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Reviews

I’m in Love with the Villainess, Vol. 4

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By Inori and Hanagata. Released in Japan as “Watashi no Oshi wa Akuyaku Reijou” by GL Bunko. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Kevin Ishizaka. Adapted by Nibedita Sen.

Last time I mentioned that it felt awkward to start a new volume of the series when it could easily have ended in Book 2 with “and they lived happily ever after”. Oddly, towards the end of this book Claire’s father thinks much the same thing, trying to send Rae, Claire and their family back home because “they’ve done enough”. Not in a negative way, though Claire initially takes it that way, but n the sense that the country of Nur is quickly about to become super-dangerous. That said, as events unfold in this book one gets the sense that this world is not about to let either of them go live a quiet, happy life very easily… though it has no such qualms about quietly shuffling most of the new cast we met in the third volume off to the side, to the point where I wondered if this were a Christie novel set on a faraway island. As for why? Well… revolution. Again. Come on, it’s in the game title.

The general thrust of this volume should be familiar to readers of the series. We start off with a lot of cute, fluffy things, like a fantasy cross between Iron Chef and the Great British Bake-Off, and we then start the balls rolling down the hill until you reach a climax that can be summed up by “great googly-moogly, it’s all gone to shit”. Part of the problem is that while Dorothea is amusing as a strong as heck, emotionally blunt empress, she is also a somewhat terrifying dictator, and does not particularly care if that means that the country is hated by everyone around it. As for her daughter, after being the comedy girl with a crush at the start, Philine’s development is actually one of the strongest parts of the book (though I’d argue it does come a bit too fast). Which is better, speaking softly or carrying the big stick?

As with previous books in the series, there are occasional digressions in order to discuss modern gender politics. Rae gives a good explanation of gender identity, and one of the subplots later in the book also resolves around this sort of thing. On the down side… there really is an awful lot of “brainwashed to be evil” in this book, and indeed in this series, though some of it is less “I am here to kill you” and more “I am here to threaten you on behalf of the Church”. Fortunately, the main reason to read the books is Rae and Claire, and they’re both excellent. There’s a recurring theme of Claire being beloved by all (including her daughters) and Rae getting either slightly less attention (her daughters) or outright dislike (one of her classmates). It’s amusing but also makes sense, as Rae’s personality is the sort that is difficult to trust… the exact opposite of her partner.

The book ends on another cliffhanger, and seems to indicate the 5th will be the last. Till then, this remains for the most part a well-plotted and compelling series with excellent LGBTQ content.

Oh yes, and mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be tsunderes.

Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 7

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By Yuki Yaku and Fly. Released in Japan as “Jaku Chara Tomozaki-kun” by Gagaga Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Winifred Bird.

If you don’t want to know who Tomozaki ends up with at the end of this book, be warned I talk about that, but not till the third paragraph.

There’s a lot of metatext in the Tomozaki series. To a degree, it’s deconstructing these sorts of high school romcom series, especially the way that the lead tends to be this asocial schlub who nevertheless has the plot revolve around him. As we’ve seen, it’s only when Tomozaki makes an effort that he gets noticed and gets romantic attention. That said, the series has not forgotten that it’s also a real story and that realistic things need to happen, and as such we get a resolution here to the love triangle between Tomozaki, Mimimi and Kikuchi. But there is a little niggling thought at the back of the reader’s head, because at its core this series is about two people: Tomozaki and Hinami. It’s not a matter of “first girl” or anything, it’s a matter of who gets the most narrative attention. And therefore the most interesting part of the book is when Kikuchi, who sees things from an author’s perspective, tries to abandon her own ship and pair Tomozaki with his *real* girlfriend.

Gumi is on the cover but is just a minor part of this book, which revolves around the culture festival. Tomozaki is dividing his energies between Mimimi and her comedy routine and Kikuchi and her play. What’s more, Hinami is setting him goals that require him to enter one of the girls’ “routes” by the end of the festival, without waffling or putting it off. The trouble is, Tomozaki is still trying to figure out how love and romance work. This can be quite funny, especially when he asks Nakamura for advice, but it’s also really making him miss the forest for the trees. In addition to this, Kikuchi is having trouble with the character Hinami is performing in her play, so she and Tomozaki interview people from Hinami’s past… with some very confusing results. Then we get the festival itself… and Tomozaki realizes he may have been rejected by a “Dear John” play.

I have to feel absolutely horrible for Mimimi. She’s a great kid, and a wonderful character, and her reaction to Tomozaki choosing someone else is very well-handled (possibly as it’s not Hinami he chose). But come on, when someone has to choose between two girls and you come in third, that’s just mean. Kikuchi gets it, though. Mimimi isn’t even on her radar, she knows where the narrative of this story is going, and it’s Hinami. That said, thanks especially to Mimimi kicking his ass, Tomozaki won’t let this lie, and reminds Kikuchi that “this is a story” can only take you so far. I also really liked the idea that it’s possible to be an idealist *and* be selfish, and that it’s not wrong to want to have it all. As a result, by the end of the book, he and Kikuchi are a couple.

