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The Reincarnator and the Goblin Maiden’s Happily Ever After: Using a Past Life to Keep a Joyful Wife, Vol. 1

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By Shinten-Shinchi and Tokima. Released in Japan as “Goblin Reijō to Tensei Kizoku ga Shiawase ni Naru Made: Konyakusha no Tame no Zense Chishiki no Jōzu na Tsukaikata” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Geirrlon Dunn.

Before we start, I really enjoyed one of the big twists in this book, and am going to have to discuss it, but I’ll put it after the cover image, so spoiler FYI.

And since I’m going to be talking about something I love as a spoiler, let’s start the review with something I loved less. This is, for the most part, a very good book, and I enjoyed both lead characters, their cool families, and their battle maids. But it does have a plot that I have always hated whenever I see it in both Eastern and Western books, TV< movies, manga, etc., which is the "if you're being bullied, the best thing to do is to get mentally stronger". Now, this isn't quite as bad as some – Ana's appearance is not, as of this first volume, something she can control, and we're given a real reason she doesn't simply tell an authority figure (in this case her mother). And the bullies do get theirs. But they only get theirs after Ana steps up and stops acting bullied. That leaves me conflicted.

Our protagonist is Ginorious, aka Gino. The fourth son of a viscount, he’s a commoner merchant due to being unable to inherit the title. Fortunately, he’s able to rely on his past memories from when he lived in Japan to help his business take off. Then one day his family get a marriage proposal from a duke’s family – i.e., they can’t turn this down. The family want him to marry their daughter Anastasia, who, due to a curse, has a lumpy forehead, long pointed ears, and green skin. She looks very much like a goblin, and has acquired a nasty nickname. Her other marriage partners were disgusted with her and treated her horribly the moment they were out of parental range. Fortunately for her, in his past life in Japan, Gino also had a terrible facial appearance, and spent his whole long life alone and unloved. So like hell he’ll let that happen to her.

So yeah. Let’s face it, when you hear “reincarnated from Japan”, you expect it to be, well, OUR Japan. And nothing in the first seventy pages or so says otherwise, except the occasional hint that Gino wears a mysterious ring. But as it turns out, the Japan he’s from is filled with magic, golems, etc. In fact, he was a golem engineer in Japan for most of his previous life. And what’s more, in Japan they knew a lot more about exactly what Ana’s curse is – it means she’s got far too much mana. Unfortunately, this isn’t Ehrenfest, and Ana cannot simply pour mana into various instruments until she’s better. Indeed, this world doesn’t really “get” mana that much. But it does mean that he knows a possible way forward. This was a great twist that helped distract me from “of course this will end with them curing her and she’ll be gorgeous”, which seems to be the actual long-term plot.

for the most part, this is really sweet and syrupy. It’s less good in the second half, not just from the bullying and more that I’m a bit sick to death of the school full of nobles by now. But it’s still a strong debut, and I will happily read a second volume.

The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain, Vol. 3

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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 Vida Cruz-Borja.

The general premise of “heroine goes back in time to her earlier self” stories, which Japan calls Yarinaoshi Loop, is that our protagonist tries to change things in order to change the future and in the end ends up changing everyone else’s lives for the better as well. Sometimes this ends up being the entire kingdom, where we see her do things like unite various kingdoms and solve famine (looking at you, Mia). But occasionally our heroine has a narrower focus. Claudia, in her first lifetime, ended up being sold into a brothel, and had firsthand experience of what a wretched life it is, as well as how, for so many women, there may be no other choice. We’ve already seen her rescue Helen from that life in the first book, and in the second book disguise herself to invest in the brothel she used to work in. But she’s not done. Here we see she wants to make sex work legal. Light novels rarely venture into this area.

(As a side note, if your villainess does not look at least as hot as Claudia does in that suit and hat on the front cover, try harder.)

There’s another foreign prince arriving in town, this one from fantasy… Britain? Denmark? One of those. Prince Seraphim is there to visit Sylvester. They have a Church problem – Seraphim’s nation is not monotheistic, and therefore the church which rules over Sylvester’s nation, as well as most of the others, dislikes them and won’t trade with them at normal prices. Seraphim is looking for allies. Meanwhile, Claudia accidentally murmuring about business when she’s thinking about ways to save the sex workers means her father gifts her a business to run – actually, more accurately an entire shopping center. And wouldn’t you know it, it’s in Seraphim’s home country! Now they’re all traveling to try to do various things, the most important of which may be to stop the evil church guy that always pops up in Japanese light novels.

The most interesting part of this book, aside from its putting the plight of sex workers front and center, is the addition of the cardinal, Nigel. Towards the end of the volume, the book felt it was moving far too fast, and I briefly wondered if it was a two-parter. That’s not the case, but I get the feeling that the author realized as they were writing Nigel that he made a great antagonist for Claudia now that Fermina is out of the picture. Nigel fills a lot of villain tropes – besides being a churchman who loves luxury and will happily kill women and children to get minions to obey him, he’s also dreadfully bored and regards Claudia, an unexpected element, as a challenge. Clearly we’ll be seeing more of him.

This isn’t fantastic, but is on the high side of very good, and Claudia is a great lead character. I’m happy to read more.

Bookshelf Briefs 10/24/24

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Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 11 | By Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe | Viz Media – I suspect that the Frieren author’s attempts at explaining the worldview of demons in this series is never really going to 100% appeal to the core audience, who are simply uncomfortable with “there’s no chance of reconciling, kill them all.” Indeed, we find out here that the whole demon vs. human war ages ago was because the Demon Lord wanted to understand humans better. Fortunately, this volume is mostly a giant battle, and Frieren and Denken acquit themselves well, with help at the end from Fern. Which means it’s time to start a new arc at the end of the volume, as Frieren, traveling again, accidentally activates an artifact that sends her mind back to her old body—and Himmel. Essential. – Sean Gaffney

Gabriel Dropout, Vol. 14 | By Ukami | Yen Press – Given that there are literally no men in this series, it should not be too big a surprise to find out that Michael is—gasp!—a girl, and furthermore has a desire to be a cutesy idol, a desire that is somewhat hampered by crippling shyness. Fortunately, Gab can steamroller over any problem with the power of “well, whatever.” Elsewhere, Raphael takes a break from tormenting Satanya to torment Vigne, who is feeling all at sea without anyone to mother in her classroom. That said, she also suffers here, as we learn that she tends to gain weight, while the others don’t. And we meet Gabriel’s sister Haniel, who is small and cute and finds everything fascinating, even Satanya being tied-up bondage style. In any case, please enjoy more of “These Bitches Gay! Good for Them!” The Manga. – Sean Gaffney

