Haibara’s Teenage New Game+ Vol. 1 Review

Tags: Comedy, Romance, Fantasy, Drama, Harem, Slice of Life, School life

Sub-Tags: Time-Leap, Supernatural, Character Growth, Introverts, Extroverts

Cover Illustration for Volume 1

Synopsis:

We all have embarrassing memories or deep regrets from high school, right? Socially anxious college senior Natsuki Haibara sure does. When he thinks back on that time of his life, all he has are fleeting fantasies of a happy adolescence that could have been. Imagine his bewilderment and surprise, then, when he inexplicably finds himself seven years in the past—one month before his first year of high school! Can Haibara avoid his previous mistakes, make his way to the top of the school social pyramid, and end up with the girl of his dreams? Or will he be forced to relive three years of solitude as the most hated guy in school? He’ll need all the help he can get in order to succeed, from a workout regimen to online how-to guides, a childhood friend, and plenty of sheer willpower. Watch as Haibara takes a second shot at his teenage years! (Source: J-Novel Club)

Haibara’s Rainbow-Coloured High School Dream!

Returning to pre-pubs and romcoms for my next review, JNC’s latest series features time leaps and the necessity for a perfect high-school experience.

Haibara’s New Game focuses on Natsuki, a gloomy, introverted college student who is unexpectedly thrust back into the past. After returning to his high-school days, he’ll use this opportunity to make his ultimate wish come true; become friends with the group that shunned him and pursue romantic endeavours with his dream girl. However, what Natsuki’ll learn is that nothing is ever that simple!

All About the Restart!

Time-leaps. Whilst not a novel concept in romcoms, it can be elevated through new angles and avenues.

This series should be commended for its focus on character dynamics and interpersonal relationships rather than starting strong on the romance element. After all, Natsuki’s main goal for returning to his high-school years is to make friends with the group he alienated.

These friends are extroverts amongst extroverts, each with their role to play within the group and something by which they centralise their identity on. Miori comes out on top in terms of the most well-rounded character. A helper in Natsuki’s plan for a rosy high-school debut, she has a good grasp on the efforts that Natsuki goes through and the insecurities of others within the group. Moreover, she’s not shy in trying to get what she wants.

Miori and the rest of the side characters introduced are, certainly for the first volume, the series’ best aspect and form the basis of the volume’s drama setting – Natsuki, the group’s interloper and seemingly perfect human.

A Romance Sets Off!

With Natsuki coming off as a perfect superhuman, his actions, as you can imagine, gain a lot of attention, especially from women.

Hoshimiya is meant to be the main romantic love interest of the series. She doesn’t get much in the way of scenes with Natsuki, however, what we get is quite good, especially in showing their chemistry together.

A more apparent romance blossoms toward the end of the volume. Uta has fallen for Natsuki. A more naturally occurring love story, they work well together and share more than just being in the same friend circle.

Unfortunately, this romance has unexpected consequences leading to Tatsuya’s withdrawal from the group, as it turns out, he has feelings for Uta and an ever-growing jealousy at what he perceives Natsuki to be, a superhuman.

What follows is a well-played-out drama sequence. To rebuild their friendship and achieve his perfect high-school life, Natsuki’ll have to show his true personality and break away from the facade he uses to keep up with a group of extroverts.

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Natsuki?

During this truth-telling session, Natsuki makes a massive speech about himself and Tatsuya’s actions. A big end piece it may be, it only serves to highlight the series’ biggest problem so far, Natsuki.

The man never comes over as sympathetic and instead comes over as highly self-centred. Everyone has to act in the way he imagines for his high-school life to be perfect. At several points throughout the volume, it’s made clear what his true motivations are. Rather than worry over his supposed friend’s insecurities, his focus is on the fact that he’s not acting as he remembers. This is amplified further when Hoshimiya shows concern, worrying more about the possibility that she might have feelings for him than concluding that she’s a friend where showing concern should be considered natural.

