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Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)!, Vol. 3

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

This was the best volume in the series to date, mostly as a) it managed to actually get through to its heroine/saint/maid and make her realize that her “aw shucks, this is just normal maid magic” thing is absolute hogwash, and b) it actually started pushing back on her omnipotence and perfection, showing her screwing up several times over the course of the book, and also having another crisis of faith, this one even stronger than the one she had in the second book. Melody loves maids, and loves to be a maid, but at heart this is a heroine reincarnated in a fantasy world book, and nine times out of ten when that happens the main character is a workaholic. Melody does not know what to do with time off. She literally has no outfits other than maid uniforms. And, despite riding her way through an obvious event flag, she remains completely uninterested in romance. She is not here to be a romance heroine, thank you very much.

It’s summer break, and time for Luciana and her entourage of servants to go back to the main estate and tour their lands. Though this journey is thrown off slightly by the arrival of Maxwell, who is here to invite Luciana to the Summer Ball, something that absolutely flummoxes her, and she asks for time to think it over. After this, they head off on the long journey there, and watch Melody literally build a two-story mansion from scratch… and also store it in a snowglobe for later use. You know, just Melody things. Unfortunately, as they’re almost there, an earthquake rocks the land, and her family estate is totally destroyed! Even worse, the three villages that make up what remains of their domain are suffering from a blight AND a poor harvest. Will this finally be a problem even Melody can’t solve?

This has a classic otome game dilemma at its heart, which is that the game’s plotline wants to happen even though Melody has completely broken it. It keeps trying to ruin and kill Luciana, to the point where the poor girl is literally dreaming of the game creators discussing her death, though she has no idea who they are. We meet another love interest here, and he’s a smiling villain if ever there was one, and he also falls hard for Melody (who is uninterested, but less uninterested than she is with everyone else.) Most of all, Melody spends an exhausting night curing all the blight and poor crops… only to have it come back almost immediately. Some dark force wants this family and region destroyed, and I suspect we’ll get more of hat as the series goes on.

So while there is still a lot of ludicrous maid stuff, Melody *and* the series itself are getting more serious. Which is good, as it’s a long-runner, and you can’t get by on oblivious OP maid forever.

Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden, Vol. 7

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

For those people who don’t enjoy seeing me trying to wring 500 words out of a review, you may as well stop now. The book is fine. The end. For those who really love seeing me struggle, welcome to my hell. This is primarily a tournament arc. I had enough trouble writing those up when I did manga reviews here, I don’t need to have to do it with light novels. Boy, that sure was a close fight. Boy, that sure was a one-sided fight. Repeat as needed. Even Nia doesn’t really have a huge presence in this book till near the end, mostly as she is (of course) not allowed to fight. She is there to film the show for magivision, though, so we do get to see some of her fighting rage come as she tries to get fighters to sit for an interview. Oh, and to take out dangerous assassins trying to kill her student.

Now that all the money has been raised and all the preparations have been done, it’s finally time for the fighting tournament. Which is a bit bigger than everyone was expecting. There are over 10,000 entries. Winnowing this down to 300 or so finalists is thankfully not Nia’s problem. Things are helped by dividing the preliminaries into weapons and no weapons tiers, but it’s still a LOT of fights. Some folks don’t know their own strength (Gandolph). Some folks have a very tough time f it (Fressa). Some folks are being overwhelmed by having to be the celebrity poster child of the entire tournament (Lynokis). And some folks are realizing that no matter what the outcome of this tournament, they’ll likely have to flee the country and start a new life somewhere else (Anzel). Needless to say, you can guess who the assassins are after.

One of the better things I liked about this was seeing folks realize how different a fight is when it’s under the pressure of a match, and especially when you aren’t actually supposed to murder your opponent. A few really strong folks end up losing as they struggle to not kill anyone, and Fressa manages to win her fight only because of that rule. Some fighters are going to get better fast. That said, Nia’s students are clearly a cut above the rest, and it shows – the comedic highlights of the book were Gandolph accidentally breaking the leg of his opponent by just putting up a chi defense, and Lynokis realizing that the adventurer she wanted to be like growing up is really just a violent thug, and one-shotting him in horror at her past self’s shallowness. The dramatic highlight is the finale, where we see an old assassin who is very very good at killing anyone he wants to but cannot fight against the horrors of normal aging. I wonder if we’ll see him again.

The 8th volume only came out in Japan last month, so it may be a bit will we get more. Till then, punching things, yay.

The Manga Review: Saturday Morning Cartoons

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If you’re a teacher, librarian, or parent, this week’s newsletter is for you! To celebrate Pride Month, manga experts from around the web have been highlighting great, queer-friendly titles for young adults. The all-librarian staff at No Flying No Tights, for example, just compiled an excellent list of nine LBGTQ-friendly titles for older teens that touch on many aspects of the queer experience, from first love to gay marriage and gender dysphoria. For readers more interested in queer-friendly manga for women, Alex Henderson has a short but thoughtful list of yuri titles that run the gamut from After Hours to She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat. Also worth a look is Cy Catwell’s in-depth discussion of Run Away With Me, Girl, about a pair of young women who buck societal expectations about love, marriage, and family to find their own pathway to happiness.

NEWS AND VIEWS

File this under It’s About Time: Dark Horse announced that it will be publishing a new, deluxe edition of Lone Wolf and Cub with unflipped pages and oversize trim. Look for the first volume in March 2026. [ICv2]

In other licensing news, Graphix will publish Spider-Man: Shadow Warrior, a manga that finds Peter Parker and friends transported to feudal Japan. The title, which is aimed at elementary and middle-school readers, arrives on shelves in September. [ICv2]

What LBGTQ+ manga would you like to see make the leap from print to screen? [Anime Feminist]

Once again, Jocelyne Allen highlights a manga that isn’t available in English, but really ought to be: Cats~Yojo-han Bura Bura Bushi~. [Brain vs. Book]

Lace up your skates: Deb, David, Chip, and Christoper debate the merits of Dogsred, a melodramatic sports manga from the creator of Golden Kamuy. [Mangasplaining]

REVIEWS

The latest Reader’s Corner covers everything from seventh volume of My Girlfriend’s Child to the first installment of Kaiju No. 8: B-Side… Giovanni Stigliano gives high marks to Neighborhood Craftsmen: Stories from Kanda’s Gokura-cho… and if you have a young cat lover in your house, check out A Library Girl’s review of A Man & His Cat Picture Book: Fukumaru and the Spaceship of Happiness.

