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I Could Never Be a Succubus!, Vol. 4

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By Nora Kohigashi and Wasabi. Released in Japan as “Watashi wa Succubus Ja Arimasen” by Hero Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Roy Nukia.

Once I’ve reviewed about two or three volumes in a series, I really should not have to worry about new readers when I write these things. New readers are not going to start a title like this with Vol. 4, it’s only going to be read by those who read the first three volumes. That said, I also know there are some folks who read my reviews just as a matter of habit, and may not know about this series. So, as such, fans of the series can skip to below the cut. Everyone else: Christ alive. This volume is absolutely drenched in “ha ha, pedophilia is funny!” humor, and you cannot escape it. There’s no actual pedophilia in the volume, the humor is all “a 12-year-old has a crush on the 19-year-old guy who saved her life, and the entire cast proceed to drag him for being a pedophile (and yes, the translation uses that rather than lolicon) over and over and over again, to the point of arresting him. But, again. This series is like that in general, about everything.

The humans and the demons, after the events of the last book, are holding a peace conference. This means the arrival of Princess Sylphonia’s siblings: older brother Anzel and younger sister Remiphinia. What’s more, Remiphinia is specifically there to meet Wolfe, who saved her life three years earlier when she was kidnapped by the demon forces. She’s fallen for him hard, and tries to get advice on how to make herself attractive to him (don’t be twelve, kid). Meanwhile, the main cast do a maid cafe… including Miter, who it turns out looks really good dressed in women’s clothing. Unfortunately, not everyone wants the humans and demons to make peace, and those who desire the extermination of all demonkind may be closer than the royal family thinks…

Liz is still, of course, the star of the show. For once she doesn’t get a late in the book power-up where she gains her memories briefly. Instead, throughout the book, her true self is just seeping through more and more, to the point where she’s unable to stop it most of the time. Taking photos of everyone as maids, giving salacious suggestions on how the young princess can get her man, or just using her forgotten hero training to perform superhuman acts and save the day, the line between the Liz who’s a student at the academy and the Liz who’s a horny succubus with insane power is growing thinner and thinner. That said, I’m not expecting her to be back for good until the end of the series, so it’s mostly just tease. As for the rest of the book, if you ignore everything about Remiphinia and Wolfe, it’s fun and funny, exactly what readers want. And, if I’m being honest, most readers of this series probably laugh at the pedophilia “wacky” humor as well.

The book has a cliffhanger that will presumably tie into the next in the series, which promises to have 100% more catgirls than this book. I the meantime, if you love maids or precocious twelve-year-olds, this is fine.

From Desk Job to Death Beam: In Another World with My Almighty Lasers, Vol. 1

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By Nekomata Nuko and Cut. Released in Japan as “Saikyō Death Beam o Uteru Salaryman, Isekai o Yuku” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Nolan Good.

“Excuse me, sir? Can I interest you in reviewing a fantastic debut light novel?”

“Aren’t you Aqua from KonoSuba?”

“Don’t be silly, sir, I’m nowhere close to being as well-written as Aqua!”

“…uh-huh. What do you have?”

“This is a new series about a young man who’s accidentally killed by a beautiful young goddess–”

“You?”

“(clearing throat)–and is transported to a new world with fantastic powers!”

“…what makes this different from 80 other books?”

“It has laser beams and beast people!”

“There are many other books with beast people, but I’ll grant you the laser beams. So he basically has a cool gun?”

“Oh no, his lasers can also be a shield, a broomstick so he can fly, they can heal, they can clean…”

“So it’s an “I can do anything I want” power.”

“But with laser beams!”

“And he struggles to get by and goes through character growth?”

“Oh hell no, he’s far too powerful for that! Everything is solved by the laser beams!”

“…and the beast girls?”

“Are totally in love with him, of course! One is plucky and one is tsundere!”

“Two girls.”

“Two girls SO FAR.”

“And he wins them over by…?”

“By being the only person who’s nice to them! And by stroking their ears and tails!”

“Which are erogenous zones, I’m gonna guess.”

“…only the tails?”

“How about slavery?”

“No slavery!… sort of.”

“?”

“OK, the beast people are treated like crap, and it’s legal to kill them, and they’re barely paid anything, and they are worked to death.”

“…so slavery without the actual slavery.”

“Oh, and there’s a bad guy! He’s horrible, a real loathsome person with no redeeming features!”

“Well, we know how much I love those guys.”

“Right?!”

“(stare)”

“(clearing throat) Anyway, you always talk about things you liked, what about it?”

“So we’re assuming that I read this while you were prattling on?”

“Yup!”

“The idea of a man that is so depressed about his current life that, when offered a new life, decides “no thanks”, is interesting…”

“Isn’t it?”

“…that is, until you brainwash him into only thinking of it occasionally because he’s too busy being obsessed with lasers and beast girls.”

“And collecting!”

“And collecting, yes, because apparently the whole book was based on the “pick three random words and write a story about it” meme.”

“Anything else?”

“The identity of the main villain – his actual identity, that is – made me smile for reasons that would spoil it, and his grand plan was grotesquely overblown to such an extent that I was briefly impressed, at least until our hero proved that there’s nothing he can’t defeat with the power of lasers.”

“And?”

“That’s it, really. I ended up being reminded of Rearguard, but Rearguard reveled in its ridiculousness, whereas this is content to merely be a run of the mill OP fantasy.”

“…really, that’s all you got?”

“I guess if pressed, I could say that reading it made me decide to write a review in this format. Will that do?”

“Hrmph. See if I bring you “The Boy Who Ruled the Monsters” in a month!”

“…yeah, I was planning on skipping that anyway.”

“Waaaaaaaaahhh! Kazuma, Sean’s being mean to me!”

“I thought you weren’t Aqua?!?!”

