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Reviews

The Hero and the Sage, Reincarnated and Engaged, Vol. 3

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By Washiro Fujiki and Heiro. Released in Japan as “Eiyū to Kenja no Tensei Kon: Katsute no Kōtekishu to Konyaku Shite Saikyō Fūfu ni Narimashita” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Joey Antonio.

I regret to tell you that this series has become difficult to write about. Oh, it’s still good. I quite enjoyed this volume, and will read more. It’s sometimes funny, the OP-ness isn’t ludicrous (unless it’s because it’s funny), and the characters are all interesting and not annoying (except that one guy, and he’s now comedy relief). But aside from one plot point, which I’m saving for later in the review so it’s not just 500 words of me whining, there’s nothing here to jabber on about. I suppose I can talk about how this is an overpowered protagonist fantasy that is not meant to really have the reader identify with it. Raid is not just “potato with a +infinity sword”, and Eluria is his co-star rather than just love interest. The climax of the book is not “oh my God, how will our two heroes possibly defeat this thing that is beyond their abilities”, it is “wow, a monster so powerful that they don’t have to be told to hold back and can go all out”.

It’s time to prepare for exams! …well, for everyone except our lead couple, who are going to take the time to investigate the ruins of Raid’s old country. Everyone ends up at the water resort city of Palmare, where Raid and Eluria put their friends, rival, and rival’s maid and butler through some awful torture… pardon me, I meant excellent training. They then meet up with two sorcerers – note the different magic terminology – from the nearby country of Legnare. They are also powerhouses, and consist of Totori (young-looking girl who’s actually over 100, has cat ears) and Savad (her husband, seemingly normal but we’ll find out that’s not true). The four of them, plus Alma (who admits in text she’s a fifth wheel, and she’s right) are off to investigate Raid’s old country… and there they find it’s not as abandoned as previously thought.

The interesting bits in this book (an d again, I enjoyed the book, it’s just the first 2/3 are froth I can’t analyze) are right near the end. Last time I theorized that we might be seeing a child from the future plot going on, and that turns out to… sort of be true, but not remotely in the way I thought it would be. The cliffhanger ending, which I will try not to spoil is also another good example of this series taking a seemingly silly, comedy character (see Millis, for example) and then showing off their depth (as in Millis), or showing off that it’s all a front. As for the love comedy part of the series, aside from the running gag of the flirting, I did like how, at one point where Eluria appears to be having a genuine crisis, Raid steps in immediately and diffuses it in ten seconds. In any other series, these two already having had all their character development before the plot begins might be tedious. Here I think it’s the point.

So: good stuff, cute couple. They like to fight. Their relationship even progresses here. The next book should develop the future/past/present time travel stuff a bit more, but I think it will end up being cute flirting 60% of the time.

The Eminence in Shadow, Vol. 6

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By Daisuke Aizawa and Touzai. Released in Japan as “Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!” by Enterbrain. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Nathaniel Hiroshi Thrasher.

I think I am finally, mostly, beginning to give in and accept the series’ vibe, and the fact that it’s written as a ridiculously overblown piece of… satire is wrong, but so is parody and comedy, to be honest. I’ll roll with it. Also, I’m sure those terrible, terrible name puns (and there are a LOT more in this book, like four times more) are just as bad if not worse in Japanese, so I will forgive the translator… just. That said, we are running into a really big issue with this series, which is that it is very dependent on remembering things from previous books, but it only comes out once in a blue moon. I reviewed the first volume in 2020, and here it is 2025, and we’re only on Book 6. Worse, Book 6 came out in Japan in 2023, and there’s no new book on the horizon. So yeah, apologies, little girl from apparently Vol. 1 who was meant to be tragic. I had forgotten about you. As had Cid, I think.

After the events of the last book, evil noble Eliza is manipulating things to make sure she’s found innocent, and is also planning to quietly do away with the star witness (who we find out here is named Kanade, and oh my god, more on her later). Christina Hope is trying to prevent this, but her family is actively hindering her, and all she can do is take Kanade and that annoying background extra Cid, who seems to have found definitive evidence, to one of her villas to hide from assassins. Meanwhile, the latest Mysterious Evil Group of Evil are indeed planning to kill Kanade (and Christina, and Cid, and possibly Alexia if they could get away with it), but all of a sudden they’re getting killed off one by one by a man covered in blood, dressed as a clown, and calling himself Jack the Ripper. Who could this mysterious assassin be? Who?

I won’t deny that this volume was helped by having slightly less Cid than usual. Also, Kanade is hilarious, and I hope we see more of her. If Cid is a chuuni who has ended up in a dream world that runs along his desires, then Kanade is that sidekick girl in a shonen manga who keeps trying to be cute and sexy but ends up looking stupid all the time instead. She and Cid are wonderful together, and I’m, glad she doesn’t die. Also, finally, we get Akane back into the storyline, though she’s a bit stunned to find she’s suddenly one of the weaker characters. Naturally, she ends up in Shadow Garden… as does a victim from the first volume, who has Cid literally cut the monster out of her. This scene is, honestly, as heartwarming as this series will ever get, and I hope she and Akane bond.

