Here’s a phrase I’m using more and more these days: “Ahead of the English language edition.” Yesterday, Mariko gave her impression of a book that will be heading our way from Seven Seas and today, I’m looking at the manga for a Light Novel that has recently been licensed by Yen Press as The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady with a projected March 2022 release date.

Volume 1 of Tensei Oujo to Tensai Reijou no Mahou Kakumei (転生王女と天才令嬢の魔法革命) is the manga for a light novel of the same name. (The FTC has reminded Amazon to remind me to remind you that links to booksellers here are affiliate links and I therefore make a pittance when you click them and purchase items. I will have to figure out a simple way to do this that doesn’t drive us all crazy.)

Princess Annisphia has a lot of unique ideas about magic, most of which don’t fit with the common learnings about magic in Parettia. There’s a reason for that. Annisphia isn’t from Parettia – she’s been reborn into this world from ours and she’s dedicated to creating magic that heats her bath and tea and gives her a flying broom.

Euphilia is a high-ranking noble girl whose life has been thrown into chaos, as her betrothal has been canceled and her reputation destroyed. When Annisphia literally crash lands on the scene of Euphilia‘s shaming, the princess loses no time – she bodily throws Euphilia over her shoulder and takes her home, where she asks the King if she can keep her. Annisphia needs Euphilia – a genius at magic – to help her create better magical tools.

Volume  1 is a rough start to this story, to be very honest. The first chapter is mostly Euphilia’s former fiancee’ screeching at her, endlessly. Annisphia showing up is literally the only reason I kept reading. Traumatized, Euphilia is unable to help her own case throughout the volume, getting few coherent words in. I was in serious doubt about this “genius” until the final pages of the book. Had I been the editor, the story would have begun the morning after the crisis, with flashbacks to everything, then moved on from there.Instead we are treated to page after page of Euphilia being reviled publicly for…I’m still not sure, but I got tired of the screaming and skipped.

When Annisphia has brought Euphilia to the castle, the princess is at pains to reassure the genius noble that she is wanted and welcome. But then the book takes some time to leer salaciously at Euphilia as she dresses and it just feels absolutely disgusting of us, honestly. Poor Euphilia has had a horrible few days and we are literally centimeters away from her crotch in the most absolutely creepiest possible gaze. By this point, I had already decided to stop reading the story…more than once. For some reason, I persevered. And the book did get better.

Annisphia takes Euphilia into her workshop. We get a primer on magic and how Annisphia is not (for reasons we understand) tied to the elements. But she can and does create magic stones, which stand in for her ability. Euphilia, however, is genuinely a magical genius (ahah!), with the ability to use all the elements. Annisphia wants to create magical tools for and with Euphilia. And so she does.

Euphilia wakes the next morning depressed and lonely in the King’s castle, sure she’ll be abandoned again. Annisphia finds her and in a moment dispels her fears….the Princess has made her a magical sword which can change, depending on which attribute she wants to use! Annisphia and Euphlia are clearly going to make a powerful team.

Ratings:

Art – 6 Good enough, but the service was foul
Story – 6 There are hazards on these roads
Characters – 8 Annisphia carries the lot of them in this volume
Service – 7 Yes, but why?!? Ugggh.
Yuri – 0 Not so far, but clearly we are going to head there

Overall – It was hard to like intitially, but the end pulled it up to a 6.

Can Euphilia clear her name with Annisphia’s help? Will that matter when the Princess is clearly on the side of the Genius? Will I get volume 2 or just read chapters over at Comic Walker? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Beautiful summer day, I’m taking off. Be back in the office later tomorrow. ^_^

Jessica Bannister is a young woman who wants to be a journalist. We meet her as she’s heading into the London City Observer for a job interview. She manages to get the job, provisionally, if she can get an interview with a reclusive author. She does, setting Jessica and Observer photographer Jim Brodie on a series of mysterious and supernatural events in this first of the J-Novel Club Pulp line of novels.

Jessica Bannister and the Midnight Seance is a collection of four short stories about Jessica, a go-getting young woman with apparent precognitive powers and the apparent supernatural events that surround her and her assignments. From the titular midnight seance to a menacing crows in the Rockies, to wild wolves in Wales, Jessica and Jim encounter mystery and murder.

There’s no Yuri here, although I certainly would have loved one of of the stories to head in that direction  – and while Jessica does fall for one of the men in the first story, he is conveniently whisked away to America and pulled out of contention. She’s not made to bounce between one guy and another and, very pleasantly, her relationship with Jim is always as a friend and peer.

My one significant complaint is, as pulp stories go, these were nowhere lurid enough. Atmospheric, yes, goofy as heck, full of psychic warnings and scary moments and even several running through the forest in a sheer nightie (I mean, what would you pack for a professional trip to interview the son of a man murdered by wolves in the forests of Wales?) kind of thing. But everything – except for Jessica’s precognition – is given a reason, which I kind of found a little sad. And also, the Wye Valley? I’ve been there, it’s like farmland and trees and picturesque towns. Should have put it in Gwynedd, Janet. Pleasantly, it’s almost impossible to tell when this series is set. They have cars and cell phones, but not like, people just carrying cell phones all the time, everywhere and satellite phones for the high mountain ranges, because duh.

The paper Jessica is working for is a hoot, too. Interviews with reclusive, famous performers, but not news about the murder case…and no one seems to notice Jessica solves all the cases. ^_^

It’s a bit like Scooby-Doo, if Daphne were the star. Fun, but I’d give serious money if it starred Velma, instead. Give me lesbian occult pulp, J-Novel Club and I’ll be your best friend. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – Great cover design by ttl
Story – Not bad, just slightly not lurid enough
Characters – Decent. Jessica and Jim are a good team.
Service – The aforementioned nightie
Romance – Only once, then set aside for other matters. Nothing Yuri, unless you want to re-write the stories in your head.

Overall – Solid 7.

Thank you so much to J-Novel Club for the review copy! It was a good, chunky book  and you can read a preview of this book on J-Novel Club’s site and decide for yourself!