Matcha Made in Heaven, Vols 7-9

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Matcha Made in Heaven Volumes 7-9 by Umebachi Yamanaka

Time to check in on this low-key extremely slow-burn josei series! Chaco and Isshin are continuing with their faux marriage of convenience, which has of course led them to develop feelings for each other. Isshin is an intense, grumpy tea-making perfectionist, while Chaco is much more free spirited. Despite growing up in a family of tea producers, she’s been away for so long that she’s not super familiar with the business, so her support of Isshin also means that she’s connecting with her roots in a new way.

Matcha Made in Heaven 9

After a separation where Isshin is working in the corporate tea business, he returns home. Chaco is excited to take their relationship to the next level, but childhood friend Jin appears with a girl named Roa, who happens to be a tea social media influencer! The traditional craft of tea-making clashes with Roa’s approach, which seems to stir up some distressing sentiments against the small business that Chaco’s family is trying to take to the next level with Isshin’s help. The trash-talking is mild, and the stakes are fairly low in this extremely relaxing manga where one can always count on respect for tea to further bond the characters and see them through any crisis. While Roa ends up not be as terrible as Chaco originally assumed, she leads Isshin into accepting a challenge at a high stakes tea blending competition. With Isshin, Jin, and Chaco’s brother who is such a non-entity it is not really worth remembering his name as the main competitors things are surely not going to go very smoothly.

For fans of the grumpy/sunshine dynamic, this series delivers. I find myself constantly rooting for Chaco and Isshin even though they cycle through excuses to not progress in their relationship. The latest barrier is Isshin’s nobility, as he doesn’t want to ask Chaco’s dead father for her hand in real marriage until he has proven himself as a tea master. As always, the illustrations are clear and dynamic. Chaco’s niece is reliable both for comic relief and expressing the readers’ point of view that Chaco and Isshin should just get together already.

Raven of the Inner Palace, Vol. 7

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By Kouko Shirakawa and Ayuko. Released in Japan as “Kōkyū no Karasu” by Shueisha Orange Bunko. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Amelia Mason. Adapted by T. Burke.

Probably the most startling thing about this final volume of Raven of the Inner Palace is how little Jusetsu is in it, and when she appears, it’s not really her actions that save the day, just her actual presence. She’s spent her life being a vessel for a higher power, and being involved in a God vs. God battle is something that she has to get dragged into or else bad things will happen. But it’s not what she herself wants. Honestly, I think she’s still flailing around trying to figure out what she wants until this final volume, and it’s not saving the day and unleashing her inner raven. Nor is it headed back to the palace to deal with the unstated romantic feelings she and Koshun have dealt with since Book 1 – that ship has run aground already. That said, we do get to see the resolution of a ship, sort of – the trouble is that it’s Jusetsu/merchant marine life. Which, refreshingly, is not what anyone was expecting.

This book is essentially divided into two plotlines, one on and going to the island, and the other up in the mountains. They’re actually mostly completely separate. We already know about Jusetsu, who needs to somehow get past an underwater volcano exploding to get to the island so that she can reunite the two halves of the raven. She’s got to do this despite the turtle god resorting to threats, more threats, and possession in order to win the day. The other half of the book is still drenched in Saname family drama, which we already got a heaping helping of in the last book. Ko has been sent by his father to use the mountain tries to incite a rebellion, which won’t succeed, but will mean that they’ll have to kill Jusetsu in order to calm everyone down. If you think this makes no sense, well, it doesn’t make much sense to Ko either, but it’s hard to go against Daddy.

I’ll be honest, this book was not quite the big finale I was hoping for. As noted, Jusetsu is just present rather than active for the battle, which makes sense but is dramatically unsatisfying. Likewise, there’s no rebellion, because in the end the stability of the country is more important than an old man trying one last time to exercise his power. And yes, Koshun has almost been the co-protagonist of the series, and so seeing him so uninvolved in the finale – he doesn’t leave the palace – makes sense but is dramatically unsatisfying, the second time I’ve typed that. I did like Jusetsu’s career choice – she can’t stay in the palace, after all, especially not with an Empress and two kids from other wives – and so traveling the world and seeing other cultures makes sense. And I’m delighted she takes her entourage with her – I love Jiujiu.

So yes, something of a mixed bag finale, but overall this was a good series, and a worthy addition to “intrigue in the inner court of the emperor” genre.

An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride, Vol. 18

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By Fuminori Teshima and COMTA. Released in Japan as “Maou no Ore ga Dorei Elf wo Yome ni Shitanda ga, Dou Medereba Ii?” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Hikoki.

There is a moment in this book that initially made me roll my eyes at the stupidity, but upon reflection I realized it actually makes perfect sense in the context of the books. Zagan is reaching out to other archdemons, trying to ally with them before they ally with Marchosias, and Acheron is one of these powerful archdemons. He plans side side with Zagan, but then Eligor, an archdemon working for Marchosias, arrives to threaten him into joining the other side. Not to spoil too much, but Acheron is killed because it never occurred to him that she wouldn’t arrive without backup. But then I realized that at the start of the series a big deal was made about how none of the archdemons trusted each other, and that Zagan’s big change is actually forming partnerships and gaining allies. So yes, the enemy can now do that too, as our archdemon learns in his last moments. This has come down to just two sides.

Oh my God, cover, spoilers! I think the author knew what the cover would be, as we open with Zagan and Nephy in wedding outfits, blushing heavily at each other, and then flash back to try to show how we got here. As I said above, both sides are still trying to recruit the few remaining unallied powerful people to their side. We saw the fallout of one of those attempts last time, and now Zagan’s castle as additions of a porcelain robot girl trying to be human and her twitchy archangel minder. The most powerful of these people is Phenex, whose name might give an idea as to her powers, and she is (like most of the cast) deeply eccentric. She’s also lived longer than the rest of the cast, due to the nature of her existence, and Zagan might be able to do something that no one else ever has before.

