especially given the author’s tendency for light novel by the numbers, but I will admit to disappointment that it did not remotely live up to its premise. Now, I’m no fool, I was not expecting a book filled with our hero banging the entire cast. But I mean, we’re told that he’s spent the last two years in brothels sleeping with any woman that moves… and then we find out that the women he supposedly slept with were all abuse victims or being blackmailed, that the brothel is really a training facility for knights, etc. I lay you even odds by the end of the series we find he didn’t actually have sex with anyone. Anyway, if I can get past that gripe, this isn’t too bad, and allows the author to play around in the mecha genre. There may also be a villainess subplot! When genres collide.

Two years ago, our hero, Ras Talion (get it? Rapscallion?) defeated a potentially country-destroying dragon, but in the process the princess of the country – and his fiancee – was killed. He promptly resigned his commission and went to the pleasure district, where rumor has it he’s spent the next two years screwing anything that moves to try to get over his lost love. (Yeah, I spoiled you, but it’s really goddamn obvious, so I don’t feel bad.) One day, he is accosted by a beautiful knight and a mysterious young woman, who manages to knock him unconscious. He wakes up in the royal palace, where the prince – twin to the lost princess – is running things because of the king’s ill health. The prince (also Ras’ old friend from school) asks him… can he seduce the princess of the next country over? To save their own country?

First of all, given that I’ve frequently complained that the author’s sense of humor in Strike the Blood amounted to “oh no, I accidentally groped you and now everyone is mad at me and I run away as the sun sets” anime humor, I appreciated there was a very funny joke here. I appreciated it because when I saw the setup, I thought “that would make a great joke” and the author actually followed through – well done. As for the cast, Ras is a likeable guy who is not nearly the rogue he pretends to be. I also really liked the princess he’s supposed to seduce, who seems to be trying very hard to get everyone to dislike her, and is absolutely not going to play along with Ras. There are also some cool fights – honestly, action scenes are the thing this author does best, so I wasn’t too worried there. Oh yes, and in case you noticed the artist is ALSO the same as Strike the Blood, I assure you the 2nd volume has a different girl on the cover.

So this is basically “for fans of shonen action stuff and the author”, but if you like that it’s pretty good. Just… don’t expect sex. Even offscreen. He’s a faux-stallion.

To Sir, Without Love: I’m Divorcing You, Vol. 1

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By Kori Hisakawa and Airumu. Released in Japan as “Haikei Mishiranu Danna-sama, Rikonshite Itadakimasu” by Media Works Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Carley Radford.

This sure went places. Judging by the cover art and title, I was expecting a certain type of book, and I definitely got it, but it went to some odd and spiky areas. Speaking of which, I will put in a brief content warning that this book has what might be framed as a “reluctant” first time, and there is also discussion of an (off-screen) rape of a man by another woman. There is also an abusive husband and father, though he is very quickly “reformed”, by which I mean he gets the crap beaten out of him. We see, throughout the book, the rumors swirling around our main character that she is a loose cannon, and also a loose woman. She shrugs off the rumors because they suit her purposes, but once they no longer do that they become the toxic nastiness they’ve always been. And, as always, our two leads don’t talk to each other at all, so have to guess what the other is thinking, and it always goes badly.

Byletta Holland is horrified to find that her parents have engaged her to some soldier. After an Academy life where she gained a horrible reputation, all she wants is to start her own business and make a name for herself. However, as a noble’s daughter, she has to marry, and she’s now headed off to the Swagwan estate, where she will marry Arnald, the eldest son. She arrives… to find that war has gone badly, so Arnald went off to the front, leaving a message that his wife can do what she wants. Realizing that this could work in her favor, she accepts the marriage and decides to stay… and quickly finds that her father in law is a drunken lout who beats his second wife and menaces his 6-year-old daughter and the servants. Something will have to be done.

