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Reviews

Lucia and the Loom: Weaving Her Way to Happiness, Vol. 2

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By Hisaya Amagishi and Esora Amaichi. Released in Japan as “Fukushokushi Lucia wa Akiramenai: Kyō kara Hajimeru Kōfuku Keikaku” by MF Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by A.M. Cola.

Dahlia, the protagonist of the main series, and Lucia, the protagonist of this spinoff, are on the face of it not all that alike. Aside from their tendency to deflect all achievements away from them, that is. Dahlia is reserved, while Lucia tends more towards the firey. But it is interesting how both the main series and its spinoff are pushing their respective protagonists into very similar situations. Dahlia keeps coming up with wonderful, insane inventions that will change their entire nation, and as a result is rapidly heading towards a future where she’d better be married and protected, or else she absolutely will be kidnapped. Lucia’s clothing designs are not as revolutionary (though the opera house in this volume may disagree), but her leadership skills and ability to inspire are absolute gold, and she too had better get married soon – she’s already starting to suffer kidnapping attempts.

The first chunk of this book follows the earlier Dahlia plotlines, as we see the debut of the cloth that basically has its own built-in air conditioner. Lucia and her staff have to work out where to best place the cloth, how to deal with those who are ticklish, etc. Lucia is also busy learning about nobility, and what not to say when a noble says something that seems innocent but isn’t. The latter half ot eh book is more along the lines of the latter half of the first, with Lucia running into various people and helping them with fashion/outfits, as well as sometimes being a big ol’ ball of sunshine. We also meet Forto’s attendant Lotta, who is an attendant who is also a blighted (sound familiar), but none of that matters to Lucia, who is great at getting people to come out of their shells. No wonder the “who will Lucia end up with?” sweepstakes are a lot more open than Dahlia’s.

Last time we saw a lot of teasing of a potential relationship with Forto, which is pretty bittersweet given that we’ve read later volumes of Dahlia and see her rejecting him. We’re starting to see a few other alternatives here. Such as Dante, her right-hand man, who is also dealing with trying to put off marriage proposals so he can concentrate on his work, and who is straight up told “do not let her get away” by his grandmother. Or Lotto, Forto’s attendant, who is pretty much given a plotline in this book that’s the equivalent of the sun coming out behind Lucia’s head while heavenly choirs play in the background. Speaking of attendants, Lucia’s found her Mr. Sunset, though he’s deflected it so that she’s not aware. That said, the main thing blocking any of these is Lucia herself, who (in a book that once again tries to be very progressive about gender and sexuality) seems to be demisexual, and has not found anyone she’s that emotionally close to yet.

The main Dahlia series is stalled over here while it finds a new translator, the previous one having stepped down, but we’re getting a third Lucia book soon. Will it catch up with the main series? Can we somehow get Lucia connected to a noble without her managing to avoid it? And will the clothing still be gorgeous? Signs point to yes on that last one.

The Legendary Witch Is Reborn As an Oppressed Princess, Vol. 1

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By Touko Amekawa and Kuroyuri. Released in Japan as “Shiitagerareta Tsuhō Ōjo wa, Tensei Shita Densetsu no Majo deshita” by Overlap Novels f. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Kashi Kamitoma.

Generally speaking, unless it’s a super-famous author I recognize immediately, I tend not to look at who’s written what else until after I’ve read an initial volume of a book. Usually it allows me to be surprised, and that’s definitely the case with this series, which it turns out is written by an author far more famous for the 7th Time Loop series, which recently got an anime. She’s actually got a number of series going at the same time on her Narou page, and this one seems to have been started a few months after 7th Time Loop. I’ll say straight up it’s not quite as good as that series, but it’s still a very decent start. I will say, and I’m sure that it was just as obvious in the Japanese, if not more so, the lead girl talks with a childish “Elmer Fudd” style lisp. If seeing textual accents bothers you, beware. It’s all over this book.

The opening of the book is absolutely dynamite, as Claudia wakes up to the memories of her previous life – by being pushed out of a high window by her evil uncle. She remembers that she used to be Lady Adelheid, the most powerful witch of legend. Sadly, she’s now Princess Claudia, who theoretically was found to have no magic, and so for the 6 years of her life she was put in a tower and abused. Now that she remembers who she was, she stops herself from hitting the ground – with magic. Turns out the “found to have no magic” thing was faked by the Queen Consort, who was angling for power. Claudia decides to wander into the forest to find a pet, having decided, in this new life, to live as she pleases. What she finds is a 9-year-old kid who has a curse that’s slowly killing him. A curse she is very familiar with…

This is a solid series. Claudia at first seems a bit blase and overly perfect, but as the book goes on and we learn more about her past it becomes clear why she’s acting this way – and why she’s determined to push Noah, the boy she saved, away. There’s a lot of people introduced who are set up as antagonists in an “oh look, it’s another evil noble” or “goody, another spoiled brat”, but who turn out to have better sides to them if you dig hard enough. Well, except for the Queen Consort. And possibly the King, who doesn’t necessarily have a nicer side to him, but is certainly very calculating and rapidly realizes that Claudia is someone he wants to find out more about. Too bad she wants to avoid him as much as possible. The relationship between Claudia and Noah is cute, and manages to avoid being romantic in a weird way, despite her being an 19-year-old in a 6-year-old body and him being 9.

