Monthly Archives: April 2020

Bloom Into You: Regarding Saeki Sayaka, Vol. 2

Leave a reply

By Hitomi Iruma and Nakatani Nio. Released in Japan as “Yagate Kimi ni Naru: Saeki Sayaka ni Tsuite” by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Jan Cash and Vincent Castaneda. Adapted by Jenny McKeon.

A couple of quick notes before we get to the meet of this second of three novels concerning Sayaka before, during and after Bloom Into You. First of all, the book assumes you are familiar with events in the 7th manga volume, which just came out over here, and also assumes you know how the manga is going to end, at least vaguely. Secondly, this is written by the author of Adachi and Shimamura, and that’s a big surprise to me, as the two books could not have felt more different. Adachi and Shimamura deliberately meandered and stayed in one emotional beat for most of its first volume, despite the multiple narrators. Whereas this book, entirely narrated by Sayaka, absolutely knows where its endpoint is, and barrels along getting there, even as most of it involves an extended flashback showing Touko and Sayaka’s first year. If nothing else, this shows you that just because a book is a tie-in does not mean it’s just dashed off.

The book begins around the time of the manga, with Sayaka first meeting Yuu and noticing her relationship with Touko. The two have nice, frank discussions in ways that neither one of them could ever have with Touko (I’ll be honest I can’t remember which of these scenes, or maybe all, are from the manga as it’s been a while since those volumes), and then takes us up to Sayaka’s confession from the 7th manga volume. We then have an extended flashback, the bulk of he book, showing us Touko and Sayaka growing slowly closer over the course of the year, despite the walls both of them naturally keep up, and also showing Sayaka becoming aware of Touko’s circumstances… and not really doing much with that information. It’s a great look at why Yuu, rather than Sayaka, is the winner here. We then end with Sayaka in college, in what amounts to a trailer for the 3rd volume, meeting who I assume is her future partner.

Again, the best reason to read these novels is Sayaka’s POV. I may have criticized the author for her narratives in her own work, but handling someone else’s character she’s fantastic, and supported well here by the translators and adapters. Sayaka sounds exactly like we’d expect, both in dialogue and in her head, and I loved the constant use of Touko’s full name in her thoughts until they get to be friends – and note this is after Sayaka says that she’s in love with her! Sayaka’s experiences in the first book help her here, but that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t run into her problems, and her own decisions regarding the “safe” relationship with her best friend lead to it never getting past that. And there’s also Sayaka’s own natural reserve, which gets a little better here but is still there… while watching Touko crawl around her bedroom trying to chase one of Sayaka’s cats (thank god that got an illustration), Touko notes for the first time Sayaka’s face looks “relaxed”.

So yes, Sayaka matures here but is still very much a high school student when it comes to her emotional strength. I greatly look forward to the third book, which shows us Sayaka in college, and hopefully seeing how she builds on her love. I also look forward to rereading this one day after doing a reread of the manga, to better pick up the nuances at the start of it. All Bloom Into You fans, and yuri fans, should love this.

Altina the Sword Princess, Vol. 3

Leave a reply

By Yukiya Murasaki and himesuz. Released in Japan as “Haken no Kouki Altina” by Famitsu Bunko. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Roy Nukia.

Having given us a military story for the first two volume, Altina now dives headfirst into the politics of medieval succession, as she and Regis return to her Empire’s home for a formal get together. Of course, there’s a lot more to it than that. She was set up to fail as the commander of her remote base, and succeeded; she was set up to fail by taking an untakeable fortress, and succeeded; now she’s back home so that her brothers can make use of her once and for all in their own power struggles. Of course, each has their own problem. The first prince was poisoned recently, and since recovering has looked rather weak… among other things. The second prince is in the strongest position, and has his own version of Regis, but still feels the need to reach out to Altina. And there’s a third group of nobles also jockeying for position, and their leader seems to really, really like Regis. Fortunately, this is the one area where he’s an idiot.

