BLADE & BASTARD: Saga of the Unknown Adventurers

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By Kumo Kagyu and so-bin. Released in Japan as “Blade & Bastard” by Dre Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Sean McCann.

I think this may be the 6th time I’ve said this, but I have never played or delved into Wizardry. And so far this hasn’t really been too much of a problem. There’s the vague annoyance of the parenthetical telling you that someone’s mental well-being is really something you should roll for, i.e. all the “hit points”. There’s the hilarity that sometimes comes when one of the ridiculously named spells is accidentally something familiar – TILTOWAIT in this book just kept making me think of the amusement park ride Tilt-a-Whirl. But in this volume, I really get the sense that the author is talking about backstory the reader should already know. Are these characters – who everyone seems to know except Raraja, who I have never identified with more than I do now – something from the Lore? Are they part of spinoffs, sequels, side-stories? And in the end, do I really need to care? Or can I go back to thinking that Iarumas and Ainikki really need to bone?

We pick up right where we left off. The prince is missing (and sorry, court ladies, I guess you’re all really dead dead after all), and the dungeon is being overrun by essentially possession goop monsters. Iarumas’ group has to go down there, as they’re the main characters. Schumacher’s group is also going down there, as they’re the less good, more realistic ones. And as for the top party in the city… well, they’re missing, whoops. It will come as no surprise to learn that the bulk of this book is spent is a slow, almost lethal, sometimes actually lethal dungeon crawl, with trick doors, hidden doors, hidden chutes, zombie dragons, and everything else a teenage boy could want to roleplay with. And when they finally reach their destination… wow, are we finally getting Iarumas characterization? Yes! Spoiler: he shows multiple emotions in this book!

Generally speaking, Japanese light novels tend to have first person narration, or third person omniscient. This one has the POV spin from character to character from scene to scene, and frequently within the same scene. One could argue this is bad writing, and to a degree it is, but it also helps to get across the desperation and determination this book is meant to ooze. Iarumas’ party have become, mostly thanks to Garbage, something pretty famous, but the party themselves are filled with doubt and fear. Schumacher’s party is filled with even more of that, along with a heaping helping of self-loathing (hell, even the left-behind childhood friend seems to hate herself), despite the fact that they’re really freaking awesome this book. There’s also a lot of trying to get past the thing you hate the most, be it a dragon that killed you before, a demon that enslaved you before, or just an evil boss who has your face but does a lot more than you do. Ah well. In the end, we can always listen to the words of Garbage. “Arf”, she said.

We’re caught up with Japan again, but fortunately this book finishes up the arc. What will happen next? My guess: dungeon crawling.

Invaders of the Rokujouma!?, Vol. 48

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By Takehaya and Poco. Released in Japan as “Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Warnis.

I had not realized that it had been over a year since the last volume of Rokujouma. The author apparently had heart issues that left them in the hospital for a while. As such, it’s something of a relief to hear that the series is coming to a close soon – thought I’ll take “soon” with a grain of salt, given I originally thought this was gonna end at Volume 29. This is also the 50th book in the series, counting the two .5 volumes, and I was wondering if we’d get an old-fashioned short story volume of fluff to celebrate. But no, we’re in the middle of the big final arc, and there’s no time for delays. As such, the bulk of this book is something that can be fun to read about but is very difficult to review: it’s strategizing and fighting, as our heroes try to rescue Kenji and Nalfa from the clutches of the Gray Knight. That said, if I’m being honest, having Kenji around may be just what the Gray Knight needs right now.

Kenji has figured out who the Gray Knight is, and is trying to see what makes him tick… as well as get a little more freedom so that he can check on Nalfa, who spends most of this volume asleep or depressed. Also depressed is Koutarou, who is dwelling a lot more than he should. Fortunately, although a lot of contingency plans failed, and some people even died, Clan’s last contingency plan worked, and they can mount a rescue mission much quicker than the enemy might expect. They end up on a planet that seems ready for battle, with drones galore, automatic defenses, and reinforcements coming – for the Gray Knight. So things are not looking great. Fortunately, Koutarou not only has a harem, but it’s a Battle Harem, so he and the girls are all in sync with each other and ready to kick ass and rescue their friends!… maybe.

