Anata no Yoru ga  Aketera (あなたの夜が明けたら), translated on the cover as After Sunrise, Haru Harukawa Collection is a collection of shorts by, obviously Harukawa Haru. Some of these shorts have appeared in other collections, such as the Shakaijin Yuri anthology brought out in English here by Yen Press as Whenever Our Eyes Meet.

These stories are varied in tone, adult couples to a surprisingly poignant maid/mistress story, office stories and, inevitably a few high schoolers. A couple of the stories have some problematic age gaps, but whether you find that unpleasant or not is yours to decide. The stories themselves are not generally creepy. Sex is implied, or alluded to with tasteful nudes, rather than graphically depicted. But, like many of the kinds of stories I prefer, the emphasis is on emotional closeness, rather than physical relationship. And that is where I found the most problematic, content.

The first story is a classic modern fairytale. A woman who lost her husband hires a sex worker to sleep with. Not have sex…actually sleep. She cannot sleep alone. Now that she finds she can sleep this way, she has the sex worker fired from her agency, so she can…what? adopt her? own her? hire her?… full time. And because the client is so wealthy, she expects the sex worker to not work. What will she do with her days? she asks.  Whatever she wants, is the reply. My head is full of alarms and sirens throughout.  It’s fairy tale world, a sex worker and client fall in love live happily ever after. But…whatever she wants? Maybe she wants to be a sex worker, Ritsu. Did you never consider this?

A few of the stories had this “cool story, bro” quality, where if I told you the idea it would be fine, but when you dig down a bit, it is not so fine. Which made me like this book more than if it had just been one bland happy ending after another.

Ratings:

Art – variable, but mostly 8. You can tell the early stories.
Stories – 7
Characters – 7
Service – surprisingly little to none
Yuri – 8

Overall – 8

Like an acquired taste, the stories had a complicated enough flavor to leave me with something to think about.

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.