Byletta is the main reason to read this book. She’s smart, does not suffer fools gladly, and can beat her father in law so badly in a sword fight that he actually sobers up and stops hitting his family. (This is probably unrealistic, but given the alternative I handwaved it. He remains a jerk, though.) In the eight years between her wedding and her husband returning home, she does start a highly successful business, she has connections all over the city, and she is ready to be divorced. Sadly, her husband is one of those “what are these things called emotions” types, and when he hears the rumors about her, he assumes she’s sleeping with half the town. After their first night together, he realizes he was wrong, and starts to actually observe his wife more closely… and realizes that she’s his ideal woman. Unfortunately, these two don’t talk to each other, and it’s frustrating. They also have enemies, who set up the cliffhanger of this book. It’s definitely on the “potboiler” end of the spectrum.

This is nine volumes and counting in Japan, and it appears it will have a lot more drama in the future. If you like the genre, and don’t mind a bit more non-con than these books usually get into, this is a very good read.

The Girl Who Wants to Be a Hero and the Girl Who Ought to Be a Hero, Vol. 1

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By Inori and Akamoku. Released in Japan as “Yuusha ni Naritai Boku to, Yuusha ni Narubeki Kimi” by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Genevieve Hill-Kaminishi.

I do love a good title, and this one is very good. Especially because the double meaning of the English word wrong-footed me about what was going to happen in the book. I had assumed this was about our protagonist, who wants to be a hero, and the love interest, who is the one who SHOULD be a hero instead of our protagonist. But that’s not it at all. Well, the first part is, Ruchika definitely wants to be a hero, at least at first. But Leonie’s “ought” is that she’s the daughter of the late, great hero, the one who sacrificed her life to defeat the demons and bring peace… well, peace between humans and demons, at least. Leonie ought to be just as good if not better than her, right? So when Leonie is seen to be good but not fantastic, well, there’s quite a few people who don’t like that. And that leads to the strongest part of the book, showing how damaging education can be when done badly.

Ruchika arrives at Kars Kingdom, ready to be a hero, which of course requires going to the hero institute that you get in these sorts of books. Unfortunately, she underestimates how far it is from home and how much things cost, so by the time she gets there she’s lying on the street starving to death. She’s saved by Leonie and her friend Nur, who feed her – and on seeing Leonie, and getting food from her, Ruchika decides immediately that she’s in love and proposes to her on the spot. This is apparently how demons do things, but Leonie is human. As it turns out, they’re all going for the exams to get into the institute, which are notoriously hard. Ruchika aces the practical and scrapes through on the written. Leonie aces the written, and… does okay on the practical, not great. Still, it’s nothing a good teacher can’t fix… oh, dear.

There’s lots of good stuff here, especially the relationship between Ruchika and Leonie, but allow me to talk about the way people learn to be heroes here. Everyone gets a device called a Gear, which is sort of mildly predictive AI, and it tells you who you’re most compatible with, what style of fighting you should do, and what moves to make when you fight. Everyone abides by what the gear says, it’s a rule. Ruchika hates the idea of gear in general (with the possible exception of her gear, which has big Homunculus Tears vibes if you’ve read that Inori book), since she runs on instinct, and really begins to hate them more when it’s apparent that trying to do what the gear wants is slowly destroying Leonie… helped along by a teacher, who has a grudge against her mother, out to get Leonie expelled. It is very hard to learn how to do things and be a good person when the person teaching you belittles, mocks, and hurts you, and encourages others to do the same. It’s even worse when you add AI learning to the mix. This hit very hard for me. Fortunately, Ruchika is exactly the sort of protagonist this book needs, and helps Leonie to find out what she really wants to be doing.

Now, this is a book that came out in 2023, with one volume to date in Japan, so I know what some folks are going to say. That said, Dengeki Bunko do have a larger history than most publishers of giving Vol. 2s or later volumes out of the blue if something changes. And this is a very good book to try to see that change happen. Buy it, you’ll like it.

The Tanaka Family Reincarnates, Vol. 3

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By Choko and kaworu. Released in Japan as “Tanaka-ke, Tensei Suru” by Dragon Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Sasha Schiller.

