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Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll Do Anything to Become a Librarian!, Part 5: Avatar of a Goddess, Vol. 9

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By Miya Kazuki and You Shiina. Released in Japan as “Honzuki no Gekokujou: Shisho ni Naru Tame ni wa Shudan wo Erandeiraremasen” by TO Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by quof.

Thankfully, after the start of this volume, things are allowed to calm down a bit, as we have the aftermath of what’s benn happening for the last two book. Unfortunately, that means that the start of this volume absolutely does not calm down at all. I hate that it happens to her, but one of the best plotlines I’ve seen so far in this series is Rozemyne being in the thick of the battlefield, and what it does to her psyche afterward. PTSD does not really seem to be a thing here, and indeed we are on Rozemyne’s side. Why the hell is everyone so used to war and slaughter? People turning into feystones when they die has been around for some time, but it’s still “this is a fantasy world with magic, not real”. It’s not till Sylvester does the equivalent of pulling Georgine’s corpse out of his robes and slamming it on the table in front of her that she really snaps.

As I noted above, the start of this book is the fight against Grausam, who actually turns out to be in several places at once… which leads to the conclusion that Georgine is as well. Moreover, the battle ends up having to involve ONLY Rozemyne and Matthias for plot reasons, and she not only sees many soldiers have limbs cut off, get poisoned and turn into multiple feystones hitting against her pandabus, but she has to turn the pandabus into a kaiju in order to finally take (the real) Grausam down. At the same time, they are told that Sylvester has managed to defend the foundation and kill Georgine, and they can all return to Ehrenfest (after paying off Dunkenfelger with some booze). Unfortunately, thanks to the battle, Rozemyne can’t even look at a feystone. What’s worse, she has to figure out what to do now – and how Ferdinand is going to be involved in whatever she does.

If there is a lighter side to this rather heavy book, it’s seeing Rozemyne continue to explain how what she feels for Ferdinand is not, in fact, love. Again, this is Rozemyne and her life in Japan, where she’d never had a boyfriend or lover, trying to apply romance-novel rules to love. Love is desire, love is sex, etc. She doesn’t have those feelings for Ferdinand. But every OTHER part of love is literally exactly what she describes her ideal life with Ferdinand to be, and it’s no wonder that Hannelore and the others stare at her as if she’s out of her mind. To their society, where almost everyone marries for political reasons and having a marriage based on love and sex is seen as really weird (see: Sylvester and Florencia), what this is is just Rozemyne saying “Sure, I love him, but it’s not love because I say so.” It’s amusing, but in a sort of dark way.

As with the previous book, the last quarter of it is devoted to filling in the war from the POV of people who are not Rozemyne. We see Charlotte’s attempts to administrate everything, and are reminded that, with Rozemyne leaving and Wilfried… being Wilfried, she’s the next Aub, at least for now. Judithe has to deal with the fact that she’s defending the temple, and not in a more important role. (Judithe is also the utter innocent of the book, assuming everyone is going out to look at flowers and not, y’know, “pick” them.) Gunther gets to PUNCH THE EVIL AWAY thanks to the power of the love his family has for him and his shonen dad power. Florencia gets to have a nice chat with Veronica and finally move on and forget about her. And Sylvester gets to narrowly escape being poisoned to death but, to the very end, still not understand the boiling rage and hatred that is making Georgine do this. It’s very well done.

So much going on here that I haven’t even touched on. I’m sure the 10th book in this arc will be fine and filled with tea and snacks.

Manga the Week of 3/27/24

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SEAN: As March ends, we should all sit back and take stock. Did we March enough this year?

ASH: How is it that it seems like March went by faster than February?

SEAN: Airship has no print releases next week, but they do have early digital releases for 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! 5 and The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash 6.

Cross Infinite World has new volumes. We get Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra: World Conquest Starts with the Civilization of Ruin 6, Reincarnated as the Last of my Kind 6, and A Young Lady Finds Her True Calling Living with the Enemy 2 (the final volume).

Dark Horse Comics has the 7th omnibus edition of Oh My Goddess!.

ASH: I had forgotten these were coming out.

SEAN: Denpa’s twitter account says March Comes In Like a Lion 2 should be out next week.

MICHELLE: Cautiously optimistic?

ASH: March goes out like a lion?

SEAN: Ghost Ship has an 8th volume of How to Build a Dungeon: Book of the Demon King.

Hanashi Media debuts Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy (Tsuki ga Michibiku Isekai Douchuu), a long-running isekai light novel that also has an anime out. A guy is thrown into another world by his parents, but he’s too ugly to get cheats, then he tries to form bonds but only finds two perverts. I know this is popular.

ASH: Huh.

SEAN: Three debuts from J-Novel Club. After-School Dungeon Diver: Level Grinding in Another World (Hōkago no Dungeon Diver: Nihon to Isekai o Ikiki Dekiru Yō ni Natta Boku wa Level Up ni Isoshimimasu) is from the creator of The Magic in This Other World Is Too Far Behind!, which, to be honest, is the one reason I’m not ignoring it. A guy finds he can travel between worlds and back again, so goes isekai adventuring on the side when he’s free.

Heavenly Swords of the Twin Stars (Sōsei no Tenken Tsukai) is from the creator of Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter, which, to be honest, is the one reason I’m not ignoring it. Our hero keeps trying to have a nice reincarnated slow life. Sadly, literally everything stops him from doing so. Guess he’s gotta save the world. Again.

ASH: Unfortunate job security is a thing.

SEAN: A Wild Last Boss Appeared! (Yasei no Last Boss ga Arawareta!) is a manga based on the light novel J-Novel Club has already released. It runs in Comic Earth Star Online.

Also from J-Novel Club: Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 13, I Parry Everything: What Do You Mean I’m the Strongest? I’m Not Even an Adventurer Yet! 5, An Introvert’s Hookup Hiccups: This Gyaru Is Head Over Heels for Me! 6, the 7th manga volume of Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World, My Magical Career at Court: Living the Dream After My Nightmare Boss Fired Me from the Mages’ Guild! 3, and Now I’m a Demon Lord! Happily Ever After with Monster Girls in My Dungeon 8.

Kodansha has a debut, with I Got Reincarnated in a (BL) World of Big (Man) Boobs (Kyonyuu Suki nanoni BL Kai ni Tensei Shimashita), which runs in Shonen Magazine Edge. A man obsessed with breasts is reincarnated in a BL world. He looks for boobs… but all he sees are huge pecs. This is a comedy, but it is by the author of Adekan, a popular BL manga that ran in Wings but was never licensed in English.

MICHELLE: What a premise (and title).

ASH: Right?? We don’t get a ton of BL-related comedy; I am intrigued.

SEAN: Also in print: Am I Actually the Strongest? 6, Blue Period 14, A Condition Called Love 7, Flying Witch 12, The Great Cleric 8, The Moon on a Rainy Night 4, Super Morning Star 3, and Whisper Me a Love Song 8.

No digital debuts, but we do see Boss Bride Days 15 (the final volume), A Couple of Cuckoos 16, DAYS 40, Gamaran: Shura 18, and My Home Hero 14.

One Peace Books has a 10th volume of the Higehiro manga.

