The Dark Guildmaster’s Smile Would Fit Best Vol. 1 Review

Tags: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy, Harem, Mystery, Isekai, Seinen

Sub-Tags: Yandere, Conspiracies, Strong Lead

Cover Illustration for Volume 1

Synopsis:

In a world of swords and magic, evil crime syndicates known as Dark Guilds terrorize the Kingdom of Efan. The most secretive and feared of them all is the Messianic Legion, Yerkchira—but its guildmaster is an ordinary, normal, harmless little guy! Despite his wishes for peace and happiness, the lovely ladies under his command have big plans for him, and he finds himself at the brink of a great destiny! This average individual is the center of a campaign for diabolical global domination—while remaining none the wiser himself. (Source: Hanashi Media)

A Master Unknowingly Gifted the World!

Written by Ryo Mizokami and Illustrated by Kozou, Hanashi Media’s latest release is an interesting mix of comedy and violence.

Following the infamous dark guild, Yerkchira, The Dark Guildmaster’s Smile lifts the lid on the criminal organisations’ day-to-day activities.

Yerkchira isn’t an ordinary guild. Albeit small, its members are some of the strongest species in the world, and they all have one thing in common – an infatuation with their Guildmaster. As their twisted love blooms, these guild members will stop at nothing to ensure their master’s happiness, even if it means taking over the world. Fortunately for them, Yerkchira’s guildmaster is none the wiser to their schemes.

Heroes and Villains

The first volume in the series follows the guild as they face their first great obstacle towards world domination – the hero’s party. A natural enemy for a criminal organisation, the Yerkchira members quickly identify them as a potential problem towards their future plans.

Encountering each other at the start of the story seemingly by accident during a “date” between Master and Laladie, the certainty of a battle between the guild and the hero’s party, and the interactions that arise as a result take up most of the volume’s runtime.

The author keeps the anticipation alive in these passages through several entertaining methods. The first is Laladie. The most developed character of the Yerkchira guild members, it takes everything she has not to kill the party immediately whilst on their little adventure together. This thin veneer she holds is made all the more poignant when she’s permitted to break free, unleashing her horrifying powers. 

The second method of entertainment arises from the interactions between the members of the hero’s party. Comprised of three otherworlders and a native, their origins aren’t the only thing that far from being a monolith. Their conversations throughout indicate how divided the party is, from the member seeking justice to one wanting to go home and the one who seeks glory and victory above all else. These divisions pay off by the end of the volume as they play into the reasons for betrayal amongst the hero’s party teammates.

Aside from the plot between the guild and the hero’s party, this volume also looks at the dynamics between the members of Yerkchira. Whilst this look at all the different variations of Yandere is an enjoyable side quest, it lacks depth because we’re not given the background as to how the Guildmaster was able to tame some of the world’s most dangerous women.

Overall, The Dark Guildmaster’s first volume makes for an entertaining read. It balances its comedic and violent themes with constantly developing character pairings and team dynamics. I only hope the next volume delves deeper into the guild’s backstory and creation.

The Dark Guildmaster’s Smile Vol. 1

My Rating: 8/10

If you like what you read and what I do, why not consider supporting me through Ko-Fi. Any donation helps keep this site up and keep me writing.

You can read the first volume of this series digitally on the Hanashi Media website.

I Guess This Dragon Who Lost Her Egg to Disaster is My Mom Now Vol. 1 Review

Tags: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Shounen

Sub-Tags: Gender Bender, Heartwarming, Second Chances

Cover Illustration for Volume 1

Synopsis:

The Way Of The Dragon Is The Way To Become Strong!

XXXX, a man used and abused for general tasks by his adventuring party, finds himself on the verge of death in dragon territory in the Kugus Mountains after a party member stabs him in the back. Literally. Next time he opens his eyes, he’s in the nest of a red dragon named Kaphal whose egg was destroyed in a natural disaster. Having lost both his memories and his name, he turns instead into a young girl named Lushera. And apparently Kaphal plans to raise Lushera as her own daughter…? This is the story of the odd fate binding one dragon and one human, the story of an unconventional mother and daughter. (Source: Cross Infinite World)

The Man Reborn as a Dragon’s Daughter!

Survival on Mount Kugus

Written by Suzume Kirisaki and illustrated by Cosmic, my latest review looks into a newly released light novel series highlighted by a most unusual mother-daughter pairing.

On the surface, The Dragon Who Lost Her Egg could draw a comparison with another dragon-rearing series, Dragon Daddy Diaries. Beyond the similar bond between their protagonists, however, the two couldn’t be more different.

More mature and mystery-focused, the story finds the series’ protagonist in the most unusual situation after being literally stabbed in the back by his former adventuring party. Changed into a girl named Lushera, her new life begins with a series of incomprehensible developments. Not only does a foggy haze keep Lushera from memories of her old life, but a dragon named Kaphal seems more than eager to raise her as a dragon’s daughter. With the two awkwardly learning the roles of mother and child, a strange fate seems to be binding the two together.

