About Sean Gaffney

Sean Gaffney has been reading manga since 1996, writing fanfiction in the manga and anime world since 1996, but only decided to start a manga blog in 2009. No one is quite sure why, as talking endlessly is one of his favorite things. He’s also written guest posts at Erica Friedman’s Okazu. His favorite manga things to discuss are shoujo with cheerful yet oblivious heroines, defending angry tsundere girls, and pretending he doesn’t ship. His favorite non-manga things to discuss are classic cartoons from the 1930s to 1960s, William Shakespeare (and other Elizabethan/Jacobean playwrights), and Frank Zappa. But really, he’ll happily talk about anything, even if he has to Google it first to pretend he knows all about it. He lives in Connecticut.

Dagashi-ya Yahagi: Setting Up a Sweets Shop in Another World, Vol. 2

November 20, 2024 by Leave a Comment

By Bunzaburou Nagano and Neruzo Nemaki. Released in Japan as “Dagashiya Yahagi: Isekai ni Shutten Shimasu” by Earth Star Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Mizuki Sakamoto.

I always feel a little awkward when I’m reviewing these slow life titles, because I inevitably feel like I’m picking on them. Most of this volume consists of the slow life stuff itself, and it’s fine. I enjoyed it. There’s lots of selling new snacks with odd status buffs, or accidentally giving the gnomes their legendary armor. Meryl is funny, we actually learn a bit about Mira’s family. My favorite part was when the three of them set out to track some monsters that have big treasure chests in their lair, take out the monsters, and actually get the treasure, which does indeed have so much money that even Meryl puts most of it into savings in the bank. The trouble is there’s very little to actually review about slow life. So I have to look for other things to talk about. And frankly, those things are less enjoyable. Ah well. At least we got to see Meryl’s hilariously bad luck a few more times.

After the events of the last book, Chichi is in prison, and Yahagi and Michelle are living a happy if still chaste cohabitational life. Yahagi has realized that, for some reason (honestly, it sort of beggars belief), no one has tried to map the dungeon, so he sets out to try to do so, selling them to adventurers as he completes floors. Also, his stand is now definitely a shop, complete with a living space at the back, much to Michelle’s delight. He’s also discovered that he now has actual magic! And not just his Dagashi-ya magic either. Unfortunately, Chichi is not going to simply sit back and accept being imprisoned. She’s got a plan to escape and get her revenge on her sister and Yahagi…

So, in reverse order from least annoying to most annoying. 1) like a lot of light novel folks, our hero and heroine seem to think that the only sex they can have is the missionary kind that runs the risk of pregnancy, so all they do is kiss and cuddle. I urge them to remember there are other ways to express physical love. 2) Yahagi learns a spell that allows him clairvoyance, to the point where he can even search backwards in time, but it gives him mild to mid-range heart attacks. ARE YOU KIDDING? I hope this is dealt with in later books, but dude, stop giving yourself heart attacks and then NOT TELLING ANYONE. 3) the main redemption arc in this book was carried out through the use of mind-control snacks that charm you into falling in love with someone if used too often (they literally say this), and also having the evil buffed out of you by an angel from heaven so that you’re no longer a main antagonist. I can’t even begin to say how annoyed I was with that whoooole subplot.

But, other than that, it was fine. I’ll read the next one. I would sum it up as “mid (affectionate), with a slight side of mid (derogatory)”.

Filed Under: dagashi-ya yahagi, reviews

From Two-Bit Baddie to Total Heartthrob: This Villainess Will Cross-Dress to Impress!, Vol. 2

November 19, 2024 by Leave a Comment

By Masamune Okazaki and Hayase Jyun. Released in Japan as “Mob Dōzen no Akuyaku Reijō wa Dansō Shite Kōryaku Taishō no Za wo Nerau” by TO Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Caroline W.

As folks may know, I tend to pay attention to publishers a bit more than is normal. I have my favorites, and I have those where I always say “uh oh” (looking at you, GC Novels). Generally speaking I tend to really enjoy TO Books releases. They do Ascendance of a Bookworm, and Tearmoon Empire. They’re solid. And, like most LN publishers these days, they take the webnovel that’s already published online, have the author revise and add a few scenes to it, and publish it. What makes TO Books different from, say, Hobby Japan is that the cutoff point for where to end a book is much longer for them. To put it bluntly, these books are too dang long. Even the shortest of them usually top out at 260-270 pages, and most can get in the 350 range. And when you’re reading a book that’s doing obvious things, like this one, it can get exhausting.

