Archive for the Light Novel Category


Kunoichi Bettegumi Igarashi Satsuki, Volume 4 ( くノ一別手組ー五十嵐五月)

June 16th, 2024

A woman with long, dark hair in a red kimono wields a sword, while a blonde woman in  dark red western dress stands at her back. Behind them is the sail of a large ship.The problem with writing alternate history is that you have to figure out where things go, as china has discovered in Kunoichi Bettegumi Igarashi Satsuki series.

To understand this volume, it helps that you know of the Namamugi Incident, in which a British citizen refused to move off the road when the Satsuma daimyo’s party passed by and was beheaded for his failure to follow the law. Great Britain demanded monetary compensation, apologies and the deaths of the daimyo’s retainers or they would attack. The British Fleet bombed Kagoshima, but, as the New York Times reported at the time, lost the battle. Kagoshima was gravely injured, but the British fleet was pushed back. Both the captain and commander of the flagship the HMS Euralys were killed, probably in a gun accident. It’s also good to understand the Japanese political landscape of the Bakumatsu period (with which I am only just becoming familiar, due to this series and Oni to Yoake Yuzikiyo (鬼と夜明け 夕月夜) manga.

And, lastly, you might want to learn about the Boshin War in which the British allied themselves with their former enemy of Satsuma (because, let’s face it, a destabilized government is good for colonial powers.)

Okay, now that you know about all of this, you’ll understand that, in Kunoichi Bettegumi Igarashi Satsuki, Volume 4 ( くノ一別手組ー五十嵐五月), Yokohama is facing bombardment from that same fleet, and the same Admiral Kuper who flattened Kagoshima, is demanding Yokohama conform to his control. If you know anything about Japan, you’ll understand that in 1863, Kagoshima is to Yokohama as Miami is to New York City. That is to say, a place where people live and trade happens, but it’s not the same scale at all.

You probably expected me to follow up all of this with “now, forget all that” but, no, all of this is actually relevant to this final volume.

The deadline the British set to be paid compensation for the loathsome Richardson of the Namamugi Incident is approaching. Yokohama, in this story is responsible, not Satsuma. The Bakufu cannot raise the money, so Vlad offers to guarantee the loan. Only, the British have pressured all the banks in Japan to freeze her funds, so she hurries off to Shanghai, telling Satusuki to protect Scarlet, Admiral Kuper’s daughter. Presciently, as the ninja from the last volume Kaoru, Koharu, and their leader Takagi attack the now-fortified Kuper compound, with the intention of kidnapping Scarlet. Satsuki defeats them, but Admiral Kuper is not pleased. He is forced to ask Satsuki what she would like as a thank you and she asks only that the British do not start a war. Meanwhile, the British Parliament is debating that same war.

In Shanghai, Vlad drives up the price of coal and food for the British, and drives down the worth of the pound sterling, then returns to Yokohama where they now have the money to pay the British. Satsuki is given a position of honor at the front of the caravan for thw payment….but they know they will be attacked and so they are. In the ensuing battl,e Takagi and his counterpart Masumitsu fight Satsuki, and we learn that they are from Satsuma! Oh no! Satsuki wins the battle, but the war is still pending because….

…back in Yokohama, Admiral Kuper was convinced to stand down, but then the Shogun canceled the compensation payment and the British consulate gets word (from a slavering Prime Minister Gladstone) to get ready to bombard Yokohama. The Americans, French and Russians have already said they will join in if Britain starts a war.

Admiral Kuper’s daughter Scarlet climbs the main mast of the flagship and threatens to shoot herself if the fleet does not stand down. The Admiral tries to argue that it’s his duty, but she rounds on him about it’s pathetic that Britain picks on weaker countries and calls itself “strong.”

In the meantime, the British forces at Yodobashi bridge see the samurai protecting the compensation money being attacked – they defy orders to shoot, instead running to help Satsuki and the rest.

The money is paid and the war is averted. Satsuki is offered a position in Edo, which she turns down, preferring to stay in Yokohama. Clare is sacked from the English Embassy for passing information to Satsuki, but is given an official recommendation to Vlad from the Ambassador. Scarlet decides to study business and become Vlad’s protege. Satsuki will be able to be with Clare, Scarlet gets to be with Vlad and Vlad gets the kiss she made Satsuki promise to give her.

And in the end, as peace returns to Yokohama, everyone lives, presumably, happily ever after. Even the ninjas.

