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How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, Vol. 6

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By Dojyomaru and Fuyuyuki. Released in Japan by Overlap, Inc. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Sean McCann.

This volume of Realist Hero sees our heroes go off to meet the dragon people of this world. Most of them are as you’d imagine dragon people to be in an isekai light novel series written for guys – Western dragons types who can fly and breathe fire, carry men on their back, and can also turn into beautiful women. Indeed, the carrying men on their back thing is explicitly stated to be the same as losing your virginity for a dragon – with heavy consequences for the dragon if the guy doesn’t end up partnering with her. That said, none of these dragons are the star. The star is Naden, who is a dragon who doesn’t have wings and can’t breathe fire, and thus is mocked by the other dragons around her. Fortunately the star of this series is Souma, and so you know he’s going to find value in her (she can create electricity!), see what she’s really based on (Eastern dragons – which means yes, she can fly), and end up partnering with her in order to save the dragon nation from a disaster – and also because they’ve fallen for each other.

The plot of this book is very straightforward, to the point where it even seems a little rushed. Naden falls for Souma almost immediately, and there are several scenes to reassure us that he’s not going to be marrying her simply because of her powers or status, but because he likes her as well. I also appreciated the development given to Ruby, one of three “Mean Girls” style dragons who bully Naden for being different. It’s framed more as “each wants what the other can’t have”, and as Ruby points out, at least she’s being a jerk to Naden in person, rather than behind her back. Ruby, during the crisis, also has to be ridden by Hal, which of course means that he has to marry her, which is possibly poor timing given that he and Kaede finally got engaged before this book. Fortunately, everyone’s super fine with polygamy here, so it works out.

There are a few seeds for future books sown here, the biggest of which is the nature of the world that Souma was summoned to as a hero, which may not be as “alternate fantasy world” as first expected. I expect this may have something to do with the demons, which we’ve already heard are not quite as “they’re just evil, OK?’ as previously thought. The other implication of the book’s ending is far less surprising – Liscia is pregnant. This may be why the author had her go with Souma for the final battle even though she didn’t do much – it’s possibly the last time she’ll get to be involved. The next book looks to feature Juna and Roroa, so we may simply get revolving fiancee development for a while. And there is also a nice helping of humor here, ranging from Aisha destroying everything around her because Souma disappeared to Empress Maria’s new career as a pop idol. Souma’s influence is felt far and wide, clearly.

There may not be quite as much kingdom developing as previous volumes, so some fans may be disappointed. But for the most part this is a decent Realist Hero, introducing a new fiancee quickly and economically. She’s cute, too.

Kabukimonogatari: Dandy Tale

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By NISIOISIN. Released in Japan by Kodansha. Released in North America by Vertical, Inc. Translated by Daniel Joseph.

The joke about this volume of the Monogatari series has always been that Shinobu steals Mayoi’s book. It’s not entirely correct – the entire thrust of the plot revolves around Mayoi here, and how her state as a ghost wandering the town saddens Araragi as much as it pleases him to banter with her. And of course there’s the climax of the book, which features Mayoi… well, a Mayoi. (Covers always spoil.) But there’s no denying that the actual dialogue in this volume is about 80% between Araragi and Shinobu, as his desire to finish his summer homework (which he had forgotten to do due to college exam prep) leads to Shinobu abusing her powers to send them back in time. This leads to what at first seems like a chance for Araragi to change history so that he can make Mayoi’s life and death a little better… after all, how could saving one little girl from getting hit by a car possibly change history? (cough)

Araragi is once again the narrator of the series, which alas means that we have a lot of his tendencies to deal with. In fact, given that Nisioisin says in the afterword that he was trying to write a novel consisting almost entirely of little girls (Mayoi, Shinobu, and Ononoki, who sets the plot in motion with her discussion of the differences between her, Mayoi, and Araragi), there’s even more lolicon jokes here than ever before, with endless discussion of Shinobu’s ribs and their use and abuse. Fortunately, though, this also means we get the opportunity to evolve Shinobu’s character and make her more proactive. She’s gone from being an outright villain, to sulking, and then to being a somewhat teasing but reluctant partner who says she helps Tsukihi merely because it amuses her. This book shows how much the pairing between Araragi and Shinobu has truly changed both of them, and reinforces the closeness of their bond. Araragi may love Senjogahara most, but he’ll die with Shinobu, and that’s sweet too, in a vampire sort of way.