Seven Seas has Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest 12, I’m a Wolf, but My Boss is a Sheep! 4, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid 14, Skeleton Knight in Another World 12, and Seaside Stranger: Harukaze no Étranger 6.

They also have the 2nd volume of Guardian: Zhen Hun.

ASH: I need to try to get around to reading the first volume sooner rather than later.

SEAN: From Square Enix we see A Man and His Cat 10.

MICHELLE: I really need to catch up on this.

SEAN: Two debuts for Steamship. Before You Discard Me, I Shall Have My Way With You (Douse Suterareru no nara, Saigo ni Suki ni Sasete Itadakimasu) is a josei title from Zero Sum Online, based on a web novel. As you might guess, we have a noblewoman whose engagement has been broken off so the prince can marry a sweet young thing. Our heroine decides to fight back… in bed!

Healer for the Shadow Hero (Kage no Eiyuu no Chiyugakari) is also a josei title from Zero Sum Online, based on a web novel. A servant girl has been hiding a big secret: she has amazing healing powers, but they only activate when her virginity is taken. Now that her secret is exposed, she’s sent to a war hero with an incurable disease.

ASH: Smutty josei for the win!

SEAN: Tokyopop has another one-shot BL title, All You Want, Whenever You Want (Hoshii Toki Dake, Suki na Dake), which ran in LiQuille. Two coworkers who share a dorm get off on the wrong foot. That changes quickly.

MICHELLE: And now they just get off.

ASH: LOL!

SEAN: Udon Entertainment debuts Atelier Ryza: The Manga: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout (Atelier Ryza: Tokoyami no Joō to Himitsu no Kakurega), a manga adaptation of the game that ran in Famitsu. I believe it’s complete in one volume.

Debuting from Viz is Stitches, a horror short-story collection which has internal illustrations by Junji Ito. The author is an ex-Ghibli writer, who worked on Castle in the Sky and Kiki’s Delivery Service. This, um, does not seem like those two titles.

ASH: I’m looking forward to this one!

SEAN: Viz Media also gives us Fist of the North Star 12 and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 6–Stone Ocean 3.

ASH: Excellent.

SEAN: Finally, Yen has some stragglers. Yen On has The Executioner and Her Way of Life 7, High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even in Another World! 10 (the final volume), Ishura 6, and Orc Eroica 4.

And from Yen Press, one debut. The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life (Ikinokori Renkinjutsushi wa Machi de Shizuka ni Kurashitai) is the 2nd adaptation of the light novel we’ve seen here. This one runs in B’s-LOG Comic.

ASH: You don’t see that happening so often!

SEAN: Are your purchases a march? Or a slow foxtrot?

The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases, Vol. 1

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By Shin Kouduki and Chocoan. Released in Japan as “Dekisokonai to Yobareta Moto Eiyū wa, Jikka Kara Tsuihōsareta node Suki Katte ni Ikiru Koto ni Shita” by TO Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by bedi and Joshua Douglass-Molloy.

I’ve always been something of a nerd for “publishers”. What I mean is, I always try to figure out what books or manga are coming out where, and what they might have in common. Sometimes this is easy (Weekly Shonen Jump, Gagaga Bunko). Sometimes it can be trickier (whatever Wings is). And TO Books is sort of the anti-GC Books for me, in that I’ve always had a lot of good luck when trying books from this publisher. Bookworm and Tearmoon being the obvious winners. And so, when I saw this newly licensed title with, let’s face it, a very familiar premise, I thought “eh, I’ll take a flyer on the first book”. And I have good news, I was rewarded. Oh, this is not really all that original. And it has its character types, most notably the “too cool for school” hero. But it doesn’t feel like it’s being written for teenage boys. 20-something boys, perhaps.

The book opens with the banishment in the title, as Allen is thrown out of his family and told to leave the city by his father, Evil, and his younger brother, Evil, Jr. (They have names, but trust me, that’s how you’ll remember them.) In a world where so much depends on raising your level, Allen hasn’t raised his one bit, and thus a former prodigy is now regarded by most nobility as a disgrace. But Allen has a secret: he’s actually a reincarnation from a different fantasy world, where he spent his days saving the world for little glory, only earning the terror of the populace. He asked to be reborn in another world where he can live a peaceful life – which he did not get, until now. Oh yes, and he also has all his skills from the other world. So, um, he’s actually super duper ooper powerful.

Yeah, yeah, I know. Sean’s been drinking the Kool-Aid again. Trust me, Allen is not why I enjoyed this book. Though he’s fine, I guess. As generic heroes go, he’s on the more serious side of generic, and he doesn’t have any annoying traits. Kinda boring. But it’s the women in the series that interested me. Allen’s former fiancee, Princess Riese, her bodyguard, Beatrice, the world’s Champion, Akira, and the elf blacksmith, Noel. They are not introduced by telling us their breast sizes. There are not gratuitous scenes of them in a bath, or stripping. There is, in fact, no fanservice at all. Sure, Riese clearly is in love with Allen, but it’s handled very sedately, and the other characters do not all seem to have fallen for him as well (though this may change). It is, once again, a series that clears a bar that should be easy to clear but which most other isekai fail at. Oh yes, and no slavery yet, either.

Now, this is getting an anime soon, which may add in all the stuff I just said was absent. And, I mean, he’s still a ludicrously OP guy with minimal personality. But I liked the women. I want to see more of them, and have them help Allen more (I would like then to get their own subplots, but I’m not THAT delusional.) And the “elf is a blacksmith” thing was genuinely amusing and great. I’ll read more.

I Don’t Want To Be the Dragon Duke’s Maid! Serving My Ex-Fiancé From My Past Life, Vol. 1

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By Mashimesa Emoto and Masami. Released in Japan as “Ryū Taikō no Senzoku Jijo wa Goenryō Shitai! Tensei Saki no Okyūji Aite wa Zense no Moto Konyakusha Deshita” by Arian Rose. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Amanogawa Tenri.

I think most readers of Japanese light novels by now are used to the title of the book being a summary. This is why I was quite surprised that we were getting to the halfway point of this new series and I had still not seen our heroine being forced to be the dragon duke’s maid. In this particular case, this is a good thing. This world has a lot of stuff in it that needs to be explained, and we also need to get into the head of our protagonist and get used to how she thinks of herself and how she treats others. Oh yes, and there’s also the “I was killed and reincarnated with my past memories” aspect to the whole thing, which is also influencing her. But, at last, she finally ends up serving the dragon duke… sort of. We never actually see her do maid work. She’s far too busy trying to help save the nation.

The dragon duke who rules the nation of Eclair is making his first appearance for one hundred years, and going to see him is the family of our heroine, Mille-Feuille. Unfortunately, the moment she claps eyes on him she passes out, as the memories of her previous life return. She was Charlotte, a human woman in love with the dragon duke, and she ended up dying, though Mille-Feuille can’t remember anything about it except the dragon duke’s face of fury. That said, she has enough in her life to get on with. In this world, men turn into dragons once a month, and can only be calmed by a female family member giving them mana – which causes great pain and suffering to the women who have to do it, ranging from mild facial blemishes to near-comas. Mille-Feuille, who seems to have more magic talent than most, happens across a way to help women recover their mana more easily after this, and she is now secretly passing out cures. Unfortunately, people are noticing…

The main reason to get this book is the heroine, who is very much of the “I am practical and somewhat snarky and completely willfully ignorant of how absurdly powerful I really am” school of heroines. There is a test that women take to determine how much mana capacity they have, but for one reason or another, Mille-Feuille has managed to skip every one of those measuring ceremonies. As such, she is uniquely suited to handle the dragon transformations of the duke himself, who is super powerful and therefore super hard to control. The romance between the two of them is cute and very romance novel-ish, and that comes complete with the mystery villain who keeps trying to wreck things as well as the younger sister of the duke who is a jealous brat till she grows out of it. But again, the heroine is the best.