So yeah. This was good, especially Christina’s character arc. I will try not to take it too seriously. I will also be waiting a while for the next volume, though.

Let’s Get to Villainessin’: Stratagems of a Former Commoner, Vol. 2

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By Hiironoame and Misumi. Released in Japan as “Sa, Akuyaku Reijou no Oshigoto wo Hajimemashou: Moto Shomin no Watashi ga Idomu Zunousen” by PASH! Bunko. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by Dawson Chen.

I have a dog, and I love my dog. Occasionally, though, I want my dog to stay out in the yard for a bit. And my dog, he does not want to stay out in the yard. And so he throws himself at the back door. Over. And Over. And Over Again. He will do this for up to three hours or so, knowing that eventually I will get annoyed enough to let him back in. As I was reading this volume, and watching Mio hurling herself at “villainessin'” time and time again, I was reminded of my dog, as it takes real stubbornness to do. Yes, I am aware that her sister’s life hangs in the balance, but frankly, I appreciate Mio doing this, as everyone else in the book is taking things extremely seriously, and at least Mio being the most obvious tsundere ever leads to the book’s moments of hilarity. That she’s so bad at being bad is the point.

Mio has been doing… well, not great, but at least she’s so far managed to avoid falling flat on her face. The same can’t be said for her two “minions” who got humiliated last volume, and Mio’s new mission is to rehabilitate them and bring them back in the fold. She’ll have to do this while also negotiating the school’s sports festival, which (in the game) she played a minor part in. Unfortunately, Mio’s actions so far are starting to have knock-on effects elsewhere in the world, and her attempts to prove to herself that she can, in fact, affect things so they’re not quite like the game’s plot may end up getting her in a ton of trouble. Trouble that she can only get out of by – finally – genuinely being cruel.

I mentioned Mio being the one comedic part of this book, and that’s because when I try to imagine the rest of the cast watching her, I can feel their frustration and helplessness. They know she’s a good, kind person. They know she’s acting this way on purpose. And they know she’s determined to drag her own reputation in the mud. But they don’t know why, and it’s maddening. They don’t have the Shizuku piece of the puzzle. (The names, by the way, are just as bad as before, and this volume we have a Miyu pretending to be a Miu to confuse Mio. It’s so bad that I think even the translator/editor get Shizuki and Shizuku mixed up once or twice) Fortunately, Nonoka is straight from the Maria Campbell school, and her faith in Mio (and, it’s hinted, slight crush on Mio) remains steadfast. The end of this volume also brings a fake engagement into the mix, so the third volume would be very interesting…

…if it existed. I think even the webnovel version of the story ends with this volume. Which is a shame, as I kind of wanted to see Mio continue to throw herself against my back door.

The Hero-Killing Bride: The Blood-Soaked Champion

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By Aoikou and Enji. Released in Japan as “Yuusha-goroshi no Hanayome” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Faye Duxovni.

I always love it when I’m surprised by a title. I didn’t have many expectations for this one, despite the fact that it was advertised as a yuri series (the yuri is mostly plot rather than character so far). Honestly, the description made me think of that old meme, as I said “We have The Executioner and Her Way of Life at home”. And theoretically, the two do have a lot in common, as they feature a protagonist who is sent by the church to kill in order to save the world, over the course of the book begins to realize the corruption inherent in what’s she’s doing, and attempting to get close to the one she’s trying to kill. And, if I’m being honest, Executioner and Her Way of Life has a better plot and thematic heft. But I will say this: if I had to choose between following Menou around her books, or following Alicia around this book, I will pick Alicia every time. Love her.

Alicia Snowell, a “bride” of the church and assassin of the church as well, is told by the Cardinal who is her boss to assassinate the Hero. After killing the Demon Lord, the Hero’s popularity is so tremendous that the church now worries that eventually they will lose power as everyone follows the Hero instead. They tried marrying the Hero into the royal family, but it didn’t work. They’ve tried sending voluptuous temptresses, but the Hero doesn’t seem to be interested. Oh, and the Hero is also apparently invulnerable to blades. So Alicia’s told to seduce the Hero – after all, she’s not voluptuous at all, so maybe the Hero has different tastes – and then get close enough to kill them. So Alicia is sent off to the frontier where the Hero is… and there discovers (not much of a surprise, it’s in the blurb) the Hero is a girl!

As I said earlier, Alicia is the best reason to read this – in fact, honestly, one of the only reasons, really. The Hero is interesting mostly in terms of who she isn’t, and everyone else in the book is a variety of the sort of character you see in “dark fantasy” book, which this definitely is – expect blood and strong language. I am very bored with “funny psychopath” guys, thanks. Alicia, though, is a great first-person narrator, as she presents herself as so cynical, bitter, and absolutely done with everything – and she is – but every time she gets the opportunity to not be compassionate and caring, she fails miserably. She is exactly the sort of person to stare at someone going senselessly off to sacrifice themselves, scream at them, curse them, and then try to save them anyway. What’s more, her worldview gets increasingly shattered over the course of this book. Right now the Hero only has Alicia to depend on, while Alicia theoretically has her allies in the Church. But I get the feeling pretty soon they’ll only have each other.