The start of this series sees the story split between Lushera’s new life as the daughter of a dragon and her old life, represented by the actions of his former party, The Seven-Sided Die.

The parental relationship between Lushera and Kaphal starts as the very definition of the odd couple. Unable to communicate and neither knowing much about the other’s way of life leads to many misunderstandings and false starts. Over time, however, their relationship develops into a uniquely heartwarming affair.

In her own way, Kaphal cares for Lushera like any doting mother would; it’s only the method that’s changed. Licking Lushera clean and having her fight monsters is a dragon’s way of trying to get their offspring stronger and healthier. Kaphal’s actions eventually get through to Lushera, and the author does well to visualise the strong bond of love the two forge.

A Dragon About Town

The novel’s latter half sees Lushera and Kaphal’s new bond tested. Becoming aware of a threat to the mountain finds the two looking for allies in the nearest human town. It’s here that the volume’s mystery begins to unfold, as well as the fate of Lushera’s former party.

Within a town that knew her previous identity, small pieces of information begin to fit together, revealing the true nature of the nameless adventuring manager. With a shocking reveal that should’ve caused a rift between the protagonists, it ends up making them stronger and makes the actions of the final fight feel all the more deserved.

As for the Seven-Sided Die, whilst their story begins rather typically for a banishment setting, it grows from strength to strength with the introduction of Lushera’s former adventurer card. What follows for the party and Gimmel in particular is a slow descent into madness.

With their adventuring manager still alive and growing stronger beyond human comprehension, they quickly realise that a nasty fate awaits them. With few good options ahead of them, their motivations for self-destructive behaviour and eventual treachery are understandable. In turn, the author has fleshed out what are usually comically evil villains, making their eventual end all the more satisfying.

Overall, The Dragon Who Lost Her Egg’s opening instalment makes for a strong start to the series. Its strength comes from the development of the relationship between the two protagonists as they move through stages from a comedic odd-couple to a heartfelt parent-child bond that can survive even the toughest of upheavals.

As a story, it has all the potential of becoming a well-written and character-driven long-running series.

The Dragon Who Lost Her Egg Vol. 1

My Rating: 9/10

If you like what you read and what I do, why not consider supporting me through Ko-Fi. Any donation helps keep this site up and keep me writing.

You can read the first volume of this series digitally from the list of distributors found on the Cross Infinite World website.

You Like Me, Not My Daughter?! Vol. 2 Review

Tags: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Slice of Life, Seinen

Sub-Tags: Age-Gap, Misunderstandings

Cover Illustration for Volume 2

Synopsis:

It was a bumpy road getting here, but things have finally settled down for Ayako and Takumi, who have decided to take it slow and avoid making any dramatic changes to their relationship. At least, that was what Ayako thought they had decided. Just when she feels like she can finally relax, Takumi asks her out on a date! After focusing on nothing but raising her daughter for the last decade, Ayako has no idea how to mentally prepare for an event like this. The pressure’s on for Takumi as well—he’s spent the last ten years dreaming of their first date, so it has to be perfect! Will the couple manage to get over their nerves and have a night to remember? Or is their first date end before it’s even begun? (Source: J-Novel Club)

A Single Mother’s First Date!

All That Could Go Wrong Before a Date

Is there a chance that an age-gap romance can blossom? After the first volume, all signs point to an overwhelming maybe!

With Takkun’s confession all out in the open, the second volume finds the two age-gap romantics’ relationship in a kind of limbo. Ayako’s inability to give a straight answer to the confession has the two pussyfooting around each other, not quite knowing where they stand with one another. As a solution to the situation, Takkun suggests moving the relationship forward by asking Ayako out on a date.

Unfortunately for Takkun, the best-laid plans often go awry, and his plans for the first first date suffer one misfortune after another. Takkun’s detail-orientated nature deals him a blow as he overstresses himself and becomes ill on the eve of their original date. Although, it’s not all bad, as Ayako comes to nurse him back to health.

Delaying the date also allows the two lovebirds to become closer due to the schemes of one of Ayako’s close friends and boss, Yumemi. Her meddling forces Ayako to reveal all the positive qualities that Takkun has to offer.

All That Could Go Right During a Date

After their little setback, the second half of the volume finally finds the two able to go on their first date, with the choice of venue being a theme park.

Whilst the choice of a theme park may seem a little odd at first, Takkun’s thought process for the event is clear. Having had most of her twenties taken up raising Miu, Takkun hoped to recapture some of those youthful moments Ayako inevitably missed out on. Takkun’s idea worked a treat as Ayako seemed truly happy throughout these date scenes.

Ayako and Takkun’s time together doesn’t end at the end of the date, however, as a flat tire and a torrential downpour forces the two to spend a night at a love hotel. Obviously, nothing happens between the two, but they end up getting closer through a late-night chat. In a series such as this, any progress is good progress.

Overall, the second volume of You Like Me, Not My Daughter makes for a wonderful sequel, as the potential lovebirds are determined to progress beyond their current point of limbo.

