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Reviews

The Reincarnator and the Goblin Maiden’s Happily Ever After: Using a Past Life to Keep a Joyful Wife, Vol. 3

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By Shinten-Shinchi and Tokima. Released in Japan as “Goblin Reijō to Tensei Kizoku ga Shiawase ni Naru Made: Konyakusha no Tame no Zense Chishiki no Jōzu na Tsukaikata” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Geirrlon Dunn.

I am noticing that a lot of these light novel romances, particularly in the “J-Novel Heart” line, tend to wrap up in three volumes. It seems like a natural ending point, and I’ve grown very used to seeing the classic “couple in wedding gear” cover on that third book. We don’t get that here, because Gino and Ana are already married (instead you get one of their few moments of downtime in the book), but I am pleased that the author has realized this is the time to stop. Mostly, it needs to stop before it becomes a shonen manga. As Gino reveals more of his true abilities, and Ana learns just how powerful her magic really is, they are forced to go up against the king, and also go to war with another country. The book ends with Ana being named a literal saint. Where does one go from there? Best to wrap it up.

Gino and Ana have been gifted new territory… which just had the most important people leave it. Yup, he’s being set up to fail again, so that they can justify having him divorce Ana and getting her properly married to a prince. This is the danger of curing your wife’s condition and showing off the beauty she always had. Fortunately, they’re both very clever and are able to get the territory running smoothly. And then the king is, supposedly, tragically killed on a coach journey. And the queen and crown prince are, tragically, also supposedly dead. Which means the first prince is now the king. He’s already sent assassins to try to kill Gino, that didn’t work. Now he’s going to send Gino to fight in a pointless war. Does this happy couple ever get to relax?

As with so many other romance novels, the unstated message here is “communicate with your spouse!”. Despite growing increasingly more powerful and confident, the pair are still beset by doubts constantly, and therapy can only do so much. Ana, in particular, has PTSD from Gino dumping her in the last book, and is convinced it will happen again if she ever disobeys him. This despite the fact that she was the top military strategist in their school, and also has enough magic power to reduce a battlefield to molten lava. Fortunately, they both get over it by the end of the book. I also liked the subplot with Lady Francess, which reminds people that, as much fun as it’s been seeing Ana’s mother be the power behind everything in the country, sometimes women want to actually run things. I’m not sure that I buy not executing her with the rest of her family, but hey. I also appreciated, once again, the crown prince becoming a better person through the power of therapy. More therapy in light novels!

All this and references to Sailor Moon, Naruto, Jesus, Buddha, and magical stuffed animal bodyguards that will make readers think of Bookworm. This was a solid series, I’m happy to have read it.

Ascendance of a Bookworm: Hannelore’s Fifth Year at the Royal Academy, Vol. 1

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By Miya Kazuki and You Shiina. Released in Japan as “Honzuki no Gekokujou: Hannelore no Kizokuin Gonensei” by TO Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by quof.

I’ll be honest, I was a bit worried about this title. I have mentioned before that I get very uncomfortable about books where the key feature is “let’s embarrass the main character”, and Hannelore seems to run on that half the time. I was expecting to be cringing a lot. And, well, I wasn’t wrong, to a degree. Especially in the first half, it can be difficult to watch Hannelore attempt to be the waif-ish romantic heroine in a duchy filled with meatheads who only care about fighting. That said, given that we’re getting Hannelore’s POV for an extended period, we get to see a far deeper side of her here, and we discover that she’s not really as far away from the Dunkenfelger default as she pretends to be. We especially see this in the second half of the book, where things go completely bananas and Hannelore shows that it’s not just Rozemyne that can accidentally derail an entire country.

Hannelore shows up for her penultimate year at the academy with a few new complications in her life. After the disaster with the bride-stealing ditter, she has been assigned two fiances from within the Duchy – Rasantark, a typical hot-headed, not-so-bright knight guy, and Kenntrips, a milder, smarter sort. Both grew up with Hannelore and both are in love with her, something that she only finds out as this book goes on. This is to avoid her being snatched away by Sigiswald, who’s an Aub now but still appalling, and still thinks he deserves whatever he wants. Oh yes, and Ortwin, of Drewanchel, *also* proposes to her. The trouble is that none of this surfeit of fiances is who she wants – she’s still carrying a torch for Wilfried. So she decides now is the time to make her feelings clear… and things get weird.

I don’t want to spoil too much about the last half of the book, which comes as a genuine surprise. I will say that it seems to put a nail into the coffin of Hannelore and Wilfried. We see what his future is expected to be, and we also see him trying to convey to Hannelore without actually saying anything that his reputation is actually FAR worse than is publicly known. He indicates that if had been a year earlier he might have said yes… but the Wilfried of a year earlier was far more bratty, immature and impulsive, and that would just be a bigger disaster. The other great thing about this book is Hannelore’s character development, as she’s made to see, over and over again, how her tendency to play all her cards close to her chest and not give away what she’s feeling just makes everyone around her uncomfortable and distrusting, especially after the ditter last year. By the end of the book she’s grown and learned how to lead better… and she’ll need it, as the cliffhanger of the book is (I’m paraphrasing) “My lady, you are fucked.”