It has to be said, Altina is a much better military commander than she is a princess, and she likely realizes this; she’s too straightforward and honest to manipulate. Which at times is a problem, such as when Latrielle, the second prince, offers to have her join him and her hot-headed response is exactly what the situation doesn’t need. Fortunately, she is smart enough to realize Regis needs to be there, and he comes up with a very elegant solution to a difficult problem though admittedly it also involves immediately fleeing as quickly as possible to avoid being killed. He is helped out by Auguste, the first prince, who has a rather poorly kept secret that nevertheless has persisted. Speaking of secrets, Eric continues to be a good, if excitable bodyguard to the princess, but gosh, it’s so odd how he doesn’t want to change in front of Regis and keeps blushing all the time about it. And asks him about daughters who are trying to keep their family traditions no matter what. Wonder what that could be?

These are short books, and the writing is snappy, so the prose flies by. Unlike some other series by this author, there’s also minimal fanservice, so it’s safe to recommend to other folks. I will admit that we do lean very hard on Regis being so self-loathing and modest that he is unable to see why any woman would possibly be interested in him, despite Altina, Clarisse, Elenore, and Eric (oh what a giveaway) all making overtures of some kind or another. This doesn’t just apply to his non-romance either; he regards his tactics as fake because they come from books he’s read, and therefore has a low opinion of his own brilliance. It’s frustrating, but makes sense for his character, and I hope he slowly grows out of it. (Also, we get some details on the books he enjoys reading, and wow, this world has some bizarro fantasy novels.)

There’s setup for a war that looks like it will happen next volume. In the meantime, if you like political intrigue, fiery redheads, and something you can polish off in an hour or two, this is your book.

My Dress-Up Darling, Vol. 1

Leave a reply

y Shinichi Fukuda. Released in Japan by Square Enix, serialization ongoing in the magazine Young Gangan. Released in North America by Square Enix Manga. Translated by Taylor Engel.

Despite the tendency of modern-day folks to say that it’s OK to be introverted and that not everyone needs to be brought out of their shell, there’s no denying that the number of works dedicated to that continue to proliferate. In manga, who the introvert is depends very much on who the series is meant for: in shoujo works, it’s a shy young girl who runs into a brash and outgoing young man, and in shonen or seinen works, it’s the opposite. Since this runs in Young Gangan, you can guess what we have here. That said, as I have always said, just because a story is familiar does not make it bad. Both leads are quite likeable and the whole thing put a smile on my face – despite the M rating (mostly due to frank discussion of a game), so far it’s pretty wholesome, and its premise of “don’t be ashamed of your hobbies even if they are seen as girly” is a good one. Plus that cover is fab.

Our hero is Gojo, a young man who has a deep and abiding love of Hina dolls – those little dolls with the fancy head and hairpeieces – but alas, a childhood friend said that this was a girly hobby and she hates him now, and this led him to lose all confidence and become a shy loner who is constantly doubting himself. Into his life one day comes Kitagawa, a popular “gal’ in his class who has no trouble both saying what’s on her mind and also admitting to hobbies that might be seen as uncool. When she finds Gojo working on a sewing machine one day, and realizes he can make clothes, she asks him to help her cosplay, something she’s been trying but failing to do as she can’t sew at all. There is, perhaps, one catch – she wants to cosplay a character from an ero-game – again, something she’s not shy in saying.

As I said, this title is rated M. Though there are fanservicey shots of Kitagawa in her underwear – indeed, it’s on the first color page – the relationship between her and Gojo is pretty PG so far – she tries to tease him a few times, but is also starting to like him in a way that makes her shy off of that. The M rating comes from the game she loves, “Saint♥Slippery Academy for Girls–The Young Ladies of the Humiliation Club: Debauched Miracle Life 2”. It’s a title that you know a company like MangaGamer would snap up in real life, and, like a lot of these sorts of games, balances out the sex scenes with emotional moments of “love” – dubious though it may sound. Kitagawa talks about this a LOT, and as Gojo plays it and they discuss it, sometimes there are misunderstandings.

That said, the main reason to get this title is the main couple – they’re really cute, bond immediately, and I want to see them open up to each other more. (I do also wonder if the series will earn its rating more in future volumes.) I definitely recommend it for those who like comedic romance with a touch of spice – well, OK, given the game Kitagawa is a fan of, a touch of sleaze.