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Reviews

Even a Replica Can Fall in Love, Vol. 5

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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.

While I’ve very much enjoyed this series, each of the previous four volumes has explored topics related to replicas in some way. What are replicas, why do people have replicas, can replicas fall in love (title drop), and what happens when a human with a replica dies. This led us to the climax of the fourth book, which was about what happens if a replica dies… except no, it did not work out that way, because in the interim Sunao decided to get her life together, move beyond the need for having a replica, and finally grant Nao autonomy so that she could be with the one she loved. The problem, of course, is that the books were mostly written from Nao’s perspective, and so there was a gap of “what actually happened here?” left to be filled. It was fine for the climax of the “main” series, because really all that was waiting for was a dramatic run and love confession, but I’m glad we get to see what happened before: Sunao’s path to loving herself.

The subtitle of this volume is “Side: Original”, and that’s exactly what we get here. We start with Nao’s declaration to Sunao that she’s going back inside her, and just like the reader, Sunao knew that’s exactly what would happen. Fortunately, Sunao decides to simply make Nao vanish rather than fully integrate her into herself. Unfortunately, that means Sunao has to negotiate the rest of her time in high school without a safety valve or a way out, and it’s hard, given that Sunao regards herself as a bad person and thinks no one else could like her. Despite this, over the course of the book, she learns to stand up for herself over her former friends turned bullies, learns to stand up for others, and learns to give support when it’s needed but only the support that’s needed. And she even gets her own love story, with a somewhat unexpected person.

This volume was a lot simpler to read in many ways – replicas barely come up – but that doesn’t mean it was less affecting. Sunao’s POV is suffocating a great deal of the time, especially in the middle of the book when everything seems to be going wrong, and watching her deflect and avoid those problems was not only painful to read but honestly felt a bit TOO familiar. I wondered if she would avoid Ricchan entirely the whole book, regarding it as “she’s Nao’s friend now”, but honestly it ended up being that most of the entire incident in childhood that led to their falling out turned out to be something that Sunao just wasn’t emotionally mature enough to connect the dots on. She gains that emotional maturity here, in a number of really good scenes, and it all leads to a confession that she’s very reluctant to hear, and instinctively wants to reject, simply as she cannot come to terms with why anyone would feel like that about HER. (It’s very important, by the way, that her love interest has, without knowing about replicas, definitely fallen for Sunao and not Nao.)

There’s one last volume, apparently short stories. This feels like the big finale, though. A must read for fans of the series, especially those who watched the anime try to speedrun events as anime often does.

Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian: Insider Stories

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By Sunsunsun and Momoco. Released in Japan as “Tokidoki Bosotto Russia-go de Dereru Tonari no Alya-san” by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Matthew Rutsohn.

Oh god, store exclusive stories. Let’s try to break it down here: 1) Alya gets hit on and stalks Masachika; 2) Yuki buys otaku merch and stalks Masachika; 3) Touya and Chisaki are super in love, Part 1; 4) Test of courage; 5) Alya is tricked into wearing a sexy cat costume; 6) Touya and Chisaki are super in love, Part 2; 7) Alya and Masachika go to a fancy dessert place; 8) Yuki briefly feels guilty for manipulating Alya; 9) Alya is tricked into wearing a sexy maid costume; 10) Masachika goes on amusement park rides with Nonoa and deals with her personality; 11) Touya and Chisaki are super in love, Part 3; 12) Watermelon splitting; 13) Alya is tricked into wearing a sexy Chinese dress; 14) Alya and Ayano recover from the spicy food debacle; 15) Touya and Chisaki are super in love, Part 4; 16) Maria eats a lot; 17) Alya, under hypnosis, is tricked into wearing a sexy bunny girl costume; 18) Masachika buys priceless antiques but doesn’t realize it; 19) Yuki and Ayano have a water fight; 20) Touya and Chisaki are super in love, part 5; 21) Alya is tricked into wearing a sexy gothic lolita costume; 22) Alya, Masachika and Yuki get a fortune reading; 23) Touya and Chisaki are super in love, Part 6; 24) Alya is tricked into wearing a sexy Arabian dancer outfit; 25) Ayano discovers josei maid porn; 26) Chisaki destroys everyone in the athletics competition; 27) Maria is tricked into wearing a sexy bunny girl costume; 27) An anime store employee rants at the cast in his thoughts; 28) The cast play a word game; 29) Masachika dreams about Alya in a sexy succubus costume.

As you may have gathered from the brief descriptions of all of those, a large part of this collection is dedicated to getting Alya into sexy outfits; The art inside the book… and outside the book… is almost entirely devoted to each of the sexy outfits I mentioned above. This series knows its audience, and it’s folks who like big-breasted Russian girls. Though, to be fair, their magnificent asses are also mentioned quite a bit. Yes, I know it feels a bit crass to bring it up in a review, but this is a short story collection, so we can’t develop the characters or have much drama at all. What we’re left with is Alya being a bit tsundere, Yuki and Masachika being otaku-brained, and… well, there are the student council president and vice-president. Who are indeed cute and in love, but the bulk of the gimmicks in the stories are “Chisaki is very, very, very strong”.