So this was a good start. Recommended – Sorry, Wecommended – to 7th Time Loop readers and fans of smug OP witches.

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You: Secret Love Story

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By Hamubane, Rikito Nakamura and Yukiko Nozawa. Released in Japan as “Kimi no Koto ga Dai Dai Dai Dai Daisuki na 100-nin no Kanojo Bangai Koimonogatari: Secret Love Story” by JUMP j BOOKS. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Kim Morrissy. Adapted by Kathleen Townsend.

This review is dedicated to Nicholas Dupree, who would have loved this book. It’s time for CULTURE, folks!

I was a bit worried when I saw this was announced. 100 Girlfriends is, after all, very much a product of its medium. And, as is the case with all light novels that are spinoffs of Jump titles, even if they’re Young Jump titles, I knew it would be written by someone else. The question is, would the light novel have all of the things that we love about the source? The over the top humor, the breaking of the fourth wall, going way too far to the point of putting off its audience a bit, but above all being a wonderfully romantic story about one of the best polycules out there? The good news is that it has all of that. The bad news is it has ALL of that. Be aware, for fans only.

As you can tell by the eight girls on the cover (plus Rentaro – his first cover!), this book is meant to take place sometime between the 4th and 5th volume of the manga. Sorry, Iku fans. It’s a nested short story collection – five “main” short stories with the entire cast, and four 2-3 page short stories featuring two of the girls bonding. The girl pairings are the three you’d expect, plus Kusuri and Kurumi. As for the main stories: 1) Rentaro spends 30 hours dating each and everyone one of his eight girls, till they force him to sleep; 2) An alien possesses Nano to try to learn about the “emotional energy” that the cast possesses; 3) The vice-principal drinks a drug that makes her turn into a kaiju, and Rentaro and his girlfriends must get into a Giant Rentaro Robot that Hahari has prepared to battle her; 4) The cast end up in the world of Circlet Love Story, and when they accidentally break it, they have to work hard to make sure events unfold as the book says; 5) Rentaro loses his memories of high school, and has no idea who any of his girlfriends are!

As with most short story collections, some are better than others. The giant robot story contains a lot I’m not a fan of with this series – it heavily features the vice-principal, and also leans a bit too much on the fetishes – if the word “diaper play” squicks you, feel free to skip this story. On the other hand, the Circlet Love Story short is fun, and benefits from being in Shizuru’s POV, showing that, in her own inner monologue, she’s quite loquacious. The best parts of the book, though, are the ones that are why we read the manga – Rentaro being the best boyfriend in the universe, all the girlfriends acting like their stereotypes but still being well-rounded, lots of fourth-wall breaking about the fact that this is a novel, and even a bit of the yuri some fans like – when Nano is possessed by an alien, no one notices except Rentaro… and Shizuru, who also spotted it. As for Hakari and Karane, let’s face it, they’re also a couple.

I think people picking up this book know it’s going to go too far – Hahari and Kusuri are still in it, after all. But it was fun to read, and I laughed out loud in several places. Also, Karane gets to use a hammer that’s as big as she is AND we get art of the same. Chef’s kiss.

An Introvert’s Hookup Hiccups: This Gyaru Is Head Over Heels for Me!, Vol. 8

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By Yuishi and Kagachisaku. Released in Japan as “Inkya no Boku ni Batsu Game de Kokuhaku Shitekita Hazu no Gal ga, Dō Mitemo Boku ni Beta Bore Des” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Satoko Kakihara.

I’ve talked before about how we, as the reader, are being driven absolutely mad by these two being both incredibly cute and incredibly horny at the same time, and yet somehow not even getting to kissing each other on the lips. Well, this volume is dedicated to the fact that we are not alone. It takes place almost entirely at the school, as it’s culture festival time, and everyone in the class is us, because all they can do is stare with their jaws dropped as Yoshin and Nanami do what they think is normal stuff that every couple does, and everyone else sees as the boldest, most shameless acts in the world. These two are in love with each other and it shows in everything they do, and frankly for high school kids that’s something to inspire jealousy. Which, well, probably explains the rumors that open the book…

There’s a rumor going round about Yoshin, and the rumor is that he has a harem. (Yeah, sorry, the idea of polycules is not a thing this series wants to deal with at all.) After all, not only does he have the incredibly hot Nanami as his named girlfriend, but he’s also hanging out with her two gorgeous best friends, AND he recently started hanging out with the class president, who also got a makeover just for him! What a player! This means that yes, Yoshin is dragged before the teachers as well, where he realizes the main reason that rumors like this gain traction: he’s only friends with girls. He needs to figure out a way to fix that. Before he can, though, it’s culture festival time, the class is doing a cosplay cafe, and Yoshin and Nanami are on the committee. Will they have time for the Best Couple Contest?