I managed to get to this point without discussing the romance, go me! It’s still here, and the couples continue to be obvious, with the one exception of the love triangle between Lilith and her straight and gay options. Micca and Furfur are the newest at this, so they get the most focus, and they’re adorable. Shax and Kuroko are the old hands at this, and they also get to be adorable. Chastille and Barbatos… are still in denial, and aren’t really in this till the end, but yeah, they’re adorable in a way where you want to punch them both. As for that cover image, I admit I was expecting it to not amount to much. It’s signposted that this is a setup by Chastille as a petty revenge for Zagan broadcasting her own supposed relationship to the entire world. But for once, Zagan steps up when it comes to his love life rather than everything but his love life, and even if we don’t end up getting a wedding, we do get a punch the room, “Finally!” moment.

This is apparently Part 1 of a 2-part arc, and I expect the next one to have far more fighting. That said, it will still have schmoopy romance. The plotlines intertwine, they can’t be separated.

My Magical Career at Court: Living the Dream After My Nightmare Boss Fired Me from the Mages’ Guild!, Vol. 5

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By Shusui Hazuki and necomi. Released in Japan as “Black Madōgushi Guild o Tsuihō Sareta Watashi, Ōkyū Majutsushi to Shite Hirowareru: White na Kyūtei de, Shiawase na Shinseikatsu o Hajimemasu! ” by SQEX Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Mari Koch.

I swear that the main villains of this series are not dedicating themselves to evil in order to destroy the royal family and ensure that the nobles have the power to crush commoners whenever they want. The villains are evil for the sole purpose of getting in the way of love confessions. We were so goddamned close! We finally resolved all the things that could possibly stand in the way, Noelle is finally in the frame of mind where she might possibly get it if given a direct confession at point blank range (which is more than I can say for Letitia), and Luke has invited her out to finally pop the question. So you know what happens? Yup, cliffhanger ending, love interest in peril, film at 11. Fortunately, it’s Luke in peril, so maybe Noelle can really kick ass and take names. But gosh darn it, I want my resolved love!

Luke is now the captain of a new Magicians’ Division, and Noelle is his lieutenant! She might even get an office! Well, no, she does not, because Luke is still a little too obsessed with being around her all the time. She does, however, get a bunch of new recruits, which are, surprisingly, not ALL eccentric misfits – just two of them. Fortunately, neither difficult recruit is able to hold up in the face of Noelle’s aggressive goodness and niceness. Unfortunately, the nobility is very angry at this new division. They think it’s a waste of money. They think Luke doesn’t deserve it. And boy, do they hate Noelle. Honestly, the nobility is acting a little TOO aggressively awful. Maybe they’re getting too close to finding out who’s been behind every bad thing that’s happened in the last five books? Time for a stakeout… OK,, that went badly. Time for another stakeout… OK, that went even more badly.

The subtitle of this series hasn’t been relevant since the start of the first book, but I do like how it manages to tie into one of the new recruits, somewhat, who also loves magic but was railroaded into an awful job and abused. Unlike Noelle’s Pollyanna personality, he gets broken down, and is now deliberately half-assing everything as a sort of petty whining. As for the other recruit, she’s the standard genius who’s never been beaten by anyone at anything, and her specialty is… magic! Yeah, you can see where this is going. Getting Noelle to mop the floor with her cures most of this. I also enjoyed how the first half, which was basically “train the new guys”, paid off near the end, which was basically a Police Academy ending only serious, as the new recruits fight for their lives and show they really can protect each other and fight back if they try.

Unfortunately, the author is still writing Volume 6 on the webnovel version, so expect a wait. Still, we get very close to a resolution here… but alas, no.

Manga the Week of 10/2/24

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SEAN: The end of September drifts into the start of October, which means it’s SPOOKY TIME.

MICHELLE: THE BEST TIME!

ANNA: Here for it!

ASH: Woohoo!

SEAN: We start with Yen On, which gives us Wolf & Parchment: New Theory Spice & Wolf 9 and You Can Have My Back 3 (the final volume).

And Yen Press has Combatants Will Be Dispatched! 10, A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School! 15, Triage X 27, Uncle from Another World 10, and Yowamushi Pedal 26.

ANNA: Yowamushi Pedal is a favorite in my house.

ASH: I am so far behind, but I’ve been enjoying it.

SEAN: The debut for Viz Media is Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite (Oshi ni Amagami), a shoujo title from Hana to Yume, and from the creator of Kamisama Kiss. A vampire girl is a massive otaku, and has come to Japan to fuel her habits. Then she finds her next door neighbor looks just like her anime crush!

MICHELLE: I was just thinking fondly of Kamisama Kiss the other day. I’ll definitely be checking this out.

ANNA: OOOH, me too!

SEAN: Also from Viz: Blade of the Moon Princess 5 (the final volume), Blue Box 12, Kaiju No. 8 11, Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You: Soulmate 3 (the final volume), Marriage Toxin 4, Moriarty the Patriot 17, My Hero Academia 39, Rainbow Days 12, Tamon’s B-Side 5, and Vampire Knight: Memories 9.

MICHELLE: I am so in the mood for more Tamon’s B-Side. And I may be in the minority, but I’ve been enjoying Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You: Soulmate, as well.

SEAN: Udon Entertainment has a biography. Manga Biographies: Charles M. Schulz The Creator of Snoopy and Peanuts (Kadokawa Manga Gakushuu Series: Manga Jinbutsu-den Charles Schulz Snoopy no Umi no Oya). The biography series has, in the past, done Thomas Edison, Helen Keller, Florence Nightingale, etc. None of those came out over here, but Sparky is different, and this is his (manga) life!

ASH: Interesting!

SEAN: Steamship has a 5th volume of GAME: Between the Suits and a 6th volume of Outbride: Beauty and the Beasts.

Square Enix gives us The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated! 10 and Victoria’s Electric Coffin 3 (the final volume).

Seven Seas debuts Magical Buffs: The Support Caster is Stronger Than He Realized! (Zatsuyou Fuyojutsushi ga Jibun no Saikyou ni Kidzuku made), a manga based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel, that runs in Futabasha’s Gaugau Monster. Let’s face it, you can guess the plot of this one.