While it’s always nice to see the girls again, and I enjoyed seeing Sanae, Shizuka and Theia kicking ass, and Maki and Nana being really clever, the most interesting parts of the book revolved around the hostages. Kenji knows that the Gray Knight is really Koutarou from an alternate world, but is trying to figure out how he ended up the way that he did. We’re reminded that Koutarou has the power of eight dead girlfriends at his beck and call, with only Sanae (yeah, remember alt-Sanae? It seems so long ago) missing, and we have assumed, to be honest, that the major point of divergence was that something went wrong and he lost nearly everyone. But that’s not the case, as we find out here. This is a Koutarou that grew up without KENJI. A Koutarou that never ended up trusting anyone because he never had that first crack that made him begin to open up. That’s really fascinating. And it helps me accept the fact that in the end we read 160 pages of fighting back only to achieve very little. They’re still hostages, and will be as long as Kenji gets to play therapist.

There won’t be nearly as long a wait for the next book, though that will catch us up with Japan again. Stay healthy, author!

Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)!, Vol. 7

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By Atekichi and Yukiko. Released in Japan as “Heroine? Seijo? Iie, All Works Maid desu (ko)!” by TO Books. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Matthew Jackson. Adapted by Michelle McGuinness.

Last time I talked about the fact that this world is still trying hard to re-rail things so that they go the way the game wants them to, and that’s still true, but it’s also astonishing how many “doubles” this has led to, and in some cases triples and quadruples. We have Celesty, of course, now Melody, maiding it up. And reincarnated. And not Cecilia, at least not anymore. There’s Serena, a walking, talking, living doll who Melody accidentally and unknowingly put the soul of her dead mother inside. There’s Celedia, who is really an evil minion of darkness, but is also a young girl who’s also a reincarnate. There’s the missing foreign prince, busy being a lothario servant. There’s his sister, who has lived her life as a man, till given the chance in this book to see what the life might have been like. There’s Luciana, who isn’t the tragic dead one anymore, and Luna, who got her role, and Olivia, who almost got her role. Hell, even Anna-Marie disguises herself as her own maid. And then there’s Maika, and the end of this book, where she may be adding to the heroine pile. It’s a Heroine Pileup.

It’s finally time for the school festival! Given all the fuss about the maid cafe, we don’t actually see very much of the cafe itself. Instead we get a lot of the before and after, as everyone tries to finish the uniforms in time and ensure that everything is perfect. That said, Melody can’t participate, so she’s at a loss for what to do. She’s reminded she promised (without thinking) to tour the festival with Schue, so she does this for a while, until Schue’s own subplot comes smashing through the narrative and he literally flees. Then Lect is told to escort her around, which actually goes pretty smoothly, though her lack of romantic interest in him (or indeed anyone) is very obvious. Unfortunately, there’s still supposedly an event that’s due to happen tonight… in the game. Is this world now so different that it won’t happen after all?

Honestly, of all the characters I thought I’d find most interesting in this volume, Celedia would not have topped my list at the start. And yet, here we are. It’s fascinating the way that she’s written, in an almost Umineko-esque way, not quite multiple personality disorder but something else. Tindalos is filled with darkness, rage, evil plans, and an increasing desperation that nothing is going right. Celedia, meanwhile, is clearly suffering from depression. She’s an absolute mess throughout the book, collapsing twice, and even when she’s out and about she’s so clumsy she causes disasters just by walking around. Honestly, her evil side taking over may be good for her. As for Maika, well, she finally has her magical familiar, but as expected with this series, it’s not quite as it should be. It does allow us to get a magical girl parody in here as well, that was fun. That said, the most interesting thing in the book may be the cliffhanger into Book 8.

So yeah, what’s Melody going to do now? Can Celedia use this chance to actually, y’know, achieve a thing? Anything? And will the anime, which ends next week, get a second season? We’ll know in a few months. For Maid fans and Villainess fans.