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Reviews

Housekeeping Mage from Another World: Making Your Adventures Feel Like Home!, Vol. 10

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By You Fuguruma and Nama. Released in Japan as “Kasei Madoushi no Isekai Seikatsu: Boukenchuu no Kasei Fugyou Uketamawarimasu!” by Ichijinsha Bunko Iris NEO. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Hengtee Lim.

Last time I said we were caught up with Japan and I wasn’t sure when we’d get the next book in the series. Well, it turned out to be about a year and a half. And since we’re caught up with Japan again, it may be another year and a half before Book 11. On the bright side, unlike some other slow-burn romances I could name (coughDahliacough), this one is actually realizing that it’s going to be ending with Book 11 or 12 and doing something about it. The meeting with Alec’s brother, which we’ve been hearing will be happening soon for a while, finally happens. The actual suspense part of the book involves a figure from Shiori’s dark past, which she is finally able to lay to rest. They move into a larger house that ends up being a dorm for adventurers, with them as resident assistants. Oh yes, and they finally go all the way. Busy book!

There are three large stories that make up the bulk of this chunky book. In the first, Alec and Shiori are looking for a new place to live that is larger than his apartment, and discover an old boarding school that has just one slight problem: it may be haunted. Which is bad news, as that’s Alec’s one fatal flaw. In the second, a woman has been stalking Shiori and Alec, and she’s definitely bad news. She seems to know Alec, but he can’t remember who she is. And she’s got a ringer to help her out – Torre, Shiori’s old partner in her first adventuring party, is back and ready to cause another round of PTSD for her. In the last story, Alec and Shiori venture out to meet his brother (the king, in case you’d forgotten) at last, and also Rebecca, as she and Alec are finally able to apologize to each other and admit they’re both very happy with other people. This allows Alec to finally do what we’ve been waiting ten books for – propose.

Let’s talk about that middle story. I could not tell you how little I wanted to see the remaining member of Shiori’s old party… you know, the one who isn’t dead. And Shiori certainly feels the same. Fortunately, thanks to a villain even worse than he is, he gets a first-hand taste of what Shiori went through when he left her to die, and proceeds to repent. We even get a quick one page “and this is what happened to him the rest of his life” from the narrative, as if to reassure readers that we don’t have to worry about him again, either. The most amusing thing about the book for me was the sex. The start of the book shows that, while they haven’t gone all the way, they’re still doing everything short of that. We get to briefly see Nadia and Clemens, and hear about the marks all over her body, clearly from their lovemaking. And towards the enhd of the book, Shiori gets those exact same marks. These folks have very difficult lives, and so they are ready to have great sex whenever they can. And they do.

I always enjoy this series, but I’m enjoying it even more now that it’s resolving its plots and drawing to a close. I will happily wait for whenever we get Book 11.

From Bumbling Prodigy to Villainess: Will the Duke’s Love Go Unnoticed?, Vol. 2

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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.

I have, inevitably, mentioned this before, but it is still interesting how, due to translations having to actually be translated and not just literally ported over, “Villainess” is having to get redefined in these books. Sometimes it does mean someone who is capable of doing evil things, ranging from murder to throwing wine on someone’s dress. Sometimes it’s someone who enjoys sleeping around, or toying with other men. But sometimes the “bad woman” merely means “strong woman”, and one reason why transposed Japanese otaku, or shy retiring noble girls, might admire them is that they can do things that most would not. They can stand up to men and tell them off. Even if those men happen to be in a position of power. When people say “she’s rumored to be a horrible villainess”, there’s a thrill in their words. “She lives her own life!” Of course, this is still a romance novel, there are limits.

Surprisingly for a series as goofy as this, there’s a hidden opium trade in the kingdom, and Dylan is being asked to investigate – with Avril sometimes helping out despite herself. After a masked ball full of intrigue – and reminders of Avril’s former reputation as a loose woman – the signs point to a lead in Dylan’s own domain, as one of the mistresses that his dissolute father has brought in is part of a family involved with the drug. Meanwhile, Avril is just delighted to be able to see where Dylan grew up and meet everyone in his domain… though perhaps a bit less excited to meet his father, who supposedly likes meek, shy women rather than confident brassy ones. But Avril has a way to fix that. She just has to be a villainess! She’s so good at it!

I was reminded a bit of Marielle Clarac here, mostly with the idea that the heroine is so unassuming that she is automatically assumed to be a maid rather than the fiancee of the Duke she actually is. That said, Avril is much sillier than Marielle – this is a romance, sort of, but first and foremost, it’s a comedy, and there were plenty of laughs. Not just in funny scenes, either – possibly the biggest laugh in the book for me is when someone throws themselves out a window on the 2nd floor. We also get a side story that explains how Alexandra ended up with the Prince, which is great, as I like Alexandra, but also not great, as it promotes “if you’re annoying to the one you love for over a decade, she will eventually give in and love you.” Other than that, this was solid, if suffering a bit from second book syndrome. Series are hard, aren’t they? Everything is just the slightest bit less fresh this time around.

