The Eminence in Shadow, Vol. 6

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By Daisuke Aizawa and Touzai. Released in Japan as “Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!” by Enterbrain. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Nathaniel Hiroshi Thrasher.

I think I am finally, mostly, beginning to give in and accept the series’ vibe, and the fact that it’s written as a ridiculously overblown piece of… satire is wrong, but so is parody and comedy, to be honest. I’ll roll with it. Also, I’m sure those terrible, terrible name puns (and there are a LOT more in this book, like four times more) are just as bad if not worse in Japanese, so I will forgive the translator… just. That said, we are running into a really big issue with this series, which is that it is very dependent on remembering things from previous books, but it only comes out once in a blue moon. I reviewed the first volume in 2020, and here it is 2025, and we’re only on Book 6. Worse, Book 6 came out in Japan in 2023, and there’s no new book on the horizon. So yeah, apologies, little girl from apparently Vol. 1 who was meant to be tragic. I had forgotten about you. As had Cid, I think.

After the events of the last book, evil noble Eliza is manipulating things to make sure she’s found innocent, and is also planning to quietly do away with the star witness (who we find out here is named Kanade, and oh my god, more on her later). Christina Hope is trying to prevent this, but her family is actively hindering her, and all she can do is take Kanade and that annoying background extra Cid, who seems to have found definitive evidence, to one of her villas to hide from assassins. Meanwhile, the latest Mysterious Evil Group of Evil are indeed planning to kill Kanade (and Christina, and Cid, and possibly Alexia if they could get away with it), but all of a sudden they’re getting killed off one by one by a man covered in blood, dressed as a clown, and calling himself Jack the Ripper. Who could this mysterious assassin be? Who?

I won’t deny that this volume was helped by having slightly less Cid than usual. Also, Kanade is hilarious, and I hope we see more of her. If Cid is a chuuni who has ended up in a dream world that runs along his desires, then Kanade is that sidekick girl in a shonen manga who keeps trying to be cute and sexy but ends up looking stupid all the time instead. She and Cid are wonderful together, and I’m, glad she doesn’t die. Also, finally, we get Akane back into the storyline, though she’s a bit stunned to find she’s suddenly one of the weaker characters. Naturally, she ends up in Shadow Garden… as does a victim from the first volume, who has Cid literally cut the monster out of her. This scene is, honestly, as heartwarming as this series will ever get, and I hope she and Akane bond.

So yeah. This was good, especially Christina’s character arc. I will try not to take it too seriously. I will also be waiting a while for the next volume, though.

Let’s Get to Villainessin’: Stratagems of a Former Commoner, Vol. 2

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By Hiironoame and Misumi. Released in Japan as “Sa, Akuyaku Reijou no Oshigoto wo Hajimemashou: Moto Shomin no Watashi ga Idomu Zunousen” by PASH! Bunko. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by Dawson Chen.

I have a dog, and I love my dog. Occasionally, though, I want my dog to stay out in the yard for a bit. And my dog, he does not want to stay out in the yard. And so he throws himself at the back door. Over. And Over. And Over Again. He will do this for up to three hours or so, knowing that eventually I will get annoyed enough to let him back in. As I was reading this volume, and watching Mio hurling herself at “villainessin'” time and time again, I was reminded of my dog, as it takes real stubbornness to do. Yes, I am aware that her sister’s life hangs in the balance, but frankly, I appreciate Mio doing this, as everyone else in the book is taking things extremely seriously, and at least Mio being the most obvious tsundere ever leads to the book’s moments of hilarity. That she’s so bad at being bad is the point.

Mio has been doing… well, not great, but at least she’s so far managed to avoid falling flat on her face. The same can’t be said for her two “minions” who got humiliated last volume, and Mio’s new mission is to rehabilitate them and bring them back in the fold. She’ll have to do this while also negotiating the school’s sports festival, which (in the game) she played a minor part in. Unfortunately, Mio’s actions so far are starting to have knock-on effects elsewhere in the world, and her attempts to prove to herself that she can, in fact, affect things so they’re not quite like the game’s plot may end up getting her in a ton of trouble. Trouble that she can only get out of by – finally – genuinely being cruel.