That said, there are two original short stories for this collection at the end. In the shorter one, Elena, having a breakdown because people want to live their own lives rather than dedicate them to music, demands they all go to a cat cafe. We get to see how the cats treat the bulk of the cast (they all have trouble, especially Chisaki and Maria) and we get to see the cat version of Alya, who promptly gets into a… erm, catfight… with the real Alya. The second story has the cast, trying to prepare for the athletics festival, going to a hotel pool rented out by the rich Sumire, to see if practicing in a pool might be less exhausting. As you might guess, this is an excuse for some of the most blatant fanservice in the book, including Masachika almost drowning because every time he comes up for air he slams his face into Alya’s crotch by accident. It ends with a heartwarming moment, but again, we’re here for the service.

If you enjoy the Alya series, you’ll enjoy this. If you’re trying to save money, though, there’s nothing here that I think will come up again in later books, unlike Vol. 4.5.

Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense, Vol. 18

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

I’ve enjoyed Bofuri over the years, but as I hit the end of this volume, and realized that the next book would be the final one in the main series (yes, of course there are after stories), I could not help but think “thank God”. This is a classic example of a series that just went on far too long. In this penultimate volume, the author is not about to introduce any fun new characters, or give Maple a weird new skill. The series has also shifted away from its “look at what Maple’s doing now” sense of humor, and while I do like seeing Maple using strategy and not just relying on vibes, it also means it’s not really funny any more. As a result, what we’re mostly left with is what this series has been about from the start: reading someone else’s game logs, and watching them fight. Even worse, the fights are all pretty anticlimactic. No one’s really giving Maple trouble any more.

Sally is on the cover, looking like she’s auditioning for Made in Abyss. The book is more about her than Maple, as she tries and fails to work up the nerve to ask Maple to marry her… er, sorry, to ask Maple for a 1-on-1 fight. They’re all going through the 10th floor, which has aspects of the other floors, in order to be able to fight the demon lord. They’re fun dungeon battles with tough bosses, there’s fun dungeon battles with tricky puzzles, there’s teaming up with other groups to help them clear tough areas with the power of Maple and Sally simply being really, really good, and there’s the dreaded 6th floor battles, where Sally must try to overcome her fears. By the end, everyone’s now ready to take on the Demon Lord, with the help of Mii and her friends and Frederica and her friends. The developers are sure the Demon Lord is not something anyone can take out on their first try. I suspect Book 19 will prove them wrong.

In terms of things I can actually review, there are two. The first is the series’ longest running gag that isn’t Maple acquiring new powers, namely Sally’s fear of ghosts. Give the nature of this floor, it was inevitable that they’d need Sally to get past this. She doesn’t, but she’s actually pretty clever in how she manages to battle enemies while at the same time remaining utterly terrified. And then there’s Sally’s request of Maple, which she STILL isn’t able to spit out. Maple clearly knows Sally wants to say something but is never going to push, so it lies there, and you just get more irritated with her. (Maple has the patience of a saint.) Maple, meanwhile, when asked by Sally what she wants to do for some downtime activities, takes Sally to a secret cafe where they have a repeat of the food dates they’ve had in the past. This is never going to be explicitly yuri, but the best part of it has actually become the implicit yuri. It’s why I read the series now.

The demon lord is set up as the focus of the final volume, but come on, we know Sally will eventually ask for that PvP match with Maple, and that’s gonna be the big end. Who will win? Will it have a kiss? (No.) One thing’s for sure, next volume will sound like a game log most of the time.

Your Castle’s Little Helper: Please Feed Me, I’ll Work!, Vol. 1

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By Kazuhito Minagi and PenekoR. Released in Japan as “Anata no Oshiro no Kobito-san ~Gohan Kudasai, Hatarakimasu~” by SQEX Novels. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Taylor Engel.

I really enjoyed reading this book, but if it has one big flaw it’s that it cannot settle down with one genre. And unlike, say, Sasaki and Peeps, I’m not sure how deliberate it is – it just feels unfocused. Judging by the cover and blurb, I was expecting the story of a plucky and adorable orphan winning the hearts of everyone she encounters. And it definitely is that. But it’s also the story of a reincarnated Japanese woman who wakes up in a middle-ages sort of monarchy and gradually introduces new foods while also winning over the monsters of this world with her powerful magic. And it’s also the story of a child left for dead who has tremendous PTSD about the whole thing and keeps getting triggered over and over again, either accidentally or on purpose. It’s about how sometimes abuse through neglect cannot simply be waved away or fixed. Still, if you can handle the ping-ponging, it’s a compelling read.

