By yocco and Junsui. Released in Japan as “Outo no Hazure no Renkinjutsushi: Hazure Shokugyou datta node, Nonbiri Omise Keieishimasu” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Andria McKnight. Adapted by Lex Reno.
One of the issues that a lot of isekai/reincarnation books have is the desire to make the main character not only overpowered, but also the only one who’s overpowered. They can do ludicrous stunts that make the normal people around them shudder. They’ve got the finest sword, the best magic, the most potent… you know. And everyone around them exists to be amazed. That’s why I was particularly pleased with this second volume of Little Alchemist. Sure, Daisy is still incredible, doing things that astound everyone. But she’s paired here with a dwarf girl who also is blessed by a spirit and can also do ludicrous things, and then meets and elf girl who is incomprehensibly overpowered. Their bodyguards are the two top adventurers in the country. Daisy’s brother and sister may turn out to be magic users beyond comprehension. It’s nice to see, and makes Daisy feel less like an author’s pet. Overpowered traits for all!
Things are going great for Daisy, who at ten years old finally has her own shop, a combination alchemist’s shop/bakery. And both halves of that take up equal amounts of her time. Sure, she’s continually seeking to improve her alchemy, deploy healing spells by essentially hurling potions at the person in need, and saving the kingdom (again) from the horrors of lead and mercury-based cosmetics, but she’s also here to make cheese! And invent hamburgers! And fried chicken! Oh yes, and also going on a quest for ingredients with her new friend Lynn, a dwarf with a very big hammer. That leads them to challenge a tower that no one has ever made it to the top of – they all died. Can Daisy manage to get past the part where he kills you?
The book knows exactly what its readers want, frankly. The vibe is the most important part of an atelier book, and that means that we’re not going to see Daisy struggling or having anxiety about her work. Things work out in this book,. and that’s fine. She doesn’t QUITE make it to the top of that tower, but she does solve the part where he kills you, and no one gets killed (except him). She not only saves one of the three world trees that keep the nation from falling to ruin, but she also then heals it so that it’s better than ever before. Elves threaten her, only to bow when they figure out who she is. This book is here for a relaxed vibe, and you can have the bubblegum, it’s not needed. Even when she’s trapped in a cave that’s designed to murder people, she gets out – though she does exhaust her mana. I guess that could be a crisis? Ish?
And I didn’t even mention my favorite part, which is that adventurers are delighted with her high-quality potion, not because of the strength, but because having to drink 5-6 normal potions makes you have to pee. So yeah, regarding plot and characterization? There are probably better series. Regarding atelier vibes? This is just right.