It has to be said, if you’re going to have a family consisting entirely of airheads, it’s best to have them not only incredibly overpowered but also on the side of the angels. And make no mistake about it, the whole family are wacky. Emma is the poster child and the worst one, but her father is right behind her, followed by her two brothers. Melsa is easily the most sensible in the family, and we see that here in a book where she gets far more focus than the previous two, but at the end of the day she too is basically saving the world so that they can eat rice and miso again. That said, airheaded does not mean dumb, and all of these folks are rather brilliant, which is also why they know it’s a bad idea to get so many honors from royalty. Emma grasping at straws and asking for the rights to the slum district as her reward is a way of showing off the family’s compassion and observation, and the fact that they’re not going to be “normal” nobles.

We pick up from where we left off at the end of the last book, as Emma has accidentally revealed that she can speak the foreign language that no one else seems to be able to. Indeed, this becomes a more important plot point than I thought, as it’s suggested that it’s not just the diplomats being lazy but some inherent world thing that makes the language incredibly difficult to grasp. This also makes Emma phenomenally valuable. And so the rest of the family have to admit that they can also speak it, which causes even more of a fuss. (Fortunately there’s an in-world handwave they can use so they don’t have to pull out the isekai card.) Now, while Emma continues to socialize, be so kind and caring that she has people thinking she’s a literal saint, and getting bullied in a way that she’s gonna love, her mother is off to the Eastern Empire, where she discovers this is not just a simple famine, and that if something is not done fast the entire nation may be wiped out, people and all.

I usually enjoy a story where everyone is misinterpreting what’s going on, and the Tanaka Family makes that its bread and butter. Everyone except her family assumes Emma is this fragile maiden who is at death’s door after her tragic accident, when really most of the time she’s just overworking herself and avoiding reality. When petty nobles Robert and Brian decide they’re going to get revenge on her, I immediately knew exactly what was going to happen, but that does not diminish the humor of it, and it helps that it also ties in with a more serious plot. Most of all, Emma can get it together, usually when she’s not being stared at by hundreds of nobles. Her forced engagement of the tailor and seamstress was a thing of beauty. (I could have done without another “fantasy worlds don’t know about scurvy” plot, though.)

I assume the next volume will send our family off to the Eastern Empire to battle plant monsters, and I beg them to avoid the obvious fanservice. The fetishes of the leads are bad enough. Still, this remains an absolute hoot, and I can’t wait for the next book.

Manga the Week of 7/16/25

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SEAN: Can mid-July manga save us from the summer doldrums?

ASH: I’m at least willing to give it a chance.

SEAN: Airship has print books for The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain 5 and I’m the Heroic Knight of an Intergalactic Empire! 3.

And for early digital, they have Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord 5 and I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! 9.

Fantagraphics are releasing Brain Damage, a new collection of short stories from guro manga author Shintaro Kago. These ran in Web Comic Gum, and while not for the faint of heart, are guaranteed to be visually arresting.

ASH: That is a very apt description of much of Shintaro Kago’s work.

SEAN: Ghost Ship gives us Imaizumi Brings All the Gals to His House 3 and Into the Deepest, Most Unknowable Dungeon 11.

ASH: Surely something must be known by the eleventh volume?

SEAN: J-Novel Club has some print volumes, including the manga debut of The Brilliant Healer’s New Life in the Shadows (Isshun de Chiryou shiteita no ni Yakudatazu to Tsuihousareta Tensai Chiyushi, Yami Healer to shite Tanoshiku Ikiru), based on the LN also by JNC, which runs in Piccoma.

They also debut Gushing Over Magical Girls (Mahou Shoujo ni Akogarete), a manga that runs in Manga Life STORIA Dash, and got a hit anime recently. A shy girl who adores magical girls ends up working for the villains… and ends up dominating the girls she loves. This one’s infamous.

ASH: Oh, my.