I Was Sold Dirt Cheap But My Power Level Is Off the Charts, Vol. 1 | By Cambria Bakuhatsu Tarou | One Peace Books – I’m not really the target audience for most isekai manga being translated these days, but I was curious about I Was Sold Dirt Cheap But My Power Level Is Off the Charts, mostly because of the use of mecha within a fantasy context. After reading the debut of Tarou’s adaptation of Ryoma’s light novels, I definitely understand the genre’s general appeal. Like so many stories of its type, the premise is already outlined in the title. The basic plot isn’t particularly unique—the protagonist becomes a hero because he’s much more powerful than anyone assumed. The art isn’t particularly spectacular, although I do like the look of the mechs. To distinguish itself, the series has to rely on its specific combination of story elements. It’s fun and I appreciate its humor; the series doesn’t take itself too seriously. Nuanced literature it’s not, but sometimes simple fantasy is all that’s needed. – Ash Brown

In/Spectre, Vol. 20 | By Kyo Shirodaira and Chashiba Katase | Kodansha Manga – Last time I talked about the great humor of this series, and it’s still here, including the return of Robot Kotoko, now with added kittens. But I also want to highlight that the series is primarily a mystery series—well, more accurately, it’s a detective series. The detection is far more important than the mystery, and it’s always wonderful to see Kotoko propose solutions, then discard them, then come up with other solutions. Usually she arrives at what SOUNDS like the truth, but there’s usually a sting in the tail, and we see that here to a degree. We also see that no one but Kuro should be in love with Kotoko, because holy crap, she is still the most annoying person in the entire world. Kuro, please bed your weird yokai-adjacent girlfriend soon and calm her down. – Sean Gaffney

Monthly in the Garden with My Landlord, Vol. 3 | By Yodokawa | Yen Press – The first half of this volume shows Miyako realizing that she really is in love with Ayako, and trying to get it across subtly, and then less subtly. The issue, unfortunately, is that Ayako has had a lot of bad relationships with women in the past, and what’s more, she was always the one who fell in love first. As such, Miyako confessing to her (which does happen here, and well done for not dragging that out) is a first for her, and she’s not sure how to take it, asking for more time to think about it. In the meantime, they may not be a couple romantically, but as landlord and tenant, the two of them are basically married at this point. We’ve got two volumes to go, I believe, which is hopefully just enough time for these two to make it work. – Sean Gaffney

Oba Electroplating Factory | By Tsuge Yoshiharu | Drawn & Quarterly – Considering the provocative impact of the manga included in Nejishiki, the third volume in Drawn & Quarterly’s collected works of Tsuge Yoshiharu, other volumes, no matter how masterful, will to some extent always be compared to that one. The fourth volume, Oba Electroplating Factory, collects seven of Tsuge’s manga from 1973 and 1974 in addition to an essay by the translator and comics scholar Ryan Holmberg examining their historical context. While the manga collected in the previous volumes of the series were predominantly drawn for avant-garde manga anthologies like Garo, the works in Oba Electroplating Factory were largely originally published in more commercial, mainstream venues. As a whole, they are less surreal and arguably more approachable than Tsuge’s previous works, often utilizing autobiographical elements akin to those found in I-novel literature. But while potentially more realistic, they can still carry a bite; Tsuge doesn’t shy away from shadier aspects of human nature. – Ash Brown

When the Villainess Seduces the Main Heroine, Vol. 1 | By Kasai Fujii | Yen Press – The first two-third of this is clearly showing its origin as a pixiv/Twitter sort of story, with most chapters being 2-3 pages. Our villainess, Akuya Kreijou, and the heroine, Sei Hi Roin, hook up after a two-page denouement of the prince, and spend much of the book either screwing each other or being embarrassingly lovey-dovey. The last third or so attempts to actually give depth to this: we see how Sei got to the point where she was at the start of the book, and also that she’s not afraid to use sex (which she loves) to get out of difficult jams like being kidnapped. We also see how she’s a genuinely good person, and so is Akuya, who spread her OWN rumors of her being evil just to get away from the prince. We get a second volume, but I expect that’s the last. Good, if horny. – Sean Gaffney

Too Many Losing Heroines!, Vol. 2

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By Takibi Amamori and Imigimuru. Released in Japan as “Make Heroine ga Ōsugiru!” by Gagaga Bunko. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Matthew Jackson. Adapted by Acro.

I had better get used to these books being backloaded in the second half, because I had the exact same experience with this volume that I had with the first. The start of this volume is packed with scenes designed to make the main characters annoying in a funny way, but I mostly found them annoying in an annoying way, particularly our narrator, who may be trying to contrast with the usual light novel romance narrators, but not by much, because like all of them he’s emotionally sensitive to everything but his own mind. As the book goes on, and it delves into the ongoing issues of Losing Heroine #2, and the way that sometimes even after you’ve been rejected you still have to see the guy you like every day, it gets a lot better. When he’s dealing with other people’s love lives, Nukumizu excels. When he’s dealing with his own inability to know what love feels like, you find yourself rooting for Anna. And I hate rooting for Anna.

As mentioned, our three losing heroines have all been rejected, but life still goes on. Anna attends a reunion and is horrified to discover her childhood friend and his new girlfriend acting like they’re already married. Chika is still in the same literature club with the girl who is now dating her crush, and is still being very smug about it. And then there’s Lemon, who seems to be… walking around town with Ayano? What? Is he cheating on his new girlfriend? Is Lemon trying to horn in on a brand new relationship? Nukumizu absolutely does not want to get involved, but he and Anna are forced to when they run into Ayano’s actual girlfriend, Chihaya, who also worries that something is going on between them, and decides to solve the problem by planting tracking devices on her boyfriend and following him around. This is a bad idea, FYI for new couples.

Lemon, frankly, has always given off the impression that she’s supposed to be the dumb one in our cast, but that’s mostly because the characters are all varieties of trope because this book is trying to be a deconstruction (which it succeeds at roughly 1/3 of the time). In reality, she studied hard with her childhood friend and crush so they could go to school together, and concentrates so hard at track because her family are all known for their brains and she doesn’t want to disappoint them, so plays to her strengths. She’s pretty emotionally mature here once she stops literally running away from her problem. As for Anna, who is clearly the secondary protagonist in these books, she kinda likes Nukumizu, and would be amenable to dating him, but she’s still too hurt by her previous relationship. so she needs him to do the job of asking her – and he’s NOT emotionally mature, so that’s not happening. I expect it won’t be happening anytime soon.

All this plus a very funny parody of Villainess isekai which, frankly, could easily be one – Chika should take that to a publisher ASAP. A combination of really irritating and quite heartwarming. In that order.

Manga the Week of 10/30/24

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SEAN: Halloween is here! BOO!