With the first volume dealing with the practicality of an age-gap romance, the second instalment has a heavier focus on compatibility. Through the volume, the story showcases what they like about each other as well as showing how well they work together. If they hadn’t worked well together, it would’ve been highly likely that their first date would never have gone ahead.

As the end of the volume finds Ayako on cloud nine, her world is about to be turned upside down. Miu, frustrated with their lack of progress, has declared war by announcing that she’ll join the battle for Takkun’s affection. For the third volume, the author is looking to move the series forward by having Ayako deal with an ultimatum – acknowledge her feelings or lose Taku.

You Like Me, Not My Daughter Vol. 2

My Rating: 8.5/10

If you like what you read and what I do, why not consider supporting me through Ko-Fi. Any donation helps keep this site up and keep me writing.

You can read the second volume of this series digitally on the J-Novel Club website.

You Like Me, Not My Daughter?! Vol. 1 Review

Tags: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Slice of Life, Seinen

Sub-Tags: Age-Gap

Cover Illustration for Volume 1

Synopsis:

A decade ago, Ayako took in her orphaned niece, Miu, as her own. They now share a close mother-daughter bond, but being a young single mom hasn’t been easy for Ayako. Good thing Miu’s childhood friend Takumi has been there for the family every step of the way. After all these years, he’s grown into a kind, handsome young man—just the kind of guy Ayako would like to see Miu date. In fact, when Takumi asks to speak with Ayako privately one day, she can’t wait to give the young couple her blessing. But little does she know it’s not Miu that Takumi has fallen for… It’s her! How will Ayako handle the romantic feelings of the boy who’s meant so much to her family? And what will it all mean for her relationship with her daughter? (Source: J-Novel Club)

A Single Mother Discovers the Minefield of Love!

Ayako and the Unexpected Confession

For Ayako, life as a single mother is finally settling down. With a stable job, a daughter slowly growing independent, and the perfect relationship candidate for her daughter in the wings, things are looking up for the Katsuragi household. Unfortunately, as the first volume of You Like Me, Not My Daughter begins, Ayako’s picture-perfect future comes tumbling down at the hands of that same relationship candidate.

As it turns out, Ayako’s next-door neighbour and tutor to her daughter, Takumi, isn’t planning to ask out her daughter but her instead. At a complete loss as to what to do, instead of talking it out, she decides to let the hilarious hijinks begin – composing a plan to show Takumi all of her bad sides.

From getting drunk and spending heaps of cash to showcasing her love for a children’s tv show, it all ends up failing spectacularly. Besides his young age and semi-regular intrusive thoughts, Takumi’s love for Mommy Ayako is 100% sincere.

The Sincere Romantic and The Late Bloomer

On the side of the confessor, throughout the opening volume, there are several scenes dedicated to the past between Ayako and Takumi. They are wonderfully used to demonstrate that Takumi’s feelings for Ayako are more than just a childhood crush. From the very beginning, Takumi’s love is destined to stay as he witnesses Ayako’s heroic moments of saving Miu from the incessant bickering about who from her family will take her in. 

Ayako sees this sincerity in the present through Takumi’s forward planning. He’s already gotten permission from his parents, and alongside physical prowess and high career prospects, he’s putting everything forward to ensure their married life would be stable.

Through Takumi’s sincerity, Ayako finally starts to see him as more of a man, and whilst Miu’s interference already had her reject him, it’s her interference that’ll bring them back together.

Tricking Ayako into believing that Takumi has moved on with another woman sees her enter a fit of unusual jealousy. Irrational and selfish, she eventually gets Takumi to keep loving her as she may just love him as well.

To conclude, You Like Me, Not My Daughter’s opening outing is a fun age-gap rom-com. Mixing the serious alongside the silly, it strikes a perfect balance allowing audiences to root for the central couple regardless of how fantastical it may be. As the series moves to the two becoming aware of each other, there’ll likely be even larger hijinks to come.

You Like Me, Not My Daughter?! Vol. 1

My Rating: 8.5/10

I hope you enjoyed my review and would love to see what you thought of the volume in the comments! If you like what I do and want to see more, consider supporting me by buying me a coffee on Ko-Fi.

You can read the first volume of this series digitally on the J-Novel Club website.

Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon Vol. 2 Review

Tags: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Harem, Tragedy, Shounen

Sub-Tags: Dungeons, Revenge, Betrayal, OP, Strong Lead

Cover Illustration for Volume 2

Synopsis:

Light’s revenge tour takes him to the Elven Queendom, home of his former partymate Sasha. Her reward for leaving him for dead was riches, status, and a betrothal to Sir Mikhael, second-in-command of the queendom’s elite White Knights. To “congratulate” Sasha on her engagement, Light issues her a challenge: face off against him in a giant tower shaped like a wedding cake! Although Sasha knows it’s a trap, she must rectify her former party’s mistake of leaving Light alive three years ago in order to preserve her new lifestyle. With Sir Mikhael and the White Knights in tow, she challenges Light and his crew of Level 9999 bombshells—plus a few new faces. Can they overcome the might of one of the world’s strongest nations? (Source: J-Novel Club)

Light’s Revenge Against the Elves!