There are other things going on in this book, including an entire subplot about the class president and her tragic backstory, which turns out to be far more teenage than tragic. But for the most part we’re here for Yoshin and Nanami, and boy howdy does this book deliver on sweet romance. You’ll get diabetes. They discover the magic of falling asleep talking to each other on video call. Nanami wears a giant bunny suit to fake out the class, then shows off a playboy bunny outfit only for her boyfriend. Yoshin dresses up as a maid for the cosplay cafe, and everyone agrees that he looks really cute, much to his chagrin… but he’ll to anything for Nanami. The capper is the Couple Contest, when these two go above and beyond, essentially proposing to each other (again) and capping it off with the kiss we’ve been wanting to see. The whole book is there to make the reader go “squee!”.

The afterword promises the class trip next time. The cover of Vol. 9 has a sports festival, though, so buyer beware. Still buy it, though. This is the sweetest frosting around.

Ayakashi and the Fairy Tales We Tell Ourselves

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By Kosuzu Kobato and Meij. Released in Japan on the Shousetsuka ni Narou website. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by Dawson Chen.

This is one of those books that I probably would not have picked up if I didn’t already know the author. Kosuzu Kobato has basically never written anything I’d dislike, This is also complete in one volume, so it’s a good book to take a flyer on. And, unsurprisingly, I enjoyed it. The plot, though, actually ended up being a lot quieter than I expected. There were dark hints in this book that the heroine has bad ayakashi causing her harm (which leads to a reputation of being clumsy). There’s the heroine’s tragic past, as well as the hero’s tragic past. And there’s these weird ayakashi showing up away from the main house and acting, seemingly, menacing. It felt like it was building up to a big confrontation, or perhaps a kidnapping and rescue, or that sort of thing. But that’s not what happens here, and it’s not the point of the book. This book is about accepting your past, and it’s also about accepting that you don’t need to have your entire future mapped out by the time you’re fourteen years old.

Haruka has recently moved to the town, and is still settling in at school, though she has made two best friends. She’s a relatively shy, reserved person, and despite being exceptional at ballet and cooking she seems to regard herself as lacking in something. Then one day she runs into (literally) Ayako, a woman who was biking and not watching where she was going. Going back to her home to bandage Haruka’s scraped leg, she then runs into Takumi, who she doesn’t know but who clearly goes to her school. As the book goes on, and she stops by Ayako’s house more and more, it becomes apparent that she can see ayakashi, the mysterious spirits that litter the house. Takumi can see them too, and that fact has caused him grief throughout his life. Can these two damaged middle-schoolers be the best things that happened to each other?

This book sneaks up on you – it doesn’t really get into anything supernatural until about a quarter of the way in, and even then, the ayakashi end up being more of a spice than anything else – the book is solely about its two leads. Honestly, there were times when it felt like we were going to get more – Haruka’s childhood featured her being hospitalized, and the description of how it happened made me wonder if it was going to tie in with malevolent ayakashi impulsively seeking to harm her or something. But no, it was just a garden-variety horrible human thing. But that’s fine, as the book really excels in the two kids slowly recovering and looking forward to the future again. Haruka recalls her past, accepts it, and is able to move forward in being a blushing girl in love. Takumi realizes that despite everything that happened with his family, his father is trying to support him the best he can – he’s just horrible at emoting. The end of the book has them essentially becoming a couple without naming it as that, which fits the reserved tone.

It’s just a sweet little book. I wish there were more of it, but there isn’t. It’s a good read about some serious kids.

The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor, Vol. 6

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By Sasara Nagase and Mitsuya Fuji. Released in Japan as “Yarinaoshi Reijō wa Ryūtei Heika o Kōryaku-chū” by Kadokawa Beans Bunko. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by piyo.

As I write this, we are less than a day away from the premiere of the anime version of this series. As such, I wish to make it clear that I am well aware of the problematic nature of this series. We’ve discussed it before. The series opens with incest, and then it ends up hitting “I’m going to marry a ten-year-old”. It is the definition of “oh dear”. And I am here to tell you that the author is absolutely reveling in it. Given a chance to, say, have a timeskip, or perhaps move away from the incestuous kingdom, she instead insists on doubling down on everything. This volume in particular talks about how awkward it is for Jill to be eleven years old multiple times, and it also manages somehow to double the incest! Unfortunately… or, well, fortunately, to be honest… that does not double the fun. I can tell you that both plotlines are for plot-related reasons, and the plot is insidious, and REALLY wants war.

