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Reviews

In Another World with Household Spells, Vol. 4

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

Despite the fact that Patience is 11 years old going on 12 in this volume, this is still a series full of nobles, and as such we know that marriage is going to always be on the table. And yes, arranged marriages can be made at a young age, though obviously just “waiting till they’re older”. And Patience, as everyone tells her but she refuses to believe, is a very hot property, financial woes or no. Who will she end up with? Obviously the music-obsessed father and son are out, though the son is certainly a better choice than the father. If she continues to try to invent all the things, Caesar is probably the best choice. Prince Keith is a really obvious choice, but let’s face it, Patience is never going to be royalty. And then there’s Percival, who offers to be husband and wife diplomats with her, which would allow her to do everything she’s already doing and travel the world. Sometimes an obvious choice is really obvious.

Most of this book consists of Fun Academy Life, and there aren’t really any climactic conflicts, other than trying to keep Patience away from the music-mad noble who will kidnap and marry her. She continues to take classes in nearly everything, and passes nearly everything. She’s in the Music Club, still locked in eternal political battles. She’s also in the Alchemy Club, inventing so many things that listing them would take the rest of this review. (Hrm… nah.) And she’s preparing for the noble equivalent of the Culture Festival, along with a ball where she and the other students have to make their own ballgowns. She’s definitely standing out with the polka dots, but since she’s trying not to use household magic even she’s struggling to make it in time. And she’s also attracting the notice of damn near everybody, as I said.

There’s actually little to no household magic in this volume aside from Patience occasionally using it as essentially a Sonic Screwdriver. For the most part she’s relying on her knowledge from Japan and her drawing ability (which is remarked on twice in succession, which made me wonder if it’s an error or a gag) to so the usual “inventing mayonnaise” sort of thing we always seen in these reincarnation isekais. Fortunately, she struggles – yes, she can draw a bicycle and get a reasonable facsimile, but rubber, if it exists here, is unknown, so they have to make do. And she also is not particularly good at noble politics. She can certainly freeze out petty teen Louise, who is trying to intimidate Patience without success, but Margaret can still wrap Patience around her finger, and Patience’s noble relatives can also make demands. This means she barely has time to see her brothers… except no, the brothers are all over this book. She sees them all the time. She’s just obsessed.

Next time we get the ocean, and possibly a resolution to Patience’s “but we are poor disgraced nobles” problem – the Queen hints her fortunes will soon rise. In the meantime, this is fun relaxing “let’s invent all the things” isekai.

The Fearsome Witch Teaches in Another World: A Remedial Lesson in Crime and Politics

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By Mitsuru Inoue and Suzuno. Released in Japan as “Isekai Teni Shite Kyoushi ni Natta ga, Majo to Osorerarete Iru Ken” by Earth Star Luna. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Gierrlon Dunn.

The running gag of this volume, and indeed this series, is that people meet Aoi, underestimate her because she’s young and small, get their asses handed to them (physically or mentally), and immediately become her minions and/or supporters. Not the first time I’ve read this sort of plot, and it can be funny provided there’s more to it than that. There’s a BIT more. Aoi is absolutely dedicated to advancing sorcery throughout this world (theoretically so she can return to Japan, but I get the feeling that’s not happening), and does not actually care about all of the political mess and possible wars she may cause along the war. In fact, it’s brought up that if two countries *do* go to war, Aoi can probably just, y’know, stop them. You will be dragged kicking and screaming into the modern era of magic. And believe me, some folks here are kicking and screaming. Because they’re being used as test subjects.

This volume is essentially divided into two. In the shorter part, Aoi wonders why she’s seeing fewer students, and discovers they’re being lured into a gambling den run by a crime syndicate. With the “help” of Prince Rox and his men (but pretty much just taking out everyone on her own), Aoi reforms all the crime syndicates in the city to be good businesses from now on. In the longer second half, Aoi and her posse of important supporting characters go to the Holy Maple Leaf Empire, as part of an exchange to learn about their healing magic. What we end up learning is that their healing magic is impressive, but Aoi’s “literally everything” magic is out of this world. Which is a problem, as this Empire believes magic has reached its final form, and does not need any new research. She’ll fix that.

This is another one of those light novels where you get a chunk of the book from the main character’s perspective, and then switch to someone else to get their view of things. While that can normally be a bit exhausting, I’d suggest it’s welcome here, simply as Aoi’s deadpan, emotionless point of view can be a bit off-putting. At one point we discover, as I noted above, that the Empire tests its holy powers on either mortally wounded adventurers, or criminals. We are treated to a gore-filled hospital with the screaming of patients, and everyone else looks sick, but we’re in Aoi’s POV, so she’s just like “Yup. Well, anyway”. Even when she’s threatened by a knight of the crown, and taken before the Emperor for having gone way beyond what she was permitted to do, her response is “so what?”. It would take a lot to make Aoi really angry, I think. If only we had a bullied student in the cast who’s there to suffer… oh, good news for the next volume!