Yen On’s October debuts all got delayed to next week, so here they are. In My Seventh Life, I Met a Monster Princess (Boku wa Nanadome no Jinsei de, Kaibutsuhime wo Te ni Ireta) is a one-shot. A man who keeps getting killed wants revenge, and after getting killed for the 6th time he meets a monster princess who might be able to help.

Kusunoki’s Garden of Gods (Kami no Niwatsuki Kusunoki-tei) stars a man who lives in a remote house filled with evil spirits… at least, until the house is purified by the man’s amazing skills. Now gods are drawn to the residence instead.

ASH: I am intrigued.

SEAN: Love Is Dark (Koi wa Ankoku) is a twisted love story. A boy who has a normal high school life moonlights as an assassin. Things get awkward when the school idol asks him out. Things get more awkward when she shows up at his latest job. This is from the creator of Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash.

ASH: That does seem like that would be rather awkward.

SEAN: Reign of the Seven Spellblades: Side of Fire (Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai Suru: Side of Fire – Rengoku no Ki) is a prequel to the main series set five years earlier, focusing on Alvin Godfrey.

The World Bows Down Before My Flames (Waga Homura ni Hirefuse Sekai) stars a girl who really, really, really wants to set things on fire, and has the power to do it. Now she has to defeat the demon lord… but will she go overboard? Signs point to yes.

ASH: Sometimes you just really need to set things on fire.

SEAN: Also from Yen On: Demon’s Crest 2, I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too 6, Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table 2, and The Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess 8.

The one manga debut is Lycoris Recoil, a manga adaptation of the popular anime series. Why are assassins all cute high school girls? Read on to find out! Actually, likely this is meant for those who’ve already watched the anime…

There’s also the 2nd manga volume of No Game No Life Chapter 2: Eastern Union Arc.

The one release from Viz is JoJo A-Go!Go!, an artbook about JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, now available as a standalone hardcover.

ASH: Very nice; I’ve had my eye on this one even before it was released outside of Japan.

SEAN: Tokyopop has the 3rd volume of FANGS.

Two debuts for Seven Seas: The Lady Knight and the Beast-Eared Child (Onna Kishi to Kemomimi no Ko) about a lady knight who, well, adopts a beast-eared child as her apprentice. He teaches her how to appreciate life’s quieter moments, she teaches him that the world they live in is pretty murderous.

ASH: Sounds promising to me.

SEAN: Tiger and Dragon is a shoujo manga from Margaret. A girl had a crush on her friend when they were tots, but then he moved away. Now, ten years later, she’s ready to move on with her other childhood friend… but guess who’s back?

MICHELLE: Margaret, you say?

ANNA: Is there something from Margaret!? This is the rumor I’ve been hearing.

ASH: That does seem to be the case.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Drugstore in Another World: The Slow Life of a Cheat Pharmacist 9, Even Though We’re Adults 9, Monster Cats 2, and Reincarnated as a Sword 13.

MICHELLE: I really need to read Even Though We’re Adults.

ASH: I need to catch up, too.

SEAN: One Peace Books gives us Hero Without a Class: Who Even Needs Skills?! 2.

Apologies to KUMA, who I left out of last week’s list (like Denpa, KUMA’s release dates are fluid, so it can get difficult). They have the debut of Yata-Momo, a BL title from Qpa. It’s from the author of The Song of Yoru and Asa and Happy Crappy Life, and is about a relationship between a slovenly mess and a straight-laced reliable guy.

MICHELLE: The blurb for this actually contains the word “himbo.” I am… kind of intrigued!

ANNA: Who isn’t intrigued by himbos?

ASH: I’m in.

SEAN: Debuting in print for Kodansha Manga is Ajin: Demi-Human Complete, an omnibus collection. This has the first three volumes.

Also in print: Blue Lock 15, Gachiakuta 4, Nina the Starry Bride 7 (watch the anime!), Seraph of the End: Guren Ichinose: Catastrophe at Sixteen 6 (the final volume, as it’s been an omnibus), and Shangri-La Frontier 14.

ANNA: Woo, Nina the Starry Bride!

SEAN: And digitally we get The God-Tier Guardian and the Love of Six Princesses 14, Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch: Aqua 4, and TenPuru -No One Can Live on Loneliness- 11.

In print, J-Novel Club has a 3rd volume of the Black Summoner light novel.

J-Novel Club has one debut. The Dorky NPC Mercenary Knows His Place (Kimo Ota Mob Yōhei wa, Mi no Hodo o Wakimaeru) is a “space opera” comedy about a short, plain mercenary who just tries to keep his head down and be a side character… but gorgeous women keep trying to get close to him!… possibly as he’s the best pilot in the galaxy.

ASH: These things happen sometimes.

Also out next week: the 4th The Conqueror from a Dying Kingdom manga volume, The Diary of a Middle-Aged Sage’s Carefree Life in Another World 4, Earl and Fairy 8, The Fake Hero Crashes the Party 2, the 6th The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects manga volume, the 6th My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer manga volume, the 8th Now I’m a Demon Lord! Happily Ever After with Monster Girls in My Dungeon manga volume, The Oblivious Saint Can’t Contain Her Power: Forget My Sister! Turns Out I Was the Real Saint All Along! 4 (the final volume), A Pale Moon Reverie 3 (the final volume), Record of Wortenia War 26, and, most importantly, The Magic in this Other World is Too Far Behind! 10, the first new volume in almost 5 years.

No Ghost Ship releases, but two mature Seven Seas titles, both BL webtoon titles. debuting is Checkmate, about a man who’s drifting through life till he sees his old high school rival, who he could never beat, enmired in scandal. Now he has a new goal… to destroy him! Enemies to Lovers, do I hear you calling?

There’s also The Dangerous Convenience Store 4.

Denpa Books has Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack 3 and Under Ninja 4.

Dark Horse Comics has a 6th volume of Cat + Gamer.

ASH: This is another series I should really give a try at some point.

SEAN: Two debuts from Cross Infinite World. The Frugal Priestess Becomes a Saint (Isekai kara Seijo wo Yobe to Muchaburisareta Shinkan wa, Cost Performance no Tsugou de Seijo ni Naru) features our heroine, who is a member of the clergy, preparing to isekai someone to be the next saint whose magic power is omnipotent. Unfortunately, summoning dying from overwork Japanese women is really, really expensive. And… our heroine has black hair. Maybe she can pretend to be the Saint? It will save the country so much money!… wait, why is the prince obsessed with her now?

ASH: Whoops!

