These Legs Don’t Lie! Harumi’s Legacy as the Strongest Mimic, Vol. 1

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By Tsuyoshi Fujitaka and Yuunagi. Released in Japan as “Bikyaku Mimic, Harumi-san: Tensei Monster Isekai Nariagari Densetsu” by Earth Star Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Kevin Chen.

Sometimes a new series just doesn’t work out, OK? Leaving aside the actual content of this book, which I will get to eventually, I was informed as I began to read it that it was canceled after only one volume in Japan. Light Novel fans tend to dislike this, but after reading These Legs Don’t Lie Volume 1, I have to think, is another volume really needed? There were not really any horrible cliffhangers, there was no plot we really wanted to see resolved, the characters are not, on the whole, compelling. As a one-shot this was OK – a bit annoying at the start, very weird as it trundles along, but OK. That said, there’s no way that I would have been able to read, say, Vol. 8 of this series. I also recall the other series I read by this author, My Big Sister Lives in a Fantasy World, and how that declined as it went along too. So yeah, one volume then cancelled? Fine by me.

Our heroine is Harumi, who is a newly-born mimic (I had to look it up, as a non-gamer – think The Luggage from Discworld) being stuck at the top of a dungeon to be killed by adventurer newbies. She doesn’t want this to happen, and manages to forcibly grow legs to run away. Which does not work, but she attracts the attention of a thief with a fetish, who gives her magical high heels. As she discovers, this is a ludicrously powerful items that lets her make her opponents explode after she kicks them. She then goes on a reign of terror through the dungeon, kicking and exploding people, till the “event” has ended. Having grown far too powerful for this dungeon, she is then sent off to the place where the strongest monsters gather… if she can get there. It’s a long walk, and other folks are out for revenge against her.

Harumi is, frankly, a sociopath, who thinks very little of blowing up anyone and everyone. The way she comes across new attacks is somewhat similar to Maple, as is her somewhat ditzy narrative voice, but I’d say White from So I’m a Spider, So What? is a more apt comparison. The setting for this world is very bizarre, with humans and monsters essentially using each other to make money, and the dungeon being a kind of theme park – which means that Harumi massacring nearly everyone is a major bug in the program. Also, despite the cover art, she can’t grow an entire body by the end of this book. She can get legs/hips, legs and arms, or topless upper half, but not all three. This means there are scenes where she is running through the countryside, a treasure chest on legs, with a random urchin that she saved from bandits riding on top of her. Honestly, I wonder if the entire series was written for that image alone.

So yeah, as it turned out, after the first volume of this, My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered really started to take off, to the point where it’s getting an anime, and so the publisher probably said “why keep up with this title which is likely unbroadcastable due to the constant exploding people?” One is enough.

Housekeeping Mage from Another World: Making Your Adventures Feel Like Home!, Vol. 4

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By You Fuguruma and Nama. Released in Japan as “Kasei Madoushi no Isekai Seikatsu: Boukenchuu no Kasei Fugyou Uketamawarimasu!” by Ichijinsha Bunko Iris NEO. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Hengtee Lim.

This series remains ongoing in Japan – both as a light novel series, which has 7 volumes to date, and as a webnovel, last updated 2 weeks ago – which makes it odd that the series really feels like it’s going to be ending in the next book. Most of the drama in this volume involves other people – first there’s the wrap-up of the Annelie and Dennis arc, and then there’s an arc that points out the somewhat rocky relationship between other adventurers and knights. It’s definitely building more of the world that Alec and Shiori are living in. That said, Alec and Shiori are still in a “honeymoon” stage of their relationship, with almost every moment between them being cute and romantic. The only exceptions are when Alec worries about Shiori’s past and sudden appearance in their country, or when Shiori worries that Alec is actually royalty. Both of those things need to be resolved before they can marry… and it’s being dragged out.

