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Reviews

The Ideal Sponger Life, Vol. 4

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By Tsunehiko Watanabe and Jyuu Ayakura. Released in Japan as “Risou no Himo Seikatsu” by Hero Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by MPT.

One of the reasons I really enjoy this series despite its unrecommendable premise is that it really seems to want to dig into the nitty gritty of everything. The genetics of magic are in full force here, and we see how that can also be political for various reasons, and also how it’s likely to affect Aura and Zenjirou’s marriage down the road. The stuff Zenjirou brought from Japan is also proving to be both very good and also very dangerous, as he gets to impress a princess (who’s really a science nerd deep down), but also manages to upend the power balance by explaining concave and convex lenses to her, something that is a huge thing but also so obscure he has to explain to his wife why he screwed up. All this and their newborn son has come down with fantasy world measles. The baby has a 90% chance of surviving… which means a 10% chance of dying, something that makes no one happy. Do they have to use another rare healing stone?

Despite the occasional break in the storyline to fight raptors (who are far more numerous than expected), the bulk of this book is taken up with the arrival of Prince Francesco (who is basically Tamaki from Ouran Host Club) and Princess Bona (no close relation, she’s his minder and the aforementioned science nerd). Dealing with Francesco is somewhat exhausting, especially as they’re trying to figure out why he’s not in the line of succession… and also how much of his airhead act is just an act. Princess Bona is high-strung, but much easier to deal with… possibly a bit TOO easy, as Aura notices immediately that she and Zenjirou seem to naturally bond. That said, it’s their child’s illness that brings them all the answers they want, as Francesco reveals his background and magic abilities… something that also is going to make it even HARDER for Zenjirou not to take a concubine.

You know it’s a good Sponger Life when even the maid side-stories, usually the low point of the book, are interesting. The three goofy maids are busy playing video golf, which is the funny part, but the narration also points out that by learning about birdies, par and bogies, and the value of each, they’re being taught zero and negative numbers, something well outside what they would normally learn. That said, they’re all airheads, so I’m not sure if it will actually crop up later on. I also enjoyed seeing Aura fight (mostly successfully) against her jealousy. She points out that she worries constantly about making Zenjirou angry, as unlike everyone else in her kingdom, he doesn’t really WANT anything, so can’t be bribed to get back on his good side. Fortunately, despite his good relationship with Bona, she’s highly unlikely to be a concubine (the book seems to be pairing her and Francesco, though it’s subtle).

By now I imagine every reader who was hanging around waiting for more sexytimes has abandoned ship, leaving those who love the series’ political intrigue. This is a very good volume for that, and makes me interested in the next book, which… does NOT have Aura on the cover! Gasp!

I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level, Vol. 10

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By Kisetsu Morita and Benio. Released in Japan as “Slime Taoshite 300 Nen, Shiranai Uchi ni Level MAX ni Nattemashita” by GA Novels. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Jasmine Bernhardt.

It’s the 10th volume of Killing Slimes for 300 Years, and that means that big, earth-shattering changes are in store. OK, no, that’s not what it means. This book is exactly the same as the previous nine. Anyone reading this to see characters change or grow is a glutton for punishment. Despite that, this is a very good volume, avoiding some of the series’ usual pitfalls. Azusa doesn’t even have to point out that she’s not gay! Instead, you get a lot of cute, fun stuff happening and the cast either causing it or reacting to it. Heck, even the Halkara side stories, which I have ragged on the last two books, are better than usual. The one thing that does happen in these books is the addition of new cast members, and we see that here, as we get a fortune-telling Moon Spirit. We also see Azusa’s estranged slime daughter Wynona, who pops up several times in this book and, despite her best efforts, ends up being part of the extended family.

Stories in this volume: they all go to a sweets fair, where Falfa and Shalsha try to sell the edible slimes as sweets; they see a fortune teller who is surprisingly blunt, and she reveals she’s yet another spirit, though she’s not really sure what she should be doing; Wynona asks Azusa and Laika to party with her for a competition in a dungeon, and shows off her seemingly aloof self (and her obsession with the color white); everyone goes to a peach festival, with Momotaro references galore, an 18+ exhibit Azusa has to stop everyone from going to, and so many peaches; Muu from the ancient civilization requests the help of Flatorte to help with an encroaching plant problem; after this, due to what happened, Flatorte is suddenly extremely calm and efficient; and Beelzubub shows off her new demonic credit card… though there’s still a few bugs in the system. Meanwhile, Halkara and Flatorte struggle with local cuisine, and Halkara gets sent by the goddess to Japan, where she runs into Azusa pre-death.

I mentioned that no one expects character development, though that isn’t strictly true here; by the end of her stories, Wynona is decidedly less tsun and more dere towards her “step” mother. That said, the highlight of the book is definitely Flatorte. She hasn’t been able to fight or blow off steam in a long time, and has been getting even more eccentric as a result. The solution to Muu’s problem, which involves using her freezing breath more than she ever has before, also leads to her suddenly being polite, calm, and competent; Azusa even compares her to a butler! That said, We Want Our Jerk Back, so it doesn’t stick. There is also an amusing Lovecraft pastiche towards the end, describing events we’ve already seen as if they were the most terrible things imaginable. Halkara’s stories aren’t great, and I wish she’d actually interacted with Japanese Azusa, but they didn’t bore or irritate me. Plus, they’re the last of that spinoff – next time Laika gets the side stories.