SEAN: There’s also print volumes for Ascendance of a Bookworm 31, Ascendance of a Bookworm Fanbook 4, the 6th omnibus volume of The Faraway Paladin’s manga, and Full Metal Panic!: Short Stories 3.

ASH: Yay, Bookworm!

SEAN: It’s a quieter week next week for JNC digitally. We get I Could Never Be a Succubus! 7, I Parry Everything 9, My Fiancé Cheated, But a New Love Rings! 2, Survival Strategies of a Corrupt Aristocrat 3, The Trials and Tribulations of My Next Life as a Noblewoman 2-1, and The Villainess Is Dead! Long Live the Empress! 2 for light novels.

And I’m a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, So I Might as Well Try Mastering Magic 3 for manga.

Kodansha Manga debuts Tower Dungeon, the latest series from Tsutomu Nihei. It runs in Shonen Sirius. A princess is kidnapped and taken to a tower. In order to rescue her, folks will have to get past the tower’s UNTOLD HORRORS.

MICHELLE: Hm. I can’t say the premise really excites me, but I do love Nihei’s art.

ASH: As do I.

ANNA: Me too!

SEAN: Kodansha also has the first Magic Knight Rayearth Part 2, where the girls return to find their work is not yet done.

ASH: That does happen sometimes.

SEAN: Also in print: Blue Lock: Episode Nagi 4, The Blue Wolves of Mibu 6, Gazing at the Star Next Door 6, Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law 7, Ninja Vs. Gokudo 8, and Tune In to the Midnight Heart 2.

And digitally we see Because I, the True Saint, was Banished, that Country is Done For! 8, Issak 13, MF Ghost 22, Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 17, My Home Hero 21, and TenPuru -No One Can Live on Loneliness- 12.

One Peace Books has a 4th volume of I Was Sold Dirt Cheap, but My Power Level Is off the Charts.

Just one debut for Seven Seas. Contrast is a BL manga that ran in Canna, and is complete in one volume. A handsome popular guy. A quiet honor student. Secret meetings at the stairwell. And… love?

MICHELLE: Looks potentially cute!

ASH: I have enjoyed other manga from Canna.

SEAN: We also get I’m in Love with the Older Girl Next Door 2, IDOL x IDOL STORY! 2, Kaya-chan Isn’t Scary 2, Kemono Jihen 17, The Lady and Her Butler 4, The Most Notorious “Talker” Runs the World’s Greatest Clan 9, My Sister Took My Fiancé and Now I’m Being Courted by a Beastly Prince 4 (the final volume), and The Titan’s Bride 7.

Square Enix Manga gives us The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest 25 and The Villainess’s Guide to (Not) Falling in Love 4.

Steamship has Guilty Smile 3 (the final volume) and Seduced by the Demon King: A Sensual Rebirth 2.

Titan Manga has the 7th and final volume of Alpi the Soul Sender.

Viz Media debuts Tokyo Fears Rhapsody (Tokyo Kaijin Rhapsody), an action comedy that runs in Comiplex. It’s from the author of Momo – The Blood Taker. A monster hides his identity while working various jobs. Then he sees the cops have mecha now! He wants to ride a mecha! But he’s a monster, can he really do that?

ASH: I’m not sure I’m sold on the premise, but I am absolutely sold on that cover.

SEAN: Viz also has After God 5, The Climber 2, One-Punch Man 31, Record of Ragnarok 15, Red River 3-in-1 4, Steel of the Celestial Shadows 7, Tokyo Alien Bros. 3, Trillion Game 6, Twin Star Exorcists 34, and Vagabond Deluxe Edition 3.

ASH: So far I’ve resisted upgrading to the deluxe edition, but I suspect it’s just a matter of time…

ANNA: I have been considering it…

SEAN: Yen On has three ongoing series. Bride of the Barrier Master 4, Even a Replica Can Fall in Love 3, and The Irregular at Magic High School 25.

