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Reviews

Sasaki and Peeps: The Gang Heads to School and Ends Up in a Friendly Little Romcom ~Who Will Get Their Hands on True Love?~

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By Buncololi and Kantoku. Released in Japan as “Sasaki to Pi-chan” by Media Factory. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Alice Prowse.

(This review discusses the dialogue in Sasaki and Peeps 8, which uses several sexual slang terms, and I mention them towards the end. Be warned.)

This is my own fault, I suppose. Last time I suggested that the middle part of the volume was a bit boring, and I said that Sasaki and Peeps was at its best when it was ridiculous rather than down to earth. Given this volume takes place at Kurosu’s school, I was perhaps not overly optimistic. Oh, foolish past me! This is easily the most off-the-rails volume of the series to date. I’ve also talked before about how the series is a harem series that doesn’t really have its lead be interested in anyone, and that’s done away with here as well. Sasaki manages to have a libido. When you add to this horny middle school students, numerous people being paid or threatened to act as “honey traps”, and a truth serum that also doubles as an aphrodisiac, and you have all sorts of no. On the bright side, at least for me, this volume is easily the shippiest he’s gotten with Futarishizuka, who, in age and compatibility, is Best Girl.

Type Twelve wants to experience school life so she can learn about humanity – and, in particular, she wants to learn about love. So they fake her family register, change her name to Twelve Sasaki, and she transfers into Kurosu’s school. Along with Sasaki, her new math teacher. And Futarishizuka, her new English teacher. And two of the other new teachers are Mason and Inukai, the ones working with the magical girl. Oh yes, and the magical girl they’re working with also transfers in. Naturally, with so many World’s Most Wanted girls in one location, every single enemy sends their minions to kidnap Twelve, kidnap Kurosu, kill Sasaki, etc. And that’s not even counting the pink magical girl, who as always, wants to kill all psychics.

There’s quite a bit of death and gore in this book, mostly due to the magical girl, who is here to kill psychics and chew bubblegum and she’s all out of bubblegum. the final scene with her and Futarishizuka is actually very sweet, and possibly the nicest Futarishizuka has ever been. Kurosu, aka neighbor girl, also gets a much larger role than usual, though for once she’s too busy being the straight man (and tsundere, as Twelve correctly notes) to try to get into Sasaki’s pants much. Unlike many other women in this series, who are trying to seduce him for money, because their parents are being threatened, or because all their inhibitions are down. And then there’s Type Twelve, who is the reason that I think this book needs a bit more of a content warning than other books. She’s trying to figure out human love, and is very good at making boys her “simps” – but when she gets an actual confession, and uses truth serum to verify it, things go bad fast – and we find out that Kurosu’s classroom is a hotbed of sexually active teens. In addition to simp, ‘fuckboy’ is used here, and there’s also mentions of spanking and anal sex, though only in conversation, not in actual content. Basically, teens are horny and awful.

Fortunately, this seems to have stopped Twelve wanting to learn what gangbangs are (oh yes, that’s mentioned as well). She now wants to drop out of school. Where to next? We shall see. Honestly, I would not mind going back to isekai world for a while, which seems a bit less unhinged. Till then, boy, this will be fun if ever animated.

If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love ~ She Was All But Disowned for Her Spirit Contract, But She’s Still Competing with Her Rival ~, Vol. 3

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By Harunadon and Yomi Sarachi. Released in Japan as “Akuyaku Reijō to Akuyaku Reisoku ga, Deatte Koi ni Ochitanara: Nanashi no Seirei to Keiyaku Shite Oidasareta Reijō wa, Kyō mo Reisoku to Kisoiatte Iru Yō Desu” by GA Novels. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Evie Lund.

So-called Villainess books have glutted the market over the last three to four years, and I have seen a few folks saying that it’s just the female-narrated version of the isekai. But of course the two genres have very different goals. Isekai is, at heart, wish fulfillment. I have the coolest powers, I get a harem of girls, I battle the demon lord, etc. Villainess books, on the other hand, start out in much the same place as a lot of isekai – my life is wretched and everyone hates me – but the best examples of the genre dig deeper into the terrible life. I’ve come to terms with the fact that this series is never one I’m going to read for the cute romance, and I don’t think the author cares much about it either. This book is about seeing a survivor of abuse take control of her own destiny and confront her demons.

We left off last volume with her father’s ultimatum, telling her to come back to the main house or… well, we’re not sure, but Brigitte assumes it means “or I will disown you”. In the meantime, there’s a dance coming up, which she and Yuri agree to go to together after a lot of awkward faffing about. We also meet her brother Roze, who was adopted into the family after Brigitte’s disastrous spirit reading, and who seems to really like Brigitte a lot… possibly in a Keith Claes way, if you know what I mean. Yuri certainly does, and he’s unhappy. Unfortunately, Roze also tells Brigitte that their mother has disappeared, and Brigitte, still wrestling with what to do about that ultimatum, decides to help try to find her. What follows is basically all the dark secrets of the past revealed.