A Japanese woman, who passed away due to a car accident, wakes up in a deserted storeroom as a two-year-old dying of starvation and thirst. Not great. She manages to stagger to a kitchen and is found by the cooks, and it turns out that she’s in the royal castle. In fact, it turns out that her connection to royalty is a lot more intricate and filled with secret plans than anyone realizes. For Chihiro, though, all she wants to do is quietly live her life, eat nice food, and maybe try to find sweets, as this world lacks sugar or honey. Well, it has honey, but in the forest, and there are bees. Pshaw! Who’s afraid of some bees? Well, when she manages to get a mysterious stranger to take her to the forest, it turns out you’re afraid of bees if they’re the size of a human and feed on magic. Good thing that, as it turns out, Chihiro has TONS of magic…

Chihiro is absolutely the best reason to read this. A lot of these “I’m two years old but have my adult memories” series feature the main character trying their best to act like a kid and failing. Chihiro doesn’t even try, she’s like one of the kids in Full House. A scene early on just made me throw up my hands and realize the author was writing this on vibe, where she not only figures out how the commoners are getting their sums wrong, but asks the nobles to forgive them as it’s not the expected “we’re corrupt” but just “we suck at math”. There is an occasional hand wave towards people realizing that a girl as young as her cannot POSSIBLY be doing everything she is (she’s doing perfect embroidery, coming up with new recipes, etc. At two years old), but every time that happens the person ends up thinking “well, whatever, she’s so cute I don’t actually care to investigate this”. As for the conspiracy that led to all this happening in the first place, it never really gets resolved beyond “yeah, those evil maids did this and then vanished”.

Basically, this book is a mess. But it’s a fun mess, and I had a great time reading it. I want more.

Dahlia in Bloom: Crafting a Fresh Start with Magical Tools, Vol. 13

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

It feels like every review I whine about this slow burn romance being too slow, but, I mean, look at it. Indeed, the author is now anticipating us whining, as we not only get to see Volf once again having people ask if he’s in love and essentially saying “what’s that? Food? Can you eat it?”, but we also see Dahlia realize that she might actually be in love with Volf and practically have a trauma response to the idea. Which makes sense, given what happened with Tobias, who I’m amazed has not been quietly murdered by now by the rest of the cast. But that’s OK, as we also have a lot of other things going on to make sure that we stop paying attention to the lack of romance… or indeed, the lack of barony, as we’re still ALMOST there but not quite, and having looked at the synopsis of the Japanese Vol. 14, I suspect I will be saying the exact same thing next time. Anyway, what DOES happen in this book?

After an amusing start where Dahlia and company try to figure out how to stop killer pigeons nibbling on their vital green slimes, we get down to what has now become a running theme of this series: Dahlia trying to create a cool magic sword for Volf. Volf clearly wants a sword that shoots lasers or somesuch, but instead he gets something that increases speed and is very durable. Indeed, perhaps a bit TOO durable, as after seeing the sword in action Dahlia is asked to visit the Magical Toolmaking Department to explain why this sword has slaughtered twenty huge monsters and still doesn’t need to be sharpened? While there, she meets a duke with a comically evil face, and also discovers that her accident as a child where she dissolved her own hands by touching black slime may have more consequences than just mental trauma. Finally, she and Volf go to meet Guido’s wife Rosaria, who has wanted to see Dahlia… and that also goes off the rails, thanks to Volf wearing his special disguise glasses.

It’s been apparent for a while, but one thing I really like about this series is that Dahlia is not simply doing things like inventing mayonnaise or soy sauce like the usual isekai potatoes, but is essentially creating aides for people who are disabled. We get that really clearly here with Rosaria, who it turns out has facial blindness – she can see, say, a portrait of her husband, but can’t see his face as more than a blur. This is why Volf wearing the glasses that mask his appearance was such a shock – to her, this means she now CAN see Volf’s face. I also enjoyed seeing the magical tool creator who assumes that Dahlia is this smug powerful woman who comes up with amazing ideas every breakfast, and as he watches her struggle to create another pair of fairy glasses – which requires her to hallucinate a terrible nightmare – the creator realizes the reason Dahlia’s stuff is so great is because she’s not got a political bone in her body, and is not thinking of gain at all – she’s just there to help. This is also, of course, why she’s in danger, and I worry that she may run into the equivalent of a stranger offering candy from a van before long.

Next time we’ll get the investiture, right? Surely there’s nothing that can possibly put that off even longer… wait, I forgot what series I’m reading. In any case, still great.

Earl and Fairy: When You Wish Upon the Crimson Knight

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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.

I always tend to have the same pattern when I read a new volume of Earl and Fairy. I start off a bit reluctant, remembering the slow pacing and the fact that Lydia always seems perpetually angry and Edgar has a tendency to always make things worse. I think to myself, “if it weren’t for the fact that I’m the only reader, I would drop this”. Then as the book goes along, it gets more exciting and the thriller aspects take over, and I am reminded once again why I do keep going and why I like it so much: the romance is meh, but the supernatural thriller is great. This book actually manages to improve on the romance a bit as well, as Lydia has admitted her feelings for Edgar, and he is deliberately trying not to mack on other women. Unfortunately, as we will see, both of those things combine to once again make everything terrible for our still not married couple.