And Yen Press has The 13th Footprint (13-kaime no Ashiato). It got bumped, in case it seems familiar. It’s the latest from the creator of Erased and The Kid I Saw in My Dreams. A teacher living a happy life with his family finds that coming to an end when he begins receiving anonymous postcards that foretell the future. This gets a swank hardcover, also like the author’s other titles.

MICHELLE: Still interested!

ASH: Yup!

SEAN: A thankfully smaller week than last time. What interests you?

In Another World with Household Spells, Vol. 1

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By Rika and HIROKAZU. Released in Japan as “Isekai ni Kita kedo, Seikatsu Mahou shika Tsukaemasen” by Mag Garden Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by sachi salehi.

This is the definition of “Fine, I guess”. It doesn’t really do anything wrong, apart from one thing I’ll mention later. The heroine is a classic “I just want a quiet life where I can earn money to help my family” type who does not realize that every single thing that she does draws a tremendous amount of attention to herself. She’s seriously OP, but not in a flashy way. She doesn’t invent mayonnaise, but she does pretend that Mozart and Bach compositions are her own. There’s a royal family, but they’re pretty nice, and the prince her age clearly has a crush on her that is coming out as “you’d better watch your step!”. But there is nothing here to make someone who has read large amounts of “woman is reincarnated as a noble girl and attends a magic academy” books want to add another one to the pile. It feels like the bulk of the book was written to keep up with the trends.

One day Kaoru Aoyama is working her office job and living in her apartment, the next she wakes up as Patience Granger, a ten-year-old noble girl. She wasn’t even hit by a truck! Patience is, unfortunately, recovering from near death. In fact, it appears the real Patience DID die, and now Kaoru is in her body, with a sort of soul of the real Patience insider her yelling when she does things that are not appropriate for nobility. Unfortunately, their family is flat broke, as her father was fired from his royal position for reasons that we never actually find out in this volume. Fortunately, after recovering, she’s taken to the church and told she has “household spells” for magic, one of the most common types. That’s fine with her, though, and like so many other protagonists in these books, she experiments without knowing what not to do and winds up really overpowered.

First off, I understand that it’s in the original, and that there’s not really a Western alternative, but man, when the heroine talks about being a shotacon all the time, I don’t care if she insists “but not in a pervy way!”, it reads wrong and makes you like her less. There has be be a way around the word. Patience’s main trait, besides being oblivious to her own misguided attempts to not stand out, is her adoration of her two cute younger brothers, as well as the kids her own age, who her 25-year-old self sees as cute little ‘uns. If you can get past that steep hurdle… I did like her relationship with the first ;princess, who she is clearly rehabilitating. It’s implied that her late mother and the Queen had some history, and everyone and their brother talks about how their family is supposed to be filled with genius scholars, so there’s clearly a lot of backstory still to dole out. As for romance… she’s ten. Let’s table that for a while.

I’ll read the next volume of this – I do want to see what’s up with her otherwise nebbish dad. But for those who have to much to read already, there’s no reason to add this as well.

Yuri Tama: From Third Wheel to Trifecta, Vol. 4

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By Toshizou and Kuro Shina. Released in Japan as “Yuri no Ma ni Hasamareta Watashi ga, Ikioi de Futamata Shite Shimatta” by Overlap Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Tristan K. Hill.

Two years is too long between volumes, and the author apologized but it was still a wrench to remind myself exactly what was going on. Fortunately, the author’s self-awareness bleeds into the work – indeed, this is a book that you have to read with your tongue in your cheek. I think I’ve already talked about how insufferable this series would be if Yotsuba were a guy, but apparently some people are finding Yotsuba insufferable anyway. And sure, I get it. This is a giant failwhale of a teenager, who cannot go for half a page without talking about herself like she’s a food wrapper on the side of the road, and yet for some reason she has two woman in love with her and agreeing to both date her at the same time, a childhood friend who’s a famous idol who confesses to her, and she cannot walk ten feet without another girl going “well, maybe”. She’s a chad.