I mentioned Mio being the one comedic part of this book, and that’s because when I try to imagine the rest of the cast watching her, I can feel their frustration and helplessness. They know she’s a good, kind person. They know she’s acting this way on purpose. And they know she’s determined to drag her own reputation in the mud. But they don’t know why, and it’s maddening. They don’t have the Shizuku piece of the puzzle. (The names, by the way, are just as bad as before, and this volume we have a Miyu pretending to be a Miu to confuse Mio. It’s so bad that I think even the translator/editor get Shizuki and Shizuku mixed up once or twice) Fortunately, Nonoka is straight from the Maria Campbell school, and her faith in Mio (and, it’s hinted, slight crush on Mio) remains steadfast. The end of this volume also brings a fake engagement into the mix, so the third volume would be very interesting…

…if it existed. I think even the webnovel version of the story ends with this volume. Which is a shame, as I kind of wanted to see Mio continue to throw herself against my back door.

The Hero-Killing Bride: The Blood-Soaked Champion

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By Aoikou and Enji. Released in Japan as “Yuusha-goroshi no Hanayome” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Faye Duxovni.

I always love it when I’m surprised by a title. I didn’t have many expectations for this one, despite the fact that it was advertised as a yuri series (the yuri is mostly plot rather than character so far). Honestly, the description made me think of that old meme, as I said “We have The Executioner and Her Way of Life at home”. And theoretically, the two do have a lot in common, as they feature a protagonist who is sent by the church to kill in order to save the world, over the course of the book begins to realize the corruption inherent in what’s she’s doing, and attempting to get close to the one she’s trying to kill. And, if I’m being honest, Executioner and Her Way of Life has a better plot and thematic heft. But I will say this: if I had to choose between following Menou around her books, or following Alicia around this book, I will pick Alicia every time. Love her.

Alicia Snowell, a “bride” of the church and assassin of the church as well, is told by the Cardinal who is her boss to assassinate the Hero. After killing the Demon Lord, the Hero’s popularity is so tremendous that the church now worries that eventually they will lose power as everyone follows the Hero instead. They tried marrying the Hero into the royal family, but it didn’t work. They’ve tried sending voluptuous temptresses, but the Hero doesn’t seem to be interested. Oh, and the Hero is also apparently invulnerable to blades. So Alicia’s told to seduce the Hero – after all, she’s not voluptuous at all, so maybe the Hero has different tastes – and then get close enough to kill them. So Alicia is sent off to the frontier where the Hero is… and there discovers (not much of a surprise, it’s in the blurb) the Hero is a girl!

As I said earlier, Alicia is the best reason to read this – in fact, honestly, one of the only reasons, really. The Hero is interesting mostly in terms of who she isn’t, and everyone else in the book is a variety of the sort of character you see in “dark fantasy” book, which this definitely is – expect blood and strong language. I am very bored with “funny psychopath” guys, thanks. Alicia, though, is a great first-person narrator, as she presents herself as so cynical, bitter, and absolutely done with everything – and she is – but every time she gets the opportunity to not be compassionate and caring, she fails miserably. She is exactly the sort of person to stare at someone going senselessly off to sacrifice themselves, scream at them, curse them, and then try to save them anyway. What’s more, her worldview gets increasingly shattered over the course of this book. Right now the Hero only has Alicia to depend on, while Alicia theoretically has her allies in the Church. But I get the feeling pretty soon they’ll only have each other.

I’ve no idea if this will end happily or not – the genre tends to suggest it will not. But I’m definitely going to be reading more, and I want to see these two uncover the secrets of the world, with one taking the world’s burdens on herself and the other kicking the world in the nuts.