I’ve no idea if this will end happily or not – the genre tends to suggest it will not. But I’m definitely going to be reading more, and I want to see these two uncover the secrets of the world, with one taking the world’s burdens on herself and the other kicking the world in the nuts.

Dinners with My Darling: How the Former Monster King Ate Her Way to Happiness, Vol. 1

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By Mugi Mameta and Nagisa Hanazome. Released in Japan as “Aisanai to Iwaremashite mo – Moto Maou no Hakushaku Reijou wa Kimajime Gunjin ni Ezuke wo Sarete Shiawase ni naru” by M Novels f. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by JC.

I spent most of this book trying to figure out its heroine, which puts me in the same company as everyone else in this book. I honestly think the artwork does it a bit of disservice. Don’t get me wrong, the artist is fine. But the text has Abigail, the title character, sounding most of the time like a hyperactive six-year-old child, and you imagine her in your head as being filled with massive smiles and big eyes. And then you get the occasional line when we switch to the POV of other people, which tells you that, in fact, Abigail rarely changes her expression from default neutral. Abigail sounds, and honestly is written as 75% of the time, like an adorable moppet. But she is a reincarnated monster, and she spent her first 16 years being starved and abused by her terrible family. The dissonance in this book, especially at the start, is almost comical.

We open with Gerald, the son of a marquis who is entering a political marriage, informing his wife Abigail that he will never love her. She innocently asks if this means she won’t get any food. As he and his servants listen to her talk about her life before arriving there with a creeping horror, any thought of treating her coldly flies out the window. Her old family made her do the laundry (which they threw in the mud), handle running the duchy (she can forge signatures!), and starving her to death by giving her next to no food. She can barely eat four mouthfuls before getting sick. That said, she has a bigger secret. In her past life, she was the Monster King, and she still has access to those powers (and just remembered her past life at her arrival). Which means she can predict disasters, use magic without incantation, and generally is a Top Secret in every single way you can imagine.

The thing that separates this from, say, Little Orphan Annie, or Oliver Twist, is that Abigail is sixteen years old, and is theoretically supposed to be his wife. This can be uncomfortable at times, particularly when Abigail is sounding like a hyperactive child. Fortunately, both the author and the male lead seem conscious of this. As Abigail manages to grow healthier and eat a normal amount, she begins to actually grow into her age physically, but mentally… it’s not that she’s mentally a child, as she can clearly do the work of an earl with minimal issues. No, it’s that her way of thinking at times is literally inhuman. It goes with her blank face. Her abusive life never registered for her except that it meant she didn’t get much food. Her new life is wonderful… because it means she gets more food. She simply is not going to understand the idea of marriage beyond “yum!” at this point. Future volumes will need to keep up the balance while she continues to grow into her new self.

There’s at least four more volumes, which makes this a huge success for the cancel-happy M Novels. Despite occasionally feeling that Abigail was manipulating me with her cuteness, I definitely want to read more. For fans of “Cinderella stories” who don’t mind a heroine whose head is harder to get into.

The Reincarnated Princess Spends Another Day Skipping Story Routes, Vol. 9

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By Bisu and Yukiko. Released in Japan as “Tensei Oujo wa Kyou mo Hata o Tatakioru” by Arian Rose. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Esther Sun.

That’s right, it’s back! The popular TV comedy “Everybody Loves Rosemary” has returned for a new season a year and a half after ending forever, and she’s just as adorable as ever. I will assume everyone buying this knows what to expect because they read the other volumes, but wow, I had forgotten how much everyone just looks at her like she hung the stars in the sky. And, to be fair, her ideas are good in a “thank God this is not real life but an otome game” sort of way, and she is not only able to inspire everyone around her, who still adore her and desire her even though she’s married to Leonhart, but also manages to find a prince and a princess from different countries who also hate themselves and inspire them to change how they view the world and become better people. Who needs therapists when you have a gorgeous blonde?

Some time after the events of the main series, Rosemary is happy as a clam. She’s married to Leonhart, and manages to match his love in enthusiasm if not necessarily in stamina. She’s now the duchess of a vibrant, expanding city, mostly vibrant and expanding because she’s in it. Her hospital is going great guns, and other nations are also interested. Most importantly, they’ve found rice and soy sauce! Yes, the inevitable Japan analogue that always turns up in these books has turned up, and the Third Prince… falls for her immediately, and is promptly devastated when she admits she’s married. A princess we briefly met in an earlier book is here to try to arrange a marriage with one of Rosemary’s brothers, mostly out of obligation, but winds up depressed after seeing how Rosemary is just so fantastic at everything. And there’s something secret that not even Rosemary knows about yet.