This arc will continue into the third book, and I’m sure Avril will do something outrageous while practicing her “horrible behavior”. And you won’t have long to wait, as this series is still monthly!

The Villainess’ Journal: Newlywed Life of an Obsessive Researcher, Vol. 1

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By Len Kagizaki and Akira Shigaraki. Released in Japan as “Akujo Nisshi -Otaku na Akujo (?) no Shinkon Seikatsu-” by Maple Novels. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by Emma Schumacker.

This review does spoil the biggest reveal in the book, sorry about that.

When I saw this was coming out one month after From Bumbling Prodigy to Villainess debuted, I was somewhat puzzled. Let’s face it, the two have a premise that’s so similar it’s almost eerie. But after reading it, I can see the differences that make this one stand out. For one thing, Bumbling Prodigy has one normal guy trying to deal with his very sheltered, eccentric, somewhat autistic nerd of a wife, with help from snickering servants. Whereas this title has the exact same thing, only the guy is also a nerd. There’s an evil dad. There’s a younger sister who uses the name of her older sister in order to go out and fool around, which gives the older sister the bad reputation. And yeah, that’s exactly the same here, though the reasoning behind it is very different. And both leads are hilarious. But in the end, the difference is that Avril is a savant, while Estelle is a nerd. In a good way.

Estelle Aublanc is sitting in her bedroom researching magic circles – which she’s done for the last ten years or so – when her father shows up and demands that she get made up gaudily and go meet with a prospective fiance. It turns out her sister has dragged her name into the mud, and now a marquess with a reputation for being cold wants to marry her. Estelle does not particularly care about the marriage as long as she can study magic circles. Though her father threatening to burn all her research does galvanize her to try at least a little. Unfortunately, trying to act like a “villainess”, like her fiance has requested, turns out to be difficult as she has no idea what one does. She doesn’t want to wear all that sticky makeup. She doesn’t really have it in her to be mean to servants. And what’s a callboy anyway?

To get the bad out of the way, like many in its genre, this book suffers from a bad case of “the same scene from a different perspective.” Estelle’s narration runs about 30 pages or so, then we get 15 or so from Gerald’s perspective giving us the exact same scenes and dialogue. This was annoying in Bakarina and its imitators, and it’s still annoying here. Other than that, this is a delight. I will try not to spoil but the most interesting part of the book is Estelle’s sister Alette. The fact that Estelle is so happy to meet everyone and everything helps disguise things, as she’s exactly the same when it comes to her sister. Alette’s scheming is rather brilliant, frankly, and I like that we get a younger sister who is neither evil NOR an innocent waif. Actually, while not having any explicit on-screen sex, this book is pretty spicy, especially towards the end.

So yeah, that’s why CIW licensed this one right after Bumbling Prodigy. They’re both winners. I look forward to the second book, though unlike Bumbling Prodigy it’s not being fast-tracked by the company.

The Fearsome Witch Teaches in Another World: I’ll Show You That All Races Are Equal

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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.

It’s always a bit of a bummer when you’re reading a series and the author makes a decision about the book that you don’t like. And it’s even more annoying when it’s the entire plot of the book. This book picks up where the fourth book left off, with Aoi trying to get the guy who bullied Solare so hard he became a shut-in to apologize… only very quickly that becomes secondary to what these books always end up being about, which is how overpowered Aoi is and how her magic is super duper awesome because she knows science. The bullying part gets forgotten about till the very end (where, I will admit, we get a nice scene, and I think that framing it as Glen having to reach out works OK). And worse, we’re introduced to a new regular, and he’s bringing to the table a dish that I do not ever want to see in this series: romance.

Aoi has returned to the Elf Country, taking with her heaadmaster Glen, teachers Elisa and Strath, and student Shenley, in order to once again get Burrest and his family to realize what he did was wrong and apologize for his actions. This goes very badly at first, until everyone shows off their sorcery prowess, and then the elves quickly look on in awe. They end up being invited to the Elven Senate, who are trying to choose a new King from among four candidates… including Aoi’s mentor Owain. That said, the meeting quickly turns into everyone being shown amazing sorcery again. Including the current King, who ends up having a one-to-one battle in the sky, which Aoi wins handily. Aoi, meanwhile, discovers that Elven Sorcery uses spirits, which hers does not, so really wants to figure out what this means.

