By Mashimesa Emoto and Kasumi Nagi. Released in Japan as “Slime Taikō to Botsuraku Reijō no Angai Shiawase na Konyaku” by HJ Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Minna Lin.

I get the feeling there’s another story that we’re missing here, especially towards the end. I remember when I was reading Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter and we took two books to learn about her mother’s backstory. Maybe we need that sort of thing here, because all of a sudden Slime Duke is feeling like a sequel series to the main one that starred Adele, a villainess who was shunned by her fiancee and moved to another kingdom, only for the Emperor’s son to fall in love with her. Then we get this series, which is about what happened to the main character’s younger sister, who was always worried about but never actually seen in the main series. Now, as far as I know that’s not what actually happened, I think this is indeed the main series. But it also possibly explains why I’ve found this series a bit mid-tier when it comes to Japanese romances, especially Japanese romances with slimes. Best duck romance, though.

It’s time for Gabriel and Francette’s wedding, and we spend the entire book getting there. There are two main worries. First, they want her wedding dress to have fancy pearls, and unfortunately the country that gave everyone fancy pearls is having a shortage due to the royal relatives being toxic jerks. So the two of them decide to try and make their own pearls in Gabriel’s land… but this proves easier said than done. Secondly, Francette’s mother and sister will be coming to the wedding, and she’s very worried about finally seeing them, especially since she really did not tell them “by the way, I’m now living in poverty in a slum”, which is where she was at the start of the series. Fortunately, their reunion works out. Unfortunately, we then get a wacky sibling switch leading to a less wacky kidnapping.

I’m used to dealing with heroines with a sense of self-esteem so low it’s on the floor, but this is a rare series where the entire family suffers from this problem. Everyone is very quick to credit everyone else for all the solutions to life’s problems. That said, those crediting Francette are more right than others, as she really pulls off a lot here. That said, the solution on how to make the pearls is one that I was expecting to be the FIRST thing they tried, so it felt a bit underwhelming to come up with it after exhausting everything else. Second, we get a second absentee dad, though at least the series tries to explain how it’s walking a fine line between “they should be allowed to love life the way they want” and “that doesn’t mean they’re forgiven”. And, as noted, I want to read Adele’s story. And Emilia’s, to be honest. Probably more than Francette’s.

This is the final volume, so well done. At least we’ll always have the attack duck.

By Mashimesa Emoto and Kasumi Nagi. Released in Japan as “Slime Taikō to Botsuraku Reijō no Angai Shiawase na Konyaku” by HJ Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Minna Lin.

Oh dear, Slime Duke is going through that Difficult Second Album. I get the sense the author was unaware of exactly why we liked the first volume so much. First of all, there is far, far less attack duck, with Alexandrine only getting to appear at the very beginning and the very end. Unfortunately, the lack of a duck around her also makes Francette far more conventional in this book, which feels at times like the writer bought a connect the dots with a light novel as the picture. There’s “communication is important if you’re going to be in a relationship!”, complete with a side of “I misheard a conversation and now believe my loving fiancee is still in love with someone else”. We get an adorable crown princess who likes to run away from her minders and get into less adorable danger. And when Francette returns to noble society, there are Evil Noble Girl 1, 2, and 3, all lined up to ojou at her in unison. It’s… predictable.

Francette and Gabriel are visited one day by one of the other Dukes, this one the Siren Duke. Who, much to the surprise of everyone, has the kingdom’s princess with her. It turns out this is all related to Francette’s duck bakery sweets-making enterprise, which has everyone demanding more of these delicious treats. The Slime Duke and the Siren Duke seem to get on well. A bit too well, maybe. But there’s no time to dwell, as they need to go to the capitol for the meeting of the seven dukes, and Francette wants to make sure that they have a unique gift for everyone. This ends up involving trying to un-grump the grumpy local porcelain maker, and take out the slime that’s been stopping him mining for the exact stuff with which to make it. With all this going on before they even get to the capital, will Francette and Gabriel ever get a chance to really talk to each other?

The best part of the book was probably the porcelain stuff. I do appreciate a grumpy old widower whose heart can be melted by nostalgic sweets (honestly, sweets in this book seem to solve almost every problem that does not require extreme violence). And I really enjoyed Gabriel taking Francette with her as he goes to fight this dangerous slime ina cave, mostly as it gives her a chance to think outside the box, which everyone admits in this book is her best feature. Given the genre of this series, it’s no surprise that a great deal of time is spent telling the self-deprecating Francette that she needs to have more confidence in herself. I would also like to see more of Constance, the steward who dresses in butler clothes but, as we see here, can wear a nice dress if the situation requires it. I need her tragic backstory, dangit.

I had thought this was the final volume, but apparently not. The third has a wedding picture on the cover, though, so that should be it. More duck, please.

By Mashimesa Emoto and Kasumi Nagi. Released in Japan as “Slime Taikō to Botsuraku Reijō no Angai Shiawase na Konyaku” by HJ Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Minna Lin.

Fallen Noble Lady series are getting to be a bit glutted in this market. We’ve already had to separate them from Villainess stories (note the Japanese does not say Akuyaku Reijō), but even after doing that it seems you cannot throw a shoe without hitting another young woman being publicly humiliated by her fiancee. As such, you need to make sure, when you write another such story, that you have a gimmick. And it’s got to be a really good gimmick. Slime Duke? Controls slimes? Not bad, but could be better. Slimes are also, honestly, a bit overdone. She bakes yummy treats? Boooooring, seen it. She secretly has multiple men in love with her but is totally clueless? Boooooring, seen it. No, this series needed something more. Something truly astounding to put it ahead of the pack. It needed a duck. An attack duck. An attack duck that goes with the heroine to her new domain and proceeds to wreak a reign of terror (on the male ducks). It’s glorious.

Technically our heroine, Francette, is the sister of the Fallen Noble Lady. But said sister rebounds fast, and ends up the Queen of a neighboring country. This is not her story. Francette, however, does lose the family house, money, and everything else. She ends up staying with her father because, well, after seeing that she is rather tired of nobility. Unfortunately, her dad tends to run around with other women. And one day the husband of one of those women goes to see Francette, saying she has to pay 200,000 in restitution or he’ll force her into a brothel. Even her attack duck can’t help her out of this. Fortunately, out from a bush (it makes sense in content, but only later on) steps the owner of the slime that she took in from off the street, and he’s there to… propose to her!?

So, first of all, the biggest minus for this volume: the duck should have been on the cover. Come on. Also, word of warning, but Gabriel, the Slime Duke (he’s a human, not a slime, it’s a title) is a bit of a creepy stalker, in the sort of “I am too pathetic to express my infatuation so I will instead follow her around secretly” kind of dweeb. Fortunately, once they’re actually forced to meet, they turn out to be the best things for each other, as she builds him up and praises him, while he gives her a ;purpose and a new family. There are identical maid triplets with different personalities here as well, which is a trope that is almost impossible to get wrong, and this does not. It does have villains who are super, duper, ooper evil, and multiple threats of being forced into sex work, but at heart this is a fluffy story with a cute couple, cute slimes, and a vicious duck who will cut you.

My favorite part is when Gabriel introduces the mansion residents (his histrionic mother, the triplet maids, and the head servant who is a woman but dresses as a butler) and says that Francette is the only normal one there. He says this to her as she is holding her duck under one arm. Normal is overrated.