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Reviews

Altina the Sword Princess, Vol. 2

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By Yukiya Murasaki and himesuz. Released in Japan as “Haken no Kouki Altina” by Famitsu Bunko. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Roy Nukia.

This very much feels like the 2nd part of a two-parter, and in fact I think a re-release of the series in Japan saw these two grouped as a single novel. It picks up right where the first one left off, and sometimes that can be a problem, as Altina still has a broken arm, which makes swordfighting difficult. Unfortunately, the plot is not going to wait for her to recover. There are barbarians at the gate – literally – and Regis has to come up with a plan to solve that. The Empire has sent a couple of evil inspectors to see how things are going/sabotage Regis and Altina. What’s more, they’ve been given an impossible order, to attack one of the best defended forts in the area and emerge victorious. In other words, they’re being sent off to die. Of course, there’s an easy way to get around that. They just have to win against the impregnable fortress. Easy-peasy.

Again, the series succeeds best due to its two very likeable leads. Altina is a young, impetuous princess who nevertheless has a really good head on her shoulders, does not believe in needless killing, and knows exactly what she’s fighting for. Her speech to the soldiers as they’re about to storm the fort is fantastic, and reminds you how important the right motivation can be. As for Regis, he remains very clever and very self-deprecating – it takes moving mountains to get this man to admit that he was responsible for something good happening. He also has his amusing flaw, which is his love of books, and that leads to some excellent banter between him and Altina. They’re clearly intended to be a couple in then future, but the author has quite rightly decided not to rush things, which is fine.

There is an attempted rape in this book, from one of the evil inspectors, I will warn people. I do wish that this was not a common “show they’re evil by having them do this” plot. In addition, at the end one of the maids tries to force herself on the suddenly popular and single Regis, and that’s just as bad. Other than that, however, the book is relatively free of all the fanservice-laden exploits you might see in, oh, one of the author’s other licensed series. We also meet Eric, a young soldier who is devastatingly handsome, devastatingly earnest, and who I suspect I should be using gender-neutral pronouns in describing them, as they seem to be hiding a secret (which would be less obvious if the author hadn’t gone “did you spot that? Hmm? Hmm?” in the afterword). He makes a nice change from the rest of the soldiers, who are more like the grumpy Jerome, who seems to get constantly angry at whatever Altina and Regis do but then does it anyway.

Next time Altina will be headed back home to meet the family, and I suspect political intrigue will follow. Till then, enjoy this nice, breezy read.

Strike the Blood, Vol. 14

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By Gakuto Mikumo and Manyako. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Jeremiah Bourque.

This is definitely a stronger volume than the previous one. It starts off by slowly removing all of Kojou’s allies, which gives a nice feeling of impending doom. Asagi is supposedly helping with the rebuilding the island needs by being… a pop idol, but anyone who’s met Asagi knows this is fake. In reality, she’s being held hostage. So is Motoki, who is recovering from his grievous wounds from last time, and thus can’t put up much of a fight when he’s used in a corporate struggle. And even Yukina ends up being a liability when, due to the various events that have been happening since the start and her own superweapon, she’s now turning into a faux-Angel, just like Kanon was. Fortunately, Kojou still has his own typical battle plan, which is use his Beast Vassals, see them fail, get nearly killed, and drink someone’s blood to power up. So far it’s been a sound strategy. Of course, there’s a little catch here.

The subtitle for this volume is Golden Days, which is how Yukina views her time here with Kojou. Leaving aside her romantic feelings for him, this is the closest thing she’s ever had to a normal life, something that Sayaka and Yukina’s mentor Yukari both point out. Yukina’s past has been shown to us on occasion in bits, and we certainly have no doubt that this is true. As such, despite his good intentions, when Kojou readily accepts that, in order not to be turned into a faux-Angel, she’ll never be able to see or help him again, she is very quick to reject this. It’s a lot of good, solid scenes. As for the solution to the problem… well, it’s sort of a macguffin, really, but I suppose we could do worse. While “fiancee” may be a bit much (mostly as it would require Kojou to admit to actually having romantic feelings for a girl without another one beating him up), certainly they’re much closer after this, and Yukina can stick around.

There were a few things I wasn’t as thrilled with. As ever, Strike the Blood’s attempts at humor are terrible, and the whole “this isn’t really a pregnancy test but” joke, even with it signposted a mile away, still made me roll my eyes. Asagi’s skills are shown off here, but – as she herself is quick to point out – all she did was sit around for two weeks. I like books that are more Asagi-heavy. And of course, despite having stronger scenes in general, the overall plot of this book is remarkably similar to about five or six others in this series – I’ve joked before about it being written by an AI, and the joke still holds up. It is designed to be made into an anime. I like the characters, but, except for Yukina a bit here, they simply don’t have the depth to elevate this series above “satisfactory”.