So yeah, let’s talk about the other thing that annoyed me other than everything boiling down to “Aoi is mighty”. We meet Langus, who at first is as aloof as the other elves, but once he sees Aoi in action, he becomes that worst of cliches, the guy who declares he’s marrying the girl he likes without bothering to listen to her reject him over and over again. He even goes back with her to the academy. And an epilogue suggests that the other nations are going to introduce their own guys who try to mack on Aoi, only for political reasons. I’m sure this will mostly be used for “comedy”, and there’s certainly no possibility at the moment that the series has Aoi fall in love – hell, Aoi having an emotion at all is a stretch. But I hate comedy one-sided obsession, and it’s sticking around, so grr. On the bright side, this book had lots of Shenley, which is always welcome. She’s a good kid.

This series ends with Book 8, so I’ll pick up the next one, but I hope that it has less of the annoying guy (unlikely). I don’t bother to hope it won’t all just be “Aoi is OP”, that’s sort of the point. I just wish the bullying subplot had ended with a bit more than “oh yeah, that.”

Observation Records of My Wife: The Misadventures of a Self-Proclaimed Villainess, Vol. 5

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By Shiki and Wan Hachipisu. Released in Japan as “Jishō Akuyaku Reijō na Tsuma no Kansatsu Kiroku” by Regina Books. Released in North America by Hanashi Media. Translated by Ethan Holms.

I did enjoy this volume a lot more than the previous one, let’s get that out of the way. With that said… there is a point at the start of this book where Charles tells Cecil that he’s going to have to do something that might look very suspicious to others, and Cecil wonders out loud “shouldn’t you tell your fiancee?” The trouble is that what this involves is a minor bad guy who’s been sleeping around and getting women pregnant, and the men in this series all want to shelter their significant others from the horrors of that. That said, Charles’ response wasn’t quite “no, I have to keep her in the dark, or else this book will be 40 pages long”, but it was close. This plot is designed purely to have the girls get mad at the boys, and even then, it’s mostly an excuse for Bertia to be mad. The trouble is, she’s terrible at being mad, but very good at being trouble.

Charles’ brother, who we’ve heard about since the first book, has been getting worse and worse in his lothario ways. Unfortunately, their father, after a throne-war struggle during his generation, does not want family drama and has already said the eldest is the next head of the family. To fix this, Charles plans to confront and interview his brother’s victims, and also try to protect them. Unfortunately, because this involves sex, cheating, and other distasteful topics, he decides not to tell Anne, and Cecil likewise wants to avoid mentioning it to Bertia as she’d just run and yell at the guy. Unfortunately, what this means is Charles is rumored to be cheating with all these girls. As such Bertia, Anne, and the other women are various kinds of furious. And nothing can be solved until the evidence is gathered, meaning this gets dragged out.

My absolute favorite part of the book was seeing Heronia again. This was hinted at in the last arc, when they found that piece of Pii, but Cecil doesn’t like Heronia, so there was no reason for him to do anything nice for her. But towards the end of this book, Bertia does something that requires another Japanese import to explain, so he’s forced to make a deal. We see that Heronia, post-villainy, is a) not putting up with any of Cecil’s shit (she calls him the “android prince” multiple times), but also b) adapting to life in the convent and helping out the younger children. I love seeing broken villainesses break out of it and do better. I also liked the other antagonist in this book, who seemed to be yet another petty brat, but turned out to have a lot more depth than I expected, and it’s set up that we’ll be seeing her again. As for Charles and Anne… eventually, they work it out. Not everyone can be as shiny as Bertia, though Anne does come close.

This series continues to have legs long beyond what it should have, and I’ll continue to support it.

Repeated Vice: I Refuse to Be Important Enough to Die, Vol. 5

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By Kuroakawa Hitsugi and Kushiro Kuki. Released in Japan as “Repeat Vice: Akuyaku Kizoku wa Shinitakunai node Shitennou ni Naru no wo Yamemashita” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by piyo.

While amusing, it can also be a pain in the ass when I decide what I’m going to base a large chunk of my review on and then have the author, in the afterword, say what I was going to and that they are well aware of it. So yeah, let’s just get this out of the way: for a harem series, Lilka has been getting a lot more attention than the rest of the girls. This is especially true in this book, where Fol and Yusurika are basically absent, and much of the book features Lofus and Lilka arguing like a couple that says they hate each other but will totally be married by the end of the book. That said, the author may not agree with me, and tries to stick a fork in this relationship by having Lofus point out that she’s not his type, and that he finds another kind of woman attractive. Which, fine, but the narrative disagrees. Also, still 13 years old, I believe.

We pick up where we left off, with Lofus, while being very grumpy about it, rushing to the rescue of Lilka and the rest of the sky pirates, who are about to be annihilated. As it turns out, they’re about to be annihilated by a monster that is FAR stronger than it was the first time Lilka went through her life. Fortunately, Lofus brought Raymond along, and so his able to, if not defeat the monster right away, at least slow it down. Unfortunately, he also runs into a guy named Lars, who. like Raymond, wants Lofus to join him, and goes on to explain how Lilka’s assumptions of what needs to happen are bullshit. Unfortunately for Lars, he’s a smug kind of guy, and Lofus naturally hates joining up with anyone anyway, so we get another big battle, this time involving the soul of a long-dead warrior. And after that they have to go rescue Lilka’s pirate ship, which involves meeting yet another heroine.