Will they be a couple by the end of the series? Mmmmmmm… questioning. After all, there sure was a lot of Hinami baggage dropped in the middle of the book and then just left there. She is the other protagonist in this book. (Also, notably, Tomozaki never said “but I’m not romantically interested in Hinami” or tried to contradict Kikuchi’s play, which surprised me.) For the moment, though, Kikuchi is best girl, and they do make a great couple. As for Mimimi fans… at least she gets the manga spinoff?

Reincarnated as the Piggy Duke: This Time I’m Gonna Tell Her How I Feel!, Vol. 4

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By Rhythm Aida and nauribon. Released in Japan as “Buta Koushaku ni Tensei shita kara, Kondo wa Kimi ni Suki to Iitai” by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Zihan Gao.

As each of these books have happened, the title has been less and less accurate, because Slowe has slowly but surely been losing a lot of that weight. It’s possible the author realizes this, as in this book Slowe spends the majority of the time disguised as an orc – which means he has pig-like features. That said, everyone seems to think he’s turned the corner in terms of popular opinion – everybody but Slowe, who is not really ready to take up the mantle of the heir after blowing it off in the past. For one thing, he still needs to stop the anime plot from happening, and for another, he has a much better idea than his old friends as to just how much he torched his reputation, and how much more it will take to get that back. Especially if he blows off the Queen because another disaster is about to take place… yet, the books aren’t self-contained anymore. Cliffhanger time!

Slow is disguised as an orc, and Charlotte as a pixie, in order to infiltrate Charlotte’s old kingdom, which is now overrun with monsters. Slowe is there to try to head off the next big event of the anime, where one of the antagonists murders a pixie ambassador and helps to jumpstart a war. To do so, he makes contact with an Orc King and his village, as well as the ambassador, Elyas, passing himself off as an Orc Mage – something that is theoretically impossible, given orcs are barely above goblins on the fantasy monster hierarchy. Elyas is trying to have all the monsters unite to defeat the human who’s destroying them. Unfortunately, not only is the human stupid powerful, but Shuya and Alicia (well, just Shuya really) decide to take a shortcut through the monster-infested country and end up in the mix as well!

I’ve said before that I think this series is solid, not great, and that trend continues, though it’s still very readable. Having a “monsters are people too” volume after the previous three is an interesting way to go, and you get the sense that we’ve reached the “the series is successful, you can plan for the long future” part that most Japanese media face. That said, Shuya and Alicia are still very generic, as fits the anime that they belong to, and Slowe and Charlotte’s fight is filled with teenage angst that is more interesting to have read than to be reading. That said, the ending fight is really very well done, and the book promises more of that sort of thing in the next volume. There’s some good humor too, as Slowe is both drawn to and exasperated by his “orc brothers”, who are cliched as heck but in a good way. I hope we see them again.

If you like fantasies with this sort of cliched plot, you could do a lot worse than this.

The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 4

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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.

Ah, nothing like another review where I can’t talk about half of what I want to because it would spoil. I know that half the time my reviews spoil the entire book anyway, but there are very good plot twists here, and I don’t really want to give them away. As such, I will simply say that I am looking back on some comments I made in my review of the third volume and laughing hollowly. Other than that, well, this particular volume is taking care to wrap up all the plotlines that have been dangling since it began. Jinshi’s identity and why he’s hiding it, Maomao’s friendship with Xiaolan and Shisui, and the long-standing question of who will be Empress are all dealt with here, and we even get a few action scenes towards the end and some chilling torture… well, it would be chilling were it not Maomao, who does have the ability to be terrified, but not when the danger is this pathetic.

After the events of the last book Maomao has been studiously avoiding Jinshi and trying not to think about what she found when she accidentally groped him. She’s back with Gyokuyou, who is quite pregnant. That said, the pregnancy may be an issue, as all signs are that the baby wants to come out the wrong way around. This means they need an expert, which brings Maomao’s adopted father to the rear palace. Elsewhere, Maomao may have found her new calling in body hair removal, and Maomao the kitten is busy getting up to no good. However, things take a far more serious turn in the second half of the book when Maomao attempts to sleuth on her own about various lingering mysteries from the previous books… and ends up kidnapped! Can she manage to get back to the rear palace, and if she does will she get punished anyway? And what’s with our favorite bug-loving maid?