The second volume of this sequel (it’s a full sequel, Rozemyne is here but in support – and she’s also clearly the best person to marry Hannelore, except she has Ferdinand and, as far as I can tell, gay people don’t exist in this universe) has just been announced for this August, so it’ll be a year till we see it. I expect the third short story collection will be next. Bookworm fans should love this.

The Tiny Witch from the Deep Woods, Vol. 1

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

This is an excellent book, which tends to wander around genres, but about a third of the way through I reasoned that it’s a disgraced noble book in disguise. Which the first half almost is, but then once she sets off on her journey to another country that has requested her (also very disgraced noble), it suddenly becomes a slow life feel good sort of book. At its heart is Misha, who is the tiny witch on the cover, and her journey from innocent child to grieving, stricken child (it’s not a spoiler, one of the chapter titles is literally “Sudden Tragedy”) and gradually trying to come to terms with that grief and live on. That said, all of that has to war with the insatiable curiosity that permates everything Misha does, which makes her a great apothecary, but like so many other fictional heroines also makes her prone to stumbling on the mystery of the week, which is the genre this eventually settles on.

Misha is a young girl who lives, as the title might suspect, deep in the woods, where she learns medicine from her mother, who is from a people who specialize in medicine. Her father visits every month or so, and they seem happy, till after a couple of months of no visiting it turns out her father was in a war and is on the verge of death… and is also a duke. So her mother takes Misha and rushes to the castle (where, years earlier, her mother had been severely injured by the duke’s wife) to try to save his life. She does this, but, alas, the wife is still around, so you can probably guess what happens. Worst of all, now that Misha is here she’s bound to get involved in… sigh… politics. Fortunately, she’s not only a terrific apothecary but has the ability to charm anyone who spends more than ten seconds around her.

This is a fantasy, sort of. Misha’s mother comes from a people who really, really made me think of elves but are not actually elves. Late in the book there’s also a dragon god, who acts exactly like you’d expect a dragon god to act in a light novel written for women. But it’s also grounded in the reality of Misha’s entire life being upended and her never really being allowed to stand still. She leaves the woods via horse (she’s never been on one before), has to treat all the wounded soldiers (she has very little hands-on experience), and then she’s sent as a student (she avoids concubine when people figure out who her relatives are) to another country, where she comes across attempted murders, attempted sacrifices, and wolf puppies who she heals through the power of goodness and niceness. No, really, it’s hinted that she literally has some sort of magical calm healing powers. The reason this works is that Misha is written terrifically, never getting too cloying, and remembering the grief that she’s still processing all book.

So, to sum up: this is a winner, and you should go get it.

The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten, Vol. 8.5

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By Saekisan and Hanekoto. Released in Japan as “Otonari no Tenshi-sama ni Itsu no Ma ni ka Dame Ningen ni Sareteita Ken” by GA Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Nicole Wilder.

There’s a real difference between a short story volume made up of stories that were given away as free stories to those who bought the volume at a certain store, and short stories that have been specially crafted for a short story volume. This definitely feels like the latter, and the author, in the afterword, says they tried to make it different from the 5.5 volume by shifting the focus away from the two best friends and over to Amane’s parents and Yuuta. But the real focus of the entire volume is on Mahiru, on what she used to be like and how she became the young woman she is today. Which means, at last, we finally get a glimpse of Koyuki, the maid who acted as Mahiru’s de facto parent in the absence of any love from her actual parents. And yes, that means that this book can get quite dark, because any time from before Mahiru met Amane is really depressing.

The wraparound for this is that Amane sees Mahiru writing in her diary, which she says she keeps to save important memories – good and bad – in her life. The stories: Mahiru and Yuuta have a polite but awkward lunch; Mahiru and Amane discuss the value of hard work; Mahiru is a Very Good Girl and asks Koyuki if she can learn how to cook; Amane’s parents discuss what to do about the boy who caused Amane to become the self-loathing young man he is now; Mahiru deals with the aftermath of Amane meeting her father; Mahiru and Amane discuss skin care; Mahiru and Amane buy matching flatware; Amane asks why Mahiri always speaks formally with everyone; We get Mahiru and Amane’s night in bed together from her POV; Amane takes care of Mahiru when she’s having her period; a 10-year-old Mahiru has to deal with the jealousy of other girls.