Technically this is a spoiler for the last part of the book, but come on: the moment Rosemary says she’s feeling tired, eating weird things and is even gaining a bit of weight at last, the reader should be able to figure out what’s actually happening. Rosemary’s pregnancy delights absolutely everybody, even the other love interests, who have been alternating between gnashing their teeth at her happy marriage and grudgingly being happy for her. Now they’re all picturing her as a mother and are over the moon. The best scene in the book was from the POV of her mother, who is told by her husband (after he tells his sons, I note) that Rosemary is pregnant. It’s a delight to see the king behaving like a normal person, as he realizes that he’s been a terrible dad to her for so long, essentially treating her like a prized student, that he has no idea how to be a grandfather. The queen happily notes they can learn about it together. I really liked this.

There’s already a Vol. 10 out in Japan, so we’re not done with Rosemary and her utopia just yet. It requires a lot of patience to put up with all the adoration, but this is still a lot of fun to read.

Der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight, Vol. 16

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By Hyougetsu and Nari Teshima. Released in Japan by SQEX Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Ningen.

When I reviewed the last volume of Der Werwolf, over two years ago (so once again it was a struggle to remember who the hell everyone was), I wondered how the final volume would wrap up, and pondered if it would end with retirement or even Veight’s death. Well, one of those is true, though there is a flashforward three hundred years for an epilogue that shows that Veight has essentially passed into legend, and so presumably has passed on. But the last third or so of this book is dedicated to Veight trying to retire (and Airia having more success, partly because she’s pregnant again), and finding that, when you’ve spent the last twenty years completely remaking a nation due to your awesome powers, drive, and will, that no one wants to see you go. Fortunately, Veight prepared for this seventeen years ago, when he and Airia had their first child. The world does not need Veight. It has Veight, only a spunky young girl. In other words, his daughter.

Veight is drowning in work, and Airia forces him to take a vacation. Well, a working vacation. Kuwol has noticed that an area of its dense forests is slowly dying, and when he gets there, it becomes clear it’s because the mana is being leeched out of the region by something. That something turns out to be not one but TWO Valkaans, and given that Veight had tremendous difficulties defeating one, and is now twenty years older, that’s not good. For once, Veight gets the absolute tar beaten out of him, but fortunately he’s about more than just “hit things very hard”, and has a plan to work things out. After that, as noted above, Airia is retiring, and has a replacement in mind, but the trouble is that the replacement also wants Veight as a vice-commander.

The series’ first and best joke is that Veight does all of these world-shaping impossibly heroic feats while insisting that he’s just a humble vice-commander, so it makes sense that by the end of the book the joke gets weaponized into the position having essentially become the watchword for “secretly the real leader of everything”. Actually, Veight, who has done his best to pass down his knowledge over the course of the series, has also passed down his bad habits, as both his daughter and her friends all see themselves as ordinary, struggling folks who cannot possibly live up to everything that’s come before them. Fortunately, they can all manage to give each other pep talks, which helps. I also want to take one last time to mention Airia, who has to be one of the more sensual love interests we’ve seen in a male dominated series. From the start, she was down for that werewolf [censored], and this has not changed. I’m honestly surprised she didn’t have more kids between Friede and Othilie.

Also, kudos to see what the immortal Parker is up to in the epilogue. He’s living his best life! I am happy to see this series has finally come to an end, but it was a good ending, and I’m glad I read it.

Too Many Losing Heroines!, Vol. 3

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By Takibi Amamori and Imigimuru. Released in Japan as “Make Heroine ga Ōsugiru!” by Gagaga Bunko. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Matthew Jackson. Adapted by Acro.

Finally, with its third volume, I think this series is winning me over. Oh, I will admit, Nukumizu can still be irritating as hell, but it’s by design, and everyone (including himself!) calls him out on this. I did worry when we saw the appearance of the first winning girlfriend, Karen, but she’s kept to a minimum, so I can merely try to forget she exists. (Their subplot was, I think, meant to reference Nisekoi, but Karen is exactly the sort of heroine who usually wouldn’t win a manga like that, so I’ve no idea.) Mostly, though, this volume works because a) Komari’s subplot is interesting, works very well with her character growth, and tugs at the heartstrings, and b) Anna is finally becoming the sort of annoying character I can enjoy, rather than merely one I tolerate. I am now prepared to like her. Honestly, she’s almost becoming the voice of reason in this series, because Nukumizu is too caught up in his usual stuff.

Nukumizu thankfully tells us that this series can’t afford both a sports festival AND a culture festival, and besides, Lemon got focus last book, so no wants a track meet. So it’s just Culture Festival time, with the Literature Club being half-heartedly threatened by the Student Council, only one of whom really seems to have it in for them. More to the point, Tamaki and Tsukinoki are retiring from the club, and have chosen Komari to be the new president, with Nukumizu as a very reluctant vice. This is a good aesthetic choice, but will require her to – shock, horror! – speak in a group and deliver the literature club’s minutes at a meeting, something this introvert is seemingly incapable of. Given she’s already running herself ragged trying to do everything for the festival, can Nukumizu figure out what’s wrong *and* communicate properly with Komari about it? Spoiler: he manages neither of these.

