Category Archives: reviews

My Friend’s Little Sister Has It In for Me!, Vol. 4

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By mikawaghost and tomari. Released in Japan as “Tomodachi no Imouto ga Ore ni dake Uzai” by GA Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Alexandra Owen-Burns.

Despite the presence of some of the worst metaphors in the world, this is a better volume than the previous one, mostly because it doesn’t keep hammering on Sumire’s love of young boys. It essentially wraps up the plot from the previous book in the first half, leaving the 2nd half to delve deeper into one of the characters who we’ve been waiting to hear more about: our narrator, Akiteru. Well, sorry to break it to you, but we still don’t learn all that much about him. That said, it’s a good examination of his mindset and how he views himself compared to the others in the group, and a reminder that sometimes middle management really *is* the best skill to have. And of course there’s romance – Akiteru may be slowly (very, very slowly) catching on to what love actually feels like, and iroha reminds the other two heroines that she is still Best Girl round these parts.

Of course, given that Iroha has been on the cover of every volume to date, the idea that this is an ‘equal harem’ series is ridiculous. We start off where we left off, with Akiteru and Iroha in the shrine of love. Unfortunately, the shrine of love does not come with a toilet, so any deep sexual yearnings will have to wait. And, in any case, the real issue resolved here is Sumire’s desire to be an artist warring with her desire to be a teacher. It helps that, in the best Japanese tradition, her stern, unyielding grandfather turns out to be quite yielding after all. Then our heroes finally get a beach vacation, at Canary’s private beach house. Of course, there’s a catch. While brainstorming a new character, Canary essentially comes up with it herself. And also is better at forcing Sumire to work. And their “ghost” writer too. Is… is there anything for Akiteru left to do?

The main reason to read this series is still the two leads, who are the best thing about it. Akiteru may talk a good game about being logical and pragmatic, but he’s repressing an awful lot, and seeing how well Canary can seemingly do what he does every day gets him depressed and jealous. And, of course, it’s up to Iroha to do something about this. I like how her pep talk does help to cheer him up, but it’s not the actual solution – the solution is that Akiteru really *is* better at managing a bunch of eccentrics, as Canary finds out to her horror. (That said, she was doing this to test him anyway.) We’re also seeing secret identieis out in the open – Sumire now knows who Mashiro really is, and Ozuma has figured out who the “secret voice actress” is as well. This sort of series can’t resolve too quickly, but it’s nice to see it determined to move forward a plot point of two each volume.

There’s a cliffhanger that suggests the next book might be a bit more uncomfortable for Akiteru. Till then, this is a decent high school romcom with likeable characters, except for Sumire sometimes, and great dialogue, except for Sumire all the time. Seriously, “the dick in my heart won’t get hard”? That’s the metaphor you go with?

Can Someone Please Explain What’s Going On?! ~The Contract Couple’s Happily Ever After~, Vol. 7

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By Tsuredurebana and Rin Hagiwara. Released in Japan as “Dareka Kono Joukyou wo Setsumei Shite Kudasai! ~Keiyaku Kara Hajimaru Wedding~” by ArianRose. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Tara Quinn.

It’s all change for this 7th volume of Can Someone Please Explain What’s Going On?!. As you can see, there’s a new subtitle (sorry that I can’t find the Japanese romanji equivalent) that basically is the equivalent of “After Story” – the main story has ended, our couple are living happily ever after, now what? There’s a new translator (the series’ third). And, most importantly there’s a new narrative focus, which means that sadly we don’t get much at all of Viola as the narrator here. Given that at the end of my last review, which kind of tore the series apart, I said that I would keep reading because I loved Viola’s narrative charm, that’s quite a blow. Thankfully, the series also seem s to have backed off on most of the other things that I disliked in the last volume. It’s a lot fluffier and sillier than previous volumes, but that’s not a bad thing in this case. These are “extra” stories, they don’t have to try hard.