This feels finished in one volume, but there’s apparently a second one. It won’t win points for originality, except for the dragon mana transfer, but I quite enjoyed it.

Earl and Fairy: A Cursed Diamond Imbued with Love

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By Mizue Tani and Asako Takaboshi. Released in Japan as “Hakushaku to Yōsei” by Shueisha Cobalt Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Alexandra Owen-Burns.

Once again, as I read this series I am reminded just how far shoujo has come in the last twenty years, and how different it is. Everything going on between Edgar and Lydia in this series is intensely familiar to anyone who read the popular titles of the day back then… and yet it already feels like it’s from a hundred years ago, with Lydia’s inability to think anything but the worst of Edgar and his own inability to show Lydia what his love actually means feeling more frustrating than romantic. There’s also the “Lydia is kidnapped every volume, and threatened every volume, or both” problem. There’s consent issues. That said, once more, if you read this as a supernatural thriller and try to ignore the romance, there’s gold to be found here. Every volume brings a new creature that I have to google and find fascinating, and this one is no exception. We’re also getting a lot more contextualization about Edgar’s goals… and what he will and won’t do to get them.

Lydia is, unfortunately, at a society tea party, where she is forced to deal with a lot of hot gossip, most of it about Edgar, who now is rumored to have an entire harem of women. Of course, Lydia almost immediately believes this – if there’s one thing we know about Victorian England, it’s that rumors are true unless proven false. And, of course, Edgar *does* appear to be going to what is very carefully not described in this book as an opium den, but, well, is an opium den. He seems to be visiting a mysterious woman who lurks in a corner of the room… and he’s not the only one, as a marquess is also very interested in the same woman. What does this have to do with a paired diamond, black and white, which is mysteriously connected to Edgar’s family? And will Edgar and Lydia ever truly understand each other?

Edgar’s enemy in this, of course, is “The Prince”, and is trying to prove a closer heritage to being the future King of England than the current residents on the throne. Victoria is never mentioned here, nor is “Bertie”, the Prince of Wales at the time of this series (which seems to be set in a vague “somewhere between 1837-1901” time), but the general attitude of the bad guys is basically that they are, perhaps, not quite as British as one would like in a monarch. Perhaps a bit too Saxon. That said, I doubt we’re really going for any critique of the English monarchy here, but instead the series is using the time period as an obvious place where a large number of people would still believe in the fairies that are Lydia’s bread and butter, and who litter this series,. on both sides. Again, it’s all about the thriller.

The 6th book in the series is not scheduled yet, so there may be a bit of a break next. Perhaps it will allow Lydia to realize that not everything she hears about Edgar is true, and for Edgar to realize that confessing his love doesn’t amount to much if he has no future to offer her.

I’m in Love with the Villainess: She’s So Cheeky for a Commoner, Vol. 2

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y Inori and Hanagata. Released in Japan as “Heimin no Kuse ni Namaikina!” by GL Bunko. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Kevin Ishizaka..

This is a very good second volume in this spinoff series, which sets out to show us Claire’s changing views in more depth and also flesh out some of the minor characters. It succeeds, but there’s also a feeling here that this is the middle volume of a trilogy. A lot of things we know will pay off in the third book are bubbling under here, but the lack of a real climax to the book does make it a bit unsatisfying. That said, overall I’m quite happy. This book reminds us that the goal for the visual novel Rae finds herself in is revolution, and that it’s still lurking. The anime, by necessity of only getting through Manaria, was barely able to touch on this, and Claire’s ignorance and tsundere stubbornness made it a wee bit unsatisfying. That changes here. Claire is learning how the commoners live, and how the commoners die. And she’s also learning how nobles live and what they do to keep that lifestyle. And she hates it.

Claire is having a bit of trouble warming up to her commoner classmate, who confesses her love but who Claire can’t take seriously. Perhaps things will change with the arrival of Manaria from the Sousse Kingdom, who Claire “greatly admires” and had a massive crush on as a child when she was is despair over the death of her mother and also thought Manaria was a boy. The result of Manaria’s visit will change her relationship with Rae forever. We then see Claire and Rae travel to Rae’s hometown, where Claire eats commoner food, has a pathetic attempt at learning to swim, and fights off undead pirate ghosts. Finally, back at school, they deal with Yu’s real gender, and how the Church is tied up in all of this. Claire’s social consciousness is growing by the day, and she knows that things cannot stay the way they are.

Claire’s POV is still the best reason to get this, but I must admit my favorite part of the book is the development of “Those Two Girls”, aka Loretta and Pepi. Both of them get a tremendous amount of character building in this book. Loretta is being potentially married off to someone involved in human trafficking, and also is forced to deal with the fact that commanding an army in real life, as opposed to supervised by her family, means she is sending some people out there to die. Pepi, meanwhile, also discovers that her family is up to their neck in bad things, and things are too dangerous for her to confide in either Claire or Loretta. It doesn’t help that Pepi has realized that her feelings for Loretta are romantic in nature. The only one who remains in a holding pattern in this volume is Catherine, who continues to stay in her dorm room, doling out advice to Claire and ominously foreshadowing her own fate. Clearly this will pay off in the final book, but it does not here.

It does, however, really make me want to read the final volume in this series. It was 14 months here between Vol. 1 and 2, hopefully it won’t be as long between 2 and 3.

Bookshelf Briefs 3/16/24

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Bocchi the Rock!, Vol. 2 | By Aki Hamazi | Yen Press – I did not realize that the Bocchi anime only adapted about 1.5 volumes, so the school festival chapters took me by surprise at how quickly they came. It makes sense, though, as does Bocchi’s (seeming) character development—with someone with her personality flaws, it’s harder to read in a 4-koma style book, so we need to eventually have her grow a LITTLE more confident, though I’m sure she will relapse when the humor requires it. (I also remember the internet getting a bit upset that the anime toned down Bocchi’s breasts, which makes sense as I think it was only used for a gag and doesn’t really come up again.) In any case, without the music and voice acting this is merely “pleasant” rather than groundbreaking, but the cliffhanger ending promises more. – Sean Gaffney

A Certain Scientific Railgun, Vol. 18 | By Kazuma Kamachi and Motoi Fuyukawa | Seven Seas – I was not expecting the Railgun manga to turn into Bleach, but here we are. The Index series certainly has a lot of similarities to that famous shonen manga, and now its spinoff does as well. Mainly it’s the fact that this arc will likely read very well if you read all of it in one gulp, but since it’s been over a year since the previous volume I’ve forgotten everything that happened before. Making things more annoying, Mikoto is mostly entirely absent from this book except near the end, meaning that we hope you like the new cast herd that we introduced all in one gulp and counted on you checking the wiki to remember them. What’s worse, there’s likely another year till the next book. Sigh. – Sean Gaffney