Oh no, Yotsuba’s in a big pinch! She’s already secretly dating the two hottest girls in the school, but now her childhood friend and celebrity idol has transferred into her class! And she and her two girlfriends are getting all passive aggressive! Worst of all, it’s time for the culture festival, and the class comes up with an idea for a concert! Makina is fine with this… provided she’s not the focus, so Rinka and Yuna get roped into being an idol trio! But wait, even worse, Mai is so stressed out by Makina upsetting the balance of power among the hotties that she’s skipping school, and Yotsuba has to dress in a maid outfit and bathe/massage her to help! And… really, Yotsuba should actually resolve this love square thing and go back to her love triangle! Yotsuba’s in a pinch!

There are some things here that aren’t ridiculous. We get Mai’s backstory at last, and it turns out to be Maria-sama Ga Miteru gone wrong, as she was Yotsuba at her old girls’ private school, but fumbled it and left everyone full of anger and resentment. As such, seeing Yotsuba somehow manage to always manage to do the right thing while at the same time being a giant goofball irks her greatly. Yuna and Rinka’s “dates” with Yotsuba are sweet, and as for Makina… well, Yotsuba still has to do something about her, and having her meet the parents is not helping. Best of all is the finale, where Yotsuba works out why she’s been so worried and stressed since this book began and manages to work up her gumption and do something about it, which also inspires the rest of the class. Once a volume there’s an amazing point where you understand exactly why everyone falls for Yotsuba, and this is the one this time.

That said, this is half a book, even though it’s 250 pages. The author assures us there will be a Book 5 with the actual festival, and the good news is that it is already out in Japan, so hopefully it won’t be two more years. This grows on me more with each book.

The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold to Another Kingdom, Vol. 3

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

I must admit, I used to get upset when I saw this sort of thing in Japanese light novels, but now I just laugh. is there some meme picture that is the opposite of the guy sweating over which button to push? Because I think if you presented two buttons to a light novel author, one of which said ‘tragic and nuanced villain who the audience empathizes but does not sympathize with’, and the other of which said ‘villain who will happily destroy the world for petty spite and also drinks puppies’, the average light novel author would not think twice before slamming Button #2. And needless to say Fuyutsuki Koki is exactly the same. Heck, we’re introduced to the villain and given a legitimate sympathetic reason for their villainy, but then it turns out to not be enough, they have to go full ham. Fortunately, the heroine of this series also goes full ham, albeit stoically.

All is well. The evil from Book Two has been defeated, Philia and Osvalt are engaged and planning their wedding, and the anime managed to fix a lot of the problems the second book had with pacing. Surely nothing could go wrong now… oh, what’s this missive from the Church? It turns out that the Pope is dead, and Philia has supposedly been chosen as the new Pope in his will, surprising everyone, not least of all Philia herself, as a Saint has never been made Pope before. But everyone agrees that she has to obey the declaration that she is Pope or risk being excommunicated and starting a Holy War in Parnacorta. It’s fine! She can even still marry Osvalt! But she has to live in Dalbert now, this world’s Vatican City. Philia, though, starts to smell a rat, especially when she hears about Archbishop Henry, who everyone THOUGHT would be the next Pope…

As with so many light novels, this is not a series to read if you like subtlety. Leaving aside the villain, who has an epic revenge that involves destroying Philia’s happiness and ruining the country of Parnacorta, and has plans to resurrect the dead and also command an ancient God to do his bidding, there’s also Philia herself, who hears about a divine spell that can let someone talk to the dead, hears that no one has ever done it as divine spells are lethal if done slightly wrong, and just does it anyway, in an Ace-Attorney style finale that has her calling the dead back to testify TWICE. The good news is that Mia, who was mostly sidelined in book 2, gets things to do here, and she also gets to show off that she is not only as OP as her sister, but can also get a prince to propose to her. If there’s a flaw in this book, it’s that no one ever really feels in danger when these sisters are around.

You’d think this was the last in the series, but no, we’ve got a long way to go. Next volume is the wedding picture cover art one, though. Fans of the anime can happily start here.

