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

Ayakashi and the Fairy Tales We Tell Ourselves

October 9, 2024 by Leave a Comment

By Kosuzu Kobato and Meij. Released in Japan on the Shousetsuka ni Narou website. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by Dawson Chen.

This is one of those books that I probably would not have picked up if I didn’t already know the author. Kosuzu Kobato has basically never written anything I’d dislike, This is also complete in one volume, so it’s a good book to take a flyer on. And, unsurprisingly, I enjoyed it. The plot, though, actually ended up being a lot quieter than I expected. There were dark hints in this book that the heroine has bad ayakashi causing her harm (which leads to a reputation of being clumsy). There’s the heroine’s tragic past, as well as the hero’s tragic past. And there’s these weird ayakashi showing up away from the main house and acting, seemingly, menacing. It felt like it was building up to a big confrontation, or perhaps a kidnapping and rescue, or that sort of thing. But that’s not what happens here, and it’s not the point of the book. This book is about accepting your past, and it’s also about accepting that you don’t need to have your entire future mapped out by the time you’re fourteen years old.

Haruka has recently moved to the town, and is still settling in at school, though she has made two best friends. She’s a relatively shy, reserved person, and despite being exceptional at ballet and cooking she seems to regard herself as lacking in something. Then one day she runs into (literally) Ayako, a woman who was biking and not watching where she was going. Going back to her home to bandage Haruka’s scraped leg, she then runs into Takumi, who she doesn’t know but who clearly goes to her school. As the book goes on, and she stops by Ayako’s house more and more, it becomes apparent that she can see ayakashi, the mysterious spirits that litter the house. Takumi can see them too, and that fact has caused him grief throughout his life. Can these two damaged middle-schoolers be the best things that happened to each other?

This book sneaks up on you – it doesn’t really get into anything supernatural until about a quarter of the way in, and even then, the ayakashi end up being more of a spice than anything else – the book is solely about its two leads. Honestly, there were times when it felt like we were going to get more – Haruka’s childhood featured her being hospitalized, and the description of how it happened made me wonder if it was going to tie in with malevolent ayakashi impulsively seeking to harm her or something. But no, it was just a garden-variety horrible human thing. But that’s fine, as the book really excels in the two kids slowly recovering and looking forward to the future again. Haruka recalls her past, accepts it, and is able to move forward in being a blushing girl in love. Takumi realizes that despite everything that happened with his family, his father is trying to support him the best he can – he’s just horrible at emoting. The end of the book has them essentially becoming a couple without naming it as that, which fits the reserved tone.

It’s just a sweet little book. I wish there were more of it, but there isn’t. It’s a good read about some serious kids.

Filed Under: ayakashi and the fairy tales we tell ourselves, reviews
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