Category Archives: reviews

Sword Art Online, Vol. 28: Unital Ring VII

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By Reki Kawahara and abec. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Stephen Paul.

And here we are, almost two years later. I’ve talked before about how I think the author is trying to do too much with this arc, where they have a perfectly good plotline with Unital Ring (it’s in the title!), but they also can’t resist going back to Underworld for more battles that could actually kill people rather than just log them out. But it’s not just the main series, it’s everything. Right now Reki Kawahara has going on, at the same time, Sword Art Online (last JP volume June 2024), Sword Art Online Progressive (last JP volume March 2025, almost four years after the last one), Accel World (new volume due out next month, but has only had four since 2020), Demons’ Crest (last JP volume November 2024), and The Isolator… wait, did I only imagine The Isolator? Does it really exist? it’s been so long… anyway, my point is, if he tries to juggle any more series I may have to start calling him Ryohgo Narita. As for this volume? It’s good, but needs focus. Surprise!

We pick up with the cliffhanger from the last volume, and it does not go well. Kirito is simply too overstretched, and Eolyne is kidnapped. Meanwhile, the villains are doing their damnedest to destroy Central Cathedral, with only Alice and Fanatio there to try to stop them. In order to fix things… and this sounds sillier than it actually is… Asuna will need to convince her father to drive her to Rath in the dead of night to log in and help them. Meanwhile, in Unital Ring, everyone’s still trying to figure out how to go to the next level without abandoning their beloved cabin. And Kirito, now back from Underworld, has to fight in a mock duel, because everyone still sees him as their leader. As for who’s behind everything in Underworld and Unital Ring… could it be the same person?

I’ve said this before, but a lot of the time in SAO the most interesting parts are what’s happening in the real world. I loved Asuna’s talk with her dad, who has very good reasons not to want her to keep diving into potentially lethal VR all the time, but also understands that she’s pretty much an adult now and she has to rescue those she loves. Then there’s the whole scene with her and Argo/Tomo at the cafe near her old school, which also brings back bittersweet memories, but allows her to reunite with another face from the past. It’s a reminder that not everyone who was in SAO was allowed to go off to the school designed for survivors, and some simply were told to resume their normal life only with FAR MORE PARENTAL CONTROL. Which, again, understandable, especially given the difference between Kawahara’s idealized AI of this world and our current AI woes. And it also allows him to tie things in to his movies as well. Because of course. And hey, Kizmel gets mentioned once!

If you have to read all things SAO to keep up, this is a quick, easy read, even if I did have to google some names to remind myself. As for what’s next? Probably Progressive sometime next year, but for the franchise, we’re back to GGO in the fall, so Swords Down, Guns Up.

Sword of the Stallion, Vol. 1

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By Gakuto Mikumo and Manyako. Released in Japan as “Sword of Stallion: Taneuma to Yobareta Saikyou Kishi, Ringoku no Oujo wo Netore to Meijirareru” by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Jake Humphrey.

This wasn’t too bad a book, especially given the author’s tendency for light novel by the numbers, but I will admit to disappointment that it did not remotely live up to its premise. Now, I’m no fool, I was not expecting a book filled with our hero banging the entire cast. But I mean, we’re told that he’s spent the last two years in brothels sleeping with any woman that moves… and then we find out that the women he supposedly slept with were all abuse victims or being blackmailed, that the brothel is really a training facility for knights, etc. I lay you even odds by the end of the series we find he didn’t actually have sex with anyone. Anyway, if I can get past that gripe, this isn’t too bad, and allows the author to play around in the mecha genre. There may also be a villainess subplot! When genres collide.