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: My Hotshot Disciples Are All Grown Up Now, and They Won’t Leave Me Alone, Vol. 7

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By Shigeru Sagazaki and Tetsuhiro Nabeshima. Released in Japan as “Katainaka no Ossan, Kensei ni Naru: Tada no Inaka no Kenjutsu Shihan Datta noni, Taisei Shita Deshitachi ga Ore o Hōttekurenai Ken” by SQEX Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Hikoki.

Last time I wrote a review of this, the anime was just starting, and as I write this one, the anime has just ended. Most people agree that it was stolid, unremarkable, did not really do anything wrong but was nothing to write home about except the fight scenes were very well done. Folks also agree that the Japanese voice of Beryl really nailed the part, that sort of world-weary “I am forty years old, sigh” quality that he has a lot of the time. I thought the voice was excellent, and it also helps as I read this seventh volume in the series, where Beryl’s soul-searching monologues are at an all-time high. And while it’s just a coincidence, the fact that folks who finished the anime and decided to buy this new book get a volume that is almost a direct sequel to the end of the anime is very nice.

Beryl has been asked to help provide security for the wedding of Princess Salacia to Prince Glenn of Sphenedyardvania, a wedding that, of course, takes place in that country, which also recently resurrected the dead, including Mewi’s sister, and is in the middle of a holy war. So, extra protection is recommended. After stopping off in Flumvelk to rest and so that Beryl can get seduced (spoiler: he does not get seduced), they arrive there to find everything seemingly going well… until the wedding is invaded by undead, and the city outside is invaded by horrible chimera. Fortunately, Beryl and Allucia have help, including a mysterious masked woman, as well as… the enemies from the last book?

As always, it can be very hard to take Beryl’s aw shucks attitude in large doses, and there’s an extra helping of that in this book. I am hoping that it’s because he’s actually trying to figure out how to live going forward beyond “be best at sword”. He loves being a dad, and I think would be happy for Mewi to have a mother, he has no real concept of what a wife would be like. This is most obvious in the scenes with Shueste, who does everything short of lying naked on his bed and saying “take me now, big boy”. He clearly GETS it, but the idea of another woman liking him, be it student, noble, or anyone, makes him deeply uncomfortable. Which is a decent ongoing dilemma for a harem series to have, but dragging it out too long loses readers, who won’t always be happy with 100 pages of cool fights. I’m honestly rooting for Shueste, but I suspect first girl Allucia still has the advantage right now. We’ll see how shopping for swords goes next time.

If you enjoyed the anime, you know what you’re getting with Beryl. So as long as you’re not the sort who asks if there is snu-snu, this should make you perfectly happy.

The Twelve Kingdoms, Book One: Shadow of the Moon, Shadow of the Sea, Part 1

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By Fuyumi Ono and Akihiro Yamada. Released in Japan as “Tsuki no Kage, Kage no Umi” by X Bunko White Heart. Released in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment. Translated by Kim Morrissy. Adapted by Monica Sullivan.

There’s isekai, and then there’s ISEKAI. This is one of the OG isekai, back before it was a genre, and around the same time as the other majorly influential OG isekai, Fushigi Yuugi. Almost twenty years ago, Tokyopop published the first half of the series, but it then got cancelled due to poor sales, as happened a lot back then. Now it’s back, with a new translation and a spiffy looking cover. And after reading this first volume, I cannot help but feel a sneering contempt for those modern wannabe isekai. Oh, the poor guy who gets truck-kun’d into another world, and all he has its a cool sword, a bunch of catgirls, and a guild that lets him explore all the dungeons he wants for money. Or he’s summoned to be the savior of the world… well, actually, that is SORT OF how Twelve Kingdoms starts. But things go very bad very quickly. This book is dark as hell.