The author has also written Even a Replica Can Fall in Love, which I just reviewed the other day, and I have to say, they’re really good at writing trauma. It’s not much of a surprise to find that dad’s ultimatum is not “come back or be disowned”, it’s “come back and give me your phoenix, you ungrateful child”. Worse revelations are to come, too. But it’s a testament to Brigitte’s determination and resolve that she’s able to stand up and fight back… though the help of Yuri and her friends to make this a lot more final than anyone really intended also helps. The romance is pretty cute, too.

Honestly, this works perfectly well as an ending to the series, and I wondered if it was. But there is a suggestion that we still have further to go, as Brigitte worries that once the knowledge of her phoenix gets out, everyone will be coming after her. Likely that’s where this is going in future books. Till then, come for the cuteness, stay for the angst and schadenfreude.

Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll Do Anything to Become a Librarian!: Short Story Collection, Vol. 2

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By Miya Kazuki and You Shiina. Released in Japan as “Honzuki no Gekokujou: Shisho ni Naru Tame ni wa Shudan wo Erandeiraremasen” by TO Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by quof.

The main series may have ended, but there are still stories to be told. Especially given this is one of TO Books’ best-selling juggernauts. As with the first collection, this contains extra short stories that were online exclusives, bookstore exclusives, or otherwise not collected with the short stories that follow Rozemyne’s narration in the main series. The stories run the gamut, timeline-wise, from the start of Part 2 to midway through Part 5… yes, that’s medium-sized Rozemyne on the cover, we’ll have to wait till the third volume (just out in Japan last month) for the post-growth glow-up stories. Unlike last time, this does give us a brief story from Rozemyne’s POV, as she discusses Ferdinand with his old attendant. For the most part, though, this is from the POV of others, and it helps to establish one of the things we’ve learned most from the side stories: thanks to rumors, hearsay, and general eccentricity, Ehrenfest is seen by others as deeply untrustworthy.

Among the many stories in this volume, we get two from the POV of Brunhilde, which take place very early in her career at Rozemyne’s attendant, and show us how difficult she found it to understand her at first, and how ignorant of noble customs Rozemyne is. We get Raimund’s backstory, which reads exactly like it is, as a bullied nerd finally finding a place for himself among other nerds. Florencia watches and makes occasional observations as Elvira and company accidentally invent genderbend fanfics. Tuuli realizes, thanks to Karin and Lutz, that’s she’s fallen for Benno, and the realization crushes her as she knows it will never happen. Justus reminisces about a time in the past when Ferdinand going to Ahrensbach was what everyone dreamed of. Barthold is very, very angry that people are trying to stop his treason. And Lutz and Tuuli have one of the least romantic engagements ever.

That last one should not surprise anyone who’s read the main series, where its main romance is remarkable for its lack of sexual charge. Rozemyne and Ferdinand both tend towards the asexual, though not aromantic, and Eckhart and Angelica’s on-again off-again engagement is mostly of interest to them because it means they can keep beating people up when needed. Sylvester and Florencia are very much NOT the norm. And so we see here. Tuuli is harboring a crush on Benno, but there are 87 reasons why that’s not realistic. She’s also busy with work all the time, and thus unlikely to meet any better options. Lutz is exactly the same. The two of them agree to get engaged quickly, but that’s less “we realized our feelings for each other” and more “we want to prevent Tuuli, who still lives on the wrong side of the tracks, from getting abducted by creeps”. It’s not remotely romantic, but it makes sense. And that’s good enough in this world.

As I said above, there’s a third short story book that just came out. But before we get that, we’ll get the first in the spinoff series, featuring Hannelore, who will be a very different narrator from Rozemyne, I expect. Till then, this is a good selection of stories.

Even a Replica Can Fall in Love, Vol. 2

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By Harunadon and raemz. Released in Japan as “Replica Datte, Koi o Suru” by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Andrew Cunningham.

I was very curious to see what the author would do with this book. So was the author, to be fair. They’d written a story that wrapped up very neatly in one volume, and they weren’t that enthusiastic about writing another one. That said, fear not, this book is just as dynamite as the first one. And just as gut-wrenching, of course. Normally I don’t really worry about spoiling books in my reviews, as my readers ruefully know. But I need to discuss one of the bigger plot twists in this book a bit below. That said, I will keep the end of the book a surprise. Much of this book is cute and heartwarming, with an odd tinge of dread and melancholy. Which is exactly what I expected given the first. Then we get to the last few pages, which give us a punch to the heart and then a punch to the throat. Which, again, is exactly what I expected given the first.

Sunao has been spending all of her time in her room lately, seemingly doing nothing but study, and is content to leave Nao to get on with everything. Which includes the upcoming school festival. Unfortunately, the literature club gets hit with one of the standard high school romcom plotlines: they don’t have enough members, and will be shut down by the student council unless they show their worth by selling 100 copies of their book at the festival. Which is about 90-something more than the previous festival. Fortunately, one of the student council folks is the sole member of the drama club, which is also in danger of being shut down. So they team up. The literature club (well, OK, Ricchan) writes an adaptation of Princess Kaguya, and will also help perform it… if they can convince Mori, the other student council member, to go along. Oh yes, and someone is dumping paper all over the school that reads “there’s a doppelganger in our school’.