ASH: That’s probably true.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Does it Count if You Lose Your Virginity to an Android? 4, Dungeon Friends Forever 3, Free Life Fantasy Online: Immortal Princess 8, The Great Snake’s Bride 4, I Get the Feeling That Nobukuni-san Likes Me 4, Imaginary 2, The Legend of Dororo and Hyakkimaru 8, Magic Artisan Dahlia Wilts No More 6, Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari 8, My [Repair] Skill Became a Versatile Cheat, So I Think I’ll Open a Weapon Shop 5, My Wife Has No Emotion 7, Time Stop Hero 10, and The Valiant Must Fall 3.

ASH: I really should catch up with The Legend of Dororo and Hyakkimaru.

Kodansha Manga has one print debut. Mobile Suit Gundam Cucuruz Doan’s Island (Kidou Senshi Gundam The Origin – Cucuruz Doan no Shima) ran in Gundam Ace, and is an examination of the Cucuruz Doan’s Island events from the Zeon Soldier perspective.

Also in print: Bless 3, A Condition Called Love 10, and WIND BREAKER 8.

Digitally, we see Chihayafuru 46, Life 19, That Beauty Is a Tramp 3, and Those Snow White Notes 21.

MICHELLE: Just a few volumes left of Chihayafuru!

ANNA: I can’t believe it.

SEAN: I’ve been saying that Yen Press took over J-NC’s print release distribution, but that’s not quite true. Hachette, Yen’s parent company, took over distribution. So I’ll put them back with the other JNC titles. We get a print release for Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire 4 (the manga version).

ASH: Ooooooh, okay. That makes sense.

SEAN: Also from J-Novel Club: the 4th D-Genesis: Three Years after the Dungeons Appeared manga volume, The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects 5, and An Introvert’s Hookup Hiccups: This Gyaru Is Head Over Heels for Me! 8.

From Hanashi Media we see Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy 3.

No Ghost Ship next week, but we get a mature Seven Seas title. KinnPorsche is a Thai novel that inspired a live-action series, and, as you likely guessed, it’s BL. A college student gets caught up with a crime family.

MICHELLE: Intriguing!

ASH: A Thai novel! That’s not something you see everyday.

SEAN: From Denpa Books we see Under Ninja 4.

Cross Infinite World’s debut, Ayakashi and the Fairy Tales We Tell Ourselves, is another book from the pen of Kosuzu Kobato, author of Making Jam in the Woods, Apothecary Witch Turned Divorce Agent, etc. Our heroine meets a young man who can see ayakashi.

ASH: I like the sound of the title, at least.

SEAN: Also from CIW: The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor 6, The Dragon’s Soulmate is a Mushroom Princess! 4, and Fluffy Paradise 5.

In print, for Airship, we see the debut of I Abandoned My Engagement Because My Sister is a Tragic Heroine, but Somehow I Became Entangled with a Righteous Prince (Higeki no Heroine Buru Imouto no Sei de Konyaku Hakishita no desu ga, Naze ka Seigikan no Tsuyoi Outaishi ni Karamareru you ni narimashita). A saint is rather stunned when her little sister says she’s being bullied by her sister, and even more stunned when this means her fiance breaks off the engagement to her. And now the Crown Prince is investigating her? Isn’t this all about her sister being a spoiled brat!?!

Also in print: I’m in Love with the Villainess: She’s so Cheeky for a Commoner 3 (the final volume) and A Tale of the Secret Saint 6.

The early digital debut is a one-shot light novel spinoff of the popular manga: The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You: Secret Love Story is a short story collection that hopefully is as bonkers as the main series.

Also in early digital: Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling 8.

It’s fall, so the manga pages are turning colors! What are you buying?

Lacey Longs for Freedom: The Dawn Witch’s Low-Key Life after Defeating the Demon King, Vol. 1

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By Hyogo Amagasa and Kyouichi. Released in Japan as “Akatsuki no Majo Lacey wa Jiyū ni Ikitai” by Overlap Novels f. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Alex Honton.

One of the more popular genres recently, which I read a couple of but in general I’m not a fan, is the “thrown out of the party” genre of fantasy. In this genre, our protagonist, who tends to either be overly specialized, too competent, or just in the way, is either told they aren’t needed anymore and abandoned (the “good” kind) or attempted murdered (the “bad” kind). Inevitably, things don’t go well for the party afterwards. I am very relieved to tell you that Lacey Longs for Freedom is almost the polar opposite of this genre. Here we have a party of misfits, each one overpowered but weird except for the hero who binds them all together, defeating the demon lord, parting company… and staying good friends who have each other’s backs. It’s just wonderful to see. It’s also something of a relief, as our heroine is the sort where, if she were abandoned by the hero’s party, would just quietly lie on the side of the road till she died. Yup, another OP introvert.

The Demon King has been defeated and our heroes have returned to the kingdom. They all get one wish, anything they want. But their mage, Lacey, doesn’t use her wish. She already knows her future. She’s engaged to be married to the son of a duke, and will spend the rest of her time being expected to give birth to other powerful mages. She seems depressingly okay with this, even though she’s aware that her fiance doesn’t like her. However, when she sees her fiance cheating on her with the princess of the country – right after she’d seen him cheating with yet another woman – she stands up for herself a bit. And is promptly screamed at by the traditional appalling fiance these books have. Fortunately, the hero is on her side, and is able to help her get what she really wants – not to be tied down to anyone.

For the most part, this is a very good book, especially once we get past the obligatory engagement guff at the start. Lacey is magically super-powered but socially inept, and has to be reminded to eat and sleep. She wants to improve, though, and over the course of the book, as she settles into a nearby village and sets up a shop where she’ll do anything, anytime, anywhere (sadly, though she’s as short as Bill Oddie, there’s not much else similar to the Goodies), she comes out of her shell a bit and can interact with folks – especially when there’s a problem that needs solving. That said, she’s clearly in love with Wayne, the hero, but unaware of it, determined instead to become independent of him taking care of her. Amusingly, Wayne, who is clearly besotted with Lacey, also has not quite hit the point where he’s ready to admit it’s romantic love – he frames it, as she does, as taking care of her as he worries she’ll just fall over dead if he looks away. They reach an understanding at the end of the book, but aren’t quite a couple yet.