Everything that Elizabeth has been changing herself for has finally arrived at school: the heroine is here. Lilia has transferred in, and she has Saint powers. Now all Elizabeth has to do is cut off everyone else’s romance routes and seduce her. Well, friendship her. Elizabeth doesn’t want an actual romance route or anything, she just wants to block the “otome game” from running down its rails. However, when Lilia arrives, Elizabeth is in for a shock: she’s clearly ALSO reincarnated from Japan, and is trying herself to hit those routes… and rather puzzled that she has run into this hunk rather than the sickly Prince Edward. Now Elizabeth has to try to step up her seduction while also dealing with a Lilia who has no idea what she should be doing now. Perhaps… it’s time to give up the act?

The best part of this book is the relationship between Elizabeth and Lilia… eventually. That’s what I meant about these books being too long. Though in this case it actually works in the book’s favor, as all the character development is towards the end of the volume. Lilia is written well – she’s not an “evil” heroine, and she’s not a BL fangirl who will love all the guys swooning over the “handsome” Sir Burton – she’s a girl who found herself in this role and is trying to survive while being rather annoyed and also depressed over how everyone forgives her everything because she’s cute. Yes, she DOES find out Elizabeth is really a girl, and it does lead to a brief fight. But just as Elizabeth realizes she’s been too wedded to trying to stop the game she’s forgotten to treat everyone as people, Lilia realizes that just because she’s the heroine doesn’t mean she has to romance one of the targets. The book ends with Elizabeth admitting she’s also from Japan, and Lilia doubling down and saying she has fallen in love with her and will seduce her. Now, this isn’t a yuri book, quite – Lilia seems very happy the game is Rated “T” so she doesn’t have to do any of the ICKY lesbian stuff – but Lilia seems quite happy with her bisexual awakening.

Elizabeth’s ethics are questionable – she’s no Katarina in that respect – and she’s even MORE oblivious than Katarina at times, who I think at least might recognize the voice of her own fiancee – but I still like this enough to recommend it. Also, she fights a massive bear.

Filed Under: from two-bit baddie to total heartthrob, reviews

Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)!, Vol. 1

November 17, 2024 by Leave a Comment

By Atekichi and Yukiko. Released in Japan as “Heroine? Seijo? Iie, All Works Maid desu (ko)!” by TO Books. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Matthew Jackson. Adapted by Michelle McGuinness.

It could be argued that I’m reading too many of these sorts of books. Because, not to spoil something you should be used to by now, but there’s an otome game in this novel, and a villainess. We have definitely hit the point where we’ve got burned-out fans, especially as we’re now getting at least an anime a season with that premise. And yet, I persevere. Because sometimes I get something as completely batshit as this book, whose heroine starts out OP in Japan and only gets worse when she’s reincarnated, who can accidentally solve the entire premise of the otome game she’s been reincarnated in without realizing it, who is secretly the daughter of a noble and already has a love interest who is tortured because he can’t reveal that. And the reason he can’t reveal it is that her one goal in life is to be a maid. The BEST MAID EVER. And nobility will, frankly, just get in the way of that goal.

Ritsuko was an incredibly talented child in Japan. So talented she grew jaded… until she discovered MAIDS. The concept of maids fascinated her and became her obsession, to the point where she traveled to England to become a maid… or at least, she would have if not for that plane crash. She’s reborn as Celesty, a silver-haired girl in a small village, and lives a normal life… until her mother dies, which fills her with grief. On reading a letter from her mother revealing her real past, she suddenly develops magic. Strong magic. Impossibly strong magic… which she quickly manages to hide, because having overflowing strong magic would get in the way of her goal. Instead, she bids farewell to the village and heads off to the big city, where she plans to find work as a maid. Because she is still over the moon about maids, no matter what the world.

So as you likely gathered, this is a broad comedy. It’s at its best when it’s leaning into its genre and feels like a deconstruction. Celesty (who quickly changes her name to Melody, which she’ll be going by from now on) is not the only person on that plane crash who was reincarnated. Yes, there’s a villainess as well, and she’s trying to change her fate, along with her “not my boyfriend” who in this world is the crown prince and “not my fiancee”. They’re in a standard otome game light novel, but unfortunately for them Melody is not a standard heroine, and they spend most of the book panicking that the plot has gone off the rails. There’s also a narrator who is quite happy to point out that Melody’s maid-obsessed head is mostly full of air, and they seem borrowed from Tearmoon Empire. Oh yes, and all the girls in this series seem to be bi, despite the chance of yuri being zero. They’re just all really attracted to pretty girls. I can roll with that.

If you’re not yet tired of these sorts of books, this is a winner. It’s funny, knows its genre, and loves maids. Also, it has a cute puppy! OK, sort of a puppy. You’ll see what I mean when you get to it.

Filed Under: heroine? saint? no i'm an all-works maid, reviews
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