As you can see, a majority of these stories sound light and fluffy, and they are. The ones set in Mahiru’s past mostly are there to emphasize why she is the way she is, just as the volume where they return to Amane’s hometown does that for him. (His parents are awesome here, and we see how violently protective Shuuto is of his son.) She was a profoundly lonely girl who had tremendous difficulty – still does – opening up to anyone. As a result, she has Amane on a huge pedestal, and we realize the title The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten applies to both of them equally. They’re living together for the most part already, picking out furniture as if they’re married, and while they haven’t gone all the way yet, the lead up to the sexy times indicates that certain bases were achieved.

People read this series for the warm fuzzies, and this book gives them to you in spades. Just be ready for some heart-rending stuff whenever we see Mahiru as a younger girl.

High School DxD: Extracurricular Daywalker

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By Ichiei Ishibumi and Miyama-Zero. Released in Japan by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Haydn Trowell.

Generally speaking, when I write my reviews of this series, they tend to either talk about the sheer depths of boob-obsessed sleaze that Issei possesses, or I talk about how it really hammers the shonen beats in 4-4 time to the point where it’s an ur-example of the genre. That said, we’ve now reached the point where the two are deeply intertwined with each other and cannot be separated. The book opens with a follow up to the silliest story in the previous volume, as Xenovia, Irina and Asia strip naked and force Issei to play the eroge they bought for him. Asia’s familiar requests that it be allowed to eat her school swimsuit before it helps our heroes. And the entire plot revolves around the fact that Issei’s obsession with breasts has allowed the villains to realize they can invade other worlds, because his Breast Goddess clearly was not an angel, fallen angel, demon, or anything else from the DxD universe. Even the dragons are going along with Issei’s perversion now. The boobs are the genre.

This is essentially a continuation from Book 14, as there’s been a coup in vampire society, so now our heroes have to go and rescue Rias and Kiba, who are now essentially under house arrest. As it turns out, the coup is being engineered by the Khaos Brigade (no surprise), but also involves Gaspar’s childhood friend Valerie, who is the new puppet queen and has a grail inside her, meaning she can now hear the voices of the dead. Oh, and one of the strongest dragons is also here as hired muscle. The vampires end up being taken care of fairly quickly, mostly as they’re easily manipulable and don’t know what “deal with the devil” really means. Unfortunately, the devil is Vali’s grandfather, who had been missing for ages, and he’s now back… because he heard about what happened to Issei, and now he wants to run wild in other dimensions.

This is Gaspar’s book, and he gets the big (and somewhat terrifying) power up, but he doesn’t get as much focus as the girls (for some strange reason, coughcough). Gaspar’s birth and upbringing are garden variety abusive for this type of series, as is his rampage of revenge after Valerie suffers a horrible fate (don’t worry, she’s not dead – DxD is not the sort of series that is ready to kill off a girl who is basically Vampire Asia – but she’s comatose). Issei also gets a power up that was fun to see him play around with, but we’re used to that from him. No, the biggest moment of the book for me was the finale, when all the groups team up to go after their new, far greater enemy, and decide they need a team name. Koneko suggests “DxD”, and I could swear you hear triumphant music. It’s a title drop!

Surely next time it’s Irina’s time to shine!… no, sorry, it’s Rossweisse next time. Ah well. For fans of the series only, but this was pretty good.

Secrets of the Silent Witch, Vol. 6

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

So, first of all, a word of warning: this is the first of a two-parter, and the second part has not been scheduled in English yet. Secondly, for those folks who felt that perhaps Monica was getting a bit too relaxed recently, no fear: this volume has her in a state of constant stress and panic for nearly the entire book. From the first volume, the danger has always been that Monica has to keep her identity as the Silent Witch secret, and that any number of things come along to try to break her cover. This volume has attacks on that coming from multiple angles, and having to try to avoid all these people who know who she really is has made her a scared, twitching mess. And, the most important thing, we now have ALL of the Seven Sages in the same book at the same time. And their infighting may be what destroys Monica’s mission once and for all.

The book starts still at New Year’s, after Monica has gotten such a huge response from the crowd she literally passes out standing up. Later, she meets the last, missing witch, who feels like “what if Luffy was a gardener?”, and also confronts Duke Clockford, who she is fairly certain was responsible for her father’s execution but can’t prove it. He, of course, is trying to use her like he does everyone. Then, when she returns to school, she finds two horrible transfer students. Robert Winkel is merely annoying, trying to force Monica to play chess with him and acting like the geekiest geek ever. Far more dangerous is Huberd Dee, an old classmate of Monica’s from the magical academy. He’s been held back twice for essentially being a sadistic lunatic, and his one goal in life is to duel Monica Everett forever in magic battles – and if she’s here as Monica Norton, well, too bad.