This is a good series to read if you like seeing painfully shy girls who can change the weather, heal life-threatening injuries in seconds, and tame magical phoenixes. I think we all like that, really.

I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss, Vol. 9

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By Sarasa Nagase and Mai Murasaki. Released in Japan as “Akuyaku Reijo Nanode Rasubosu o Katte Mimashita” by Kadokawa Beans Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Taylor Engel.

Everyone loves a good harem series. But, unless you’re reading The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You or other polyamorous titles, you’re going to wind up with fans of one love interest happy and the fans of the other love interests disappointed. This is even true in a series like this one, where there’s been no doubt since the beginning of the first volume that Aileen and Claude were the OTP. This series was based around a series of otome games, and as a result there are any number of hot guys that you could, theoretically, pair a heroine with. Sadly, Lilia blew all that up, and Aileen kicked fate in the nuts, so we’ve got a few guys who are dedicated to their work. Can’t have that, though. This is a romance, and romances with lots of unattached love interests get hit with “pair the spares”. That’s the entire purpose of this volume, taking place a little while after the main series.

This book consists of three stories, but honestly it feels like the author had a complete volume that didn’t quite meet the word count and so they added a (normal-sized) short story to the start and a (very small) short story to the end. The first has Elefas going back to his homeland to find that he’s suddenly married to Neifa, one of the harem queens of Baal’s that he has no use for now that he has Roxane. He thinks he can quickly get out of the marriage, but sadly she’s brilliant *and* has big boobs, a deadly combination. In the final story in the volume, Claude and Aileen try to go on a date where it’s just the two of them, despite everyone trying to stop them. The story that takes up the most time, though, involves Walt and Kyle, who get involved, once more, with demon snuff, as well as a very mysterious “fairy” girl.

The reason to read this is the middle story, though I did like Neifa, whose use of “all-ages” a la Lilia makes me wonder if she’s another import from Japan. (Lilia is fantastic in her one scene, where she looks like she’s being serious for once but later turns out to be a troll as always.) But Walt and Kyle – OK, mostly Walt – are the reason to pick this up. Walt tends to wear his heart on his sleeve, so even as he’s told to investigate a teenage girl who’s suspected of making and distributing a highly potent demon snuff, and even after discovering that yes, she is doing that, he still wants to prove that she’s innocent, because it doesn’t match with her character. In fact, her character doesn’t match from one day to the next, which is a bit of a spoiler except that the cast portraits at the start of the book give it away anyway. This is basically a thriller where they’re working against the clock trying to stop a horrible chain of self-sacrificing against a virulently disgusting bad guy who’s been sexually abusive (so yes, warning for that), and thankfully the day is saved.

The day is saved without Aileen, who only makes small appearances in the first two stories – after all, they don’t involve her being executed if she makes one wrong move, so what should she care? The next book, though, sees us back in familiar territory once more, as the author admits that the series isn’t ending just yet.

Spy Classroom: Sara’s Meadow of Opportunity

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By Takemachi and Tomari. Released in Japan as “Spy Kyoushitsu” by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Nathaniel Thrasher.

The basic premise of this series, more than the spy shenanigans, or the moves and counter-moves, or the traumatic cliffhangers, is fairly simple. The narrative lies to the reader over and over again, and we have to try to figure out what’s going on before we have the rug pulled out from under us again. We get a lot of that in this volume, as Lamplight use the idea of narrative convenience to plant doubt in their colleagues’ mind. Everyone knows Avian were really amazing spies. Everyone knows that their symbol was a phoenix, the symbol of rebirth. And everyone knows that faking deaths for drama is something that books have been doing ever since there were books. Surely it’s possible that we were all bamboozled, especially considering THIS author. But that’s not all we’re here to doubt. There’s piles and piles of lies here, and therefore it’s doubly ironic that the star of this book is Sara, who is the most straightforward, honest, and true cast member.

Lamplight is smashed to pieces. Monika is a traitor, and presumed dead. Klaus and Thea are imprisoned. Annette, Erna, and Grete are hospitalized. That leaves the three “weakest” members of Lamplight to figure out who set them up, find the traitor and save the day. Unfortunately, no one trusts them, and they aren’t really allowed to do anything without a watchdog. Despite this, they try to figure out how to stop White Spider, whose backstory we get here, from doing his damndest to kill Klaus – and see exactly why he wants to kill Klaus. There’s traitors galore, there’s one of their members going off the rails and deciding to go full evil, and there’s everyone calling them weak, stupid, and saying they’ll be executed as soon as they blink. With all this going against them, can they find a way to rescue Klaus, stop White Spider, and clear their name? Well, as much as it’s possible to clear their name.

I’ve gushed about Sara before, and want to avoid repeating myself, but man. This is her book, and it’s here when she finally gets a purpose, a reason she wants to be a spy. She’s also brilliant, using her abilities and talents in the best possible way – when White Spider sneers at her and says he saw through it all, I wanted to yell at what a dipshit he was being. I don’t care that he saw through it, it was incredible! I also liked her final conversation with Klaus, and hope she gets that happy ending. Lily and Sybilla, of course, also get their chance to shine, though Sybilla also gets a heaping helping of verbal abuse – EVERYONE seems to loathe Lamplight beyond all reason in this book. I also liked how the ending to this 8th book was a dark, serious mirror to the wacky comedy ending of the 4th book – one involving Lily, the other involving Monika.

This was an excellent ending to this arc. And now it’s time to start a new one… after yet another short story volume. The SS volumes come fast and furious with this series.

A Certain Magical Index NT, Vol. 3

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By Kazumi Kamachi and Kiyotaka Haimura. Released in Japan as “Shinyaku To Aru Majutsu no Index” by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Alice Prowse.