Continuing his campaign of revenge against those who wronged him, my latest review catches up on Backstabbed’s second volume as Light sets his sights on Sasha!

An Engagement Present

After exploring the world under his newfound lens, the second volume moves to craft Light’s largest revenge plot so far. Travelling to the Elven Queendom, Light and his gacha girls seek revenge against Sasha, one of the party members who tried to kill him, who’s about to celebrate her engagement to Mikhail, part of the reward for killing a master.

This revenge takes the form of a large-scale scheme with an impressive number of moving parts. The first part of which comes in two forms, psychological attacks and baiting the Queendom to investigate their large, mysterious tower in the forest.

Baiting Sasha with psychological attacks to approach the tower was the easiest of these tasks – her fragile position within the Queendom would ensure her investigation. Baiting the elite soldiers, the white knights, to the stage required some interesting political manoeuvring.

It’s by far my favourite part of the revenge scheme because it requires some genuine ingenuity to ensure everything works out.

The second half of the revenge scheme moved toward the capture of Sasha and the utter humiliation of the Queendom. To this end, Light, Ellie and the other LV 9999s set up a series of battles between strong gacha members and individual members of the White Knights.

Each battle is completely one-sided, leading to several elf-shaped holes in the tower walls. Though we shouldn’t feel sorry for them, each having committed unspeakable crimes towards the human race.

As an aside, whilst the action within these scenes are great, the antagonists themselves all feel lacking when it comes to character depth. Beyond being utterly irredeemable psychopaths, there’s little else to set them apart.

The Master and The Other

Whilst character depth is a problem amongst this volume’s antagonists, the world-building certainly isn’t lacking.

Once again, this volume adds towards the legend of the supposed master and their effect on the world. What’s more, this volume comes with the revelation that there are more mysterious beings and that Light may more likely fit into that character.

This type of world-building is constant within the series and is always a highlight. The author clearly knows how to hand-feed the readers just enough information to keep them engaged whenever revenge is off the table.

To conclude, Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon’s second volume is an overall improvement from its previous outing. Featuring a complex, large-scale revenge scheme alongside some fantastic world-building means this could be a series to look out for if you’re in the mood for some catharsis!

Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon Vol. 2

My Rating: 9/10

I hope you enjoyed my review and would love to see what you thought of the volume in the comments! If you like what I do and want to see more, consider supporting me by buying me a coffee on Ko-Fi.

You can read the second volume of this series digitally from the J-Novel Club website.

Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon Vol. 1 Review

Tags: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Harem, Tragedy, Shounen

Cover Illustration for Volume 1

Synopsis:

When Light is kicked out of the Concord of the Tribes, his former comrades instantly turn on him. Light escapes this diabolical act of betrayal by the skin of his teeth…only to find himself in the deepest part of the Abyss, the most dangerous dungeon in the realm! To avoid being eaten by carnivorous monsters, he uses the Unlimited Gacha, his sole magical skill. But where it previously only produced junk items, this time Mei—a gorgeous Level 9999 fighter in a maid outfit—springs forth! Fast forward three years and Light has carved out his own kingdom in this backwater dungeon, summoning more beautiful Level 9999 warriors who swear absolute fealty to him. Now a powerful Level 9999 Overlord himself, Light plans to ascend to the surface and take revenge on his betrayers one by one! (Source: J-Novel Club)

Revenge, Revenge and Even More Revenge!

The second review of the week, this one’s a pure revenge fantasy with what is perhaps one of the longest light novel titles in history. And no, there’s no way in hell I’ll call it by its full name in this review!

Backstabbed follows Light, a seemingly weak human who’s viciously betrayed by his comrades and left for dead in the abyss. Through this betrayal, his Unlimited Gacha skill shows its full potential by summoning a level 9999 maid named Mei.

Figuring out his true powers, he builds an army for his revenge. Returning with them to the surface level, he sets about finding his former comrades, taking revenge and discovering the true reason behind their betrayal.

Many may turn their nose up at a typical revenge fantasy, however, this series deserves more than just a glance due to the numerous aspects that put it above your usual revenge power trip.

Firstly, for the most part, the revenge plans so far have been executed well, making sure to hit all the right notes of catharsis. The first volume contains two different revenge schemes, against the wolfman member of the tribe, Garou, and the serial killer elf Kyto. Each plot worked well alongside the target’s personality, especially against Kyto as Light breaks every part of this ‘supposed’ hero’s pride. It also fits well as a revenge act that someone whose formative years had been warped would come up with.

More interestingly, this series has some fantastic world-building and settings. Not long into the volume, the concept of the Master is introduced as the reason for the betrayal. Said to be a being that could destroy the world, it explains part of the reason why humans are looked down upon by the other races. Furthermore, the volume gives us some good insight into how other races treat the Master, with elves welcoming their blood into their species whilst others like the dark elves completely reject them.