The first volume had me spend most of it wondering what replicas actually were. The second one seems to be digging into the question of WHY there are replicas. In Sunao’s case, it’s because she saw Nao as a convenience to get her out of things she didn’t want to do, and softens considerably at the end of the first book… well, so we thought. But one of the things I am going to spoil, mostly as you likely could have guessed it, is that there’s another replica introduced here, though the word “doppelganger” is used here as well. Replicas are very personal for each person who creates them, and that’s what we have here. But their existence, as we’ve seen, is fragile. The first book shows us Nao literally come back from the dead. The second book runs along a similar track, but that track pulls into a very different station.

So yeah, I’m still bad about not spoiling things. Suffice it to say, if you loved the first, you will love the second. Also, unlike the first, there’s a VERY nasty cliffhanger here. And we’ve got to wait till spring for the next book. (paces around)

The Trials and Tribulations of My Next Life As a Noblewoman: Married and Off to the Frontier!

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By Kamihara and Shiro46. Released in Japan as “Tensei Reijo to Sūki na Jinsei o” by Hayakawa Shobo. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Hengtee Lim.

This was a title I’d been waiting for with great anticipation. I’d heard about it before it was licensed, as people on Twitter were discussing this series as “Oh my God… oh my God!” and noting not to get too attached to anyone in the cast. It’s also by Hayasaka Publishing, and one thing I’ve learned about them is that when they go into a common genre, like isekai/reincarnation books, there’s a very good reason and the book is going to be something else. Fortunately, all my anticipations were met with a remarkable book. Now, that’s not to say that it’s FUN… though there are a few moments of humor sprinkled throughout (notably our heroine trying to “invent” things from modern Japan and failing time and again). But it’s a fascinating read, with a great heroine. Just… be aware it’s a bit dark. There’s rape, there’s death, there’s torture (offscreen). The trials and tribulations in the deliberately bland title are no joke.

Trying to summarize this 554-page book is a bit ridiculous, but… Karen, our heroine, has been reincarnated from Japan as a noble girl, and spends the first 14 years of her life living happily. Then it comes out she’s the product of an affair, and she’s disowned. So, she goes to school to try to get a job… only to find, near graduation, no one will hire her as they know her past. Then she’s taken back into the family!… as her sister is now the King’s concubine, and had Karen being reinstated as one of her demands before she agreed to it. Now Karen’s a noble again… and is offered a choice. Either marry a gorgeous, handsome knight. Or marry a 63-year-old dude who lives out in the middle of nowhere. Karen, naturally, picks… the old man?

The whole book is like this. Another reason that people might be wary of it is that if you dislike plot twists, this book is poison to you. They come about every ten pages. Every time Karen was forced to return to the capital from her new home in the country, I cringed, because bad stuff always met her there. Her new husband, as it turns out, already has a common-law wife, but that suits Karen fine, she did not marry him to have kids or anything. As for the other choice, unsurprisingly given the cover art, he keeps turning up, and it rapidly becomes clear from their conversations that they’re perfect for each other (Karen describes them both as “odd”, which is a massive understatement. Everyone thinks Karen is a weirdo.) Unfortunately, it turns out (surprise!) that Reinald has his own secrets, and they’re big secrets.

There’s other characters I liked, such as the classic “young perky loyal maid”, and the Margrave’s common-law wife Emma, who has the patience of a saint but also does not want to get involved. This is one of those books that I recommend reading in chunks rather than all at once, but it’s rewarding. Also, feel relieved: J-Novel Club made a deal with the publisher to cut the next book in half, so the 2nd book, Part 1, will be a more sensible length. Which is good, as it means it’s coming faster, and I really want to read more about Karen, who is an odd combination of seemingly sensible but actually quite daring.

The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 13

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By Natsu Hyuuga and Touko Shino. Released in Japan as “Kusuriya no Hitorigoto” by Hero Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Kevin Steinbach.

It had to come sometime. The Apothecary Diaries has finally given us a short story volume. Well, sort of. This is not exactly the “we collected all the bookstore-exclusive stories and bunched them in a book” volume we see from other light novel series. The stories detail the main cast’s return to the rear palace after a year away in the West, what has happened in their absence, and what’s going to happen going forward. With one exception right at the very end, Maomao is not the POV character for any of these stories, which makes them unique. That said, Maomao certainly inhabits a lot of the narrative, and the ending of the 12th volume, which saw her finally coming to terms with what she and Jinshi have going on between them and showing it physically, turns out to be something that absolutely everyone can see written all over their faces. Which means… well, it means a lot more go stones have to be set in motion, as a Jinshi/Maomao pairing could be deadly if not handled properly.