Still, satisfactory is not bad, and this book should please those who enjoy Strike the Blood, particularly Yukina fans, which I’m sure there must be one or two of. Next time we get the “end of Part One” of the series, but I’ll believe it when I see it, to be honest.

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, Vol. 5

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By Rifuin Na Magonote and Shirotaka. Released in Japan as “Mushoku Tensei – Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu” by MF Books. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Paul Cuneo. Adapted by JY Yang.

I was pleased to see that almost all of the things I brought up as negatives in the last review were improved here. Yes, OK, there are several scenes of Rudeus getting distracted while fighting as he literally cannot stop staring at large breasts, but compared to prior volumes, this is on the light side of him perving out. Eris gets a great deal more to do, and the scenes with her and Cliff on her goblin hunt were probably the funniest in the book. It’s also made clearer, in case it wasn’t already, that she is over the moon in love with Rudy. She also plays a part in the main plot point of this book – indeed, the entire book seems a letdown compared to these scenes – where Rudeus is finally reunited with his father and younger sister. Sadly, due to misconceptions on both sides, it’s not exactly a happy meeting. In fact, things go south far more rapidly than anyone could have guessed.

The biggest point of interest in the series is, of course, the dissonance between Rudeus’s adult reincarnated otaku brain and his physical (and, let’s face it, emotional) child self. Here, after getting caught beating up kidnappers who turn out to be his father’s group rescuing slaves, we get the biggest contrast yet, as he tries to impress his father with everything that he’s been through to reassure him that he’s fine, but is confronted with a very real question: why does he not know what’s going on with the entire kingdom being teleported and displaced? I mean, Eris knows – she’s been keeping silent as she assumes Rudy is keeping silent for her sake. And everyone else in the world knows. But Rudy, by various plot coincidences, has never seen ANY of the messages his father left at various guilds. The result of all this? A huge father-son fight.

Paul is handled well here – he’s at his wit’s end trying to save people, getting drunk and depressed as most of his family is gone, and suddenly here’s his son back, being smug, and accusing him of sleeping with women when he hasn’t actually done it. You can see why he snapped. At the same time, Geese is absolutely correct in reminding him that Rudy is a child (has he turned 12 by now?) and the mere fact that he survived at all is stunning. Rudy’s genius makes people expect things of him that he is not functionally equipped to handle at times. As we see in the best scene in the book, when Rudy, post-fight, simply lies dazed in his room at the inn Eris tries to comfort him in a really awkward yet sweet way. Fortunately, things are mostly resolved, with father and son making up. That said, the younger sister will take longer – her seeing Rudy punch her dad’s lights out means she is not forgiving him ever ever ever. Eris hates Paul too. Fun times!

So yes, a stronger volume in the series. I also liked seeing another of Rudy’s relatives here, and hope we see more of her. The side story about the princess and her retainers (including the mysterious Finn) was also excellent. I could hope for less horndog antics, but I know that’s vain. Just sit back and enjoy it.

Given, Vol. 1

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Given Volume 1 by Natsuki Kizu

Even before I read this manga, I remember scrolling past something on twitter and seeing the cover. Who is the mildly cranky guitarist? What’s up with the diffident dude with the red guitar? Has there been yaoi manga translated here featuring a rock band since Gravitation? I have no idea, but I was more than ready to check out this series.

Uneoyama is a cranky high school student and guitar player who is quite irked to see another boy passed out holding a guitar in his favorite sleeping spot. Uneoyama is perturbed that the guy is clutching a Gibson with rusted out strings, but the mysterious boy says “Can this be fixed?” with a look of desperation on his face. Uneoyama quickly tunes the guitar, strums a cord, and is promptly asked for guitar lessons. Uneoyama isn’t sure how to teach an absolute novice the guitar, but his newfound companion tags along to band practice and introduces himself as Mafuyu Sato. Mafuyu meets bassist Haruki and drummer Kaji, and continues to be relentless about asking Uneoyama for guitar lessons.

Given

Throughout most of this first volume, Mafuyu is presented as an innocent enigma, but as Uneo gets to know him he begins to discover that Mafuyu’s emotional attachment to the Gibson he can’t play is rooted in a tragic event from his past. Uneoyama’s jaded attitude towards music is gradually changed by Mafuyu’s enthusiasm and he begins to think about his mysterious new friend more and more. Given perfectly executes the “I’m mad at you because you are so pretty” trope that is so enjoyable when done well. The scenes of the band playing music are dynamic, and Uneoyama’s growing feelings are built up in a subtle way even though he’s not yet ready to be honest with himself. Haruki and Kaji also have some cute scenes together, and as older band members spend a bit of time being amused at Uneoyama actually feeling off-kilter due to the fact that he is finally emotionally invested in something. Kizu’s character designs are all distinct and stylish, and I enjoyed the bonus illustrations of all the major characters that showed sketches of facial expressions as well as vital statistics. This was an extremely promising first volume, and I’m expecting this series will continue to entertain with a winning combination of slow burn romance and music.

Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 22

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By Mizuho Kusanagi. Released in Japan as “Akatsuki no Yona” by Hakusensha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Hana to Yume. Released in North America by Viz Media. Translated by JN Productions, Adapted by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane.

Last time I asked when Yona was going to finally realize her romantic feelings for Hak, and I guess the answer is “not that long after”, as she admits it to Riri, if not to Hak. The two have a heart to heart, and Riri, of course, wants Yona to immediately confess. Yona, though, is now aware of her feelings but has to contextualize them with the rest of her life with Hak – she can’t simply flip into “oh, I love him” right away. Especially as we’re still not quite sure how she feels about Su-Won. Though Hak seems to think he knows how she feels, and proves it by spending most of a chapter trying to retrieve the hairpin that Su-Won gave Yona. Hak’s self-sacrifice can verge on the ridiculous at times, and it should be clear to the reader that we’re likely a couple of volumes away from a confession. Still, it’s nice to see Yona’s awareness.

While it’s clear to the reader that Yona and Hak are the big romantic pairing in this series, romance is only one facet of this fantasy action series, and the facet begins and ends with those two. This leads to an amazing scene where Su-Won goes to visit a recovering Riri, and sparks absolutely do not fly. In fact, he begs her to treat him normally, as it’s just too uncomfortable having Riri using polite language to him. (Given how often Su-Won goes undercover, this must happen quite a lot.) Others may see her as a potential bride for the King (witness the amazing sword dance that goes on as Riri gets a quick makeup job) but Riri likes Yona… erm, pardon me, older men like Geun-Tae, and Su-Won does not seem to grasp the concept of love and romance, something he freely admits. Which is possibly why he gave Yona that remarkable hairpin before murdering her father.

We finish up one plot and begin another in this book, which means we get nice comedy moments in between arcs, as always (no, Jaeha’s foot does not grow huge like Gija’s hand) before the Happy Hungry Bunch are called to Xing, another kingdom that is about to go to war with Kohka. The kingdom is divided between the two princesses, and Yona and company meet the younger one, Tao, who is trying to save lives by having her country surrender. Needless to say, this makes her a target for those who disagree. Tao looks like a classic “I appear to be an adorable pushover, but am actually very clever” sorts, and I took to her right away – especially when she noticed Yona’s discomfort around the guys due to the sudden incursion of an unusually painful period, and took immediate action. Hopefully she survives the cliffhanger ending, though given she’s with Zeno, who has gotten very good at using his powers now that we know what they are, I think she’ll be OK.

As always, it’s hard to say “this is a must buy and essential shoujo” after every review, but it’s true. An excellent volume.

The World’s Least Interesting Master Swordsman, Vol. 1

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By Rokurou Akashi and Shiso. Released in Japan as “Jimi na Kensei wa Soredemo Saikyou desu” by PASH! Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Noboru Akimoto.

I was very much on the fence about this title when I heard it announced. The idea of a boring but overpowered lead is not new to the world – see One-Punch Man for the most obvious example – but whether the title succeeds or not is very much dependent on the surrounding cast and situations. In this regard Least Interesting Master Swordsman does a fairly good job. The cast is hefty, especially for a first volume, with a kingdom with four noble families, several princesses, several isekai’d heroes, and any number of magic powers and romantic back and forth. Contrasting all of this is our hero, Sansui, who not only has been practicing with his wooden sword for so long that he’s unbeatable but also has been living for so long that he no longer has the desire to eat, drink, or get romantically involved with anyone. All this is fine. The problem is that for the majority of the story, Sansui is also the narrator, and his tone is just as dry and boring as his swordsmanship.

Sansui is, as so many of these stories begin with, a typical Japanese boy accidentally killed by God – his name is sort of the equivalent of Amos for North American countries, and therefore God thought he was old and killed him. As an apology, he’s sent to another world, and offered the choice to get insanely strong, which he happily takes up. Unfortunately, his teacher teaching the sword just has him doing practice swings. And, as he’s immortal, he does them a long time. After five hundred years, he’s got nothing more to learn, and also comes across a baby about to be eaten by wild animals, so heads towards the civilization (with baby). Years later, he and his adorable adopted daughter are living with the House of Sepaeda, with him serving as the bodyguard to its spoiled princess Douve, alongside Blois, her bodyguard and attendant, who has a crush on Sansui. They head off to the Magical Academy, and the plot comes with them…

Sometimes this book feels like I’m reading an isekai from the POV of the villain’s party. Sansui is relatively nice, but he’s so monotone it doesn’t come off well, and he will happily kill people if his mistress asks him to. Douve is pretty awful, seemingly doing anything as long as she’s entertained, but fortunately this makes her fun to read rather than annoying. There’s a 2nd cast that’s meant to read as “the normal isekai party”, with a Japanese guy with superpowers (who loses to Sansui over and over, of course) and his harem of princess, foreign princess, and cursed princess. They contrast nicely with Sansui, and when the narrative voice switches to one of them the book comes alive a bit more, not a good sign. As for Sansui, he doesn’t really get aroused anymore after 500 years, and his reaction to Blois can be summed up as “OK, whatever”, but he at least doesn’t reject her.