This isn’t quite as funny as previous books, though Monica’s reactions can be amusingly over the top in an anxiety disorder sort of way. The highlight there is definitely Robert Winkel, who suddenly has awakened to liking girls and takes his four older brother’s horrible advice – which ranges from “show her how buff you are” to “write her a poem” to “tell her you’ve got a big dick”. Monica, thankfully, doesn’t get his meaning on the last one. As for the actual plot, it’s strong, with the villain turning out to be another witch, and the witches’ position in general is precarious enough that they need to take care of this quietly without it blowing up into a scene, because if it does Monica will be under the thumb of the man who had her father killed forever. And Felix, well, he doesn’t do much, but I suspect that to change when the seventh book comes around.

Unfortunately, the seventh volume is not scheduled yet. Fortunately, there is a spinoff out next month focusing on out favorite annoying witch, Louis. That will help tide us over.

Goodbye, Overtime! This Reincarnated Villainess Is Living for Her New Big Brother, Vol. 4

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By Chidori Hama and Wan Hachipisu. Released in Japan as “Akuyaku Reijō, Brocon ni Job Change Shimasu” by Kadokawa Beans Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Rymane Tsouria.

This book feels very different from the three books that preceded it. Oh, don’t get me wrong, the core of “incest? Or no? I’ll keep you guessing because I hate you” from the author is still in place. However, Alexei is absent from the bulk of this novel, which allows it to not only lean into Ekaterina basically making everyone around her fall for her even harder, but also allows her to lean even harder into her past life, the death, and Japan in general. This world has gods, after all, and they notice she’s different. This also leads to leaning harder on the environmental concerns as well – the deforestation had already hinted at this, but it’s emphasized even more. That said, I’m burying the lede here, which is that there’s a dragon and he’s here to make sure that the reader has someone to root for who isn’t incest boy or a wussy prince. The dragon is cool.

Alexei is VERY busy after the events of the third book, to the point where he can’t make a pilgrimage to the mines to visit his uncle and greet the gods. So Ekaterina volunteers to do it for him. Of course, she has to go with a retinue of knights and attendants, because everyone around her is overprotective. And, well, this book is exhibit A for why they should be overprotective. On the way there, they encounter a monster and Ekaterina learns she does not like to kill monsters (especially if they’re mandrake sugar beets that she immediately assigns personalities and backstories to). She learns the tragic backstory of a local legend, and then runs into said legend herself, who is the bride of death. The gods warn her that the local volcano is going to erupt… sometime. And then she meets the dragon, who is so impressed with her that he proposes.

As always, the best reason to read these books is the main character. The most interesting moment in the book comes right after the dragon proposes (where he also points out the very good reasons to marry him), where her Japan-persona completely breaks down… and the original Ekaterina, who is still a terrified child dealing with her family trauma, comes to the fore. This was the biggest surprise of the book, and I hope it’s picked up on in later books, because I had assumed that Ekaterina’s Japan side basically “won”. The other thing I liked is something I also enjoy in other series with characters like this, which is trying to see how others view her. “Goddess” is thrown around a lot, her genius uncle thinks she’s a genius, and the idea that she might have been abducted by a dragon sends the previously 100% stoic Mina to completely freak out. She’s rapidly become the most valuable asset in the world, and that’s concerning. Though possibly good news for those who worry she’ll just marry her brother.

Which is still in play, but I hope it doesn’t go that way. I’m fine with it kicking the can down the road. Next time we should see the return of the rest of the cast. An excellent volume.

My Fiancé Cheated, But a New Love Rings!, Vol. 1

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By Ehito and Koyukomu. Released in Japan as “Konyakusha no Uwaki Genba wo Michatta no de Hajimari no Kane ga Narimashita” by Mag Garden Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Chris Craigo.

This book was all over the place, frankly. In terms of the pacing and structure – we start where a lot of villainess novels start, but then circle back over and over to pick up the backstory, most of which is shoved into the “side stories” after the bulk of the book. In terms of the characterization – Sophelia and Livionis may be the only two people in the book who are not completely bananas, and that’s only by a matter of degree. And in terms of tone, where we’re shown the wretched and soul-crushing life that Sophitia has had to date, but we also get a love story so utterly cheesy that even the narrator turns into Tearmoon Empire’s narrator halfway through and starts mocking them. Hell, even the horse is sick of them. The horse, by the way, gets a narrative POV for a bit. As I said, this is all over the place. I loved it.

Sophitia von Lotus, the fiancee of the Prince Regent, screams loudly as she comes across her fiance in bed with her younger sister. Except this all appears to be part of a master plan that everyone in the world is in on (except, perhaps, the fiance and the sister) to rescue her from her crappy life. Especially her knight, Livionis Warrion, who has been madly in love with her for several years, ever since the traditional “meet while hiding at a tea party” childhood moment. Now there’s no time to lose, as they fake their death and flee the country. While the rest of the country deals with the fallout, Sophie and Livio (as they rechristen themselves) find themselves dealing with something neither of them were prepared for – they’re both adorable dorks embarrassed at the slightest thing.

