By Gakuto Mikumo and Manyako. Released in Japan as “Sword of Stallion: Taneuma to Yobareta Saikyou Kishi, Ringoku no Oujo wo Netore to Meijirareru” by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Jake Humphrey.
This wasn’t too bad a book, especially given the author’s tendency for light novel by the numbers, but I will admit to disappointment that it did not remotely live up to its premise. Now, I’m no fool, I was not expecting a book filled with our hero banging the entire cast. But I mean, we’re told that he’s spent the last two years in brothels sleeping with any woman that moves… and then we find out that the women he supposedly slept with were all abuse victims or being blackmailed, that the brothel is really a training facility for knights, etc. I lay you even odds by the end of the series we find he didn’t actually have sex with anyone. Anyway, if I can get past that gripe, this isn’t too bad, and allows the author to play around in the mecha genre. There may also be a villainess subplot! When genres collide.
Two years ago, our hero, Ras Talion (get it? Rapscallion?) defeated a potentially country-destroying dragon, but in the process the princess of the country – and his fiancee – was killed. He promptly resigned his commission and went to the pleasure district, where rumor has it he’s spent the next two years screwing anything that moves to try to get over his lost love. (Yeah, I spoiled you, but it’s really goddamn obvious, so I don’t feel bad.) One day, he is accosted by a beautiful knight and a mysterious young woman, who manages to knock him unconscious. He wakes up in the royal palace, where the prince – twin to the lost princess – is running things because of the king’s ill health. The prince (also Ras’ old friend from school) asks him… can he seduce the princess of the next country over? To save their own country?
First of all, given that I’ve frequently complained that the author’s sense of humor in Strike the Blood amounted to “oh no, I accidentally groped you and now everyone is mad at me and I run away as the sun sets” anime humor, I appreciated there was a very funny joke here. I appreciated it because when I saw the setup, I thought “that would make a great joke” and the author actually followed through – well done. As for the cast, Ras is a likeable guy who is not nearly the rogue he pretends to be. I also really liked the princess he’s supposed to seduce, who seems to be trying very hard to get everyone to dislike her, and is absolutely not going to play along with Ras. There are also some cool fights – honestly, action scenes are the thing this author does best, so I wasn’t too worried there. Oh yes, and in case you noticed the artist is ALSO the same as Strike the Blood, I assure you the 2nd volume has a different girl on the cover.
So this is basically “for fans of shonen action stuff and the author”, but if you like that it’s pretty good. Just… don’t expect sex. Even offscreen. He’s a faux-stallion.