Returning to his big speech, I don’t feel as though Natsuki has earned what he says. For instance, calling Tatsuya a coward when he is yet to confess is highly hypocritical. This is only added to how hollow everything sounds coming from someone who’s having a second go at things.

Overall, Haibara’s New Game has some great elements, including its use of character dynamics, I just don’t think this series is for me. The series features a very unlikeable protagonist with a self-centred personality, and that’s on top of the usual denseness towards anything and everything. As it goes now, I’m unlikely to continue this series into a second volume.

Haibara’s New Game+ Vol. 1

My Rating: 7/10

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.

My Light Novel Top Pick for March/April 2022 + An Announcement!

Hello reader, I’m back again to do another monthly (although this one is bi-monthly!) pick for my favourite new light novel license over the month, or in this case two months.

I should probably begin by explaining why I originally missed out on a monthly top pick for March and the answer is quite simple, there just simply wasn’t enough new series that I was interested in that month to make a top pick truly fair, so instead I’ve decided to roll it forward to make the top pick for two months.

Luckily for me, April was much more bountiful in its light novel gifts. There were several potential candidates that I could’ve picked as my favourite new series of these months. We had a hilarious series about a shut-in vampire, a revolution in both magic and love, and even a villainess who’d turned things around to become a saviour. However, there was one series to me that just piped the others to the post, one that still has me guessing as to where it’s headed next, The Holy Grail of Eris.

Cover Illustration for Volume 1

Synopsis:

Never neglect to read the fine print

As a viscount’s daughter, Constance Grail is an ordinary girl whose only notable trait is sincerity, leaving her with no real options when someone steals her fiancé and falsely accuses her of petty theft at a ball. While Connie awaits her undeserved punishment, a ghost appears to offer a bargain. The spirit is none other than Scarlett Castiel, a noblewoman once praised for her beauty, lineage, and undeniable charisma—and executed some ten years earlier for her wicked deeds. When Connie accepts this proposal, she is possessed by the infamous spirit who instantly turns the tide on her tormenter, thus saving the hapless girl from her miserable fate. It’s never wise striking a deal without knowing exactly what you’ve committed to, though…or you might find yourself bound to a ghost dead set on revenge against her own enemies! (Source: Yen Press)

I absolutely adore this series, with a steadily increasing number of licenses coming under the villainess banner this series feels like a breath of fresh air. Whilst keeping some of the tropes that makes the villainess genre so fun, the series adds some wonderful twists to take the series to the next level as it focuses on mysterious deaths, secret societies and conspiracies.

The first volume does well to set the scene, building up multiple plotlines and avenues of possibility when it comes to the mystery at large and potential suspects. Small things are revealed throughout the volume for the reader to start putting things together, however, with three volumes left the author certainly has a lot left in the bag in terms of characters and potential twists and turns.

On top of a great story, the author also has a knack for writing interesting characters. As the volume develops, each of the main cast develops from their original starting point, I especially like Connie’s development in the novel as she noticeably grows in confidence with each passing event growing strong enough to confront some of the most powerful members of noble society. Scarlett also gets some nice development and comes to a more understanding angle softening her villainess ways.

Overall, The Holy Grail of Eris is an excellent twist on the villainess genre that combines a great plot, great twists and excellent character writing that’ll keep you hooked through the novel and will only leave you saddened by the fact that you’ll have to wait a couple of months for the next volume.

I hope you enjoyed my review and would love to see what you thought of the volume in the comments! If you want to read my original review, you can check it out here!

You can buy the first volume of the series both digitally and physically from the distributors listed on the Yen Press website.

Now time for the announcement that I promised in the title of the article. Hopefully, within the next couple of weeks, I’ll also be starting reviews of my other greatest passion, Doctor Who. I plan to do these reviews when the number of light novels I want to read is a bit thin on the ground and I’ll mostly be looking at reviewing Big Finish audio stories. I have a mixture of both new releases and older stories to choose from, ranging from several different doctors, so I hope you’ll enjoy them.