I Don’t Know Which Is Love, Vol. 2 | By Tamamushi Oku | Yen Press – This continues to be lighthearted and fun, and you’re not really meant to be thinking of Mei as “cheating” on anyone by getting involved in steamy situations with every other girl around her. They may all be very attracted to her, but Mei knows deep down she’s too immature for anything more serious (though a cliffhanger implies she may have to mature fast). Basically, this series feels a lot like being next to a sushi conveyor belt, where each chapter focuses on a different “best girl” and shows off how well they bond with Mei and how easily she manages to hook them deeper… even if it’s clearly all accidental on her part. If you don’t care that she’s the yuri version of the “clueless harem protagonist,” this is definitely for you. – Sean Gaffney

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 28 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – As has become the case with this series’ final arc, the bits of the manga that star Komi and Tadano are fantastic, and interest me greatly. Komi wants to take their relationship further, but can’t get that across to Tadano, who is fine with taking things slowly—far too slowly, in her opinion. The rest of the manga is made up of the huge cast herd, with even more new characters being introduced this book, and I’ve long since stopped trying to remember who they are. It also has Yamai in a chapter, and that’s always a minus. Basically, the manga is too popular to end, but the creator has mostly run out of things to do. I expect the Manbagi romance to be resolved soon, which saddens my OT3-loving heart but I get it For the hardcore Komi fans. – Sean Gaffney

Minami Nanami Wants to Shine, Vol. 3 | By Bana Yoshida and Yuki Yaku | Yen Press – This was a good spinoff looking at Mimimi’s personality and goals by giving her something new to strive for. The modeling parts worked best, and I appreciate that the series doesn’t end with her backsliding and deciding it’s not for her. That said, I think the spinoff runs into the issue that the main series is still ongoing, and its romance, while killing off the Mimimi option, has not actually resolved yet. As such, this series is also not really allowed to resolve it beyond “maybe ever after,” making the ending feel a bit lukewarm. But I suppose that fits with Mimimi, who is fun and nice and has always been the “romantic runner-up” sort, so even when she gets a series where she’s the love interest it makes you look towards Hinami or Kikuchi. – Sean Gaffney

My Boss Is a Giant: He Manages My Every Need with *Enormous* Skill | By KamuC | Ghost Ship – I will grant this series this much: since it’s written for women and not for men, it does not really dwell for too long on the enormous thing being implied in the title, and there are few issues with big guy and tiny girl having sex. And they do have an awful lot of sex. This is complete in two volumes, both of which are in this omnibus, and each chapter is basically “half plot, half sex.” Unfortunately, a lot of sex dips into consent problems—for a while he seems to see their relationship as “only” sex, and she has to make it clear to him that sometimes she wants to, y’know, go to a nice restaurant or something. There’s also romantic rivals for her hand, both male and female, who are somewhat predatory. Mildly recommended for josei fans. – Sean Gaffney

We’re New at This, Vol. 15 | By Ren Kawahara | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Last time I said that this couple wasn’t quite ready for children, but apparently they are disagreeing with me, as by the end of the book they have both agreed to try for a child. At least both of them realize what a big step that is and how difficult it’s going to be. Elsewhere in the book, we see more of their sexual antics, this time involving whether Sumika is too loud in bed or not, and there’s a very amusing chapter where they both realize that their incredibly satisfying and loving relationship can come across as just bragging when they talk about it with friends whose relationships are not as sweet, loving, and filled with hot sex. If the series is going down the baby route, I predict it ends at the birth—then again, the title will still work for parenthood. – Sean Gaffney

The Evil Queen’s Beautiful Principles, Vol. 1

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By Reia and Haduki Futaba. Released in Japan as “Akutoku Joo no Kokoroe” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Gigi Li. Adapted by Abigail Clark.

Even if it didn’t also have the same artist as well, I think that readers of this new series will quickly realize that the author is the same as Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter. In fact, the author straight up admits that the idea for this series came about when she thought “what if Iris’ world had magic?”. The book tries not to go along the same lines, and indeed Luxeria’s story is a lot darker and more tragic than Iris’ (well, at least Iris rewriting her own story). But after the time skip, you gradually see that this is another woman who likes to surround herself with super competent servants and colleagues who she has also, in adventures we hear about but do not see, “recruited” from various circumstances. And there’s also a lot of “how do we create a better, more equal kingdom” worldbuilding here, as everyone knows that things need to change but actually making those changes is difficult and takes a while. That said… yeah, this is darker than Duke’s Daughter.

We open with our protagonist, Luxeria, stabbing her groom with a sword on their wedding day in front of the rest of the wedding party. We then track back a bit to see how we got to that point. Young Luxeria is commanded by her family to go live in a tower by herself. She’s delighted by this, as her overpowered magic allows her to see into people’s hearts (and also mind control them a bit), and she dislikes how it makes others uncomfortable. She’s supplied with a maid, the one girl out there who seems to be immune to Luxeria’s powers, and the two settle in and become good friends. Unfortunately, this kingdom is a monarchy but also has five strong marquess houses that have a lot of power. This means that they make an attempt on her life, put the maid into a coma, and kill her parents, the king and queen. Kinda sucks. Oh yes, and she’s a Japanese reincarnation, because of course she is.

I was expecting this to be a typical villainess book where the evil is just a bunch of misunderstandings, but no, Luxeria is out for revenge on those who killed her family and is determined to exact it. Of course, she does not want to exact her revenge while also destroying the country, which is where all that worldbuilding I mentioned above comes in. Actually, I think a flaw in this volume is that I want things to go a bit more slowly. We meet several of her underlings here, but the story of how she got them to work for her instead of against her (her main spy was trying to kill her, in fact) is not told here, but instead we just get a “ha ha yeah those were the days”. The relationship between her and her tragic groom is… also not handled well, mostly as he’s barely in the book. The relationship between her and her maid Alicia is the best thing about the book, and I hope the trust the two have in each other is not broken in the second half.

This was apparently not as long as Duke’s Daughter, so will wrap up in the next volume. I’d recommend it for fans of the earlier series, or for those who want a complete set of villainess books featuring characters called Alicia, of which there are many.

The Otome Heroine’s Fight for Survival, Vol. 1

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

This is another one where I had a different idea of what it was going to be like before I read it. When I typed up the premise in Manga the Week of, I said it was an Otome Game Reincarnation Meets Survival Game. Which… is not inaccurate per se, but I think fans of both genres are going to find this a little less than what they were hoping for. For otome heroine fans, while there are multiple reincarations and a villainess to go with our heroine, it only becomes relevant at one point in the story. As for the survival game, that comes right at the start and then is mostly setup for future volumes. As for what this actually is, well, it’s an attempt to tell a “dark” otome heroine story, featuring a heroine who learns how to kill in order to survive. That said… it’s a stat head book. If you’re the sort who can’t get enough of people raising their STR stat +1, you’ll be in clover.