So yes, cute fluffy, relaxing, nothing earth-shaking happens. A good book to read after you’ve read something dark and brooding.

86 –Eighty-Six–, Vol. 8: Gun Smoke on the Water

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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.

As expected, after last volume’s romantic comedy shenanigans, we’re back to normal service with this volume of 86. Oh sure, the aftermath of Shin and Lena is still hanging around, and needless to say, the reader wants to strangle Lena. Don’t expect resolution in this book, though, because instead our heroes join up with a group of countries who normally try to avoid the threat of massive sea monsters, but sadly the Legion have proven to be even more dangerous to them, and finally, after ten years of slowly getting destroyed, they’re forced to call other nations for help. On the bright side, this means everyone gets to see the sea! On the down side, the sea is not really the gorgeous blue Mediterranean they had expected, but more of a cold Norway-style sea. What’s more, thanks to the cliffhanger from last time, there is a possibility that the end of the war could be in sight. Which means… thinking past the war. This proves difficult for some, especially Theo, the focus of this book.

I’m not great at remembering character appearances in this series beyond Shin and Lena, so when the cover art to Vol. 8 came out, I joked that 86 was crossing over with Isekai Quartet. But no, that’s not Tanya on the cover, it’s Theo, and he’s not having a good time. Several of the 86 are doing a much better job than he is at imagining a future for themselves that does not involve constant war and battle. He’s still haunted by the death of his former captain. And the Island Nations folks are weighing heavily on him, as they’ve thrown away their pride in order to protest what’s left of their people against the Legion. Given the 86 are supposedly left with nothing BUT pride, this baffles Theo. Fortunately, about 3/4 of this book is a huge sea battle against an unstoppable enemy that always looks dead but isn’t, with the potential for everyone to die horribly. So no change there, then.

As you might gather, the battles are excellent, but I can’t really say a lot about them, as military fighting novels are not my metier. Indeed, it’s still surprising how much I follow this series given that it hits a lot of my “no thanks” buttons, and it’s credit to the author. There is a Situation towards the end which deeply affects a number of the main cast, and while the reader has no doubt that all will be well, it does allow for some additional character development to be pulled off very well. That said… look, I’ve been waiting for another major cast member to die since Book 1, and have been very surprised it didn’t happen. And, spoiler, it doesn’t happen here either. That said, death is not the only way to leave a fight, and also not the only way to winnow down a cast. I suspect the majority of the 9th book is going to be dealing with the 86 having to cope with the events in this book.

So yes, fans should be pleased with Gun Smoke on the Water, despite an annoying lack of Frank Zappa and the Mothers. Will the war end anytime soon? I’m guessing no, but small steps is fine.

Durarara!!SH, Vol. 2

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By Ryohgo Narita and Suzuhito Yasuda. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Stephen Paul.

I always love to start off a review by admitting I was wrong. So yes, sorry Izaya, it turns out you were NOT the one who told Yahiro to come to Tokyo after all, it was Shinra, who is also an agent of chaos, just with a bit less malice. Of course, that’s all very well and good, but his arrival, along with meeting Himeka and Kuon, seems to have started everyone back on to their usual mess again. Narita specializes in chains of unconnected events exploding outward till they all connect, and that’s what happens here, thanks to… well, some of it is indirectly thanks to Izaya. OK, most of it. But alas, he’s still not in these books. But Celty returns, and it’s refreshing to see that she is much the same as she was before. Albeit a lot more panicked, given that while she was having a hot springs tour, people kept disappearing and she got the blame. We also find out a lot more about Himeka and Kuon… who both have a lot of issues to deal with as well.

Given that both Yahiro and Himeka are actively looking for Celty, it’s rather surprising that their confrontation goes so well. Then again, Celty’s a sweetie pie, as anyone who spends time around her knows. This helps Himeka to let go of the rage and anger towards the headless rider… and also makes her realize what’s actually going on, which is not supernatural in nature but instead involves a broken family, the desperation of being a true believer, and a drug that does very bad things to you. As for Yahiro, well, his fight with Shizuo was not nearly as secret as he’d hoped, and now everyone knows there’s a new bad boy in town. What’s more, one of his new friends is trying to manipulate him. Can he manage to resolve what it means to be a human with the monster that everyone says he is?

The answer is no, but don’t worry, that’s a good answer – in fact, it’s the best part of the book. DRRR!! is a series where we see normal, non-powerful humans turning out to be the absolute scum of the earth, while one of the actual supernatural monsters is one of the nicest people in it. Ikebukuro is a place where being a monster may be cool, it may attract attention, it may force events to revolve around you… but it’s not really the terrible thing that Yahiro dealt with in his small town. As for the human part of the book… well, Horada, everyone’s least favorite minor villain, is out of jail and still just as pathetic, but I think we know by now he’s a running gag. More concerning is the Heaven’s Slave drug, which has not only made a big comeback but also brought back two somewhat more major villains, both of whom have decided to get revenge on the city rather than a person. No doubt that will spark the third volume.