Again, there’s a lot to like here – the plot is pretty good, and there are some funny lines throughout. It just feels lugubrious when Sansui is narrating everything as if he’s reading his grocery list, and it took me a while to plow though. I’ll read another, but I hope he gets a bit more interesting.

Isekai Rebuilding Project, Vol. 1

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By Yukika Minamino and Kotokan. Released in Japan as “Isekai Saiken Keikaku” by Legend Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Adam Seacord.

This is a title with a lot of things going for it, starting with one of the best pieces of cover art I’ve seen for some time. The premise is also strong. Our hero Eiji is… a man who is happy with his life. He has a good career, a fiancee he loves, etc. But one day he is… NOT killed by a truck. Instead he ends up transported in front of a “goddess” (though it’s made clear that’s how his brain is formatting this) and told he’s being asked to help save worlds that had heroes sent to them before. Unfortunately, those heroes, in introducing modern concepts to an otherwise pre-industrial world, ended up making things worse. Eiji is being asked to fix this, then he can go back to his cool life. He’s well-versed in light novels and isekai… as is the author, clearly. There’s also a well-handled twist at the end. It’s just that I found the actual plot in the middle… a bit boring?

Speaking of that twist, this paragraph will be spoiler-free. Then I’ll put a break line in the review, and then I will discuss the end of the book. In any case, Eiji arrives and is given a partner, a female dragon (she’s his own height and walks on two legs, though) who he names Tiamat, because of course. The two of them end up at a city where the inhabitants are slowly dying from beriberi, aka B1 deficiency, because the previous isekai’d hero loved his white rice and introduced the area to it, forgetting that brown rice is where the vitamins are. So he and Tiamat, through trial and error (he very deliberately has no powers at all) have to find substitute foods with B1 in them. This is not as interesting as it sounds. There’s also a lot of time spent deconstructing isekais, which is fine, and Eiji has a point, but I don’t think that this series is sufficiently different enough for him to be too smug about it.

Break line summary: the twist means I’ll be reading more, but I’m finding that Legend Novels trying to be for older readers means that sometimes the book is also duller.

OK, let’s talk that twist. It’s handled well enough, making the reader guess something is up as the book goes on, but not quite what. It doesn’t really kick in till they tell you WHO the prior hero was. That said… I found Tiamat’s constant spouting of Japanese trivia and media through the book rather irritating, and the fact that she turned out to be who she is didn’t mean that I went back and said “Aaah, so she’s not annoying!”, it just made me say “ah, that explains it”. While I don’t think that’s what we’re getting in the second book (Eiji herre dying – ironically not on Earth but in the isekai world – and asking to try again) , I’d love to see a book from Tiamat’s perspective, which would also get into how she feels about the previous hero. In addition, the way the world is “saved” feels, not to put too fine a point on it, grim and gritty. It’s why Eiji wants to return – it leaves a bad taste in his mouth. But it does in mine as well.

So good idea, great cover, the execution could use some work. Still worth reading for those who enjoy deconstructions or snarky dragon women.

Ao Haru Ride, Vol. 8

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Ao Haru Ride, Volume 8 by Ao Sakisaka

Ao Haru Ride continues to provide a unique shoujo story by combining teen romance against a backdrop of grief. Kou continues to think he can fix the world by taking on the responsibility of being sole friend/psychotherapist/boyfriend to his old classmate Yui, but Futuba may finally be ready to move on.

Ao Haru Ride 8

As the volume opens Futuba tells Kou that she likes him, in full expectation that she’s going to be rejected. She wants to get everything out in the open so she can attempt to move on. Kou’s words are carefully chosen, he says “I can’t go out with you” and Futuba smiles and says “That feels like closure.” Her smiling face interrupts a sequence of panels where Kou’s expressionless face is shadowed, pointing to the facade he’s wearing to hide his feelings. Futuba walks away and when Kou’s phone rings (presumably a call from Yui), he smashes it. While Futuba has vowed to move on, she can’t resist trying to make Kou feel a bit of regret, and she decides that she’ll act more feminine and further distance herself from the tomboy persona that she used to assume. She wonders “Is everyone else pretending to be the person they want to be?” Toma seizes his chance and tells Futuba that he likes her just as she is. She isn’t quite sure how to respond, but Toma tells her that he’ll wait and see what she thinks after she gets a chance to know him.