After the relative light-heartedness of the last volume, we’re bundled back into political intrigue at Jill and Hadis’ home base in this volume. There’s been a poor harvest, and the three dukes whose support Hadis need are 100% ready to throw Jill under the bus at a moment’s notice. They propose an impossible task – revive the Dragon Flower Crown Festival, something which will require the help of all the other consorts who stay at the Empress’ palace. Unfortunately, they’re all (well, almost all) trying to sabotage Jill – clearly at the behest of some mysterious party. Oh yes, and Jill has been getting mysterious love letters confessing to her and urging that she meet in the Garden of Resting Dragons… a place well known for adulterous affairs. There’s a mad old man setting traps in the Dragon Consort’s Palace (a place Jill didn’t even realize was there). Oh yes, and Minerd’s back, and totally not planning something evil.

It’s refreshing to see this series come back to “at any moment, history will revert and Jill will die” territory again. We’re not quite there yet, but we’re one step closer to war, thanks to the events near the end of this book, which lean heavily on the squickiest of the series’ plotlines and rub it in our faces. it’s chilling. As for the actual bad guy, well, they’re rather pathetic and sad, but that’s the point, and fits pretty well with everything that we’ve heard bfeore. Much better are the other consorts, who theoretically present an enemy that Jill simply can’t beat to submission with her fists. She is being forced to actually think politically and scheme… and then, when that doesn’t work, she beats them to submission with her fists. Jill does not quite shout “IT’S CLOBBERIN TIME!” once a volume, but it’s not for lack of trying.

After that nasty cliffhanger, it’s a good thing we’ve got the next volume coming s–what’s that? Short story volume? Sigh. Of course. In any case, please enjoy this series, which rampages through its problematic aspects with TINY FISTS.

Invaders of the Rokujouma!?, Vol. 45

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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.

After the events of Vol. 43 (44 being a SS volume), you will not be surprised to hear that this is a very serious affair. There’s almost no humor to be found, and even the romance, with the exception of Elfaria (who joins everyone else in the cast in trying to make it clear, but not TOO clear, that he’s the only one for her) is absent. The reason for this is that after the events of the last book, Koutarou is depressed and uncertain how to go forward. It’s a good reminder how little time this series has taken place in – we’re only about two years later here, and much as the girls are all cognizant of their own feelings and able to support each other, when it comes to the man they love they don’t have the fortitude to kick him in the ass, and have to leave it to Kenji, who of course can baseball it out of him. No one is quite mature enough to confidently be in a polycule revolving around one man just yet. Least of all the man.

We pick up just before the cliffhanger of the last book, as we see Ralgwin’s final moments before his soul is overwritten by Maxfern’s. He seems rather calm and accepting of this, and is apparently assuming that Koutarou will somehow save the day. Unfortunately, that point is not this volume. Koutarou, as I said before, starts off in a big funk, especially once Maxfern goes on live TV to declare war on the royal family and ask allies to join him. Now they need to avoid another war, and in order to do this have to infiltrate the enemy… which is a lot easier given that they’re bringing in a lot of new troops and staff. Unfortunately, they all fail to realize that Maxfern is, unlike every other villain we’ve seen in this book, someone who does not care about ANYONE. And that troops don’t necessarily have to be alive.

So yeah, I hate to break it to you, but once you take zombies out of the box, you really can’t put them back. That said, this is part of a new theme with this book. All our previous villains, be they Ralgwin, or Elexis, or even Darkness Rainbow, have all had someone that they care about and want to protect, in some way, shape or form. Their goals are not 100% genocidal. Maxfern is different. He died swearing vengeance, and he will get vengeance, no matter who dies or is left unhappy. The second half of the book sees our heroes infiltrate the e3nemy for clues, and they barely escape with their lives, because the villain doesn’t care about just throwing death at a problem until it goes away. It’s genuinely scary.

We get a cliffhanger suggesting Maxfern is going to attack the “smart girls” in the group – Clan, Kiriha, and Ruth – next time. Till then, this is still good, but it’s a bit less “fun”, per se.

The Villainess and the Demon Knight, Vol. 1

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By Nekota and Asahiko. Released in Japan as “Akuyaku Reijō to Kichiku Kishi” by Ichijinsha Melissa. Released in North America by Steamship. Translated by Christina Chesterfield. Adapted by Arisia Santiago.

A word of warning before we begin: this is a sexually explicit book – in fact, that’s pretty much the book’s main purpose. That said, I’m not going to be reviewing the sex writing. It’s fine, particularly if you are a fan of what I believe the kids today call “dubcon”. I will say that there is, in my opinion, a bit too much of it, though honestly there’s also a bit too much of the book in general. This book is 413 pages. It’s Loner Life sized. it’s Tanya the Evil sized. That’s possibly too much, especially since I’d estimate the writing of sex scenes by themselves take up one-third of that. That said, I enjoyed almost everything about the book when it wasn’t talking sex. The exception I’ll get to, but for the most part this is a fun and amusing cast, and has a “villainess” who is having trouble just keeping up with everything.

