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.

Dinners with My Darling: How the Former Monster King Ate Her Way to Happiness, Vol. 1

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By Mugi Mameta and Nagisa Hanazome. Released in Japan as “Aisanai to Iwaremashite mo – Moto Maou no Hakushaku Reijou wa Kimajime Gunjin ni Ezuke wo Sarete Shiawase ni naru” by M Novels f. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by JC.

I spent most of this book trying to figure out its heroine, which puts me in the same company as everyone else in this book. I honestly think the artwork does it a bit of disservice. Don’t get me wrong, the artist is fine. But the text has Abigail, the title character, sounding most of the time like a hyperactive six-year-old child, and you imagine her in your head as being filled with massive smiles and big eyes. And then you get the occasional line when we switch to the POV of other people, which tells you that, in fact, Abigail rarely changes her expression from default neutral. Abigail sounds, and honestly is written as 75% of the time, like an adorable moppet. But she is a reincarnated monster, and she spent her first 16 years being starved and abused by her terrible family. The dissonance in this book, especially at the start, is almost comical.

We open with Gerald, the son of a marquis who is entering a political marriage, informing his wife Abigail that he will never love her. She innocently asks if this means she won’t get any food. As he and his servants listen to her talk about her life before arriving there with a creeping horror, any thought of treating her coldly flies out the window. Her old family made her do the laundry (which they threw in the mud), handle running the duchy (she can forge signatures!), and starving her to death by giving her next to no food. She can barely eat four mouthfuls before getting sick. That said, she has a bigger secret. In her past life, she was the Monster King, and she still has access to those powers (and just remembered her past life at her arrival). Which means she can predict disasters, use magic without incantation, and generally is a Top Secret in every single way you can imagine.

The thing that separates this from, say, Little Orphan Annie, or Oliver Twist, is that Abigail is sixteen years old, and is theoretically supposed to be his wife. This can be uncomfortable at times, particularly when Abigail is sounding like a hyperactive child. Fortunately, both the author and the male lead seem conscious of this. As Abigail manages to grow healthier and eat a normal amount, she begins to actually grow into her age physically, but mentally… it’s not that she’s mentally a child, as she can clearly do the work of an earl with minimal issues. No, it’s that her way of thinking at times is literally inhuman. It goes with her blank face. Her abusive life never registered for her except that it meant she didn’t get much food. Her new life is wonderful… because it means she gets more food. She simply is not going to understand the idea of marriage beyond “yum!” at this point. Future volumes will need to keep up the balance while she continues to grow into her new self.

There’s at least four more volumes, which makes this a huge success for the cancel-happy M Novels. Despite occasionally feeling that Abigail was manipulating me with her cuteness, I definitely want to read more. For fans of “Cinderella stories” who don’t mind a heroine whose head is harder to get into.