Don’t let the cover fool you, our happy main couple and their child are definitely supporting players in this – indeed, the child only shows up in a side story, as most of this takes place only a short time after the previous volume. The actual protagonists are the couple behind them – this is the story of Corydalis, Cercis’ best friend and adjutant, and Stellaria, Viola’s replacement chief maid after her regular maid takes maternity leave. They fall in love. It’s really quite cute… mostly. (I’ll get to that.) Despite the occasional seeming obstacle, everyone approves of the two of them. Both are very mature. There is no need to worry about contract marriages or mistresses here. It would be somewhat dull were it not for the back half, which features a hostage situation and the World’s Dumbest Bandits.

There’s always a ‘but’ with this series. This time there’s no fat jokes, Viola is not kept in the dark, and we don’t have “yay, another victory for white rich people!’. But we do have the book’s running gag, which is that Cercis starts a rumor that Corydalis is avoiding getting married as he’s gay, and the rest of the book has, every 4-5 pages, Cory having to say “I’M NOT GAY!’ in anger as everyone around him laughs. It’s meant to be funny and teasing, but it just reads poorly in this day and age. Other than that, this was a good return to form. As I said, this couple can be defined by their down to earth feel, and we also get some nice observations from the two of them of the events in this book, particularly the first volume where Cercis is still very much all contract, no marriage.

So yes, I’ll read the next bunch of After Stories, which looks like they’ll do what I thought this one would – tell the story of how Lettie Cercis and Viola’s daughter, came to pass. Nice save, though I’m still watching you with a weathered eye.

Turning the Tables on the Seatmate Killer, Vol. 1

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By Aresanzui and Sabimizore. Released in Japan as “Tonari no Seki ni Natta Bishoujo ga Hore Saseyou to Karakatte Kuruga Itsunomanika Kaeriuchi ni Shite Ita” by Monster Bunko. Released in North America by Tentai Books. Translated by Noor Hamdan.

Everyone talks a lot about how much they detest clichés, but a lot of the time they don’t really seem to mean it. What they detest are boring clichés. You really do enjoy seeing the seemingly stoic and grumpy guy or the bubbly and somewhat clumsy girl provided they’re written well. They’re types we love. The trouble is that most authors don’t know how to make those clichés come alive, and so you get a series of light novel protagonists that have been dubbed “potatoes” by fans. Replace them with a potato, and the story would be the same. Fortunately, it doesn’t require much to clear this low bar. Just… add a dash of realism to your cliché. Make them seem like a person who could exist in the real world. Doing this solves many issues. Fortunately, Seatmate Killer manages to do this quite well. I was surprised to find myself increasingly gripped by the characters.

The Seatmate Killer is Yui, a cute and popular high school girl who has had a lot of guys sit next to her, fall in love with her, confess… and get rejected. Every changing of seats brings a new guy and a new rejection. That said, if this IS deliberate she has a tough nut to crack when Yuuki sits next to her. A seemingly stoic man who doesn’t react to any of her overtures of conversation, he has no interest in her at all, and is puzzled that she keeps trying to get under his skin and get closer to him. Of course, Yui is not particularly doing this because she’s a tease, she has a very good reason for it. What’s more, Yuuki’s attitude also comes from a realistic place, and also involves his little sister, who manages to be weirder than he is.

As you can see, the two leads are types. The supporting characters also fit that bill. Mina is the classic little sister with an older brother complex, but she’s also fragile and emotionally devastated, and she and Yui have a lot more in common than you’d think. Maki, Yui’s older sister, is the classic teasing oneesama type, but also clearly cares and worries about Yui, and doesn’t want to see her hurt. As the book goes on we get deeper into Yuuki and Mina’s past, and Yuuki’s tendency to smile and go along with things unemotionally is put under the microscope. That, more than any banter at their shared classroom desks, is what allows the two to get closer. That said, this book is still relatively lighthearted, and there’s a lot of humor to be found in Yui’s freaking out about things or Yuuki’s po-faced reactions to her jokes and attempts at conversation. I would also like to note that if THIS is the Seatmate Killer, the other guys in their classroom are all the easiest of chumps. Sheesh.

I said on Twitter I think Tentai Books has a nice niche in sugary sweet romcoms, and this book certainly helps to add to that impression. I’ll be getting another volume. It’s clichéd… but in the right way.