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Attack on Titan: Junior High, Vol. 5

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By Saki Nakagawa, based on the manga by Hajime Isayama. Released in Japan in three separate volumes by Kodansha, serialized in the magazine Bessatsu Shonen Magazine. Released in North America by Kodansha Comics. Translated by William Flanagan and Taka Tanaka. Adapted by Ben Applegate.

Regular readers of my blog may have noticed that my Attack on Titan reviews were getting less and less enthusiastic as the volumes went on, until they finally petered to a stop about 3 volumes ago. Was it the timeskip? Was it the death of [spoiler]? Was it [spoiler] being turned into a baby factory? All those and more, but mostly it’s the fact that I can’t stop turning a blind eye to the fascist tendencies this series has honestly had since the start. For a while it looked like it was going to subvert them – I mean, it does overthrow a corrupt fascist government – but yeah, that’s not happening. So goodbye, Attack on Titan. What will I remember from you? Killing my favorite girl? Throwing another dead lesbian on the pile of dead lesbians? No, I will remember that you had, at one time, excellent characters that we could not only identify with but also parody. And I’m here today, finally, to talk about that parody.

Attack on Titan Junior High ends as it began: by being absolutely ridiculous. Eren is still hating titans (and constantly being called out for racism, which made me smile). Mikasa is still perfect (and has never farted. It’s in this manga, so is therefore canon and 100% fact). Sasha eats, and eats, and literally turns into a villain in order to get more food. (And, let’s face it, probably farts enough for both her and Mikasa). Armin is a crybaby shut-in. Ymir and Krista (who does not get the Historia upgrade in this series) are still joined at the hip. Everyone who’s been dead in the main series for ages gets a chance to shine, especially Levi’s old squad. Heck, we even get chapters devoted to the spinoff characters, who are also not dead. (technically Before the Fall has not killed its entire cast yet, but come on, we know it’s a matter of time.) Junior High wants to put a smile on your face, and it does.

I should say a word about the translation. Or, more accurately, the adaptation. I haven’t seen a series this loosely adapted since Excel Saga. Also, like Excel Saga, I think it’s all the better for it. Purists may carp at references to Sacha Baron Cohen (and boy, did that joke get outdated fast), but it gives the whole series a rambunctious , anything can happen feeling that fits it very well. You want to keep things fast and furious in a gag series, especially one like this that is a three-volume omnibus, which is the worst possible thing for a broad comedy to be. Special attention must also be paid to the fact that this volume was delayed for almost two years. It became comical to see it almost get released… then suddenly have a new release date six months down the road. The translators are very aware of this fact, and mention it in the text several times. I like a series that can mock itself. And again, that’s not something you’d see with a more “literal” translation.

So, as I say farewell to Attack on Titan, this is how I want to remember it. With a bunch of fun, goofy characters doing dumb things. And everyone living happily ever after. That may be the opposite of the point that the original author wanted to make, but that’s fine by me.

Lazy Dungeon Master, Vol. 1

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By Supana Onikage and Youta. Released in Japan as “Zettai ni Hatarakitakunai Dungeon Master ga Damin wo Musaboru Made” by OVERLAP, Inc. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Quof.

I tend to review a lot of light novels, and try to keep up as much as I can. That said, with J-Novel Club recently taking it up a notch, I have to come to the conclusion that I can’t keep up with everything. Fortunately, their first new release in this huge batch of licenses, Lazy Dungeon Master, allows me to bow out gracefully. A work that seems designed entirely for the “is there snu snu?” reader, Lazy Dungeon Master has many faults, but its largest seems to be that the laziness of its titular hero is not just “wants to sleep all the time”, but also “his moral and ethical sense is that he can’t be bothered”. This is a shame, as the book made a valiant effort to get my interest in its last quarter, where I was genuinely entertained. But it can’t make up for the beginning, and the afterword suggests this is the toned-down version.