There’s a bit near the end of this volume where Nukumizu is trying to figure out where he went wrong, and he realizes that while he and Komari are both introverts who say they want to be left alone, he really does, whereas she’s actually lonely and genuinely wants to be around other people. Leaving aside his stunning misreading of his own personality, Komari’s arc here reminded me that a lot of times in light novels and manga that feature the shy, introverted character, the goal is always to drag them out of their shells and make it so they can open up to everyone and communicate better. There’s a “we can fix you” aspect to them. And since Nukumizu thinks in light novel cliches, he assumes that’s what this is. But of course he forgets what Komari was dealing with when he met her – being in love with the president who helped her find a place in the club. She’s had that pillar taken away, and wants Nukumizu to understand that she would like him to be her new pillar. Sadly, as with Anna and Lemon, that would require Nukumizu to have more self-awareness than a bug.

Since I ended up enjoying this a lot more than the first two, I will forgive yet another oddly bordering on creepy younger sister who adores her big brother, mostly as it rests on the correct side of “incest is weird, don’t”. Anyway, we’ve run through our core heroine team, so who’s the next loser? Judging by the cover, it’ll be Shikiya, assuming she can wake up for it. For fans of this sort of series, “deconstruction” or no.

Shannon Wants to Die!, Vol. 1

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By Ao Satsuki and falmaro. Released in Japan as “Shinitagari no Shannon” by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Olivia Plowman.

This book screams out to a certain kind of reader. And yes, I was that sort of reader. Did you read Wandering Witch? Did you want to read the story of a mage going from city to city and meeting various people in an anthology format? And did you stop reading it because the protagonist was a hideously insufferable little shit? Of course. We all did. This book is the antidote for that. I won’t say that Shannon is not occasionally a bit full of herself, but it’s about 1/10 the attitude Eliana has. For the most part she’s nice, wants to help people, and is pleasant to be around. We want to see her daily life. That said… this book is not for everyone. As the title may have hinted. The premise of this book is about an immortal mage trying to find a way that, after centuries, she can actually die, as she is tired of what she has now. If this would bother you, move on.

Shannon looks like a buxom 20-year-old in a mage’s outfit. In fact, she’s immortal, and has spent years and years wandering the world looking for her master, the man who caused this to happen to her. She’s also trying to see if anything will kill her. In this volume, she a) stays at a quiet village, talks with a cute young man, and tries to get eaten and digested by a dragon; 2) she meets a man trying to save a dying girl from a disease with no cure, and volunteers to drink poison antidotes till they find one that’s not poison; 3) She and an old adventurer go to a dungeon no one has ever come back from, to try to find the remains of his son; 4) she meets another young mage, who is trying to help her dying mother, and whose mentor may be the man who cursed Shannon with immortality in the first place.

I’m going to get the big negative out of the way first, as it’s just my personal preference, because the writing is fine. This artist has featured in a lot of series that come out over here in English, and I can’t stand their work every time. They have a heavy fanservice style, and tend to use the same poses. Basically, skip the art. Other than that, I enjoyed this a great deal. As I said, Shannon is very likeable. If she’d actually acted morose and depressed, the way the title suggests, this book would be unbearable. Instead, she’s well aware of the near-impossibility of her task, and is perfectly fine, while she’s searching, with helping people out every now and then… provided, of course, that helping them out might lead to a new way for her to be killed. Not to spoil the premise, but at the end of this volume, Shannon does not, in fact, die. The search continues.

Unfortunately for Shannon, it’s been two years since her last volume. Still, if she ever does come back, I’ll happily keep her company on her wandering journey. (not you, Eliana.)

Tearmoon Empire, Vol. 14

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By Nozomu Mochitsuki and Gilse. Released in Japan as “Tearmoon Teikoku Monogatari” by TO Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Madeleine Willette.

One thing I appreciate about Tearmoon Empire is that, unlike a lot of other current light novel series, it’s not really trying to be a mystery – or at least, not a mystery where the reader is supposed to figure things out. All of the things that are going to be happening a hundred pages from now are helpfully signposted before we get there, and even when Mia doesn’t really figure something out someone else does (Rina has been a godsend for this series, as she’s allowed to be the bitter cynic Mia can’t be). And, most importantly, the answer to every “how on earth could this happen” is always the same answer: it’s those Chaos Serpents again. Indeed, this time we get a woman who’s been a Chaos Serpent for a very long time as the main villain of this volume, and she’s not only out to destroy Mia’s alliance but she has a grudge against Mia personally… as well as the girl who looks a LOT like Mia’s grandmother.

