By Miri Mikawa and Kasumi Nagi. Released in Japan as “Ikka Kōkyū Ryōrichō” by Kadokawa Beans Bunko. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Hunter Prigg.

I hope people don’t read all my reviews of this series in order, because I inevitably end up repeating the same thing over and over again: this is a series about food. It’s there in the title, where it says these are Rimi’s CULINARY chronicles, not her rise to power or her romantic adventures. Likewise, you know that eventually in these books there’s going to be a big crisis, and it’s going to be resolved by a meal. OK, in this particular volume it’s not actually resolved, but it’s at least defused, which is good enough. Rimi spends a majority of this book in hiding, which means that she can’t say her name, and her identity is constantly called into question, given that she’s very bad at hiding it. Who is she? The future empress? The court flower? A poison that will destroy the entire country? None of those, really. She’s a cook. Food – and not just any food, but the RIGHT food – is how she interacts with others.

We pick up where we left off last time, with Rimi kidnapped by the Chancellor, who locks her in an old building on a far away estate, where he will quietly kill her once he makes arrangements. Fortunately, before he can do that, she’s rescued by a passing hottie (which feels ludicrously unrealistic even by the standards of this series, but hey). What’s more, the hottie is the very same person who’s being recommended to be the new Minister of Works. Now we have The Emperor desperately trying to find Rimi, Shusei desperately trying to find Rimi, the Chancellor, once he discovers she’s gone, desperately trying to find Rimi, and her mysterious benefactor being understandably unwilling to let her go because Rimi refuses to say who she is. In other words, situation normal for the Court Flower books.

Much as I would like it to be kicked slightly to the side, there’s only one OTP in this series, and it’s Rimi and Shusei. They reunite here, and Rimi opens up and admits that she’s still in love with him, but it’s hard to get past sheer male stubbornness, especially when said male thinks that he’s really being political. Frustration levels are high. On the bright side, the new character, Ryo Renka, is wonderful, an excellent addition to the cast who I hope we see more of. Ryo is also deeply tied into the past of the previous generation, which also includes Shusei’s father and the Chancellor, and it’s that past that provides the clue to help Rimi escape her deadly fate. I enjoyed the fact that this tim around the food has to be made in a rush and sloppily – because that’s how it was made originally by the amateurs who cooked it. It’s all about the vibe.

This has three volumes to go, and I expect civil war before the end. But it will be civil war with cooking, no doubt. Still greatly enjoying this, one of the strongest volumes in the series.

By Miri Mikawa and Kasumi Nagi. Released in Japan as “Ikka Kōkyū Ryōrichō” by Kadokawa Beans Bunko. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Hunter Prigg.

I’m starting to get the feeling that the consummation that keeps getting put off between Rimi and Shohi is never actually going to happen. Leaving aside the fact that Rimi still thinks of herself as a mom more than a lover to him, there’s also the fact that the Chancellor exists. There are other aides in this book as well, and some of them like Rimi and some of them dislike Rimi, but they all seem to see Rimi as, well, as a real human being. The Chancellor, on the other hand, regards Rimi as this sort of otherworldly poisonous creature whose mere presence destroys the Emperor and everyone around him. Leaving aside the fact that there’s a name for that and it’s called “being the protagonist”, it does mean that Rimi is going to find becoming Empress very hard to do. We already knew that, of course, but it’s getting even harder, especially with the arrival of an even bigger rival than the Four Consorts: a better political marriage match.

Rimi is delighted to hear that the court will be seeing the return of Shar, ambassador from Saisakoku. Things get less delightful when the delegation also has an extra person, Princess Aisha. The princess is gorgeous, and is clearly there to deepen ties between the two countries. What’s more, the best way to do this would be to move Rimi quietly to the side and let Aisha be impress. It’s the sensible thing to do. That said, Shohi is reluctant, not just because he loves Rimi, but also because the young princess is a little hellraiser, running around the court like a bull in a china shop and taking very badly to any attempt to criticize her. When things finally blow up to the point that the princess runs away, Rimi and company need all the allies they can get to find her. Even if that means seeing Shusei again.

This series is mostly a romantic thriller, but I do appreciate that in every book there’s always one scene which is hysterically funny, and here it’s right in the center, with Princess Aisha showing off to the four consorts in a way that is both jaw-dropping and also makes you want to find a ball to see if she can balance it on her nose. The best part of the book is Rimi and Aisha’s relationship, as, even though she knows that Aisha is there to destroy everything Rimi has done up till now, she can’t help but try to make things better because she’s that sort of person. (She does, this, of course, with a meal, in case you’d forgotten what book you’re reading.) Shohi too continues to develop and grow into his Emperor title. If it weren’t for the Chancellor, there would be very little getting in the way of their union.

Sadly, there is the Chancellor, and another vicious cliffhanger. We’ll have to wait till next time to resolve it, but I remain addicted to this series… so much so that I look forward to Sugar Apple Fairy Tale in a few weeks from Yen On, by the same author.

By Miri Mikawa and Kasumi Nagi. Released in Japan as “Ikka Kōkyū Ryōrichō” by Kadokawa Beans Bunko. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Hunter Prigg.

Sometimes there are series that start as one thing and become a completely different thing. That’s normal narrative progression, but it always seems to be a shame when they lose sight of what drew people into the series in the first place. Good news, however, that is not a problem with Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower. Sure, we may now be watching the world’s slowest coup, filled with danger and soldiers lining up for war and betrayal and famine and more betrayal. But, in the end, Rimi still solves the entire problem by delicious food. And that’s the series’ brand, it’s what makes it different from others of its ilk. Rimi has OP powers, but they’re not ‘to make everyone fall in love with her’ (though yes, there is a love triangle), they’re ‘cooking will automatically make everything better and easier to understand’. Even in this book, when she goes full artisan, giving the Emperor and his administrator a 100-plate meal with one bite of food on each plate.

Rimi and Shohi are still reeling after the events of the previous book, so much so that the emperor decides to postpone the “Nocturnal Liturgy” that would consummate their relationship. Neither of them can figure out why Shusei would do this, and he is being 100% unhelpful about it. Unfortunately, they don’t really have much time to dwell on it. An administrator from the outlying areas comes to inform the emperor that they will not be paying taxes this year. Is it rebellion? Do they want to get rid of Shohi the way so many in the Inner Court do? Or is there something deeper afoot? And whose plan is this in the first place? To solve it, Shohi is going to have to put his trust in far more people than he ever has before, and the Four Consorts are going to have to play detective.

I have to admit: I’m not sure I want Rimi and Shusei to happen anymore. I feel he’s burned his bridges too much in this book. I would be fine with Rimi and Shohi, but unfortunately that requires love on both sides, and Rimi seems to think of Shohi more the way a mom does than a lover does, which means it’s probably a good thing their Nocturnal Liturgy was postponed. Shohi really comes into his own in this volume, showing some real character development and pulling away from the clutches of his ministers to figure out what the real problem is… though unfortunately, that turns out to play right into Shusei’s hands as well. Politics is hard. As for Rimi, she’s getting sharper, despite being told she has “flowers for brains” multiple times in this book. She’s empathic, making connections based on her feelings, so when she gets much needed information everything just slots together at once for her. It’s terrific to see how much she’s grown.

I know a lot of people dropped this for being a cut-rate Apothecary Diaries, but it’s really come into its own, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.