The first volume of New Testament did not really feel like the return of the beloved/infamous series, mostly as Touma was entirely absent until the very end of it. The second volume consisted almost entirely of exposition, so also felt like an oddity (sorry, Kaori, I know you tried hard). This one, though, is Index hitting the ground running and announcing that it’s back for good in a full-throated roar. The series has never shied away from action setpieces, of course – that’s its bread and butter – but it’s never felt more like an American action movie than it does in this book. That’s clearly by design, of course – everything’s set up to have the maximum number of explosions and volcano eruptions, everyone gets a chance to show off their cool powers, and even the President of the United States feels more like a movie star than he does an actual President. Unfortunately, Touma ends up figuring out that World War III ending did not, in fact, return everything to normal.

Leivinia Birdway has led a group of all-stars to Hawaii – Touma, Mikoto, Accelerator, Misaka Worst, and Umidori, the villain of the first book, now reduced to mostly being Misaka Worst’s toy, though she gets to be cool near the end, as is traditional with Index books. Unfortunately, from the moment they get to Hawaii, they are caught up in non-stop attacks, explosions, more explosions, terrorists attacks up the wazoo, the aforementioned volcano eruption, and an actual coup by a media mogul who wants to make the United States a theocracy, and also really wants to find her estranged daughter. All of this converges in Hawaii, along with the US president, who has run away from all his handlers as he can’t trust anyone anymore. In fact… can Touma trust anyone anymore?

I mean, probably. Despite her annoyingly evil words to Touma at the end of the book, I doubt that Birdway is really involved with GREMLIN. But it simply works better for her to have Touma in a constant state of righteous fury, and that’s what she gets here, despite the best efforts of Mikoto. Mikoto has, honestly, suffered almost as much as Index (that’s the character, Index, who wears a nun habit, in case everyone had forgotten) since this series began, with whole volumes in a row where she barely does anything. For most of this book, it looks like that may also apply here, given she spends much of this Hawaii trip trying to buy matching promise rings for her and Touma that supposedly tell you if your boyfriend is cheating. Even Misaka Worst points out that she’s been far more relevant than the original Misaka lately. (Every time Misaka Worst mentions the “Third Season”, I roll my eyes.) But Mikoto is pretty much the only one who can try to talk Touma down from the “it’s all my fault, and I alone will shoulder this burden” complex he’s got. I don’t think she succeeds. But she does better than anyone else might have. Touma’s a stubborn nut.

We will be headed back to Academy City next time, but the 4th book isn’t solicited yet. Which is fine, I think we need a small break, this book was exhausting but fun.

Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle, Vol. 6.5

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By Hiromu and raemz. Released in Japan as “Chitose-kun wa Ramune Bin no Naka” by Gagaga Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Evie Lund.

To my surprise, this isn’t a normal short story volume, where the author inserts either stories that fit in in the earlier volume timeline, or uses the chance to officially release all those stories that came as bonuses with various giveaways in Japan. This says Vol. 6.5, but that’s mostly as it doesn’t feature Chitose’s POV in it. What we really get is the continuation of the fallout from the 5th book, in the form of four very long short stories. All the girls have “what now?” on their minds, either wondering how to interact with Chitose again after confessing and getting rejected (Yuuko) or realizing that just continuing to do what they’ve been doing and hope those days last forever isn’t really an option (everyone else). There’s a lot of talk of college and the adult world in this book. The future is coming. And these girls want Chitose in their future, even if he’s still not chosen them. So, they move forward. Bit by bit.

If you’re wondering who that is on the cover art, why it’s Nazuna, the girl who seems to clash with Yuzuki a lot and has been the one supporting female cast member who’s not in love with Chitose. She’s in the first short story, where Yuuko, after the events of the 6th book, is still struggling with reconnecting with her friends and figuring out how to treat Chitose, so invites Yuzuki and Nazuna on a shopping trip in a nearby city. The second story has Asuka get to see what editing is like in a local ‘style’ magazine, and she invites Chitose for moral support… only to come up against the giant wall she still has to climb. In the third story, we get the mirror image of Yuuko’s story, as now it’s Yua who is trying to figure out how to treat Chitose after the last book, and she decides to ask him on a date to try and shake things up. And in the last story Haru is a mess, and it’s affecting her basketball, so the coach asks some old graduates to stop back at high school and be incredibly mean to her until she snaps out of it. This… doesn’t work till she gets a “remember to actually like the sport you like” call from Chitose. Then it works.

The Asuka story was easily my favorite one in the book. In a volume discussing where everyone’s going to be headed in the future, it makes sense that it’s the one closest to that future that would resonate the most. The moment Asuka started to “interview” the editor on her time at the magazine, I winced, because I immediately recognized what she was doing wrong. Worse, when Chitose is given the chance, he doesn’t make the same mistakes, and gets a much better interview. But, as multiple people point out, she has passion, and feels the frustration and anguish at her inadequacy, whereas Chitose doesn’t really mind how he does. It’s the passion that she has to hold on to. I also enjoyed Yua’s story – she’s possibly my favorite at this point, despite the fact that I know she won’t “win” – where she tries to figure out what happens to her current role in Chitose’s life – being his wife figure – if he gets an actual girlfriend. The scene where Chitose meets Yua’s dad is also a big highlight.

So yes, this actually is a short story book you need to read. Next volume we’re back to the main plot, and with a girl I don’t recognize on the cover art, we’re sure to shake things up. One of the best romcoms out right now – well, romdram.

The Princess of Convenient Plot Devices, Vol. 6

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By Mamecyoro and Mitsuya Fuji. Released in Japan as “Watashi wa Gotsugou Shugi na Kaiketsu Tantou no Oujo de aru” by B’s-LOG Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Sarah Moon.