Keima is your average Japanese boy who is transported to a world where he has been summoned by a dungeon, whose core takes the form of a cute, busty girl (who can also transform into a far younger girl, but let’s not go there). He’s there to help save the dungeon from being destroyed. The problem is that the dungeon core, who he names Rokuko, has no common sense whatsoever. And the dungeon is already occupied by bandits, who are using it as a home base. It’s also just one room. As such, Keima has his work cut out for him. Fortunately, he may be lazy and morally bankrupt, but he’s rather clever, and so by use of several items, some tricks, and a dog-girl slave named Niku (more on that later), he is able to save the day and slightly expand the dungeon. As the series goes on, hijinks will no doubt ensue. And yes, Rokuko has already fallen in love with him, and I think Niku has as well. Sadly, all he cares about is their feet.

I’ll start with the good. The moment the dungeon battle begins, the series becomes genuinely entertaining, and I found myself smiling and laughing more than a few times. Well done. Now, the bad: the rest of the book. The bandits are scum, and take two sex slaves (no, really, they’re CALLED sex slaves) back to the dungeon to bang. Keima sees this… and does nothing, as his laziness and self-preservation overcome any horror he may have for what he’s seeing. And given his matter of fact “whoah, they’re raping that girl” narration, he’s not that horrified. Niku, the little girl slave (whose name literally means “Meat”, and I thank the Lord it wasn’t translated that way – leave that to Haganai) is introduced to us as basically a dead-eyed husk, and it’s clear what’s been happening to her before this. The afterword suggests that this book was edited so she’s “too young” and merely used as a servant while the bandits screw the older sex slave, but… you can’t remove a backstory but still have the obvious evidence that it happened. The whole thing is creepy.

There’s other things I didn’t like. Parts of the book where Keima and Rokuko simply sit and comment on the things they’re seeing from inside the dungeon core feel like a bad episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Haku is an interesting antagonist who turns out to not really be one, but the yuri scenes seem rather forced and “service, service!” to me. Most importantly: Keima is clever and has the potential to be powerful, but I suspect his uncaring attitude will also keep going. And I don’t trust the author not to make more bad decisions. Recommended for those who are the sort to have read the webnovel version already. I will be moving on.

The Promised Neverland, Vol. 5

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By Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu. Released in Japan as “Yakusoku no Neverland” by Shueisha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump. Released in North America by Viz Media. Translated by Satsuki Yamashita.

One of the questions I asked last time is answered fairly quickly in this new volume, which is: will our gang of children really escape with everyone, including the little babies? And the answer is no, they won’t. There’s being idealistic and then there’s being realistic, and even Emma knows that. And what’s more, she and Ray actually trust Isabella enough to know that she’s not simply going to do anything to the little kids left behind out of spite. We see a flashback showing us Isabella’s past, and it’s somewhat like you’d expect – she believes there’s no escaping this, so she’s doing what she can to make everyone as happy as possible before they’re taken away. It’s a decision made with love, even if I disagree with it. And it means we leave Phil and company behind (and very nice scene of him understanding what’s going on) and make their escape.

The escape involves a nice fake-out: since the only way to escape the compound is the bridge, every security measure will be there. So the kids instead actually do go over the wall, using rope and various klugded-together implements to cross the chasm and enter a forest beyond. (As a side note, I love your multicultural cast, TPN, it’s really great, but: Jemima? Really? No one called you on that?) The difficulty, of course, is that they know nothing about the terrain beyond the orphanage, and it turns out that the forest is a lot more alive than they’d really like. Oh yes, and they also have to avoid demons. And the main bad guys themselves, who are still very much in the mood to eat their delicious brains. The Promised Neverland always seems to have a fresh new crisis at hand, which is good, as the premise is basically “jumping from crisis to crisis”.

I think the series spent just the right amount of time in the orphanage and planning to escape it, and now, five books in, I look forward to seeing where Emma and company manage to wind up. Of course, that company is getting a bit smaller, as this time it’s Ray who has to sacrifice himself so that the others might move on. It’s amusing seeing Ray do this given all the times he’s tried to in the past and been stopped, but as he himself says, this time he doesn’t plan to sacrifice his life. But that does mean that the group is now led by Emma… who is realizing that being a child, planning a daring escape and also cutting off your own ear can possibly lead to sickness. Fortunately, there’s a robed stranger who is NOT AT ALL SUSPICIOUS to help the rest of the kids. Can Don and Gilda carry on while Emma is ill?

This series is a sort of high-wire act, as you’re never quite sure when its thriller logic is going to run out. But for the moment, it remains one of the best Jump series out there.