Alicia, an orphan who is trying to live like a plucky young girl despite the orphanage being a Pit Of Evil, is accosted one day by a madwoman. She says this is actually an otome game, and Alicia, the heroine, is destined to be the secret daughter of nobility and end up at a school with multiple men vying for her. The other woman tries to use a magic crystal to transplant her soul into Alicia’s… which only partly succeeds, then Alicia, being a desperate 7-year-old, kills her. Now that Alicia has the woman’s knowledge of this world… and, it’s hinted, a healthy dose of nihilism… she returns to the orphanage, where she was about to be sold to some pedophile, kills the old woman running it, and flees. As she walks through the forest and cities of this world, she gradually works out how magic really works in this world, self-trains, gets help from a few allies, and gradually grows incredibly overpowered. Despite this, she never loses her new personality.

As you can likely guess, someone’s been watching a lot of the “dark magical girl” shows and thinking “hey, I can do that”. And, to be fair, they can do it pretty well. The usual complaining about stats aside (and believe me, it’s very annoying), Alicia, later Alia, is an interesting protagonist, whose influx of memories from the woman who attacked her helps to ward off accusations of her being nothing like any other 7-year-old out there. The same applies to Elena, the future Villainess of this world, who is also, separately, trying her best to avoid her fate in the game. Frankly, the meeting between Alicia and Elena is the highlight of the book, and the final scene may not be yuri (they’re both too young, leaving aside their mental age), but it’s fraught with doomed Birdie Wing-style dramatics, as one pledges to do one (and only one) thing to help the other no matter what, and the other promises to kill one (and only one) person for the other no matter what. It was damn cool.

That said… again, hope you like stats. I’m definitely reading the 2nd book, though, which may have a new cast, given our heroine fakes her own death at the end of this one.

Manga the Week of 3/20/24

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SEAN: ALERT! ALERT! YEN PRESS HAS BREACHED THE CONTAINMENT SHIELD! AWOOGAH! AWOOGAH! ABANDON SHIP!

ASH: It’s happening!

ANNA: I’m going to run off and take cover!

SEAN: Yen On has several debuts, starting with Amalgam Hound: Criminal Investigation Bureau: Special Investigation Unit (Amalgam Hound Sōsakyoku Keijibu Tokusō Han), which possibly has one too many subtitles. Amalgams are war machines that can go rogue, and Theo is the one who has to take them out when they do. But now his new partner is an Amalgam! Can they get along?

ASH: I’m guessing yes, or at least well enough to last for more than a volume.

SEAN: Classroom For Heroes (Eiyū Kyōshitsu) had an anime come out in the summer of last year. An ex-hero who lost his powers defeating the Big Bad is now trying to fit in as a normal student at an academy. Aheh. Good luck.

ASH: Ha!

SEAN: The Contract Between a Specter and a Servant (Yōma to Geboku no Keiyaku Jōken) features a guy who keeps failing his exams, has lost his job, and has just been hit by a car, leaving him dying on the side of the road. Someone agrees to help him… because of the smell of his blood. Does he really WANT their help? This seems to be BL-ish?

MICHELLE: I wasn’t into this concept until I looked at the cover, which is really appealing. Now if only there were an adage about books and their covers…

ASH: That is a nice cover. I also love the plot twist that it isn’t isekai. (It was really close there!)

ANNA: Hmmmmm.

SEAN: Also from Yen On: Agents of the Four Seasons 2, Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian 4.5, The Deer King 2, The Detective Is Already Dead 7, The Ephemeral Scenes of Setsuna’s Journey 3, King’s Proposal 4, The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady 6, A Misanthrope Teaches a Class for Demi-Humans 2, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- 24, and Sasaki and Peeps 6.

Yen Press also has a few debuts. Adults’ Picture Book: New Edition (Otona no Zukan Kaiteiban) has our protagonist, Kudo, find a note along with a 4-year-old. The note is from his late friend, who asks him to take care of his daughter. Feeling pressured, he proceeds to propose to a woman he met that very day, and now he’s going to try to raise a family. This ran in Big Comic Spirits.

ASH: That was a quick development.

SEAN: I Want a Gal Gamer to Praise Me (Gyaru Gamer Homeraretai) is a Shonen Ace title that stars one of the hot new romantic pairings, hot beautiful gyaru girl who’s a sweetie pie and J. Random Normal Dude.

ASH: We have seen quite a few of those pairings lately, haven’t we?

SEAN: Sword Art Online Progressive Canon of the Golden Rule (Sword Art Online: Progressive – Kogane Ritsu no Kanon) adapts the “puzzle floor” arc, and runs in Dengeki G’s.

The Tiger Won’t Eat the Dragon Yet (Tora wa Ryuu wo Mada Tabenai) is from Harta. A tiger knows that eating the meat of a dragon will grant a great number of magical properties. She just has to eat the dragon. But he’s far too young and scrawny for her to eat, so she decides to raise him instead. Please do not be as “yikes” as this premise sounds.

ASH: Hmmm. This definitely has the potential to go to some uncomfortable places.

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Black Summoner 1 (a print version of the J-NC manga), Coffee Moon 5, Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody 15, Delicious in Dungeon 13, The Eminence in Shadow 9, The Essence of Being a Muse 3 (the final volume), Game of Familia 3, Hazure Skill: The Guild Member with a Worthless Skill Is Actually a Legendary Assassin 6, Honey Lemon Soda 5, I Want to Be a Receptionist in This Magical World 3, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria 22, Love and Heart 10 (the final volume), Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story 7, The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady 5, Minato’s Laundromat 2, Monthly in the Garden with My Landlord 2, Nights with a Cat 3, The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter 4, Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon 2, Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire 2 (print version of the J-NC manga), A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special 3, The Saga of Tanya the Evil 22, Shadows House 6, Slasher Maidens 10, and Val x Love 16 (the final volume).

MICHELLE: I routinely forget Honey Lemon Soda exists.

ASH: Oh! I think I saw Delicious in Dungeon somewhere in there, too!

ANNA: Need to get caught up on Honey Lemon Soda, it is cute.

SEAN: In other publisher news, Viz Media debuts Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. (Kabushiki Gaisha MagiLumiere), a Shonen Jump+ title based on a webcomic. A young woman trying to get a job finds her latest interview interrupted by a monster attack. When a magical girl shows up to defeat it, she finds herself… working for the magical girl organization?

Also from Viz, #DRCL midnight children 2, Alice in Borderland 9, Dark Gathering 6, Insomniacs After School 5, Love’s in Sight! 6, Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt 21, Seraph of the End 29, and Spy x Family 11.

ASH: I haven’t managed to actually read #DRCL yet, but I have looked at the impressive artwork.

SEAN: Udon Entertainment gives us Team Phoenix 3.

ASH: I feel like I should give this series a try at some point.

SEAN: From Tokyopop, we get three debuts, all one-shot BL titles. Heat x Beat: I May Be an Omega, but I’m Going to Be an Idol! (Heat x Beat – Omega Dakedo Idol Hajimemashita) combines idols with A/B/O, and it ran in Comic Marginal.

My Love Will Last Until the End of Time (Raise no Kimi ni Kuchizuke o) ran in from RED. A prince fell in love with a commoner, but their tragic love was doomed. Now a modern-day college student, the prince has found his love… but he doesn’t remember his past life!