Futuba accidentally runs into Kou at school and he’s back to his usual harsh comments telling her that her attempts to be more feminine totally don’t work for her. Futuba’s introspection makes her both relatable and endearing, as she comments to her friends, “Spending time thinking about a boy who didn’t pick me…is a waste of my youth!” Kou and Futuba are generally so much better together than they are apart, and the attempts to put distance between them simply don’t work. This is a solid middle volume in this series, and there’s a nice one-shot included as a bonus. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when Kou decides that he’s no longer responsible for fixing the universe.

By the Grace of the Gods, Vol. 1

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By Roy and Ririnra. Released in Japan as “Kami-tachi ni Hirowareta Otoko” by HJ Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Mana Z.

We’re starting to get the second generation of isekai writers here, those who did not start their webnovel after watching El Hazard and playing a lot of RPG games, but rather those who started their webnovel after reading a giant pile of isekai webnovels. By the Grace of the Gods and its author, Roy is definitely a book written by an isekai reader, and the lead character is also a fan of the novels, so dying and meeting gods does not surprise him. In fact, little surprises him. He is reincarnated in another world, a fantasy world, as a young eight-year-old boy. Of course, he also brings along a large amount of magic power. And a large number of ridiculous skills. And this is in addition to his old life in Japan, where, despite being a salaryman, he was a martial arts expert who worked out daily and also has swordsmanship drilled into him by his father. If anything in those last few sentences irritates you, I advise you to stay away. If, on the other hand, it’s fine, you should enjoy this book, as Ryoma ends up in his fantasy world and immediately… hides away from civilization for three years.

Ryoma is the anti-Tanya. The gods love him… in fact, he has blessings from FOUR gods, and makes sure to pray to them. His three years spent living in a cave away from people have allowed him to research slimes, which takes up most of his time, though he still finds time to kill bandits and learn more powerful magic. Fortunately, there’s a timeskip towards the start of the book, and an eleven-year-old Ryoma meets a duke and his party who are in need of some medical aid, which Ryoma is able to provide (he can make medicine too). The duke is nice, and has a family who are also nice, including a girl Ryoma’s own age who is bright and shiny and innocent and the opposite of the soft-spoken, stoic Ryoma. Invited to leave his cave and go with them, Ryoma finally interacts with a fantasy city… which is good, as his trained slimes are desperately needed to stave off an epidemic.

As you may have gathered, this book is ridiculous, but one thing I haven’t mentioned yet is that it is also a “slow life” book. Things happen at a leisurely pace, there are no action sequences, and there’s no romance as Ryoma and Eliaria are eleven years old (despite Ryoma’s old memories). It just wants to hang around Ryoma and watch him be cool, but he’s cool in a very nerdy scientist sort of way. He has his specialized slimes, and they get to show their stuff. They can clean the hardest grime. They can kill off bandits when ingested. And, in the thrilling climax to the book, they can eat sewage from a filthy cesspit… which also shows there is a potential deadly bacteria there as well. The best part of the book is the relationship Ryoma develops with his found family, who treat him like an orphan with a tragic backstory and love him to death.

Again, this is second generation isekai. It assumes that you’re okay with OP heroes, and that excitement and adventure are about 4th on your list after friendly chats about slimes (which are the first three slots). For those readers, this is a solid choice. I enjoyed it.

Sublime Quick Takes: Liquor and Cigarettes and Fourth Generation Head: Tatsuyuki Oyamato

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I’ve decided in the interest of clearing away some of my to-read manga stacks, I’m going to dedicate the month of February to BL and yaoi manga and do at least one extra post of mini reviews a week. I’m going to do a big giveaway at the end of the month with a selection of what I’ve read (however many manga I can fit into a flat rate priority box). So let’s take a look at some manga from SubLime.

Liquor and Cigarettes by Ranmaru Zariya

Camilo and Theo are childhood best friends who run family businesses across the street from each other in a quasi European setting. Theo sells liquor and Camilo sells cigarettes. Theo’s deep dark secret is that he’s secretly a lightweight who can’t tolerate alcohol. Camillo’s favorite hobby is propping his head in his hands and staring soulfully at Theo. When Camilo asks his lifelong friend to consider dating him, Theo isn’t sure, but he decides to throw himself into a quasi trial relationship while at the same time building up his alcohol tolerance so he can take part in a town wine festival. What follows is a series of booze and angst-filled nights as Theo struggles with his sexuality and Camilo attempts to win him over. The art is well-done and fluid, with distinct character designs. Liquor and Cigarettes is complete in one volume, and would be a good choice for yaoi fans who are wanting something short but explicit to read that also features a decent amount of character development, as both Theo and Camilo puzzle out how to take their relationship forward without the booze.