I’m still enjoying this, but I do wonder how fresh it’s going to feel several volumes down the line (it’s at 9+ volumes in Japan). For those who like people who kick ass while barely cracking a smile.

Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter: The Sacred Shield, Guardian of the Key

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By Riku Nanano and cura. Released in Japan as “Koujo Denka no Kateikyoushi” by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by William Varteresian.

This review will contain a lot of spoilers, so let’s start with the synopsis. The book is pretty much balanced between checking in on the bad guys, who are bemoaning the fact that our heroes are so good at what they do but still also clearly taking the lead in the “who wins” race. As for Allen and company, they’re in the home stretch, but still need to get lots of vital bits of information, such as more details of what happened generations ago and who was involved, and – most importantly – who Allen really is. Was he really found by his adopted parents the way they say? As for the current generation, well, they’re all concerned with the most important thing: getting Allen that last name, that title, and that nobility so that they can finally write off “but he’s a commoner!” on the reasons no one will accept every single powerful woman in the kingdom being in love with him. Of course, this assumes that the ceremony actually happens…

This series has been hammering home for over ten volumes the fact that Allen’s achievements in this current time are comparable to Allen the Shooting Star, the legendary man from the past whose name he shares. It hasn’t remotely been subtle. As a result, the fact that “Allen’s backstory is more than it seems” is not exactly a spoiler. What’s more, given that we’ve seen any number of formerly good people turned to the forces of evil in this series, including Allen’s best friend, it’s also not that much of a surprise who Allen faces off with near the end of this volume, even if they seen to be an amalgamation with a traitorous noble. Allen the Shooting Star was always destined to meet his Successor, Allen the Head Patter. Unfortunately, the meeting is not really all that much, mostly as it’s a fight because we’re at the point in the book where extended backstory is cut short, but also because another blast from the past shows up.

Leaving aside surprise evil dead sisters, the big surprise here is that Lydia takes a near-fatal wound, and appears to be at death’s door as the volume ends. I’ve always been fairly cynical about this author, so I don’t think there’s any question that Lydia is not going to die from this, but if she did, well, it’s pretty much exactly the way that everyone in the cast worried that she – or any of the other girls in love with Allen – would go, sacrificing herself to save his life. I expect she’ll be sitting the next book or two out, and while I’d love to see Allen go completely feral like she did when she thought he was dead, we know that’s not happening. The author likes to keep the harem balanced, but Tina throws the scales off too much, so sometimes she’s just written out for a bit. With that, let’s see, who’s on the cover of Book 20…

Yeah, there we go. Tina is, alas, still acting pretty immaturely, which may be one reason why she’s not only not #1 in the rankings (Lydia), but not even #2 (Stella). Now she has a book to do something about that. Let’s see what happens. Or maybe… maybe Lydia really IS dead!

(Nah.)

A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life, Vol. 14

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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.

Another day, another attempt to squeeze 500 words out of “Yuto sure is a main character”. I’ve even compared it to Bofuri before, but the obvious comparison comes up again here. The designers of the game suddenly find that Yuto has done several random things that, when taken together, accidentally open up a boss battle well before they’re ready for it, so they have to make the boss more powerful, then they have to also give the players an out so that they don’t get too discouraged. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the help they give, and where the event takes place, and the connection means that guess who saves the day and gets the biggest bonus? Honestly, it’s a good thing that everyone adores Silver-Haired (some a bit too much), because they’re right, this game’s balance is always in danger of collapsing. Sorry about your daughter, my technician guy, it’s probably doomed. On the bright side, Yuto isn’t eating poison… yet. And romance is unlikely to be even one-sided here.

Yuto has always done things his own way, sometimes deciding to just relax and take it easy, so it should not be a surprise that he finds an area where he can literally weaponize being “chill”. (Later, he finds another one for being “rowdy”, with opposite yet comparable skill sets.) This allows him to do what he does best, which is make friends with NPCs, do things that make you smile, and then suddenly find he’s actually unlocked the key to the universe again. Then he’s asked by his friend Hamakaze (who seems like the sort of person who’s an overly stressed class president in the real world) to help her defeat some yokai… which ends up getting him more cute monsters. That he can play with in his new additions to his house, or take out on monster hunting quests, or break Alyssa’s mind again.

I do appreciate how we get the standard Alyssa breakdown here, but we’re also dragging in her co-worker… whose name, possibly deliberately, is Maple. It doesn’t matter who he tells, because he lacks the gamer common sense that everyone else has. This actually leads to the funniest joke in the book, where, during the final boss battle, he sees some of his weirder friends going all out, and asks Hamakaze if the more eccentric players are more powerful. She stares at him like he’s in The Office, and I get it. Yuto being oblivious to his own eccentricity is great. But it also underscores the other point of this series (and Bofuri), which is that there’s no way to play a game wrong. Just do what you want to do. Well, provided the designers agree with you. We do see in this volume that the folks who invented a game to be the complete opposite of this one bombed badly.

