Monthly Archives: February 2026

One Last Hurrah! The Grayed Heroes Explore a Vivid Future, Vol. 2

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By fukurou and johndee. Released in Japan as “Jiji Baba Yuusha Party Saigo no Tabi: Oita Saikyou wa Iroasenu Mama Mirai e Susumu you desu” by DRE Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Vasileios Mousikidis.

I do enjoy some good foreshadowing. It’s the kind where you know this is going to be important later, and think “ah yes, the author is doing that deliberately”, but also not enough so that’s it’s constantly on your mind. By the time we get to the big reveal in this volume, I remembered the ominous mentor guy, as well as the terrible country that sat out the war because they were simply too terrible, but I was distracted by the main plot of the first half, which is the same as the main plot of the first volume. The hero’s party are all now 90 years old, and no one recognizes them, but at the same time everyone knows what they achieved back then. Or at least what the history books say. The funnier first half of this book shows that history is not always written by those who make it, and distortions can be… horribly embarrassing.

Our group of six, making their way slowly to see Ferd and Elrica’s great-grandchild, have arrived at the large magic academy that is run, in part, by Lara and Sazaki’s son. We also meet their own great-grandson Connie, who looks much like Armin from Attack on Titan, and has fallen in with a group of students who include “the shonen guy who has a creepy intuition that is always 100% accurate” and “the girl being forced to relearn everything she knew as her mentor was a lunatic”. There’s also classes, which the hero’s party sit in on. And Connie has everyone over for a round of tabletop gaming… though they are a bit frustrated by the fact that the game appears to be unwinnable. Everything is light and fluffy, and everyone’s smiling the same as a-a-a-a-a-always…

Trying not to spoil TOO much about the last half of the book, but that does make it difficult to write more, so here we go. I do love a good Lotus-Eater Machine, and that’s what we’re getting here. This allows some things to happen that would otherwise have horrible consequences for all involved (Hagen would likely have to leave school, and Emmeline might honestly have to be executed) but still allow everyone to look cool. As for the party themselves, well, this is possibly the one part of the book I wasn’t fond of. I read this series for the fun of seeing powerful old folks doddering around and being powerful but mostly passive. Here they need to get involved in past battles all over again, only the script is rewritten so it’s not as good. This means a lot of fight fight fight. Not why I’m here.

Still, the day is saved, our heroes are off, and we meet more young kids who may be the next generation of heroes. We’ll find out more… when/if we get a third, and presumably final (check the publisher) volume. Good stuff, clever gimmick, did not need the shonen battle arc.

In Another World with Household Spells, Vol. 4

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By Rika and HIROKAZU. Released in Japan as “Isekai ni Kita kedo, Seikatsu Mahou shika Tsukaemasen” by Mag Garden Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by sachi salehi.

Despite the fact that Patience is 11 years old going on 12 in this volume, this is still a series full of nobles, and as such we know that marriage is going to always be on the table. And yes, arranged marriages can be made at a young age, though obviously just “waiting till they’re older”. And Patience, as everyone tells her but she refuses to believe, is a very hot property, financial woes or no. Who will she end up with? Obviously the music-obsessed father and son are out, though the son is certainly a better choice than the father. If she continues to try to invent all the things, Caesar is probably the best choice. Prince Keith is a really obvious choice, but let’s face it, Patience is never going to be royalty. And then there’s Percival, who offers to be husband and wife diplomats with her, which would allow her to do everything she’s already doing and travel the world. Sometimes an obvious choice is really obvious.

Most of this book consists of Fun Academy Life, and there aren’t really any climactic conflicts, other than trying to keep Patience away from the music-mad noble who will kidnap and marry her. She continues to take classes in nearly everything, and passes nearly everything. She’s in the Music Club, still locked in eternal political battles. She’s also in the Alchemy Club, inventing so many things that listing them would take the rest of this review. (Hrm… nah.) And she’s preparing for the noble equivalent of the Culture Festival, along with a ball where she and the other students have to make their own ballgowns. She’s definitely standing out with the polka dots, but since she’s trying not to use household magic even she’s struggling to make it in time. And she’s also attracting the notice of damn near everybody, as I said.

There’s actually little to no household magic in this volume aside from Patience occasionally using it as essentially a Sonic Screwdriver. For the most part she’s relying on her knowledge from Japan and her drawing ability (which is remarked on twice in succession, which made me wonder if it’s an error or a gag) to so the usual “inventing mayonnaise” sort of thing we always seen in these reincarnation isekais. Fortunately, she struggles – yes, she can draw a bicycle and get a reasonable facsimile, but rubber, if it exists here, is unknown, so they have to make do. And she also is not particularly good at noble politics. She can certainly freeze out petty teen Louise, who is trying to intimidate Patience without success, but Margaret can still wrap Patience around her finger, and Patience’s noble relatives can also make demands. This means she barely has time to see her brothers… except no, the brothers are all over this book. She sees them all the time. She’s just obsessed.

Next time we get the ocean, and possibly a resolution to Patience’s “but we are poor disgraced nobles” problem – the Queen hints her fortunes will soon rise. In the meantime, this is fun relaxing “let’s invent all the things” isekai.

The Fearsome Witch Teaches in Another World: A Remedial Lesson in Crime and Politics

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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.

The running gag of this volume, and indeed this series, is that people meet Aoi, underestimate her because she’s young and small, get their asses handed to them (physically or mentally), and immediately become her minions and/or supporters. Not the first time I’ve read this sort of plot, and it can be funny provided there’s more to it than that. There’s a BIT more. Aoi is absolutely dedicated to advancing sorcery throughout this world (theoretically so she can return to Japan, but I get the feeling that’s not happening), and does not actually care about all of the political mess and possible wars she may cause along the war. In fact, it’s brought up that if two countries *do* go to war, Aoi can probably just, y’know, stop them. You will be dragged kicking and screaming into the modern era of magic. And believe me, some folks here are kicking and screaming. Because they’re being used as test subjects.

This volume is essentially divided into two. In the shorter part, Aoi wonders why she’s seeing fewer students, and discovers they’re being lured into a gambling den run by a crime syndicate. With the “help” of Prince Rox and his men (but pretty much just taking out everyone on her own), Aoi reforms all the crime syndicates in the city to be good businesses from now on. In the longer second half, Aoi and her posse of important supporting characters go to the Holy Maple Leaf Empire, as part of an exchange to learn about their healing magic. What we end up learning is that their healing magic is impressive, but Aoi’s “literally everything” magic is out of this world. Which is a problem, as this Empire believes magic has reached its final form, and does not need any new research. She’ll fix that.

This is another one of those light novels where you get a chunk of the book from the main character’s perspective, and then switch to someone else to get their view of things. While that can normally be a bit exhausting, I’d suggest it’s welcome here, simply as Aoi’s deadpan, emotionless point of view can be a bit off-putting. At one point we discover, as I noted above, that the Empire tests its holy powers on either mortally wounded adventurers, or criminals. We are treated to a gore-filled hospital with the screaming of patients, and everyone else looks sick, but we’re in Aoi’s POV, so she’s just like “Yup. Well, anyway”. Even when she’s threatened by a knight of the crown, and taken before the Emperor for having gone way beyond what she was permitted to do, her response is “so what?”. It would take a lot to make Aoi really angry, I think. If only we had a bullied student in the cast who’s there to suffer… oh, good news for the next volume!

I’m still enjoying this, but I do wonder how fresh it’s going to feel several volumes down the line (it’s at 9+ volumes in Japan). For those who like people who kick ass while barely cracking a smile.