The Fearsome Witch Teaches in Another World: I’ll Save You from Being a Shut-in!

Leave a reply

By Mitsuru Inoue and Suzuno. Released in Japan as “Isekai Teni Shite Kyoushi ni Natta ga, Majo to Osorerarete Iru Ken” by Earth Star Luna. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Gierrlon Dunn.

I talked in my last book about how this book has an agenda when it comes to teaching, but I’m not entirely convinced that the agenda is “show people there’s a better way”. I don’t think anything that Aoi does in this book is something that can really be replicated in the real world, it works because Aoi is effectively omnipotent. Hell, even her non-magical way of thinking is suspect: at one point, she seems to seriously think that the best way to get shut-ins out of their rooms is to remove the door. Aoi is the best reason to read this book, but she’s a deadpan, a ditz, and OP, a very dangerous combination. What it leads to is a lot of stuff happening that will seemingly change the world, only because she’s the narrator the bulk of the book, the impression given is “and then I did this thing anyone could do if they were taught correctly”. She’s feared here.

I’ll have to leave it to experts as to whether the cover images have zettai ryoukai or if Aoi’s stockings make it ineligible, but the artist is certainly dedicated to showing off her hips and legs. In any case, the start of the book finishes off the Culture Festival, after a brief crisis – no one’s going to see the kids as the dwarves have taken over and are doing a sword demonstration. Aoi straightens that out, and then both the student’s lightning magic and her own fireworks go well. However, she then discovers that there’s a student who’s been a shut-in since she got there. He’s Solare, and he’s the grandson of the headmaster, but bullying and the crappy responses to dealing with bullying have made him not want to trust anyone. So it’s time for a world tour in which Aoi meets up with the bullies and makes them see what real power looks like.

This isn’t the first series to take on Japanese (yes, they’re elves, but look, it’s an obvious metaphor) bullying in schools. We see, but find it hard to sympathize with, Glen’s balancing act, as he tries to help his grandson while also trying to avoid starting a huge political war by just expelling everyone who participated in the bullying. We also see that a lot of the time the attitude of the bully is also held in their parent, making things even harder. Aoi’s solution for her own experience, alas, is one I’ve seen a great deal in anime, manga, and light novels – if you’re being bullied, the solution is to get stronger. It’s on you, not the bullies. I hate this solution, but there’s a reason it’s still a very popular one – it rocks the least boats. As for the rest of the book, it was pretty fun.

That said, this series is definitely not essential. If you’ve been reading it, you can keep doing so.

Rascal Does Not Dream of a Beach Queen +

Leave a reply

By Hajime Kamoshida and Keji Mizoguchi. Released in Japan as “Seishun Buta Yarou wa Beach Queen no Yume wo Minai +” by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Andrew Cunningham.

One refreshing thing about this series is that, while it was running, it lacked all the SS or .5 volumes stuffing in tons of short stories to drag out the plot. Which is good, as this series already felt like fifteen volumes was too long. But it’s over now, and so it’s time for Vol. 16, the first of two short story collections. Fortunately, for me if no one else, these aren’t microstories. There’s only three. The first story was a bonus that came with the Blu-Ray release of the anime. The second story was a freebie for fans who went to the movie. And the third is actually written for this book. Given that, they take place before Sakuta’s plotline is resolved, but they feel more relaxed regardless. The first story has a bit of drama, but it’s drama Sakuta is uninterested in. The second has drama, but mostly as a character beat for Sakuta. And the third is pure fluff. Perfect short story collection, in other words.

The first story takes up the bulk of the book. It’s the athletic festival in Sakuta’s final year of high school, and Mai is even coming at lunchtime to give him sandwiches. Unfortunately, despite being an alternate, he keeps having to do events as the star athlete has disappeared. Sakuta tracks her down, only to find that the disappearance is quite literal. In the second story, Sakuta and Mai go on a cute Christmas date, but Sakuta keeps seeing another girl, and he’s having these horrible emotions come to the surface. In the third story, Sakuta laments that, because she’s so famous, he and Mai can never go to the beach. She then surprises him with a trip to an exclusive summer residence with a pool… though he does have to also have his sister, Nodoka, and Uzuki tag along.