We pick up where we left off, with our merry band having resolved Annelie and Dennis’ love life… well, at least their feelings for each other… and now it’s time to head back. On the way they find the annoying nobles from the Empire have opened the massive door that screamed “do not open”, and now the worst of them is dead, and the other two are ill. Fortunately for them, our heroes are all nice, so they drag them back home, despite the dangers on the way back, including mythical beasts. Once home, Annelie and Dennis have Mrs. Tragic Backstory arrive to explain what ACTUALLY happened in Dennis’ past, and why their family has not spoken with the adventurer’s guild in ten years. Finally, in a side story, Alec, Shiori, Zack and Linus are called to a village with an infestation of monster bugs and find the knights and the village folks are not getting on.

This is one of those books where the reader has to be careful not to be disappointed by the story that isn’t being told. Everything about the past of Dennis’ father and what turns out to be his MALE partner reads like it’s going to say everyone lied to cover up a gay relationship. That’s not what happens here, and the explanation of Dennis’ grandfather, the actual villain of the piece, is far less interesting. I wonder if this may have been changed for the light novel – everything about the death is framed as “they were lovers”, even the final image of their dead bodies holding hands. It’s weird. As for Alec and Shiori, now that she’s more relaxed around everyone she’s letting more things slip, and Alec and the others are starting to realize that she’s probably not from “the Eastern lands” at all. Unfortunately, she and Alec are still too afraid of ruining their burgeoning love to confess their backstories to each other.

This is well-written enough, and I’ll definitely keep going, but I found this book a bit more frustrating than the previous ones, and hope the next book takes a few definitive steps forward.

Formerly, the Fallen Daughter of the Duke, Vol. 3

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By Ichibu Saki, Nemusuke, and Ushio Shirotori. Released in Japan as “Moto, Ochikobore Koushaku Reijou desu” by Mag Garden Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Andrew Schubauer.

When an author has a favorite character to write for, and you love that character, it’s always a treat whenever they show up. Unfortunately, when they are NOT your favorite character, it cam prove excruciating. This book’s antagonist, Charlotte, has been difficult to read since the start of the series. Clearly she’s also reincarnated from Japan, but we get no details about that except her utter rage at the fact that the route is not going her way. Worst of all, this book features a lot more Charlotte than the first two, and her scenes are a lot harder to simply try to skip over. That said, I will admit the payoff to this is really, really good – more on that later. Alas, a cliffhanger shows that we’ll get more Charlotte in the fourth book. Which admittedly may be because without her around, there’s no real conflict or problems – it’s just Claire having a wonderful time with her fiance. Nice, but dull.

Claire is not quite at the point where she has to do anything from the last timeline yet. The magical tornado is still in the future, and they’re working hard to make sure that when she goes back home for the event that destroyed her last time, she’ll have better magical protection. Fortunately, several clues fall into her lap: her mother’s bracelet turns out to be a powerful magical tool provided they figure out how to activate it. And a series of fairy stories, shown to them by Claire’s former charge from her previous life, Isabella, tell you exactly what to do to activate it. What’s more, Nicola is now in Claire’s domain and is doing quite well for herself… though she seems to spend most of the time exasperated at Claire’s former fiance, Asgard. Everything is perfect… till Charlotte steals the bracelet.

There is one scene that made me cheer in this book, which unfortunately is balanced out by the scenes that made me rub my temples. As noted above, almost everything that drives the plot forward in this book occurs due to either a happy coincidence (the bracelet stuff) or brain-boggling stupidity (Claire leaving the bracelet in an easy place for Charlotte to steal it). Even the cliffhanger ending, which introduces a new antagonist, feels tacked on for the sake of a cliffhanger ending. HOWEVER, this is all offset by the villainess scene. After 87 million books where our heroine, as the villainess or a noble girl, is disgraced and shunned in public in a way that makes us sympathize with her, it’s a delight to see the same thing happen to Charlotte, who deserves every minute of it. I cheered.

Sadly, this is still something I would call a very “mid” series. If you’re still reading it, you can probably get the fourth volume, which I hope is the final one. But it’s not remotely essential.