Some months later, in London, Prime Minister  Palmerstone and former  PM Russell are talking about Queen Victoria’s words, “Vlad is in Japan, leave it alone.” Palmerstone asks Russell to find out who the hell this ‘Vlad” is.

The End.

Ratings:

Art – Always never what I want illustrated. ^_^;
Story – I learned a lot, honestly.
Characters – There were a lot and many of them are terrible people in real life, but noble somehow here
Service – One kiss and not even the right couple
Yuri – 0 and 10. Clare and Satsuki are an item, but they have like 3 scenes together

Overall – 7 Very slow in places to tell the history, but I made it through the series!

In the author’s notes, we get some of the background for the fictionalized version of the real people of this story, and the admission that the author 1) likes vampire Yuri, 2) wanted to write Yuri about the Kunoichi Bettegumi and 3) did a lot of reading on Wikipedia to write this series, as I did reading this series. ^_^

This series ended up being one of those “absolutely historically accurate, except the bits that aren’t”kind of stories. After all this, my only complaint is that I wish this book spent a little more time on Vlad and Clare and Satsuki than Takagi and his ninjas. But I have to say that I learned a lot about the Bakamatsu period this year from reading manga and LNs so, that’s a net win. ^_^





The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, Vol. 6

June 10th, 2024

Two girls stand back to back. One with long white hair wields a thing saber, the other with medium-length blond hair holds a large energy blade in rainbow colorsAmong the many remarkable things in Piero Karasu’s light novel series, the most remarkable to me continues to be the  author’s willingness to address issues after the happily-ever-after of the romance plot. In The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, Vol. 6, having faced and reconciled with her brother who caused Euphyllia so much grief, and the college of magic whose members previously opposed her, Anis is now taking on a crisis that has been brewing on the outer reaches of their country.

That the crisis is merely okay as a plot line does not change my opinion that it is a remarkable thing that this series is both continuing and also addressing the consequences of Anis’ and Euphie’s partnership, as well as the remaining problems in the country as we know it. Problems that are, conveniently, not poverty or social injustice. It’s true that Anis’ ideas for use of magic stones seems to be more on the side of capitalism than socialism and the proliferation of flying vehicles, for instance, strikes me as less useful for the commons than trade and military, but she’s trying.

Was I deeply irritated when the 1) greatest and most powerful of all the Vampires was basically 2) a lonely child 3) with an extremely limited vision of what “togetherness” is? Yup. Very. On all three counts, so the climactic battle was not engaging except as an exercise in tactics – but that, too, does not detract from the fact that this author cleans up their messes, which is both unique and interesting.

In the end, Anis and Euphie as a couple are cute and Anisphia and Euphylia as a ruling couple are interesting and I’d like to read more because I am a fan and don’t want to let go….

Ratings:

Art – Inconsequential and moe
Story – 8 for intent, 7 for execution
Characters – 9, except for the Most Powerful Vampire In The World who was a 5
Service – More in intent than practice, but I am becoming inured to the series’ coyness about sex
Yuri – 9

Overall – 7

….but I am very, very done, with powerful immortal, supernatural beings that look and think like children. LN authors, please get a new idea already.





Yuusha ni Naritai Shoujo To, Yuusha Narubeki Kanojo (勇者になりたい少女と、勇者になるべき彼女)

January 1st, 2024

In front of a fantasy landscape with large building and mountains, a small girl with black hair in a ponytail, wearing a halter top connected to a short skirt by belt garters runs joyously in front of a long-silver-haired girl, who stands self-deprecatingly behind, wearing a kind of military inspired school uniform.It seems very appropriate to start our happy New Year with some happy new Yuri, so today we’re going to take a look at Yuusha ni Naritai Shoujo To, Yuusha Narubeki Kanojo (勇者になりたい少女と、勇者になるべき彼女), written by inori., illustrated by Akamoku.

The English translation used by inori.-sensei for this is, “Me The Wannabe Hero and You Who Oughta Be A Hero” and is shortened to BokuKimi in Japanese. This is the story of two girls at Yuusha Academy and their struggle against bias and expectation, as well as the power of simply not giving a shit what people think.

It was a lot of fun. Everything I want in a Dengeki Bunko read – a “light” novel in the broadest sense. It’s small, quickly paced, not entirely predictable and ends just where you want it to.

The story begins with Ruchika, a demon girl who has come to the capital to enter Yuusha Academy and meets a human girl Leonie.