The stories, which can sometimes stretch over multiple chapters: 1) Lahan has to deal with a hanging corpse found in Lakan’s chambers, which is made to look like a suicide but it’s soon clear isn’t; 2) Jinshi meets up with the Emperor and Empress, and is told that the rumbles over Gyokuyou’s son being the WRONG kind of future emperor have only been getting louder (it’s that red hair, you see); 3) Maamei has to deal with her sister-in-law returning from the west permanently injured, and her brother being far too attached to a duck, which is not a metaphor for former consort Lishu at all; 4) Yao and En’en still have not left Lahan’s residence, much to the irritation of everyone except Yao, who clearly has a crush on him. This ends up possibly getting solved by 5) the return of Lahan’s brother, and the demise of the best running gag in the series. 6) Maomao catches up on things at Verdigris House, including a shocking change; 7) Maomao is called to meet Ah-Duo, who has heard the rumors about her relationship with Jinshi and has a few things to say; 8) Jinshi invites Maomao to his residence so their love can finally be consummated… or at least that’s what everyone except Jinshi assumes.

The stories build up to the big climax (or rather, lack of climax) of the ending, in which Maomao is nervous but ready but Jinshi has not yet emotionally or politically prepared himself for the consequences of this relationship. It’s probably for the best they wait a bit more. Elsewhere, I was as startled as Maomao to hear that Meimei is no longer in the brothel, having been bought out by the Go champion we saw in previous books. We don’t even see her in this volume, which is bad in that she was the one Princess we got the most development for, but also good as it means Joka, the one we knew the least about, gets a spotlight, where we see she’s worrying about her future and wants to forget about her past, something which might be harder than it appears. I was relieved to see Chue has stuff to do here, and will not be written out anytime soon, mostly as she’s become my second favorite after Maomao herself. Best of all, though, is the way that the “Yao has a crush on Lahan” plotline, which every character hated and so did I, is resolved. It’s resolved so simply I’m amazed I never thought about it. And what’s more, despite the demise of the running gag I mentioned before (we now know his real name), it lives on! (he still can’t use it, because spoilers).

I assume with Vol. 14 we’ll be back to Maomao POV, and probably a lot more political backstabbing and murder. Till then, this is a great way to handle a short story collection.

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: My Hotshot Disciples Are All Grown Up Now, and They Won’t Leave Me Alone, Vol. 5

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By Shigeru Sagazaki and Tetsuhiro Nabeshima. Released in Japan as “Katainaka no Ossan, Kensei ni Naru: Tada no Inaka no Kenjutsu Shihan Datta noni, Taisei Shita Deshitachi ga Ore o Hōttekurenai Ken” by SQEX Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Hikoki.

It’s always difficult to figure out how far you can take your self-effacing hero, and how long you can drag things out before readers start to get annoyed. J-Novel Club seems to specialize in these sorts of guys, actually, and Beryl is the newest of them. Veight from Der Werwolf may claim that he’s just a simple vice-commander, but by the end of the series he’s so OP that he can’t even pass the torch to his daughter properly, the narrative weight is too big. Allen from Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter certainly has the most actual reasons for his attitude, but he also has the most number of people aggressively trying to change it. Our hero here is not nearly as advanced as those two, content with taking out the occasional ludicrously dangerous monster and stopping the odd conspiracy to overthrow the government. But he’s still just a drab, boring old man. Anyone could do what he does… right?

Beryl gets a letter from home. His parents are asking him to come home for a few weeks, as it’s time for the annual “let’s go into the mountains and cull the dangerous fantasy boars that inhabit it so they don’t overrun the village”. They also want him to take Mewi, so they can meet their new daughter. Beryl isn’t sure Mewi would want to go to a backwater village with a boring old man like him, but she seems to accept immediately. Funny, that. Also coming along are second-in-command of the knights Henblitz, who states that he wants to see the sort of place that can easily cull dangerous beasts every year without asking for help. And somehow Beryl’s old student Yotsuba invites herself along, as when she was at the dojo she never did this, having run off to join the knights before she had the opportunity. That said, the lingering question is… will his parents harass him again about getting married?

The answer to that is no, mostly. They don’t confront Beryl directly, but instead buttonhole Henblitz, asking him if there are any women in Beryl’s orbit. Possibly missing the really obvious reaction Yotsuba had when asked if she’s Beryl’s new wife. And also missing that Henblitz is also a clueless guy married to his job. The fight against the saberboars is pretty much what you’d expect – there’s a really big one that Beryl has to defeat, and he does so. We’re not here for that (though we do get to see more of Yotsuba’s ludicrous strength again, which is really, really ludicrous – she also provides the only fanservice in the book when she dives in a river and her clothes get sheer for the illustration). But we’re here for what happens at the very end of the book – Beryl fights his dad, and wins, and his dad forces him to admit that he’s now stronger than him. I could have some words with dad about his bringing up Beryl leading to this, but I am hoping that Beryl can now move forward and perhaps accept the fact that he’s hot stuff. And perhaps notice the hot girls throwing themselves at him.

So this was a pretty good volume in a decent series… hrm? Oh, I’m being told that Yotsuba’s name is actually Curuni? And not Yotsuba. Not sure why I keep making that mistake. Anyway, next time we’re back in the city, and judging by the cover, back to Girl #1 getting the focus.

Earl and Fairy: Requiem for a Goddess

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By Mizue Tani and Asako Takaboshi. Released in Japan as “Hakushaku to Yōsei” by Shueisha Cobalt Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Alexandra Owen-Burns.