As of this review, there are 11 volumes of The Apothecary Diaries out in Japan, so the series isn’t ending. But this certainly feels like a good stopping place. By the end of the book most of the subplots have been resolved, Jinshi has been forced to stop hiding, and, as Maomao herself puts it, with Gyokuyou now being Empress Maomao is out of a job. The romance is not really resolved, but then it’s hard to imagine how it COULD resolve – leaving aside status issues, which can easily be taken care of if Maomao acknowledges who her birth father is, there’s the fact that Maomao is seemingly apathetic about it. I think she has repressed desire for Jinshi, no question, but I think the idea of being a consort, bride, wife, whatever you call it galls her. No doubt it galls the reader too, who would much rather watch Mao wander around playing Murder, She Wrote.

So the question now is, what needs to happen to get Maomao back to the rear palace, because I’m pretty sure the rest of the series is not going to involve her sitting in her apothecary shop in the pleasure district. Can’t wait to find out, because this is one of the best written light novels coming out right now.

I’ll Never Set Foot in That House Again!, Vol. 3

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By Milli-gram and Yuki Kana. Released in Japan as “Nidoto ie ni wa Kaerimasen!” by Overlap Novels f. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Emily Hemphill.

There is one, brief shining moment in the third volume of this very sweet and also very dull series where I was engaged and interested, and (as with the second volume) it’s where we are reminded of the past that Chelsea has had. About halfway through this third volume a group of kidnappers enter the mansion of her friend and hold them hostage. After the situation is resolved (there’s really no suspense at all), Glen talks to Chelsea about why she wasn’t scared, and she reveals that she was fine once she knew there would be no pain, because it was the physical abuse that was the worst part of her old life. Chelsea casually talking about getting whipped on a near daily basis is jaw-dropping, mostly as she now possesses a defensive barrier and can literally create massive Venus Flytrap monsters to eat her enemies within seconds. She’s come a long way, and while I’m happy for her as a person, it damages the book.

Glen has proposed to Chelsea, and she’s now actually looking her age (though whether she acts it is in question), but we still have a few hoops to jump through before they can marry, and not just “wait till she gets older”. First she needs to make her debut in society, and that means gowns! It also means meeting the Queen, who thinks Chelsea is adorable and cute and also treats her like a Barbie doll whose clothes get changed 6 times a day. And she gets a new friend… almost by force… in Noel, a young noble who is enthusiastic about gardening and plants and therefore is very eager to talk with someone who knows her stuff. Unfortunately, as I noted above, there’s the break-in and hostage situation. And it turns out that the people trying to kill Chelsea, who we met in the previous book, are still trying to kill Chelsea. Can she survive to her engagement ceremony?

I mean, yes. She can create anything in the entire world from seeds as long as she can visualize it. She has a personal defensive barrier. She has an army of soldiers ready to defend her. And now she’s creating monsters to eat her enemies. She has maids who love her, a cook who not only loves to feed her (and she can finally actually eat meals now that she’s no longer being starved to death) but can also interrogate enemies with her own special magic, her research team, her cool older brother, and of course Glen, who adores and wants to protect her. There’s an after story where she and Glen go to his home and discover that the enemy is a giant crab, but once Chelsea is there she creates a trap (with a seed, natch) and the problem is solved.

You know what this series needs? Fagin. No, not the anti-semitism, but Chelsea is like Oliver Twist if he was rescued from the orphanage by Mr. Brownlow and the rest of the series was just meals and clothes. Chelsea desperately needs to be lured into evil or spirited away. Not because of her as a character – she’s a sweet girl, I don’t want bad things to happen to her. But for me, as a reader? Yes, I want bad things to happen to her.

The Reincarnated Princess Spends Another Day Skipping Story Routes, Vol. 2

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

Generally speaking, most reincarnated folks who end up in the body of a little kid do NOT act like they’re an adult. This even applies to Rosemary, the protagonist of this series. Sure, she’s talking and making decisions that are far beyond what a child her age should be doing, but her emotional maturity remains at about the right level. There are many times this comes up in the books – her inability to get that other kids are in love with her is baked into the genre, but certainly her tearful confession to her crush and the scene that follows shows her as having the easily broken heart of a 10-year-old girl. This most applies, though, when she’s dealing with her father. Who, to be fair, is the King. But the reader recognizes the type that he is, and what he’s actually doing to help her – or at least test her – and I don’t think she sees this as the tough love it’s meant to be. It makes Randolf the most interesting character in this new volume.

Rosemary is still doing her best to try and avoid the dreadful fate her country is going to be in in a year or two, but it’s not easy, especially since she’s changed things so much that she can’t rely on her memories of the game shoe once played. She needs to research the Demon Lord, who possessed the body of a young priest… who she then runs across, pre-possession. She also discovers that most Demon Lord books are kept in the King’s personal library, which means she has to ask to read them and put up with his cold, calculating attitude. And, of course, she’s still in love with the Captain of the guards, Leonhart, who is quite a number of years older than she is – and also she’s ten, yes, a fact that definitely influences her thoughts on her crush. Worst of all, if she doesn’t figure out how to be incredibly useful to the King in the next two years, he’s going to do the obvious thing – marry her off to another country’s royal.