All this and I didn’t even get into the use of cults and their use to get away from what ails you, which can be a problem when your cult leader suddenly disappears. In any case, if you love DRRR!!, Izaya or no, this is a very fun volume, greatly enjoyable.

Konosuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! Bonus Story: Deadbeat Busters

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By Natsume Akatsuki and Kurone Mishima. Released in Japan as “Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Bakuen wo!” by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Alex Wetnight.

After three volumes that act as a prequel to the main series, and two volumes that give us the further adventures of Megumin trying to adventure with a different group of characters, we have finally come to the end of her spinoff. There are, of course, still a number of KonoSuba spinoffs out there, albeit unlicensed. Heck, even in Japan it’s hard to keep up with the source – one story in this volume has the author apologize in the afterword, as it brings back an antagonist from a preorder bonus story. So it’s not just English speakers who can’t keep up. More to the point, rejoice! This volume takes place after Book 14, meaning that for once, we’re getting a spinoff volume exactly where it should be. As for the premise? Well, I mean, wacky Megumin antics, for the most part, what do you expect? But mostly it’s about Megumin realizing that, much as she has fun with her side story adventuring party, there’s no party quite like home.

Megumin wants to go out and adventure, but it’s the rainy season, and Kazuma, Aqua and Darkness really don’t want to. Particularly Kazuma, which annoys her, as they’re supposed to be a couple. Clearly it’s time to get the side character band back together: Yunyun, who may be the next chief of the Crimson Magic Clan but still will walk down a suspicious dark alley with three burly dudes if they say they’ll be her friend; Iris, who is determined to go out and be a hero even though the slightest thing harming her will mean execution for the rest of the party; and Cecily, who… ugh, must we? They meet an eccentric scholar with a passion for rare monsters and a desire to impress the woman he likes, and so try to defeat a King Toad (much larger than the toads we’ve seen before) and a poison slime (which is not Cecily’s fault technically, but let’s blame her anyway) before Kazuma finally shows up with the rest of the team and they take on a Crystal Liger, its magpie tendencies, and its poop.

First, the most important part of any KonoSuba book: the book is quite funny, with a lot of good gags. As always, Megumin and Yunyun trade off the position of “the only one with common sense” throughout the book, though more accurately Yunyun has it 75% of the time. She and Iris manage to take down a wyvern on their own, though we don’t see it, and I think she’s going to be a powerhouse once she gets over her pathetic insecurities about friends. Getting away from Megumin might also help. As for the title character, as I noted above, this book serves to show to her that it’s most fun back with Kazuma, Aqua, and Darkness. More to the point, she finds she does not like being the leader of a party, and feels sympathy for Kazuma… though I assume that will vanish when she gets to go back to being the loose cannon we know and love.

So that’s it for the spinoff. Fortunately, we have more of the main series coming in the fall. Till then, Megumin fans should enjoy this.

The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten, Vol. 2

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

I admit that I had expected that Mahiru would be the tougher nut to crack in this burgeoning relationship. She clearly had some sort of family issue, which we get to see in detail here, and it’s both very predictable and also worse than I expected. That said, it also helps to explain why she falls in love faster than Amane. Now, don’t get me wrong, they’re both crazy about each other and it’s obvious to everyone who isn’t Amane. But seeing the relationship he has with his parents and his best friends is basically filling Mahiru with a longing that she’s had for her entire life, and it’s no surprise that she’s leaning hard into it. Unfortunately, we are going the cliche route here, for good and ill; the lead guy does not think that she could possibly love him, and does not notice any of the obvious signs. In fact, it turns out that Amane may have a tortured past himself.

The start of the book revolves around New Year’s, which the people-shy Amane and Mahiru do not want to be spending at a shrine, so they instead spend it with each other. They can’t avoid the shrine forever, though, and a few days later Amane’s parents show up to whisk them off there (and also dress them up in kimonos, because Mahiru is gorgeous and Amane, when he bothers to put in effort, is handsome). Mahiru then gets a cold, and (no surprises – again) tries to pretend she’s fine. Then we get Valentine’s Day and White Day, which is difficult to do when your relationship is so vague, as well as Amane’s best friend Itsuki staying over a few days after a fight with his father. Finally, we briefly meet Mahiru’s birth mother, and learn why she is the way she is.

The strengths and weaknesses of the second volume are the same as the first, so if you enjoyed one you should enjoy the other. That said, if you hate self-deprecating guys who cannot figure out that someone is in love with them despite it being glaringly obvious – and pointed out by everyone around them – then this series must be like drinking poison. Amane’s self-image is through the floor, which is probably why he never does anything about his hair, clothes, or lifestyle. His parents are both fantastic, so that’s not the issue, but a cliffhanger suggests that a friendship from the past led to this. Unfortunately, we don’t learn that there’s an obvious reason for his reticence till the end of the book, so for most of it it reads like Anime Guy Syndrome. Fortunately, the two are absolutely adorable together, couple or no, and the series runs on that.