We pick up with the plot we started in the last book, as Mia has created a horsemanship tournament to try to help Ruby get our of her arranged marriage… and possibly to get Vanos some glory so that Ruby’s crush is more likely to actually appeal to her father. Naturally things don’t quite go the way Mia planned… but honestly, they mostly do, and while Ruby still can’t quite work up the nerve to confess, for the most part it’s a happy ending. Unfortunately, there’s no happy ending in Tearmoon Empire that can’t be erased by the next arc, as Bel comes by with shocking news… Ludwig’s future diary says that Mia is going to be betrayed by… Sapphias! This is baffling, as any reader who remembers Sapphias… which may not be many, to be fair… will recall he’s firmly in Mia’s corner. What’s going on here?

Much as I’ve talked about Mia’s character growth in the books as we’ve moved along, I do appreciate that she can sometimes be caught absolutely flat-footed, as she is here with the identity of the latest Chaos Serpent traitor. It’s pure coincidence that Mia’s love of weird mushrooms just happened to vibe with Citrina’s “oh, those are basically used for confessions” knowledge to save the day. Mia’s real skills, which she’s always had but have been honed over these books, are improvisation – the narrative calls it “riding the wave”, but that’s a talent a lot of people just don’t have – and her increased empathy, as honed by the guillotine. Mia may have been ignorant of the Serpent plot here, but her goals for the cooking party – get closer to Sapphias’ fiancee, then try to work things out without accusations or violence – shows she may actually be a very good politician as an adult almost despite herself. It’s no longer “her selfish cowardice was misunderstood by everyone”.

I enjoyed this volume so much I will forgive the one or two mild fat jokes I spotted near the start. Hopefully next time Mia can finally solve the problem of her grandmother, who is desperately sad but can’t show it because of abusive indoctrination. That said, Tearmoon is (mostly) lighthearted, so hopefully the solution won’t be as bad as the end of Book 11.

Meals Made to Order: How to Domesticate Your Dragon with Delicacies!

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By Yoneori and LINO. Released in Japan as “Misuterareta Ikenie Reijou wa Senyou Skill “Otoriyose” de Jaryuu wo Ezukesuru” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Alexandra Owen-Burns.

This is one of those titles that feels like a much better read when you realize it’s complete in one volume. Admittedly, I’ve said that before and then been startled with a Vol. 2 popping up a year or so later, but there’s no ‘1’ on the cover or the copyright, so I feel I can treat it as a standalone. Which is good, as the main issue with this volume is that it had a tendency to get a bit boring. If I was supposed to want to read more of this story, I’m not sure that I’d want to get the next book in the series. But as a stand-alone, it does its job. Abused child who slowly realizes how abused she is and overcomes it. Found family out the wazoo. No real romance per se (notice it’s not a J-Novel Heart imprint book), instead concentrating purely on our heroine escaping a bad situation and finding herself in a much better one.

Francheska is in a very familiar position at the start of this book. Her father hates her, her mother is dead, her stepmother loathes her, and her sister has seduced her fiancee (the prince) and is now pregnant with his child. So, after years of training to be royalty, she is instead going to be sacrificed to a dragon, something that happens every fifty years or so. And she’s better be grateful, the little bitch. A VERY familiar position, especially if you read this genre on the regular, as I do. See, she (groan) doesn’t have a good skill. She has mana off the charts, can teleport, do fire and water magic, etc… but who cares, she doesn’t have a special whosis. Or rather, she does but no one knows what it is. Then the shock of all this awakens (groan) her memories from Japan… and it turns out her skill is ordering food online with free delivery.

Which, I have news for you, we’ve ALSO seen in another light novel before this. Except he at least had access to an Amazon expy, Francheska is limited to food. In any case, once she gets past the murderous monsters that have been killing every sacrifice (by using her magic), things look up. The dragon turns out not to eat anyone, and while he’s a bit grumpy, he’s mostly pretty nice, and handsome once he turns sort-of human for her. She meets various mythical spirits, who turn out to not be so mythical. The job of everyone else in the cast is to reassure Francheska that she has value and that it’s OK to value herself. The goal of the book is to tell us about what the cast are eating, in long, lingering detail. It’s pretty good at both of those.

If you didn’t order this already, I’m not sure I’d tell you to get it, unless you’re a disgraced noble completist. If you got it and read it, though, I don’t think anyone will regret it. It’s decent. And she lives happily ever after eating lots of food with her incredibly powerful friends on their remote island nowhere near her abusive family. (Except granddad. Sorry, granddad.)

Invaders of the Rokujouma!?, Vol. 46

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

This series has a lot of influences, of course, but I have to wonder if one of them might have been Mahou Sensei Negima. A series that famously started when Ken Akamatsu wanted to write a shonen battle manga but his publisher told him to do another fanservicey harem comedy, he ended up tricking them by starting off as a harem and then gradually over the course of the series moving it to a battle manga anyway. Takehaya may also be thinking along those lines, though I don’t know if they’re getting any pressure from Hobby Japan. This is a series that started off as a mishmash of genres, but above all it was a comedy harem series, and most of its action revolves around a bunch of girls trying to win over a clueless guy. Now, 48 volumes later, the girls are all banding together to potentially sacrifice their own life just to make sure that he doesn’t have to have a mental breakdown by fighting in a long, drawn-out war. It’s just a BIT different.