New and Noteworthy

Complete, Ongoing, and OOP Series

* Final volume

Lady Rose Just Wants to Be a Commoner!, Vol. 3

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By Kooriame and Nami Hidaka. Released in Japan as “Lady Rose wa Heimin ni Naritai” by Kadokawa Beans Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Caroline W.

Content warning: this book is filled with suicide ideation, and has several attempts near the end, though none are successful.

I know that it’s not economically feasible and would not be popular, but sometimes when you get a light novel series like this I wish that it could have been one 800-page book. Or at least have all three come out on the same day. Because this third and final volume of the Lady Rose series really requires you to remember everything from the first two, and the series rewards going back and checking on certain scenes over and over again. That said, if you did what I did, and read the books as they came out, and tried to recall what was going on, you should still be okay here. Fii’s story is done, and she doesn’t even play a major role in this book till near the end. Unfortunately, that’s just in person. In the background, Fii trying to escape her noble life and become a commoner turns out to drive a heroine to dark, depressing thoughts. And that’s just when she’s five years old.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but our protagonist is hit by a truck (while pushing a girl out of the way of the same truck) and winds up in the world of Savior of Nations: Lady Rose. She is THRILLED. She doesn’t even care that she’s in the body of the villainess, Liliana. This means that she gets to see her favorite character, SETH! Immediately deciding to learn reading, writing, and proper etiquette, despite the reactions of her father and servants, she does succeed in meeting Seth, as well as Melvin, who she declares a “friend of convenience”. Unfortunately, when Liliana turns five, Felicia arrives on the scene, and Liliana gets an immediate lesson in the difference between one who tries her hardest and one who is simply perfect. Unfortunately, over the next ten years or so, this means that Liliana gradually loses her grip on reality.

The first few books already had a tinge of psychological horror. With this third book, it goes beyond tinge and gets into the deep waters. I haven’t seen a light novel get so far down the path of fucked-up narration since I Swear I Won’t Bother You Again!. Even when Liliana begins to realize the possible cause for her mindset… grief at her happy, loving life being cut senselessly down by a truck… she rationalizes that it’s too late now. The bulk of this book is Liliana trying to find a way to die. Fortunately, we know how that goes, as we read the second book, but still. This book also has a few surprises in store – notably one of the busiest Truck-kuns I’ve ever seen in an isekai – but for the most part it is best when focusing on Liliana’s desperate attempts to fix things, then fix everyone but herself. The one flaw is the almost total lack of Seth. The author says that having Seth in the book more would have given away the twist, and yeah, I guess, but I still think the impact of the end might have been better if he’d had a larger presence.

This series is now done, though I do wish we’d seen the stories that were only suggested where she apologizes to her maids. Liliana’s inability to really read people at all has affected her maids more than anyone else, and I hope they get some comfort and relief. As for Liliana herself, I think things will be fine now. She’s had magic bread, after all.

Manga the Week of 7/2/25

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SEAN: The second half of the year begins, appropriately, with a lot of stuff.

ASH: A belated Happy Solstice, everyone!

SEAN: The big light novel of the week is not an Airship title (and technically not a “light” novel), so we’ll have to wait. Till then, Airship does have the third volume of Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! in print.

And in early digital we see Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling 11 and The Too-Perfect Saint 3.

Cross Infinite World debuts I Want to Be a Saint, But I Can Only Use Attack Magic! (Seijo-sama ni Naritai no ni Kougeki Mahou shika Tsukaenain desu kedo!?). A young woman desperately wants to not be isolated. She wants to be a saint. But when she goes to magic academy, it turns out she can only use attack magic (men’s magic) and not healing magic (women’s magic) at all! I hope this kicks against gender binaries more than it sounds.

ASH: It would be great if it does.

SEAN: There’s also The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor 7.

Dark Horse has another Lovecraft title, The Colour Out of Space (Isekai no Shikisai), a one-shot which ran in Comic Beam. A spooky town with a spooky university gets a spooky meteorite. This is award-winning (the manga, that is).

ASH: Gou Tanabe’s Lovecraft adaptations have been excellent thus far; I expect this one to be no different.

SEAN: Ghost Ship has Tamamori’s Fantasies Never Stop! 2.

Random House is debuting a new imprint, Ink Pop. Their first title is a manga hardcover, I Wanna Be Your Girl (Kanojo ni Naritai Kimi to Boku). This ran in the magazine Ganma!. A girl has been in love with her childhood friends for years… but now finds that she identifies as female. Wanting to be supportive, she helps with her friend’s transition… and starts to dress as a man to see what it feels like. This is apparently a great LGBT title, and the imprint is being pitched for younger readers.

MICHELLE: Interesting!

ASH: Very! The manga itself as well as the emergence of yet another manga publisher!

ANNA: Great to see!

MJ: It’s been a while since I weighed in here, but uh… hello?? I might need this.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has one digital debut, a manga. Zero Damage Sword Saint (Kougekiryoku Zero kara Hajimeru Ken Hijiri Tan). Based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel, it’s about a young man who wants to be a magic swordsman. But it turns out he can only use healing and defensive magic! Running away from mockery to a magic academy, he probably finds life there a lot better than the woman in the CIW title above.

ASH: That’s probably true.

SEAN: There’s also, for light novels, From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman 7, Knight’s & Magic 7, The Otome Heroine’s Fight for Survival 5, and Yuri Tama: From Third Wheel to Trifecta 4.

And for manga we get The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases 7, The Brilliant Healer’s New Life in the Shadows 3, The Coppersmith’s Bride 6, My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! —AΩ— 11, The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World 6, The Retired Demon of the Maxed-Out Village 2, and Tearmoon Empire 8.