This Master concept opens several avenues for future volumes, not only exploring how other species interact but also whether Light counts as one and whether multiple can exist at the same time.

The only negative I could level at the series is that the characters come over as one note. Few have complex characters or motives, and Gold’s character gives off “how someone imagines the British speak” vibes.

To conclude, Backstabbed finds itself above the average revenge series owed to its cathartic revenge schemes and ever-intriguing world-building. As we move towards the revenge plot against Sasha, I look forward to seeing what scheme the series will come up with next.

Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon Vol. 1

My Rating: 8/10

I hope you enjoyed my review and would love to see what you thought of the volume in the comments!

You can read the first volume of this series in pre-pub format on the J-Novel Club website.

Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra Vol. 3 Review

Tags: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Shounen, Isekai

Cover Illustration for Volume 3

Synopsis:

SLG VS. RPG!

Takuto and his empire confront their first true rival in the armies of the Demon Lord, which Takuto recognises from the RPG Brave Questers. What new strategies will Mynoghra be forced to undertake to overcome the Demon Lord’s army that operates under entirely different game mechanics? Either way, it’s going to be a tough fight with Mynoghra’s forces split between the allied town of Dragontan and the Accursed Lands. Will strategy game elements triumph over RPG mechanics? Takuto’s going to have to find out the hard way!

Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate! (Source: Cross Infinite World)

A Battle to the Death Between Game Mechanics: SLG VS RPG!

Starting at full speed, Apocalypse Bringer’s third volume picks off where the second finished as Takuto and the population of Mynoghra prepare for the first true test of their skills. Not only will they be going up against another kingdom but they’ll also have to navigate around a set of fighters playing by different rules, quite literally, as SLG goes head to head with an RPG.

This volume is almost all action for the first half. The kingdom of Mynoghra and its allies are in a tricky situation as both the main village and the town of Dragontan have come under attack leaving Takuto’s two heroes to do battle against their counterparts. Sludge Atou comes face to face with the demon general of ice, Ice Rock, whilst Isla, the Queen of Bugs faces a tough battle against the demon general of fire, Flamin.

As these battles take place, the author makes good use of these scenes to showcase the differences in play styles and mechanics between RPGs and strategy-based games. For the most part, this means showing the shortcomings of the RPG style in comparison to a strategy-based games highlighting the limitations of summons and move sets against the variety and army focused fighting in their respective strategy game. This does mean an overwhelming victory for Atou although not one without injury for her as she once again falls upon her cocky nature. Isla’s battle follows much the same formula until the end as the author uses this as an opportunity to showcase one of the only mechanics where RPGs get the upper hand as well as delivering the series’ first emotional gut-punch, the unavoidable death scene.

I’m in two minds about this plot thread and its use so early on in the series. On the one hand, this is a pretty unique way to kill off a character during a battle fantasy series like this one. However, on the other hand, it still doesn’t stop the death from feeling a little cheap, Isla was in no way ever losing that battle and it seems like more of a forced way to give the twins some sort of hero power. Moreover, I feel as though this was way too early a point to kill off her character given that we haven’t had that many scenes with her as she was only introduced towards the end of the second volume. I think it would’ve had more emotional weight if we’d have had some more scenes between Isla and the twins making their eating of her corpse to gain her power all the more traumatic and more of a sucker punch to the gut.

For the second half of the novel, we’re first treated to a more focused view of the dark elf twins. Whilst they may have got an upgrade to hero, the grief that they both feel drive them to a special berserker mode of their new Witch of Regret abilities. As a result, they end up crushing the other two demon generals in quick succession. This then develops into more world-building as their rampage is brought to a quick end by a strange character who has seemingly been reincarnated from Japan.

As the final third of the novel takes form, we finally learn the true nature of this world and that it has seemingly been created as a way to hold a battle royale style tournament between different game mechanics and different genres of manga and light novels. This is certainly a more unique take on the fantasy genre as the author gears up several different genres to do battle. We have the likes of the RPG and SLG, but we’re also shown an isekai corner, an eroge corner and even a group playing on the mechanics of tabletop games. Unlike Mynoghra’s kingdom, however, each of these groups seems to have had a prerogative from the God in control of this world, so it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out later on in the series.

Overall, Apocalypse Bringer’s third volume finally brings all the pieces of the puzzle together whilst not skimping out on the promised action/fight scenes and the inevitable emotional kick this series needed to set up the stakes of this world. As we move into the fourth volume, Takuto and his comrades find a new sense of vigour and create a new cheat for themselves as they prepare to go up against the myriad of different games and fantasy genres that await them.

Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra Vol. 3

My Rating: 8.5/10

I hope you enjoyed my review and would love to see what you thought of the volume in the comments!

You can purchase the third volume of the series from the sellers listed on the Cross Infinite World website.

