The Reincarnated Princess Spends Another Day Skipping Story Routes, Vol. 9

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By Bisu and Yukiko. Released in Japan as “Tensei Oujo wa Kyou mo Hata o Tatakioru” by Arian Rose. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Esther Sun.

That’s right, it’s back! The popular TV comedy “Everybody Loves Rosemary” has returned for a new season a year and a half after ending forever, and she’s just as adorable as ever. I will assume everyone buying this knows what to expect because they read the other volumes, but wow, I had forgotten how much everyone just looks at her like she hung the stars in the sky. And, to be fair, her ideas are good in a “thank God this is not real life but an otome game” sort of way, and she is not only able to inspire everyone around her, who still adore her and desire her even though she’s married to Leonhart, but also manages to find a prince and a princess from different countries who also hate themselves and inspire them to change how they view the world and become better people. Who needs therapists when you have a gorgeous blonde?

Some time after the events of the main series, Rosemary is happy as a clam. She’s married to Leonhart, and manages to match his love in enthusiasm if not necessarily in stamina. She’s now the duchess of a vibrant, expanding city, mostly vibrant and expanding because she’s in it. Her hospital is going great guns, and other nations are also interested. Most importantly, they’ve found rice and soy sauce! Yes, the inevitable Japan analogue that always turns up in these books has turned up, and the Third Prince… falls for her immediately, and is promptly devastated when she admits she’s married. A princess we briefly met in an earlier book is here to try to arrange a marriage with one of Rosemary’s brothers, mostly out of obligation, but winds up depressed after seeing how Rosemary is just so fantastic at everything. And there’s something secret that not even Rosemary knows about yet.

Technically this is a spoiler for the last part of the book, but come on: the moment Rosemary says she’s feeling tired, eating weird things and is even gaining a bit of weight at last, the reader should be able to figure out what’s actually happening. Rosemary’s pregnancy delights absolutely everybody, even the other love interests, who have been alternating between gnashing their teeth at her happy marriage and grudgingly being happy for her. Now they’re all picturing her as a mother and are over the moon. The best scene in the book was from the POV of her mother, who is told by her husband (after he tells his sons, I note) that Rosemary is pregnant. It’s a delight to see the king behaving like a normal person, as he realizes that he’s been a terrible dad to her for so long, essentially treating her like a prized student, that he has no idea how to be a grandfather. The queen happily notes they can learn about it together. I really liked this.

There’s already a Vol. 10 out in Japan, so we’re not done with Rosemary and her utopia just yet. It requires a lot of patience to put up with all the adoration, but this is still a lot of fun to read.

Der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight, Vol. 16

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By Hyougetsu and Nari Teshima. Released in Japan by SQEX Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Ningen.

When I reviewed the last volume of Der Werwolf, over two years ago (so once again it was a struggle to remember who the hell everyone was), I wondered how the final volume would wrap up, and pondered if it would end with retirement or even Veight’s death. Well, one of those is true, though there is a flashforward three hundred years for an epilogue that shows that Veight has essentially passed into legend, and so presumably has passed on. But the last third or so of this book is dedicated to Veight trying to retire (and Airia having more success, partly because she’s pregnant again), and finding that, when you’ve spent the last twenty years completely remaking a nation due to your awesome powers, drive, and will, that no one wants to see you go. Fortunately, Veight prepared for this seventeen years ago, when he and Airia had their first child. The world does not need Veight. It has Veight, only a spunky young girl. In other words, his daughter.

Veight is drowning in work, and Airia forces him to take a vacation. Well, a working vacation. Kuwol has noticed that an area of its dense forests is slowly dying, and when he gets there, it becomes clear it’s because the mana is being leeched out of the region by something. That something turns out to be not one but TWO Valkaans, and given that Veight had tremendous difficulties defeating one, and is now twenty years older, that’s not good. For once, Veight gets the absolute tar beaten out of him, but fortunately he’s about more than just “hit things very hard”, and has a plan to work things out. After that, as noted above, Airia is retiring, and has a replacement in mind, but the trouble is that the replacement also wants Veight as a vice-commander.