Rooming With My Two Lovers (3P Lovers Shared House) also ran in from RED. There’s a Japanese adage, “never date a bartender, band member, or beautician”. What if the three of them date each other?

Tokyopop also has Mitsuka 2 and Sengoku Youko 6.

Square Enix has the 3rd volume of YoRHa: Pearl Harbor Descent Record – A NieR:Automata Story.

Seven Seas debuts How Do I Turn My Best Friend Into My Girlfriend? (Doushitara Osananajimi no Kanojo ni Naremasu ka!?), a yuri title from Manga Life STORIA Dash. Two girls who have grown up together are best friends. But when a guy confesses to one of them, the other realizes it’s more than that. This is by the author of Monologue Woven For You.

ASH: Uh-oh, drama!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: CALL TO ADVENTURE! Defeating Dungeons with a Skill Board 7, The Dragon King’s Imperial Wrath: Falling in Love with the Bookish Princess of the Rat Clan 3 (the final volume), Homunculus 7-8, The Legend of Dororo and Hyakkimaru 7, Orb: On the Movements of the Earth 3-4, and Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō 4.

ASH: Orb is another series I’ve been meaning to try; better get on that!

SEAN: And for danmei fans, we see Thousand Autumns: Qian Qiu 4.

From One Peace Books, we get Multi-Mind Mayhem 9.

Two debuts from Kodansha Manga, sort of. I Can’t Say No to the Lonely Girl (Lonely Girl ni Sakaraenai) is a Comic Yuri Hime title. An honor student is bribed by the teacher: he’ll write her a recommendation letter if she gets the truant girl to come to school. But the truant girl is more interested in kissing…

The sort of is Initial D Omnibus 1-2. Kodansha completed this 48-volume Young Magazine title digitally. But now it’s time to get it back in print.

ASH: I know some folks who are very excited about this.

ANNA: This does sound very nostalgic.

SEAN: Also in print: Gleipnir 14 (the final volume), Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir 3, ORIGIN 3, Sailor Moon Naoko Takeuchi Collection 7, Welcome Back, Alice 6.

And digitally we see Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You 7, Don’t Tempt Me, VP! 4, Gamaran 19, Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 19, Medalist 9, and Teppu 6.

Three debuts for J-Novel Club. The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases (Dekisokonai to Yobareta Moto Eiyū wa, Jikka Kara Tsuihōsareta node Suki Katte ni Ikiru Koto ni Shita) stars another of those protagonists born with low skills and levels so everyone despises them. But he’s actually a reincarnated hero, and is delighted that he can just bum around and do what he likes. OR CAN HE?

I Don’t Want to Be the Dragon Duke’s Maid! Serving My Ex-Fiancé from My Past Life (Ryū Taikō no Senzoku Jijo wa Goenryō Shitai! Tensei Saki no Okyūji Aite wa Zense no Moto Konyakusha Deshita) is, you guessed it, a reincarnated noble who was once married to a Dragon Duke – and also murdered. Now she’s happy she doesn’t have to have anything to do with him. OR DOES SHE?

And they have the first manga volume of A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life (Deokure Tamer no Sono Higurashi), which runs in Comic Walker and is based on the light novel, also released by J-NC. A salaryman has put aside two weeks of vacation to immerse himself in the new VR game just out. He’s determined he will have a fantastic gaming life with cute tamed monsters. OR WILL HE? (Yes. Yes, he will.)

Also from J-Novel Club: Ascendance of a Bookworm 30, The Diary of a Middle-Aged Sage’s Carefree Life in Another World 2, the 2nd Forget Being the Villainess, I Want to Be an Adventurer! manga volume, Full Clearing Another World under a Goddess with Zero Believers 11, I Could Never Be a Succubus! 2, and Young Lady Albert Is Courting Disaster 5.

Ghost Ship gives us Inside the Tentacle Cave 2 and Parallel Paradise 17.

Dark Horse has the 5th volume of the Hellsing re-release. (Dark Horse is releasing something at a fast pace. Are these the end times?)

ASH: I don’t know what to do in this sort of situation!

SEAN: In print from Airship, we see Reincarnated Into a Game as the Hero’s Friend: Running the Kingdom Behind the Scenes (Maou to Yuusha no Tatakai no Ura de), about a normal guy who died in the battle by the Demon King’s Army. Now he’s a noble… and has memories of the fact that this is a game.

Also in print: Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship! 8.

And for early digital we see Classroom of the Elite: Year 2 8, Free Life Fantasy Online: Immortal Princess 5, and The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior 6.

I’m afraid Yen Press has annihilated us all, helped along by every other publisher. What manga remains?

Management of a Novice Alchemist, Vol. 1

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By Mizuho Itsuki and fuumi. Released in Japan as “Shinmai Renkinjutsushi no Tenpo Keiei” by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Sean McCann.

It’s been a while since I’ve come at a light novel series from this direction. Lately, the Japanese companies are getting clever, and getting an English-language company to license a series several seasons before the anime is announced, so that the anime can drive up sales of the book. But when Management of a Novice Alchemist came out in the Fall of 2022, the novel and manga were both absent here, meaning the anime was many people’s first exposure, including mine. Well, “many people” in quotes. This is not exactly Chainsaw Man. There was a small following who enjoyed a mostly laid-back series with the occasional monster battle. And now, a year and a half later, we have the novels, and good news! The same vibe carries through to the books. That said, the anime either added a lot to the start of the series, or else it was brought in from future books. Sarasa’s past is not important here. The shop is all.

Sarasa Feed has just graduated from the Royal Alchemist Academy, and is now able to call herself one of that rare profession. Her master decides to give Sarasa a gift to celebrate her graduation (and also her saving and scrimping to buy the ludicrously expensive 10-volume Alchemy Encyclopedia) and gets her her very own shop at a low low price, where she can start selling potions and remedies. There is one slight snag – the shop is in the middle of a very remote village. And is a bit of a fixer-upper. That said, the core of it is still excellent, and Sarasa is an orphan girl who’s spent her entire life surviving on pluck and guts, so Sarasa settles in, cleans up, orders furniture, and opens shop. Soon she has a shop assistant, a girl two years younger than her 15 (the age of maturity here), and she’s able to find a nearby city where… well, at least one of the shops is not there to rip her off. Most importantly: Sarasa is a totally normal, ordinary garden-variety alchemist. And not an insanely talented terrifying prodigy at all.

Sarasa is pretty much THE main reason to read this. Her matter-of-fact, blase narration sucker punches the reader as well into underestimating her, but we do notice right off the bat that she spent her entire school life studying and making no friends, that her mentor is a Master Alchemist revered the world over, and that she’s not only terrific at alchemy but, when she physically strengthens herself, can easily lift huge logs and take out grizzly bear monsters. She is essentially Twilight Sparkle as a human light novel girl. Two warnings, though, which the anime watchers noticed as well. First, this is another series where the lead cares far more about breast size than I ever will (she’s relatively flat, of course), and it does not go away. More importantly, Sarasa believes everything has a cost, and she will be enforcing that, even if you bring in an adventurer who’s lost an arm and is on the verge of dying. We do not do things out of the goodness of our heart here. Well, mostly. She is a bit of a softy. But the girl still owes Sarasa a huge amount of money for saving her life.