This series is in no danger of ending, and in no danger of having character development I could talk about. It is what it is. Relaxing fun.

Lady Bumpkin and Her Lord Villain, Vol. 6

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By Ageha Sakura and Kurodeko. Released in Japan as “Imokusa Reijou desu ga Akuyaku Reisoku wo Tasuketara Kiniiraremashita” by Overlap Novels f. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Vasileios Mousikidis.

This series continues to be pleasant. It has a nice cast, and after the drama of the last book, I was expecting a more lackadaisical one. That said, I’m starting to feel like Agnes does through most of this volume. I wish that the book would stop coddling me and actually go places. It’s been very clear for a while now that the author’s idea for the way the series goes began and ended with the first book. This is quite common with light novels, where the publisher says “It sold, write more”, and the author says “more what?”. I was wondering if the series might end with Agnes giving birth to her child, but no, that’s the beginning of this book, and it ends up going so smoothly and easily even Agnes is surprised. Worst of all, the author is aware that there is a certain lack of conflict in this volume, and brings back the series’ worst villain, Robin. Who is still the worst.

Six volumes in and we’re no closer to figuring out why the cover art always has a little chibi-Agnes floating around. I had wondered if it might be their future child, but no, Agnes gives birth to a healthy baby boy, named Solis. What’s more, not only does he have rare soil magic, but he’s seemingly been able to use it from inside the womb, as it turns out that was the reason behind Agnes’ magic soil powers in the last volume. That’s not to say she doesn’t do a lot of Cool Magic Tricks here, including essentially putting up a dome to protect the entire estate from a nasty storm. Unfortunately, Robin has escaped from his light novel stereotypes prison, and is helped out by an apathetic, aggrieved man from another country. They’re supposed to flee to that country, but Robin can’t help going to Sutrena to try to make Nazel’s life miserable.

To get the bad stuff out of the way, I hate Robin. I know that’s deliberate, but I hate how he’s written too. It’s interesting that one of the funnier things in the book was how Agnes got Robin to stop being obsessed with her – she put her old pancake makeup from Lady Bumpkin days back on. But yeah, Robin is stupid, arrogant, and terrible, and him being put back in prison also means we get a lot more “hah, it’s funny because prisons have lots of gay rape!” bits. On the bright side, I quite liked the aggreived foreign aide, who seems to realize that he’s on a mission where everyone will abandon him when it goes wrong, and when it does, he’s absolutely right. Fortunately, he’s in this series, so it turns out his magic is far more amazing than he expected. Also, because he’s in this series, Agnes wins him over with the sheer power of niceness, though he doesn’t fall for her.

So yeah, I’m basically reading this series on inertia, but I still want to read more, unlike her other JNC series I dropped recently. And we may get another child soon, if Nazel’s behavior at the end of this volume means anything. For fans of series with chibi-versions of the protagonist floating in the air for no reason.

Mercedes and the Waning Moon: The Dungeoneering Feats of a Discarded Vampire Aristocrat, Vol. 4

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

I do love it when a character I 100% vibe with arrives on the scene. I love, as I have said in a few reviews before, incredibly strong, powerful women who are also dumb as a bag of hammers. It just tickles me. And we get that in spades here with Julia, a vampire who’s on the side of the bad guys and actually forces Mercedes to try. See, she’s not only strong, but it seems to be entirely instinctual – she hasn’t been taught anything, but when she sees a move she’s able to work out counters and the like just on her own. And she’s also the funny kind of dumb, which is important. She will fall for them pretending to be on her side and spill all sorts of secrets. The big bad, when their plans inevitably go south, assumes it’s her fault simply because she causes chaos wherever she is. I was so happy she wasn’t killed off.

Things are going pretty well for Mercedes, though she’s still struggling with the whole succession thing. Unfortunately, Sieglinde may be the official princess, but the country does not really want her to rule, especially since the empire next door were all misandrists. So she’s got to get married, and the person who marries her will have all the power. Then Mercedes gets a visit from a guy named Basil, who she notes looks exactly like a typical anime bad guy (he looks a lot like Gin from Bleach, in fact). Basil says that there is, in fact, another royal with a claim to the throne – and he has a dungeon. Sure, he’s a naive ten-year-old who is clearly being set up as a puppet king, but that’s irrelevant – he has a dungeon, and he’s male. How are they going to handle this?