SEAN: How I Swapped Places with the Villainess, Beat Up Her Fiancé, and Found True Love (Danzai Sareteiru Akuyaku Reijou to Irekawatte Konyakusha-tachi wo Buttobashitara, Dekiai ga Matteimashita) is a more traditional villainess work. Our heroine, surprise surprise, dies and wakes up as a villainess getting condemned by her fiance. Snapping, she beats up the fiance… then she finds herself in the past? Yes, it’s an otome game villainess AND a fix the timeline book.

CIW also has Expedition Cooking with the Enoch Royal Knights 5.

No print releases for Airship next week, but we get a digital debut. Mushoku Tensei: Redundant Reincarnation (Mushoku Tensei – Dasoku Hen) is basically an “After Story” for the main series.

Also out in early digital: Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō 7.

Is there, perhaps, too much manga? Is it like Halloween candy?

ASH: Only if you don’t have the stomach for it!

Loner Life in Another World, Vol. 10

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By Shoji Goji and Saku Enomaru. Released in Japan as “Hitoribocchi no Isekai Kouryaku” by Overlap Bunko. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Andrew Schubauer.

First off, we have a change of creative team in the copyright. To Eric Margolis: thank you for your service, please have a rest now. To Lorin Christie: I see you got a promotion, please continue to help us enjoy this as editor. To Andrew Schubauer: Welcome to our new Meat Shield Translator!

I’ve mentioned before that this series does have a real meaning and moral behind “let’s watch Haruka bang his gorgeous monster concubines”. This volume in particular hits it hard at the end of the volume. If you are in power, if you enjoy the largesse of the people, then you have a responsibility to care for those people and make sure they are happy and content. If you do not do this, if you ignore the people saying it’s too hard to help them, or if you actively say that suffering is a good thing, then you are scum and deserve everything you get. When everyone arrives at the Beast Kingdom, the reader is briefly puzzled why Haruka and the girls are so utterly furious, but then it becomes clear – to get there, they had to pass through the devastated beast villages filled with dead people that the rulers didn’t bother to save. As for the Church? Well, using religion to genuinely make everyone’s lives better is still approved of. But the bulk of the Church isn’t doing that. And as for God, no one is impressed.

The last book implied this one would have the visit to the Beast Kingdom and then the attack on the Pope, but you know Loner Life is never going to do things quickly. No, this one is 463 pages, and you feel every one of those pages as Haruka decides to try to level up (remember, something damn near impossible for him to do) by sneaking into dungeons, fighting dungeon bosses, and getting killed/revived over and over till he’s a bloody mess. Needless to say, he does not win any friends by doing this. In his spare time, he rescues some adventurers who had heard about how awesome life was on the frontier, came to test their skills, and then discovered why the frontier is still terrifying. Finally, Haruka ends up setting off for the Beast Kingdom/Battle against the Church, and yes, everyone does come with him – much as he wants to protect them, he can’t put the girls off this time.

One thing that happens at the start of the book is that the Jocks (or Meatheads, as even Class Rep is calling them now) reveal that they’ve gotten engaged to five of the First Division’s warrior women, and, while pretending to be embarrassed, seem pretty happy about it. What’s more, we hear again that the Nerds have gotten into relationships with four of the Beast Girls in their kingdom. Despite all this, Haruka is still talking about searching the Theocracy to try to find something that can get everyone home. Class Rep is already aware that he means “everyone but him”, and that’s just not acceptable. It’s become pretty clear that, much as they miss Japan, the cast have decided that this is their home which they love. The reason Haruka has not cottoned on to this, of course, is because he is determined to distance himself from everyone he cares about and therefore he cannot understand why anyone would want to be around him unless he’s literally enslaved them. And even then, with the Mean Girls, he still doesn’t get it. Class Rep ALMOST confesses to him at the end of this book, but not quite, and it looks like he barely notices.

As I write this, the anime based on the manga is airing, but it really does seem like a completely different series. There’s still a lot to love about this series once you get past everything to hate about this series.

Babel: Condemned by the Magic Kingdom

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By Kuji Furumiya and Haruyuki Morisawa. Released in Japan as “Babel II: Mahou Taikoku Kara no Danzai” by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Amelia Imogen Mason.

Being transported to another world is, in many ways, far more difficult than being reincarnated. For one thing, if you’re reincarnated you at least grew up learning basic things like how to walk, talk, etc. in the same way as everyone else in your fantasy world. Whereas the average isekai’d Japanese person is thrown into a town and expected to immediately be able to cope with the Adventurer’s Guild and what exactly mana is. Usually the book simply decides not to bother to deal with it at all, but occasionally you get a handwave that this is a different language, and the handwave usually involves asking whoever is responsible for transporting them to this world (god, usually) to give them the ability to understand everyone. And thank goodness for that, right? As such, it’s only right at the end of this volume, almost halfway through the series itself, that Shizuka realizes, to her horror, what that actually means. And that the title of this series may have more actual impact than expected.

The book is largely divided into two stories, one small and one large. In the first story, Erik and Shizuku, after briefly helping a girl with tremendous magical power who’s spent her life at the top of a tower and her new fiancee, who is named Oscar, find themselves caught up in a revenge wedding ceremony from hell… one where Shizuku is being forced to play the bride. After this, they finally arrive at the Kingdom of Farsas and meet its royal family. (Who are NOT the aforementioned Oscar and young girl, lest readers of Unnamed Memory who haven’t read this get confused.) Unfortunately, the king takes one look at Shizuku and immediately tries to murder her. Apparently there are outsiders who are trying to infiltrate the country, and he decides the best way to make sure Shizuku isn’t one is to kill her and see if she shows her true colors. This test may sound familiar to those who know the history of witches…

Despite the fact that “Shizuku is kidnapped/brainwashed/etc.” being the plot of almost this entire book in one way or another, I greatly enjoyed this volume. Shizuku has the usual self-hatred that so many other light novel protagonists have, but we’re given reasons for it as we go along, and she also doesn’t let it turn her mopey. Some of the best scenes in the book are of her and the king, who reluctantly decides not to kill her right now, snarking back and forth at each other. As with the first book (and let’s face it, it’s the theme of the series), the inability to communicate and get concepts across is what drives this. Shizuku is not able to prove a negative, so everyone views her with suspicion. Erik insists on being guilty, and his own confession means that’s going to happen even when it’s not the entire truth. This all leads up to the revelation at the end, which rocks Shizuku’s world, and possibly makes her return to Japan father away than ever before.

All this and a nasty cliffhanger. Definitely recommended for fans of isekais that don’t use the usual “RPG” tropes, and essential reading for Unnamed Memory fans.

Secrets of the Silent Witch, Vol. 5

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By Matsuri Isora and Nanna Fujimi. Released in Japan as “Silent Witch” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Alice Prowse.