Even Dogs Go To Other Worlds Vol. 1 Review

Tags: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Slice of Life, Shounen, Isekai

Cover Illustration for Volume 1

Synopsis:

Everyone Knows Humans Get Transported to Other Worlds, But Now Dogs Do Too?!

Takumi is a wage slave who works overtime all the time. Only his little Maltese, Leo, can brighten his day. One day, however, he wakes up to find himself deep in an unknown forest. At his side is his pampered pup…who’s now a giant mythical wolf! With his silver fenrir companion and his mysterious new “Herb Cultivation” power, he’ll finally have the laid-back life he’s always dreamed of!

Join Takumi and his giant fluffy hound in a carefree romp through this otherworld fantasy tale! (Source: Cross Infinite World)

Even in Another World, Dogs Still Remain Man’s Best Friend!

Even Dogs Go to Other Worlds firmly places itself as a solid slow life series about a former wage slave and his pet Maltese as they navigate their new life in another world. Just like many others of its genre, this series falls back on several different tropes that may be familiar to light novel readers, from the burnt-out corporate slave (Takumi) in search of a better work-life balance, to the immediate saving of a damsel in distress (Claire) who’s been set upon by an orc. However, what saves this series from being generic is the addition of the main protagonist’s pet, Leo, to the ‘another world’ formula. After their transfer to another world, Leo has been given a rather big upgrade in more ways than one. He has turned into a fluffy Silver Fenrir, a beast of legend in the other world, it’s a symbol of strength within the nation and is featured on many coats of arms including Claire’s family crest. It is likely due to Leo’s change that Claire comes to trust Takumi so quickly even given the fact that he saved her during their first-ever meeting

From the very beginning, our titular Silver Fenrir is stealing the show. Leo has some very human-like qualities to her, and both the author and the translators have done their very best in trying to convey just how much of a character she can be. She’s very clued in as a character and knows exactly what her master is thinking even when he doesn’t know himself. The only thing that would help make Leo’s scenes seem more expressive is a manga adaptation that would use a full range of her emotions and facial expressions for the reader to enjoy. Leo acts as the glue that holds all the characters together, she’s a good way of alleviating tension as well as a good way to get characters to open up and trust each other, something which is certainly seen between Takumi and the rest of the members of Claire’s household.

With the first chapter mainly used as a way to introduce the reader to the characters and the world as a whole, the overall story of the volume starts to pick up towards the halfway point. At this point, the story has already established that Leo isn’t the only reincarnate to have been given a skill but Takumi has been granted the ability of Herb Cultivation, which allows for any non crop style herb to be grown just by thinking about it. This section also sees the development of Claire’s character and the flickers of what could be a romance between Claire and Takumi. During the climax of the novel as Claire’s household goes in search of the Fenrir on the mountain, Takumi and Claire have a heart to heart with one another. The author uses this as an opportunity to showcase Claire’s affinity towards the Fenrir and the significance of the two of them meeting. It also shows the difficulties of growing up as part of the nobility and the expectation put upon you, which in this case stems from the servants’ reckless notions of Claire’s similarities towards the founder of their household. The end of the novel sees them successful in their mission to find a Fenrir which they end up bringing back with them leaving several potential plot lines open for the next volume.

Whilst the overall content of the series is solid and the slow life concept overall is enjoyable, I have one major problem with the series, its protagonist Takumi. At times throughout the novel, he comes over as annoyingly dense. This is no more pronounced than during the first half of the first chapter where he is stubbornly against accepting the reality of being thrust into another world. Here he falls into the default of thinking that everybody other than himself is confused even though his pet dog has turned into a massive Fenrir. His denseness isn’t helped as the author has decided that his romantic intelligence should be close to zero leading to several instances of him missing the obvious feelings Claire has for him.

Cross Infinite World’s latest novel is a solid slow life series with plenty of cute big dog action to satisfy those looking for something heartwarming to read. If you enjoyed series such as Quiet Blacksmith Life or Guide to the Beastly Wilds, I’m sure there’ll be something in this series that you’ll enjoy. Hopefully, as we move into the second volume we can move beyond the dense characteristic and look to develop the relationship between Claire and her father.

Even Dogs Go to Other Worlds Vol. 1

My Rating: 8/10

I hope you enjoyed my review and would love to see what you thought of the volume in the comments!

You can read the first volume of Even Dogs Go to Other World from the distributors listed on Cross Infinite World’s website.

So You Want to Live the Slow Life? A Guide to Life in the Beastly Wilds Vol. 1 Review

Tags: Fantasy, Slice of Life, Reverse Isekai, Seinen

Novel Illustration from Volume 1 (Source: Cross Infinite World)

(This review will contain spoilers for volume 1)

Synopsis:

Another World In The Center of Japan!

Mikura Moriya expected a quiet and peaceful life in the forest when he inherited his great-grandfather’s house and enormous orchard. Someone had to keep the family business running, so he quit his job and decided to live off the land. But the house isn’t in any old forest. It’s deep in the Beastly Wilds, an area off-limits to most humans. For the Wilds are home to the Beastfolk—neither human nor animal, but something in between. It isn’t long before Mikura meets his new neighbors and makes a pact with a girl with chipmunk ears that will change his life forever.