As it turns out, the backstory that led to all this turns out to be rather convoluted, especially since it means that there’s another person with a connection to the royal family. My favorite part of the book was possibly Mercedes’ unreliable narrator moment. To be fair, it’s not without signposts – there are several points where she notes that she’s being too kind or too soft, and we think “wait, back up, Mercedes? Too soft?”. But her father clocks her right away, and instantly lays out her entire thought pattern in three paragraphs. It’s very clear that whenever this series ends (I’m estimating 1 or 2 more books), it’s going to end with Mercedes battling her father for supremacy. In the meantime, congratulations to the country, which now has its royal who can be king, and he’s at least semi-competent. Oh yes, and the little boy who was being manipulated is not killed but put in prison instead. I’m sure that will be FINE.

The 5th volume is not out yet, so get ready to wait. This is a decent little OP cynical vampire series, even if I could have done without hearing about how vampire’s breasts never sag because of their eternal youth (or, in the case of Mercedes, eternal tweenhood).

True Love Fades Away When the Contract Ends: The Secret of the Rose

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By Kosuzu Kobato and Fumi Takamura. Released in Japan as “Unmei no Koibito wa Kigen Tsuki” by Maple Novels. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Sarah Moon. Adapted by Max Machiavelli.

There’s not actually any art forgery in this book – all the paintings that Fiona gushes over throughout the book seem to be genuine. This is probably because the mastermind behind everything is behind bars – note that I did not say safely behind bars. A novel needs a climax, after all. This allows the book to delve deeply into the other outstanding plotline, which is Fiona and Giles’ fake relationship. Both really don’t want to break it off, but know they have to. Well, Fiona knows she has to. Giles has an epiphany in this volume, and suddenly is finding that he’s absolutely not in favor of that anymore. Unfortunately, he’s still an earl and she’s still the daughter of a baron, so there are issues. What’s more, her father is unhappy with the idea. And this book sees her uncle returning to town, and Fiona just loves him. (No, not that way.) That said, we may be more familiar with him than we thought…

After the events of the last book, Gordon has been taken into custody, which means that Fiona can finally go home and stop imposing on the Heywards. (She is the only one who thinks it is imposing.) As it happens, she gets home just in time, as her uncle Reginald has returned from abroad, and he’s brought paintings to sell. In fact, they’re paintings from the famous Raymond, which is even bigger news. Reginald, however, does not like Giles at all. He knows Fiona wants to be independent, and having her as the plaything of an earl is the last thing that’s good for her. Unfortunately for Reginald, Fiona is not the only one unaware she’s fallen in love – Giles is as well, or was, until Reginald makes him realize that he is. Things will all come to a head at the grand ball which is supposed to be their final one as a couple…

As noted, 4/5 of this book is a romance. Reginald doesn’t like Giles, but he quickly realizes that Giles is not a manipulative bastard and just settles for glaring at him a lot. There is, though, the last fifth of the book, where you realize that both of the main antagonists of the series aren’t dead, and so of course bad things can still happen to Fiona, who has a kind heart even when facing off against a broken woman calling her a whore. Sadly for Caroline, who has spent her entire life planning to be Giles’ wife, reality is not kind to her. I’m frankly stunned by her fate in this book, which is more than she deserves, as everyone else points out. As for Gordon, well, guess what, they never found the body, so I guess we’ll see him again in Book 4. At least he gave us some good royal backstory and angst.

The webnovel is done, with enough material to finish with Book 4. When the published book will be out in Japan is beyond my predictions. Till then, if you like romance and nobles and art, this is still a very good sampling of all of those.

The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold to Another Kingdom, Vol. 5

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

I always enjoy it when a series that has long since evolved away from its title decides to backtrack and remind us of it. Sure, we remember the “tossed aside’ part, mostly as her fiance is such a clown, but it’s easy to forget the ‘sold’ part, especially because she was sold for a lot of money – money that had to come from somewhere. It’s never really come up since then, mostly as the purchase of Philia as the Saint turned out to be the best one they’ve ever made, but it does make you wonder where the money to pay for her came from. As it turns out, their world is not all that different from our own, and it turns out that a lot of the money came from grants being given to various research and development facilities around the kingdom. Which can be a problem if some of those researchers are, shall we say, a bit obsessed.

Having finally wrapped up the wedding (and sent Mia home, so alas she is not in this book), Philia and Osvalt are finally ready to embark on their honeymoon… but Philia is still Philia, which means their honeymoon involves a lot of research. She’s touring the ruins of the country to try and figure out if there’s a way to stop the magic fluctuations in the volcanic area so that they can get more flowers. While there, unfortunately, they come across what seems to be an attempted break-in… and then, at another site, they catch those responsible. The main culprit is a merchant named Harry, who smiles but seems to lie as easily as he breathes, has been selling arms to the country just in case of foreign invasion, and has a far closer connection to Philia… or rather, Philia’s attendants… than anyone realizes.