liquor and cigarettes

Fourth Generation Head: Tatsuyuki Oyamato By Scarlet Beriko

The cover for Fourth Generation Head: Tatsuyuki Oyamato shows a shocking lack of concern for basic gun safety. I can say that the cover certainly signals the content of the manga. Tatsuyuki Oyamato is an heir to a powerful yakuza family. He’s not that invested in his duties in organized crime, as he’s struggling to get over being dumped by a masseur. He ends up wandering around a city half-drunk and gets picked up by Koga Nozomi, a kindergarten teacher who recognizes Tatsuyuki from an incident in their past that Tatsuyuki has no memory of. A local mafia boss named Rogi is determined to make both Tasuyuki and Nozomi miserable, and his daughter attends the kindergarten where Nozomi works. One of the reasons why I tend to be only an occasional yaoi reader is that I don’t care for reading much about non-consensual sex. Rogi decides to hatch an elaborate blackmail scheme that involves sexual torture, and that wasn’t appealing to me as a reader. Trauma in general gets a pass in this manga, and Nozomi’s semi obsessive tendencies towards Tatsuyuki get mention and then glossed over. Beriko’s art is great, and Nozomi is appropriately adorable, but in the end, this was not a manga that inspired enthusiasm for me as a reader. While there is a happy ending of sorts, I do hope that the yakuza have a good mental health provider.

Fourth Generation Head

Otherside Picnic, Vol. 2

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By Iori Miyazawa and shirakaba. Released in Japan as “Urasekai Picnic” by Hayakawa Bunko JA. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Sean McCann.

The second volume starts up with a dangling plot form the first volume, as Sorawo and Toriko go back into the other world to rescue to US Marines who remained trapped there. It makes for a tense chapter, as moving an entire company (which has been growing smaller the longer they stayed there, admittedly) is not that easy in a space like that, especially when they come across the Japanese Urban Legend Monster of the week. After this they end up in Okinawa, and decide to stay and hit the beach… but instead end up back at the other world, beach version, which features more disturbing things and the appearance of the woman who is Toriko’s obsession and is rapidly turning into Sorawo’s nemesis, Satsuki. Both of these chapters are well told, and the characters are fun to read, but I felt they weren’t quite as terrifying as the first book could be.

The third story delves more into the characters, as we meet another student at Sorawo’s university, who has heard rumors that she can help with supernatural issues and is being stalked by ninja cats. Yes, ninja cats, and a good deal of the chapter is spent trying to deal with the seeming silliness of the proposition. The ninja cats do end up posing quite a threat, and there’s another tense sequence, but mostly what this third wheel does is show off how tight-knit Sorawo and Toriko have become, as well as the difference between them – Sorawo is distancing herself from everyone but Toriko – at least in her head – while Toriko sees it as Sorawo having opened up to other a lot more – so much that she doesn’t need Toriko anymore. This miscommunication leads to the fourth and best chapter, where the horror pops back into the pages like it was waiting for you to relax.

The final chapter shows us who Kozakura is getting the money from to pay for Toriko and Sorawo’s other world finds, and also shows us that the other world is a big business… and one that is breaking many other people. From the moment we enter the seemingly empty building that serves as the “lab” where Satsuki worked, everything becomes terrifying, with some of the most evocative descriptions of body horror I’ve read in some time. It’s clear that Toriko’s hand and Sorawo’s eye are relatively minor compared to the issues of other researchers. This reach a fever pitch when Sorawo triggers what might be a trap set by Satsuki… a literal puzzle box that starts to kill the other of them in a nasty and lingering way. Can Sorawo work together with Toriko to stop it? And stop Toriko sounding as if she’s about to run away forever and/or kill herself?

My first review mentioned this was the first license from Hayakawa’s “yuri line” that was multiple volumes, adn I’m even more relieved that there’s at least two more after this, as I’m becoming very invested in the story. The yuri, while still not explicit, is much stronger here, and the horror is a slow burn till the end when it hits a fever pitch. Recommended for fans of both genres.

Invaders of the Rokujouma!?, Vol. 31

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By Takehaya and Poco. Released in Japan as “Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Warnis.

And so I finally finish my Rokujouma catchup. This is also where the upcoming print boxset that was Kickstartered will end, as it had to cut off somewhere, and this is as good a place as any given the series is still coming out in Japan. It’s another one of those “three short stories from the online site and one half-book original” novels, only in this case the half-book overwhelms the short stories even more than usual. The short stories aren’t bad – first there’s a Triathlon our heroes are competing in, and we focus on Clan, who is out of shape, and Yurika, who is in shape but has little motivation. It’s cute, even though they’re also both very pathetic. We then get Harumi and Maki playing board games, which if nothing else shows off how desperately these two nice introverts need someone else to bounce off of. And Shizuka and Ruth have another sentai battle, bringing back Ruth’s beetle phobia, which, let’s face it, no one wanted to bring back.