This volume definitely has the feel of the author realizing that they can take their time and add the subplots that they were going to skip if this ended up being just 5 volumes long. As a result, we get more ominous foreshadowing as to what Felix’s goal is, and how it ties into what Duke Clockford wants for him… or rather wants to do to him. This ends up being connected to Monica’s own past as well, in a very sinister way. I remains convinced, especially after this volume’s backstories, that this is gonna end with a Felix/Monica pairing, but man, at the moment it would be the worst thing ever and we’d hate it, and I think the author knows that as well. Felix is trying to maniplulate those trying to manipulate him, and the only thing that gives him happiness is his fanboyish obsession with the Silent Witch, who he’d dearly love to meet so he could gush.at her. And hey, good news, Felix!

It’s Winter Break at school, and Monica is hoping to go home, spend some time with her stepmom, spend some time with Isabelle, and dread the upcoming New Year’s event she’ll be forced to attend. Unfortunately, to her horror, she gets a new assignment. Felix is going to Farfolia for some diplomatic work, trying to convince the local lords to set up a military base that is there in case of dragon attack and definitely not in case they decide to go to war with the Empire. Felix needs bodyguards, but Louis is needed on dragon-watching duty, as there’s been prophecy of a dragon attack. So we get Glenn instead… as well as the Silent Witch, who is supposed to guard Felix. Monica is going to have to be extra silent, wear a hood and veil, and hide her identity as hard as possible, lest Felix discover all. Fortunately, she’s already used to wearing a hood and not speaking…

The main plot is excellent, and promises that future books are going to get even darker as Monica tries to redeem her father’s reputation and Felix tries… well, to survive as himself. That said, there’s lots of stuff on the fringes that’s just as interesting in terms of what’s going to happen. Cyril continues to be featured enough that I’m not 100% sold on Felix/Monica being endgame (just 90%), and the scene with him and his mother ended up being the most heartwarming moment in the book. The demise of this book’s bad guy was very reminiscent of the climax of the Sherlock Holmes story “The Speckled Band”, which was nicely gruesome. And we continue to get the threat that Bridget might one day be important, without that actually happening. At this point I wonder if she’s secretly the last boss. (Probably not, it looks more likely she’s just a more serious “jealous girl”.)

The sixth volume promises to follow up on the consequences of this one, and Monica’s identity looks less secure than ever. Can she survive attempts at killing her? Can she survive Felix trying to get her to annotate his thesis some more?

Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense, Vol. 14

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By Yuumikan and KOIN. Released in Japan as “Itai no wa Iya nano de Bōgyoryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Andrew Cunningham.

I’m sure I’m not telling you anything you don’t know when I say that this series entirely revolves around its star. Maple is why people read this series, and for the most part Maple is omnipresent throughout this series. Even the PVP events have been heavily Maple-centric, and several books have mostly just featured her and Sally taking over the narrative for 2/3 of the pages. So it was something of a surprise to see that this is easily the most balanced book in the entire series when it comes to the increasingly huge cast. Oh, don’t get me wrong, Maple is here throughout, and gets several things to do that cause people’s jaws to drop. But she’s hanging out with a bunch of other people who also have ridiculous moves, and not just the folks from Maple Tree. This is a book that spotlights its cast so much that even Frederica, who has made her entire name in this series by being second-best to Sally and whining, gets to be cool and powerful.

We’ve started the new PvP event. On one side: Maple Tree and the Order of the Holy Sword, plus a lot of other guilds who, honestly, are there to be cannon fodder. On the opposite side, we have Flame Empire, Rapid Fire, and Thunder Storm. Oddly, Maple is the one on the fire side, with all the monsters, while fire expert Mii is on the human side. What follows is a series of battles, usually featuring our main cast taking care of business pretty easily, followed by a back half of a big battle royale, where our main cast have a much harder time, and the correct answer may be “when is the correct time to run away without getting killed?”. And worst of all, this is a two-parter, so we don’t even get the closure of knowing who won in this book.

So yes, there’s less Maple in this book, but that’s not to say she doesn’t get her usual moments. For those who want “cool Maple”, the shot of her, with both white angel wins and black demon wings, wearing her halo and standing on a ledge looking like the wrath of God, is a treat. For those who love funny Maple, combining the Sheep Mode with Mai and Yui to give hapless players a rapid transit system is well worth the money. Speaking of Mai and Yui, it’s become pretty clear that after Maple and Sally, they’re the most dangerous ones in the party, and they too get “oh my GOD!” moments here that are both awesome and yet still kind of funny. (Every Mai and Yui joke is a variation on “when all you have is a hammer”.) This is a 100% game book, with not a Kaede or Risa to be found anywhere, and it moves at a fast pace. Even Pain manages to be interesting!… OK, that’s a lie. The author isn’t *that* good.

So yes, very Maple, much fight. Bring on the conclusion.

Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden, Vol. 4

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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.

I will admit, as I was reading this new volume about a small little girl beating the absolute hell out of things she has no business beating, I could not help but think of Do-Over Damsel, which has an anime running this fall and also features lots of this sort of thing. They even have similar “this is vaguely creepy but doesn’t quite cross a line, but I’m watching you” characters. That said, whereas with Jill I tend to really enjoy it when she finally lets loose and lets violence be her answer for everything, with Nia there’s no question that the magivision has become more interesting to me. There’s simply not much about Nia murdering ancient giant crabs by punching them a few times that I can say anything about, beyond “nice punch”. But if she’s being manipulated by royalty (again) or trying to think of things to get ratings besides outrunning dogs, I’m intrigued. And, so far, those are the two plots – though that may change soon.

Nia is a bit grumpy at the start of this book. Relia has stolen Nia’s thunder with the paper play show, and everyone in the school is talking about it. That said, she’s not frustrated enough that she won’t help Hildetaura come up with her own popular show – even if the extent of Nia’s help is “let me ask my brother to be clever for me”. Her greater concern, though, is earning that one billion. Adventuring is earnin g tons of cash, but tons is not enough. As a result, she and Lynokis take a trip over the holidays to a different country filled with expensive monsters that Leeno – or rather, Leeno’s child assistant – can murder without destroying their value as a carcass/magic corpse. Unfortunately, doing feats no one has been able to do in a hundred years attracts the wrong kind of attention.

Possibly the most interesting part of this book was the occasional “had I but known” hint that implies things are going to go very badly for Nia at some point in the future, implying she may have to flee the kingdom. Certainly, while she can quickly take action when her future is definitely being threatened, she is otherwise completely uncaring about being manipulated by the two royal princes in order to get what they want – and, let’s face it, Nia’s best resource is her position as Nia Liston, not her secret super strength. She’s a celebrity, and outrunning dogs is all very well and good, but that’s just more important than punching crabs. Unfortunately, a lot more crab punching may be needed to get that tournament, so I suspect we’ll be getting more fighting next time, though it’s also possible that the politics that threatened in this book overflow at last.