As I said above, the main plotline is only about 2/3 of the book, with the rest being side stories that fill in the backstory. Which tells us that the king and queen are sociopaths, but good guys, Sophie’s family and fiance are sociopaths, but bad guys, and every single knight in the regiment has been drafted into the Sophitia fan club, because it turns out the king was not raising her as a fiance to be a good little wifey, he was raising her to run the kingdom as he knew his son was a prat. Everyone else also knew this, but no one else bothered to tell Sophitia, so she gradually ground her sense of self-worth into spackle. The main reason to get this volume is the sheer chasm that separates the way that everyone treats this young woman with the goopy schmoopy romance she ends up in with her gorgeous knight (we’re told he’s gorgeous every three pages, so I feel I can bang it in here). Special mention must go to the king and queen, whose relationship I can only describe as “toxic (affectionate)”.

I have a feeling that the next volume will be a bit more normal, though the addition of a runaway king (different king) and his magic-obsessed fiancee will help keep it from just being days of nothing but blushing. Fans of villainess books should definitely check this out.

I Abandoned My Engagement Because My Sister is a Tragic Heroine, but Somehow I Became Entangled with a Righteous Prince, Vol. 3

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By Fuyutsuki Koki and Haduki Futaba. Released in Japan as “Higeki no Heroine Buru Imōto no Sei de Konyaku Hakishita no Desu ga, Naze ka Seigikan no Tsuyoi Ōtaishi ni Karamareru you ni Narimashita” by Overlap Novels f. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Sarah Moon. Adapted by Veles Svitlychny.

This is the final volume in the series, and I get the sense that the author knew this and was rushing to fit everything in. They didn’t quite make it – there’s a brief bit at the start where they’re inviting guests for the wedding and discuss whether her parents should get an invitation, but nothing comes of it and they’re never mentioned again. Jill fares slightly better, and while I was a bit dubious about her conversion in Book 2, I remind myself that a lot of people in toxic environments become very different when removed from that environment. You could say the same thing about Lingsha, for that matter, only this volumes brings the toxins to the foreground. Yes, after grumping about her being a “Shampoo” sort of Chinese stereotype in Books 1 and 2, we now get even more of them. Fortunately, it’s not as bad as it sounds.

Leia (alas, not a single Star Wars joke in the book) and Eric are ready to announce their engagement. The King and the ministers seem to take it well. But the nobility is another story, especially as they’ve just had a lot of power stripped from them. Margrave Linboldt is very unhappy that the sister of a traitor and attempted murderer is going to be the future Queen, even if she is a Saint. And then there’s the envoy from the land of Ren, who is incredibly strong, incredibly smug, and seems to want to annoy everyone as much as possible – his minder most of all. He’s there to take his little sister Lingsha back to Ren with him (which she doesn’t want), or, as a compromise, to have Lingsha marry Eric and Leia return with him to the Empire, which has no saints. Is his incredibly aggravating plan all it seems to be?

Obviously it’s not, but there’s enough ambiguity that we’re left wondering what exactly is happening. I do like how Jill, who I described in my review of the first book as the most annoying character I’d seen in a “villainess” book, keeps being relevant to the plot. Just because she’s been convicted and sent to a convent doesn’t mean that her role is over – this world does not have convenient magic-sealing powers, and as it turns out someone whose powers are “untraceable poison” is very valuable to those who have people who need poisoning. That said, the danger here can’t be TOO dangerous. We know that we’re going to end with a wedding and a happily ever after, so we can’t have Jill be kidnapped, or Lingsha be kidnapped. Heck, the moment Lingsha’s brother was killed, my first reaction was sarcasm. And that’s fine, I really don’t need THAT much depth or tragedy in what is essentially a story about two people who are almost exactly alike realizing they love each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together.

As far as I can tell, this is a rare villainess series which does not have an anime in the pipeline. Probably for the best. This was fun, but I am happy it ended here.

Accel World: Fourth Acceleration

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By Reki Kawahara and Hima. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Jocelyne Allen.

It’s been about 21 months since the last volume of Accel World, but I swear it feels longer. This series is starting to feel like a singularity to me, where the closer we get to the finale (and Kawahara has said that we’re in the final arc), the slower things get, and the denser the fight scenes and exposition becomes, till eventually we’re crushed to death waiting for Haruyuki to give “I like you but as a friend” conversations to about nine different girls and finally go visit that goddamn farm. So, as you can imagine, when we got about 4/5 of the way through the book and I saw “to be continued”, followed by an extended side story featuring a character who will only be relevant next volume, I screamed a bit. Apparently she’s the star of the Accel World movie, but, well, I didn’t see that. Indeed, this appears to function as a prologue to that movie, showing her tragic past leading up to her tragic present. It’s not bad, but not what I want to read.

