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High School DxD: Durandal of the Student Council Election

By Ichiei Ishibumi and Miyama-Zero. Released in Japan by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Haydn Trowell. As we are nearing the end of the series, it’s nice to see that it has actual character development for multiple people and is not just “they got stronger, so that is their character development”. We see that Kiba is still filled with righteous fury over his past. We see that Asia still struggles with self-confidence issues, even though she’s now the president of the Occult Research Club. And then there’s the cover girl for this volume, Xenovia. When she arrived, she was the sort to just go all Leeroy Jenkins on whatever problems she had. But over the course of the last several books, we’ve seen…

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Fleet-Footed Dungeon Delver: Tune in for Magical Girls and Motion Blur!, Vol. 1

By Ameko Kaeruda and U35. Released in Japan as “Shinsoku no Dungeon Seeker ~Speed Kyokufuri Haishinsha wa Subete o Buchinuku~” by DRE Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Faye Duxovni. (Spoilers within for the back half of this book.) I did wonder, you know. Despite the fact that this is written by Ameko Kaeruda, the author of Sexiled. And illustrated by U35, the artist for Buying a Classmate Once a Week and that Voice Actor Radio series. I wondered if this would just be slice-of-life. Or worse, if it might have a male lead. It wasn’t tagged by the publisher, either. Fear not, this is yuri. Of *course* it’s yuri. That said, as with other Kaeruda series, the yuri is the spice, but the point of…

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Fired? But I Maintain All the Software!, Vol. 3

By Yuki Kashirome and icchi. Released in Japan as “E, Shanai System Subete One Operation Shite Iru Watashi o Kaiko desu ka?” by PASH! Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Minna Lin. Content warning: This review will be discussing a book that deals with multiple companies that use AI, and it discusses AI throughout the book, usually in a positive way (though it does emphasize AI without humans making decisions is a disaster). Reader discretion is advised. This is still good, but we are starting to reach the point where I tell the author “you know this is not a sustainable idea for a long-run series, right?”. This book introduces a new person who feels their dream can never be achieved, and then marvels at Ai…

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I’m Running for Crown Princess, but All I Want is a Steady Paycheck!, Vol. 1

By Yuuri Seo and Okaya. Released in Japan as “Taikouhi Kouho dakedo, Kenjitsu ni Ikou to Omoimasu” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America digitally by Airship. Translated by Natasha Fujii. Adapted by Vida Cruz-Borja. Seven Seas has started to do these digital-only light novels, ones that presumably are good enough to be licensed but not good enough to justify a print release. (And by “good enough” I mean potentially making money, not quality of the prose.) Most of them tend to cater towards the guy side of the line, but this one is a shoujo light novel. Possibly it doesn’t get a print release as it’s not an isekai, and magic and monster hunting barely feature in it. Possibly also because it’s a 7-year-old series and only has two…

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Déjà Vute: Betrayal Begets New Beginnings, Vol. 1

By Minami Kashiwa and Suzunosuke. Released in Japan as “Imouto ni Subete o Ubawareta Reijou wa Kon’yakusha no Uragiri o Shiri Kaiki Suru” by PASH! Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Jessica Speed. This is the second debut in a row that features a “Cinderella” story that focuses heavily on the abuse of the main character by her evil stepmother and stepsister, and this one leans more heavily into the romance part of the equation. (For details on the first, which focuses on the abuse itself and the recovery, see my review of Keep Me Close). This one also features that ever popular plotline, getting killed off and then waking up years in the past to fix everything. That said, Déjà Vute struggled throughout its first…

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Keep Me Close: Finding My Home in You, Vol. 1

By Morrinmomo and whimhalooo. Released in Japan as “Watashi ga Kaeritai Basho wa ~Ibasho o Nakushita Reijou ga “Tokenai Hyouzou” to Uwasa Sareru Ryoushu-sama no Moto de Shiawase ni Naru made~” by DRE Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Amy Osteraas. Generally speaking my reviews don’t have continuity, and you should not have to read them day by day to get the gist of what I think. Sometimes, though, timing plays a major role. This week saw the release of two shoujo LNs with, if not similar plots, at least similar framing devices – the evil stepmother and stepsister, and years of horrible abuse. And they came out within two days of each other, so I am reading them one right after the other. Theoretically I…

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Manga the Week of 11/11/26

SEAN: Election Day has passed! That’s good! Or bad! Delete where applicable! ASH: Stressful, is what that was. SEAN: Airship has a print debut. When It Rains, It Pours (Futtara Doshaburi) is a BL light novel from the creator of Yes, No or Maybe?. A guy and his girl are growing apart. Another guy has an unrequited crush on his male roommate. Can these two become friends by venting to each other? ASH: There’s a good chance, I would suspect. SEAN: They also have Magical Buffs: The Support Caster is Stronger Than He Realized! 3. And for early digital, we get The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain 9, A Tale of the Secret Saint ZERO 6, Too Many Losing Heroines! SS, and…

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Housekeeping Mage from Another World: Making Your Adventures Feel Like Home!, Vol. 10

By You Fuguruma and Nama. Released in Japan as “Kasei Madoushi no Isekai Seikatsu: Boukenchuu no Kasei Fugyou Uketamawarimasu!” by Ichijinsha Bunko Iris NEO. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Hengtee Lim. Last time I said we were caught up with Japan and I wasn’t sure when we’d get the next book in the series. Well, it turned out to be about a year and a half. And since we’re caught up with Japan again, it may be another year and a half before Book 11. On the bright side, unlike some other slow-burn romances I could name (coughDahliacough), this one is actually realizing that it’s going to be ending with Book 11 or 12 and doing something about it. The meeting with Alec’s brother, which we’ve…

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From Bumbling Prodigy to Villainess: Will the Duke’s Love Go Unnoticed?, Vol. 2

By Saki Ichibu and Yukako Fujimura. Released in Japan as “Munou Saijo wa Akujo ni Naritai ~Gimai no Migawari de Totsuida Reijou, Koushaku-sama no Dekiai ni Kizukanai~” by Dengeki no Shin Bungei. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by Joshua C Shupp. I have, inevitably, mentioned this before, but it is still interesting how, due to translations having to actually be translated and not just literally ported over, “Villainess” is having to get redefined in these books. Sometimes it does mean someone who is capable of doing evil things, ranging from murder to throwing wine on someone’s dress. Sometimes it’s someone who enjoys sleeping around, or toying with other men. But sometimes the “bad woman” merely means “strong woman”, and one reason why transposed Japanese otaku, or…

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