No debuts for Kodansha. In print we get The Dashing Zaddy and His Icy Protégé 2, In the Clear Moonlit Dusk 8, Thunder 3 5, and Wind Breaker 12.

Digitally we see Blue Lock 22, How to Grill Our Love 15, and Those Snow White Notes 30.

The big debut for Seven Seas is the debut of The Twelve Kingdoms novel, which had come out about 20 years ago but is getting a proper release now. They’re dividing the first book in half, and it has a new translation. A high school girl finds herself in another world, beset by dangers, and far more important than she expects. Can this overcome the fact that everything has tried to imitate it since its original release?

ASH: This series is fantastic; I am so incredibly excited that it’s being re-released! (And hopefully we get the whole thing this time.)

ANNA: Wow, I would love to be able to read the end of this series!

SEAN: Seven Seas also has a 5th volume of Heaven Official’s Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (the deluxe hardcover version).

Their first manga debut is BL Game Rebirth: My New Life as the Hero’s Younger Brother (BL Game no Shujinkou no Otouto de aru Koto ni Ki ga Tsukimashita). An office worker who loves BL dies and is reincarnated in her favorite game as the main character’s younger brother! …wait, the main character’s already hooked up? …wait, did he have a younger brother?

ASH: Hmmm…

SEAN: The second debut manga is a manwha. What It Means to Be You features a couple who are currently shunned and shamed by society. Our heroine, knowing everyone hates her, tries to kill herself… only to wake in her husband’s body! And he’s in hers! Can a Freaky Friday plot save their marriage?

ASH: Maybe it can!

ANNA: Worth a try!

SEAN: There’s also a new omnibus, Tokyo Revengers: Brilliant Full Color Edition.

Also from Seven Seas: 365 Days to the Wedding 8, The Ancient Magus’ Bride 20, Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord 5, Glasses with a Chance of Delinquent 3, Otaku Elf 9, Punch Drunk Love 3, Re-Living My Life with a Boyfriend Who Doesn’t Remember Me 4, A Tale of the Secret Saint 9, and Yakuza Reincarnation 13.

MICHELLE: Hooray for more of The Ancient Magus’ Bride!

ASH: Yes, indeed! (Though I do need to catch up…)

SEAN: Square Enix brings us Daemons of the Shadow Realm 8 and The God-Slaying Demon King 2.

Steamship has At Your Service in Another World 2 (the final volume).

Titan Manga debut Cosmic Censorship (Uchuu Kenetsukan), a mecha series from LINE Manga. A track girl suddenly finds herself involved with mysterious powers and needs to save the world.

ASH: This sort of thing seems to happen from time to time.

SEAN: Tokyopop debuts SANCTIFY: Lost Paradise, a sequel to the Sanctify BL series. Expect dark supernatural smut.

Udon is listed as having the second volume of Veil, which surprises me given how the first book just a) came out and b) sold out.

ASH: I did manage to get my hands on a copy; hopefully I can snag this volume, too.

ANNA: Yikes, I need to get this!

SEAN: Viz debuts Nue’s Exorcist (Nue no Onmyouji), a Weekly Shonen Jump title. A boy who can see spirits has tried to avoid them most of his life, but when asked by a spirit to defeat evil haunting his school, he gets swept up in adventure.

Also debuting is a sequel. The Demon Prince of Momochi House: Succession (Momochi-san Chi no Ayakashi Ouji: Tsugu) picks up where the last series left off. It also runs in Asuka.

MICHELLE: Huh. I don’t think I ever finished the first one.

ASH: I’m not sure I did either, but I enjoyed the volumes that I read.

ANNA: I actually finished it, I think! Will be curious to check this out.

SEAN: Also out: Blue Box 16, Blue Exorcist 31, Dark Gathering 14, Fushigi Yûgi: Byakko Senki 2, My Special One 10, One Piece 109, Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite 4, Pink Candy Kiss 2, Tamon’s B-Side 8, and Wolf Girl and Black Prince 14.

MICHELLE: Byakko Senki! It’s been almost five years since the first volume came out.

ANNA: Yay!!!!!!!!!

SEAN: Yen On debuts Who Killed the Hero? (Dare ga Yuusha wo Koroshita ka?), an award-winning light novel. The demon lord has been defeated, though it cost the hero’s life. Now, several years later, a writer doing a book on the hero’s party wonders… is that really what happened?

They also have Love Is Dark 3.

Yen Press debut The Hitman Stans (Koroshiya no Oshi), a seinen title from Harta. A hardcore hitman feared by all says he’s retiring… to devote his life to his favorite idol.

ASH: This could potentially be fun.

ANNA: It does sound fun.

SEAN: The other debut is I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class (Class de 2-banme ni Kawaii Onnanoko to Tomodachi ni natta). Based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel, it’s about a loner who discovers that his pretty classmate also likes B-movies, and they become secret friends. This runs in Comic Alive+.

And there’s also Spring Storm and Monster 3.

Too much manga? Maybe. But don’t buy all of it, just what you want!

Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement, Vol. 8

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By FUNA and Keisuke Motoe. Released in Japan as “Rōgo ni Sonaete Isekai de 8-Man-Mai no Kinka o Tamemasu” by K Lanove Books. Released in North America by Kodansha Books. Translated by Luke Hutton.

(A reminder that the English Vol. 8 is the equivalent of the Japanese Vol. 9.)

I mentioned last time that I think the series has gotten into a bit of a rut, and while this volume does not remotely solve that issue, it is nice to see the author deliberately leaning into the rut. The first long-ish chapter has Beatrice reminding Mitsuha that she was promised an even bigger party when she comes of age, which means Mitsuha has to whip out fireworks and light shows and the like. This infuriates Sabine, who notes that when *she* comes of age in three years or so, Mitsuha will need to get even GRANDER! Likewise, Mitsuha’s promise to keep a princess safe are taken as keeping her KINGDOM safe, and Mitsuha deciding to solve the problem using only her own men and minimal deaths means the winning nation can’t take any advantage of it. Mitsuha is a realistic isekai protagonist – in that she never thinks ahead.