When we last left Brain Burst, a large number of minor characters were undergoing total point loss and losing all their memories of the game. Fortunately… or perhaps not… they’re saved by those over the top linkers who showed up at the cliffhanger of the last book. Then THEY start killing folks… well, virtually killing them. Only Silver Crow can manage to stand up to one of them for more than five minutes, and it’s clear that the other guy is holding back. It eventually becomes clear that they’re from a new “game”, Dread Drive 2047, which is a MOBA (I assume gamers know what that means), and that they’ve been told to attack Brain Burst. Because, as becomes clear when Haruyuki is finally able to talk to everyone, both groups have been told only one “world” can survive, the other will have EVERYONE lose all their memories.

There’s a lot of discussion, as you can imagine, about whether those who have suffered “total point loss” can still be saved, after we’ve seen at least three people who had that happen to them but are still in Brain Burst. Sadly, it looks very, very unlikely. It also reminds us that a lot of these players are best friends and also dating – one girl who has her best friend/possible boyfriend suffer total point loss refuses to log out right away, as she was video calling with him and knows it would crush her. It’s a really tragic part of this series that doesn’t quite reach the ACTUAL deaths in Sword Art Online, but packs a good punch. The other interesting thing in this volume is the idea of exactly what these games are, in the end. Metatron wonders why they were created, why they have to sacrifice one game so that the other can survive… it’s a bunch of questions we’ve had since the start of the series, and we may FINALLY get to answer them soon.

Lastly, pardon me for being an old crank, but I really hate the art for this series. There’s very little fanservice in the actual text anymore, so the artist makes up for it by going overboard with the proportions and shower scenes. That said, this should scratch our Accel World itch till February 2027 or so.

Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian, Vol. 7

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

I think I’ve mentioned before about how, when I saw that this series was licensed, I called it “The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Russian”. As it turns out, after seven volumes, the two series are not all that comparable except in the shallowest way. Alisa and Masachika could only wish their life was as easy as the couple in that series. Instead, we have a series where the tragic backstory is just not going away, and cannot be easily resolved with a trip back to the old hometown. Masachika still despises himself, Alya doesn’t know what love is and is hoping to be handed the answer in an easy to understand form, Maria suddenly realizes that the boy she fell in love with all those years ago is a young man with a libido, and for all that Yuki wants to show off she’s healthier now, if she overdoes it, not only does she feel worse, but everyone around her overreacts. There is so much drama.

If you know how anime and manga romantic comedies work, you knew this was coming. We’ve had the cultural festival, and so now it’s time for the sports festival. Which, of course, means another dramatic competition between the two student council rivals. Alya and Yuki have to participate in a cavalry battle, which might actually favor Alya provided Yuki doesn’t stack the deck and also be far more clever than her brother. But what are the chances of that happening? There’s also the problem of Masachika getting more popular after the events of the last book – in particular, his piano talent is now public, which just fills him with more despair as he feels that being good at something requires caring and working hard to achieve it. And Alya is starting to realize that there is something very, very wrong with Masachika’s family, but he won’t tell her what it is yet. However, most of this is the last quarter of the book.

If you’re familiar with this series, you know what the first 3/4 of this book is. Otaku references, in jokes, and fanservice. To be fair, they’re all handled pretty well here. I enjoyed the character of Elena, who is the classic “pervert girl who overdoes it because she’s secretly not”, and who gets along very well with Masachika because, unlike Masha or Alya, he can be himself around her. And yes, Yuki hops naked into the tub with her brother, which made me sigh. Honestly, I’d be more annoyed if I thought she was part of the romantic rivals, but I know she’s not, so it’s just a mild irritant. The best parts of the book involve Alya and Masha, who are both falling harder and harder for Masachika, and the collision when that comes out is going to be epic, and hopefully not as explosive as the collision involving Masachika and Yuki’s family.

So good stuff, even if it does feel a bit as if the author is pushing the inevitable resolution of this plot further and further away as the series gets more and more popular. Ah well. At least there are boob jokes. SO MANY boob jokes.

Long Story Short, I’m Living in the Mountains, Vol. 1

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By Asagi and Shino. Released in Japan as “Zenryaku, Yama Kurashi wo Hajimemashita” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by N. Marquetti.

As I’ve said before, I tend not to read the blurbs for books before I start them. As a result, I started this book assuming that it took place in some fantasy world a la every other isekai, with giant chickens being one of the commonplace things you see around there. Then our protagonist starts talking about getting TV and internet, and I reasoned, oh, hey, I was wrong, it’s just a normal Japan novel, only a bit weird. As the author states in the afterword, this turns out to not be correct either. This seems to be a strange mostly-Japan world, but with unseen gods, who seem to be selling mythological animals to anyone who happens to buy a mountain and be dealing with severe psychological issues. Does it work? Yes, mostly, though I think how much you enjoy this will depend on how much you like straight up “slow life”. This is not a slow life fake out, at least not yet. We’re here for the man and his birds.