Rosemary remains the best reason to read this, especially when we see her (relatively low) opinion of herself versus everyone else’s (very high) opinion. This comes out best in a scene with Randolf, who castigates his daughter for thinking herself stupid for being unable to catch every possibility in advance. She’s not a God, even though she does have the knowledge of the game from her past life. Fortunately, she does reveal this (in a way, she treats it as a prophetic dream) to Leonhart, so at least has one ally she can turn to. Unfortunately, she’s falling more deeply in love with him by the day. And is, as I said, ten years old. So nothing’s gonna happen, but the emotional turmoil is still there.

The ending of this book implies the next one will likely be Rosemary’s tour of various lands, as she tries to discover more about what’s around her so that she can be a better person and of use to her father. I look forward to reading it, this is in the upper end of the Reincarnated Villainess charts, despite Rosemary not technically being a villainess.

Unnamed Memory, Vol. 4

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By Kuji Furumiya and chibi. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Sarah Tangney.

As I predicted, the afterword of Vol. 3 was not, in fact, telling the truth. We are still following the story of Oscar and Tinasha. Indeed, the story may start to seem a bit familiar. Oscar and his aide are still traveling to try to find a way to end his curse, and they run into Tinasha, who says she will do it in a certain amount of time. The trouble is that this is the changed timeline. In the last book Oscar changed history, and so he is not quite the Oscar we know. Tinasha is also different, though at least we’ve seen her before – the young queen who Oscar saved put herself in stasis for 400 years so that she could meet him again. As such, the main amusement with this new volume is that it’s Tinasha who’s instantly lovestruck and talking marriage, and Oscar who is the reluctant one putting her off. That said, they’re still clearly made for each other. Unfortunately, a lot of the same issues that were problems before are back, and still problems.

One thing that I find hard when I write about this series is that it really is a pure fantasy, with virtually none of the standard “Japanese light novel;” schtick we’ve gotten so used to. A lot of my reviews write themselves because I can talk about the standard tropes and how well they work, or how this character is slightly less bland than the norm. With Unnamed Memory, though, the plot and writing is so well done and the book so immersive that I can’t use that crutch. What’s more, I don’t really want to spoil the plot twists (aside from the one that, well, happens right at the very start of the book) because they’re good twists. So what am I supposed to do? Talk about how Oscar is a really good fighter and that Tinasha is cute when she’s angry? You already know that.

I could talk about the deaths. There are an awful lot of assassination attempts in this book, mostly against Oscar but also against Tinasha, and all of them involve finding the culprit and their accomplices and killing them. While Oscar and Tinasha are trying to move the world they live in into a more modern and peaceful age, this is not that age, and there are quite a few characters who are captured, forced to talk, and them killed – or kill themselves before that can happen. Indeed, one of the few surprises I will talk about is one where a villain is, in fact, NOT killed off – mostly as he was clearly trying to do this in order to help his country and their somewhat meek ruler, rather than because of evil power grabs. If you’re going to assassinate someone, you’d better have a damn good reason for it, it can’t just be “they obstruct my path to all-encompassing glory!”.

So yes, sorry to be a broken record, but this is still excellent. My one major complaint is how long each book is. This is going to be six volumes total, and there’s no reason why it could not be twelve normal-sized books.

Cross-Dressing Villainess Cecilia Sylvie, Vol. 1

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By Hiroro Akizakura and Dangmill. Released in Japan as “Akuyaku Reijou, Cecilia Sylvie wa Shinitakunai node Dansou suru Koto ni Shita” by Kadokawa Beans Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Sarah Tangney.

All novels, to one degree or another, require a certain suspension of disbelief by the reader in order to make the book function. If you pick too hard at things, you’re never going to enjoy anything. Or, as MST3K put it, “it’s just a book, I should really just relax”. Sometimes, though, it can be hard. We’ve seen enough villainess titles by now to know how they usually go down, and it’s always interesting to see what variations our heroines make to avoid their tragic fate. Cecelia’s answer is to pretend to be an invalid for 11 years, then go to school disguised as a boy, without telling her parents, so that the “villainess” doesn’t even exist in the story. Which… why is that what she thought of? We hear once or twice that she was a theater geek in her old life, but this goes above and beyond. That said, she has very sturdy plot armor on, so it mostly works fine.

Our heroine loves to play the otome game Holy Maiden of Vleugel Academy 3. So much so that she and her BL-loving friend go to see a movie based on the game… and tragically die in a fire at the theater. Now she finds that she’s Cecilia Sylvie, a duke’s daughter and the villainess of the game who’s doomed to die on every route! (And yes, before you ask, her fiancee is the prince and she has an adopted brother who dotes on her. Bakarina fans will be right at home here.) Cut to 11 years later, and we see her solution: disguising herself as Cecil Admina, a young man attending the same academy. After all, bad things can’t happen to Cecilia if she isn’t there. That said, the plot is still going to happen, and the heroine of the game, Lean, is still around. Only… why does Lean not seem to care about the other romance targets? In fact, why is Lean more interested in the romance targets ending up with each other?