The series’ first and best joke is that Veight does all of these world-shaping impossibly heroic feats while insisting that he’s just a humble vice-commander, so it makes sense that by the end of the book the joke gets weaponized into the position having essentially become the watchword for “secretly the real leader of everything”. Actually, Veight, who has done his best to pass down his knowledge over the course of the series, has also passed down his bad habits, as both his daughter and her friends all see themselves as ordinary, struggling folks who cannot possibly live up to everything that’s come before them. Fortunately, they can all manage to give each other pep talks, which helps. I also want to take one last time to mention Airia, who has to be one of the more sensual love interests we’ve seen in a male dominated series. From the start, she was down for that werewolf [censored], and this has not changed. I’m honestly surprised she didn’t have more kids between Friede and Othilie.

Also, kudos to see what the immortal Parker is up to in the epilogue. He’s living his best life! I am happy to see this series has finally come to an end, but it was a good ending, and I’m glad I read it.

Too Many Losing Heroines!, Vol. 3

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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 Acro.

Finally, with its third volume, I think this series is winning me over. Oh, I will admit, Nukumizu can still be irritating as hell, but it’s by design, and everyone (including himself!) calls him out on this. I did worry when we saw the appearance of the first winning girlfriend, Karen, but she’s kept to a minimum, so I can merely try to forget she exists. (Their subplot was, I think, meant to reference Nisekoi, but Karen is exactly the sort of heroine who usually wouldn’t win a manga like that, so I’ve no idea.) Mostly, though, this volume works because a) Komari’s subplot is interesting, works very well with her character growth, and tugs at the heartstrings, and b) Anna is finally becoming the sort of annoying character I can enjoy, rather than merely one I tolerate. I am now prepared to like her. Honestly, she’s almost becoming the voice of reason in this series, because Nukumizu is too caught up in his usual stuff.

Nukumizu thankfully tells us that this series can’t afford both a sports festival AND a culture festival, and besides, Lemon got focus last book, so no wants a track meet. So it’s just Culture Festival time, with the Literature Club being half-heartedly threatened by the Student Council, only one of whom really seems to have it in for them. More to the point, Tamaki and Tsukinoki are retiring from the club, and have chosen Komari to be the new president, with Nukumizu as a very reluctant vice. This is a good aesthetic choice, but will require her to – shock, horror! – speak in a group and deliver the literature club’s minutes at a meeting, something this introvert is seemingly incapable of. Given she’s already running herself ragged trying to do everything for the festival, can Nukumizu figure out what’s wrong *and* communicate properly with Komari about it? Spoiler: he manages neither of these.

There’s a bit near the end of this volume where Nukumizu is trying to figure out where he went wrong, and he realizes that while he and Komari are both introverts who say they want to be left alone, he really does, whereas she’s actually lonely and genuinely wants to be around other people. Leaving aside his stunning misreading of his own personality, Komari’s arc here reminded me that a lot of times in light novels and manga that feature the shy, introverted character, the goal is always to drag them out of their shells and make it so they can open up to everyone and communicate better. There’s a “we can fix you” aspect to them. And since Nukumizu thinks in light novel cliches, he assumes that’s what this is. But of course he forgets what Komari was dealing with when he met her – being in love with the president who helped her find a place in the club. She’s had that pillar taken away, and wants Nukumizu to understand that she would like him to be her new pillar. Sadly, as with Anna and Lemon, that would require Nukumizu to have more self-awareness than a bug.

Since I ended up enjoying this a lot more than the first two, I will forgive yet another oddly bordering on creepy younger sister who adores her big brother, mostly as it rests on the correct side of “incest is weird, don’t”. Anyway, we’ve run through our core heroine team, so who’s the next loser? Judging by the cover, it’ll be Shikiya, assuming she can wake up for it. For fans of this sort of series, “deconstruction” or no.