Will Mikura get to live the slow life, or is it more trouble than it’s worth?! (Source: Cross Infinite World)

Mikura Wants to Live the Slow Life.

Cross Infinite World’s latest light novel venture is a thoughtful and well-paced slow life series combining cute animals and a love for preserving foods!

Beastly Wilds sees the protagonist Mikura swapping city life for a slow life in the country after the death of his great grand-father. As part of his inheritance, he becomes the sole owner of a house and orchard on the edge of an autonomous region in Japan known as the Beastly Wilds. This series takes place in a fantasy version of Japan where Beastfolk exist alongside humans and have taken to living in an appointed autonomous region on mainland Japan. Relations between both peoples have been rather fraught, therefore only a selected few are allowed to move in and out between both regions.

For Mikura, living in this autonomous region sees a fresh new start for him, a more relaxed environment compared to the crushing weight of his previous job working as a sales representative for a large company in the city. Much like others in its genre, this slice of life novel has a great number of heartwarming and laid-back moments that’ll satiate any slow life lovers appetite. This series takes pride in its relaxing nature, taking pleasure in the day to day life of the protagonist whether its tending to his walnut and chestnut tree orchard, checking out the lay of the land in the wilds, or developing both his and his great grand-father’s hobby of preserving different food stuffs. Of course he’s not alone in his endeavours as the series quickly introduces the orchards workforce, a group of cute chipmunk Beastfolk children as well as their pre-school teacher Techi and her brother and pastry chef Rei. In good slice of life fashion, this leads to a good amount of eating scenes, good conversation and the teaching of children especially Kon the dark arts of the fun in preserving foods from creating fresh jams to Boar Pancetta and smoking meats.

However, it’s not all fun and games in the Beastly Wilds as there are plenty of dangers to be had that help mix it up a bit. One of the main dangers of living within the autonomous region are the countless possibilities of running into dangerous wild animals such as boars and bears. Even in the orchard you can never be too safe from these creatures as Mikura learns the hard way after coming under attack from a boar only to be saved by Techi. Beasts aren’t the only problem with the area as humans can also cause their fair share of issues. The running antagonist throughout the first volume of the series, Seika Satoira, is a legacy from a deal Mikura’s great grand-father made with a childhood friend from the war. Satoria is a terrible person by any stretch of the imagination, not only was he taking advantage of the orchards produce, but he has tried on numerous occasions to exploit the Beastfolk and attempted to kidnap the young ones. His actions during the novel almost end up causing an international incident, only to be stopped by some Bear Beastfolk and the JSDF.

What this series does best is its attempts at character growth and interactions especially between Mikura and the other main characters Techi, Rei and Kon. Techi and Mikura’s relationship shows the most growth over the course of the volume. At first, Techi is cold and distant towards Mikura believing him to be a pretender towards his great grand-father’s legacy. However, after showing the work that he puts in in looking after the orchard and children, and hearing his story on his great grand-father’s final moments they eventually become closer. Their relationship after this is one of good friendship, they enjoy sharing meals together, looking after Kon and taking idly about more intimate issues such as past relationships or lack thereof. It seems to me that by the end of the first volume the three of them almost look like a family unit perhaps hinting at the romance to come between Techi and Mikura. Kon and Mikura’s relationship resembles more of a teacher and student relationship both taking great joy in the art of preserving food, even if for the moment this is more about eating the food for Kon. Rei and Mikura hit it off almost immediately, perhaps to do with Rei’s more outgoing personality, however there is still good development to behold between them such as Mikura inadvertent help with Rei’s pastry business.

Teaching and facts also play a large role within the first volume. The series does a good job of balancing the influx of new information that the reader needs to digest. There are many topics of focus in the series that many readers may be unfamiliar with the particulars of how they work. The author has used a good method of in story teacher student moments in order to deliver these important facts, whether they be focused on the different methods in preserving foods or how to create a successful orchard and to avoid the problem that can occur.

With this being a really nice example of a slice of life story, perhaps the only thing that I’d like to see more of in any subsequent volumes is more exploration and background into the autonomous region. After the first volume, I’ve found it quite difficult to visualise the sheer scale of the region, How many live there? How does the terrain develop beyond the first town? Are there autonomous regions in other countries? It would also be nice if we could get more of a drip feed about the past of the area, given that the series keeps on mentioning a war, it would be good to get a perspective into the mind of someone who lived through the incident.

Beastly Wilds is a heartwarming yet mature slice of life series that i would recommend to anyone looking for a slow life adventure. It does a fine job of balancing the heartwarming and cute alongside some its more thought provoking character development moments that’ll definitely leave you in anticipation of the second volume.

My Rating:

8/10

I hope you enjoyed my review and would love to see what you thought of the volume in the comments!

You can pick up the latest edition of Guide to the Beastly Wilds through the distributers mentioned on the Cross Infinite World website.

