Category Archives: reviews

An Introvert’s Hookup Hiccups: This Gyaru Is Head Over Heels for Me!, Vol. 11

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.

Welcome back to everyone’s favorite romcom with one running gag. It’s still great. They’re both still really sweet. But the entire series has one joke, used throughout, which makes it hard to review. The joke is the fact that everyone in the world thinks these two have gone further than they have. This is not helped by Yoshin and Nanami themselves, who feed each other oranges in the cafeteria with no care (well, Yoshin cares, but he simply ignores the rest of the school because he’s in love with his girl). But the class can’t get over the fact that the two cannot stop flirting with each other, little girls on the street are ready to see them becoming parents soon, and their own parents are torn between wanting them to get sexually active (as it’s what they did in high school) and wanting to prevent it at any cost (because once they get a first taste, these two will never be able to stop screwing until Nanami is pregnant).

The class is back from Hawaii, and it becomes very clear that Japan is in a different season. December is around the corner, and Yoshin gets a cold, and has to have a strangely enthusiastic Nanami take care of him. Next is Yoshin’s birthday, which he has to admit he’s never really cared about much before. But now he has friends, a girlfriend, and something besides video games, so it’s time for birthday-related events, Nanami-style. And of course there’s Christmas, which is a couple’s holiday in Japan. Sure, they’re going to do a class party, with Secret Santa and prizes. But the main reason to get excited is sexy Santa outfits. Well, that and the fact that their parents are letting her stay the night at his place… alone. Will this be the volume that they finally sleep together?

I mean, technically yes, in this volume they both mutually agree to sleep next to each other. But no overt touching, because, as I said above, once they pop they can’t stop. But yeah, come on, you know there’s no sex, and that’s the only real plot – will they sex? No. Instead, let’s talk about the title, as I saw someone recently say that the title is telling a lie as Nanami is not remotely a gyaru in the way that most otaku see them. I’d have to agree that in terms of her general attitude she’s more of a yamato nadeshiko with a teasing side. and a touch of the dojikko as well. The gyaru part mostly comes from her fashion sense, and her careful cultivation of outfits, both for herself and for her boyfriend, throughout the series. “This male fantasy is head over heels for me” does not sell nearly as many books, though.

We’re caught up with Japan, as the 12th book just came out last month. It promises a hot springs trip for two! Will it be 200 pages of porn? (I’d settle for half a page of porn.) Recommended for those who love cinnamon rolls who are too good for this world, too pure.

The Tanaka Family Reincarnates, Vol. 4

By Choko and kaworu. Released in Japan as “Tanaka-ke, Tensei Suru” by Dragon Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Sasha Schiller.

This series makes no bones about the fact that it is a comedy. So much of this volume is utterly ridiculous, and it’s not just the Tanaka family being giant overpowered weirdos. They’ve also influenced everyone around them to be better, and the knock-on effects of that are not only heartwarming but also funny. (I enjoyed the running gag of “the wait for grandchildren was extended”.) Other folks in this series are also loopy eccentrics, mostly as they love Emma and would do anything for her. And the entire back half of this volume is the folks in not-Japan trying to get the Tanaka family to leave them to die and return to safety, followed by 10 pages or so of them screaming “what the hell is wrong with you?”. There is a hint that the 5th book in the series may have a darker, more serious plotline… but we know it won’t. Emma will just be shiny and the problem will solve itself.

Having heard about the disaster currently destroying the Eastern Empire, and now that it’s summer break, they’re off to solve the problem and get themselves some Japanese food!… and also save everyone. Right, that comes first. Maybe. This leaves most of the rest of the supporting cast behind in the kingdom to have their own adventures, such as learning about the horrible slum life of the orphans (Edward), turning heads at a ball (Emma’s friends), suffering from the lack of their goddess (everyone back at the their domain, which they won’t be going back to this summer), and getting dumped in a poor village with bad food and worse shelter in order to learn how the non-noble folks live (Robert). Meanwhile, the Tanaka Family, Joshua (who is coordinating shipping and fanboying over Emma), a spare orphan who seems to be there to learn how to be a ninja, and the 4 Empire ninja/cooks, who Emma has renamed as Hispanic cooks for some reason, are going to the Eastern Empire to see what can be done.