This was a decent volume, but again, I’d like a bit less “Nia hits things”, please.

Manga the Week of 10/23/24

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SEAN: Psst. Halloween’s behind you. Creeping ever closer. Step by step.

ASH: Wait, behind me? What month is it??

SEAN: Airship has print releases for Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord: Production Magic Turns a Nameless Village into the Strongest Fortified City 3, Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells 11, Modern Villainess: It’s Not Easy Building a Corporate Empire Before the Crash 5, and Raven of the Inner Palace 7 (the final volume).

And for early digital we have The Case Files of Jeweler Richard 9 and Survival in Another World with My Mistress! 7.

Ghost Ship has Booty Royale: Never Go Down Without a Fight! 15-16, Peter Grill and the Philosopher’s Time 13 and Welcome to Succubus High! 6

And in mature Seven Seas titles, we see Case File Compendium: Bing An Ben 3 and The Titan’s Bride 5.

J-Novel Club graces us with FIVE new debuts. The Boy Who Ruled the Monsters (Kaibutsu-tachi o Suberu Mono) is a “banished from the party” story, though at least this time two of the party join him. This is because (try to contain your shock) his ability is great after all! Now he’s going to make his own party of monsters. (Taking a wild guess that the monsters look like hot girls.)

EXP is Golden: The Queen of Destruction Speedruns Her Ascension (Ōgon no Keikenchi) looks like the dark counterpart to A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life. Leah is eager to play the hot new MMORPG… and finds she can take powerful NPCs and use their EXP as her own! And she’s a powerful enchantress! And is building a dark army!… wait, isn’t this the path to being evil? Well, whatever.

I Only Have Six Months to Live, So I’m Gonna Break the Curse with Light Magic or Die Trying (Yomei Hantoshi to Senkokusareta no de, Shinuki de “Hikari Mahou” wo Oboete Noroi wo Hodokou to Omoimasu. – Noroware Ouji no Yarinaoshi) is the manga adaptation of the light novel J-NC also puts out. It runs in Drecomics.

Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter (Kōjo Denka no Kateikyōshi) is the manga adaptation of the light novel J-NC also puts out. It runs in Shonen Ace plus.

The Reincarnator and the Goblin Maiden’s Happily Ever After: Using a Past Life to Keep a Joyful Wife (Goblin Reijō to Tensei Kizoku ga Shiawase ni Naru Made: Konyakusha no Tame no Zense Chishiki no Jōzu na Tsukaikata) is a light novel about a reincarnated man who wants to do anything to find a happy marriage. In his previous life, he was single for almost a century due to his looks. Now he’s handsome, and gets a proposal offer for a Duke’s Daughter… whose appearance looks like a goblin! It’s OK, though, he knows what she’s going through. This looks really sweet.

ASH: Okay, out of the five, this is the one that interests me the most.

SEAN: Also from J-Novel Club: The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases 3, D-Genesis: Three Years after the Dungeons Appeared 7, Enough with This Slow Life! I Was Reincarnated as a High Elf and Now I’m Bored 8 (the final volume), the 13th The Faraway Paladin manga volume, Full Clearing Another World under a Goddess with Zero Believers 12, the 2nd I’m a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, So I Might as Well Try Mastering Magic manga volume, Through the Viewport: Child of a Ruined World 3 (the final volume), the 2nd To Another World… with Land Mines! manga volume, and You Were Experienced, I Was Not: Our Dating Story 5.

Three debuts for Kodansha Manga, though only one is a debut per se. Blue Lock Season 1 Part 1 is a box set with the first six volumes of the series.

ASH: Perhaps the perfect time to finally get around to actually reading it.

SEAN: Your Lie in April Omnibus 1 contains the first three volumes of this tear-jerker.

ASH: That takes me back.

SEAN: The actual debut is The Spellbook Library, the new title from Uta Isaki, creator of Sayabito: Swords of Destiny, Generation Witch, and Is Love the Answer? (wow, one of those titles is not like the other). This book is being published in English first via KManga. As for the plot… if you read Magus of the Library and thought “I want something just like this”, I have good news!

ASH: Oh!

SEAN: Also in print: Blue Period 15, The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World 11, Kaina of the Great Snow Sea 3, Kusunoki’s Flunking Her High School Glow-Up 2, Parasyte Full Color Collection 8 (the final volume), Rent-A-Girlfriend 27, A Sign of Affection 10 (whose print and digital are now released at the same time), and Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen 5.

MICHELLE: I know I really need to read A Sign of Affection.

ASH: Same, actually.

ANNA: It is so good! I think I’m three volumes behind now.

SEAN: Digitally we see Am I Actually the Strongest? 12, Gamaran: Shura 25, Issak 10, and Undead Girl Murder Farce 7.

One Peace Books has a 4th volume of Tales of the Tendo Family.

ASH: I should check in with this series again; the first volume intrigued me.

SEAN: Seven Seas has a couple of debuts. Diary of a Female Lead: Shujinkou Nikki is, amazingly, a shoujo series from Betsucomi. Our heroine has low self-esteem. Her brother is a popular athlete. Her mother is a famous shoujo mangaka. All she wants is friendship. Real friendship. Her brother disagrees, though, and brings home impossibly cool Sena to show her what she really needs to come out of her shell is love. This is “critically acclaimed”, apparently, which might make up for a premise that seems a bit ergh.

MICHELLE: Hm.

ASH: Huh.

ANNA: OK, maybe…..

SEAN: My Boyfriend is a Dog (Inukei no Kareshi) is a BL title from Monthly Action. Two co-workers are falling for each other. One is a human, and one is an anthropomorphic dog, which is to say a handsome guy in a suit, just with the face of an Akita.

ASH: Huh!

SEAN: Nakamura-san, the Uninvited Gyaru (Oshikake Gal no Nakamura-san) runs in Manga Town. A gyaru and an otaku work together, but are polar opposites. Surely they can’t become a couple! But what if I told you she was really a shy, blushing girl pretending to be a flashy gyaru? NOW how much would you pay?

MICHELLE: Hee.

ANNA: Amazing.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: The Dangers in My Heart 9, Even Dogs Go to Other Worlds: Life in Another World with My Beloved Hound 4, I’m in Love with the Villainess 7, The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace 6, Kageki Shojo!! 11, Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero 6, Night of the Living Cat 5, Royal Tailor: Clothier to the Crown 2, Skip and Loafer 10, Slow Life In Another World (I Wish!) 7, Stay By My Side After the Rain 2, There’s No Freaking Way I’ll be Your Lover! Unless… 6, Throw Away the Suit Together 2, What He Who Doesn’t Believe in Fate Says 5, and World End Solte 3.