Lydia is trying to figure out what to get Edgar as an engagement present, given that he can buy anything he wants. After shopping with Lotta (been a while since we’ve seen her), she goes home and is accosted by a young Scottish man who insists that they need to get married to save the clan. Turns out the short story regarding Lydia’s mom, from the previous volume, is more relevant than expected: the village she left is suffering, and they all think marrying Lydia will solve the problem. Unfortunately, there’s also someone else who wants to marry Lydia – no, not Edgar, although yes, him too. A trow kidnaps her, Lotta, Raven, Nico, and the Scottish guy and says that Lydia will, in fact, be marrying him. Meanwhile, Edgar is still dealing with having the Prince’s memories, and the fact that every problem lately has one obvious solution: access the Prince’s memories and turn more evil.

So I got my wish of Lydia and Edgar growing and changing, but I did not get my wish that this means the entire book won’t be about romantic conflict. Lydia still has huge piles of self-loathing, and while she trusts Edgar now she worries about the depth of his love – especially when, for the plot reasons above, she has to disguise herself as another woman and have Edgar intuitively realize it’s her. Unfortunately for her, reality is not quite as kind, and Edgar, for once trying to be a good fiancee, just finds her suspicious. Much as it makes me uncomfortable, I can’t deny its effectiveness. There’s even a dollop of humor in these otherwise mostly serious books, as Raven learns what it means to forgive someone, and applies it in very funny ways. Oh Raven, one day you will be a real live boy.

All this plus an Ermine cameo! This series is down to twice a year, so I expect we’ll get Book 14 in the spring. But I still really do love it.

From Bumbling Prodigy to Villainess: Will the Duke’s Love Go Unnoticed?, Vol. 1

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By Saki Ichibu and Yukako Fujimura. Released in Japan as “Munou Saijo wa Akujo ni Naritai ~Gimai no Migawari de Totsuida Reijou, Koushaku-sama no Dekiai ni Kizukanai~” by Dengeki no Shin Bungei. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by Joshua C Shupp.

It can sometimes be hard with these villainess books that are on the lighter end of the scale, such as this one, for me to wholeheartedly recommend a big, dumb, goofy heroine. Frequently when I ask “gosh, I wonder what in her life led her to being as fun to read as this”, the answer is inevitably “a lifetime of abuse from her family”, and that’s the case here as well. And yet I want to write about Avril anyway, as she’s simply a joy to read. The author’s other big series, Formerly the Fallen Daughter of the Duke, has certain similarities to this one, especially with the obnoxious younger sister who threatens to throw the book off its axis. But that heroine was nice but dull. Our heroine here has a perfect photographic memory and nothing else going for her, and is the sort of person who will speak her own thoughts out loud, then remind herself she should not be doing that.

Avril Allingham has had a rough life. Her mother died when she was young, and her father remarried. And her new stepsister looks really suspiciously just like her. Avril has a photographic memory, which you’d think would be praiseworthy but her family finds it creepy. They use her as a servant. She never goes out or really interacts with others. She *does* have servants who support her, but that’s about it. Meanwhile, Corina, her younger stepsister who looks a lot like Avril, is going out to parties and seducing young men. Using Avril’s name. As such, when an engagement is inevitably broken due to Corina’s actions, it’s Avril who has to pay the price, getting married off to the horrible old lech the Duke of Lanchester. Only, on arriving there, she finds he’s quite young and handsome. Oh well, no worries. She’s out of the house, and can now live her own life. Provided she maintains her cover as Avril, the hussy who seduces men, of course. But that should be easy!

Avril is a wonderful example of “dumbass (affectionate)”. She’ll happily eat stale bread and half-spoiled food because it’s what she ate back home. She’s kind to all the servants, and covers for them when they (very briefly) try to bully her. She’ll help her new husband with managing his territory, and a young noble child who doesn’t have his sheet music, thanks to her perfect recall. And yet every time she does this, she reminds herself she’s supposed to be evil and tries to act like a bad person. I cannot begin to tell you how cute this is. Everyone agrees with me as well, including the noblewoman whose fiancee Corina bonked to start this whole plot in the first place. (Alexandra is great too. She can crush apples with her bare hands.) They would all be perfectly happy if Avril simply admitted she’s covering for her evil sister and settle down with her fiancee, who falls for her almost instantly. But they don’t have the heart. She’s trying so hard to be a villainess.

For some reason (anime soon?), the second volume of this is out in less than a month’s time. I won’t complain. This was a lot of fun.

Sorry Darling, but You Won’t Kill Me Again!

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By Tsuta Sonehara and Lemon Natsume. Released in Japan as “Konse mo Todome o Sasareru no wa Gomen nanode, Saiai no Otto wa Mou Iranai” by DRE Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Hunter Prigg.

I decided to go with the lack of a “Volume 1” in the title. The book seems very much finished, with no real sequel hook in sight, and the cover art does not have a 1 on it. On the other hand, the credits say Vol. 1, and Dre Novels are known for releasing 2-3 volume series, not standalones. If it does get more, and I decide to read it, I’ll edit the review. As for this volume, it was good! Definitely more on the serious end of the Disgraced Noble Lady genre, the bad guys are very bad, but they do at least get interiority, which is more than I can say for a lot of series of this kind. As for the main couple, their adorable and relatively innocent romance is meant to be the light relief (and the justification for the Heart imprint) – you want to see these two succeed, because frankly, the alternative is absolutely dreadful.

