Third Loop: The Nameless Princess and the Cruel Emperor, Vol. 2

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By Iota AIUE and Misa Sazanami. Released in Japan as “Nanashi no Ōjo to Reikoku Kōtei: Shītagerareta Yōjo, Konse de wa Ryū to Mofumofu ni Dekiai Sarete Imasu” by M Novels f. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by JCT.

I always enjoy it when a series with an “artifact title” manages to find a way to work it into future volumes regardless. An artifact title is when you title a book or a show after something that happens at the start that gets fixed, and you’re then left with that title even though it really doesn’t make sense anymore. See, for example, The Ideal Sponger Life. Third Loop was an obvious candidate, as the Nameless Princess gets a name at the end of the book: Angelina. As such, well, how is she nameless? This ssecond volume, though, comes up with something quite clever: people are calling her “the Polaris Princess”, but are seeing her as her title or her power rather than as a four-year-old girl. (To be fair, she’s mentally a lot older… well, kind of.) So she once again has o deal with enforcing her identity upon those who would deny it. Luckily, she has friends.

We’re coming up on a ten-day celebration and ritual for her older brother Kyril. Naturally, having won over everyone in the first book, Angelina will have a large role, despite being four years old. Indeed, one of the main parts of the ritual HAS to be done by her, as the Emperor, um, sort of killed off every other women in his family to ascend to the throne. As one does. That’s not the only issue she’s facing. The goddess of the Heavenly Sovereign Temple has descended for the ceremony, and she does Not Like Angelina At All. There’s also the issue of some wells in the commoner part of the kingdom freezing up… in high summer. Could this be related to the demon tribe that their nation has been at war with, who have arrived seemingly just to be jerks? And can Angelina really solve everything by gumption and cuteness?

Well, nearly. As I alluded to above, this series is not really very good at making Angelina act her age. This is not an uncommon problem with time loop or reincarnation stories that start with them as a baby – technically they should act like they’re in their thirties, but the reader wants to see her be an adorable kid who lisps when she gets stressed. But maybe that’s the way to keep her from being too OP, as it’s clear that Angelina being adorable and forthright solves almost every problem in this book. It’s how she gets gods on her side. It’s how she deals with introverted royalty, insecure priestesses, and her bodyguard and best friend. She’s weaponized being cute as a button. (Perhaps too much – I could have done without the standard “overprotective dad” joke where he worries his four-year-old girl is running away to get married.)

So yes, flawed. But honestly, if you’re hear for the cute? You can put up with a lot of flaws. And the gumption and forthrightness is also excellent.

Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I’m Not the Demon Lord, Vol. 5

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By Satori Tanabata and Tea. Released in Japan as “Akuyaku Reijō Level 99: Watashi wa Ura Boss Desu ga Maō dewa Arimasen” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by sachi salehi.

The anime has now finished, and it ended up being a fantastic advertisement… for the manga. Great news for that, but as for the light novel, I think anyone who enjoyed the anime and reads it is not going to be anything other than pissed off. That said, I think the author, now that they are aware that this won’t be a short series, is trying to do something beyond “Yumiella is wacky and dumb” over and over again. For the first, oh, 4/5 of this book, we get a deeper Yumiella, who actually thinks and makes realizations that are actually correct. Admittedly a lot of this is because she spends a great deal of the book depressed, but it’s still a positive development. She’s dragged into politics that have been simmering since the first book, and does OK… well, till the last fifth of the book, where Yumiella reminds us who she is. Sigh. It was nice while it lasted.

Yumiella is supervising (well, not really) the building of several new structures in her territory in preparation for her upcoming wedding when she is lured to the capitol, supposedly to build cool sentai armor, but in reality to be fitted for her wedding dress. The one-two punch of having to endure the fitting and discovering that anime giant robot physics don’t apply in this world sends her into a funk, which is not helped by Eleanora – spotted in the capitol – being dragged into a dispute between the radicals and the moderates… which she only just now realizes was framed to her by those who support the moderate side. Now both sides are grappling for power, and are trying to use Yumiella’s position to get it, reasoning she is sensible enough not to punch people to death. Which is true. That is the end of the sensibility.

Let’s get the terrible out of the way first. Everything about the final bit with Yumiella and her parents is pathetic and awful and unfunny, and it does not help that everyone in the story agrees with me. Ugh. Leaving that aside, I did enjoy this. Yumiella is more sensible until the denouement, something she even notices herself. She also is starting to examine her own habits and thought processes and find them wanting, especially when it comes to observing others. That said, Eleanora is easily the reason to read this. The running gag in the book is that Eleanora, the duke’s daughter, is not the same person as Eleanora, the girl everyone knows is living with Yumiella. But that’s also very true – Eleanora has grown up. She is using her own special talents to help businesses. She’s mature enough to criticize Prince Edwin and even say that his own morose moping makes her hate him now (though she later melts down after realizing what she did). She’s terrific. Yumiella… ends up backsliding, alas.

It was nice to see the book wade back into the politics of the first two again, and it’s still fun to read, provided you completely separate it from its adaptations.

A Surprisingly Happy Engagement for the Slime Duke and the Fallen Noble Lady, Vol. 1

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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.