This is not *quite* a BL title – Cecil is definitely Cecilia in disguise – but there’s no denying it has BL elements. Her adopted brother Gilbert knows her secret and is in love with her, and that comes out regardless of how she’s dressed. Her fiancee Oscar is rather disturbed to find how attracted he is to this young man who he’s supposed to dislike, especially when Cecil does things like crawl into his bed at night on a camping trip because of fear. And then there’s the fact that Lean and her childhood friend Jade have started up a robust line of spicy novels featuring romance between two men who are a LOT like Cecil and Oscar. This is probably the biggest reason to get these books, because honestly as a villainess book it’s not great – Cecilia’s not particularly clever, as you can probably tell by her solution to her problems, and tends to get by with strength and guts.

If you really like this genre, then you’ll probably want to read more. For fans of Hana-Kimi.

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, Vol. 8

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By Kumanano and 029. Released in Japan by PASH! Books. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Jan Cash & Vincent Castaneda. Adapted by M.B. Hare.

One of the odd things about this series is how it references its premise several times while also being completely uninterested in doing anything with it. Yuna was, as we saw in the first volume, a very disaffected Japanese teenager, someone who literally paid her parents to go away. This is crucial for seeing how she deals with people in this fantasy world as well, and also in figuring out how much of her narration is simply pretending that she can’t see the obvious problem. And yet, after Yuna’s original transport into the game, we’ve never really dwelt on who put her there and why it happened at all – it reads as “I needed an excuse for an isekai”. It feels awkward to have it both ways, but I suspect that’s what we’re going to have to deal with, because the series in Japan is up to the 18th volume and I don’t think has devoted one iota of its time to “why did Yuna end up here?”.

The bulk of this book has Yuna, Fina, Cliff and Noa going to attend the birthday party of Misa, the noble they’d met in an earlier book. Unfortunately, Misa’s family is currently on the bad side of a power grab by the other noble family in the town, and her party – as well as a party for adults held by her grandfather – is desperately required for them to survive. Also unfortunately, the other noble family knows how these sort of fantasy isekais work – Yuna even says they’re like she imagined nobles to be like. Their grandson is sneering and bullying, they employ thugs to break the arms of head chefs, etc. Fortunately, Misa and company have Yuna, who solves things by just popping over to the palace and asking the King if she can borrow the palace chef. That said, Yuna also faces the biggest crisis she’s had to deal with so far… attending a party in a dress, instead of her bear onesie.

As always, the main reason to read this series is to watch everyone’s reactions to Yuna, and her reaction to everyone. They’re in a new town this volume, so there’s even more “it’s a bear!” than usual. Yuna knows this is a normal reaction to someone like her, but still gets irritated by it. She is a very nice, overpowered person to have in your corner… provided that you do whatever she says, something that I suspect I am thinking about more than the author would like me to. Unfortunately, she does not seem to have learned anything from Fina’s blowing up at her last time. That said, part of the problem may be that she had less to do than usual here – this is a second volume in a row with little conflict, aside from the political power struggles. In fact, we’re due for something to happen soon. Yuna works best when she’s hitting things, I think.

Fans of the series should definitely enjoy this one, though it’s pretty clear that there’s no overarching plot beyond “whatever the author wants to do next”. If you don’t mind that, hang out with the bear some more.

The NPCs in This Village Sim Game Must Be Real!, Vol. 2

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By Hirukuma and Namako. Released in Japan as “Murazukuri Game no NPC ga Namami no Ningen to Shika Omoe Nai” by Enterbrain. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Alexandra Owen-Burns.

I will give credit to the realistic NPCs, they’re not doing a bad job here. Aside from the one annoying running gag of “the sister likes her brother a little too much”, they’re all nice people. The seeming traitor from the last book, the doctor, returns after their village is wiped out, and their guilt and suffering is well drawn out. Heck, even the two red pandas who are brought in to add bodies are cute and also strong – and I loved “please do not touch our high explosives”. That said, the NPCs may be real, but I’m far more interested in what’s going on with Yoshio, whose problems in this book escalate until, when the book ends, you’re screaming at the author to release the next one already. Especially when we learn that Yoshio is not the only one whose loser life has been improved by a mysterious game… and that his game’s opponents may be closer than he thinks.

After surviving the first monster rush, our NPC heroes are busy preparing for the next one, and their world is expanding a bit more – though they’re not quite ready to leave their cave as of yet. The same could be said of Yoshio, who is interacting more with his family and co-workers but is still having trouble with Life In General. This includes his unlucky childhood friend, who everyone thought he was going to marry when he grew up. Unfortunately, she got a nice job, he did not, and he began the downward spiral that led him to where he is at the start of Book 1. And now that they’ve reunited, he’s sure she deserves someone much better than him (and is not seeing the fact that she seems to be as lost as he is right now). Additionally, his sister is still worried about being stalked – with good reason – and his coworker is also really immersed in a strategy game… one that seems very familiar.