I’m not sure when we’ll actually advance to a relationship – the 5th volume just came out in Japan last month, so it may be a bit. But aside from Amane’s mopey attitude, this remains an excellent high school romance.

Spy Classroom: Lily of the Garden

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By Takemachi and Tomari. Released in Japan as “Spy Kyoushitsu” by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Nathaniel Thrasher.

I am always pleased when a book meets the expectations I had for it. I’d heard good things about Spy Classroom when it was first licensed. It’s an award winner, and it seemed to be balancing humor and espionage in equal measure. The premise is simple enough: a group of girls, all of whom are in various schools training to be spies, and all of whom are failures and washouts for one reason or another, are removed from their schools and assigned to an “Impossible Mission”, i.e. a mission that a previous group of spies has tried to do and been killed for it. Success for those “redo” missions is about 10%. Fortunately, they have Klaus, a fantastic spy who they can never quite get the drop on no matter how many times they try, to teach them. That said, there is a slight problem. He’s so intuitive about everything he does that his explanations are ludicrously bad. No, normal teaching is not going to cut it here. We need teaching by example. Which means trying to kill the teacher over and over again.

The description makes it sound a lot like Assassination Classroom, even down to the name, but it’s not very much like that series at all. As you’d expect with a cast herd like this, we only really focus on a couple of the girls in this volume – indeed, except for these two, even the names of the other girls are obfuscated for the most part. Lily is the girl on the cover, a cheerful, somewhat arrogant young girl who is also, well, really terrible at spy school. She has one very big thing she can do, and it works well… the trouble is everything else. Oh yes, and she doesn’t want to die, which means the idea of an Impossible Mission freaks her out. The other girl we get to know is Erna, who is a bit of a type, the classic case of the “girl with bad luck”. Her luck tends to lash out at both her and everyone else, and it’s left her personality pretty much the opposite of Lily’s. They were both very well fleshed out.

As for the espionage part… much as I tend to be a walking spoiler factory in my reviews, I’m trying not to do that this time. There are several “shocking swerves” in the narrative, very much in the classic mystery genre way where after reading it you kick yourself for not noticing things beforehand. Indeed, the author and artist even take advantage of this, tricking the reader as well as the enemy into what they believe. The battles are exciting and honestly, I did worry there would be some main cast killed. It’s pretty clear this was written as a one-shot, so all bets are off, really. That said, being framed as a single book also helps to keep things tense and fast-paced – a lesser author would have spent the first book just having wacky spy teaching stuff and left the mission for a Book 3 or so, but we know what it’s safe to skip over and what isn’t. (Also, skipping stuff helps to keep the mystery going.)

Fortunately, there is more in the series, which makes me very happy. This was one of the best light novels I’ve read in months, and it also really makes you want to go back and re-read it after you’ve finished to spot the clues and smack your forehead. Also: FOUND FAMILY FOUND FAMILY FOUND FAMILY.

Since I Was Abandoned After Reincarnating, I Will Cook With My Fluffy Friends: The Figurehead Queen Is Strongest At Her Own Pace, Vol. 2

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By Yu Sakurai and Kasumi Nagi. Released in Japan as “Tenseisaki de Suterareta no de, Mofumofu-tachi to Oryouri Shimasu: Okazari Ouhi wa My Pace ni Saikyou desu” by M Novels F. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by Emma Schumacker.

Having spent most of the first book giving us the setup for the series in general, I was surprised at how quickly this second volume maneuvers to ‘slow life cooking novel’. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still political intrigue galore, but for the most part Laetitia is not being attacked herself, and she only has to break out her ‘scary smile’ once. She’s happy and content, and that means she has real smiles now. True, she’s still not managed to figure out the true identity of His Majesty, but that’s not really her fault, and all of the lessons that her brothers pounded into her about anything and everything come in very handy. Indeed, the only time she actually gets upset is when she realizes that she’s starting to lose her Japanese memories – she can no longer recall her own name, and various other things are going as well. This is a one-way isekai street.

The book is essentially a) Laetitia makes food, and b) Laetitia makes peace. We se her trying endless strawberry menu items, as well as inventing sandwiches, which she gives out to all the workers helping build a clearing a dog house… erm, griffin house, as well as to King Glenreed, who is finally learning to enjoy the wonders of food, especially once the queen brings the equivalent of a hotplate so the food hasn’t gotten cold by being tested for poisons before he eats it. Elsewhere, she’s helping Natalie, the disgraced queen candidate from the first book, slowly recover her status and learn how not to behave like a robot. She also meets two more candidates – Kate, a fiery catgirl who is every stereotype you could imagine when I say that, and her scheming sister Sienna, as well as I-Liena, who is savvy, smart, knows when to hold em and when to fold em, and is apparently lying about something, though we may need another book to find out what that is.

Laetitia is, for those who try to avoid this sort of thing, a bit too perfect here, if we’re being honest – but frankly, I think that’s what most readers want to read about. She’s kind to Natalie and Kate, she figures out Sienna’s tricks and helps to take her down, and she even exchanged one word with the mysterious 4th Queen candidate, who shows up in this book but does nothing and then disappears. I suspect her of being final boss material. She also gets to go riding on her griffin at one point, and is the very definition of “living the dream”. That said, she still thinks of herself as a figurehead queen, as does the nation, though I suspect very soon folks are going to guess that the King is starting to fall hard for said figurehead… which will lead to a lot of political fallout.