MICHELLE: I should also be reading Kageki Shojo!!.

ASH: I enjoyed the early volumes and really need to catch up!

SEAN: Square Enix gives us My Dress-Up Darling 12, Soul Eater NOT!: The Perfect Edition 2, and Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town 12 (the final volume).

ASH: I’m so far behind with My Dress-Up Darling, but I’ve greatly enjoyed what I’ve read.

SEAN: There’s a debut from Steamship. A Suitable Fetish (Suits ni Seiheki) comes from Betsucomi Flower, aka “SPICY Betsucomi”. Two office workers discover that they’re far less buttoned-down outside the office, and decide to explore their fetishes.

ASH: Oh, my!

SEAN: From Tokyopop, we get two debuts. The Gardener’s Favorite Poisonous Flower (Jarudinie no Aishita Doku Hana) is a BL title from Canna. An itinerant is hired as a gardener for a male brothel, where he finds the employees are “furless” – human-looking but treated as animals. This is complete in one volume, and that summary doesn’t even come close to explaining how weird it is.

Wails of the Bound: Beta (Kurui Naku no wa Boku no Ban ;β) is a sequel to Walls of the Bound, clearly. It’s more angsty omegaverse shenanigans.

And we also see A Gentle Noble’s Vacation Recommendation 9.

Viz Media has Boy’s Abyss 7, My Name Is Shingo: The Perfect Edition 3, and Vampire Knight Complete Box Set, a 3800-page (!!) box with a day planner and an artbook to boot.

ASH: Whoa!

ANNA: That’s a whole lot of Vampire Knight.

SEAN: Yen On has two light novels out next week: Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside 12 and Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina 14.

And two debuts for Yen Press. Days with My Stepsister (Gimai Seikatsu) is the manga adaptation of the light novel Yen also puts out. It runs in Shone Ace plus.

The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy at All (Ki ni Natteru Hito ga Otoko Janakatta) is a yuri title from Kadokawa, based on the serialized manga from Twitter. It has gotten absolutely amazing buzz, and Yen and Kadokawa have been pushing it hard here, as you know if you saw the booth at Anime NYC. Aya has a huge crush on the guy who works at the music store she goes to… not realizing the guy is a girl, Mitsuki, who sits next to her at school.

MICHELLE: Interesting!

ASH: I am very curious about this one!

ANNA: Ooh.

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Ako and Bambi 3 and Horimiya 17 – Special Edition: A Piece of Memories (the final volume – I think).

ASH: I didn’t realize Horimiya was still going…

SEAN: You know, for a week light on Yen Press, this was a bit ridiculous. What appeals to you?

Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement, Vol. 6

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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. 6 is the equivalent of the Japanese Vol. 7.)

I seem to recall that in earlier reviews of this series, I would applaud the very rare effort to give Mitsuha some depth, such as her reaction of grief when discussing her family in the first book, etc. Anyone who has been following later volumes of this series will, I think, agree with me when I say that depth is the last thing I want now. That honestly applies to all three FUNA series, I think. As they’ve gone on and gotten bigger and bigger, it’s clear the author knows exactly what their skill set is, and it’s writing a cartoon. Not a Japanese anime-style cartoon, but like a Hanna-Barbera cartoon with Mitsuha as both Dick Dastardly AND Muttley. Not only do we not take Mitsuha seriously, but none of her allies take her seriously. The only ones who do take her seriously are the ones desperately trying to either curry favor from her or sabotage her. She destroys those people.

The bulk of this book continues to take place in Vanel, as the royal family finds out that Mitsuha holds grudges forever (though the third princess manages to find a way around this, in one of the funniest scenes of the book). She deals with a rival company breaking into their warehouse and stealing their merchandise, and then decides that the best thing to do is to start a society of cute teenage noble girls, get them to bond with each other over a shared goal (get Mitsuha’s makeup, which she starts to introduce here), and make then the biggest force in the country, as they also end up funding a relief column for one of their members whose barony is experiencing a famine. Meanwhile, back in Yamano County, she’s building entire islands just so she can trade as a tax dodge, and once again setting up a young girl to run it so they can get better marriage prospects.

As with all FUNA series, if you scratch at the core of this you find “I want to write about cute 8-13-year-old girls, but not in a sexual way, just in a cute and empowering way”. Potion Girl and MMAA also do this, with the “gimmick” being the lead is always a reincarnate in a permanently 12-year-old body. Mitsuha’s not a reincarnate, and is 18, but her looks are basically the same thing. And the goal of 80K Gold seems to be to get all these little girls running the economy. After 7 volumes they’re all store owners, merchants, etc., finding better ways to transport goods and Mitsuha can barely keep up with them, to the point that she needs to invent a better sugar here so she can make rum to use as a bribe. Honestly, this volume is best when it’s making fun of Mitsuha and itself – her tendency to monologue for pages on end about her grand plans are now shown to be her saying them all out loud without realizing it, which reminds me a lot of Elgala from Excel Saga. And honestly, this series sort of fits in with the vibe of Excel Saga. We’re even siding with a villain. (Mitsuha. Mitsuha is the villain.)

As always, if you don’t read everything by this author, don’t read this. If you do, it’s good.

Young Lady Albert Is Courting Disaster, Vol. 8

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By Saki and Haduki Futaba. Released in Japan as “Albert-ke no Reijō wa Botsuraku o Goshomō Desu” by Kadokawa Beans Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Ray Krycki.

Usually when I say that a final volume of a series is doing what I call a “victory lap”, I don’t mean it literally. And yet that’s exactly what happens here, as we join the main cast as they take a tour of every major character we’ve met before, every major place we’ve visited, and have all the possibly comedy antics you could want. Honestly, probably more than you’d want. It’s been so long since the first volume that I’d forgotten how particularly thick-headed Mary can be when she wants to ignore things that troubled her, A lot of the humor near the start of this book is her having to be reminded of all the bad things that happened to her in previous books, and her having completely forgotten everything about them entirely. That said, she and Adi at least have an excuse: Their lovely daughter, who is the spitting image of her mother both in appearance and attitude and is ready to take the world by storm.

This volume takes place six years after the previous one. Roxanne, Mary and Adi’s daughter, has a mission. She’s written invitations for a big party where her mother has an important announcement, and now she plans to deliver them all by hand in person – by herself. Needless to say, this requires strategy, so Mary and Adi seemingly agree while also secretly tailing her. She starts off visiting the royal palace, where we meet Patrick and Alicia’s son Felix, who if nothing else proves that Alicia does actually seem to love Patrick more than Mary – romantically, at least. Felix joins Roxanne in her solo (?) jaunt, and Patrick and Alicia join Mary and Adi in tailing them. We then get to see most of the major characters from previous books, including Parfette and Gainas’ newborn twins (it makes sense they’d take six years to get around to this). But what *is* Mary’s big news at the party?