This book, like a lot of this series, is divided into chunks that may as well be short stories. 1) The above story, where Mitsuha is asked to pull out all the stops for Beatrice’s coming of age party; 2) Mitsuha talks with an Earth scholar about ways to analyze the other world… and things that she didn’t think of when inviting other scientists over there; 3) The empire who attacked last time is now desperate, and decides to attack a different kingdom… one which has Princess Reina (remember her? Princess Kaa-Kaa-Kaa?), who Mitsuha promised to help if she was in danger, which means we need to resort to attack helicopters; 4) One of Mitsuha’s young noble lady-run businesses is attacked, the young lady has her arm broken and face beaten, and a guard is killed. Sadly, the cops and the nobles are on the side of the company that did this, which means it’s time for Mitsuha to snap and go on a roaring rampage of revenge.

I’ve called this series the “Easy Mode” of the three FUNA series, and I still think that. Compared to Mile, and DEFINITELY compared to Kaoru, Mitsuha gets off very lightly. Her dimensional travel has become so blase she not only talks about how she’s managed to teleport herself while leaving her sweat behind, but has to clarify that she does not leave behind her poop – though she does teleport to Japan to use the toilet every time. These are the little details of Mitsuha’s life that I did not need to know. Likewise, her desire to have as few people die as possible in a dangerous war between nations contrasts nicely with her swearing of total vengeance on the company that murdered and beat employees in her company. Mitsuha may grump about everyone thinking she’s twelve, but she acts like it much of the time, especially when someone goes after anything she cares about. Of the three series, this is the one most likely to end with the world being destroyed by a temper tantrum.

Next time apparently Colette is attacked, so we may see even more of this. You know what I’m about to say. Recommended for FUNA fans.

Dahlia in Bloom: Crafting a Fresh Start with Magical Tools ~Side Stories~

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By Hisaya Amagishi and Kei. Released in Japan as “Madougushi Dahlia wa Utsumukanai” by MF Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by A.M. Cola.

I like to think that Dahlia in Bloom is a reasonably popular series. It’s gotten a manga and an anime (let’s not talk about the anime). That said, it’s not ludicrously popular with trivia-loving nerds. This is no Re: Zero or A Certain Magical Index. As such, when it comes to wiki power, Dahlia is lacking. Which makes it unfortunate when you’re reading a volume filled with side stories, only a few of which focus on Dahlia and Volf, and I kept thinking to myself “have I seen this character before? Have they been a minor character in the series I’d simply forgotten as they aren’t plot-relevant, or have they been especially written for this volume?”. This is especially true with all the wives we meet in this volume. The main series, and its spinoff, both run on, primarily, an utter lack of romantic progress. Dahlia is oblivious, Lucia is too job-focused. As such, a lot of this book seems devoted to giv9ing us actual happy romantic ends.

This is a short story volume, so there’s no real plot to speak of. The only stories that connect to each other are one or two “we get this from one perspective, then the other side” twofers, and one story where Volf is convinced to buy fancy, scented stationary to send letters to Dahlia, who keeps every single one in her room. You know, like besties do. Other than that, we see how Grato met his wife (she’s been waiting for him to get a clue), how Gildo met his wife (he fell for her, unthinkingly, when she was six years old… no, not like that), Ivano trying to run away from his future wife (he fails), how craftsman Fermo met his wife (she’s the granddaughter of his master, but they’d never seen each other before), how Irma got her husband (the family had to approve), and how Oswald got to be the silver fox (being bullied is different when you’re in a noble society).

That last one is the longest story in the book, and it reminds you that while a whole hell of a lot of light novels deal with nobles and the different tiers between them, none of them quite drench themselves in the culture quite like Dahlia in Bloom. Dahlia herself is finally getting her barony, so might be able to marry Volf… except his family is also getting elevated. Back to square one. Oswald having a girl date him on a bet ends up with the girl AND the two nobles who forced her to do it all getting punished, while the humiliation forces Oswald to throw off his family’s kid gloves and give himself a makeover. Volf is forced to learn about noble etiquette, and he’s absolutely terrible at it. Yes, the main reason this is the slowest of slow burns is because Dahlia’s lack of self-esteem causes her to throw Volf into the friend zone, but there are also real reasons why nothing has happened just yet.

We’re back to the main series next time, as Dahlia finally meets barony. Will this mean anything new? Probably not. Will she get to dance with Volf, and maybe have some really good alcohol? Most definitely.

The Countess Is a Coward No More! This Reincarnated Witch Just Wants a Break, Vol. 3

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By Ageha Sakura and TCB. Released in Japan as “Tensei Saki ga Kiyowa Sugiru Hakushaku Fujin datta” by Overlap Novels f. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Bérénice Vourdon.

In this volume, we get a flashback to Aurora’s childhood. She grew up in a village that was terrified of her massive magical power and her insatiable curiosity to use it. Her parents wanted nothing to do with her. The mayor essentially sold her to an elf as a research subject. Fortunately, that went well… till her master just up and left one day, leaving Aurora to handle all the magic requests on her own, taking in three disciples. We meet the third of these disciples in this book, Lance, and he too is a former research subject who was rescued, this time by Aurora. Even now that she’s reincarnated, she had a terrible childhood where she was abused by everyone, and even after getting her memories back struggles with any overtures of affection. The main problem with Aurora *and* her proteges is that they still have the emotional capacity of children a great deal of the time. They don’t know how to ask for help, or forgive.

Things continue to go downhill for Char and Lam. They do manage to escape from her first protege, mostly as he gets into a petty battle with her second protege. Unfortunately, the kingdom wants to pile on more work, reasoning that working mages to death is what people are supposed to do. Oh yes, and the church is still being a thorn in everyone’s side… especially when it turns out that her THIRD protege, Lance, is the head of the church. He couldn’t reincarnate himself with the magic he had, so he simply made a deal to learn how to live for over 500 years. All of them want to show Lam that they’re the best and she should stay with them (though Lance, at least, will allow Char to be first husband). That said, there’s a Big Bad behind all of this, and he turns out to be… wait for it… another protege! Not Aurora’s this time, though.