So yes, if you enjoy slow life cooking, this is a good read; if you enjoy women being polite to each other while scheming, this is also a good read, and if you just like seeing a sweet woman be really sweet to everyone around her who love her in turn, then it’s that as well. All the major angsty drama seems put off for future books – this is a comfy blanket sort of volume.

Oh yes, she invents pizza too.

Reincarnated as the Piggy Duke: This Time I’m Gonna Tell Her How I Feel!, Vol. 2

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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.

When one is reincarnated as the villain in one’s favorite anime or manga, of course, the natural desire is to change things so that the appalling fate is avoided. This is how most villainess stories go, and it’s how Piggy Duke goes as well. Slowe knows how this ends for him, and he’s determined to try to a) lose a bit more weight, and b) confess to the girl he loves. Neither of those things really happen in this volume, though it is occasionally remarked that he is a bit slimmer. That said, Slowe seems to be just as prone as other light novel protagonists to not realizing that changing a personal timeline might mean that other things get changed as well… which makes the anime that his past self watched pretty useless. In this case, he already knows that one knight will turn traitor down the road… and is thus rather surprised when it comes early.

After the events of the last book, Slowe’s reputation is… well, mostly the same, as no one can quite believe their ears when they hear it and he’s spent a lot more time being appalling then he has being awesome. That said, the headmaster knows what’s really going on, so calls him and Alicia, his former fiancee, to his office. A bandit group that killed one of Alicia’s relatives is still at large, and Alicia, along with two royal knights, are going to try to put them down. Why is Slowe there? Well, he’s been asked to participate in the selection process of becoming a Guardian Knight… despite the fact that his family and the Church don’t get along. Still, politics being politics, Slowe accepts. Now all he has to do is try to stop Alicia taking a dangerous risk while also seemingly acting lazy and uncaring. And then there’s Charlotte…

Honestly, I’m a bit amazed that Slowe and Charlotte have been able to keep her secret for as long as they have, particularly given that she comes close to spilling it to one of the knights in a drunken conversation. (She and Alicia are likely too young to have been drinking themselves into a stupor, but at least the narrative says that.) This also leads to the change in events from the anime… fortunately, Slowe is stupid powerful, so he takes care of things anyway, but I hope he now realizes he can’t coast on what he thinks is going to happen down the road. As for Alicia, her feelings are super obvious to everyone but Slowe, no matter how much she acts like she’s voiced by Rie Kugimiya. It’s clear as day that she was deeply in love with him as a child, and has never gotten over the feelings of disappointment and betrayal she felt. Well, except now that he’s literally saved her life twice, she’s getting over it. That said, she’s now in a pack of 3, along with the girl he supposedly loves and the busty commoner. (I mention busty because the book can’t go two pages without mentioning her chest, so best work it in on my end as well.)

This continues to be the definition of a solid enjoyable light novel that doesn’t wow but, aside from still fat-shaming as a running theme, doesn’t put too many feet wrong. Fans should enjoy it.

Otherside Picnic, Vol. 5

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By Iori Miyazawa and shirakaba. Released in Japan as “Urasekai Picnic” by Hayakawa Bunko JA. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Sean McCann.

This may be the least horror-themed volume to date, with the stories in this book, with the exception of the final one, more focused on either a) the relationship between Sorawo and Toriko, or b) the nature of the Otherside as a world in which it is possible to stay, be it animal or person, and manage to avoid too much weird creepiness. The Otherside does not necessarily have to turn anything and everything into an urban legend or creeping horror… it’s just that is what it seems to do when Sorawo is around. A lot of the Otherside that we’ve seen to date seems to be very focused on her in particular, so it’s interesting to see it when it’s either literally reflecting on the relationship between her and Toriko or just showing a happy old woman and her dog staying at a swank Otherside estate. That said, there are still some scary moments in this book, particularly the final story, where, as the subtitle suggests, our heroines run into an old foe.

We get four stories this time around. In the first, Sorawo is desperately trying to recall what happened the night of a love hotel girls’ party that she and Toriko (and Kozakura, Akari and Natsumi, because Sorawo is a big chicken) were at. Was it really just “I got too drunk and did something stupid?” Or did she put the whammy on her friends with her Eye of Power? The second story, and my favorite, has Sorawo hunt down Toriko, who has been avoiding her after the party, at Toriko’s college. She finds her, but shortly afterwards becomes trapped in interstitial space, and gets a good look at how Toriko sees Sorawo. Then it’s back to the Otherside, where they spot the most terrifying Otherside denizen yet… Sorawo’s self-confidence. Oh yes, and a borzoi. Finally, the two are hired by the wife of the first man they met in the Otherside to find him… never mind the fact that he was there to find her, or that they saw him killed. Who’s the child they’re seeing hiding in a pile of garbage? And why is Hasshaku-sama behind this?