The thing I liked best here were the various perspective shifts. Lofus has his knowledge of the game, but that’s third-person, so when he’s asked why he specifically joined Raymond’s doomed rebellion he doesn’t really know. Lilka has her own perspective, but also died early in her first life, so doesn’t have access to everything. As for Raymond, when told about Lofus’ “dreams” and what he did in them, he’s just as puzzled as anyone else – if he wants to rule the world, why choose the worst possible way to do it? This, more than the Demon Lord shenanigans, are what makes me want to read more. Well, that and seeing Lofus and Lilka fight. I love 30s screwball comedies, and there’s a lot of that here, with Lilka finally admitting by the end of the book that she really has fallen in love, and while Lofus doesn’t feel the same, he is forced to admit that he actually cares for people quite a lot. Certainly more than his image can bear.

Also, I think we managed to get through a volume without something major ticking me off. This remains an underdog sort of book, the type that is more interesting than it sounds.

The Tale of a Little Alchemist Blessed by the Spirits, Vol. 4

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By yocco and Junsui. Released in Japan as “Outo no Hazure no Renkinjutsushi: Hazure Shokugyou datta node, Nonbiri Omise Keieishimasu” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Andria McKnight. Adapted by Lex Reno.

It’s genuinely hard to review this series. I’ve said before that I prefer happy endings and don’t need to read books where lots of people die. But, I mean, I do like SOME conflict. This is a fun, enjoyable series, but in terms of things I can grab on to to review, I’d rather be reading a tournament arc. Daisy is here, and she’s making cool things. She’s setting up her Montessori school. She’s spending time with her adorable adopted sister, who is starting to show an interest in blowing things up (for good, not for evil, so you can relax). She’s going on beach vacations with her friends, which seem to be excuses for the author to put in the standard “I am jealous everyone has bigger breasts than me”, which at least this time is coming from an actual 11-year-old. Oh, and in her spare time, she’s the messiah saving the world from its inevitable end. Just girly things.

Most of Daisy’s activities in this book are meant for her to get her party ready to tackle That One Level again. You remember that tower that no one has ever climbed, with the unkillable boss? Well, they killed the boss, but still couldn’t get to the top of the tower, so it’s time to try again, which means lots of fire weapons, lots of ice cloaks, and plenty of cool magical doodads. Elsewhere, she’s busy making Schwartz and Weiss from Ascendance of a Bookworm, and also discovering the soul of her mysterious older sister has also now leveled up. (Yeah, I know. More on that later.) Oh yes, and in the middle of one of their difficult quests for materials Gondor calls for aid, as those elves that said they’d solve their own problems suddenly have a Hellmouth. Well, the spirits coming out aren’t really evil, so it’s more of a Heckmouth.

There is a hint of theoretical future conflict, as we get a scene with a bad guy very upset that their plan to poison the elves’ tree has been undone for some mysterious reason, and they now vow to use their final last resort but of evil. That said, I laughed my ass off when Daisy just ran up the side of the tree, poured potion all over it, then grabbed an evil worm and threw it to the ground. And then multiple Gods showed up to thank her. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a messiah. As for the older sister, I had to go way back to the start of this series. I remember thinking the voice wishing Daisy farewell was the previous “soul” in that body, going to the afterlife. It turned out to be a spirit basically making sure she had the skills to be a title character. And now she’s back, and has also leveled up, because everyone who hangs around Daisy gets ludicrously strong, except maybe for the kid who still struggles with math. But at least he has a childhood friend waiting back home.

I do enjoy this series quite a bit, and there’s only two more volumes to go so it won’t wear out its welcome. But man, it’s OP as hell.

The Isle of Paramounts: Reborn into a Slow Life Among the Strongest in the World, Vol. 5

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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.

There have been a lot of amnesia plots over the years, and one of the more popular has always been “what if a bad person gets amnesia and ends up being really good?”. Now, the person affected here is not exactly a villain per se, but the previous few books have certainly featured her as a sort of mentor from hell, and all the magical folks seem to have a twitchy reaction when her name is brought up. As such, the most interesting part of this book is not the reaction of everyone else to the amnesia, but the reaction of the amnesiac to everyone else. Because it also hits on another popular plot line for amnesia stories, which is the person not really wanting to get their memories back. For the moment, they have their wish, but I’m not sure that will fly in the long run. Especially when Mina tells us who they actually are.