This was better than the second book, mostly as I was able to see better the reason that everyone in the cast is, to a greater or lesser extent, a whiny manbaby. Char discovering that Aurora is actually Lam went much better than both the reader and Lam herself expected, and he is finally – finally! – able to convey to her by the end of the book that the reason he keeps hugging, kissing, and saying he’s fond of her is he loves her. The second half of the book is less “let’s have a big magic battle” and more “let’s try not to have Lam kill herself the exact same way that Aurora did five hundred years ago”, which relies on convincing her that it’s OK to rely on others and that sometimes they can protect themselves. When you’re used to doing it all, realizing someone else can do it to can be very hard.

The webnovel ended here, but apparently there’s more of this coming. I still prefer the Lady Bumpkin series by the same author, but this was a decent new volume.

Haibara’s Teenage New Game+, Vol. 8

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By Kazuki Amamiya and Gin. Released in Japan as “Haibara-kun no Tsuyokute Seishun New Game” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Esther Sun.

Stage fright (I’m sorry, I just can’t bring myself to call it “the yips”) is a terrifying thing that can happen to even the most experienced performers, and though it may not always lead to literal fainting spells like what happens in this book, it’s something that can’t really be solved by just pure gumption. Unfortunately, Nanase plans to do just that. She may now be inspired to try to get over her issues and try again, but that doesn’t mean that the same dark fears don’t come to the fore when she makes the effort – and the fears she’s thinking of may not be the ones actually causing the problem. Fortunately, in addition to the magical protagonist powers of Natsuki and Hikari, she has actual medical professional help, which makes this one of the rare Japanese light novel series where there are therapists. I am pleased. Admittedly, that makes the climax of this book a bit less dramatic than a big punch out, but you can’t have that every book.

It’s almost time for our cast’s third year of high school, and as with a lot of Japanese high school, they have to make the choice: science or arts? They know this will mean being separated in some way, but so goes life. As it turns out, Nanase seems to be choosing a different path than in Natsuki’s first life, as she’s going to try again to do a piano competition. She used to be a prodigy, just like her mother, but a couple years ago she got terrified and passed out, and since then she hasn’t been able to play for an audience. But seeing Natsuki’s band has made her want to try again. Speaking of the band, they’re getting offers to open for bigger bands, and Natsuki now has to make a serious decision: does he want to pursue a career in music in this second life?

I must admit, I was *so* relieved when Nanase admittedly that she saw Natsuki as what a big brother must be like. First of all, it made all the NTR and threesome jokes being bandied about in this volume actually funny, as opposed to worrying. For another, I think there have already been a few too many people attracted to Natsuki in this series, and we don’t need more, especially as I’m still worried about his future with Hikari. So is he, in fact, as when he sees she’s chosen a pen name for her books that uses his own name, and he worries that she may come to regret that if they split up. To her, of course, this is a horrifying thing to say, as they’re 2-gether 4-ever and would never split up, but Natsuki has a few more years experience, and has seen teenage love turn sour. That said… I can’t see this series ending that realistically and bittersweet after all the volumes we’ve had. I think they should be fine.

I think the 9th volume is out soon, but it’s likely another 6-7 month wait till the next one. Which will start the “final arc”. Romcom fans should be very happy with this.

The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain, Vol. 5

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By Bakufu Narayama and Ebisushi. Released in Japan as “Danzaisareta Akuyaku Reijō wa, Gyakkō-shite Kanpekina Akujo o Mezasu” by TO Books. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Alyssa Niioka. Adapted by Lex Reno.

Content warning: this book’s main plot contains, and my review discusses, pedophilia, grooming, and brainwashing people through drugs and gang rape. The last two are implied but not seen, the first two are definitely seen. Reader discretion is advised.

I’ve called these books difficult to read before, but none of them quite hit like the middle of this book, in which Claudia has to deal with a village of people whose “Chieftess” (does that word get gendered?) is easily one of the worst antagonists in the series to date – see above for why. Fortunately, this is what Claudia and Sylvester are here to fix, though both of them castigate themselves that they didn’t even know it was happening till she conveniently got kidnapped. Sometimes being royalty means finding out about problems that people are deliberately keeping from you. Especially when they’re once again a plan of Nigel’s, the series’ overall big bad, who isn’t in this book but whose presence is felt. Corruption turns out to be – literally – an incredible drug.

By now everyone agrees that the running for the fiancee position is over, and Claudia and Sylvester’s engagement party date is set. Unfortunately, before this can happen, Claudia and Helen – out on the town incognito, with Claudia also disguised as a maid – run into a boy who is dressed as a child detective – because he is one, in fact – and he’s on the run from some goons. They quickly hide in a cart… which then drives off to a remote village, and that village turns out to be the one the boy (Kiel) was investigating. (Helen was able to get away and is getting help.) They find the villagers are all very happy and content… a bit TOO happy and content. The whole village feels a bit like The Stepford Wives. What’s more, people seem to occasionally disappear for no reason. What’s really going on?

So yeah, as indicated earlier, things are very screwed up in this book. What started as a discovery of a pain reliever that allows the village to make a bit of extra cash has suddenly become a village-wide “ritual” when the girls in the village have their first period or the boys have their first “nocturnal emission” to drug them with an aphrodisiac and then have the others in the village rape them till they grow happy with it. The girls in the village who have NOT gone through this yet are quick to side with Claudia and Kiel. The chieftess in particular is a hedonist and pedophile, who literally gropes Kiel to see if his balls have dropped, and openly leers at Claudia. The book is well written as always, and help arrives in the nick of time. But I have to ask, was this trip really necessary?

The series is still ongoing in Japan, and a glance at the blurbs of future books suggests things don’t get easier for Claudia even after her engagement. Hopefully, though, they involve a few less things for me to warn the reader about.