The Insipid Prince’s Furtive Grab for the Throne Vol. 1 Part 1 First Look Review.

Tags: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Drama, Harem, Romance, Ecchi, Seinen

Cover Illustration for Volume 1

Synopsis:

The secret battle fantasy of the strongest prince who hides his claws!

Arnold is a lethargic prince who is ridiculed by the entire empire as an “insipid” runner. But in fact, he is the most powerful prince with a secret identity as Silver, an SS-grade adventurer who manipulates forbidden ancient magic! The story of the strongest prince who plays the role of an incompetent, and his secret struggle for the throne begins! (Source: Bookwalker)

After Kadokawa’s recent first English Light Novel release, Higehiro, came out to some rather mixed reviews when it came to its translation. I decided to check out their latest series, The Insipid Prince, to not only review the story and characters but to take a closer look at whether their translation is up to scratch.

This fantasy series sees Arnold embroiled in a battle of survival when inheritance for the throne is left up in the air after the eldest son the Emperor tragically dies. In order to save his Mother and twin brother Leonard from the certain death that awaits them if any of the other candidates win the throne, Arnold ends up scheming from the shadows to ensure that Leonard is placed on the throne. The only candidate that’ll allow for his current lifestyle to continue.

Don’t be ridiculous. I’d lose my life of leisure if I ever became emperor. My life plan involves marrying a beautiful woman and having fun.

Arnold Lakes Aadler

Arnold’s motivation can be perfectly summed up by this quote. He has no aspiration to become the Emperor and can’t quite fit in with how royalty is supposed to act. He wants a more laid back lifestyle, one which mostly revolves around the exciting life of adventuring. There, as his adventuring alternate, Silver, he’s respected and relied upon, he is one of the strongest adventurers in the country and is seen as a trusted party when it comes to defeating some of the toughest monsters and foes. That isn’t to say that as a prince he’s completely useless. He’s incredibly intelligent and has a certain manipulative streak, he knows what strings to pull and which contacts to make in order to help his brother succeed. Yet, people still seem to find him trustworthy and someone with a good heart – they know that he won’t cross lines that should never be crossed.

In the first part of this novel, Arnold puts these skills to the test in trying to gain the support of one of the only neutral ducal families left in the game, the Keinert family. Here, he uses his personality as Silver in order to help them with a high ranked monster problem that they’ve been having recently. Things go according to plan as he’s sent away and given the perfect opportunity to put the Duke into Leonard’s debt. We get a really good scene as a part of this chapter when Arnold and Silver play off each other adding pressure and guilt onto Finne, the ducal house’s representative. Arnold knows exactly that she has an honest personality and will do anything for the sake of her house making his manipulation all the easier. However, after defeating the Mother Slime, Arnold manages to slip up revealing both identities to Finne leading to her becoming a member of the “get Leonard the throne” team.

Finne Von Kleinert serves as a great character addition to the series. For Arnold, she as a good source of motivation as well as a good anchor point in order to keep his moral compass in check. She believes that he’s got a good heart and that everything he’s done as been for the sake of the people and his family and whilst he says this isn’t true he always does his upmost to ensure Finne isn’t in any unnecessary danger. Finne also works into Arnold’s plans to further Leonard’s cause for the throne. With her on his side, he can perhaps move some of the other neutral nobility to their side as well as stoke some rumours of a potential courtship between Finne and Leonard.

Hopefully as this volume continues, we actually get to see Arnold and Leonards mother and her opinions on the battle for the throne. Furthermore, I hope we get to see a more direct confrontation in regards to the throne battle, perhaps even a part of the volume dedicated to showing one of the other candidates point of view to see how they are scheming to get the throne.

The Translation

Given some of the reviews that I had seen concerning Higehiro’s translation, I was expecting some terrible level of translation for this series, however, its not that bad. It could certainly use another passover through editing but it is certainly still enjoyable to read.

Whilst I’m certainly no English major, I did manage to find some problematic translation points. There are some localisation problems that crop up, although these are few and far between, for example “having a laugh at me” instead of “making fun of me” or “having a go at me,” and there’s a confusing small paragraph within the first chapter where they talk about how someone could rise to the level of duke. Otherwise most of the other problems are small grammatical errors or have to do with uncommon words that aren’t used in a specific context e.g., proffered or supplication.

One thing that I do have to mention concerns ease for the reader. A section of this part of the volume has a scene where Arnold talks to himself as Silver trying to convince Finne of a slight caused. This could be rather confusing to the reader as is, considering there’s no mention of differences in their voicing or a clear difference within the text. Putting Silver’s talking moments in this section and having them in italics or in bold may fix this problem.

Overall, a pretty good start to the series and I look forward to seeing how the battle for the throne will develop as not only the volume continues but also the series into upcoming volumes.

There won’t be a rating for this review because it’ll come once I’ve finished all parts to the volume.

The Insipid Prince’s Furtive Battle for the Throne Part 1 is available to purchase from Google Play, Bookwalker and Kobo