The Legendary Witch Is Reborn As an Oppressed Princess, Vol. 1

October 12, 2024 by Leave a Comment

By Touko Amekawa and Kuroyuri. Released in Japan as “Shiitagerareta Tsuhō Ōjo wa, Tensei Shita Densetsu no Majo deshita” by Overlap Novels f. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Kashi Kamitoma.

Generally speaking, unless it’s a super-famous author I recognize immediately, I tend not to look at who’s written what else until after I’ve read an initial volume of a book. Usually it allows me to be surprised, and that’s definitely the case with this series, which it turns out is written by an author far more famous for the 7th Time Loop series, which recently got an anime. She’s actually got a number of series going at the same time on her Narou page, and this one seems to have been started a few months after 7th Time Loop. I’ll say straight up it’s not quite as good as that series, but it’s still a very decent start. I will say, and I’m sure that it was just as obvious in the Japanese, if not more so, the lead girl talks with a childish “Elmer Fudd” style lisp. If seeing textual accents bothers you, beware. It’s all over this book.

The opening of the book is absolutely dynamite, as Claudia wakes up to the memories of her previous life – by being pushed out of a high window by her evil uncle. She remembers that she used to be Lady Adelheid, the most powerful witch of legend. Sadly, she’s now Princess Claudia, who theoretically was found to have no magic, and so for the 6 years of her life she was put in a tower and abused. Now that she remembers who she was, she stops herself from hitting the ground – with magic. Turns out the “found to have no magic” thing was faked by the Queen Consort, who was angling for power. Claudia decides to wander into the forest to find a pet, having decided, in this new life, to live as she pleases. What she finds is a 9-year-old kid who has a curse that’s slowly killing him. A curse she is very familiar with…

This is a solid series. Claudia at first seems a bit blase and overly perfect, but as the book goes on and we learn more about her past it becomes clear why she’s acting this way – and why she’s determined to push Noah, the boy she saved, away. There’s a lot of people introduced who are set up as antagonists in an “oh look, it’s another evil noble” or “goody, another spoiled brat”, but who turn out to have better sides to them if you dig hard enough. Well, except for the Queen Consort. And possibly the King, who doesn’t necessarily have a nicer side to him, but is certainly very calculating and rapidly realizes that Claudia is someone he wants to find out more about. Too bad she wants to avoid him as much as possible. The relationship between Claudia and Noah is cute, and manages to avoid being romantic in a weird way, despite her being an 19-year-old in a 6-year-old body and him being 9.

So this was a good start. Recommended – Sorry, Wecommended – to 7th Time Loop readers and fans of smug OP witches.

Filed Under: legendary witch is reborn as an oppressed princess, reviews

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You: Secret Love Story

October 11, 2024 by Leave a Comment

By Hamubane, Rikito Nakamura and Yukiko Nozawa. Released in Japan as “Kimi no Koto ga Dai Dai Dai Dai Daisuki na 100-nin no Kanojo Bangai Koimonogatari: Secret Love Story” by JUMP j BOOKS. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Kim Morrissy. Adapted by Kathleen Townsend.

This review is dedicated to Nicholas Dupree, who would have loved this book. It’s time for CULTURE, folks!

I was a bit worried when I saw this was announced. 100 Girlfriends is, after all, very much a product of its medium. And, as is the case with all light novels that are spinoffs of Jump titles, even if they’re Young Jump titles, I knew it would be written by someone else. The question is, would the light novel have all of the things that we love about the source? The over the top humor, the breaking of the fourth wall, going way too far to the point of putting off its audience a bit, but above all being a wonderfully romantic story about one of the best polycules out there? The good news is that it has all of that. The bad news is it has ALL of that. Be aware, for fans only.

As you can tell by the eight girls on the cover (plus Rentaro – his first cover!), this book is meant to take place sometime between the 4th and 5th volume of the manga. Sorry, Iku fans. It’s a nested short story collection – five “main” short stories with the entire cast, and four 2-3 page short stories featuring two of the girls bonding. The girl pairings are the three you’d expect, plus Kusuri and Kurumi. As for the main stories: 1) Rentaro spends 30 hours dating each and everyone one of his eight girls, till they force him to sleep; 2) An alien possesses Nano to try to learn about the “emotional energy” that the cast possesses; 3) The vice-principal drinks a drug that makes her turn into a kaiju, and Rentaro and his girlfriends must get into a Giant Rentaro Robot that Hahari has prepared to battle her; 4) The cast end up in the world of Circlet Love Story, and when they accidentally break it, they have to work hard to make sure events unfold as the book says; 5) Rentaro loses his memories of high school, and has no idea who any of his girlfriends are!