After the short story volume form last time, this book storms back with a vengeance, as if it’s determined to start actually resolving things. Are we getting near the end of Earl and Fairy? Hardly – we’re just over a quarter of the way – but we are at last allowed to actually resolve a few plot points and move forward others that have been simmering in the background since the first book. If you’ve been waiting for Raven to do more than be Edgar’s sounding board and occasionally attack random minor villains, I have some good news for you, as Raven and Ermine’s past is explored a lot more thoroughly here. The bad news is that this means that Raven spends a lot of the book as the damsel in distress, with a healthy dash of mind control as well. Now, you might think that it’s better that this happen to the relatively strong Raven rather than Lydia again. That’s the bad news. She’s damseled again, and it’s mostly her own fault.

There’s a serial killer murdering people around London Bridge, and Edgar is investigating, especially after a piece of green stone is found in the mouth of one of the victims. Meanwhile, I’m sorry to tell you, but everyone’s favorite revolving door traitor, Ermine, has run off again, after Raven confronts her about a green diopside stone that she seems determined to keep away from him, and which is tied to their past. Meanwhile, a student of Lydia’s father, Ulya, has appeared, telling her that her father is ill. Lydia accepts this and runs off to see him… and is captured, leading to her needing to be rescued, which leads to Raven being captured. Oh, and she’s abducted by Kelpie. Again. Twice. She’s really having a bad day.

This is a book with very little humor in it. Ulysses appears briefly, but we also see The Prince (or one of his body doubles), and if he’s meant to be a sort of evil Bertie (later Edward VII), it works pretty well. We get a fuller description of Raven and Ermine’s past with Edgar, which also means we hear about her being raped in front of Edgar just to upset him. As for Lydia and Edgar’s romance, things get off to a rocky start, but for once the “being an idiot about things” is tilted more towards the Lydia end of the scales, as Edgar is on good behavior here, having realized that he genuinely does have to treat Lydia differently if he wants to marry her. As for Lydia, she admits that she’s in love with Edgar, and while she won’t say this out loud to him yet, she at least agrees to marry him. Sort of. It’s a cliffhanger ending of sorts, after she’s abducted for the THIRD time in the book. Those kooky kids…

By now I hope everyone knows this is a series with a small but dedicated fanbase, and this volume hits all the right notes if you are in that fanbase.

True Love Fades Away When the Contract Ends: Music of the Flower Gardens and Heaven

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By Kosuzu Kobato and Fumi Takamura. Released in Japan as “Unmei no Koibito wa Kigen Tsuki” by Maple Novels. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Sarah Moon. Adapted by Max Machiavelli.

Last time I wondered if this (at the time) standalone book would be getting any more volumes. With this second one it’s very clear that the series is in it for the long haul, or at least the relatively long haul of a shoujo webnovel (the online version is about five volumes total). One way you can tell this is the case is that the ending of this volume is very unsatisfactory as a standalone. There is a conspiracy to replace the heir to the throne with a more amenable person, and that fails, with the politician behind it punished appropriately. But honestly, the reader has not cared much about that, and it always feels remote and irrelevant. What we care about is Fiona and Giles. And it has to be said, at the end of this volume they’re acting like Fiona is no longer under threat of being murdered if she goes out in the streets anymore, and I’m wondering… why? Because our bad guy is still the big bad guy.

Fiona has caught a rapscallion trying to steal her purse!… who turns out to actually be the one responsible for all the forgeries that have been floating around. He’s mad at Fiona because her catching the fact that that painting was a fake means he was summarily dismissed by Gordon, and is essentially now a street rat. That also means he’s a valuable witness, though, especially because, while identifying another fake, Fiona and Giles discover the fakes have planted evidence urging a rebellion against the crown… and they’re all being bought by the crown prince’s allies. Someone is trying to upend this country and foment rebellion. Is it the stuffy politician who is the leader of the opposition? Or is it the guy that Fiona shamed in the first book, who seems to be trying to ruin her in a much more dramatic way?

Fear not, the romance between Fiona and Giles is still very much at the forefront… well, as much as it can be at this point. Fiona is falling for Giles but doesn’t realize it, and keeps reminding herself that this is fake. Giles has fallen for Fiona and admitted it, but she’s still just a baron’s daughter, so he has a long way to go before he can make it reality. And he also has to get her to realize his feelings, which would involve… telling her. Can’t have that. The really surprising scene in this volume is meeting Giles’ father, who has always been cold and aloof with him, and finding, like a lot of dads in these shoujo romance novels, that he’s cold and aloof mostly as he’s bad at feelings, and that he actually is looking out for Giles in his own way. As for Fiona, well, she still loves art first, her uncle second, and Giles a distant third.

Still, a side story suggests her own engagement, which is currently “on hold”, might be falling apart naturally. At least I can be more confident there’s a third volume coming, if only as the bad guy got away. A solid volume.