Not to spoil too much, but in the fourth volume we finally had Toriko make it as explicit as possible that she loves Sorawo, and in this 5th volume Sorawo is finally able to say it back, after literally seeing herself through Toriko’s eyes, and also realizing that Toriko is actually a normal, fallible human being and not a flawless goddess of beauty. There’s little of Sorawo’s descriptive Toriko prose here, and she seems to be (well, leaving aside the first story) more accepting of their relationship. She still has a tendency to hate herself as much as humanly possible, and I suspect the relationship is not going to get much further unless she can clear that hurdle, but hey, baby steps. We also get a good look at what the Otherside is like when it’s simply… accepted. Not leaving one spot too much, avoiding dangerous areas, etc. Turns out… it’s pretty nice. The third story was my second favorite, and I wonder if we’ll see the woman and her dog again.

That said, my big question, and the book ends with it being very much up in the air, is what’s up with that kid? (For a while I thought she was literally Sorawo as a child in some sort of time breaking shenanigans, but apparently not?) In any case, there hopefully will be less wait for the 6th volume. If the anime didn’t impress you, try the novels, they’re much better.

Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 6.5

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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.

As you can tell by the volume number, this is a short story collection. That said, definitely don’t read it till you’ve read the 6th book, as a lot of the back half of this volume deals with what happens in that book. For the most part, Tomozaki is not the focus of this book either, though of course a lot of it has his presence. Instead we get each heroine getting approximately a quarter of the book to get short stories giving us insight into how they think and interact with others. (The exception to this is Suzu, who’s barely mentioned here, and it feels odd she’s left out, especially as this volume is rather short.) The good news is that they’re very good stories, with one exception, and Aoi and Mimimi in particular come off with added insight into their character. Indeed, Aoi continues to worry me. I’ve said before that I find her the most interesting heroine, and that hasn’t changed, but boy, she’s set up for a breakdown somewhere down the road if she keeps this up.

The stories are: Aoi in middle school, slowly becoming the perfect girl we know and are wary of, and dealing with her first boyfriend; Aoi and Tomozaki shopping for winter clothing and learning more about fashion; the girls’ side of the cabin conversation from Book 3 (where we saw the boys’ side); Kukichi in middle school, where she discovers Michael Andi and learns to open up to others – slightly – with the help of a kind librarian; Izumi worrying that her boyfriend is cheating on her; Mimimi feeling at a loss and left behind shortly after she quits the track team, and realizing that just because she quit track does not mean she has to stop running; two other Mimimi POV stories from Vol. 6 that give us her side leading up to and right after her confession; and Tsumugi and her friends spotting Takahiro dressed as a bartender and following him… and indeed, he is working at a bar (to help his brother).

First of all, the Izumi story is the one I didn’t enjoy. “I have little self-esteem so am worried my guy is cheating on me but it all turns out to be a big misunderstanding” makes me roll my eyes at the best of times, and this one has no surprises at all. Other than that, this was quite a good book. Aoi’s “how can I manipulate this situation to my advantage” mindset is exactly as you’d expect, and is even more “impressive” given that she hasn’t even gotten into gaming yet at this point in the story. That said, we do also see a nervous middle-schooler at the core of her actions, and are reminded that being a popular girl has its own dangers. Mimimi’s stories are also fantastic, and I feel the most for her, I think, as she also tends to “put on a persona” around others, but isn’t sure how to move on or grow up the way everyone else is. Indeed, Tomozaki’s growth and development both impresses and annoys her, and likely leads to her confession… and immediate complete panic afterwards.

So yes, I do think this is not the usual irrelevant short story collection, but actually has good plot and character beats. The voices of the girls in their narratives all sounded very different as well, so kudos to the author and translator for that. Next time, presumably, we finally resolve the love triangle? Maybe?

Baccano!: 1711 Whitesmile

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By Ryohgo Narita and Katsumi Enami. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Taylor Engel.

For those who may have been expecting this book to be partly an adaptation of the 1700s episode of the anime, ht’s not. We do see everything up to the Advena Avis sailing off, though, so you can go right from this book to watching Episode 7 and depress yourself even more. That said, apart from one character, this book is fairly light on depression. Monica is still dead and a lot of people have feelings about that, but for the most part this is a standard Narita “have everything get more and more chaotic till it explodes” style book. Its best aspects are those focusing on Fermet, who continues to remain the absolute worst and you’d think the author would be tired of showing him doing even more evil shit, but no; and Elmer, who is Fermet’s kryptonite, as we discover here, and is not someone I can describe as evil but is also someone I cannot really describe as a human being, either. Elmer is disturbing. As for Huey, well… also disturbing, frankly.

It’s been a year since Monica’s death. Huey and Elmer have both vanished, but a lot of alchemists have come to Lotto Valentino for one reason or another, including Szilard Quates, who thinks all this immortality stuff is a load of crap; and Victor Talbot, who is a lot less angry and bitter than he would eventually become. Unfortunately, the town is under the control of the Dormentaires after the events of 1710. Equally unfortunately, there’s been a string of explosions and fires going on. Is someone trying to get the town to destroy itself? If so, they’re doing a pretty good job. Amidst all this, we also meet Maiza’s brother Gretto, who is basically “young dumb teenager in love”, and Sylvie, a maid at their household, who is less dumb but no less in love. Can they manage to have their forbidden love by escaping on the Advena Avis? Indeed, does the ENTIRE cast need to escape on the Advena Avis?