The first chapter is called “The Queen Is Run Through By Her Beloved”, and it’s not lying. Etoile has already dealt with the death of her father, a weak and conciliatory king, and an ongoing war against another country that they are losing. Now her fiance Isar, the Knight Commander, has announced they’re going to surrender, he’s been sleeping with and is marrying the saint Posenia, and what’s more, he’s going to kill Etoile. And then he does, running her through with a sword just like the title suggests. Another knight, Reigh, who has essentially been her only friend and ally, discovers this and uses forbidden magic to kill himself and throw Etoile back in time five years. Now she’s given an opportunity to avoid her fate… but Isar and Posenia have already been turning everyone against her for a while now. Can she change their opinions and win more allies? And what about Reigh?

The author also wrote The Villainess Is Dead! Long Live the Empress!, which I liked but wasn’t wild about. This is a step up, especially if it sticks to being a single book. Etoile is absolutely not interested in trying to hide the fact that she’s become a new person overnight, and she absolutely will take advantage of future memories and training to her her way in public. This is because she really does have a LONG way to go – no one trusts her or listens to her except for Reigh. This genre tends to have time-traveled noble ladies either be silly or serious, and while this doesn’t hit the heights of I Swear I Won’t Bother You Again!, it’s definitely serious, and has a high body count. I did very much like the POV sections from Isar and Posenia. I know better than to expect sympathetic villains in this genre by now, but at least they gain a dimension by letting us see inside their nasty little heads. Great final art of their end as well.

For those who like their noble ladies with a bit of bite to them.

Looks Like a Job for a Maid! The Tales of a Dismissed Supermaid, Vol. 4

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By Yasuaki Mikami and Kinta. Released in Japan as “Maid nara Touzen desu. Nureginu wo Kiserareta Bannou Maid-san wa Tabi ni Deru Koto ni Shimashita” by Earth Star Novel. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Sylvia Gallagher.

We’ve seen in this series that Nina tends to lack a sense of self, or rather that her sense of self is “maid” and nothing else. Certainly she has what amount to magical maid superpowers, which only she and her mentor seem to possess. But the question is, why does she have to be a maid? Why can she not use all of her various talents for something else? The most interesting scene in this book has merchant and yuri spoiler Firth showing Nina around a country that believes in equality to such an extent that the idea of servants is anathema to them. We see Nina use her maid superpowers as sort of a consultant, seeing how workers do things and then making them better and more efficient. You briefly think “maybe Nina could be a bureaucrat sort? Does she NEED to be a maid?”. And then she has a brief nervous breakdown, and you remember what this series is.

After a third volume that stayed in one place and told one story, we’re back to Maid & Co. traveling from city to city, and we’re also back to this functionally being a collection of four long short stories. In the first, they come to a city always rebuilding itself, and Astrid is fascinated by a complex water supply machine. They then hear a rumor of a lupalune arrested for poaching, and (since they always try to find any info on Tien’s parents at all) they try to investigate and get around a police chief who tries to do as little as possible to rock the boat. After this, they’re discovered by Myriad (the magic sage from the previous book), who wants to recruit Emily but is OK with recruiting the rest of them as well, and they try to take care of a new dungeon that’s pouring out undead. Finally, they arrive in the town of equality I mentioned in the previous paragraph, and Nina’s faith is shaken once again – as is that of the Queen, who discovers that when everyone’s equal it’s fine to treat the Queen like shit.

Firth appears throughout this book as well. He’s quit his family merchant company, determined to start a new company revolving around Astrid and Nina, even if they don’t really want to. He’s nice and sensible enough, but I was amused that the series literally points out the issue with him. When he’s traveling with Maid & Co., and they have to get an inn or food or what have you, it looks like it’s him and his women. It lessens the four of them. This doesn’t really happen with Myriad, who is also interested in recruiting them for their cool powers but also gives off strong “do not come near me” vibes to everyone around him, so it’s mostly Firth that we want to go away. And, to be fair, he does at the end of the book. As for Nina, I’m glad she got her groove back, and was able to help the Queen, but I am wondering if she is ever going to make it to her mentor, as Book 5 also appears to involve the journey, not the destination.

The 9th volume of this series, just announced in Japan, has big “final volume cover” vibes, so we might have an endpoint. In any case, if you love maids, this is still a must read.

A Wicked Lady’s Guide to Accidentally Saving the Kingdom, Vol. 1

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By Manzi Mazi and Yuuya. Released in Japan as “Gokuaku Reijou no Kanchigai Kyuukokuki” by PASH! Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Amanogawa Tenri.

There is a running gag throughout this book where a character is screaming at the top of their lungs in the face of Lettie, the titular wicked lady, and she tells them “TOO LOUD!”. That’s sort of how I felt about the book. It’s a comedy, you see, and it makes sure you know that on every page. There aren’t any straight men here – or rather, because there aren’t, Lettie is frequently forced to be the straight man, which is annoying as it’s her own weird quirks that are supposed to be what this series is about. Her conceit is that she does wonderful things for everyone in her land while pretending that it’s all due to her selfish evilness, but we never really get a backstory about how she came to that idea, and it honestly reads, as many of the newest light novels read, like the author noticed a trend and decided to do a book with that trend. And, well, this has 4+ volumes, so I guess it worked?