Please let me stop here and digress into translation notes. (One sentence into the synopsis, wow, Erica. ^_^)  I’m sticking with Yuusha because neither “Brave” Academy or “Hero” Academy is working for me, but you do you. Likewise, I am using Ruchika entirely for the aesthetics of the R, because otherwise the leads are Luchika and Leonie and that…annoys me somehow? ^_^;  But really, Luchika is easier to say than Ruchika, so use whichever works for you, as you read.)

The wars between demons and humans are over and the two races are at peace. Demon girl Ruchika wants to be a Hero, because she thinks it would be neat. Leonie, the daughter of the most famous Hero of the world, who slayed the Demon Ruler, is expected to become a great Hero. They meet as  Ruchika collapses from being hungry. Leonie and her childhood friend Noor (or Noru, choose your poison) see Ruchika and Leonie buys her some food. At which Ruchika asks Leonie to marry her.

Students at Yuusha Acadamy use AI collars around their necks called Gear. Ruchika learns pretty quickly that Gear do not work for her demony-fighting style, so against all student norms, she tosses her gear, Proto, off and kicks ass in her test mock battle. Leonie, the daughter of the most famous Hero of the world, who slayed the Demon Ruler, is not that great at fighting.

Together they will fight the prejudices – both societal and individual – to become a great partnership.

And the girl gets the girl, but you probably already guessed that. ^_^

This story is not as deeply embedded in issues of queer identity as I’m In Love With The Villainess is, but it’s not not there, either. Ruchika states that it simply doesn’t matter to demons, and Leonie protests that it kind of does to humans, but that is not the main conflict here. Also not the main point, but given time and attention, is issues of how society treats “other.”

So what is the main point? The main point is that Leonie is fighting from the first page against the expectations heaped on her by having a famous mother. Some people are disappointed in her, others enraged by her. The antagonist sees her as a barrier that must be removed. Ruchika, as a demon, simply does not care at all about what she is “expected” to do and she eventually frees Leonie from her own burden, redefining the way everyone in the story sees Heroes… which was a really excellent moment that was not at all what I expected.

What did I expect? Well, something happens early on that was either a plot point that slipped away, or will be used in a sequel…or was one of the best MacGuffins I’ve ever encountered. I spent the entire volume looking in that direction, while the real story was right under my nose the whole time. If it turns out that that plot point comes back around, it could make for an intriguing delve into the history of Yuusha Academy and how it trains Heroes.

Akamoku’s art is both good and I didn’t much like it. It is not to my personal taste – once again, everyone looks just way too young for the story. I know that’s just how it is light novels, but I’ll never stop hoping that we get characters who look their stated age once again. On the other hand, the illustrations actually illustrate the scene one is reading, rather than just being a character image – I appreciate that very much.

One other note before I wrap this up. Leonie’s friend Noor, in another book might have become a rival, a plot complication or a handwave. I thought the way Ruchika handled the question of what Noor and she would be to one another was absolutely brilliant. I’d love to also talk about one other character, but after trying three times, I realize that everything I say would necessarily be at least partially a spoiler, so I’ll confine myself to say, I hope we get more of them in a way that suits the overall tone of the story.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Service – 0
Yuri – 9

Overall  – 9

This was a fun and fast read and everything I hoped for from both inori.-sensei and Dengeki. I look forward to the sequel.

I purchased this at Melonbooks (this was one of two things I absolutely wanted to get while I was in Japan this past time,), so got an acrylic standee of the protagonists, which really is quite adorable. So often standees have the title of the series either baked into the stand or on the plastic that one throws out. In this case, the title is an active part of the standee display. It’s really grown on me. ^_^

 

And it came with a bonus book cover which was the closest thing to service in the story. ^_^ It comes with a bonus story on the inside.





Otherside Picnic, Volume 8

August 27th, 2023

Otherside Picnic, Volume 8 was a mind-blowing, fabulous “wow.”

In this horror/scifi Yuri series by Iori Miyazawa, there have been two key mysteries; The true nature of the UBL, aka, the Otherside….and Sorawo. Because Sorawo is our narrator and protagonist the story has allowed her the time and space to be unaware that she even is a mystery, or to have any real insight to the mystery that is her.

Volume 8 begins with the mystery of Sorawo. She is, as they say in the biz, an unreliable narrator. Or…is she? We – and Toriko – have assumed as much because surely a person with her past cannot have made it to adulthood without some unaddressed trauma.  One of the deep leitmotifs of this series is communication – or the lack of it. Sorawo doesn’t understand people and isn’t great at understanding herself. This has and will come back again and again in the series. She is as much a mystery to herself as she is to anyone else. And having confronted the inescapable fact that she is – probably for the first time in her life – loved unconditionally – Sorawo wanders around her own small, but growing, group of confidants order to find the answer in herself…as she has always done for answers about the Otherside. This allows the narrative to revisit some old characters, meet some new ones, to clear up old puzzles and create new ones.