I could not get over how much I enjoyed seeing every single Tanaka go full ham once they reached the Empire. This is foreshadowed a bit by Emma’s pilfered bugs growing to massive size by accident, and Emma convincing her furious mother that they will just be able to cut through those horrible monsters with GUTS! Much to the surprise of the bugs, who seem to doubt this. But sure enough, on arrival, and after boot camp with the monster cats, Emma’s bugs are indeed able to do everything that she says they can. All of this is done with maximum LOL factor, as Emma is far more concerned about getting monster parts and tasty monster food to worry about, y’know, everyone giving up and accepting death. Hell, by the end of the volume they “accidentally” build a hot springs inn, complete with multiple rooms, made from the corpses of the monsters that were supposedly unkillable. Silly monster, you cannot defeat the narrative.

So, now that they’re heading back home, will Emma be forced to move to another country and be the cruel plaything of religious zealots? Hardly. Bet she’ll do something completely bonkers, though. This is amazingly silly, but if you accept that it’s great fun.

The Misdeeds of an Extremely Arrogant Villain Aristocrat, Vol. 1

By Yukiha Kuroyuki and Uodenim. Released in Japan as “Kiwamete Gouman Taru Akuyaku Kizoku no Shogyou” by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Ben Trethewey. Adapted by Kylee Yasin.

I haven’t really dipped my toe into the smaller pool of “villain” books, which is to say the genre and basic plot beats are the same, but it’s someone being reincarnated as a terrible man rather than a terrible woman. This also is one of a small number of books where the reincarnated person and the “bad” person they’ve replaced/overwritten actually struggle to see who’s really in charge. Luke was supposed to be another stereotype of these fantasy books – the snobby, coasts by on his family name, rude to absolutely everyone sort. But our new reincarnated guy knows that that is, as Katarina Claes would put it, a path to doom! So he tries to change. Can he be nice?… no. Can he reach out to others to ask for help?… provided he frames it as an arrogant command. This will be tough. Fortunately, he can actually put in the work and study. Also fortunately, the series he’s in is a comedy.

Luke Witharia Gilbert has just remembered that he’s actually a character in a light novel. What’s worse, he doesn’t really remember all that much about the light novel except the basics. He knows that he’s a talented but lazy arrogant ass who is doomed to be killed by the “you can do anything with enough willpower!” hero in a few years. While the real Luke inside his head won’t let him stop being an asshole to almost everyone he meets, he can at least do something about the lazy. So he demands his butler (an ex-soldier) teach him the sword… and he’s brilliant at it. Then he demands a wandering magic lecturer teach him magic… and he has rare and powerful dark magic. He’s told by his father to find himself a girl to get engaged to… and ends up with a talented bombshell who is cold and sneering to everyone… till she meets Luke, and discovers what she really wants in life. Frankly, maybe it’s the hero who should worry.

The author in the afterword straight up admits that it’s tough to take a book in this genre and set it apart from the others. Their solution was to make everyone a “pervert”, though how you define that depends how you feel about such things. Certain Alfred, the butler, is not a pervert in any sense but his desire to see Luke grow to be the strongest in the world. Alice *is* a masochist, as she discovers once Luke effortlessly defeats her in a duel, but her desire to be worthy of staying at his side makes her also a genius who tries. Mia, a young girl who has talent but also a case of the self-doubts gets crushed when she duels… and turns to Luke to make her better. Basically, he’s warping the entire narrative around himself. The hero, Abel, is a nice guy who reads like a Jump hero, but he has no chance in a series like this. I also worry about his obvious love interest Lily. I can see this series going the NTR route as part of its comedy. Luke is just that good. (I was amused that the one time he actually “lost” is when Alice basically stripped naked and started to kiss him. Some things you can’t sneer your way out of.)

If OP characters bother you, steer clear. But I honestly found this a hoot. I look forward to seeing Luke be mean to others and force them to be the best that they can be in the future.