A Tale of the Secret Saint, Vol. 8

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

I’ve talked before about how Fia has this odd canny intuition and ability to connect the dots combined with an absolute ironclad airheaded dumbassness. This may be the volume where the reader’s tolerance of this is pushed to the absolute limit, though things are not helped by others around her also failing to get a clue either. It’s not quite Airheadception, but I was thinking that. The main plotline in this book revolves around Fia simply not understanding, despite seeing evidence of it for the last seven books before this, that the saint powers are a lot less powerful than they were in the past. (Indeed, we hear in a side story that she was ludicrously more powerful in the past as well, but things HAVE decayed.) This means that all her attempts to brush off what she thinks are minor use of saint powers to heal someone up turn out to be astonishing miracles to everyone around her – including a crowd of commoners. She’s VERY close to finally blowing her cover.

We open with Fia and Charlotte meeting the current frontrunner to be Head Saint, Priscilla, and boy, she has a chip on her shoulder and does not like Fia at ALL. Fia barely notices this, of course. Fia then has a bit more of the world explained for her, but not enough to make much of a difference, as she suddenly decides o put on a show when she hears that Commander Saviz will be marrying a saint soon. And who better to ask for ideas about how to entertain then the jesters we met in the previous book… who are the literal king and the top duke in the country, but Fia barely pays attention to this. They have their own agenda, however, which is to dress Fia like a saint and parade her around. Their goal is to get more info about how she found the rose that supposedly had been extinct since 300 years ago, but everything goes to hell when they run into a noble with a dying daughter – a noble that the two jesters seem to hate.

As ever with this book, I tend to appreciate the moments when it gets a bit more serious. We hear about Duke Alcott’s younger sister, who supposedly died ten years past but in reality is in a coma, and is also the reason that the king has been getting younger by the year. We get a few flashbacks with Colette, and honestly she reminds me a lot of Fia – I bet they’d get along great. Unfortunately, when Colette was dying, an earl opposed them using the powers of a saint to try to heal her. As a result, now that the earl has a dying daughter (who is also a saint) himself, their first thought is petty revenge. Fortunately, Fia may be an airhead but she’s also airhead Jesus, so you know there’s no way she’s going to do anything other than heal her using ridiculously powerful magic and then hem and haw about how she did it. Fia is Big Dumb, but also Big Good.

Things are left a bit cliffhangerey, so it’s not clear if Fia is going to be able to wake up Colette, or if this is finally the straw that breaks the camel’s back and gives away that she’s a reincarnation. Recommended to those who love to see the most powerful tennen boke in the world.

The Manga Review: Simply the Best

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On Tuesday, Anime NYC and the Japan Society announced the nominees for the 2025 American Manga Awards. Thirty-five series and individuals were nominated in categories that ran the gamut from Best New Manga to Best Publication Design. Three titles—Ashita No Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow, The Legend of Kamui, and Search and Destroy—were nominated in multiple categories including Best Continuing Series, Best New Edition of Classic Manga, and Best Lettering. While the winners will be determined by popular vote, voting eligibility is limited to “professionals working in an editorial capacity as employees or freelancers with English language manga publishers.” Click here for more information.

NEWS AND VIEWS

If you’re still reading One Piece on MangaPark, now is a great time to explore this handy list of websites where you can access manga legally. “Whether you prefer reading on your phone or computer, in English, French, Thai, or another language, or prefer free access, subscriptions, virtual currency systems, or just buying digital volumes outright, this guide covers it all,” compiler Matias De la Piedra notes. “Hopefully, you’ll find a platform that truly fits your reading style.” [The Beat]

If you’re feeling nostalgic for the aughts, I have good news for you: Yen Press and Kodansha will be releasing CLAMP Official Art Books this fall. [The Outerhaven]

Manga Mavericks just added three more titles to its summer 2025 line-up: Now No One Lurks Beneath the Snow, The Murderer and Her Runaway Desire, and Senpai no Kohai. [The Outerhaven]

Brigid Alverson files a report on the latest developments in the Diamond Comic Distributors saga. [The Comics Journal]

David and Jordan take Donten Prism Solar Car for a test drive. [Shonen Flop]

The Manga Machinations crew debate the merits of Mujina Into the Deep, Welcome Back Alice, and Vampeerz. [Manga Machinations]

Naoki Urasawa dropped by Chiba Tetsuya‘s studio for a lengthy conversation with the creator of Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow. In Japanese with English subtitles. [NHK]

Ayumi Naraoka and Jon Holt translate a passage from Shimizu Isao’s Hokusai Manga: The Origin of Manga. In their preface, Naraoka and Holt note “the essay helps provide more information about how Hokusai developed his signature and bestselling picture-book series, copies of which made it to Europe in the early half of the 19th century and would go on to influence Western painters, such as Van Gogh, Manet, and Monet.” [The Comics Journal]

REVIEWS

The latest Reader’s Corner offers a smorgasbord of short reviews… Ashley Hawkins posts a glowing assessment of The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy at All… and Erica Friedman describes S.I.R. as “a fast-paced, electric comic that seamlessly integrates a bunch of things lesbians love: Utena, absurd dueling hierarchies, motorcycles and a heroine named Sir Athene.”

New and Noteworthy

Continuing, Complete, and OOP Series

Mercedes and the Waning Moon: The Dungeoneering Feats of a Discarded Vampire Aristocrat, Vol. 2

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By Fire head and KeG. Released in Japan as “Kaketa Tsuki no Mercedes: Kyūketsuki no Kizoku ni Tensei Shita kedo Suteraresō nanode Dungeon wo Seiha suru” by TO Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Maddy Willette.

This series, I think, knows that it has to work harder to make me really enjoy it. Normally, if I’m reading something about two extremely unlikable assholes competing to see who can outdo the other, I’m likely to wander off the reservation before long. Mercedes at least knows that she lacks any empathy (and was much the same in her prior life), but does not seem to care enough to actually fix it – well, consciously, at least. But in this volume we get the character this series has desperately needed, which is a big shiny ball of honesty and “why can’t everyone just get along” that is in awe of our protagonist and determined to befriend the hell out of her. It’s not going anywhere, but I ship them. Secondly, this author has just the right amount of sass in their narration. If you name a character Hannah Burger, you’d better follow through, and they do.