I’d mentioned this was a happy ending for most everyone in that they don’t have really bad things happen to them till they’re on the ship, which we saw in the anime. The exception to this is Niki, who is back and deeply in love with Fermet, which is both terrible (as Fermet is, well, Fermet, and gets off imagining her most despairing face) and also terrible in a different way (because she’s still, even after all these years, idealizing suicide). Her fate is horrible but also doesn’t make much sense timeline-wise if you look at it closely, but that’s not uncommon for Narita, who has never been good about keeping track of stuff he wrote and/or how long something is supposed to take. That said, the best scene in the entire book is right at the end, when Fermet gleefully tells Elmer and Huey about Niki’s fate… and the response he gets from Elmer makes him completely flip out. Elmer is the one person who cannot be emotionally manipulated at all by Fermet, and honestly more people should have this reaction to Elmer. It’s great.

This brings the 1700s books to an end, and we’re in the home stretch now. Narita calls the next arc the last 1930s one, and it’s the longest arc yet (and indeed still unfinished). Back to 1935 next time. Till then, enjoy the author saying “gee, what would piss off the reader more than what I did to Monica?”.

Can Someone Please Explain What’s Going On?! ~A Sign-on-the-Line Wedding Story~, Vol. 6

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By Tsuredurebana and Rin Hagiwara. Released in Japan as “Dareka Kono Joukyou wo Setsumei Shite Kudasai! ~Keiyaku Kara Hajimaru Wedding~” by ArianRose. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Emily Hemphill.

The previous five books in this series have all had me writing fairly positive reviews, but they’ve all had me turn around like Lieutenant Columbo and say “there’s just one thing that bugs me”. The constant focus on Viola being thin is telling. The use of the word “fatso” in a previous book. The fact that this book is very much on the side of the rich nobles doing whatever they want – even to other countries. Everyone keeping things from Viola “for her own good”. And it all comes to a head here, in the final book in the series. Except it’s not the final book – there are three more, which seem to be of the “side story” variety. But the author talks about how the books end here, and the tacked-on epilogue almost reads like a cancellation. Not that I’d blame the editors. Viola is still a wonderful character, but this book in particular belongs in the pit of shame.

Most of the main dilemmas of the series have now been resolved, with the possible exception of Viola’s superhuman inability to realize that she is loved and cherished by all around her. That will be fixed with this book, which sees the arrival of The Crown Prince and Princess of Aurantia. A country bordering their own, they’re here looking for husbands and wives, and have their hearts set on Viola and Cersis – despite the fact that Viola and Cersis are already married! Unfortunately, they’re also sort of cartoonishly evil. It’s up to Viola’s newly mastered martial arts skills and 100-meter dash abilities to try and save herself from a nasty kidnapping and a definite international incident. Once she does this… perhaps a re-wedding is in order?

So let me get this out of the way. Both of Aurantia’s royalty (also darker-skinned, but I won’t even go into that) are described negatively by Viola and everyone around her. The prince seemingly looks like a linebacker, being described as “burly” and “2 1/2 times as wide as Mr. Fisalis”. Funny, in the illustrations he looks as handsome as all the other men. This does not apply to the princess, who is called “fat”, “plump”, etc. and mocked and belittled by all Viola’s noble friends through the entire book. It’s really grating, and I’d also like to remind readers that just because a character is bad does not mean we get to start in on fat shaming them. They really are pathetic villains, and I will admit it was fun to see slim Viola shoulder throw the Crown Prince, but it still irked me. Also irking me was the constant “we’ll keep this a secret from Viola”, either due to not wanting to worry her, or wanting to surprise her, or just to tease her. I mean, literally in this book we see that not telling Viola leads to bad things in their relationship, and yet everything is STILL kept from her. Viola herself is still the best part of the book, but even she grated on me when all her friends were attacking the royal visitors in their best “catty” way and all Viola could do was inwardly say “Eek, girls are scary!”.

The book ends with Cersis and Viola having a “second wedding” now that Viola has finally admitted she is no longer a wife in name only. Then, to my great surprise, we jump forward several years for a quick epilogue, which shows Viola’s child (and another on the way) and reads very much like a Jump series that got cancelled at 3 volumes. If this were the final volume, I’d think it was the publisher’s doing, but there’s definitely more coming, so it just reads as super abrupt. I admit I will be reading the next book in the series – I like Viola’s inner narrator – but boy howdy, this book took everything wrong with previous books and put it together in one big cocktail. Recommended for those who love to see rich white men winning the day.

She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man, Vol. 1

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By Ryusen Hirotsugu and fuzichoco. Released in Japan as “Kenja no Deshi o Nanoru Kenja” by GC Novels. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Wesley O’Donnell. Adapted by Adam Lee.