Lettie Ungaria is a wicked, evil villainess. She’ll tell you so herself, as she walks through her fancy mansion, announcing to her strangely devoted and grateful servants that she will work them to the bone (for 8 hours, after which they get free time, and of course weekends off). She’s horrible! She buys slaves from a slave trader (who turn out to be the first prince and his loyal army, fleeing from a revolution). She’s wicked! She walks through her city denigrating passersby as she tells them about the potential skin cancer and dental issues that they really should get looked at. Sure, OK, she’s yet another sixteen-year-old who looks ten, but can’t have everything. Unfortunately, everyone keeps calling her really sweet and kind, and there’s a rumor she’s even nicknamed a saint! What’s a wicked lady to do?

So, aside from Lettie being forced to be the least eccentric person in this book about her eccentricities, what else annoyed me? I’m never going to like the pervert guy character, even if you do make him super powerful as well. The prince’s emotional reserve bordering on stoicism is meant to tie into a tragic backstory but, again, looks like the author just wanted that type. The revolution itself gets a brief look-in and it’s the only part of the book that’s not “wacky” – which is a problem because that means it’s a wacky comedy with a scene where a villain decapitates multiple women and talks the new King into murdering his vassals and engineering wars. Clearly we’re going to see more of him later, but since he only shows up in that one scene, it’s just off-putting. And while I do think Lettie’s excuses for handing out money like it’s candy are meant to be seen as flimsy, we still don’t have the backstory to make that work, so it just looks halfhearted.

While Livid Lady made me livid, Wicked Lady just makes me sad. Where are the villainesses of yesteryear?

The Tiny Witch from the Deep Woods, Vol. 5

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By Yanagi and Yoh Hihara. Released in Japan as “Mori no Hashikko no Chibi Majo-san” by TO Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Nathan Macklem.

As I was reading this fifth volume, I mentioned online that Misha almost dies, and was warned about spoilers. Is it a spoiler, though? Now, “Misha dies”, that would be a spoiler, and we’d have to find a different tiny witch to take over. But no, if there’s one thing this book shows us, it’s that Misha may have dramatic things happen to her, but she is blessed by the author, and therefore everything revolves around her as it should. She’s on a ship filled with salty old sailors, but she’s so shiny that they all love her. She fishes in the sea for the first time, and the fish all bite. She sees dolphins, they do a little dance for her. Even when bad things inevitably do happen to her, they are part of the action and designed to get her to the next place where the plot demands. Which, and again, this is not much of a spoiler, is not going to be the village of the People of the Forest after all.

Misha and Ryne, along with a seasick Ren, are on a boat headed towards their village. They had to choose between a dangerous land voyage and a dangerous sea voyage, and went with the faster one. For the first third of the book or so, things are great. Misha gets along with everyone, catches some tasty fish, helps out when a sailor falls and breaks a shoulder, and is generally a plucky young girl, in the cheerful sense. Then pirates attack, and she becomes a plucky young girl, in the stressful sense, as when the pirates fail, one tries to kidnap her as she looks rich, and she ends up falling in the sea. Fortunately, ridiculous things happen, and she ends up being helped by a young man in a fishing boat, who takes her to his village that is hidden away from the rest of the world. Which is… bad news for those trying to find her.

I suspect we’re going to be at this village for at least a book or two, and we get introduced to a lot of new regulars. I really liked Ella, the apprentice to the village doctor who is a whole bunch of quirks all at once. She’s a bit hyperactive and ADHD, she has a perfect photographic memory but hates studying, she was a mother at 15, and she both really likes and also feels a tiny bit jealous of Misha, who is a couple years younger than her but already an experienced apothecary. We also get introduced to the village gods, who, it should not surprise readers who recall the last time we met this world’s gods, are not what they seem. Misha, of course, can’t leave this alone, which I think will be both good and bad for her, and I hope she does not end up burned at the stake. And while I joked about it a bit, the village having magical “even homing birds can’t find us, you’re totally stuck” powers made me roll my eyes a bit. Not Deus ex Machina or Diabolus ex Machina, just a “Well, whatever” Machina.

Next time, no doubt, Misha will be plucky, get into trouble, and win people over by medicine and being really nice. Should be fun.

From Two-Bit Baddie to Total Heartthrob: This Villainess Will Cross-Dress to Impress!, Vol. 6

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By Masamune Okazaki and Hayase Jyun. Released in Japan as “Mob Dōzen no Akuyaku Reijō wa Dansō Shite Kōryaku Taishō no Za wo Nerau” by TO Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Caroline W.

Every so often with these Villainess books I have to double check the imprint to make sure if they’re a Heart title or not. You’d think with this one it would be obvious. The entire premise is that all the men in the series are in love with Elizabeth, and she is unaware that they are. And to be fair, the series does a good job of keeping a “balanced harem” so you’re not sure who the winning guy will be, or even if there will be a winning guy, as Elizabeth states multiple times that she has no real interest in marriage and doesn’t even know what being in love is like. But we’re six volumes in, and I admit that I’m probably biased towards the one yuri option, but still, I have to say: these guys are kinda dull? I really cannot imagine Elizabeth with any of them, and clearly neither can she. Isaac is her bestie. Robert is a loyal dog. It’s a bit sad.