Sano Shokei has just been dumped by his fiancee. It was a big enough thing, we find out later, that he got a sizeable payoff from her family as an apology. As a result of wanting to get the hell away from anyone who knows who he is and might pity him, he proceeds to buy two mountains and move to one of them. He also buys three checks that he gets at a spring festival, who weirdly have lizard tails. Also weirdly, they grow very big very fast, and they seem to like eating snakes. And bugs. And boars. Are they really chickens? What’s more, there are other mountains on either side of his, both of which are owned by someone fleeing a bad relationship and both of whom have animals that seemed to be normal but may actually be mythological monsters. But does it really matter in the end? They’re good birds.

The author straight up says in the afterword this is not going to have romance in it, which is a very good thing, I think, especially after meeting Sano and the other owners of the various mountains. At one point Sano wonders if he’s suffering from depression, and after seeing him through this entire book, putting down his appearance and personality and breaking down in tears when he gets drunk and thinks about his ex, I’d have to say yes. Aikawa, meanwhile, had a stalker after him for so long he has a violent fear of women (which makes it ironic that he has a lamia as one of his pets). And Katsuragi is prone to panic attacks and had an abusive boyfriend, though her behavior when she sees the very attractive Aikawa… as well as her behavior when she sees Aikawa’s friendship with Sano… suggests she may be the comic relief of this series. Well, when it isn’t the birds.

This is 8 volumes and counting in Japan, and a glance at future covers suggest it’s not really going to change from what it is. If you want to read a man tending his mountain with his giant chickens, this is right up your alley. If you’re not fond of the giant chicken genre, this won’t change your mind.

The Legendary Witch Is Reborn As an Oppressed Princess, Vol. 4

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By Touko Amekawa and Kuroyuki. Released in Japan as “Shiitagerareta Tsuihou Oujo wa, Tenseishita Densetsu no Majo deshita: Mukae ni Koraretemo Komarumasu. Juuboku to no Ohirune wo Jamashinaide Kudasai” by Overlap Novels f. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Jeremy Browning.

This series has pretty much shown itself to be “mystery of the day”, with the main plot usually only cropping up near the end. We see Claudia and Noah go to a country that is having a problem, they investigate the problem, they solve the problem more or less, and they return to home base. That’s also what happens here, with some nice little twists to keep the reader guessing. And, unlike a lot of other light novels where the twists are obvious and meant to be so, these are actually hard to guess till almost the reveal. That said, we can’t quite get away from the main plot, and the fact that it’s been seven years since the start of the series, and Claudia is seven years older, and yet she still can’t use magic for extended periods without having to nap for days. Stronger steps are needed.

This book is essentially “Claudia and Noah do Arabian Nights”, though thankfully the problematic aspects that could arise from that are kept to a minimum. After being knighted by Claudia on his 16th birthday, there is an attack on the castle’s barrier by a raging griffin, who is taken down when it tries to attack Claudia… and promptly turns to solid gold. This prompts the two of them to head to the kingdom of Sharavia, a desert oasis which also has a legendary Golden Falcon that is apparently the savior of their kingdom… and might also turn things to gold. Unfortunately, on arriving there, they find the king has gone undercover to look for the treasure, which has been stolen… and he needs Noah to take his place as King. As for Claudia, she’s headed to the harem…

I did say “kept to a minimum”, not eliminated. There is a harem here, though, because this is still a romantic story for women to a degree, the king only has one true love that he visits – whether that’s the current king or Noah, of course. There’s also a grand vizier type, though the series cleverly tries to dance around how trustworthy he’s actually meant to be. He’s very good at chipping away at Noah’s stoic “I am merely my lady’s servant, there is nothing between us” exterior, pointing out (as so many light novel readers are quick to point out to supposedly asexual protagonists who say they’re not in love LOOKING AT YOU ROZEMYNE) that everything he describes about how he feels about Claudia is love. As for her, she’s far more explicit in saying she loves him, but that’s possibly as she’s still under the impression that eventually she will die and she wants him to live on without her. And honestly, given the cliffhanger ending of this book, that day may come sooner rather than later.

Now that we’re caught up on 7th Time Loop, the author’s other series, I’m pleased we still have a bit to go with this one. That is assuming the author does not kill of Claudia and just have 200 blank pages next time. Unlikely.

Abducted Princess Running Rampant: Wielding Forbidden Magic in the Demon King’s Castle

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By Hiroshi Nagamatsu and Tsubame Nozomi. Released in Japan as “Maou ni Sarawareta Kiyoshi Oujo desu ga, Maoujou Gurashi ga Hima datta no de Kinki Mahou de Abaremasu” by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Shaun Cook.