Leaving aside the spoilery relationship that makes up the bulk of the last half of the book, it is entertaining seeing Philia actually coming to terms with herself as an emotional being. Getting married seems to have freed up her body to actually do things like smile and cry, and I don’t think she’s come to terms with it yet… nor has she come to terms with losing somebody near and dear to her, which we come close to this time around. She’s mirrored by Osvalt, who his brother doesn’t trust to deal with tense political situations because he’s too empathetic, but he ends up doing really well here, showing off that empathy can also be “really good at reading people”, which is actually quite handy for political situations. Lastly, a brief wish: I really hope we’re not suggesting Grace will marry Reichardt when she grows up. I like her as the little sister of the group, and hope she stays in that role.

That said, if she keeps saying things like “I’ve never seen a magic tool that large before”, I may have to reconsider. Oooooh, Matron!

The Isle of Paramounts: Reborn into a Slow Life Among the Strongest in the World, Vol. 2

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By Heiseiowari and Noy. Released in Japan as “Tenseishitara Saikyou Shu-tachi ga Sumau Shima deshita. Kono Shima de Slow Life wo Tanoshimimasu” by SQEX Novel. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Alex Castor.

The general theme of this book seems to be that everyone has a certain amount of stress in their lives, and that the best way to get rid of it is to totally relax in a place where your work can’t get to you. The two mages who were sent to check on Reina, and don’t really like her much, by the end of the book are just another part of the extended family being built up here. Of course, it helps when everyone on the island is so ludicrously powerful that there’s no point in stressing – you’ll just die if you don’t relax. Above everyone else is Arata, who gets annoyed every time someone implies he’s not human but by the end of the book is starting to get why they say it. As far as we can tell so far, he’s literally omnipotent. Even the vampire, who is able to take anyone else out no trouble, has issues dealing with him. He is OP Guy personified.

Arata and Reina have gotten completely settled in on this island (and are essentially acting like husband and wife, though his cluelessness and her shyness means they’re not really going much further than “we’re really good friends”). They’re also getting new visitors: as I noted above, two of Reina’s fellow mages wind up washed ashore on the island, and are quickly forced to get used to what life is like here. (Notably, they both specialize in an element and are jealous Reina can use all of them, while she’s jealous they’re really strong in one of them, calling herself a jack-of-all-trades.) We also meet the ancient dragons and ogres… or at least their teenage versions, who are fighting for supremacy but refuse to let Tailtiu join… not because she’s a girl, but because she’s too strong.

There’s a glorious scene midway through the book where, I thought at first, Arata had been yeeted to a completely different light novel to solve their problem and then yeeted right back. As it turns out that’s not true – while the Saint and the Hero were trying to summon someone to solve their problem, they exist in this world as well, and as it turns out Arata can solve the killer dragon problem but can’t help with church politics. I get the feeling we’ll see them again. I’m also not sure if this series is going to go polyamory, and if it does how many wives Arata will get. Reina is a given, of course, but Tailtiu, who is currently in the “little sister” role, does not look as if she’s prepared to stay there, especially as, once again, Arata solves all her personal issues by punching a few people till they understand. That said, give his “no, no, mustn’t have sexual thoughts about anybody” attitude, I doubt I need to worry for a while.

This is sort of a slow life series, even if the life is hanging around on what is basically the island where the gods live. I enjoy it.

Royal Spirits Are a Royal Pain! Give Me a Regular Romance, Vol. 2

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By Rei Kazama and Fujiazuki. Released in Japan as “Tensei Reijō wa Seirei ni Aisarete Saikyō Desu…… Dakedo Futsū ni Koi Shitai)” by TO Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by okaykei.

Last time I described the events in this series as being “a political hotbed”, and if anything I feel bad now for underselling it. I joked online that TO Books waylaid JNC after it had licensed Trials and Tribulations of My Next Life as a Noblewoman and sold them this series, like Sheldon Leonard’s tout trying to sell Jack Benny a horse. (Never let it be said I don’t provide modern references for the youth of today.) This book starts out with Deirdre and company getting involved in major rivalries, then moves to finding out that half those rivalries were not what they were told about at all, and ends in… well, I’ll talk about the last quarter or so of the book later. It’s absolute dynamite, though. The writer knows that light novels are drenched with 6-year-olds who talk like they’re middle-aged women, and so decides to weaponize it, with everyone not in her family seeing Deirdre as a terrifying creature.

Deirdre is six years old now, meaning her parents are finally letting her out of the house so that she can have destined encounters with dusky pretty boys… destined encounters that she totally ignores, of course. She’s also going around to various domains and trying to patch things up between the rulers and the royal spirits, who have made it perfectly clear that if they have to choose between destroying the entire nation and Deirdre, the nation will lose. Unfortunately, things are still very bad with the Empress and her family. What’s more, the faction that was supposedly opposing our heroine and her family… may not be after all? It turns out there’s another family in this race behind the scenes manipulating things. Oh, and there’s also an Evil Religion. It *is* a reincarnation book, after all.