After the events of the last book, it’s not much of a surprise when Arata goes down to the shore and finds a woman there on the beach. Unfortunately, she’s forgotten who she was, and takes on the name Nanashi briefly. But that’s OK,everyone ELSE knows who she is – Edinburgh Emil Edelheid, the most powerful magician in the world. The trouble is that while Reina and the others have many stories of what she was like as a teacher – terrifying – all Arata can see is this nice woman who enjoys playing with his daughter. After a while they gather the other Celestial Mages and the Hero’s Party, and everyone arrives at Arata and Reina’s place – leading her to realize that they need more houses. Meanwhile, remember the gorgeous ogre girl from the last book? Well, her brother now knows who she’s in love with, and he’s reacting like the way a teenage overprotective brother would. Is a big fight really the best way to resolve all this?

I mean, given this cast, yes, it pretty much is, but it also requires Sakuya to confess, which she does almost by accident. I do actually wonder if we’re ever going to leave the Isle again – the cast members that we were flashing over to the mainland to see are now all basically here. Sakuya’s won the heart of her man. Arata and Reina are still not having sex, but everyone treats them as if they are. Tailtiu has made it very clear Arata is not going to have only one wife. And the hero’s party are a polycule, they just don’t know it yet. They even buy a house – well, build a house. There are still a few things left to resolve on the island, notably the High Elves, who show Arata a horrible island-killing problem and then tell him “we’re dealing with it, go away”, but for the most part… why not just get married and live happily ever after?

Because there are five more books to go, that’s why. Still, this remains a solid “OP guy constantly insists he’s normal” series.

Her Royal Highness Seems to Be Angry, Vol. 4

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By Kou Yatsuhashi and Mito Nagashiro. Released in Japan as “Ojou Denka wa Ookari no You desu” by Overlap Bunko. Released in North America by Tokyopop. Translated by Katie Kimura.

After three volumes of sort of faffing around, even though we have had several cool sorcery battles, this volume pulls out all the stops. Black clouds, Drossel’s past, the mystery of Alec, Leticiel’s own past.. by the end of this book it’s clear we are setting up for a new stage of the series. A stage that may not involve school anymore, as by the end of this book Leticiel is not really a noble anymore. Still, she has options, which is more than I can say for the rest of her family. There’s also a lot of discussion of “yes, nobles have more privilege, but in return they have more responsibilities” that we see in a lot of books that want to say “yes, evil nobles are everywhere, but our heroes are the GOOD nobles”, thus allowing everyone to live in mansions but still be lovable. It wold be nice if that were the case in real life, but alas, this is why fiction exists.

The first third of the book is basically research, as Leticiel and Zeke try to look into the past to find answers. Leticiel does find a bit more about alchemy, and how it differs from magic, and also even more hints that the reason she can’t find anything is that it’s been very covered up. Unfortunately, at that point, word gets out of a rebellion back in her domain… which turns out to be because her older brother is being an evil piece of shit. Pausing only to verify that this rebellion has not killed off her loyal maid, who went home to attend to her ailing mother, Leticiel then ends up joining the rebel forces, much to the surprise of the rebels, who are not used to good nobles. Unfortunately, also joining the party are her older sister and her massive, suicidal guilt complex, and her younger twin sister, who has kind of snapped.

I was very amused at the resolution of the raging sibling hatred that Christa has had for Leticiel since the start of the book. After being allowed to stab her sister in the gut, once, as a treat, she seems to magically realize that it’s just a normal “I’m jealous of my twin because she’s better at everything” sort of hate, and she just accepts that. It’s certainly more easily wrapped up than every other plotline. Leticiel now has Drossel’s memories again, and we now have a basic idea of what happened in the past, but that doesn’t make things any easier, especially with the revelation of who Alec is (and the hint, especially to the reader, that Alec is not as dead as everyone seems to think). The royal family has its own agenda, of course. There’s mysterious monks, going around healing people but in a creepy sort of way. Oh yes, and Leticiel is rather startled to find she’s worshiped as a Saint… or rather, someone is using her past self to create a Saint. This was a terrific volume but doesn’t wrap up much of anything except her family’s noble title, which is toast.

The series is complete at nine books in Japan, which is ominous given the questionable fortune of the company putting it out in English. Still, if a 5th book comes onto the horizon, I’ll be reading it like a shot.

Haibara’s Teenage New Game+, Vol. 10

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By Kazuki Amamiya and Gin. Released in Japan as “Haibara-kun no Tsuyokute Seishun New Game” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Esther Sun.

First of all, go back and read the last half of my review of Book 9, and then come back here and point and laugh at me. I haven’t been THAT wrong in a while. Secondly, it’s worth noting that while this is a high school romcom taking place in modern-day Japan, it is in many ways a typical “Cheat Skill” book. After all, our hero is looping back in time, just as several other heroes and heroines do. And he has a cheat skill – his memories of the first time he did this, what he did wrong, and the maturity of a 28-year-old that allows him to fix it. This has led to a confident, popular young man, who has the girl of his dreams (quiet, you), some very good friends, and a band he loves playing in. He’s all set for a career in engineering. It’s just, well, he is technically cheating. And you know what happens to cheaters. Eventually, it all comes crashing down.

