By Riku Nanano and cura. Released in Japan as “Koujo Denka no Kateikyoushi” by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by William Varteresian.

I’ve talked before about how this series really loves being a harem title, but it’s not just that the harem writing is done very well (though it is). It’s that the harem antics actually manage to take over every OTHER aspect of the series. The battle scenes are crisp and action-filled, and also filled with banter as the heroines literally encourage each other by saying that they’re going to be the one who marries Allen, forcing the other person to fight EVEN HARDER so that they can deny that possibility. We get the tragic backstory that has led to much of this series, and it turns out it’s because the heroine was unable to save her version of Allen and went mad with the revelation. Nobles are furious with Allen simply because of the sheer number of young superpowerful girls he has at his disposal. Hell, even the resurrected corpse of his dead best friend is cheering him on and urging him to keep saving the girl no matter what. It’s kind of hilarious.

Allen and Stella remains trapped deep underground, with Stella’s body having been taken over by a dangerous-looking angel. Ellie has escaped to tell everyone what’s going on, but the Sealed Archive is not letting anyone come in the way that they originally did. And of course there are those who simply want to leave Allen there, though one of the more annoying antagonistic nobles grudgingly admits Allen is what is needed here. But eventually we get a squad to go into the catacombs under the city and go *up* to rescue Allen, led by Lydia, Caren, Tina and Ellie. Unfortunately, the religious folks are behind all this, and have sent more than one apostles to stop everyone, including a very familiar face to Allen, Lydia, and Cheryl.

I’ve been whining for a long time that I wish the series would do a massive flashback to show Allen and Lydia’s school days, and this is the first volume where we get a flashback that lasts longer than a couple of pages. It shows that, unsurprisingly, school life mostly consisted of Lydia and Cheryl fighting each other every day to see who gets the right to say they’re Allen’s Number One Girl. Allen, naturally, does not get a say in the matter. (I did briefly wonder what would happen if anyone asked him his opinion on being in love with any of the girls, but his self-deprecation is too high for that to work.) But there’s also Allen’s best male friend Zelbert, who seems to be the classic snarky glasses-wearing best friend of the hero type, but who we already know died before the main story began, and here we see why that happened, as well as Zelbert’s own tragic past. If you’re going to fire off the flashback guns, this is an excellent way to do it.

Unfortunately, it turns out our heroes did not win as much as they may have thought, though at least Stella is not evil. The next volume promises – again – more Tina and less Lydia. We’ll see.

By Riku Nanano and cura. Released in Japan as “Koujo Denka no Kateikyoushi” by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by William Varteresian.

I am prepared to eat a bit of crow here. Last time I mentioned how all the characters were getting something to do and character development except maybe Ellie. Well, character development is still thin on the ground (she’s meant to be the pure, naive one, and I think at times the author overdoes it) but certainly in terms of plot function and battle readiness she’s advanced by leaps and bounds. Her magic is strong enough to be able to take on giant monsters to protect Allen and Stella, and we also find out that she’s a Great-Tree Warden, something that was thought to have died out. Oh, and she gets to link mana with Allen. So yes, this is absolutely the book for Ell.ie fans. That said, this harem is large, and you know that no one can stay in the spotlight for too long, so by the end of the book she makes way for Book 14, which promises to be all Stella. Who, um, may be evil now.

We’re now back from the City of Water, after leaving everything to Niche Nitti (which, for some reason, makes Felecia intensely jealous), our cast return home so they can set up for the next part of the plot. Some of that is put off till future books – the Church is still lurking in the background, and every single bad guy who hasn’t died seems to have converged on the same country that’s right next to our heroes. But some of it needs to be dealt with now. There’s an oracular prophecy that may help to fix Stella’s magic issues, but it requires Allen, Stella and Ellie to go visit an underground archive that happens to be controlled by the very people who despise Allen. Now, this would not be an issue if Allen had a title – but he keeps rejecting, deflecting, and avoiding them. So we just have to make it so he can’t refuse…

Allen’s position makes a lot more sense after this book – there are some people who are doing their damndest to try to not only make sure he’s a failure but also, if the ending is accurate, .literally kill him. It’s all related to the Beastmen, because surprise, there’s prejudice. As for the harem, for once we actually get a long look at the Princess, Cheryl Wainwright. The author apologizes for his being unable to shoehorn her into past volumes, but it makes sense – she’s in line for the throne, and unlike Lydia can’t run away at the spur of the moment just cause. She was fun, and at times seems to possess the common sense the rest of Allen’s harem lacked. But I’m sorry, even with that title, she’s lagging behind the rest of the harem.

I’m not sure when we’ll get the next volume – it’s unscheduled in English at the moment – but it’s likely to finally resolve Stella’s issues. Whether she actually does turn villainous is up in the air… well, not really. This isn’t that kind of series. But she may turn for a while. Till then: good job, Ellie. Sorry I doubted you. Headpat from Allen!

By Riku Nanano and cura. Released in Japan as “Koujo Denka no Kateikyoushi” by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by William Varteresian.

While it’s a light novel series, and therefore technically above genre distinctions, I don’t think anyone would argue with me if I said Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter falls under the shonen umbrella. As such, it feels inevitable that it would eventually fall prey to one of the big dangers of shonen battle series, “shonen creep”. You start off with a powerful villain, and our heroes hold on to defeat them. Then you get an even more powerful villain. And then, of course, an even MORE powerful villain. And this series just features a very exciting civil war arc with multiple antagonists, backstabbing, and lots of really cool battles. As such, this volume, ending the arc after it, can’t help but be a bit disappointing, as not only are the villains in this arc ludicrously powerful compared to the previous ones, but they all live to fight another day. We’ve hit the actual series villains, rather than arc villains. Which is great news for the series, but makes this book feel like a letdown.

Of course, just because there’s a desperate battle in which everyone might be horribly killed doesn’t mean that this series is not also a harem romcom. As such, the first half of this book has Allen and Lydia gradually getting back into fighting shape and coming up with plans, while all the while new Allen-lovers show up one on top of the other. This even happens during and *after* the battle itself, which actually makes it funnier. They tried to stop the war, but the Church really, really wants war, to the point where they’re murdering all the peace-loving leaders. And the main warmonger is being kept in place by his comatose wife, who they’re promising a cure for. Any day now. Really. And then there’s our bevy of villains, including the vampire who beat Allen and Lydia so badly last time, who’s pretending to be someone she’s not.

This is the end of the “Allen and Lydia Love Love” arc, though I’m sure nothing is genuinely resolved till we see a wedding. It’s got some really great payoff if you’re a fan of the couple, though, which I think most readers of this series are. (Seriously, if you ship, say, Tina, I assume you moved on long ago.) Indeed, there’s so much payoff that Lydia is starting to regard all the other love interests – including her own sister *and* her own cousin – flying around Allen like bees to be more cute and amusing rather than sparking jealousy. Well, to a point. Lily still makes her a little annoyed. And Alice doesn’t count, she’s evil. As for the climax of the book, not only do the villains get away, but it also undercuts some of the danger. The kidnapped victims turn out to be fine, and the badass who valiantly sacrificed her life in the prologue turns out to also not be dead. Given the villains got away, I suppose killing off anyone we care about would have felt mean, but again, disappointing.

Next time we get a new arc, and I look forward to seeing how Allen once again does not get a title and gets to avoid getting engaged. Till then, OK but not great book in the series.