Let’s talk about the last quarter of this book, which is when I started to compare it to T&T. It certainly racked up a hefty body count, and not the bodies that I was expecting. I had wondered whatever happened to the magical Wikipedia that Deirdre used in the first book, but it comes back with a vengeance here, as it’s a great way to summarize all of the backstabbing and manipulation that’s been happening to either keep the empress on the throne or get her off of it. Even Andrew, the closest thing in the Royal Family they have to an ally, doesn’t fully trust Deirdre and her family as they’re simply too powerful, too eccentric, and do not remotely care about power or the throne. Deirdre is here as a spirit guide. That said, she is quietly amassing a badass group of young girls who will presumably grow up to be a badass group of young women. Assuming they get to grow up.

The epilogue of this book shows us Deirdre about to turn ten, and I am assuming by the cover of the third book we’re headed off to the academy that always happens in these sorts of books. That said, I’m sure politics will not go away. Also, the thirteenth volume that just came out in Japan is the final one, so while we have a long way to go there’s at least an end point.

Once Upon a Witch’s Death: Celebration Rings Over Crystal Waters

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By Saka and Chorefuji. Released in Japan as “Aru Majo ga Shinu Made: Aokiumi ni Shukufuku no Kane wa Narihibiku” by DENGEKI no Shin Bungei. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Megan Turner.

When I reviewed the first book in this series, it was the only book in this series, and I wondered in the review if there would be any more of it. Since then, of course, we’ve had three more volumes (the fourth of which seems to be the final one). And an anime, which was not particularly popular here but was well received by the few who watched it. Fortunately, almost two years later, we finally have the second volume, with the third scheduled for the summer. Of course, I watched the anime as well, which leads to the problem that I broke one of my rules, which is “try not to watch an anime that passes where you’ve read”. This second volume contains the bulk of the back half of the anime, so folks who watched it know what’s going to happen. Fortunately, the story is still well-told, and honestly, we read this for Meg being a freakish gremlin in any case.

While technically not a short story volume, this book can be rather neatly divided into four sections. 1) Meg goes with Faust and Sophie to a giant witch convention that only happens every twenty years, and while there runs into a young girl who seems to be lost and also is more than she seems… and also a terrifying witch who has another bad prophecy for Meg. 2) Meg notices that a young girl… and later, her mother… have a dark mark on their necks that no one else can see. Faust says it’s a sign they’re going to be a sacrifice to Satan, and warns Meg not to get involved. Meg gets involved. 3) The huge tree in the town is overfloweing with magic and needs to be destroyed… but Meg has made friends with the spirit inside the tree, who is also getting corrupted. 4) After the events of Story 3, Meg has a broken leg, and goes to the city of Aquamarine to get treatment from a powerful medical witch. While there, she also learns about her past.

The first book was there to introduce us to Meg as a goofy little ball of energy who talks and acts like a dirty old man, has a big heart full of compassion, and seems to think she’s just an ordinary minor apprentice to a witch. This second volume is here to remind you that her master is possibly the second most powerful witch in the world, she’s best friends with the third most powerful, wants to intern with the fourth most powerful, and also is habitually achieving the impossible seemingly every single day, especially in the back half of the book. We see Meg basically invent her own magic here, twice, and most of it has to do with the fact that society has tried to math up magic to the point where it’s forgotten about the feelings. Since Meg is zero logic and all feelings, it’s no wonder she’s destroying all the common sense laws of how to cast spells.

This reads breezily, has a great main character voice, and some surprisingly dark horror within its pages. it’s a winner. Also, you can sing the title to the opening line of Secret Love by Doris Day.

Secrets of the Silent Witch -another-: Rise of the Barrier Mage, Vol. 2

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By Matsuri Isora and Nanna Fujimi. Released in Japan as “Silent Witch: Another – Kekkai no Majutsushi no Nariagari” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Alice Prowse.

It can be difficult to review books that are tension-filled, well-written, and give fans of the series exactly what they want but have one particular thing that is not to the reviewer’s taste. This is that sort of book for me. I mentioned online that I hate amnesia plotlines, but that’s not quite true. I don’t mind, say, the reincarnated person having no memories of their time in Japan, that sort of thing. But it’s amnesia designed to break a couple apart and make them both upset that I don’t like, and that’s what we get here in spades. It’s handled very well, especially because, thanks to the vagaries of the plot, the two of them hadn’t seen each other in forever, and events conspired to make things suspicious. Throw amnesia on top of it, and you have a really good book that STRESSES ME OUT. Just fix it and get married, dammit.

A few years after the events of the first spinoff book, and Louis Miller has it made. He’s commander of the Magic Corps, well-respected for his barriers saving lives, has fought several dragons, he now looks and talks like a respectable gentleman, and he even has a nice house of his own. All he needs to do is become one of the Seven Sages. This is because Rosalie’s father has demanded that he fulfill all these conditions before he’ll let Louis marry her, and has, in fact not allowed them to make contact with each other all this time (something, it later turns out, he forgot he did, because as a dad he’s kind of awful). Fortunately, Rosalie’s father has to retire soon as his magic power is weakening, meaning there is a Sage opening available. Now all he has to do is duke it out with the guy from school who hates him more than anything in the world. Oh, and the other candidate. Who is… wait, who is this twitching creature?