If you liked the anime, you’ll like this. If you never tried it, this is a good one for girls who say they’re typical but are anything but, misers, and a slow life that really isn’t.

My Stepmom’s Daughter Is My Ex: “Within Arm’s Reach”

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By Kyosuke Kamishiro and TakayaKi. Released in Japan as “Mamahaha no Tsurego ga Motokano datta” by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Gierrlon Dunn.

This is the first volume taking place after our main couple have gotten together… again… and as you can imagine, it’s leading up to one big scene. That said, it certainly does meander before it gets there. This series has always played with viewpoint – from the start, the main chapters alternated between Mizuto and Yume, usually with some variation on how they used to be in love but are older and wiser now. As the series went on, we got more and more viewpoints from the POV of other characters, such as the best friends of our lead couple, or the rest of the student council. And honestly, with this volume I think we may have finally gotten an answer to the question “how much is too much”. I think everyone in the entire cast with the exception of Isana gets a look in here, and it makes the book too scattered. It’s only in the final dramatic battle/love scene that it settles down – ironically, when the POV switch is at its worst.

Mizuto and Yume are now a couple once more, but there is a slight problem – they’re still stepsiblings. As a result, they have to hide their relationship from both their parents and from everyone at school. The latter is only slightly successful – Minami and Kawanami figure things out pretty fast – but it does mean that there are a certain amount of repressed feelings that are happening. And, of course, this book also takes place around Valentine’s Day and White Day, with all the plots that you’d expect with that. We get another couple getting together here, despite some truly amazing amounts of self-hatred and loathing to get through in order to accept it – and as for Minami and Kawanami… it may be a bit longer, but they’re making real prgress as well. As for Mizuto and Yume, their parents taking an extended away trip means that they may finally be able to go all the way this time… provided this does not turn into Kaguya-sama: Love Is War again.

I will admit, I was schnookered by the author. The moment the two of them decided that this was going to be some sort of contest to see who admitted to wanting to have sex first, I was fairly certain that they were going to end up just doing nothing till their parents came back. But no, for once the two have semi-matured enough – and are prepared enough to buy nice lingerie and condoms – that they actually do end up getting past the competitiveness and having their first time. The sex, as you can imagine, is elided rather than explicitly described, but the elision is actually very clever, relying on the swapping narrative POV to give us the rhythm of two lovers coming closer and closer to a climax. Also, as with the previous sex scene in this series, the first time is not necessarily “the best sex ever” – it’s typical first sex – but they’re both happy, which is all that matters.

That competitiveness may end up returning after the cliffhanger ending to this book, though thankfully it will be in the classroom rather than the bedroom. I just hope we can get back to primarily being Mizuto and Yume’s narration.

Fake Saint of the Year: You Wanted the Perfect Saint? Too Bad!, Vol. 4

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By kabedondaikou and Yunohito. Released in Japan as “Risō no Seijo? Zannen, Nise Seijo Deshita! Kuso of the Year to Yobareta Akuyaku ni Tensei Shitanda ga” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Rymane Tsouria.

It has gotten to the point where it’s rare that we get a modern light novel that is NOT based on a pre-existing web novel in some way, shape or form. Which makes sense – the light novel is still booming in Japan, and it’s much easier to take an author who’s gotten to the top of the rankings on Narou and edit their work into something for the mainstream than to rely on things like competitions and the like. And there’s nothing wrong with the end of this series. Fake Saint of the Year ends with this volume, and it’s a perfectly decent ending that makes thematic sense, gives a hint of romance for those who want to snatch at it while heavily implying it’s not happening, etc. It ticks the boxes. It’s just… the book ends at page 115, but the Afterword is not until page 278. That’s right. Get ready for Side Story Hell.

After dying at the end of the last volume, Ellize had expected that everyone would move on with their lives and enjoy the happily ever after. There are just two problems with that. First of all, everyone is so utterly devastated by her death that they’re in abject misery, and one or two have tried to kill themselves to “join” her. Meanwhile, guess what’s not quite as dead as expected? Well, all right, Ellize did foresee this, but she also thought that everyone would be able to take care of the remnants of the witch as they’d be on the top of their game. Instead, an entity that feels on negative feelings is facing off against grieving shells of what they used to be. Ellize sees this because, rather than going to the afterlife, she ended up back in the apartment of a dying Fudou Nito, who has to help Ellize come to terms with the fact that this isn’t a game, and that she is, in fact loved.

As said, the end of the book itself is fine. I thought it wrapped everything up nicely, had a couple sacrifices that made sense, and didn’t make Ellize wander too far out of her “I am a piece of shit” characterization beyond real character development. Unfortunately, we then get two lengthy side stories. The first has Ellize, post-ending, traveling to an alternate world… the one of the actual game, the one where Eterna dies. It’s the ending she always wished she could fix, which is why she made all those changes in her own timeline. Now she gets the chance to fix it. It’s like reading someone tagging AO3, only in real life. In the second story, Ellize discovers a rift that leads to modern-day Japan, and does eventually close it as it’s dangerous… but not before she goes back there, eats delicious food, buys modern bread so she can make French Toast back home, and meets up once more with Yamoto Tamaki… while also creating complete chaos, as she’s walking around looking like the most gorgeous woman in the world, and also a very recognizable video game icon. This was even more pointless than the previous story.

So yeah, I get that you can’t just release a book that’s Slayers-length these days, but sometimes side stories aren’t really needed, right? Overall, despite my issues with Ellize’s narrative voice and self-loathing (which ends up saving the day, to be fair), this was an OK villainess series.

A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life, Vol. 9

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

If you read this series to watch it tick boxes, this is a very good volume. As you can tell from the cover, we get to tick the box ‘beach episode’, as Yuto and his tamed monsters get to dress in swimsuits for the beach (though apparently the non-human ones have to wear one-piece suits, presumably so we don’t have to deal with penguins in bikinis) and also got to have their very own Jurassic Park event on an uncharted desert island (which, of course, he manages to complete by himself purely on instinct and luck, something which absolutely boggles the mods). Admittedly, he doesn’t come out unscathed, as there are two sacrifices for the cause… but this is a fluffy game, so when the tamed monster dies they just literally go back to the ranch. There’s no end goal to this series at all – it ends when Yuto’s two-week vacation finishes and he has to go back to being a salaryman again. The fluff is all there is.

It’s time for the Summer Event, which means Yuto and his crew get to hang out on beaches, go fishing, and try to fill up an encyclopedia of animals and insects. This is right up Yuto’s alley, as he is exactly the sort of nerd that went looking for rhinoceros beetles as a kid, though the rest of the tamed crew are a bit less enthusiastic. He also gets to (after many attempts to get past a strong current blocking the player from advancing) to an island that has prehistoric life, ranging from rare fossils to tyrannosaurus rexes to raptors straight out of that movie that dare not speak its name. (Sadly, it’s not WcRassic Park.) Unfortunately, Yuto is not really powerful enough to take on a t-rex, especially when they also come across a huge brachiosaurus. Nothing left to do but get killed… or is there a way to beat this using smarts? And what effects will accidentally streaming everything have on the event?