A lot of this book, obviously, seems to rely on what I would call “magical realism”. Yoshio’s game clearly isn’t just a game – even if his new pet lizard is not a clue, the ending of this volume certainly shows us that. The scene with Yoshio facing down his sister’s stalker – and his former attacker – is tense and gripping but also feels a bit too on the nose in terms of narrative convenience. But then, in a book where our hero can manipulate the narrative in order to save others, perhaps that’s not what I should be paying attention to. The final section is chilling in the best thriller way, with Yoshio suffering a vicious attack and trying to protect his friend while ALSO trying to save his village. He does not achieve all of these things, unfortunately, but at least he’s not completely done, and That Cliffhanger promises he can, perhaps, fix things.

The author has stated that this series was always meant to be three volumes, so the next will be the last (unlike Vending Machine, which was very open ended when it got axed). Fortunately, we should get the next volume soon. Very fortunately, because I’m absolutely on the edge of my seat wanting to see what happens next. Get this.

Ascendance of a Bookworm: I’ll Do Anything to Become a Librarian!, Part 4: Founder of the Royal Academy’s So-Called Library Committee, Vol. 4

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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.

Due to a translation schedule that can only be described as bananas, we are slowly catching up with the series in Japan. Slowly being the word – this is the 16th book in the series, and it came out in Japan in 2018. The latest book is the 28th, which came out in December. But if we continue to do 6 a year, while Japan does 4, we will eventually get there. It’s enough to make a reader feel confident about looking at fanart. But, as anyone who’s ever looked up Japanese Bookworm fanart knows, this can be very dangerous. Look, I don’t know who Rozemyne will end up married to in the future. Indeed, this particular book makes it very clear that Wilfried is a very good choice – and that Ferdinand would be a politically bad one. That said, anyone looking at pixiv will see that one pairing is overwhelmingly the favorite, to the point where it’s 95% of all the art. And it ain’t Rosemyne/Wilfried. We shall see.

As with all Bookworm volumes, there’s a lot going on here. Rozemyne’s desire to avoid a lot of hard embroidery work causes her to not only revolutionize the ink industry, but also invent invisible ink, which will no doubt prove very useful in future books. The spring prayer happens in the middle of the book, and a discrepancy between the bible that everyone else knows and the one that Rozemyne has read in the High Bishop’s office leads to a literal miracle. The archduke learns that, in terms of the “commoner” parts of the city, his territory is at the very, very bottom, which leads to a need for sewers – and a mass cleansing. Most importantly, Rozemyne is engaged to Wilfried, and while some readers may still be grumpy with him due to past events, it’s shown to be a political necessity, as Rosemyne is a Hot New Item.

As I have said many times before, these books are long. This one is 343 pages, which is actually 30 pages shorter than the previous one. And yet I always find myself wishing that the books went into more depth. Worldbuilding can be tedious when it’s another boilerplate isekai talking about casting from hit points, but this series really is entirely about the worldbuilding – it’s a major reason why it’s a huge hit (though I will admit our smol book gremlin is the main reason). Even the side stories told from other perspectives are excellent – we get Wilfried’s thoughts on his engagement, and show off how much he’s matured. We also get to see Gunther and Myne’s family once more. And, most importantly, we get the politics. It’s not entirely Rozemyne not caring about anything but books – the politics in this world is genuinely hard, and you need a lifetime of training.

This volume ends with the implication that the next one will be even more focused on infighting and intrigue. Which is great, I love that. But I do hope it also shows Rozemyne casually inventing more stuff, and playing more magical rugby, and causing Sylvester, Ferdinand and Benno to hold their heads in pain at her antics. The books are long, and yet all too short.

From Toxic Classmate to Girlfriend Goals, Vol. 1

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By Sametaro Fukada and Fumi. Released in Japan as “Yatarato Sasshi no Ii Ore wa, Dokuzetsu Kuudere Bishoujo no Chiisana Dere mo Minogasazu ni Guigui Iku” by GA Bunko. Released in North America by Tentai Books. Translated by Callum Conroy.

In general these days, if you are in a classroom and you see a girl sitting next to you who either a) has a face that makes her look evil and threatening or b) a cool beauty who no one can approach, odds are that she is going to be an incredibly sweet girl who merely has tremendous communication issues. If you weren’t aware that this book is another in that type of series, you haven’t been paying attention to Tentai Books’ recent licenses, as they’re starting to have a niche in the “sugar sweet romance between weird boy and aloof girl” genre (though Seatmate Killer reversed those adjectives). If you are the sort who believe that good books need conflict, then this is not for you: there’s only one major conflict in the book. Instead, sit back and watch Koyuki be the world’s worst tsundere, and Naoya realize that, in fact, he does want to get closer to her.