Housekeeping Mage from Another World: Making Your Adventures Feel Like Home!, Vol. 8

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

It’s been over a year since we saw the last volume of this series, so I was already struggling to recall what happened in the last book. For the author to them spring a major supporting character we had not seen since the first volume might be just a bit mean. But it ended up being a really good subplot, so I will forgive them. Honestly, this author is pretty good at mapping out the past, present and future of this world. We’ve gotten most of the past already, and we get another big chunk in the side story that ends this volume. The present, as always, is what’s taking forever, as all of the things that Alec and Shiori have to do at the end of the last book… they still need to do. And we get glimpses of the future all through this book, as we’re starting to see the “little did they know that in twenty years” narrative device used by authors who see an ending in sight.

Having finally gotten together with Alec *and* confessed about all of her past (including being from Japan), Shiori is now ready to move forward, which means teaching the other adventurers and mages in the city about her housekeeping magic. It’s harder than it seems, as most of them are either dealing with having to hold back or else simply never having had the imagination to think about such things. All these mages have is hammers, and Shiori is teaching them all the other ways to solve a problem besides nails. Unfortunately, her class is interrupted by a nearby avalanche, and they head to a nearby village to help… only to find that there’s also a magical beat on the loose… one that may have been engineered by the Empire.

So yeah, I wasn’t expecting to see Vivi again, mostly as I had completely forgotten about Vivi. Remember when those three girls abused Shiori back at the start of the series? And she used illusion magic to terrify them so badly that two fled back home and one ended up dead? Well, Vivi is one of the ones who fled back home, she’s had a heaping helping of humility, and she wants to apologize to Shiori, who graciously accepts it. (Of course she does. Were you expecting something else?) The interesting thing is that we them have Vivi attending Shiori’s housekeeping mage class, and also following to help with the avalanche. The extended focus on her POV not only allows us to see the depths of how much she actually has changed, but also demonstrates the dangers of using magic the same way every time (her left hand can now barely use magic since she always casts with her right) as well as how apologizing doesn’t always solve everything – the rest of the group are very reluctant to approve of her till after the disaster, when her actions help demonstrate what her words didn’t. I was very pleased with her entire subplot.

Will Alec and Shiori be any closer to marrying next time? Or will the building of the magic academy (oh no, not a magic academy!) take up all its time? Fortunately, we won’t have to wait another 14 months to find out – the next volume is out in the spring.

The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold to Another Kingdom, Vol. 1

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By Fuyutsuki Koki and Masami. Released in Japan as “Kanpeki Sugite Kawaige ga Nai to Konyaku Haki Sareta Seijo wa Ringoku ni Urareru” by Overlap Novels f. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Tiffany Lim. Adapted by Shaenon K. Garrity.

This one really took me by surprise. The first, oh, forty pages or so read like Saint by Numbers, frankly. We’ve read this story before. Our heroine, who is fantastic at magic and smart and pretty but perhaps overly serious, is shunned by her fiance the prince, and exiled from the kingdom – in this case, literally sold to another kingdom for cash. When she arrives at her new homeland, she’s rather stunned to find that everyone there is treating her nicely, happy to see her, and urging her to take breaks and enjoy herself. Something that, well, she’s not particularly good at, as she grew up as the abused eldest daughter you almost always see in these sorts of books. We also hear about the youngest daughter, also a Saint, who supposedly loves her sister, but is now going to end up with the prince instead. Uh uh, I thought. Cue evil sister. Oh, how delightfully wrong I was.

For the summary of the start of the book, see above. Philia is somewhat horrified by this, but having been raised since birth to have almost no sense of self-worth, she quietly goes along with it. That said, Philia is only one of the two protagonists in this book. Back in her old country, Mia, the younger sister, is equally horrified to hear that (according to everyone else, that is) Philia chose to run off to another country, leaving Mia as the sole Saint. What’s more, after a brief period of being devastated by his fiancee leaving him that lasts about three days, the prince is now proposing to Mia instead. She suspects something is rotten in the state of Denmark, and decides to play detective to figure out what’s really going on. (Hint: treason.)

So yes, the big reveal is that Mia is not only the co-protagonist but just as likeable as her sister. Mia was raised in a family of love, separated from her older sister (we find out why later), and is relatively well-adjusted, so is definitely the one to be trying to investigate the potential multiple assassinations happening around her. Philia, meanwhile, is “dull, unfriendly, and far too serious”, according to the prince, and he’s not really far off. She was raised in a household without love, her education ranged from strict to ludicrous, and basic human decency baffles her, to the point where she’s poleaxed when people tell her not to immediately go out and save the country but take a day to rest. And honestly, for the best she didn’t, as it turns out Philia is better suited to save the entire WORLD.

This isn’t perfect – as always with this genre, the evil nobles are cartoonishly evil, and Philia’s two potential romantic interests seem to be there only because this genre always has two princes both in love with the Saint. But its main conceit is terrific (it’s getting an anime in April), and even though it seemingly wrapped everything up in the first book, I’ll read Book 2, which doubtless will focus more on those romantic loose ends.

The Dorky NPC Mercenary Knows His Place, Vol. 2

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By Toryuu and hamm. Released in Japan as “Kimo Ota Mob Yōhei wa, Mi no Hodo o Wakimaeru” by Overlap Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Josh DM.