As with the previous volume, we go back and forth between the world Natsuki went back in time to, and the adult world where he didn’t. In that adult world, things are going very well. And and Miori date, lose their virginity to each other, he proposes, and they marry. Hikari, who he hasn’t seen since high school, even comes to the ceremony, and he apologizes to her for his high school awfulness. In the high school world, everything’s great. He and Hikari get closer, getting to third base. Everyone goes to a festival and watches the fireworks. Hikari’s novel wins an award. And they’re planning for the trip to Okinawa. Only… Natsuki’s been having these dreams of the future. A future with him and Miori. And when Hikari asks to go all the way with him, and his mind is still filled with alternate futures… things get very bad very fast.

Despite my words from the last review, I was pretty sure, given the “main” series ends in Book 11 and we get a short stories epilogue, that we’d see a breakup arc here. After all, things have just been going too well for Natsuki, due in large part to the above cheating. That said, I’m pretty sure the God talking to him in his mind at the end is more a guilty conscience than a God. I did appreciate how Hikari actually proved to be a damn good detective, and has been slowly accumulating evidence to figure out that Natsuki is from the future. It’s well-reasoned. Unfortunately, emotionally she’s a wreck, and I don’t blame for for breaking it off as she can no longer trust him. And while I appreciate Miori being there to pick up Natsuki’s shattered remains, I also thought “oh my God, your timing is AWFUL”. I bet Hikari saw them.

So, while I do think this will work out eventually, and no I don’t mean going back to the original timeline, let’s all prepare for the worst class trip ever. Start Over Yes/No?

Zero Damage Sword Saint: I Enrolled in a Magic School and Wound Up in a Contract with the Demon Queen, Vol. 5

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By Isle Osaki and kodamazon. Released in Japan as “Kougekiryoku Zero kara Hajimeru Kenseitan: Osananajimi no Oujo ni Suterare Mahou Gakuen ni Nyuugakushitara, Maou to Keiyakusuru Koto ni Natta ” by Overlap Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Stephanie Liu.

When you are a country that prides itself on being the best of the best, and you see a different country doing something amazing that no one has ever done before, it is only natural that you want to replicate that success. If they can do it, we can do it too! Unfortunately for everyone else in this series, there is only one Eugene, and he’s the main character who drives all the amazing stuff. As such, this book is neatly divided into halves, both of which are essentially “can we borrow your Eugene?”, but go in very different ways. As for Eugene, it’s all the same to him. For all that he gives off the impression of mild, boring light novel guy (who gets laid a lot more than most LN guys), what he really wants is a good fight, and his girlfriends are realizing that stopping him is much harder than you’d expect.

So yes, the first half of the book takes us to Sara’s home country, full of saints and religious fundamentalists. They’re there to take out their country’s own gothic horror, the Shadowbird Raum. Unfortunately, Erinyes reveals that the bird has a bit of a curse – once slain, the one who killed it dies… along with everyone they ever knew personally. As such, they’re going to PRETEND to set out to kill it, but not really do it. Unfortunately, they run into a disciple of the Demon Queen with other ideas. Then they travel to the Blue Sea Union, which is trying to kill off its killer mermaids, but they’re proving a lot stronger and more lethal than expected. Fortunately, something comes along and does it for them! Unfortunately, they then have to fight the something, who is worse. Much worse.

I made the plot sound dramatic, but rest assured, this *is* still Zero Damage Sword Saint, so there’s a lot of harem antics as well. I will smack the me who wrote a review of the last book, where I said that Airi was clearly too childish right now to get it on with Eugene. Spoiler, it only took one more book. Erinyes, Sara, and Sumire also get some in this book, though as always we get a fade-out before any actual sexy things happen. And there’s other potential girlfriends as well, though I’m not sure if Lily’s boring-as-hell-tsundere character is really needed here, even if the author does like her. Heck, Claude also has his own harem going – in addition to his two rivals/girlfriends (I did enjoy Claude noting that, for all Sara and Sumire are always fighting, they’re clearly best friends, unlike his girls), and a not-yet-fallen angel, he’s also engaged to a Princess, and my guess is she gets preference. Basically, everyone’s getting some in this series.

Speaking of princesses, there’s a surprise transfer student at the end of this volume. Well, not that much of a surprise. In any case, if you like harem fighting books, this remains a very good example.

The Bladesmith’s Enchanted Weapons, Vol. 6

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By Kazuma Ogiwara and CARIMARICA. Released in Japan as “Isekai Toushou no Maken Seisaku Gurashi” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Ryan Burris.