Mercedes knows the secrets of this world, and also knows that it runs on RPG cliches to an extent, so she and the reader should not be surprised at where we’re headed next: yup, it’s off to the academy to have to deal with arrogant nobles and … well, more arrogant nobles. That said, “quiet school life while I learn more about how this country actually functions” is exactly Mercedes’ goal, so she’s quick to agree. On the way there, she casually saves the fifth prince of the country from certain death, and it turns out he’s the only other student in her grade that might hold a candle to her. She even has a goody roommate whose name sounds delicious. (See above.) Unfortunately, her father has Big Plans for her, and those big plans do not involve the first son Felix, who knows he’s lost but doesn’t know what to do about it yet. Will he follow the same path as his brother did in the first book?

No, thankfully, and it might be the best scene in the book that doesn’t involve Mercedes or the prince. Felix is confronted with a “aren’t you a bit jealous, don’t you want to show them all?” decision. Even better, the villains even know he’s not going to accept so outright tell him they’re going to mind control him to do it. I like when everyone lays out not just their evil plans but also their backup evil plans. That said, Felix is NOT his brother, and while right now I have no idea how he’s going to prevail in this battle, at least he doesn’t fold like a card table. As fr the rest of the book… honestly, Mercedes reminds me of Mile from MMAA if Mile were a stoic sociopath. They’re even both nerdy about weird things and have weird naming sense. I wonder if the author has read FUNA?

I agree with the main premise of this volume, which is that rather than “get stronger grr”, Mercedes needs friends in order to survive in this world. Unfortunately, so far she only has the one. we’ll see what happens next time.

Manga the Week of 6/25/25

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SEAN: How is June already getting away from us?

ASH: I don’t know and I’m not sure I like it.

We start off with Yen Press, which has finally located most of its June releases. We start off with Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian (Tokidoki Bosotto Roshiago de Dereru Tonari no Alya-san), whose light novel has been coming out so long I’d assumed the manga was long-since licensed. It runs in Magazine Pocket.

ASH: I thought that title sounded familiar.

SEAN: Dara-san of Reiwa (Reiwa no Dara-san) is a supernatural comedy from Comic Walker. Two siblings meet a terrifying yokai… who they are not all that terrified by. And give a cute nickname. The cover makes me suspect this has a lot of fanservice.

ASH: Hmmm… the premise intrigues me at least.

SEAN: The Heroic Tale of the Villainous Prince (Akuyaku Ouji no Eiyuutan) is a villainess story, only with a villain, and runs in Dengeki Comic Regulus. A third prince hated for his dark hair and eyes… and, let’s face it, attitude… comes across his older brother in the middle of (sigh) breaking off his engagement in public. So the third prince decides to make her his fiancee instead.

Isekai Samurai runs, appropriately, in Isekai Comic. A samurai warrior is desperate to find a strong opponent… so desperate, in fact, that she ends up in another world, battling a dragon.

ASH: That’s one way to do it.

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki’s Conjecture 6, Bride of the Barrier Master 4, Bungo Stray Dogs: Wan! 11, Coffee Moon 6 (the final volume), The Color of the End: Mission in the Apocalypse 2, The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess 12, Daughter of the Emperor 11, Friday at the Atelier 4 (the final volume), Handyman Saitou in Another World 7, Honey Lemon Soda 9, Honey Trap Shared House 5, Imitation 6, In Another World with My Smartphone 14, Interspecies Reviewers 10, Is the Order a Rabbit? 3, Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler – 18, Konosuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! 19, Lycoris Recoil 3, No Longer Heroine 9, Please Put Them On, Takamine-san 9, Riviere and the Land of Prayer 3 (the final volume), The Saga of Tanya the Evil 26, The Three-Body Problem 3, and Victoria of Many Faces 2.

MICHELLE: I should check back in with No Longer Heroine at some point.

ANNA: I should check back in with Honey Lemon Soda.

ASH: So. Many. Titles.

SEAN: Viz Media has Fist of the North Star 17 and My Name Is Shingo: The Perfect Edition 5.

ASH: Excellent.

SEAN: Tokyopop gives us a 6th volume of Our Not-So-Lonely Planet Travel Guide.

Titan Manga debut Yan, a Taiwanese title that is a brutal action mystery series about a woman who was falsely accused and is apparently dead, but has come back with superpowers.

ASH: And a very striking cover.

SEAN: They also have ATOM: The Beginning 11 and Dopeman 2.

Steamship debuts Sweet Heat Before Falling in Love: The CEO and His Fated Omega (Koi Suru Mae ni, Amai Hatsujou. – Shachou to Unmei no Omega), an omegaverse title from Otomitsu Mangosteen. An omega hiding her status goes into heat and has anonymous sex with a perfect alpha… if only she knew who he was! (Hint: it’s in the title.)

ANNA: Is it the CEO??????????????

ASH: No way!!

SEAN: Seven Seas has a danmei debut, so I’ll start with that. Dinghai Fusheng Records is another series about two young men who have to try to stop the entire universe exploding and also fall in love. This also has a special edition with a double-sided bookmark, a lined notebook, a set of five trading cards, and a sticker sheet.

ASH: Sounds like a challenge. (And also a very nice release.)

SEAN: Also danmei: Peerless 4.

Seven Seas manga debuts? BLACK BLOOD is a BL manga from Canna, complete in one volume. A cyborg who wonders if he really has a human heart meets a sweet scientist.

MICHELLE: Huh.

ASH: I’ll admit to being curious.

SEAN: Himegasaki Sakurako Is a Hot Mess (Himegasaki Sakurako wa Kyoumo Fubin Kawaii!) is from the creator of I Get The Feeling That Nobukuni-san Likes Me, and runs in Comic Cune. Sakurako is cute, curvy, and everyone loves her… except her childhood friend, who is in love with another girl!