As I started to get near the end of this second novel, I began to wonder if the author is actually interested in any of the fanservice or romance in it at all. I know this might be a surprise given that the cover of this volume looks like the title of the series is “That Ass Knows Its Place”, but there’s a lot less thirst for our dorky hero this time around, with the obvious exception of Fialka, the designated tsundere and lead girl. But most of the sexy in this book is entirely down to the artwork rather than the plot and characters, John still has zero interest in anyone, and the author states in an afterword that they got into an argument with the editor about how robotic Shelly the maid should look. (The author lost, and passes it off as editorial making the right decision, but still…) In the end, if you want a harem look elsewhere. This is about space battles. 9-to-5 workaday space battles.

John (and it feels weird to use that name, given that it only appears three times in the entire book and everyone else has space names) is doing his usual thing, taking jobs once he knows that they’re not inherently dangerous, keeping his head down, avoiding nobility (with little to no success there), and being very, very good at what he does. He’s helped by a new guild receptionist who will not treat him like a creep or scum, and she’s a gorgeous young… woman? No, wait, really pretty young man. Never mind. He’s good at his job, though, which not only John but also the recently disgraced “hero” appreciate. And he’s got plenty of work, as there are more and more pirates, and more and more mercs are being hired to help take care of them.

Once again, the series’ main draw is how good it is at validating its hero’s mindset towards his life and job. Even the other characters are admitting he has a point about staying a knight and not getting involved. Partly as there are more jobs you CAN’T turn down when you get promoted, but mostly as almost every noble in this entire series seems to be some variation of “sack of shit”, and they all seem to run into John and hate him personally. It’s not clear if they recognize him from his famous past, or if they’re just like “portly guy who’s not gorgeous like everyone else in this universe, must be someone I can bully”, but it does make me wonder if the author has a bit of an agenda. Not that I mind all that much. The space battles here are pretty good, the girls who seem to revolve around him are, with one exception, nice enough, and the exception is comedy relief.

So, like the first book, this isn’t great, but it’s good, and the setting interests me. I’ll keep on trucking.

Re: ZERO ~Starting Life in Another World~ Short Story Collection, Vol. 2

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By Tappei Nagatsuki and Shinichirou Otsuka. Released in Japan as “Re: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu: Tanpenshuu” by MF Bunko J. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Sarah Moon.

The first volume of the Re: Zero short stories was supplemented by some stories written directly for the volume. Unfortunately, that appears to be a one-off, as the volumes from this one going forward consist entirely of stories from Monthly Comic Alive. This volume came out near the end of the third arc, between Books 8 and 9, but is still entirely concerned with that period after the second arc, with every story happening around Roswaal’s mansion. The stories themselves appeared between July 2014 and July 2015, which is to say around the start of the third arc. Why am I writing so much about trivia like this? Because this is still a short story book in the end, and there’s a limited amount of things they can do to affect canon and be important characterization, especially given they’re all “buy in a manga magazine” stories. That said… this is a lot of fun, and should be greatly enjoyable for Re: Zero fans.

There are six stories here. 1) After the events of Liliana’s visit, the mansion’s residents are horrified to discover that Emilia is tone-deaf, and try to teach her how to sing; 2) Subaru accidentally uses Ram’s special medicinal tea that she needs to help her mana, and now he, Ram, and Puck have to go into the forest to get the dangerous ingredients required to make it again; 3) Subaru asks if there are ghosts in this world, and discovers that some of the residents of the mansion may fear them (they’re “hollows” here. He decides to use the Japanese “divination” game of kokkuri to have some fun; 4) Trying to get sedentary Beatrice to be more active, Subaru bets her that he can catch her in a game of tag played around the mansion. Beatrice accepts, but forgets how cunning Subaru cam be; 5) The mansion is freezing over due to Puck needing to get rid of his magic, and Subaru decides to help him along by holding a snow festival in the village; 6) Subaru finds a stash of alcohol under a trapdoor, and Roswaal gives permission to host a party with it, since in this world Subaru is old enough to drink.

The last two stories were adapted into an OAV of the anime, and it’s easy to see why, as they lend themselves very well to that sort of thing. Last time I talked about how odd it was to read about the “original” Rem from Arc 3 after all the time we’ve spent (in North America) with her in a coma. This one reminded me that I’ve gotten spoiled by the Emilia of the 5th and 6th arcs, who’s gotten herself together and is kicking ass. This is a return to the old, naive and somewhat goofy Emilia, which isn’t as cool but I will admit can be funnier; Emilia with Mr. Bucket may be the comedic highlight of the book. Most of these are downtime stories, with little danger. The second story has Subaru step off a cliff and get menaced by monsters, but honestly he was more in danger from Ram’s sarcasm there than anything else. Likewise, the danger of potentially dying of the cold in the 5th story is hilariously undercut by Subaru pointing that that Puck has to “fart out all that mana”. This stays on the funny rather than heartwarming side of the scale, though the final scene with Subaru and Beatrice is sweet.

For obsessives only, but it’s great the obsessives finally have a chance to buy it.

Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden, Vol. 5

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By Umikaze Minamino and Katana Canata. Released in Japan as “Kyōran Reijō Nia Liston: Byōjaku Reijō ni Tenseishita Kami-goroshi no Bujin no Kareinaru Musō Roku” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by okaykei.

Last time I asked for less of Nia hitting things, and that’s what I got – Nia’s antics being super overpowered are confined to the final quarter of her part of the book (the last fifth of the book is a short story starring Fressa), and most of the rest of it is devoted to what I’m actually here for, which is the magivision stuff. Admittedly, I’m more worried about Nia on that front. After the first couple of books talked about her programs, each successive one has cared about them less and less, which this fifth book in the series only noting that she’s filming a lot and that it makes her tired. It’s even pointed out point blank that Reliared and Hildetaura are having far more popular shows and are coming up with far more innovative ideas. Nia briefly worries about it, and thinks they need to come up with some ideas in her own domain, but then goes back to earning cash. Maybe her “downfall” is due to low ratings.

The start of this book has Nia hired by the second prince to film the wedding of Zackford and Phyledia, so that he can better show off the strengths of magivision to his kingdom. This requires a ridiculous amount of prep, as filming is still brand new, so there’s all sorts of rules to follow and contracts to sign. It ends up coming off perfectly, though. Back at school there’s now a junior magivision club, which our heroine is not a member of, but her advice is sought out when it turns out that their ideas and actual filming experience are subpar. She also continues to train her underlings in chi… and is very angry when she finds out that one underling has been training others without her permission. Finally, she’s accosted by space pirates, which allows her to do the overpowered Nia Liston things that are increasingly difficult to hide as being her own invention and not her “master”.

It will not surprise folks that I find the quiet character moments in this book more interesting than child whupass time. The best scene in the book is when Nia takes the newlyweds into a side room so that she can show them the magivision video they spent the previous day flying all over to record – greetings from all their family and friends who were unable to attend the wedding. They’re brought to a side room as Nia knows they’ll cry and she doesn’t want that to be public. It’s very sweet. We also meet new supporting players who I suspect will get more to do later, but I did like the surly punk-looking one who, after observing the art of magivision, realizes that not only does this actually interest him but he could probably be really good at it. We’ve all had those “eureka” moments when we find something that we love and can achieve. It’s nice to see here as well.

Is Nia still marching slowly towards her doom? Is her doom a late-night cable magivision show where she sells pocket fisherman and veg-o-matics? Is this the era of Nia Popeil? Probably not, as long as she can keep punching things.

Adachi and Shimamura: Short Stories

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By Hitoma Iruma and raemz. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Molly Lee. Adapted by Emlyn Dornemann.

I wasn’t really expecting a lot out of this short story volume. The stories are, with one exception, microstories, ranging from half a page to about 6-7 pages, and feel like the sort of bonus you’d get if you bought the book in a certain store (they probably were). But they’re laid out cleverly if that is the case, thematically giving the book a weight and progression it might not otherwise deserve. We see Shimamura finally expressing herself in ways she really never has before, we are taken once again into the deep, deep, drowning waters of Adachi’s obsessive love, and we even get a short story from the point of view of Yashiro, which honestly reads more like she’s an AI than an alien. But the last quarter of the book is one story, from the POV of Adachi’s mother, and it’s both the most interesting and the hardest to read. Our heroines are very, very much like their mothers, and that’s both good and bad.

The first third of the book is the closest to the normal series, as it’s all from Shimamura’s POV, showing her hanging out in the gym with Adachi around the start of the series, several stories after they’ve become a couple, and a few stories of her office life after they’ve gotten an apartment together. The second third is Adachi’s POV, which is much the same only it’s a lot pricklier and more desperate, both in a good and bad way, and also shows us Adachi’s idea of heaven, which is kind of sweet but also very worrying. After a few stories from the POV of various side characters (but not Hino and Nagafuji, who are absent from this collection), the final story, a full quarter of the book, has Shimamura’s mother dragging Adachi’s mother to a “sleepover” with both their families, which turns out to be an attempt to have Adachi and her mother try one last time to communicate with each other.

The Shimamura stories were adorable, honestly. They have a healthy dollop of Yashiro, as you’d expect, but for the most part what you get out of them is that Shimamura has come to terms with loving Adachi, and she’s extremely soppy about it. Adachi’s stories are less interesting except for one, where she finds herself in a black and white cityscape where every person in the world is a teenage Shimamura. It’s said that this is Adachi’s idea of heaven, and she does not dispute it – she thinks of this as the goal after her life, an afterlife where she can care about only Shimamura with literally no one else. It’s eerie, but shows the bottomless depths of her love. As for the story with Adachi’s mother, it’s painful to read. She confesses to Shimamura’s mother that she finds interaction exhausting as it’s hard to “read the room and manage all their feelings”, which Shimamura’s mother boggles at, wondering why she bothers to do that. The story ends with Adachi’s mother giving her daughter the only advice she feels she can: “please don’t turn out like I did”. Chilling, but compelling.

So yeah, this is still a series by Hitoma Iruma, meaning I recommend it, with reservations.