As I was about two-thirds of the way through this book, I wondered what it was about it that felt weird to me. I kind of hated the pacing, and thought that the author was getting distracted by having its heroine wander around rather than trying to advance the plot. Then, as I came to the very end, I realized the truth: this is only one volume. It’s pretty rare that we get a single volume series from JN-C, and of course it’s possible that they know something we don’t and it has a secret anime coming soon or a second volume in the works soon. But I kind of doubt it. There’s nothing in here that makes me want to read the further adventures of. As a one-volume series, this was OK. That abducted princess runs rampant, and then we all go out for tea.

Princess Mil Arphilia has valuable appraisal magic, and so she’s almost never let out of the castle by her overprotective father except under ludicrously heavy guard. Her dream is to be an adventurer, just like all the one’s she appraised over the years. But alas, her level’s not that great, as there’s a limit to what you can do fighting humans. Then one night, she’s abducted by the demon lord, who wants her… to do the exact same thing, only for his demon soldiers. At first, she’s delighted to see all these new species of demons she’d only read about previously, but gradually she starts to realize that she’s doing the exact same thing she did before, only with no other princess duties, AND she’s still trapped in a castle. Fortunately, surrounded by monsters, she can now level up seriously.

The best part of the book, in my opinion, is the second quarter, where Mil wanders around the castle and makes herself ludicrously strong and powerful because no one’s been told to watch over her closely. She also runs on “will this be really cool or not?”, so has no problems learning the darkest magic that can easily murder whole cities and think nothing more than “this will be handy when trying to get rid of today’s garbage”. After she inevitably escapes, thanks in part to a highly amusing demon whose mindset is “I am overly literal but only when it amuses me”, the rest of the book is less compelling, as she gradually visits various places and picks up new party members, including the shy sheltered mage, the gruff but lovable beast woman, and the demon lord’s daughter, who immediately gives off “I am a tsundere who is going to fall in love with the princess” vibes, so fast in fact that the other two comment on it.

Alas, one volume, so no yuri here. I don’t regret reading this, but if it does ever get more to it, I feel no real drive to get more of it.

Love Between Fairy & Devil: Cang Lan Jue, Vol. 1

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By Jiu Lu Fei Xiang. Released in China on the JJWXC website. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Yu. Adapted by Ivy Fox.

This one really took me by surprise. Partly as it’s a Chinese fantasy novel that isn’t danmei, a rarity for Seven Seas. But I had sort of expected the genre to be fantasy romance. Which it is, don’t get me wrong. That said, I would call the actual genre of this book “buddy film”. The author is a screenwriter, and it shows, as this really feels like it’s written to be adapted to the screen. (Indeed it was, and I suspect those who watched the Live-Action Drama may be surprised when they start the book.) The titular Fairy and Devil just can’t seem to shake each other throughout this entire volume, are constantly sniping at each other, and gradually develop a bond of trust. The fantasy is also pretty danm cool. As for the romance, well, the premise seems to invite the use of what some term the “manic pixie dream girl”, but I think this girl is a bit too much of a mess. Manic Pixie Nightmare Girl? Honestly, she’s Usagi Tsukino.

After a brief prologue, we open *after* the main plot development has already happened. (The live-action drama, which I watched part of after reading this, gives a lot more background to the main heroine.) Xiao Lanhua is currently sitting in a cell, in the body of the demon king, Dongfang Qingcang. Meanwhile, the demon king is in *her* body, and planning to escape. This, needless to say, upsets her just a bit, to the point where she slaps the demon king with the full force of her currently occupied body… killing her original body. After escape, the two of them are now BOTH in his body, Steve Martin/Lily Tomlin style, and have to each learn to operate one side. Needless to say, this leads to shenanigans which occupy the first half of the book. The plot arrives in the second half.

Not that there’s much of that. The plot appears to be Dongfang Qingcang slowly getting slightly less evil under the influence of Xiao Lanhua, and Xiao Lanhua learning more about how the world world outside of the very sheltered life that she has led. There are cool scenes with lots of fantasy explosions, and Xiao Lanhua does get some “wait, do I care about him or not” romantic tension. But honestly, the best reason to read this is that Xiao Lanhua is hilarious. She’s constantly snarking at Dongfang Qingcang, but she’s pretty pathetic when she tries to do anything without his help. She starts by murdering her own body by accident, then ends up in his own body, then a slowly rotting corpse, and by the time we’re near the climax of the book she’s reduced to an angrily screaming torso. It’s absolutely amazing, I cackled.

I’m not sure how many volumes this will end up – two or three sounds about right – but I’ll definitely read the next one, which I hope, even as things get more serious and we inevitably find out Xiao Lanhua’s secret origin, that we have time for more truly goofy slapstick.