(Don’t like the cover, which is true to the way Cecelia is described, but also makes her look like she’s been broken.) You’ve seen this plot before. Cecelia Cline has been reincarnated in an otome game as the villainess. Unlike Catarina Claes (surely a coincidence those names are so similar), she barely has time to realize who she is before her fiance the second prince is publicly shaming her and announcing he now loves Mia, a girl of much lower station. And then suddenly Cecelia is sold off to a brothel! That was fast. What’s worse, her first customer is Lucas Herbst, a duke’s son and bodyguard for the Imperial Family. Lucas has purchased her for the entire night, and proceeds to spend it… well, you can guess how he spends it. Once we get through the sex, which starts on page 20 and goes to page 58, we start to get the actual plot, and learn – surprise – that not all is as it seems, and that Lucas and Cecelia may be a couple who have more between them than just really good sex.

The weakest part of this book is Lucas – even if I did like yandere guys, which I don’t really, he’s just less interesting in general, and doesn’t have enough soft, sweet moments to balance it out. Cecelia is pretty good – most of the book is her POV, and while a lot of it is “I am freaking out in my inner monologue” style narration, we do see that she’s working hard to become a good partner for Lucas – b oth in bed and outside it. The main thing I liked, though, was the rest of the Herbst household. Lucas’ siblings are all basic variations on “smug sarcastic asshole”, only they’re both good guys, so it’s fun. Best of all are the maids, who were also my favorite part of the manga when I read it. I love assassin-style maids, and these three are also firmly in Cecelia’s corner, and not afraid to remonstrate with Lucas when he goes too far. I hope for more of them if we see a second volume.

Yes, there are at least three more volumes to this, and it was decent enough for me to pick it up. I won’t be reading it for the sex, but the sex isn’t a reason not to get it, either. Just be aware that you’d better like that “Non-Consensual/Reluctance” tag.

A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life, Vol. 11

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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.

I’ve mostly given up on trying to make sure these reviews don’t repeat themselves. I can manage it with books where the plot is “awkward teens in love” or “Guy with a +2 Sword of Awesome and His Catgirl Maid Harem”, but this is one of those slow life books that genuinely IS a slow life book, and it doesn’t even have the decency of being a reincarnation or an isekai. This is a game, and the only reason we know that the series will eventually end is that Yuno took two weeks off his job just to play it all the time, and eventually those two weeks are gonna end and he will presumably go back to being a salaryman. The goal here is to find new awesome things to use in the game and cute things to gawk at in the game. Well, that and to rubberneck as Yuno ends up doing ridiculous bullshit without realizing it. Let’s face it, most light novels have the reader imagine they’re the hero. We can’t even. We’re one of the schlubs gushing about the hero.

Yes, that’s a new tamed monster on the cover. After leveling up the bit of the sacred tree that he planted at his farm, he finds it summons a demon… a demon who is immediately, and really easily, tamed. She’s called (of course) Lilith, and she’s just as goofy as she looks, but she also helps Yuno with some fairly useful skills. He also manages to figure out a really obscure way of evolving his olive treant, who now becomes another wood nymph, which is to say a cute… well, a cute non-binary child. (There is a literal debate about Olea’s gender on the series’ equivalent of Reddit.) He manages to traumatize Alyssa even more just by telling her about the completely ordinary things that he’s done, which of course are anything but. And he has five of his tamed monsters create things to put up for an auction… not realizing that they will sell for ludicrous amounts to fans of Yuno and his crew.

There is a cliche in light novels that all a romantic lead has to do is be nice to a girl once and she will immediately fall madly in love with him. Here, in a series with no romance at all, we see how it actually works when you have a genuinely nice, selfless hero. At one point Yuno triggers an event where he’s thanked by the Gnome Chief for being so good to Olto, and that they should help each other grow. No one else got this event ending, and we find that’s because no one has raised the affection level of their tamed anything more than Yuno has. And he does this by involving everyone in his daily life, helping them when they need it, helping them fight, and caring about their opinions more than his own (except when they try to dress him in tacky yukatas). He cares about his tamed monsters and sees them as a family, not as cute NPCs, not as pets, and not as glorified fetishes. It makes a difference.

So yeah, still enjoying this series that is nothing but watching a guy game real good the only way he knows how.

Brunhild the Dragon Princess

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By Yuiko Agarizaki and Aoaso. Released in Japan as “Ryu no Hime Brunhild” by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Jennifer Ward.

No, this isn’t a direct sequel to Brunhild the Dragonslayer, and thank the Lord that the author decided against the weird “Brunhild wanders through Hell” plot they mentioned in the afterword. In fact, this takes place long before the first book. That said, you will find the cast of characters familiar. As if this was a Tezuka series, we see the main characters of the first book recast in the second book, as if they’re a company of actors. That said, there’s a totally different plot for the characters, and a lot of the thing that we thought we understood from the first book are upended here. The first book was about Brunhild’s revenge against humans. This definitely isn’t. Also, while the first book was more a Wagnerian tragedy, I think this one swings more Greek. It’s still a tragedy, though, believe me. Brunhild was voted the series least likely to get a 4-koma spinoff manga. That said, it is, like the first in the series, a VERY well written tragedy.