I’m going to try not to spoil the first story too much, but I was very surprised, I will admit. In fact, at first I thought what I was suspecting was a big fake-out, and it would be something far more prosaic. But no, it actually WAS what I was suspecting. The writing reads a bit like it was written for teenage guys a bit (because, well, it was), but hey. I did also appreciate that we get no resolution because Sakuta does not care about anything other than Mai, and so walks away. The second story relies very much on you remembering what happened in Books 6 and 7, and how even when a death is rewritten so that reality doesn’t have it, the grief still has to go somewhere. The third story is, as I said, pure fluff, but will definitely appeal to fans of Sakuta and Mai – they’re practically married here, as Mai notes.

There’s a second SS collection, which apparently does actually take place after the main series. Till then, fans will enjoy this.

Proud to Be the Villainess: Upon the Despair You Face Blooms the Wicked Flower of Hope

Leave a reply

By Mary=Doe and Kuga Huna. Released in Japan as “Akuyaku Reijou no Kyouji” by SQEX Novel. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Bérénice Vourdon.

Last time I asked what the author was going to do to continue what was an obviously complete story beyond the first volume. The answer ends up being escalation, in every possible way. Did the first volume have a villainess archetype? Let’s add a couple more! Are there obvious schemes to save the day by sacrificing oneself? Let’s double down on making it even more convoluted. The author wanted to see how many gambit balls they could keep in the air at once, and the answer turns out to be “a lot”. Fortunately, they have the skills to back this up – this is excellent. Mostly as, like the first volume, most of the cast have genuinely well-thought out motivation and gripping backstory, rather than just being “wait, she’s a pink-haired baron’s daughter who’s a saint candidate? Must be evil.” And fear not, Wellmy is back, ans she’s got a plan. Unfortunately, while her plan is very, very clever, it still runs into quite a few snags, because of the “antagonist’s” plan.

Darristea, a duke’s daughter, has been having a bad time of it. Long assumed to be the obvious fiancee candidate for her childhood friend Leo, he’s now going around with the horrible Wellmy, who everyone knows is a villainess. Worse, Wellmy has a posse of men around her at all times. Could she be using… mind control magic? Then another noble, Lord Turgis, gives her a device that will force Wellmy to tell the truth. It’s a perfect scheme! …except, of course, that this is all part of a wheels-within-wheels plan which Darristea has unfortunately gotten caught up in. Worse, Theresalo, the aforementioned baron’s daughter and saint candidate, is being blackmailed into an attack on Prince Leo as well. With all of these potential villainesses running around, is there room for Wellmy to quietly save the country and make her sister happy, not in that order?

As with the first book, there’s a lot less suspense in this than you’d expect. The main question is not really “what’s happening” but “how many people are trying to throw themselves under a bus to save someone else?”. Also as with the first book, it’s divided into the first half (Wellmy’s scheme and how it plays out) and the second half (other character’s POV explaining bits we may not have known about and wrapping up various romantic pairings. The main villain proves to be almost as interesting as Wellmy was, though I will admit there was one plot point, involving his motivation and how to fix it, that made me think that was one handwave too many. There’s also some funny stuff here, from Theresalo gradually realizing that she’s surrounded by monsters who will one day rule the world to Wellmy finding that there are some people whose emotional state she cannot, in fact, read. And while the romance still isn’t the point of this series, this book is drenched in it, with couples galore.

So all is well, and Leo is finally able to officially announce that Wellmy’s sister is his fiancee. I’m sure that they’ll all live happily ever… what’s that, you say? Trusted servants? There’s a notable lack thereof? Guess we need a third book. Recommended to all fans of the genre, or just really good books.