I mentioned online that this is one of the most testosterone-laden series I’ve ever read, and that remains true in this book. A lot of everything driving the plot here can be summed up as “a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do”. Lutz and Claudia are still very in love and very sexually active, and Claudia, while she is also brilliant and gets other things to do, remains very defined by her voluptuous body. We get more katanas given out here, and one of the men who receives them is basically “MANLY: THE KNIGHT”. Unfortunately, another man who received a katana is driven by an all-consuming guilt, and it’s that that drives the second half of the book, where we gets more battles, some nasty horror, and another thing that has to be taken care of or it could mean the end of the kingdom. And yes, Lutz has to be involved in all this, much to Claudia’s chagrin. Because, well, a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.

Gerhard has a new assignment for Lutz and his “disciples” – forge thirty katanas for the King to give out. Now, Lutz only has to do three of them, but the three have to be able to have a four-jewel enchantment, which is very difficult. Lutz finds that he is at the point where unless he interviews the recipients in advance, he simply CAN”T make the katanas work. So he goes to the capital and meets the three recipients – one is normal and a minor character, one is GAR as I mentioned above, and one is tortured and emo as I also mentioned above. Lutz is particularly worried about the last captain, who asks for a katana that can be taken up by the person who kills him. Lutz sensibly instead gives him a katana to protect against ambushes. Unfortunately, the plot will not be denied…

While I will admit the series is full of manly men being manly, I will praise it for not neglecting the women. The third princess shows up again, and while she acts childish and spoiled in front of Claudia (because she can), everyone else is worried that she now has what amounts to a private army loyal only to her, which could potentially attempt a coup. We also meet Leonard’s sister Karen (Leonard is the guilt-ridden knight), who is very sensible and wants nothing more than to be rid of all the trappings of the kingdom that led to everything her brother has gone through, but who is also in a testosterone-laden book, so when she gets mad at Leonard’s knight for whining too much she reaches out and squeezes his balls while saying he’s a loser. I like her.

Unfortunately for everyone reading this, it’s a two-parter, so we’ll have to wait to see what happens. Fortunately, 7 is out in January. Recommended for all, even those not fond of manly men. It’s a really compelling series.

I Was Reborn as a Refugee Girl, So I’m Working Toward Citizenship from Scratch, Vol. 1

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By Torisuke and nyanya. Released in Japan as “Tensei Nanmin Shoujo wa Shiminken o 0 kara Mezashite Hatarakimasu!” by TO Books Novel. Released in North America by Hanashi Media. Translated by Bianca Darcy.

It’s always amusing when you spend most of a book thinking that the plot and characters are going in a direction you very much did not expect, only to get to the author’s afterword and have them lay out exactly why this is the case. When I was reading this book, I could not help but think that it was a lot… fluffier than I was expecting from the premise. The main character spent most of the book worried about how she’ll be treated, but she ended up almost entirely fine. Then I read the afterword, and it turns out the webnovel version of this was much darker, with people treating her like crap, mugging her, etc. And the author took one look at that and thought “isn’t this a bit mean?”. And so we end up with what we have here, which is very much a slow life book about an earnest 11-year-old being hardworking and everyone around her – with one exception – looking at her and thinking “how cute!”.

Lil wakes up one day with memories of her old life in Japan, where she was a boring office worker. Now she’s an 11-year-old refugee girl living outside the city with abusive parents. Previously apathetic to it all, her new memories show her that there’s a much better life than this, and she sets out to try to better herself, first by fetching water from the river, killing rats that eat the stored food, fishing… then finally she’s allowed to go into town and join an adventurer’s guild! She’s just an F-rank, so goes on quests like “collect garbage” and “clean the guild rooms” while also learning how to read and write, because it turns out the only thing in this world that is not a stock light novel cliche is that the language isn’t Japanese. Her goal is to leave the city and become an adventurer!… but let’s start with “baker’s helper”.

So yeah, this is so optimistic and shiny it’s almost too bright to look at. Lil’s parents are scum, and it’s implied they’ll eventually be expelled from the refugee camp, but as she works her little butt off to help the others, everyone’s heart grows three sizes and they accept that the daughter is different. In the town, she’s constantly assuming she’ll be subject to prejudice and abuse, and that just… doesn’t happen, mostly as she uses polite language and is a really hard worker. The memories of her past life mostly come into play to let her do math fast, putting her a cut above other girls her age and allowing her to end up at a job where she has to calculate change. It’s just very, very NICE. I enjoyed that. It’s also a bit dull, frankly. I do hope the entire series isn’t this nice.

Will she leave the town and go dungeon crawling? Will she learn the magic that she’s said to have? Will she be cute and industrious? One of those things is guaranteed.

The Devil Princess, Vol. 5

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By Harunohi Biyori and Geso Umiu. Released in Japan as “Akuma Koujo” by K Lanove Books. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Julie Goniwich. Adapted by Emlyn Dornemann.