It’s getting increasingly hard not to call this series “the male Bofuri”, and if Maple kept to herself and got a few more animal friends, they’d basically be the same. Yuto is not trying to break the game, he just keeps doing it. It’s not just that he happened across the one way to actually win the dinosaur battle without a party wipe, it’s that he accidentally streamed it so that EVERYONE ELSE also knows. He didn’t even have to give the info to the increasingly despairing info brokers this time around (though rest assured, he still has plenty of info, and it’s still breaking their bank to buy it.) But Yuto is not really trying to get involved in major game stories. He’s here to try to catch a coelacanth, or get back to shore before he has to pay extra on his fishing boat. Like Maple, he’s simply a game-breaking force of nature, and if the teaser for the next book proves true (think sunken pirate gold), that won’t change. Looks like the head developer will have to get a divorce.

So yeah, this has no plot, and it’s never going to. It has no romance. Hell, it barely has friendships – Yuto doesn’t really hang out with other players this volume. But it’s fun. I like it.

Manga the Week of 3/13/24

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SEAN: Middlemarch, and no manga adapting George Eliot. Alas.

MICHELLE: That would be interesting!

ASH: Surely, this must exist somewhere already, right?

ANNA: I may be more curious about this hypothetical George Eliot manga than anything actually coming out this week.

SEAN: Airship has a print release of Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 17, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 26 (the final volume, though sequels are coming), and Yes, No, or Maybe? 2.

The early digital debut is The Evil Queen’s Beautiful Principles (Akutoku Joō no Kokoroe), from the creative team behind Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter. A crown princess has been locked up for years, docile as a doll. Now she’s free… and suddenly her parents are murdered. This seems on the “serious” side of the genre.

ASH: It does seem that way.

SEAN: Also out in early digital: I’m in Love with the Villainess: She’s so Cheeky for a Commoner 2.

For Ghost Ship, we get The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You 9, Ayakashi Triangle 8, Booty Royale: Never Go Down Without a Fight! 11-12, and the 7th and final volume of Who Wants to Marry a Billionaire?.

It’s print week for J-Novel Club, as we see Ascendance of a Bookworm 23, By the Grace of the Gods 12, and The White Cat’s Revenge as Plotted from the Dragon King’s Lap 7.

ASH: Yeah, Bookworm!

SEAN: J-Novel Club has three debuts for digital release. Management of a Novice Alchemist (Shinmai Renkinjutsushi no Tenpo Keiei) is one of those series that’s coming out well after the anime aired. Also, I think I’m the only one who really loved this anime. As such, I may be the only one really happy to see this book. Sarasa is a newly-graduated alchemist who’s starting her Slow Life at a shop in the middle of nowhere… but as with a lot of Slow Life series, just how slow is it?

ASH: I haven’t seen the anime, but I have a soft spot for alchemists.

SEAN: The Otome Heroine’s Fight for Survival (Otome Game no Heroine de Saikyō Survival) combines two current trends, as we see “reincarnated into an otome game” matched up with “death game”. A young girl living a horrible life is suddenly shocked when a person tries to kill her, and she regains her memories of what this world is and who she is. Now she’s prepared to kick ass.

The Water Magician (Mizuzokusei no Mahōtsukai) has a very similar plot to the above, minus the otome game and death game parts. A young man is reincarnated into a world with water powers, and is delighted he can live a slow life learning to use them. Sure, he’s in danger all the time and everything’s trying to kill him, but that won’t stop his slow life.

ASH: Ha!

ANNA: I aspire to have a slow life that I could attempt to protect at any cost.

SEAN: We also get Black Summoner 16, the 5th A Cave King’s Road to Paradise: Climbing to the Top with My Almighty Mining Skills! manga, Der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight -Origins- 10, Earl and Fairy 5, Finding Avalon: The Quest of a Chaosbringer 2, The Misfit of Demon King Academy 6, Monster Tamer 16, the 7th Rebuild World manga, and Record of Wortenia War 23.

Kodansha Books has a 5th volume of Am I Actually the Strongest?.

Kodansha Manga has a print debut, complete in one volume. Number Call is a BL manga from Gateau about a boy named Eito who hates his name meeting a boy named Hachi (the Japanese for “eight).

MICHELLE: Hm.

ASH: I’m game.

SEAN: Also in print: Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 9 and Wistoria: Wand and Sword 7.

The digital debut is Because I, the True Saint, Was Banished, That Country Is Done For! (Shin no Seijo de aru Watashi wa Tsuihou Saremashita. Dakara Kono Kuni wa Mou Owari desu) a shoujo manga from Palcy. You’ve read this one before, basically. Saint, engaged to the prince, broken engagement, exiled, trying to live a quiet life in the next kingdom over, suddenly buried in hot men.

Also digital: Cells at Work! Lady 5 (the final volume), A Galaxy Next Door 6 (the final volume), Gang King 15, How I Met My Soulmate 2, I Have a Crush at Work 2, I Left my A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths! 3, Matcha Made in Heaven 8, Quality Assurance in Another World 10, and Ya Boy Kongming 15.

MICHELLE: I really should read A Galaxy Next Door, huh?

SEAN: One Peace Books gives us a 6th volume of Usotoki Rhetoric.

MICHELLE: Yay.

ASH: Indeed!

SEAN: No debuts for Seven Seas, but we get Cat on the Hero’s Lap 2, COLORLESS 6, Delinquent Daddy and Tender Teacher 3, The Duke of Death and His Maid 11, The Knight Captain is the New Princess-to-Be 3, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 8, No Longer Allowed In Another World 5, the 4th and final volume of Polar Bear Café: Collector’s Edition, Sheep Princess in Wolf’s Clothing 2, and Yakuza Reincarnation 9.

Square Enix debuts The Villainess’s Guide to (Not) Falling in Love (Akuyaku Reijou wa Dekiai Route ni Hairimashita!?), a manga based on an unlicensed light novel, and from the author of A Tale of the Secret Saint. An otome game isekai’d villainess is determined to stay alive by just avoiding all the men in the game. So why are they so fascinated with her? It runs in Manga Up!.

ASH: In theory, it’s a good strategy.

SEAN: Also from Square Enix: The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest 17.

SuBLime has Candy Color Paradox Assorted Pack, a selection of bonus and side stories from the manga.

ASH: Sweet.

SEAN: And we get the 2nd and final volume of Pink Heart Jam, though there’s a sequel.

Tokyopop has the 5th volume of Formerly, the Fallen Daughter of the Duke and the 4th volume of Hanger.

Two debuts from Viz, both One Piece spinoffs. One Piece: Ace’s Story—The Manga (One Piece Episode A) is an adaptation of the light novel that came out a while back, focusing on Ace. It ran in Shonen Jump +.

One Piece: Shokugeki no Sanji ran in Weekly Shonen Jump, is complete in one volume, and is not quite a Food Wars! crossover, but it’s by the creators of Food Wars!.

Viz also has Animal Crossing: New Horizons 6, Call of the Night 15, Disney Twisted-Wonderland 3, Fly Me to the Moon 22, Helck 8, Mao 16, Mashle: Magic and Muscles 15, One Piece 105, and Yakuza Lover 12 (the final volume).

And that’s it! What manga is marching towards you?