Two years ago, our hero, Ras Talion (get it? Rapscallion?) defeated a potentially country-destroying dragon, but in the process the princess of the country – and his fiancee – was killed. He promptly resigned his commission and went to the pleasure district, where rumor has it he’s spent the next two years screwing anything that moves to try to get over his lost love. (Yeah, I spoiled you, but it’s really goddamn obvious, so I don’t feel bad.) One day, he is accosted by a beautiful knight and a mysterious young woman, who manages to knock him unconscious. He wakes up in the royal palace, where the prince – twin to the lost princess – is running things because of the king’s ill health. The prince (also Ras’ old friend from school) asks him… can he seduce the princess of the next country over? To save their own country?

First of all, given that I’ve frequently complained that the author’s sense of humor in Strike the Blood amounted to “oh no, I accidentally groped you and now everyone is mad at me and I run away as the sun sets” anime humor, I appreciated there was a very funny joke here. I appreciated it because when I saw the setup, I thought “that would make a great joke” and the author actually followed through – well done. As for the cast, Ras is a likeable guy who is not nearly the rogue he pretends to be. I also really liked the princess he’s supposed to seduce, who seems to be trying very hard to get everyone to dislike her, and is absolutely not going to play along with Ras. There are also some cool fights – honestly, action scenes are the thing this author does best, so I wasn’t too worried there. Oh yes, and in case you noticed the artist is ALSO the same as Strike the Blood, I assure you the 2nd volume has a different girl on the cover.

So this is basically “for fans of shonen action stuff and the author”, but if you like that it’s pretty good. Just… don’t expect sex. Even offscreen. He’s a faux-stallion.

To Sir, Without Love: I’m Divorcing You, Vol. 1

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By Kori Hisakawa and Airumu. Released in Japan as “Haikei Mishiranu Danna-sama, Rikonshite Itadakimasu” by Media Works Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Carley Radford.

This sure went places. Judging by the cover art and title, I was expecting a certain type of book, and I definitely got it, but it went to some odd and spiky areas. Speaking of which, I will put in a brief content warning that this book has what might be framed as a “reluctant” first time, and there is also discussion of an (off-screen) rape of a man by another woman. There is also an abusive husband and father, though he is very quickly “reformed”, by which I mean he gets the crap beaten out of him. We see, throughout the book, the rumors swirling around our main character that she is a loose cannon, and also a loose woman. She shrugs off the rumors because they suit her purposes, but once they no longer do that they become the toxic nastiness they’ve always been. And, as always, our two leads don’t talk to each other at all, so have to guess what the other is thinking, and it always goes badly.

Byletta Holland is horrified to find that her parents have engaged her to some soldier. After an Academy life where she gained a horrible reputation, all she wants is to start her own business and make a name for herself. However, as a noble’s daughter, she has to marry, and she’s now headed off to the Swagwan estate, where she will marry Arnald, the eldest son. She arrives… to find that war has gone badly, so Arnald went off to the front, leaving a message that his wife can do what she wants. Realizing that this could work in her favor, she accepts the marriage and decides to stay… and quickly finds that her father in law is a drunken lout who beats his second wife and menaces his 6-year-old daughter and the servants. Something will have to be done.

Byletta is the main reason to read this book. She’s smart, does not suffer fools gladly, and can beat her father in law so badly in a sword fight that he actually sobers up and stops hitting his family. (This is probably unrealistic, but given the alternative I handwaved it. He remains a jerk, though.) In the eight years between her wedding and her husband returning home, she does start a highly successful business, she has connections all over the city, and she is ready to be divorced. Sadly, her husband is one of those “what are these things called emotions” types, and when he hears the rumors about her, he assumes she’s sleeping with half the town. After their first night together, he realizes he was wrong, and starts to actually observe his wife more closely… and realizes that she’s his ideal woman. Unfortunately, these two don’t talk to each other, and it’s frustrating. They also have enemies, who set up the cliffhanger of this book. It’s definitely on the “potboiler” end of the spectrum.

This is nine volumes and counting in Japan, and it appears it will have a lot more drama in the future. If you like the genre, and don’t mind a bit more non-con than these books usually get into, this is a very good read.