We’re back at school, and Elizabeth has suddenly realized that what with all the stuff happening to her this summer, she never finished her homework. (Let’s be honest, she wasn’t going to do it anyway.) After attempting to copy off Isaac, she ends up having to do extra studying, which ends up with her and Isaac getting caught up in the Witch subplot from the last book, and Elizabeth accidentally being a bit dumber than usual (impressive given she’s not that bright) and giving away that she knows who her teacher really is. Oh yes, and her masochistic foreign stalker is worse than ever. Given all of this, it should probably come as a relief to her when she actually does get influenced by the ghost, but in fact it ends up being terrible for all concerned, because an Elizabeth with nothing holding her back is the most terrifying thing ever.

As always, the series is at its best when it’s deconstructing the otome games tropes it’s filled with. The identity of the witch appears to be something entirely out of left field (and, like Elizabeth, I had completely forgotten they existed), but if you remember the audience for this game, things make a bit more sense. I also like the fact that the second game was actually a bit of a failure, and they never made any more. For one thing, it helps make losers like Yoh a bit more tolerable. But yeah, sorry, once again it’s the chemistry between Elizabeth and Lilia that most interests me – mostly the fact that they have chemistry at all. The fact that Lilia has actually confessed means that she’s the only one Elizabeth consciously seduces in order to get her way, or to prove a smug point, or just for the hell of it – Elizabeth clearly loves being seductive. Which is good news for her, and whichever guy this series may end up choosing, but bad news for Lilia, who is quite rightly pissed off at all of this. Though admittedly her yandere tendencies are not helping at all. Also, Lilia, please decide if you are gay or just Liz-sexual.

There’s at least one more book in this series, but I must admit I find it far more interesting to see how Elizabeth’s mind works (notice how often she calls herself a villain in this book) than in who gets to marry her.

Secrets of the Silent Witch, Vol. 8

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

(This book, by necessity, goes into spoilery detail about what happens in this volume, bar the final scene.)

This is an ongoing series in Japan, and I think the 13th volume just came out. That said, I was starting to wonder if we were getting near the end of the “main plot”, as it were, especially after the revelations from the last volume. Not only was I correct, but I was very correct. If I can misuse the expression for a moment, this entire volume is busy taking all the rifles off of Anton Chekhov’s mantelpiece and firing them all at once. It’s thrilling, if also quite tragic, especially in the first half. And it leads up to what we’ve been waiting for since this series began. Monica has to decide which is more important to her, the leaps and bounds she’s made as Monica Norton, or her old life and secret mission as Monica Everett. Her choice is the cliffhanger ending of this book, and one the author says they’ve wanted to write since it began. I admit I’ve waited for it as well. Bravo.

We’re getting closer to the end of the school year, Felix graduating, and the end of Monica’s mission. We’re also getting closer to the throne war coming to an end, as Duke Clockford and Felix go around using and/or killing off various pawns at their disposal. And then there’s the Empire, who decide to threaten Monica. They end up reaching a deal. Either Monica stops the war, or she has to personally kill the entire royal family. We then get an extended flashback, which shows the backstory of Isaac Walker, as well as the fact that Monica doesn’t need to worry, one of the royal family is already long dead. Unfortunately, Felix misjudges how important he is to the Duke, and when one assassination attempt fails, finds himself accused of being an imposter, arrested, and locked up in preparation for execution. Given that all this is true, it’s gonna be hard to stop.

I will admit, apart from the dramatic climax of the book, it’s the tragic bits that stand out more here. Isaac’s memories of his past are just as depressing and horrifying as you’d expect, and pretty much tie in with everything we know about him. And when Monica gives him the name of her father, he also discovers that he is, technically, responsible for her father’s death as well. All this causes him to have a massive death complex, so things are not just going to be as easy as “let’s have you escape”. Monica too is not having a good time, though it’s quite noticeable how much better she’s gotten at communicating since she became Monica Norton. Cyril is also handled well here, though I have bad news for him, as Monica “senpaizones” him. Isaac probably has the best chance, though I still think the most likely romantic option for Monica is “none”. We also see the return of a character I never thought I’d see again, and it was wonderful to catch up with them.

The 9th book is not scheduled yet, and I hope it doesn’t take the 9 months it took to get from 7 to 8. Fantastic stuff.

The Holy Grail of Eris, Vol. 5

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By Kujira Tokiwa and Yu-nagi. Released in Japan as “Eris no Seihai” by DRE Novels. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Amelia Imogen.