Naoya is a young man who has become an expert at reading people’s faces to figure out not only their emotional state but also their backstory, family connections, and what they’re thinking. He credits it to a family backstory that we get some of, but it’s hinted there’s a lot more to it than that. One day he runs across a creeper trying to pick up a young woman who clearly does not want his attention, and proceeds to verbally destroy him to get him to back off. Little does he know that this woman is Koyuki, legendary at their school for her callous words and cool attitude towards everyone. Except, now that he comes to really look at her, he realizes that all this is wrong and that she’;s just colossally bad at offering help or accepting thanks. Worse, she falls for him rapidly, and he is trying his hardest to avoid getting in a relationship. Will she be able to break down his walls?

A lot of the humor in this book for me came from, as I hinted, the lack of conflict. Throughout, we see things set up where they look like they might lead to some drama… but they don’t. Naoya may be reluctant to get into a romantic relationship, but once he realizes that’s where this is heading he doesn’t back off or try to change how he acts around Koyuki. We meet her sister, who’s trying to make sure that he’s good boyfriend material… and he passes easily. Then we meet his family, including an overprotective father… and he STILL passes easily. This actually makes it funny when we finally DO get to the drama in the volume… and it comes from him confessing to her too quickly, something she has (supposedly) spent the entire book trying to achieve. And when she finally gets what she wants? She has a total meltdown.

Not to worry, though, it works out. The author, in the afterword (and apparently also the publicity for the series) guarantees a happy ending. Which is good, because we have other books if we want drama. We have this if we want to see an incredibly dorky girl try to point at her boyfriend in a haughty way but fail because she’s simply too adorable to pull it off. Cute and sweet.

Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire, Vol. 3

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By Hayaken and Nagu. Released in Japan as “Eiyu-oh, Bu wo Kiwameru tame Tensei su. Soshite, Sekai Saikyou no Minarai Kisi ♀” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Mike Langwiser.

It can be very difficult sometimes when you are writing a series which has exactly one joke. It gets harder the longer the series gets because, well, it’s just the one joke. But, believe it or not, sometimes that is enough, and you’re able to keep going because yes, it’s a good joke. The joke for Reborn to Master the Blade is that Inglis is a meathead who only thinks of fighting strong opponents. And throughout this book, that’s what we get, over and over. Either she’s fighting them or, more often, she’s trying to fight them and failing because of things like politics or the other party refusing or having to save lives and the like. And we also see other characters knowing this and essentially smacking their foreheads. It’s one joke. But we’re early in the series, and the joke is still funny. And also Inglis as an overpowered meathead is pretty cool. As with previous books, the fights are a highlight.

Our main cast are still trying to deal with Ripple, who is still sucking in mana and letting out monsters (and does not even have a pebble to toss or wind to blow). Unfortunately, the response of the kingdom to this seems to be “send Ripple back home and get a new heiral menace”. Which, it is implied but never outright stated, would mean Ripple’s death. What’s more, it becomes pretty clear that the reason all this is happening in the first place is that Ripple is being “punished” by one of the Highland factions in order to… well, in order to be sneeringly evil, because this is not the most subtle book in the world. Inglis and company try to work out a plan, part of which involves her and Rafinha going undercover as maids to a ceremony held by the King for a Highland ambassador. Sadly, he too is mostly cartoonishly evil. Fortunately, Inglis is there and can hit things very hard.

The other great part of this book, besides Inglis wanting to fight fight fight, is the introduction of her antimatter universe counterpart, Yua. Yua is astonishingly strong, just like Inglis, and you’d think that she’d finally found the perfect opponent. There’s just one problem: Yua doesn’t care about fighting. She’d rather take the path with the least effort where she can be lazy, and even has to be talked into fighting a bunch of potentially lethal monsters. She’s also got that ‘stoic’ Rei Ayanami-ish personality, which also balances next to Inglis’. Oh yes, and she gives everyone nicknames. Inglis is “Big Boobs”, because this is a Japanese light novel. Basically, she’s a hoot, and I am glad she was not killed off towards the end of the book, which looked like it might actually happen for a while. There’s also lots of terrorism and political maneuvering and people losing arms and then getting them sewn back on with magic, but… let’s face it, it’s not Inglis fighting.

So yes, if you like dumb meatheads who only think of one thing, this is still that thing. I do think this will work better in Vol. 3 than in Vol. 17, though…

Holmes of Kyoto, Vol. 7

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By Mai Mochizuki and Shizu Yamauchi. Released in Japan by Futabasha. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Minna Lin.

