Category Archives: reviews

Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court, Vol. 10

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By Satsuki Nakamura and Kana Yuki. Released in Japan as “Futsutsuka na Akujo dewa Gozaimasu ga: Suuguu Chouso Torikae Den” by Ichijinsha Novels. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Tara Quinn.

Something we’ve seen throughout this series but especially in this volume is the idea of what an “ideal” woman is in this Court Intrigue series. The series began by showing us that Reirin was delicate, fragile, and good at all the things that men prized in a woman, whereas Keigetsu was boorish, clumsy, and the one thing she’s really good at she has to keep hidden. Of course, we now know that delicate flower is not the word anyone would use to describe Reirin – except maybe Seika, and even she, by the end of this volume, has had the Reirin pedestal in her mind taken down. Here we also get a foreign delegate who explicitly regards all Ei women as weak and unable to fight back, and Seika (who among the five maidens has been the most feminine one) has to come to the realization herself, and then tell him, that in fact the Maidens all learn to be silk hiding steel. No more so than Reirin.

After the events of the last two volumes, everything is seemingly back to normal, and the maidens are back to learning how to be consorts. However, a foreign prince is visiting the country, and Seika is in charge of the welcome. She decides to rope in Reirin (because she adores her) and Keigetsu (because Reirin won’t go without her) to help her with the ceremony, which is mostly ceremonial – they roll out the red carpet and the prince says he is content, and everyone is happy. Unfortunately, it turns out that Seika, especially after torturing and starving the consort and effectively moving up in the power structure, is battling family who very much want to bring her down. What’s more, Seika’s seaside city is a lot less happy and content than she thought when she grew up there. And the prince, who has his own agenda, is far from content. Worst of all, I used the word “seemingly” at the start of the paragraph for good reason.

When I started this volume I was a bit puzzled. The last book ended with such a dire cliffhanger for Reirin, what happened to it? As it turns out, I had reckoned without Reirin’s powers of trying to make everyone around her think things are totally fine. We’ve had lingering in the background the fact that the bodyswaps seem to be affecting Reirin’s health to a degree, but it’s only to a degree – and after the last extended swap, she’s actually worse than before. Reirin has a chronic unknown illness that no one can find a cure for. She has been dying for years, and it feels much closer now. And she just cannot quite work up the strength to tell Keigetsu about it. Unfortunately, that means that when Keigetsu, trying to protect Leelee by being brash as usual, ends up in a dire situation., a bodyswap means that Reirin is now in the dire situation. Reirin, who has come very, very close to accepting this is how she dies.

Keigetsu, needless to say, is utterly devastated when she finds out, especially when she realizes that she doesn’t have the power for several days to swap them back. Keigetsu still has a tendency to feel that everything she has achieved is thanks to Reirin, and even more so, that everything bad that’s happened to Reirin is her fault, leading to her literally saying “let’s stop being friends” at one point. Keigetsu, of course, fails to realize that she is the best thing in Reirin’s life right now. One of the funnier scenes in this book is seeing Gyoumei trying his damndest to talk to Reirin via Keigetsu’s fire every day, and realizing, as does Keishou, that Reirin honestly is just not that into him – or anyone, really. Again, this isn’t yuri, but if there’s anyone Reirin is interested in most at the moment, it’s Keigetsu.

Fortunately, the fact that there’s been another body swap, as well as Keigetsu literally begging Reirin to live, makes things better for the moment. Though I’ve no doubt that Reirin’s chronic illness is the series’ final boss. In any case, next time, it’s Reirin’s time to fight back. And we all know what that means. There’s going to be utter chaos. Highly recommended, and I hope the anime is good.

Too Many Losing Heroines!, Vol. 7

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By Takibi Amamori and Imigimuru. Released in Japan as “Make Heroine ga Ōsugiru!” by Gagaga Bunko. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Matthew Jackson. Adapted by Hayame.

The strength of this series does tend to be the fact that, in regards to everything except his own attractiveness to women, Nukumizu is a pretty savvy guy. While you want to beat his head in with a shovel during casual, downtime moments, when the chips are down and you’re having a crisis, he will be the one that’s there to offer the best thing to say that will make all your problem feel like they’re in focus. Unfortunately, it won’t make all your problems go away, and in other respects, as the girls note, Nukumizu is the worst. Not only is he absolutely a sucker for a pretty face, something his matter-of-fact narration denies but is obvious regardless, but he has hung out with all these insane losing heroines for so long that he will naturally assist them even if the idea is not only lunacy but literally illegal. If their teachers weren’t there this would be the final volume as they’d be expelled.