Yes, fans of Monica can relax, because though the book doesn’t focus on her, she is in it, and gets a scene where she completely shows off why she’s a sage and why it happened so quickly. In the main series, Louis gets questioned about bullying Monica all the time, and mentions that he only bullies the strong. He’s clearly thinking of this, as she destroys both the other candidates. That said, a lot of Louis’ problems in this book are Louis’ own fault. He’s so obsessed with his goal, but only a few people know why he’s doing it, so everyone just assumed that he’s a terrible person… even Rosalie doubts him, when they meet after so long and he looks and sounds like a different person. And then she tumbles off a roof. I will also note that, aside from the actual bad guy, Glenn Dudley reminds us once more why he’s such a giant pain in the ass. I respect Louis for not murdering him.

Not to spoil an obvious thing, but things do work out and they both live happily ever after. So next time we get back to Monica’s present-day adventures… whenever that is, as Book 8 isn’t scheduled yet. Fans of the series who don’t get very stressed about amnesia ruining true love should love this.

Even a Replica Can Fall in Love, Vol. 4

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By Harunadon and raemz. Released in Japan as “Replica Datte, Koi o Suru” by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Andrew Cunningham.

There are spoilers for this book, at long last, as it becomes impossible to try not to give everything away like I’ve tried in my previous obfuscating reviews.)

Last time I mentioned that we could all guess what Nao’s decision is, and I was absolutely correct, but that’s not what makes this book so interesting. What first surprised me is how long it takes Nao to avoid having to answer the question, first telling Sunao that she’ll answer her before the end of the year, and then essentially trying to cram in as much life as possible into those days, even as she continues to worry about how Sunao is doing. There’s a great scene in the book where Sunao gets a bloody nose during a sports event, and everyone completely panics, even as she grumpily insists that she’s fine. It helps to underline the idea that Sunao is fragile, especially when Nao is out and about, and that Nao’s decision is entirely about her, rather than about Aki or her own love. And then she takes Aki and Ricchan on one last big blowout date, on Christmas day, to an amusement park. SHE may not make her decision till 3/4 through the book, but WE know it from page 1.

Now that it’s apparent that when the original and the replica are both “out and about”, the replica generally can’t be seen, Nao is trailing along with Sunao more often. This allows her to see the aforementioned game where Sunao is injured, as well as look at all the photos from the class trip, which she is burning into her brain. She’s also talking with Satou about things, because one thing that might make Nao hesitate in her decision is she has no idea what will happen to Sunao, or how she’ll be affected, after it occurs. There’s just no way to know, especially if you’re Nao. And of course there is Aki, who knows what her decision is, and respects her own autonomy, but spends most of this book brutally sad and depressed, and you can see why. In the end, Nao chooses to… well, what DOES happen?

The other big surprise for me was the last quarter or so of the book. Where Nao winds up in Replica Heaven, basically, and meets up with Ryou, who explains that after they have “finished their work”, replicas come here to essentially live an afterlife. They’re in a school, and though they can’t leave it (there are dorms), and time doesn’t really pass, they can learn, and read books, and even date other replicas. And they all seem pretty content with this… except Nao. It was very hard for me while reading this section not to think about the Talking Heads song “Heaven”, which its chorus “Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens”. Nao can’t get over how the entire thing is essentially in muted greyscale, but as it turns out that’s not the Replica afterlife, it’s HER. She gets remonstrated for not only making the wrong decision but making it badly, trying to do the most dramatic thing ever in order to burn herself into everyone’s brain. And more importantly, she needs to go back.

This is, for all intents and purposes, the end. But we’re not done, as we’re finally going to get what I’ve wanted from the start: Sunao’s side. She was just as big a part of the finale of this book as much as Nao, and her “I no longer hate myself” made me well up a bit. This is really good, folks.

Re: ZERO ~Starting Life in Another World~ Short Story Collection, Vol. 4

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By Tappei Nagatsuki and Makoto Fugetsu. Released in Japan as “Re: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu: Tanpenshuu” by MF Bunko J. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Sarah Moon.

This fourth volume of short stories definitely expands the palette, as Subaru, Emilia and Rem/Ram don’t appear at all. They’re mentioned a few times, but for the most part the purpose of these stories is to flesh out and develop other members of the cast. This is good news, though the fact that Yen Press has been putting out the Short Story volumes well after they came out in Japan means that sometimes the stories don’t quite have the hit the author wanted, I suspect. For one thing, I’m starting to get a bit sick of Priscilla, mostly as we’re in the middle of Arc 7, which features her, we’ve had a few EX volumes with her, and the last short story volumes have had her. The author clearly LOVES writing her and Al, so I don’t expect this to change anytime soon. On the other hand, the first half of the book is very welcome, as Felt is easily the least developed supporting character in Re: Zero to date. No, not like that.