This is pretty much one of those “everyone is going to be in male/female pairings by the end of it” series, so it’s rather surprising that the most interesting parts for me was when it went outside that bubble. Helene, the single mother from the last book, has moved to Albert Country, and is being courted by BOTH of Mary’s brothers, as well as their attendant. What’s more, it’s made clear from discussions about the brothers that they function as a unit far better than they ever would when competing. It’s no wonder this is the one romance left up in the air – a woman marrying three men would likely be one bridge too far for most readers of this genre. Then there’s Mary and Alicia, who manage to reaffirm their relationship and also admit that they love each other – and that they are NOT the villainess and heroine in an otome game, something Alicia has to sort of pound into Mary’s head. They’re still my favorite part of the series.

The ending twist promises that otome game villainesses may continue into the next generation, but we’re not going to be seeing that. Let’s be content with Mary Albert, drill-less, happily married, with a lovely daughter and another child on the way. She failed spectacularly in trying to engineer her doom. But then, so did Katarina Claes, who I remind everyone debuted only one month before this series in Japan.

The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 12

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By Natsu Hyuuga and Touko Shino. Released in Japan as “Kusuriya no Hitorigoto” by Hero Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Kevin Steinbach.

It’s very tempting to just type “Holy crap!” and leave the review at that, but I will try to go into more detail. This is the final book in the Western Capital arc (yes, we are back home by the end of the book, woo hoo), and it fires off all the guns it has been saving up since the 9th volume, with the last two-thirds or so being a very tense ride in which (sorry to spoil you a little, but this shouldn’t surprise you too much) Maomao is caught up in events and gets sort of kidnapped. She and Jinshi are apart, again, almost the entire book, but end it closer than ever before, with words not said but actions taken that will make the reader cheer. That said, what made *me* cheer was Chue. I’ve loved her since she was first introduced, even as I realized that she was clearly more than she seemed, and here’s where we find everything out and also worry that the author is going to kill her off. It’s a dangerous book.

At the end of the last book we saw the assassination of Gyoku-ou, and unsurprisingly we now have a succession crisis. The first son wants to give up his rights, the second son is against that, and the third son… is a very strange and deferential young man. Meanwhile, Maomao also meets the little grand-kids of the family: Gyokujun, a spoiled brat who serves as the annoying young boy you love to hate the entire book, and Xiaohong, a far-too-mature for her age girl who Maomao previously helped get over eating her own hair. As Maomao tries to sort out this tangled web of relationships, and also treat the occasional terrible nausea and horrible headaches, the first son is shot with a poison arrow. And the fallout of this puts Maomao far, far from the Western Capitol and in more danger than ever before.

I’ll be honest, I frequently have trouble with series that have huge casts with similar names, most of whom are some relation to each other, so a lot of the time I was trying to act like Maomao and just smile and nod. This isn’t even getting into the political situation, the fact that we’re still trying to save the capital from a famine, and even more bandits who somehow manage to be even worse than the first bandits, and one of the antagonists trying to immolate themselves. But come on, let’s talk about Miss Chue. After Maomao, she’s probably become my second favorite character in the series, even passing Shisui. And here we get her inevitable tragic backstory, and also frankly we almost get her tragic end. Possibly the most heartbreaking moment in the book is when Chue says “do I have no value anymore?” to her mentor (who I’ll leave a surprise). Fortunately, the answer appears to be “yes, you do still”, though Chue is probably going to have to find new ways to pull flags out of her sleeves in the future.

All this and Lahan’s brother too. Poor Lahan’s brother. Sometimes I can still hear his voice. In any case, this series remains amazing.

Lucia and the Loom: Weaving Her Way to Happiness, Vol. 2

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By Hisaya Amagishi and Esora Amaichi. Released in Japan as “Fukushokushi Lucia wa Akiramenai: Kyō kara Hajimeru Kōfuku Keikaku” by MF Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by A.M. Cola.

Dahlia, the protagonist of the main series, and Lucia, the protagonist of this spinoff, are on the face of it not all that alike. Aside from their tendency to deflect all achievements away from them, that is. Dahlia is reserved, while Lucia tends more towards the firey. But it is interesting how both the main series and its spinoff are pushing their respective protagonists into very similar situations. Dahlia keeps coming up with wonderful, insane inventions that will change their entire nation, and as a result is rapidly heading towards a future where she’d better be married and protected, or else she absolutely will be kidnapped. Lucia’s clothing designs are not as revolutionary (though the opera house in this volume may disagree), but her leadership skills and ability to inspire are absolute gold, and she too had better get married soon – she’s already starting to suffer kidnapping attempts.

The first chunk of this book follows the earlier Dahlia plotlines, as we see the debut of the cloth that basically has its own built-in air conditioner. Lucia and her staff have to work out where to best place the cloth, how to deal with those who are ticklish, etc. Lucia is also busy learning about nobility, and what not to say when a noble says something that seems innocent but isn’t. The latter half ot eh book is more along the lines of the latter half of the first, with Lucia running into various people and helping them with fashion/outfits, as well as sometimes being a big ol’ ball of sunshine. We also meet Forto’s attendant Lotta, who is an attendant who is also a blighted (sound familiar), but none of that matters to Lucia, who is great at getting people to come out of their shells. No wonder the “who will Lucia end up with?” sweepstakes are a lot more open than Dahlia’s.

Last time we saw a lot of teasing of a potential relationship with Forto, which is pretty bittersweet given that we’ve read later volumes of Dahlia and see her rejecting him. We’re starting to see a few other alternatives here. Such as Dante, her right-hand man, who is also dealing with trying to put off marriage proposals so he can concentrate on his work, and who is straight up told “do not let her get away” by his grandmother. Or Lotto, Forto’s attendant, who is pretty much given a plotline in this book that’s the equivalent of the sun coming out behind Lucia’s head while heavenly choirs play in the background. Speaking of attendants, Lucia’s found her Mr. Sunset, though he’s deflected it so that she’s not aware. That said, the main thing blocking any of these is Lucia herself, who (in a book that once again tries to be very progressive about gender and sexuality) seems to be demisexual, and has not found anyone she’s that emotionally close to yet.

The main Dahlia series is stalled over here while it finds a new translator, the previous one having stepped down, but we’re getting a third Lucia book soon. Will it catch up with the main series? Can we somehow get Lucia connected to a noble without her managing to avoid it? And will the clothing still be gorgeous? Signs point to yes on that last one.