 We meet one of Sorawo’s classmates – a representative of normality – and Sorawo finds some assistance in that quarter. Reality has never been Sorawo’s ally before and it opens up new possibilities.  She speaks to Natsume and they finally communicate past the huge gap in understanding between them. This is an amusing scene, but unlike my esteemed colleague Sean Gaffney who laughed at Natsume’s description of Sorawo as a “raging lesbian,” I found it far more amusing that Natsume’s response to Sorawo’s cluelessness (denial?) about Toriko was to flatly respond, “That pisses me off.” I mean… I feel ya Natsume. ^_^ Of course Sorawo darkens Kozakura’s doorstep once again and again, Kozakura spoke like the adult she is supposed to be. It feels like her character, having been abandoned a few volumes ago, is being reformed as the grown-up in the room. I like it.

Sorawo meets and has an experience with a new character, Tsuji, a woman who was clearly written for me, personally. ^_^ I look forward to whatever develops with this fascinating new character.

All of this peripatetic musing must come to an end and in this series, what precipitates that end is..terror. Sorawo at last comes face to that which she fears most – and finds the will to confront it. It’s time to talk to Toriko.

What we get, then, is one of the most extraordinary explorations of physical, emotional and psychic boundaries that I have ever read. Toriko and Sorawo do not find a satisfying physical relationship on our plane. It’s only when they accept that they are now of the Otherside and the Otherside is of them that they find one another.  This was an outstanding scene that was consistent with the characters as we know them, the series’ premise as it has been given to us, and the deeper themes of communication and the mystery of both the Otherside and Sorawo.

The arc that has been building since Volume 5 has come to an incredible climax (and yeah, put every possible spin on that word) but the journey is not over. What will this pair find in the Otherside or themselves next time? I have no idea, but I am absolutely tuning in and finding out, since the addition of a new character leads one to assume a next volume.  ^_^

Ratings:

Story – 10
Character – 10
Service – Amazingly, not very much. Let’s give it a 3. It’s less “service” and more “grown-up.”
Yuri – 10

Overall – 10

Another outstanding volume, building on the last outstanding volume. Miyazawa-sensei is on top of his form right now and I am perfectly willing to wait a little while to get volumes of this high quality writing.

 





The Executioner and Her Way of Life, Volume 6: A Casket of Salt

May 1st, 2023

Girl in a blue and yellow reaches out towards us, through water.We just had the pleasure of reviewing The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, Vol. 4, a Light Novel that did every thing right. So it only seems fair that we look at how similar elements can be put together in a way that doesn’t work all that well. And it comes down to one thing. So, today we’re looking at The Executioner and Her Way of Life, Vol. 6: A Casket of Salt.

When we left the cast at the end of Volume 5, Menou was about to have a showdown with her mentor, Flare. But before that happens, we have a lot of random things that occur. Plot points that have been set up wiffle and fade, as new characters wander in and make themselves important, and all the characters we currently have and know, just do things that may or may not have meaning.

When the climatic battle does occur, it ends up as it had to and we feel…not much. Then we meet The Lord of this world…and if I felt anything, it was a vague sense of annoyance for introducing another plot complication without resolving any of the existing plot complications first. And that is the main problem with this series. It’s a dogpile of miseries, with no end in sight. Well, not entirely true – we know the series will end, but is any of this worth it?  I’m still on the fence. I’m still reading, but still on the fence.

What has kept me reading this series has been the unique form of magics created and used by the various groups in the world, but as all of them are corrupt and evil, it becomes a much of a muchness. There are no good people here, and probably no good ends.

There is also, undoubtedly, Yuri. Menou and Akari are bound in two planes of existence, Momo is obsessively in love with Menou. There’s still room for something to happen with Momo and Ashuna, as well, which I have to assume will happen when whatever is going to occur between Akari and Menou occurs. 

Ratings:

Art – 6 It has improved this volume
Story – 5
Characters – 7
Service – Less than usual
Yuri – Akari loves Menou, Momo loves Menou…

Overall – 6

In the meantime, I find myself tired of Human Errors and wishing that a few of the floating plot points would be resolved before author Mato Sato added more. This story desperately needs a rest in between intensities.