There are four short stories here: 1) Felt has announced herself as a Royal candidate, but is still grumpy about the whole thing, and she’s angry at Reinhard all the time. She is trying to get some allies, however, even if they happen to be the Three Stooges (published before Book 6); 2) Their group heads back to Reinhard’s domain, away from the political turmoil of the royal capital, but have to deal with an abandoned baby (published between Book 12 and 13); 3) Priscilla and Al have to deal with a few nearby villages seemingly being infested by undead, in a story that is literally called Price, Prejudice & Zombies (published with Book 18); 4) Otto is waylaid as he tries to leave a town and forced to mount a rescue mission for a missing girl, but ends up getting captured himself (published with Book 13).

The Felt stories are the highlight of the book. She’s loud, coarse, and angry throughout both of them, but also proves to be a sharp cookie and is surprisingly astute when it comes to Reinhard, who tends to wear his heart on his sleeve a bit too much because he hasn’t experienced the failures of life that Felt has. The whole point of the Royal Selection is that all the candidates could be very good rulers but that the folks in charge would hate them, and you can see that here. The Priscilla story is a sort of horror mystery, and mostly serves to show off a character that it then seemingly kills off, and once again show off the bond between Priscilla and Al. The Otto story is the slightest, but also shows off that he has a good heart, frequently to his detriment.

Next time, we’ll focus on Crusch and Anastasia. That said, I think next up we have a new EX book, which returns to the story of Wilhelm and Theresia. Till then, gosh, Re: Zero continuity is complex, but this was good.

New Game Plus After Defeating the Last Boss: All These Beautiful, Problematic Girls in the First Town Have Gotten Really Attached to Me… , Vol. 1

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By Touwa Akatsuki and Falmaro. Released in Japan as “Last Boss Toubatsu Go ni Hajimeru Nishuume Boukensha Life: Hajimari no Machi de Wakeari Bishoujotachi ga Mechakucha Natsuite Kimasu” by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Kamishiro Taishi.

Just the title should tell you that we’re in old, familiar territory. First of all, this is from the author of ridiculous OP harem battle light novel The World’s Strongest Rearguard, whose anime is out soon. More importantly, there are levels and classes and stats, though thankfully a lot fewer stat screens than Rearguard ever had. New Game Plus is what some games have where, after finishing the game, you get to start over at Level 1 but you get to keep all your old gear and skills. In return, there’s stronger everything. That’s essentially what happens to our main character here. He also gains a bevy of new party members, who dominate the cover art. (He’s in the upper left corner. You’ll have to squint.) They’re fanservicey as hell, and all fall in love with him immediately. But don’t worry. Just like Rearguard, nothing will actually happen. This is about comfy rather than horny.

A young boy, Crow, is a thief. Who has no mana, unlike almost everyone else in the world. Naturally, he’s abandoned and lives in the slums. Fortunately, he can make friends and allies, even though he longs to be a magic user. Years later, he is Level 100, and he and his three level 100 party members (all gorgeous women) face off against a demonic dragon. They win, but Crow dies taking a curse meant to kill their swordfighter. He wakes up (sigh) talking to a goddess, who says he can be resurrected, and change his class. He immediately wants to be a Sage, the most powerful magic class. Now called Might, he’s back in the starter town he grew up in, and also looks 15 again rather than in his late 20s. But… he’s a sage! He can use magic! It’s just he’s Level 1 again. But… as he finds out, he’s still as strong as he was before.

If you’re looking for serious and deep, flee. If you’re looking for a long-running, consistently released series, flee as well – this had two volumes and then stopped, the author seems to be like that. If you’re looking for goofy fun with really likeable girls, some gratuitous fanservice, and an immediate found family, this is for you. If you’ve read Rearguard, no, he doesn’t have magical orgasm powers when his party sleeps like Akihito does. That said, I’m going to append a “yet” to that, because we also see him drawing out the girls’ secret hidden powers by kissing their hands. He can see locks on people’s chest that break when they fall in love with him, and he is breaking locks left and right, because he’s nice, powerful, polite, and doesn’t leer. Much. As for the girls, there is blue-haired swordfighter with a rather poorly hidden secret, her friend who claims to be a paladin but see previous secret, and an awkward mage with a large hat, small bust, and love of making her own homebrew potions rather than following the recipe. They’re all great, and funny. Might? You know what Might is like, you’ve read these. He’s a potato-kun. But a nice one. Kazuma wishes he were this guy, but Kazuma is more entertaining.

Again, this series has one kind of audience: those who like fantasy books with cute girls who like a nondescript hero. It’s a must for Rearguard fans, though, despite not having Best Lizard.