Sometimes I take a flyer on a book that has a premise that sounds meh and am happily surprised… but not always. Sometimes it just presses all the wrong buttons. Sometimes it goes ways I’d rather it didn’t. Sometimes it’s just Not For Me. This is different from a book being actively bad, where I have no idea who it’s being written for. She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man (which, spoilers, I did not care for) has a very defined audience. It’s for gamers who enjoy fantasizing about their game becoming real. This is old hat by now in light novel land, but the webnovel for this series came out almost 10 years ago, so it may be suffering from “I came after all my imitators”. It loves discussing mechanics of the game and how they’ve changed. It enjoys having fun with gender confusion, which can be quite interesting, but is written here from a very “guy” perspective. The battle was OK. It’s just… not my thing.

To be honest, I should have known where this was going when our protagonist takes the name “Danblf Gandador” as his wizard character. I think we’re supposed to mock this, but… In any case, one day he spends an evening designing an alternate character skin of a young, cute girl, then passes out. When he wakes up, he finds that he’s now in a world that resembles his game… but in the body of the cute girl. Fortunately she still has all of Danblf’s skills and powers, but she’s going to have to do some careful lying in order not to get found out… especially since 30 years have passed since she was online last! Now calling herself Mira, she spends the rest of the book trying to find other gamers who may also have been trapped here (there’s quite a few, though we only meet two here), taking out the odd lesser demon with her overpowered summons, and dealing with how to use the bathroom or get dressed now that she’s a cute young girl.

For propriety’s sake I’ve tried to avoid mentioning it in reviews before this one, but dangit, Japan has far too much of an obsession with young women wetting or about to wet themselves. There’s a reasonable explanation in this book – Mira is getting used to being a girl AND being a non-game character, so isn’t really thinking about toilets till it’s almost too late – but it still reads like a fetish and I hate it. Other than that, if you read the plot description and thought “this sounds an awful lot like In the Land of Leadale, you’re right, it does. This definitely came first, but sorry, I read Leadale before it, and it comes off second best in most areas. One thing I did like was the camaraderie between the gamer characters once they’ve reunited – they really do seem like good gamer buddies, and it reads naturally. The big battle was also pretty good, with a nice scary cockatrice. I just… wasn’t enthused about much of the rest, especially the cast’s tendency to want to either dress or undress Mira as if she were a mannequin.

If you’re a gamer who enjoys this type of genre, there’s a lot to like here, and I think you’d enjoy future volumes of the series. I’m not that, so I’ll be stopping here.

The NPCs in This Village Sim Game Must Be Real!, Vol. 1

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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.

One of the more interesting surprises of 2018 was a light novel series that, on the face of it, looked like the stupidest premise in the entire world. It was called Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon, and its plot was exactly as you’d expect. And yet it not only proved far, far more entertaining than anyone could imagine, but also very good at keeping this a realistic and well-thought out world starring a guy who is a literal, non-moving, vending machine. The reason I bring this all up is that I was not planning on giving The NPCs in This Village Sim Game Must Be Real! the time of day till I saw that it was by the same author as the vending machine story. Can lightning strike twice, I thought? Well, good news there. It wasn’t just a fluke, this is a very good author. This book, about a 30-year-old NEET bum watching a group of five ex-villagers trying to survive, is excellent.

Our protagonist is Yoshio, a man who’s spent the past ten years living at home with his family holed up in his bedroom. He won’t leave the house, he won’t get a job, his parents and sister are seemingly disgusted with him. Then one day he gets a game in the mail, asking him to watch over a sim group of villagers fleeing from monsters trying to survive in the wild. There’s Gams, the soldier defending them all; his sister Chem, a healer; and a normal not-very powerful family: Rodice, Lyra and their 7-year-old daughter Carol. As Yoshio plays the game, he begins to notice that these NPCs are far too natural and well-written to actually be computer generated. What’s the game part? Well, he’s God, and once a day he can write them a prophecy, as well as perform a miracle if he amasses enough Faith Points… which mostly come from spending real-life money. Well, typical game.

As you can see, the plot description makes a reader go “meh”, but as always the execution is where it matters. We spend just as much time concentrating on Yoshio’s home life as we do on the NPC villagers, and it turns out there are multifaceted layers as to exactly WHY he gave up on life and is being a NEET in his room. His family, too, are all dealing with their own issues. The game, therefore, serves as a way to get Yoshio to start caring about life and other people again, and it works quite admirably. By the end of this first volume, he’s opened up to his parents, re-bonded with his sister, and gotten a regular job (if only to pay for the game). The villagers are not quite as interesting as the Yoshio side (the one bit of humor in the book, which features Chem being a brocon and competing with a 7-year-old girl for her brother’s attention, I could have done without) but they also have their nuances, and I appreciates that they really do need Yoshio’s help to survive, but not because they’re innately weak or anything – this world is dangerous.

There are several hints that this may not quite be a “game” at all, mostly due to the offerings the villagers send him by sacrifice every day being then mailed to Yoshio from an address in Hokkaido. I expect the end two books in the series will go deeper into that. (Like Vending Machine, this seems to stop at Book 3.) Still, once again this writer takes a seemingly flat premise and expands on it beautifully. I will absolutely be reading more.