I find it amusing how the author goes on in the afterword about the fun romcom parts of the book. Now, to be fair, there is a bit of that, but I… am I reading this book wrong? Are the bulk of the readers less interested in the intrigue than in seeing if Octavia and Klifford will realize they’re in love with each other?” Is this Earl and Fairy? Well, no, probably not, but it has to be said that the far more interesting part of the book is Octavia trying to discover the real past of previous generations while the narrative literally tries to sabotage her. The two plotlines converge when she finally decides on her fake boyfriend, and everything is ready for her to introduce him to her parents and finally get a clue as to how to resolve this and make everyone happy. Boy, sure hope that no one is trying to destroy her schemes! That would suck!

After a brief prologue showing us who our “villain” might be, though like half the cast they’re dealing with past memories and evil manipulation, we see Octavia trying to meet up with Hugh… only to find he’s been moved too a secret location. Unfortunately, Sirius is back to being brainwashed, so he’s no help. Her father the king knows where Hugh is and will tell her, but under one condition: she has to introduce her boyfriend to everyone in a week. You know, the fake boyfriend she still hasn’t nailed down. After briefly doing some boyfriend math, she settles on Derek, and he seems amenable to it. She also discovers a lot more about the relationship between Derek’s father and her own, and finds that her father may not be as happily married as she’d thought. Turns out just because a couple is hot and BL, it doesn’t mean they can’t be torn apart by… well, that’s still a secret.

Let’s get back to that romance. I think by now both Octavia and Klifford are very, very, unconsciously aware that they’re in love with each other. It’s the unconsciously that’s the problem. Octavia is held back by the whole “I will obey every order you give, please give me an order” thing coming from Klifford, and the climax of the book features him dragging her kicking and screaming into finally giving him a real order rather than one of her requests. And Klifford, as is pointed out by the king, is supposed to be unable to feel love like a real human being, though anyone who has read the previous six books might be snorting at that. It helps that immediately after this we get Klifford’s perspective briefly, where he wonders what these strange feelings are? The rest of the book was the usual excellent intrigue, though I am annoyed that the only way to get our leads to step up was the brainwash the opposition. If nothing else, that means one less ally, and Octavia needs allies, as the world is out to get her.

And now the words everyone dreads: we’re caught up with Japan, and Book 7 is not out there yet. So get ready to wait. But till then, yay, they’re fake lovers! Yay? Maybe?

Death’s Daughter and the Ebony Blade, Vol. 7: Finale

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By Maito Ayamine and Cierra. Released in Japan as “Shinigami ni Sodaterareta Shoujo wa Shikkoku no Tsurugi wo Mune ni Idaku” by Overlap Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Sylvia Gallagher.

I’ll be discussing the final pages of the book, but only under the picture, so be warned.

Before we get around to how this series seems to love to lead me around by the nose, we need to, I suppose, address the fact that this is definitely the second part of Book 7, not a book in itself. I probably should have saved the two books and read them as one. If only as this is 95% fights, and I just don’t have it in me to talk about those. Wow, those undead really are hard to kill. Oh man, the goofy scientist is mortally wounded (and then never seen again). The large cast means that we have a lot of viewpoints to flit between, but I’m going to be honest, I don’t care about most of these people. I like them well enough, and wish them well. But in the end, I’m here for Olivia, Ashton, Claudia, and maybe Felix. If pressed.

Felix and his knights, along with the sleeping emperor, have defected to Olivia’s side in hopes that she can do something about the emperor (easy) and the man currently causing the undead to overrun the entire country (difficult). Fortunately, while they may not have Ashton anymore, they do have that old librarian from previous books, who also turns out to be a strategist, and she comes up with a plan: Fernest, Mekia, and Sutherland all join forces and offer a deal: one big battle against Darmes’ undead army, and if they lose they’ll surrender. Olivia knows he’ll take the deal, but that will also give her and Felix the opportunity to run straight for the castle to take out both Darmes and Xenia, the evil God supporting him. That said… they still have to fight scores of undead. No getting around that.

Even given the fact that it’s the second part of a 550-page book, this book is still badly paced, and needed an epilogue that was longer than the 4 pages or so it gets. I was starting to get a bit suspicious of the ending around 3/4 of the way through the book, when we see Claudia and company fighting valiantly but NOT dying tragically. If this book was going to keep going the way it had been, we needed a lot more death, and no, that one woman from Mekia doesn’t really count. Then at the end, when Olivia wins (yeah, sorry to spoil, but you guessed that) and she is told she can get one wish that’s anything she wants, I knew where it was going. So yeah, I was wrong. AGAIN. And it’s fine, I’m OK with it. I’d be a lot more OK with it if the epilogue was 20 pages rather than 4, and showed ANY of the other characters in the book. Which, um, guess that means I did care about people other than Olivia, Ashton and Claudia.

I think I’ve now run out of “military battle fantasy” series that I’m following, and this certainly was one. It’s worth reading for Olivia’s eccentric, striking personality, but also in seeing how much she grows and changes, particularly in the last two books after Ashton’s death. And she has only more room to grow.

Manga the Week of 9/25/24

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SEAN: As September sinks slowly in the west, and our adorable children bring us all the fresh new colds they caught at school, what’s coming out?

ASH: Fresh new manga!

SEAN: Airship has the print debut of An Autumn in Amber, a Zero-Second Journey (Kohaku no Aki, 0-byō no Tabi), another book by Mei Hachimoku, Seven Seas’ resident “bittersweet sci-fi teen romance” author. Not sure if this is bittersweet, but there’s sci-fi and teens. A boy who hates being touched and a snarky delinquent girl find time has stopped for everyone but them.

ASH: I like sci-fi, bittersweet and otherwise.

And we also get print for The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior 7 and Trapped in a Dating Sim: Otome Games Are Tough For Us, Too! 2. No early digital releases technically, but hold that thought, we’ve got a weird imprint crisis going on here later.

Ghost Ship features Call Girl in Another World 8.

Three debuts for J-Novel Club. Duchess in the Attic (Yane Urabeya no Koushaku Fujin) has had its manga out already, but now we have the original light novel. It is a “terrible things happen to our noble lady over and over, until she finally starts her comeback” sort of title.