The half-novel is the first of the “what ifs” the author said he was doing, but it’s framed as also being canon – in the brief interval between when Koutarou and company bring Nalfa back to Room 106 and when she wipes everyone’s memories, the idea of alternate universes comes up. Koutarou was relieved to hear that there are universes where his mother is alive, and Nalfa offers to show him one of those in a dream. (Pointedly, we don’t see that world, possibly as I suspect it would be rather sweet but dull.) The girls all then realize they can look at a world where they won and Koutarou is their boyfriend, and after a jan-ken-pon competition, Harumi is the first to see what that life would be like. She ends up sort of providing color commentary on the dream world, which works because it’s her but I was relieved when the afterword said it would not continue after this.

The “Harumi wins” world is very similar to this one, oddly – it takes place over about the first 8-9 books, and the rest of the cast still arrive and are trying to get control of Room 106. They’re barely in the story, though, as here Koutarou is all about Harumi. Amusingly, it’s because their initial meeting went worse than in canon – when trying to pull away from the dude harassing her, she sprains her wrist and Koutarou has to give first aid. This allows two very hands-off people to touch earlier than usual, and everything springboards from there – Koutarou opens up to her faster, she realizes she’s in love faster, and they confess rapidly. That said, which that world’s Koutarou and Harumi are blissfully happy, OUR Harumi is dissatisfied. A life without the rest of the cast just isn’t the same, even if their real-life romance isn’t resolved. Another reminder that found family story beats sappy romance story.

In Vol. 33 we’ll apparently get Clan’s “what if” story next, but before that it’s back to the ongoing plot. Till then, enjoy this what if that also reminds you that the main plot is best.

Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina, Vol. 1

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By Jougi Shiraishi and Azure. Released in Japan as “Majo no Tabitabi” by GA Novels. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Nicole Wilder.

I suspected going in, judging by the blurb, that this would be less a light novel and more of a short story collection, and I was mostly correct. Elaina is our protagonist, and we do learn bits and pieces about her as the book goes on, but it’s clear the main thrust of the series is “Elaina goes to [X], events happen, Elaina leaves [X]. Which is fine, as some of the stories are quite good. The publisher did a good job not just giving in and calling it “Elaina’s Journey”, because yes, this does remind the reader of a certain motorcycle-riding protagonist we all know. Elaina’s short stories are less concerned with a moral than Kino’s, though – in fact, some of the weaker stories in this book come from when it does seem to try to awkwardly hammer home a “deep down we’re all the same” sort of lesson to be learned. Fortunately, Elaina is not really the sort to take in valuable lessons. She just wants to walk around.

As the title implies, Elaina is a young witch who is wandering around her world, which is one where witches are known and tolerated in most countries, visiting cities, towns and villages to take in what they’re like. As she does this, some of the places she goes are very entertaining and funny; some are rather creepy and horrific; and some are designed to tell us more about Elaina herself – in both flashbacks and the present day – to show us how she got to be a witch and why she’s so dedicated to wandering around and not staying longer than three days (again, does this sound familiar, Kino fans?). The supporting cast is pretty much zero; there is a recurring gag about a muscle-headed brother searching for his sister that pops up a few times, but that’s less for the character development and more for the gag.

Elaina herself is somewhat dry and frosty; at times the book can feel like a tsukkomi wandering the world of bokes. She used to be worse – one of the better stories involves us meeting her teacher when Elaina was an apprentice, and having the arrogance stripped out of her. Now she’s helpful… sometimes despite herself… but still seems removed from events, never getting too emotionally involved. Several stories here do not have happy endings, or end on a sad or scary note; we see Elaina leaving the country on her broom and never looking back. In the final story of the book, where the present-day Elaina meets her old teacher, there are hints that there’s more to Elaina than meets the eye (I’m curious about her mom as well), and I suspect we may find out she’s more important than she makes herself out to be.

As you’d expect given the format, the book is quite variable; some stories hit hard, some miss entirely. And, as I’ve hinted in the review, you do get the sense that the publisher would have been better off just license rescuing Kino’s Journey instead. But Wandering Witch is certainly an interesting journey in the end, and I enjoy Elaina’s matter-of-fact, slightly smug narrative voice. I’ll be looking for more of this.