I had some worries when I began this 5th book that it would be difficult. After all, we’ve basically abandoned the world of the first four books to go back to Japan (albeit a Japan with a lot more magical-powered shamen and spiritualists than I suspect are really around). And this does start a bit slowly as we get used to the new background. That said, not THAT much has changed. Yulucia may be Yuzu now, but she’s a spoiled rich kid here just like she was back home, she’s beloved by all despite being pretty creepy just like she was back home, and the entire climax of the book is her snapping and just going full horror movie, just as in previous volumes. Rest assured, this is still the Devil Princess you know. We even get her servants popping in and being hilarious and disturbing again. Honestly, “hilarious and disturbing” is a good summary of the series as a whole.

This series began with a young teenager with health problems dying and being reincarnated as a demon, then being reborn as Yulucia, the Devil Princess we all know and love. Now, after the events of the 4th book, she’s back in Japan, and back to her old life – a decade before she died. She’s still sickly, but for some reason that only the readers really know, has become terrifyingly beautiful for a little girl. There’s also other oddities. People keep trying to kidnap her, and it’s not *just* because she’s from a rich family (though some of it is that). People keep going crazy around her and trying to murder her. And for some reason when she comes across obviously bad people, with hearts as black as coal, she cannot help but think how incredibly TASTY they look.

As with previous books, Yuzu manages to be thoroughly evil without actually doing many bad things… except to those who deserve it. The climax, not to spoil too much, is basically a yakuza massacre, and there are several pieces of excellent art in this showing her as basically Your Worst Nightmare(tm). But she also makes friends with other children, loves her family, and helps her best friend and potential marriage partner lose weight so he becomes a bit more bishonen. It’s just that because the narrative is presented through her “I don’t really care that much” narration, it can be hard to pick up on. There’s also plenty of humor here – special points to the otome game heroine who shows up a decade early as well, tries to warp the narrative, and immediately gets arrested for her troubles. I wonder if we’ll see her again.

This “arc” finishes in Book 6, so don’t go thinking that we’re back for good. The author says all our questions will be answered, but I don’t have too many. As long as I can see a little girl gleefully murdering bad guys and eating their souls like jelly donuts, I am content.

Genius in the Library: This Bookish Rookie Will Save the Day!, Vol. 1

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By Misa Aoi and Yoh Hihara. Released in Japan as “Toshokan no Tensai Shoujo ~Honzuki no Shinjin Kanri wa Boudai na Chishiki de Kuni o Sukuimasu!~” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Dawson Chen.

I’ve written several times about “sometimes you want McDonald’s”. This is not quite that. This is going to a place that you heard was pretty high-end, that served elite, expensive food. The sort of restaurant you’d dress up for. And it does look just like that. Nice ambiance, fancy waiters, impeccable service. And then you get your meal, and it’s… chicken fingers and fries. Now, don’t get me wrong. These are some of the best chicken fingers you’ve ever had, just the right amount of crispiness. And the fries are not only perfectly done, but just the style you prefer. You couldn’t ask for a tastier meal. But come on. You were expecting fancy French food in a wine sauce, eight courses, food for the elite. And you get freaking CHICKEN FINGERS? That’s sort of what reading Genius in the Library was like for me. It has Chicken Fingers at its center, and their name is Martina.

Martina is delighted. She’s passed the civil service exam, and is going to be one of the rare commoners who is allowed to work for the Crown. She is incredibly happy as this gives her access to MORE BOOKS. You see, Martina is a voracious reader, and has already read every single book in the commoner’s library, now she will be able to get to the Royal Library. And things go well, mostly! Her co-workers are mostly nice, except for That One Guy. She gets to be in the library whenever she’s not at work. And they don’t really find her photographic, perfect memory weird at all! Well, OK, yes they do, but in a good way. And frankly, it’s very good for the kingdom that Martina is there, as the monsters, which had been quieter recently, have been getting worse. A dark miasma is spewing them out. They may need to…

Well, that’s a spoiler, but one I was quite amused to see. It’s nice to come to this kind of book from the preparatory side. I really liked this book. The cast are nice, the pacing is good, and… well, OK, let’s talk Martina. I don’t like using a word that rhymes with Barry Blue, but yeah, Martina is pretty much perfect here. She’s not overly shy like, say, Monica Everett, she’s nice to everyone, her book learning translates perfectly to applied learning, she’s a natural born leader, even if she doesn’t realize it, and she rapidly has at least three guys (and one girl?) who seem into her. Hell, even the prejudiced guy who sneers at her does a 180 so fast in the middle of the book your head will spin. This plot is driven by one thing alone, to make Monica the greatest thing since sliced bread. If you hate that sort of thing, you’ll want to read another book. If you don’t mind it as long as it’s well written, enjoy your chicken fingers.

The book ends on a cliffhanger that I’m very interested to read. I presume we will not be changing main characters in Book 2, but you never know. For fans of Bookworms without any real flaws.