This volume was already starting off in a big hole as I read the synopsis before getting the book. I have to be honest, “I’m breaking up with you to keep you safe” is something that I really, really hate. It didn’t help that we get another of the plot devices I hate, which is the threat of rape framed as “I will despoil her”, because Virginity Is Important, Franklin. So yeah, this was already starting from a deep hole, and it’s a credit to the author that I will still likely be reading the next book. That said, they really need to accept that they are better at writing mysteries, antiquing and travelogues than they are romance, and also that the books work better in short story collections. It helps that the first half of the book does NOT involve this plot, even though it too has a trope that I’m not fond of, the “I’ve misunderstood a secondhand conversation and think my boyfriend is in love with someone else”. Honestly, this whole book is land mines.

Holmes and Aoi are dating, and are both calm and intelligent, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t free from stress. When Aoi hears that Holmes and Yoshie, the owner’s girlfriend, had an intimate conversation while in America, she knows it’s gonna be a misunderstanding but goes there anyway. After this Holmes is asked to judge a tea ceremony between two brothers to help figure out who’s going to take over the family. Unfortunately, after this, everyone’s least favorite Moriarty shows up to ruin the book. Ensho is back, trying to get Holmes to appraise an incense container and also to be creepy and threatening. After being startled that it’s actually genuine, he vanishes… only to show up at Aoi’s high school to threaten her. This is enough for Holmes, who decides to break up with her in order to keep her away from Ensho, who clearly has a vendetta.

It is suggested at the end of this book that we’ve seen the last of Ensho as a recurring villain, and thank God. It’s reminiscent of Jon Pertwee’s second season of Doctor Who, where you know who the villain is because The Master is in every story that season. He’s worn out his welcome. As for Aoi, honestly, given everything that happens to her here I’m rather stunned that she managed to sail through her college entrance exams. The “theme” of the book, such as it is, is that words can hurt and affect people even if they are aware that the words are complete bullshit. We see that with Holmes’s grandfather, father, and him, and it’s all the more startling because it’s people we know are calm and intelligent. That said, this series continues to be at its best when discussing antiques or touring landmarks of Kyoto, and those were once more the better parts of the book.

That said, the writer may be running out of Kyoto, as the next volume sees Homes and Aoi headed to Yawata City! Which, yes, is also in Kyoto Prefecture, but it’s the thought that counts. In the meantime, if you do read this for the potboiler soap opera, this will be filled with that sort of thing. For the rest of us, let’s hope it’s done.

Der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight, Vol. 13

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

We continue the trend of the series gradually shifting from Veight’s adventures to Friede’s, though as long as the subtitle of the series remains the same I would not worry too much about losing everyone’s favorite vice-commander. (the best joke in this volume, by the way, is how everyone now wants to be a vice-commander because that’s what Veight was and they associate it with being all-powerful.) The narration here is closer to a balance between Friede and Veight, as is the action, though it’s weighted more towards Friede in the front. She’s something of a breath of fresh air in that, while she is undeniably strong and clever, she’s also a kid and thus cannot simply brute force her way through everything the way that Veight does. Indeed, late in the book Veight gets yelled at for solving a problem by blowing it up, even though, to be fair, that was likely the only way the problem could be solved. Friede is not super OP, so we are more interested in how she fixes things.

We pick up where we left off last time, with Friede, Shirin and Yuhette being sent to Rolmund as part of an ambassadorial visit, with the hopes that if it goes well it could lead to actual negotiations by adults in the future. What follows is essentially a continuation of the Rolmund arc from previous books, as it turns out that, unlike Meraldia, things are still very much in flux there politically. Eleora mostly has everything handled, but insurrections keep happening, and she cannot be everywhere. This is problematic when her niece, the heir (you know she’s not gonna get married, she’s one of the women who lost to Airia in the Veight sweepstakes) ends up kidnapped by one of the rival factions. Who’s going to be the one to find her? Will it be those whose job it is to do it? Or will it be our little girl protagonist? Take a guess.

I was amused at the niece/heir, Micha, who at first appears to be one of THOSE rich kids (you even see her pointing, always a sign in Japanese media that someone is rude) but quickly bonds with Friede, to the point where by the time the visit ends they’re best friends. Admittedly Friede also saves her life, which does help cement close friendships, or so I hear. As for Veight, he gets to do more on the back end of the book. Facing off against a sandworm is a scene for those who prefer the old, Veight is badass sort of story, but for me the highlight was the politics, including Veight opening up to his daughter about being a reincarnation. I too would miss easy to access potato chips if I were a werewolf in a fantasy kingdom. Not to mention paper curr3ency, which rears its ugly head as this book ends and will likely come up in Book 14.

Which we may or may not see soon. Square Enix has purchased the rights to Der Werwolf in Japan, so Vol. 14 and forward need to have J-Novel Club negotiate with a new publisher. Till then, fans of the series can enjoy this book which continues to very, very slowly pass the baton to its new heroine.