Brunhild is a priestess whose family works closely with the royal family. She lives in a kingdom that is protected by the Divine Dragon, who will keep everything peaceful and happy provided that a) no one leaves the kingdom, and b) he gets sacrifices every month. This is a problem, as the current priestess, Brunhild, is an all-loving sort who will even pick up dying children on the street and nurse them back to health, so the fact that she has to give seven people a month, mostly orphans that no one will cry over, to the dragon is a bit upsetting. She tries to talk the dragon out of the sacrifice, but he absolutely does not agree. Then she makes the mistake of staying behind to see what happens. Something if going to have to be done. And all Brunhild has is her manservant (who she picked up when he was dying on the street), her bestie Sigurd (the royal prince), and Sigurd’s good but kinda stolid guard Sven.

It’s hard to talk about this book without spoiling some very good things, but I will do my best. It’s divided into four chapters, and each of them essentially ends up upending everything we thought we knew about where this story was headed. There’s also a lot of great themes here, such as the desire to be able to trust allies and friends versus the feat that they will betray you in the end (which, trust me, gets zigzagged throughout this book), what love is and how someone can be deeply in love and never realize it just because they don’t understand what trauma is, and how sometimes you need to try to achieve an impossible dream, even if you fail badly and end up regretting everything. This book is just as dark as he last book, but it reads very easily. You’re really rooting for them to defeat evil and save everyone and… well, there is more to this series, I guess.

Yes, next time we get another book in the timeline of this country with more Brunhild. Just not this Brunhild, or the one from the first book. I’ll still be looking forward to reading it, though.

Duchess in the Attic, Vol. 1

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By Mori and Huyuko Aoi. Released in Japan as “Yane Urabeya no Kōshaku Fujin” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by piyo.

This is the sort of book that I call an “eat your veggies first” book. You know there’s good stuff coming. You want to get to the cool, good stuff. But you have to get the setup for all the cool, good stuff. And sometimes, even though it’s good for the book, it just tastes horrible. The first quarter of this book made me grind my teeth – which is entirely intentional on the part of the author, I assure you. This book has a message, and that message is “the sexist patriarchy is awful”. This is a message, by the way, that resonates through the entire book. Yes, our heroine manages to turn the tables and be incredible and badass and make us proud, but every step reminds us that she is limited in what she can do because she is a woman. So even the dessert is, like, carrot cake or something. But it still tastes good.

When the book opens, Opal, an earl’s daughter, is sexually assaulted at a party when some random dude kisses her, pushes her to the ground, and runs away. This destroys her reputation, infuriates her father, who thinks she should never have let it happen to her, and results, a couple of years later after the fuss has died down a bit, in her being married off to a duke who is trying to clear his sizeable debts with her family’s money. This despite the fact that she clearly has a thing for her childhood friend. But he’s a baron, so oh well. What’s worse, Hubert, her new husband, clearly despises her, seeming to only have eyes for the wheelchair bound and frail Stella, a women who lives in his mansion with everyone doting on her. As for Opal? She lives in the attic. In fact, she chooses to live in the attic.

Folks who read my reviews know that I take a dim view of the “evil beyond all reason” noble, the sort who rapes servants and kicks puppies, and the best thing about this volume is that there’s no one like that here. This may puzzle readers who are just starting the book, as it looks as if everyone in this book except Opal and her childhood friend Claude is vile. And they’re not nice people. But then you get a few POV from Hubert showing off his naivete, bluster, and trauma from a past tragedy, and you also see him trying to become a better person for Opal. You also realize, as the book goes on, that Opal is a lot more like her father than she’s comfortable with, and that a lot of all the terrible things he did was because he expected her to clean house and stand tall, and he’s mostly flummoxed that she’s done it in a totally different way than he thought. I also loved the fakeout that we get over the second half of the narrative, where it appears that then book is going for a cliched, annoying ending, and then kicks it in the face. Sorry, please be content with being a better person.

This book takes place over the course of an entire decade, and ends with all its plotlines wrapped up. I am thus very surprised to see there’s a second book. But I’ll happily read it. It may go down with difficulty at first, though.

86 –Eighty-Six– Alter. Vol. 1: The Reaper’s Occasional Adolescence

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By Asato Asato and Shirabii. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Roman Lempert.

On the bright side, this is one of the short story volumes coming out in the same order it came out in Japan – this book was released after the 12th volume. So I don’t have to worry about events in this book spoiling future volumes of the main series that came out here first (Re: Zero, Index,. etc.). On the down side, I doubt I’ll have to worry about that anyway, as I think this is definitely one of the short story books you do NOT have to read in order to appreciate the main series. It’s made up of various stories that were released as bonuses when you purchased books at a specific bookstore, or a DVD/Blu-Ray release, etc. There are one or two stories new to this book, of course, but for the most part the ‘Alter.’ of the title is meant to show that this is a volume where we don’t have to worry about characters dying. That said, we do get a lot of dead characters in it. It’s just they’ve already died.