Maxfern has come up with a clever plan. (Well, not really, Maxfern has behaved like a cartoon villain, but there is, at least, a plan.) Everyone knows that the brains behind the giant polycule that is the Blue Knight’s allies are Kiriha, Clan and Ruth. As a result, killing them off would not only devastate him but also get rid of all of their schemers and planners at once! It just so happens that they’re all flying to a conference by themselves, so it’s the perfect opportunity! The Grey Knight seems a bit more doubtful, but he hasn’t done anything lately! Strike while the iron is hot! It’s just, um, they are going up against three women known for being clever. it’s just POSSIBLE that they’re the ones walking into a trap.

Sorry for spoiling the early reveal, but I don’t count it as a spoiler if you can figure it out immediately: Kiriha, Clan and Ruth planned this, without telling Koutarou, in order to try to scope out Maxfern’s position and hopefully shorten the time needed to wage war. There is a brief moment when they’re in actual danger, but for the most part we’re not too worried. I suspect far more dangerous things will happen in the next book, which promises to be more Grey Knight-focused. Oh yes, and technically Koutarou proposes. Well, not really. He’s manipulated into saying he wants to spend the rest of his life with the girls. But they take it as a big victory. So there’s still a BIT of romcom to this. But for the most part this is another relatively serious volume, as it has been ever since Maxfern’s takeover. I think the humor is being saved for the short story books.

Surprisingly, we get a third book in a row with actual plot next time. Perhaps the author is trying to wrap things up with vol. 50? Till then, if you haven’t read any of this series to date, Vol. 46 is definitely not the one to start with.

The Reincarnator and the Goblin Maiden’s Happily Ever After: Using a Past Life to Keep a Joyful Wife, Vol. 2

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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.

So this book, like the first one, is overall a good, solid volume, and I really like some of the character work within, as well as some of the writing choices. Unfortunately, as with the first book, some of the writing choices made me want to claw my hair out. I’ve talked before about a lot of shoujo light novel titles starting with an “eat your vegetables” section, where we have to see the low ebb of our heroine before we get to the good stuff. In this book, the vegetables are the main course, and the middle third of the book is just a never-ending stream of me screaming at the male lead “GODDAMMIT, DO NOT DO THIS, YOU DUMBASS!” Spoiler: he does it. In fact, not really even much of a spoiler, as it’s one of the scenes chosen for color pages. Fortunately, the wraparound makes it worth the slog. Just.

Gino and Ana start off the book blissfully happy. She’s grown more confident thanks to having the love of her fiance. He’s dutifully researching the way to find a cure for her curse. The research leads him to lean more strongly towards this world being his own far in the future, rather than an alternate world. The two of them are even able to watch Gino’s tomboyish and somewhat ditzy sister manage to find the fiance who’s right for her, rather than picking whatever appeals to her at that moment. Unfortunately, a chance conversation with Ana’s father, and Ana trying to avoid offending the royal family in public by giving vague answers, leads Gino and Ana to play “I hate myself” and “no, I hate myself more” for the next 120 pages.

I’m going to ignore everything about Gino breaking up with Ana, torpedoing his reputation, and fleeing to a dive bar, as I never want to think about it again. Instead, let’s talk about the good things, most of which are more character than plot driven. For all that I absolutely hated Gino’s choices, the book is very careful to lay out in great detail why his upbringing in his previous life led him to have the kind of mindset that means this was the first thing that came to mind for him. I also loved the fact that, after six months and much anguish, the two are reunited… and Ana begins seeing a therapist, in order to get help from the mental anguish she’d been in. More light novel therapists, that was great! I also loved the scene of Ana at the singles dance, being very carefully railroaded into becoming the first prince’s concubine and even more carefully managing to get out of it. Yes, a lot of it was her mother’s plan, but it was brilliantly executed.

You may have heard me say this before, but here it is again: this book ends with the second volume, except there’s a third. I don’t know if it will be short stories or if it will continue to try to throw our now newlywed couple into annoying situations (please don’t end with them being the King and Queen, I beg of you). That said, I will grit my teeth and read more, because I do enjoy this series. Except when I don’t.

A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life, Vol. 12

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By Yuu Tanaka and Nardack. Released in Japan as “Deokure Tamer no Sono Higurashi” by GC Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by A.M. Cola.