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? This is a series that I thought ended with the third volume, and then we got a fourth, which at first was “digital-only” in Japan. Then the series changed publishers in Japan, and DRE Novels put out the first four books with new cover art, and I think a couple of bonus short stories. (No, Yen will not be redoing those.) Meanwhile in North America, we had a series that was contacted between Yen Press and GA Novels, now belonging to a different publisher that works exclusively with J-Novel Club. Talks had to be had. But here we are, with Book 5, and Book 6 is just around the corner! In between Books 4 and 5, we had the anime, which was received pretty well, though the reaction by fans felt a bit familiar, and this fifth book underlined the fan reaction with a highlighter. Namely, with the intense intimate female friendship between the two leads, why is the series het? The answer is, of course, that women are allowed to have intense intimate female friendships and still like men.

Connie is back from her vacation, and everything seems well. Unfortunately, the dregs of Daeg Gallus are still around, and they’re targeting the Kingdom’s important mythology. To help deal with this, a baron by the name of Camille Miller has decided to take steps to discredit them. This first involves, for some reason, framing Connie for the bombing of the statue of the hero in a town square, which goes about as well as you’d expect given her fiancee is head of the police and the king is in her debt. Changing tactics, he then decides to announce that she’s another Saint, just like the Saint Anastasia of old. Can Connie try to figure out what’s going on, stop the terrorist group that is still trying to destroy everything, *and* not punch Camille Miller in his smug face? Meanwhile, in the past, we see Scarlet’s grandmother and find out the real story of both Saint Anastasia and the Grail family.

So, for those who loved the anime and are curious, Randolph is technically in this, and he and Connie are still engaged. But even the author admits he’s not in the book very much. This isn’t, at its heart, a romance, it’s a mystery series with added thriller aspects. As such, Connie and Randolph aren’t the main “couple”, Connie and Scarlet are. Thematically, this series is about them. Likewise, in the past, we expect to see the story of a romance between Cornelia and her somewhat fanatically loyal friend Percival Grail, but that’s also pretty much a fakeout, and the important relationship is between Cornelia and her maid and best friend Asha. That said, again, the relationships take a back seat to the mysteries here. Fortunately, the mysteries are very good, and I found it amusing that most of the present-day sleuthing was just Connie reading old histories till she got bags under her eyes.

There is a short story volume after it, but the 6th book, with its incredibly bisexual cover (she has two hands!), does appear to finally wrap the series up after a couple of fakeouts. I’m delighted to see it continue. I hope we never see Camille Miller again, but I’m not optimistic about that last part.

Adachi and Shimamura, Vol. 13

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By Hitoma Iruma and raemz. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Molly Lee.

Glory be, we finally get a volume that isn’t just short stories, and takes place in the present day! After so many alternate universes, flash forwards to the future, and the terrifying vision of Adachi’s idea of heaven, we are back in a normal yuri romance. OK, yes, no series with Yashiro is normal, but you know what I mean. As always, Shimamura is the narrator. It’s amazing how far she’s come since the start. Adachi, when not dealing with Shimamura, is pretty much as she’s always been, introverted, uncommunicative, and giving off a strong “fuck off” aura. Shimamura, who I described as attempting to learn what human emotion is in prior books, is absolutely filled with them here, and a lot of the book is her suddenly breaking down as she once again deals with her childhood dog maybe dying (again, the dog does not die in this book), or her cutely realizing how much she’s in love with Adachi. A depressed teenager who barely interacted with life is now happy and content. It’s nice to see.

First bit of the book: Shimamura goes to see her grandparents, gets overcome with emotion at seeing that Gon is still tired and listless but not dead, unleashes Yashiro on a new set of folks, meets a “childhood friend” from another Iruma series (more on that later), and comes out to her grandma. The rest of the book: it’s school festival time! Honestly, Shimamura wasn’t aware they had one, and neither was Adachi – they likely skipped before now. But this is a new, dynamic Shimamura who does things, and so she comes over to help with their classes’ candied fruit cafe. And Adachi also comes, because Shimamura asks her, and that’s the only reason. The festival is cute – we see Adachi serving and Shimamura waitressing, they get to tour the sites together on a date, they go see Hino and Nagafuji in a class play that sounds like it was based on another work by the author, and they see a concert that I’m pretty sure is based off ANOTHER work by the author. Then, after the festival is over, Adachi invited Shimamura to her house for their own private festival. (No, not like that.)

I’m sure hardcore fans of Iruma are delighted at seeing all the cameos from their other series pop up in A&S. I did work out the girl making the ceramics is from a collection called End Blue, I think? And yes, the series can be read without knowing who the hell these people are. But man, for people like me, who want to track down references, it’s a pain in the ass, as 90% of Iruma’s work is never coming out here. (And, let’s face it, the crossover with My First Love’s Kiss was deeply unwelcome.) That singer and piano player are no doubt from another series, and I don’t know which one, and that just bugs me. And because Iruma doesn’t own the characters, I won’t even get Sayaka from Bloom Into You showing up. Other than that niggle, this is a strong volume, absolutely drenched in Shimamura’s feelings for Adachi, and I can mostly ignore Adachi’s obsessive “there is only one person in my world” feelings, which Shimamura sees as cute but a bit worrying. The “roleplay us ten years in the future” at the end is really sweet.

So yes, a nice, relaxed volume, with no child predators or possible heat deaths of the universe. Next up, a third short story collection, though that doesn’t count 99.9, or the other numbered volumes that have basically been short story collections in all but name.