It might be a good idea, by the way, to go back and read the 3rd Bakemonogatari series, Tsubasa Cat, before tackling this one, as the events there play out here in a tragically different way. That said, Araragi himself has already forgotten what happened that day and has to have his memory jogged by a somewhat frustrated Shinobu. On the other hand, you may want to save your reading time for this book alone, given it’s one of the longer volumes in the series to date. Much of that length is taken up by what we’re used to seeing from Araragi and company – endless meandering conversation, killer untranslatable puns, and 4th wall breaking galore, with discussion of the characters knowing they’re fictional, as well as knowing that they’ve got an anime airing. Anime fans may be interested to know that this one cuts out more than most any other Monogatari adaptation, so it’s worth picking up to see what you missed.

There is also, as you can no doubt see, another translator on the series, and he’s also doing the next book, Hanamonogatari, which will focus on Kanbaru. He does a good job of keeping things as smooth as it’s possible to o given this author’s tendency to vomit dictionaries at people whenever the opportunity comes up. Ononoki is trying out new variations on “oni no onii-chan” here (brogre was a favorite of mine). There are one or two places where the translation suddenly features a lot of Japanese words, and you get the feeling there even the editors agreed “yeah, that’s just impossible to adapt”. Even the subtitle \to the book is tricky. A kabukimono is sort of the equivalent of a Japanese dandy, but it can also mean “twist” or “deviation”, which is certainly what happens here with all the time-travel antics.

Fans of Monogatari will want to pick this up, particularly if they like Shinobu or Mayoi. For anyone feeling bad for Mayoi, given that Shinobu steals the spotlight so much, I’d wait till later in the year when that might change.

A Sister’s All You Need, Vol. 1

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By Yomi Hirasaka and Kantoku. Released in Japan as “Imouto sae Ireba ii” by Shogakukan. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Kevin Gifford.

I will admit, I wasn’t originally planning to start this series at all. Its reputation, from the anime that was adapted from it, was so well known that I kind of recoiled. That said, most of that reputation is either from the first scene of Episode 1 or based around the antics of one character. And I’m always reluctant to condemn something without at least trying it first. Plus the author has also written Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends, whose manga I have enjoyed despite the fact that it too seems to revolve around “the author shows off his fetish grab bag” just like this series does. Would this series be a case where I could see beyond the blatant pandering and appreciate the satire that the author is clearly also trying to sell readers here? Well… yes and no. It’s readable enough, but I’m not sure I really need to read any more of it.

Our hero, such as he is, is a light novel author with a particular obsession with little sisters, Itsuki. He’s actually had a few series published, but it’s notable that after the first one they’ve all been one-shorts or 2-3 volumes. Fans are tired of everything he writes revolving around little sisters. Much of the humor in the book comes from his ridiculous attitude towards this particular fetish. Other participants in the book include Chihiro, his stepbrother and minder who is e3ssentially perfect (no, the back cover even admits it as well); Miyako, his old friend from college who is there to bring something of the voice of reason to things; Haruto, his fellow light novel author who’s savvier than he is but also a bit jealous of Itsuki’s creativity; Puriketsu, an illustrator who’s perfect at art for a giant flake at life; Ashley, who was possibly my favorite, there to save Itsuki money on taxes; and Nayuta.

Let’s just say it up front: the reason people will want to continue with this series at all is Nayuta. The reason people will want to drop this series like a hot potato is ALSO Nayuta. She is by far the most interesting character in the book. When that works, it’s great – sometimes what she says is genuinely startling and funny, and I felt she had the best developed backstory in the group. If it weren’t that the author of this book also wrote Haganai, a series famous from blowing up its fandom to avoid a real ending, I’d suspect that she and Itsuki were an obvious end couple. On the other hand, her filthy mouth can sometimes just be shock for the sake of shock. From the beginning she’s saying “I want your hard cock” to Itsuki, and we also get “walking blowjob machine” and other similar things. Nayuta… is perhaps trying a bit too hard. And that can be trying for the reader, even if her feelings are genuine.

The other reason to read this series is the insight it gives into the light novel writer/editor process, and also satirizing that a bit. The book namedrops all over the place, including Haganai’s OWN little sister characters getting mentioned more than once, and a RPG where the players essentially steal abilities from Index and Fate/Stay Night. It’s not exactly a book to take seriously. That said, I’m not sure I enjoyed it enough to get another volume, mostly as I found the lead, who is supposed to be an amusing sister-obsessed freak, the dullest part of the book. And while that’s fairly common in the light novel world, it’s still not a good thing. If you like light novel meta, or teenage girls talking dirty, though, this may be the series for you.