These books are always fairly long, but this one didn’t feel that way, mostly as it packed a lot of stuff into its pages. Alyssa even screams at one point about how Yuto keeps accidentally discovering vital, game-changing information every single day, and for the most part it’s not on purpose. (She almost has a complete breakdown when for once he arrives to sell information and says she’ll be shocked. He’s normally so blase.) As usual, we get Yuto gaining a new tamed monster here, and we also get him accessing places no one has been before, going to areas no other players are allowed, and accidentally helping to awaken ancient darkness a lot sooner than the game developers planned. That last, at least, is worrying. Oh, and his celebrity status also helps struggling musicians trying to sell their real life songs as game characters to sell out just because he bought them. It’s a good thing this is so G-rated, or we’d be in trouble.

The first part of the book is mostly Yuto doing Yuto things, like having his tamed monsters evolve in odd ways, planting special fertilizer in his garden to see whether it will lead to fantastic plants (it does), and making Alyssa scream. He also gets help to get to Zone Ten, a huge city which, among other things, has a continuation of a quest he did a while back that leads him to get a new monster… a horse! No, wait, this is Yuto, everything he does is extra, so it’s a super rare Moon Pony. After learning the riding skills necessary to make his new monster (Carro) useful, he then accidentally stumbles into another huge quest just by staying at an inn with nice stables, and this one leads to an NPC whose sword seems to interest a mysterious figure shrouded in black fog. Could this be one of the rumored demons?

I’ve joked before about this being the male Bofuri, but it really, really is. Especially when it comes to its lead characters. Neither Bofuri nor Late-Start Tamer would work if Maple or Yuto were in any way doing this deliberately, or planning it in any way. Likewise, the main reason they aren’t insufferable (well, mostly – Yuto can occasionally make you roll your eyes) is that they’re such ditzes. Seeing Yuto still – STILL – unaware of his own reputation and playstyle, as he stuns Alyssa over and over again and accidentally turns a minor music festival by poor artists into a huge moneymaking thing by just… wandering by and seeing his cute monsters get into the music. And I mean, come on. If I was into death metal and I saw that it had cute adorable creatures headbanging to it, I might get a copy as well. The power of cute is strong.

But is the power of cute strong enough to stop whatever this new event is, one that seems to have NPCs interacting with each other only for the benefit of the reader? For those who wish Bofuri was about a bishy guy but otherwise exactly the same.

My Happy Marriage, Vol. 8

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By Akumi Agitogi and Tsukiho Tsukioka. Released in Japan as “Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon” by Fujimi L Bunko. Released in North America Yen On. Translated by David Musto.

I seem to have run into an awful lot of short story collection volumes lately. This is another one, as after finally getting to the ‘happy’ and ‘marriage’ part of the title, Miyo and Kiyoka are taking the time to have some leisurely microstories that were online web exclusives, or else more serious titles written for this volume specifically. You can probably guess what I’m going to be talking about the most. Still, overall it’s a good, solid volume, with a tragic flashback at the start followed by some romantic schmaltz. There is a suggestion we may get a darker present-day story later on, but even that ends up being a romantic schmaltz sort of thing. Which is great, frankly. I’ve been complaining forever about the fact that these volumes are too damn dark, particularly in the last one, and it’s nice to just see these two do things like accidentally get drunk, or get scared by a thunderstorm and a power outage. Couple goals.

The first story is written for this volume, and takes up almost half the book on its own. It’s a flashback showing Kiyoka’s college years, as he struggles between his powers and the destiny everyone wants him to grasp and his own dreams of being a research nerd. We then get a series of microstories arranged in a chapter, showing things that happened when Kiyoka was sick (mostly Hazuki fangirling over Miyo), Miyo showing off her skill at cooking and distracting Kiyoka from work, Miyo accidentally getting drunk by eating a liquor-laced sweet, in the best anime tradition; etc. The other story written for this collection has our happy couple staying at the main estate for a bit, only to have to deal with a moody Fuyu, who is upset over a broken gift from her husband. We then get a second series of microstories, which is actually mostly one story, showing Kiyoka and his subordinates going out to drink and running into Kazushi.

Every story with a strong, powerful spirit-user who always seems in control and together needs a doomed mentor somewhere in its backstory to explain how he got that way, and it’s now My Happy Marriage’s turn. It’s easily the best story in the book, showing how sometimes tragedies are not really the fault of one person, but also that sometimes, yes, the fault can indeed be spread around. And, honestly, it also shows that this is the sort of world where it’s for the best that Kiyoka did NOT become a research nerd. His mentor, Itsuto, is exactly what you’d expect the moment I said “doomed mentor”, but that’s not a bad thing. The other original story has a lot of Miyo and Kiyoka being adorable (and almost having wake-up sex, but they’re interrupted), but it’s also about interpretation. Kiyoka sees his father as controlling his mother and spying on her every move, while Miyo sees the fact that his mother is aware of it as meaning the gesture is about protection and love. Both interpretations are, in a way, correct – Kiyoka’s family is pretty messed up – but it’s clear Miyo is the best thing that could ever have happened to Kiyoka,

The 9th book in the series is scheduled but not out yet in Japan, so it will be a while till we get more. Despite being a short story collection, every fan of the series should enjoy this.