The book is largely divided into five chunks. The first bit deals with the cast back in the Republic, around the time of the first light novel. The second has events after getting to the Federation, both before and after Lena joins them. The third has a few stories set in the United Kingdom during those volumes, and the fourth has short stories that take place after that arc, basically filling in bits of Books 8-10 or so. The final story is a bonkers fourth-wall breaking paintball battle royale featuring every single character in all the novels, alive or dead, and can best be described as “what if Among Us relied on being able to pick out the right perfume?”

So this is fine, it’s just very hard to review. Leaving aside the final story, which is not meant to be taken remotely seriously and thank God for that, the stories can be divided into 1) Funny slice-of-life; 2) Sweet, heartwarming slice-of-life; 3) The 86 are just like this; and 4) Melancholic dream sequences involving the dead. The last of those probably hit the best for me. I really liked a story showing Shin celebrating a sakura festival by drinking sake, joined by Kaie and all the other comrades who were killed off over the course of the first book. It’s pointed out that if this had really happened while the team were alive, it could have been water, but in Shin’s imagination he can have a full-scale viewing party. And this is followed with a very funny scene where Lena, after drinking some of the sake, shows she’s a very bad and clingy drunk. The weakest part of the book was probably the birthday stories, which felt the most like they were being written to order.

Still, I would not mind a second one of these. Perhaps after the main series itself is over, though. Luckily, we’re back with 13 in a month or two, ominously titled The Deer Hunter. Please, let’s NOT have Lena and Shin playing Russian roulette.

Victoria of Many Faces, Vol. 1

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By Syuu and Nanna Fujimi. Released in Japan as “Tefuda ga Ōme no Victoria” by MF Books. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Andria McKnight.

There is a commonly used expression that goes “when all you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail”. That can apply to jobs as well. If you’ve been doing a job for almost twenty years, particularly if you’ve been doing it since you were eight years old, you get into certain habits. You look at people differently, you always check for easy exits and verify that no one has searched your room. And when problems crop up, even if they’re not necessarily problems you have to worry about, you try to solve those problems in the way you’re accustomed to. That’s the issue that Victoria, formerly Chloe, has in this book. She’s trying her hardest to turn over a new leaf, adapt to a peaceful life, and find happiness. But that pesky job of hers won’t let her alone… even when it’s in her own head.

Chloe has been a spy since the age of eight, sold by her parents, who needed money. She doesn’t hold that against them, though, and sends money and gifts back home to them and her sister for the next decade or two. But recently she discovered her family died in a fire, and that fact was kept from her so that it wouldn’t affect her spy work. Resolving to quit her job (impossible, as any spy will tell you), she fakes her death, moves two countries away, and takes on the identity of Victoria, a woman who’s been missing for ten years but whose appearance and age generally match our heroine. There she quickly gains a girl who was abandoned on the street by her mother and several jobs she takes on to make ends meet. Boy, she’s really good at those jobs. How did she learn all those talents while still being a commoner. Gosh, I hope she and the captain of the capital’s police force don’t fall for each other. Oh dear.

I always love it when I pick up a book I know little about and it blows me away, and this book did just that. I’m familiar with the author, who had two titles published earlier this year by Cross Infinite World. But this is another level better than both of those, in a genre that could almost be called “slice-of-life thriller”. Much of the book is watching Victoria gradually lower her guard and make friends with the denizens of this town, while still having to worry about getting caught by her old country, or anyone finding out what she used to do. The fact that she’s absolutely terrible at keeping a low profile is a selling point (the artwork finds all the best scenes to draw, usually involving her kicking a man in the head). And she and Jeffrey make an excellent couple. It’s just a book that’s fun to read, and I couldn’t put it down.

It’s also a book that really feels like it could end with this volume… were it not for one scene taking place back in Chloe’s homeland, which promises an ominous future threat from a spy who… well, honestly, is nowhere near Victoria’s level. She can handle it. But it’s definitely a sequel hook. In any case, very highly recommended to anyone who loves spy thrillers, cute romances, found family, and girls who beat the shit out of men.

I Could Never Be a Succubus!, Vol. 4

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By Nora Kohigashi and Wasabi. Released in Japan as “Watashi wa Succubus Ja Arimasen” by Hero Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Roy Nukia.

Once I’ve reviewed about two or three volumes in a series, I really should not have to worry about new readers when I write these things. New readers are not going to start a title like this with Vol. 4, it’s only going to be read by those who read the first three volumes. That said, I also know there are some folks who read my reviews just as a matter of habit, and may not know about this series. So, as such, fans of the series can skip to below the cut. Everyone else: Christ alive. This volume is absolutely drenched in “ha ha, pedophilia is funny!” humor, and you cannot escape it. There’s no actual pedophilia in the volume, the humor is all “a 12-year-old has a crush on the 19-year-old guy who saved her life, and the entire cast proceed to drag him for being a pedophile (and yes, the translation uses that rather than lolicon) over and over and over again, to the point of arresting him. But, again. This series is like that in general, about everything.