As with most short story collections, some are better than others. The giant robot story contains a lot I’m not a fan of with this series – it heavily features the vice-principal, and also leans a bit too much on the fetishes – if the word “diaper play” squicks you, feel free to skip this story. On the other hand, the Circlet Love Story short is fun, and benefits from being in Shizuru’s POV, showing that, in her own inner monologue, she’s quite loquacious. The best parts of the book, though, are the ones that are why we read the manga – Rentaro being the best boyfriend in the universe, all the girlfriends acting like their stereotypes but still being well-rounded, lots of fourth-wall breaking about the fact that this is a novel, and even a bit of the yuri some fans like – when Nano is possessed by an alien, no one notices except Rentaro… and Shizuru, who also spotted it. As for Hakari and Karane, let’s face it, they’re also a couple.

I think people picking up this book know it’s going to go too far – Hahari and Kusuri are still in it, after all. But it was fun to read, and I laughed out loud in several places. Also, Karane gets to use a hammer that’s as big as she is AND we get art of the same. Chef’s kiss.

Filed Under: 100 girlfriends who really really really really really love you, reviews

An Introvert’s Hookup Hiccups: This Gyaru Is Head Over Heels for Me!, Vol. 8

October 10, 2024 by Leave a Comment

By Yuishi and Kagachisaku. Released in Japan as “Inkya no Boku ni Batsu Game de Kokuhaku Shitekita Hazu no Gal ga, Dō Mitemo Boku ni Beta Bore Des” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Satoko Kakihara.

I’ve talked before about how we, as the reader, are being driven absolutely mad by these two being both incredibly cute and incredibly horny at the same time, and yet somehow not even getting to kissing each other on the lips. Well, this volume is dedicated to the fact that we are not alone. It takes place almost entirely at the school, as it’s culture festival time, and everyone in the class is us, because all they can do is stare with their jaws dropped as Yoshin and Nanami do what they think is normal stuff that every couple does, and everyone else sees as the boldest, most shameless acts in the world. These two are in love with each other and it shows in everything they do, and frankly for high school kids that’s something to inspire jealousy. Which, well, probably explains the rumors that open the book…

There’s a rumor going round about Yoshin, and the rumor is that he has a harem. (Yeah, sorry, the idea of polycules is not a thing this series wants to deal with at all.) After all, not only does he have the incredibly hot Nanami as his named girlfriend, but he’s also hanging out with her two gorgeous best friends, AND he recently started hanging out with the class president, who also got a makeover just for him! What a player! This means that yes, Yoshin is dragged before the teachers as well, where he realizes the main reason that rumors like this gain traction: he’s only friends with girls. He needs to figure out a way to fix that. Before he can, though, it’s culture festival time, the class is doing a cosplay cafe, and Yoshin and Nanami are on the committee. Will they have time for the Best Couple Contest?

There are other things going on in this book, including an entire subplot about the class president and her tragic backstory, which turns out to be far more teenage than tragic. But for the most part we’re here for Yoshin and Nanami, and boy howdy does this book deliver on sweet romance. You’ll get diabetes. They discover the magic of falling asleep talking to each other on video call. Nanami wears a giant bunny suit to fake out the class, then shows off a playboy bunny outfit only for her boyfriend. Yoshin dresses up as a maid for the cosplay cafe, and everyone agrees that he looks really cute, much to his chagrin… but he’ll to anything for Nanami. The capper is the Couple Contest, when these two go above and beyond, essentially proposing to each other (again) and capping it off with the kiss we’ve been wanting to see. The whole book is there to make the reader go “squee!”.

The afterword promises the class trip next time. The cover of Vol. 9 has a sports festival, though, so buyer beware. Still buy it, though. This is the sweetest frosting around.

Filed Under: an introvert's hookup hiccups, reviews
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