It’s the start of the new school year, and the literature club is in trouble. After a disastrous club presentation, none of the first years will give them the time of day, and without a fifth member they’re disbanded. Fortunately, their advisor has a first-year who will join… except somehow she’s already serving a two-week suspension. Riko Shiratama is cute and nice, and the guys love her, while the girls… don’t love her as much, but don’t despise her yet. Unfortunately, she has a problem. You see, her childhood crush is getting married, and it’s not to her, so she’s actually… a losing heroine! As such, Nukumizu is quick to offer the club’s help to let her get over her issues. Even if that means breaking and entering. Which she’s already been arrested for once already.

Riko makes a good addition to the cast, essentially being Kaju only without the incest, and she also reminds me of the new first-year in Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle, in that she’s a lot more straightforward and honest about her feelings than the rest of the cast, and that means she’s going to make a lot of them very unhappy. Elsewhere, assuming your favorite isn’t Lemon, who’s barely in this because she had the last book, you should be pretty happy. Chika is a wreck, Kaju is obsessed and creepy, Shikiya is going to try to airhead her way into being married to Nukumizu, etc. As with a lot of these “balanced harem” series, though, the balance can be off, and if your favorite isn’t Anna, you may not like how I suspect this series would end if the author weren’t a coward. Anna gets several long scenes, both comedic and serious, with Nukumizu, and she identifies so much with Riko’s crush that she even genuinely loses weight in order to help. You could argue she and Nukumizu would be very bad for each other, but I mean, what series are you reading again?

All this plus the student council president seducing women while dressed as a man. Next is the eighth….. no it’s not. Short story collection? Short story collection.

Reforming an Icy Final Boss: Getting Back at the Self-Proclaimed Villainess with the Power of Friendship, Vol. 2

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By Takamedou and Nemusuke. Released in Japan as “”Jishou Akuyaku Reijou” ni Korosareta Last Boss no Yarinaoshi: Bocchi na Reitetsu Koujo wa, Dai Ni no Jinsei de Riajuu wo Mezashimasu” by DRE Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Sheldon Drzka.

The famous Bible quote “the sins of the father are visited upon the son” can apply to daughters as well, and it certainly does here. Milly may be doing her best to make friends, show off, and live her best second life, but her father Kyle is still regarded by everyone as the absolute worst, and he is certainly not above destroying families because he’s in a bad mood. As such, no one wants to be close friends with Milly except those who know her really well – why risk it? What’s more, it turns out that her life is still in danger, mostly because there’s someone else trying to change the current timeline. Not, I hasten to add, because they’re another person who remembers the otome game. No, they just remember the first timeline, and they think the country is headed to ruin and Milly is helping it.

Milly is a bit stressed. She still hasn’t made friends beyond the Student Council and the girls she saved from Angelina’s evil plan in Book 1. And since final exams are upon them soon, there’s no time to make them. Fortunately, she’s good at studying, so can help the others, even if they may not really want her to. And then there’s her class, who are still terrified of her… at least until they see how adorably socially awkward she is, whereupon they fold like card tables. She’s even getting closer to her father, who she still sees as evil incarnate, but who we the reader see is simply very overprotective and even more socially awkward than she is. Will she be able to take first place in exams and get the First Dance at the next ball? Wait, isn’t Angelina still around? And is she the ONLY villain?

Last time I said I wanted to see more of Kyle, Milly’s father, and we do get a lot more of him here. The reason this plot is happening at all is that he’s got so much power, and the future shows him betraying the country, which almost destroys the country. Unfortunately, Milly is not really dealing with that end of the problem, focusing instead on not having everyone at school not care if she gets brutally murdered. She’s also still not great at picking up social cues. She gets that Ike hates her, and wants to fix it, but she hasn’t noticed that there’s someone else in the Council who remains cool to her, and that becomes a big issue. Also, the Council very quickly learns that “we want to keep this quiet so we’ll just keep her under house arrest” is not a great move if she, y’know, escapes. On the bright side, possibly as this is mostly not from the webnovel, Milly’s characterization is more consistent – not too stoic or too goofy.

This is a Dre Novels series, so I assume it will end with Vol. 3, which I don’t believe is out yet. Milly, talk to your father.