The humans and the demons, after the events of the last book, are holding a peace conference. This means the arrival of Princess Sylphonia’s siblings: older brother Anzel and younger sister Remiphinia. What’s more, Remiphinia is specifically there to meet Wolfe, who saved her life three years earlier when she was kidnapped by the demon forces. She’s fallen for him hard, and tries to get advice on how to make herself attractive to him (don’t be twelve, kid). Meanwhile, the main cast do a maid cafe… including Miter, who it turns out looks really good dressed in women’s clothing. Unfortunately, not everyone wants the humans and demons to make peace, and those who desire the extermination of all demonkind may be closer than the royal family thinks…

Liz is still, of course, the star of the show. For once she doesn’t get a late in the book power-up where she gains her memories briefly. Instead, throughout the book, her true self is just seeping through more and more, to the point where she’s unable to stop it most of the time. Taking photos of everyone as maids, giving salacious suggestions on how the young princess can get her man, or just using her forgotten hero training to perform superhuman acts and save the day, the line between the Liz who’s a student at the academy and the Liz who’s a horny succubus with insane power is growing thinner and thinner. That said, I’m not expecting her to be back for good until the end of the series, so it’s mostly just tease. As for the rest of the book, if you ignore everything about Remiphinia and Wolfe, it’s fun and funny, exactly what readers want. And, if I’m being honest, most readers of this series probably laugh at the pedophilia “wacky” humor as well.

The book has a cliffhanger that will presumably tie into the next in the series, which promises to have 100% more catgirls than this book. I the meantime, if you love maids or precocious twelve-year-olds, this is fine.

From Desk Job to Death Beam: In Another World with My Almighty Lasers, Vol. 1

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By Nekomata Nuko and Cut. Released in Japan as “Saikyō Death Beam o Uteru Salaryman, Isekai o Yuku” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Nolan Good.

“Excuse me, sir? Can I interest you in reviewing a fantastic debut light novel?”

“Aren’t you Aqua from KonoSuba?”

“Don’t be silly, sir, I’m nowhere close to being as well-written as Aqua!”

“…uh-huh. What do you have?”

“This is a new series about a young man who’s accidentally killed by a beautiful young goddess–”

“You?”

“(clearing throat)–and is transported to a new world with fantastic powers!”

“…what makes this different from 80 other books?”

“It has laser beams and beast people!”

“There are many other books with beast people, but I’ll grant you the laser beams. So he basically has a cool gun?”

“Oh no, his lasers can also be a shield, a broomstick so he can fly, they can heal, they can clean…”

“So it’s an “I can do anything I want” power.”

“But with laser beams!”

“And he struggles to get by and goes through character growth?”

“Oh hell no, he’s far too powerful for that! Everything is solved by the laser beams!”

“…and the beast girls?”

“Are totally in love with him, of course! One is plucky and one is tsundere!”

“Two girls.”

“Two girls SO FAR.”

“And he wins them over by…?”

“By being the only person who’s nice to them! And by stroking their ears and tails!”

“Which are erogenous zones, I’m gonna guess.”

“…only the tails?”

“How about slavery?”

“No slavery!… sort of.”

“?”

“OK, the beast people are treated like crap, and it’s legal to kill them, and they’re barely paid anything, and they are worked to death.”

“…so slavery without the actual slavery.”

“Oh, and there’s a bad guy! He’s horrible, a real loathsome person with no redeeming features!”

“Well, we know how much I love those guys.”

“Right?!”

“(stare)”

“(clearing throat) Anyway, you always talk about things you liked, what about it?”

“So we’re assuming that I read this while you were prattling on?”

“Yup!”

“The idea of a man that is so depressed about his current life that, when offered a new life, decides “no thanks”, is interesting…”

“Isn’t it?”

“…that is, until you brainwash him into only thinking of it occasionally because he’s too busy being obsessed with lasers and beast girls.”

“And collecting!”

“And collecting, yes, because apparently the whole book was based on the “pick three random words and write a story about it” meme.”

“Anything else?”

“The identity of the main villain – his actual identity, that is – made me smile for reasons that would spoil it, and his grand plan was grotesquely overblown to such an extent that I was briefly impressed, at least until our hero proved that there’s nothing he can’t defeat with the power of lasers.”

“And?”

“That’s it, really. I ended up being reminded of Rearguard, but Rearguard reveled in its ridiculousness, whereas this is content to merely be a run of the mill OP fantasy.”

“…really, that’s all you got?”

“I guess if pressed, I could say that reading it made me decide to write a review in this format. Will that do?”

“Hrmph. See if I bring you “The Boy Who Ruled the Monsters” in a month!”

“…yeah, I was planning on skipping that anyway.”

“Waaaaaaaaahhh! Kazuma, Sean’s being mean to me!”

“I thought you weren’t Aqua?!?!”