Youko Nakajima has been having bad dreams. Dreams of being trapped in darkness, unable to move, while hungry killer beasts are running towards her. They are making life difficult for her at her private all-girls’ school,. where she tries to keep up good grades, be a nice girl that’s easy to get along with, and ignore the bullying of other girls lower on the totem pole. Then one day, while in the teacher’s office where they’re getting annoyed about her red hair – again – suddenly a man shows up, says she needs to come with him, and tries to drag her off. Then she’s attacked by the same animals that were in her dream, who burst through the window and injure the faculty. Then she’s being told to kill then with a sword that is handed to her. Then she is possessed by a creature that can manipulate her body so she can swing the sword. Then… she’s flown to another world.

For those who saw the anime when it came out in 2002 and wonder where the other two Japanese kids are, they’re not here. (OK, Sugimoto is here to get bullied, but she doesn’t get isekai’d). Youko is all alone – indeed, very much all alone, as she quickly loses the handsome guy insisting that she come with him to fulfill her destiny and ends up in a hostile country. The book is very well written, with evocative descriptions, and Youko’s descent from terror into confusion into anger into just giving up is incredibly well done. That said… in Japan, the next volume came out one month later, and I’m going to assume that things get better for her in that. That does leave this volume, which is just unrelenting. She’s torn from Japan and told she can never return. She’s imprisoned, and told she’ll likely be executed. She meets one or two nice people… who immediately turn out to be not-so-nice. By the end of the book she can’t accept that anyone being nice to her isn’t secretly evil, and is on the verge of starvation, exhaustion, and death because she’s also having to battle countless youma every single night. This is a MISERABLE isekai for her.

That said, this is a 30+-year-old series, so I know things get better for her. Eventually. Till then, this is gorgeous trauma.

The Otome Heroine’s Fight for Survival, Vol. 5

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By Harunori Biyori and Hitaki Yuu. Released in Japan as “Otome Game no Heroine de Saikyō Survival” by TO Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Camilla L.

Apparently, according to the afterword, having a volume that LOOKS like it’s going to be a typical otome game “nobles at the academy” book and then not having it be that at all is a habit with this author. In my last review I mentioned that I would like some academy hijinks and a few less stat screens, and I absolutely did not get my wish. In fact, there was apparently more academy content in the webnovel version that was cut out, in order that we could add more fights. Because, rest assured, this series still knows what its readers really wants, and that’s – no, not stat screens – pages and pages of Alia fighting and brutally murdering many, many, many bad guys. They can be traitorous knights, zombie villagers, or vampire demons, and none of that matters. If they are threatening Elena, they are going to die. That said, there really are an awful lot of them, and worst of all, they seem to have a plan…

We are now finally at the start of the game. Elena is there, with Alia as her aide and bodyguard. Clara is there, destroying her life and health in order to try to figure out a way to be with the man she loves (surviving has become secondary). Karla is there, and she’s still trying to live her best life, which is to say having a double-murder with Alia in the smoking remains of the world. Elvan is there, and boy, he’s a wet rag, isn’t he? And Alicia is there, which might be surprising, given Alia *is* Alicia. But another Alicia is there, and even though she’s not quite the right one, she’s still doing her best to get with all those otome game hotties. And if that means that she ends up destroying the actual game plot, oh well! As for the kingdom itself, well, political assassinations, kidnapping, and upheaval. You know how it is.

There is not quite a “the bad guys win” ending at the end of this volume, but the good guys certainly are having a tough time. I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed that the fake Alicia was not one of the hundred or so people that Alia slaughters in this book, because my god, not only is she annoying, but she’s unintentionally doing what the kingdom’s enemies are trying to do deliberately – weaken the crown prince and make him a wussy puppet they can control. Elena has been emboldened by her encounters with Alia, and cares deeply about the kingdom, so all those who want to manipulate everything for their own ends think she’s a horrible potential ruler. As such, they send assassins, they send kidnappers, and even the demons are in on the fun. Half this book may just be Alia cutting folks, but there’s a good reason for it.

So Elena and Alia are not dead, but they’re not in a great place right now! This remains a fun series, though folks who want standard otome game villainess stuff might look elsewhere. Alia has murdered the typical story in its sleep.