Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside, Vol. 15

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By Zappon and Yasumo. Released in Japan as “Shin no Nakama ja Nai to Yuusha no Party wo Oidasaretanode, Henkyou de Slow Life Surukoto ni Shimashita” by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Dale DeLucia.

With one exception, which I’ll get to further down the page, this was a pretty good final volume to the series. It wraps up all the things you were expecting, and all the things you realize you’d never thought of but probably should have. Red and Rit are cute, Red gets to do some cool things, Ruti and Tisse are cute, Ruti gets to do some cool things, and Mister Crawly Wawly is the best. OK, I kind of wanted Ruti and Tisse to become a real couple rather than just “I can see it if I really want to”, but at least there aren’t any last minute love interests. A lot of this book is about parents and their children, so it makes sense that it ends that way, with Red and Rit having a son, who is on the cover, and in the book. For about 3 pages at the end.

Summertime, and the living is easy. If a bit dull. Peace means there’s not as much medicine being sold, and Red and Rit experiment with potion making. Then they hear Yaralandra is leaving to go exploring (and, given her lifespan, won’t be back for about a decade), and Tisse is returning to her guild to finally give her report on the job she took in Book 1. So they decide now is the time to take their long-awaited honeymoon. They go and visit Red and Ruti’s parents, which is a bit awkward but far more loving than I was expecting. They then go and visit Rit’s father, so that she can renounce her claim to the throne, which leads to a lot more political wrangling than she would have liked. Finally, they return home and delight in the news that she is pregnant. All is well… unless the author decides to throw in some last minute drama.

No spoilers guessing what I didn’t like. The entire ending with Rit slowly dying and Red having to find the right medicine reeked of “I want to end this with a bang”. The author has struggled with the slow life part of their slow life series since the start, and still can’t hack it. On the bright side, I’ve made no secret about my favorite characters in the series, and they’re both great here. Mister Crawly Wawly remains, to the end, one of the best non-speaking monster characters in any light novel, and I hope the restaurant goes well. Tisse may be described occasionally as being emotionless due to her training, but there are several moments here where she’s overcome with happiness, and the artist clearly loves to draw her grinning. I hope she finally confesses now that Ruti has gotten over her brother.

This was one of the first “banished from the hero’s party” books to come out here, and it’s still one of the better ones. I enjoyed it very much, despite its struggles with its genre.

An Introvert’s Hookup Hiccups: This Gyaru Is Head Over Heels for Me!, Vol. 13

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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.

This is not exactly a series that moves at the speed of light. As Yoshin says in this book, they haven’t even gotten to their first anniversary yet. Thee reason that it feels like it’s been forever is that by now Yoshin and Nanami are essentially married in all but legal name, and the only reason that they haven’t gone further than kissing is Yoshin’s iron will… well, no, because the two of them are massive cowards, that becomes apparent near the end here. But we are actually headed into final exams, which means senior year will soon be upon them. This is not an issue for Nanami, who has terrific grades and a career she’s striving for. Yoshin, though, has only just woken up to the fact that he now has a girlfriend, as well as actual other friends (something he literally has to be told here). Not a surprise his future is hazy.

The last few volumes have consistently hit holidays, and this one does as well, Valentine’s Day is coming up. For Yoshin this has always been just another day, one he can safely ignore. Nanami is somewhat horrified to hear that he hasn’t even gotten obligation chocolate from classmates, but is also kind of delighted as she gets another of his firsts. Meanwhile, his friend Hitoshi, who we saw on the class trip getting along with a Hawaiian girl, went back there with his parents and they got on even better. To the point where she’s coming there for a trip. And since she’s American, they researched American Valentine’s, meaning Yoshin now also has to come up with a Valentine gift. And they also want the day off to be romantic. Which means, before that, ALL THE WORK HOURS. Fortunately, Nanami is now working at the same restaurant as Yoshin does, because this series is comfy as hell.

Yoshin’s self-reflective monologue about how he’s not remotely the protagonist of a story, with Nanami trying hard to convince him this isn’t the case, is probably not as cute as the author thinks it is, but it does give a nice view into the mind of Yoshin, who may have had a hot loving girlfriend for almost a year, but still tends to get into the “woe is me, why do I suck so much?” mindset at the drop of a hat. This is probably the main reason why he and Nanami still aren’t going further, despite the fact that even her grandparents are kind of hinting that the two of them should bonk, and their parents leaving several convenient times when no one is in the house. But no, nothing happens beyond a few really heavy french kisses. This despite Nanami really trying hard, with senpai/kohai roleplay, maid cosplay, more maid cosplay, still MORE maid cosplay, and “won’t you lick the chocolate off my body?” play. Which, as I said, goes nowhere, alas.

The next volume came out in Japan about a week and a half ago, and no doubt deals with White Day. We will be waiting. A bit frustrated, but waiting.

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: My Hotshot Disciples Are All Grown Up Now, and They Won’t Leave Me Alone, Vol. 10

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By Shigeru Sagazaki and Tetsuhiro Nabeshima. Released in Japan as “Katainaka no Ossan, Kensei ni Naru: Tada no Inaka no Kenjutsu Shihan Datta noni, Taisei Shita Deshitachi ga Ore o Hōttekurenai Ken” by SQEX Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Hikoki.

This series has always been pretty light on the harem aspect. There are several girls, they kind of like our lead, he’s been told to find a wife. But honestly, right now no one is “main girl” and nothing is happening at all. This book in particular is uninterested in the question. possibly as the “main girl” of this book, if there is one, is Mewi, who definitely fills the “daughter” role more than a romantic interest. But, as the cover art indicates, the real star of this volume is Bel himself. He still is very bad at self-confidence, at seeing himself as anything but just some average guy with a sword. Which is unfortunate, as sometimes when you continue to improve, to get to the next level, you need to know that you can take on the best of the best and still triumph. And Bel has leveled up.

While cooking with Mewi, Bel cuts himself with a kitchen knife. He regards this as something that could happen to everyone, but those around him are startled. Then, at the training hall, he spars with Vesper, the guy who was nearly but not entirely killed a number of volumes ago, and is now well enough to start light training again. While fighting him, Bel notices that his eyes can see the future of what Vesper is about to do… and Bel is so flummoxed by this he loses. This *really* startles everyone. Now Bel has to worry: is this all a part of his getting old and starting to lose his edge? Or has he genuinely unlocked some instinctual skill? He’d better figure things out quickly, unfortunately; Mewi went out with friends one day and never came home.

I admit when I got to that plotline I was wondering if the answer would be “whoops, Mewi was doing something entirely innocent and it’s all a misunderstanding”. But no, Mewi is essentially going through the exact same thing Bel is, only he has decades more experience than she does and knows his own limitations (in fact, one might argue he exaggerates his own limitations). Mewi, on the other hand, is learning fast and getting stronger, to the point where she thinks she can take out some random kidnappers with the help of her friends… only to find they’re not just random thugs after all, and she really is still a kid who is learning. I am… grumpy about Bel slapping Mewi after she’s rescued, but I’ll gloss over it. As for Bel’s future vision, I’m pleased to see it has very definite limits, but it does also allow him to stay ahead of his young students for now… which means, of course, he will still think of them as students. Which ties back to the start. No wife for you.

The anime’s second season is going on, and it does a pretty good job. For those who want to read about a far too modest guy and his amazing sword skills, this is top tier.