Wolf’s Daughter: A Werewolf’s Tale (Ookami no Musume) is a shoujo manga from Flowers (!), from the creator of Kids on the Slope, a popular “license this, it won’t sell but I want it!” title. A young woman finds that she’s a werewolf, and now has to figure out what that really means and how to live with it.

ASH: This one caught my eye even before I knew about the Kids on the Slope connection.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Don’t Call it Mystery 13-14, I Got Caught Up In a Hero Summons, but the Other World was at Peace! 9, Imaginary 3, Lazy Dungeon Master 11, Royal Tailor: Clothier to the Crown 4, and There’s No Freaking Way I’ll be Your Lover! Unless… 7.

MICHELLE: Insert continued happiness over Yumi Tamura.

ANNA: Indeed!!!!!

SEAN: One Peace Books gives us Nukozuke! 4.

Kodansha Books has Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement 8.

Kodansha Manga debuts Snegurochka of the Spring Breeze (Harukaze no Snegurochka), a new title from the creator of Blade of the Immortal and Wave, Listen to Me!. It’s complete in one volume, and ran in Manga Erotics f. Two kids try to help someone escape from the secret police in the Soviet Union, but they are captured and tortured. This is an award winner.

MICHELLE: And it has a really gorgeous cover!

ANNA: Cool!

ASH: I’m here for it.

SEAN: Also in print: Bless 5, Blue Lock 19, Grand Blue Dreaming 22, Nina the Starry Bride 10, and Shangri-La Frontier 17.

And digitally we see Am I Actually the Strongest? 14, Drops of God: Mariage 13, Elegant Yokai Apartment Life 30, and Gamaran: Shura 32.

Kaiten Books has a 12th volume of the Loner Life in Another World manga digitally.

J-Novel Club have a print release for My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! ―AO― 8.

No digital debuts for J-Novel Club. On the light novel side, they have By the Grace of the Gods 16, The Countess Is a Coward No More! 3, Dahlia in Bloom ~Side Stories~, Formerly, the Fallen Daughter of the Duke 5, Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash 20, Infinite Dendrogram 22, Lady Rose Just Wants to Be a Commoner 3 (the final volume), and Nia Liston 7.

And for manga we get Death’s Daughter and the Ebony Blade 5, Demon Lord, Retry! R 7, The Engagement of Marielle Clarac 8, Flung into a New World? Time to Lift the 200-Year Curse! 2, A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life 6, Stuck in a Time Loop 4, and Sweet Reincarnation 11.

ASH: That’s a pretty decent J-Novel haul.

SEAN: HarperAlley, a HarperCollins imprint, debuts Plus-Sized Misadventures in Love! (Debu to Love to Ayamachi to!), a shoujo title from Koisuru Soiree. A shy young woman thinks of herself as fat and ugly, but after a car accident affects her memories, suddenly she’s a lot more confident. This is a romcom, with the publisher saying it’s in the vein of A Silent Voice and Perfect World.

ANNA: Hmmm. Maybe.

ASH: Agreed.

SEAN: Ghost Ship has a third and final volume of The Hungry Succubus Wants to Consume Him.

Retailers say Denpa Books have Short Game: Mitsuru Adachi’s Baseball Short Story Collection out next week. This is a collection of short stories by a classic manga artist about the subject he loves best.

MICHELLE: I am so looking forward to this.

ANNA: Me too!!!!!!

SEAN: Also listed as coming out next week is Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family 6.

No print for Airship, but we do see Free Life Fantasy Online: Immortal Princess 9 and Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! 3 in early digital.

OK, that’s pretty huge! Publishers trying to squeeze titles in before the end of the fiscal year. What are you buying?

Invaders of the Rokujouma!?, Vol. 47

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

I’ve talked before – in fact, I think it was the last review – about how this series started as a romantic comedy and then became a battle manga, but really, this is shonen in every possibly way. Its entire reason for being is “whatever teenage boys want”, be that a series where about a dozen different women all fall for the hero, or a space battle with lots of pew-pew light shows. Here we also see that it’s a baseball series much of the time, as Koutarou and Kenji end up experimenting with psychic powers and pitching. And it’s also a giant robot show, as the new, extra special Blue Knight craft is a literal transforming giant robot, mostly as everyone thinks it’s really cool. About the only thing this doesn’t have that a teenage boy would want is fanservice – frankly, this remains one of the most G-rated series ever. As for the volume itself? It’s one of those “win the battle, lose the war” type books.

After a brief downtime in which, as noted, Koutarou experiments with super-powered baseball, and Nalfa tries to work up the courage to nudge her way into this polycule, everyone heads over to the debut of the brand new battleship, which is absolutely huge, has all the new bells and whistles, and inspires a spirited conversation about what the difference is between the bridge and the sub-bridge. Immediately after its inauguration, though, there’s an emergency, and they have to go off to rescue an embattled outpost. Unfortunately, this all turns out to be a plot devised by the Grey Knight. In fact, it’s three different plots devised by the Grey Knight, and while two of them fail, the most important one does not. Now Koutarou is going to have to go to war with… well, let’s face it, the reader has known who the Grey Knight really is for a while now.

After several books where she was barely present, I am delighted to announce the return of the “Yurika Watch”, where I gush about my favorite character some more. I had to laugh that we got the “he he, Yurika is goofy comedy relief” scene over with within half a page, but it’s a good thing we did, as she really has to pull out all the stops this time around. Of note, every time she’s serious and planning ahead, the others look concerned (with the exception of Nana). Yurika being an airhead is their bellwether of “all is well”, so seeing her this competent and skilled makes them a bit sad. Not me, though, praise her more. The others all do well, of course, and everyone gets to show off their fighting skills. Unfortunately, their desire to get the non-combatants out of the action comes back to bite them in the ass. On the bright side, it might allow Nalfa to find a way into that polycule a bit faster once this is over.

I hate to say this, kids – we’re caught up with Japan. Fortunately, this was a very good volume to go out on. The next book is the 50th, counting the two .5 volumes, so I expect they want to do something special.