Shortcake Cake, Vol 7

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Shortcake Cake Volume 7 by suu Morishita

As I was picking up this volume of Shortcake Cake, I started thinking about how genuinely fond of many of the current Shojo Beat titles. It is quite an accomplishment to develop a line of manga that inspires the feeling that you are seeing a friend again when you get a new volume of a series in your hands, but so many of the current Shojo Beat lineup invoke that feeling for me. Shortcake Cake continues to explore the classic romantic tradition of a love triangle (or possibly quadrangle) as Ten now realizes that she has feelings for Riku after she originally rejected him. In a great scene that takes full advantage of the iconic setting of stairs leading up to a shrine, Riku asks Ten if she likes him, and after a few beats of silence and slightly shifting facial expressions, Ten breaks the tension by balling up her fists and punching herself on either side of her face. Riku grabs her wrists to ask what she’s doing, and she blurts out “I like you.” Morishita’s cinematic approach to paneling switches from character to character, incorporating silent reaction shots coupled with blushes and awkward glances that makes this love confession iconic.

shortcake cake 7

One of the things I like about this series is the way it switches easily between emotional scenes and more comedic aspects of teenage life. Ten continues her confession by saying that she hopes she can make Riku like her back, and asks him to give her some time to win his affection. He says he’ll wait, and Ten thinks that she needs to make up for how she made Riku feel in the past. Ten decides that she’s going to actually attempt to be feminine, and what follows is a crash course in skin care and makeup application from Ageha. Ten also attempts to mirror Riku’s body language to deepen their connection in a hilarious scene. While Ten flits around trying out random advice from friends, Riku seems fairly patient and low key, except when he has to deal with an attempt to clear the air from Chiaki. In settings that recall the places where they’ve spoken in the past, Ten and Riku are open with their feelings and embark on an actual relationship.

With the way this series is developing, I’m not expecting the love confessions in this volume to be the last ones, which is a good thing because Morishita executes them so well. It is pretty adorable seeing Ten and Riku together and on the same page, but I’m very curious to see what happens when Rei figures out what is going on. Rei is largely absent from this volume, except for a single vignette after the main story, so I’m expecting him to show up soon. Shortcake Cake presents teen romance with a depth and emotional resonance that sets it apart from many other series. I’m still unsure who Ten is going to end up with, and that continues to keep me intrigued as a reader.

The Rose of Versailles, Vol. 1

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By Riyoko Ikeda. Released in Japan as “Versailles no Bara” by Shueisha, serialized in the magazine Margaret. Released in North America by Udon Entertainment. Translated by Mari Morimoto.

At last, one of the most iconic manga ever has reached the shores of North America. It’s been a long wait since the license was first announced, and I’m sure there are some asking whether it was worth it. I am here to tell you that yes, it was. The volume of Rose of Versailles I am holding in my hands (both hands, it’s quite heavy) is gorgeous, a hardcover with high-quality paper, the first of five omnibus volumes (the “Complete Edition” from Japan). The art is breathtaking – I normally read manga fairly quickly, but it took me days to get through this book, as I kept stopping every panel to look at some fresh new detail. The characters are all compelling and drive the story well, although I admit that I like some of them more than others. The dialogue is also fantastic and will make you go back and reread when you aren’t going back to reread because of the art. It’s just… really amazing, folks.

The story frames itself as being about three people born the same year: Hans Axel von Fersen, a Swedish prince; Oscar Francois de Jarjayes, a noblewoman raised as a man; and Marie Antoinette Josephe Jeanne de Lorraine D’Autriche, better known as just Marie Antoinette, future Queen of France. The first half of the volume is very much about Marie Antoinette in its entirety; Oscar is there, but as a mere supporting player, popping up to snark at the other nobles and then getting back to her job with the Royal Guards. We see Marie as a well-meaning but naive and gullible teenager, thrust into the spotlight far too soon, and later in the book this gets even worse when Louis XV dies and she becomes Queen. Oscar is there at timees to try to guide her towards being more mature, but is not very successful at it, mostly as there are any number of hangers-on who are trying to manipulate a lonely and innocent Queen. And then there’s Fersen, who arrives at court and falls deeply in love with Marie Antoinette.

This is soap opera, of course, but of the best kind – if you’re going to go big and overdramatic, the court of Louis XV and XVI is the place to do it. Marie Antoinette is both sympathetic and frustrating, and you can see how difficult it can be to do the right thing when you have so many people who are standing besides you “giving helpful advice”. There’s also a subplot involving a pair of poor sisters, Jeanne and Rosalie; one manipulates men to move up into nobility, the other ends up attached to Oscar after her mother is killed by a mysterious noblewoman. I was, I admit, less enamored of these two; Rosalie, in particular, can grate. And then there’s the art. Rose of Versailles is most familiar for its iconic shoujo poses, and those do look beautiful and dramatic, but there’s also lots of silliness as well, and much of the humor in the volume comes from over the top comedy reactions to everyone’s antics. (Oscar, in particular, gets some magnificent funny faces.)

I hope I don’t need to tell everyone that this is worth reading immediately. If you were beginning to despair worrying it would never come out, fear not; it’s here, and it’s magnificent. Immerse yourself in it.