No One Gets Past This Gatekeeper: The Unwanted Warrior Guards His New Post (Sono Monban, Saikyō ni Tsuki: Tsuihō Sareta Bōgyo-ryoku 9999 no Senshi, Ōto no Monban to Shite Musō Suru) is a “banished from the party” title, where the party finds that without their tank they’re toast, and our hero finds he gets far more women and money guarding a door.

ASH: Admittedly, doors can be pretty dangerous.

SEAN: And we see the manga debut of The Troubles of Miss Nicola the Exorcist (Haraiya Reijō Nicola no Komarigoto), whose light novel J-Novel Club has already released. I assume this runs in Drecomics.

Also from J-Novel Club: Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon: My Trusted Companions Tried to Kill Me, But Thanks to the Gift of an Unlimited Gacha I Got LVL 9999 Friends and Am Out For Revenge on My Former Party Members and the World 8, the 17th Black Summoner manga volume, Chivalry of a Failed Knight 3, Invaders of the Rokujouma!? 45, A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life 11, A Livid Lady’s Guide to Getting Even: How I Crushed My Homeland with My Mighty Grimoires 3, and Sword Saint Adel’s Second Chance 3.

Kodansha Books has the 6th volume of My Unique Skill Makes Me OP Even at Level 1.

Kodansha Manga has two debuts in print. The Boy I Loved Became the Jaded Emperor (Mukuchi na Koushaku Reijou to Reitetsu na Koutei – Zense Hirotta Kodomo ga Koutei ni Natte Imashita) is a josei manga from Zero-Sum Online, based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel. As a boy, the prince was rescued by a woman with the face of a monster, and they stayed together for a few years… till he was forced to be prince, and she was killed. Now he rules as a cold, emotionless man. But wait, who’s this duke’s daughter? Could she be a reincarnation?

MICHELLE: Hm.

ANNA: I don’t know if this premise really appeals to me, but I am here for most josei!

MICHELLE: Yeah, this is my dilemma too.

ASH: I’m curious enough to give it a try.

SEAN: Suzume is a manga based on a Makoto Shinkai movie that he also wrote a novelization for, which Yen On has published. A young girl finds doors connecting past, present and future. The Manga ran in Afternoon.

ASH: I wondered when we’d end up seeing this released.

SEAN: Also in print: A-DO 4, As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World 12, Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card 15, The Great Cleric 11, How I Met My Soulmate 4, and Nina the Starry Bride 4.

ANNA: Yay for Nina the Starry Bride!

ASH: I really need to get around to reading this series!

SEAN: Digitally we see The Beast Player 4, Because I, the True Saint, was Banished, that Country is Done For! 5, A Couple of Cuckoos 19, DAYS 43 ~fragment~ (you thought it was over?), Drops of God: Mariage 8, Gamaran: Shura 24, The Great Cleric 13, My Home Hero 18, and That Beauty Is a Tramp 2.

MICHELLE: I did, in fact, think DAYS was over!

SEAN: Debuting from One Peace Books is Nukozuke!, a shoujo title from Hana to Yume. A slice-of-life manga about a young man who finds two “nukos”, which are apparently cat-sized humans. Cute is the watchword here.

ASH: Cute can be good.

SEAN: And we also get a 5th Parallel World Pharmacy.

One debut from Seven Seas: Handsome Girl and Sheltered Girl: The Complete Manga Collection (Ikemen Onna to Hakoiri Musume) is a yuri series from Comic Rex. A girl asks her classmate to help out in a crossdressing cafe. However, the classmate she assumed was a boy is a girl… and wants to date her! As you can guess, it’s complete in one omnibus.

ASH: I did guess!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: BARBARITIES IV (the final volume), Dinosaur Sanctuary 5, Lazy Dungeon Master 9, The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today 8, My Girlfriend’s Not Here Today 2, and Who Made Me a Princess 7.

They also have two danmei novels, Ballad of Sword and Wine: Qiang Jin Jiu 2 and Stars of Chaos: Sha Po Lang 4.

Square Enix Manga has Mobsters in Love 2 and Soul Eater: The Perfect Edition 16.

Steamship has a light novel! Yes, this is where the early digital debut for Airship went, as this is the original LN version of their already released manga The Villainess and the Demon Knight (Akuyaku Reijou to Kichiku Kishi), where our villainess is exiled to a brothel, and her childhood friend turns out to be a yandere. I’ll read this for the maid.

Two debuts from Tokyopop. Boys Gilding the Lily Shall Die!? (Yuri ni Hasamaru Otoko wa Shineba Ii?!) is a yuri title from LINE Manga. Did you watch Sound Euphonium and want more gay band club? This series should be perfect for you.

Dinner for Three (which I can’t find romanji for) is a BL light novel. A guy trying to raise his kid brother is making ends meet as a male companion. Can their neightbor help out with meals?

Tokyopop also has the 5th volume of I Was Reincarnated as the Villainess in an Otome Game but the Boys Love Me Anyway! and the 14th volume of Konohana Kitan.

Viz Media gives us Fist of the North Star 14 and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 6–Stone Ocean 6.

ASH: Here for both of these.

SEAN: And we end with some more Yen, who weren’t done last week. Yen On debuts 86–EIGHTY-SIX Alter, a short story volume containing tales that are not quite as depressing as he main series.

The other debut is Victoria of Many Faces (Tefuda ga Oume no Victoria). A spy who is a master of disguise is betrayed by her organization, and so she starts over again in a small town. But not only are her spy talents useful there, her old life is catching up. This is from the creator of Soup Forest and A Young Lady Finds Her True Calling Living with the Enemy.

ASH: Spy talents are useful in all sorts of scenarios.

SEAN: Also from Yen On: Brunhild the Dragon Princess (the 2nd in the series), The Girl I Saved on the Train Turned Out to Be My Childhood Friend 7, The Irregular at Magic High School 23, and Magical Explorer: Reborn as a Side Character in a Fantasy Dating Sim 8.

And Yen Press has Gabriel Dropout 14 and Tales of Wedding Rings 14.

That ended up almost as long as the last one. What are you getting?