Spy Classroom: To My Dearest Grete

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By Takemachi and Tomari. Released in Japan as “Spy Kyoushitsu” by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Nathaniel Thrasher.

It’s always tricky writing the second volume of what was clearly meant to be a one-volume stand alone. There’s a bit of reshuffling the cards, a lot of “our work is not yet done”. More importantly, we have to find out about the rest of the cast. Spy Classroom 1 was terrific, but it really only gave insight into two of the girls, so we need to get into a few more heads. Here, aside from Lily (who is clearly the ‘main heroine’), we have Grete, who gets the bulk of the heavy lifting and is the planner of the group; Sybilla, who is the straightforward “when all you have is a hammer” type; and Sara, the meek animal lover. Note that none of these are the girl (girls?) on the cover, as she’s elsewhere during the contents of this book, something the author apologizes for. (Indeed, she’s also on the cover of Book 3, which seems excessive.) In any case, these three, plus Lily, get the important mission of helping Klaus take out a spy.

Klaus is not particularly happy about this, as he doesn’t think that any of the girls are ready to do major spy missions – indeed, Lily and Sybilla are poleaxed when they find out that they’re part of the team chosen. As for the mission, well, there’s an assassin going around killing off left-wing politicians. Nicknamed Corpse, he always makes it appear as though they jumped to their death. And next on his list is influential politician Uwe Appel. Grete, Lily and Sybilla arrive at his house pretending to be maids, while Klaus and Sara provide backup. Of course, there are a few tiny problems. Lily is a classic clumsy shoujo heroine, so asking her to be a maid is a reach. The man they’re protecting seems to be angry constantly and find everything wanting, including them. And Klaus really isn’t doing much except giving the occasional piece of advice. Is this really so straightforward?

Of course it’s not – as with the first book, there’s a lot of Christie-style twists that I will try not to spoil. Amusingly, the identity of the villain is not one of them – those are the easy clues left out for the reader to pounce on so that they miss the other stuff. But it’s quite well written (that said, as I’ve noted before,l I tend to be a sucker when I read mysteries, so YMMV). As for characterization, Grete and Sybilla get the bulk of it. We learn their tragic backstories (as does Uwe, who seems to be a lot more savvy than he lets on most of the time) and root for them, particularly Grete, who is not only dealing with her burgeoning love for Klaus but also androphobia (yes, both at the same time). This resolves in a way that made me smile, as the series reaffirms that it’s not gonna be romantic but is instead about family. Which these kids are.

I’m startled how fast I’ve taken to this series. We’re only two volumes in and I’m already putting it up there with my favorite LN series of all time. It’s just a great read, lots of thrilling action and emotional turmoil. And accidental poisoning. All the best light novels have that. In any case, the third book promises to focus on the remainder of the group, and I can’t wait.

My Next Life As a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Vol. 11

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By Satoru Yamaguchi and Nami Hidaka. Released in Japan as “Otome Game no Hametsu Flag Shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei Shite Shimatta…” by Ichijinsha Bunko Iris. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Marco Godano.

I get the sense that the publisher may be telling the author “can we start to move towards the ending, however little”, because the first half of this book has Katarina finally admit out loud… and more importantly, admit to Jeord and Keith… that the reason she has been bouncing off their love confessions is not because she doesn’t like them or is afraid of their advances. Nor is it because love is not something that she can feel. It’s because she’s gotten so completely fixated on “if I fall in love I will turn into the Katarina of the game and get jealous and evil” that love terrifies her. As explanations go, it’s not too bad, and works within the confines of the series. She still puts them off, saying she has something she needs to do first. That being avoid the ending off Fortune Lover 2. That said, it’s no surprise that fans of Jeord and Keith loved the spoilers for this book much more than everyone else.

Of course, just because Katarina’s love life may be closer to resolution does not mean we still don’t have lots of plot points dangling. The mad relative in the attic that Katarina keeps running into when she visits the palace insists that she’s leading all her love interests on. And the King also wants to discuss Maria and Katarina’s grimoires, but also tell them about the kingdom’s bloody and brutal past, just in case. Fortunately, both handle it well. The second half of the book forcuses on Dewey, who is dealing with both a crush on Maria and guilt stemming from his family back home. The two come together when a letter calls Dewey home and Maria and Katarina follow along… along with Larna, who has her suspicions. Turns out Dewey’s upbringing manages to be even worse than Maria’s. Can Katarina work her magic? Or, for once, is this a job for someone else?

As with all books since the end of “Season 2”, if you’re a fan of Mary or Sophia, you really should give up (and you probably have, judging by what I see on Tumblr). Fortunately, as with the rest of the series, Maria is an exception. Here we see how, as with Katarina, she too is maturing. Sometimes this comes across when she deftly rebuffs any attempts to date her – Dewey asking her out to lunch becomes “and Katarina will come too” so fast it was stunning. She knows who she likes. More to the point, after resolving her relationship with her mother, and gaining confidence from simply being around Katarina, she’s able to try to resolve things with her father, who has been doing the old “I will make them look good by making myself look bad” shtick. That said… boy, that resolution took five seconds. A bit more conflict might have made more impact.

So even as Jeord fans rub their hands gleefully, and Mary fans bite their handkerchiefs, the series itself is caught up with Japan, and Book 12 is not scheduled yet. So it will be a while. Till then, enjoy Katarina using empathy as a superpower again.

Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte: Disc 2

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By Suzu Enoshima and Eihi. Released in Japan as “Tsundere Akuyaku Reijou Liselotte to Jikkyou no Endo-kun to Kaisetsu no Kobayashi-san” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Mikey N.

One complaint a lot of people have about villainess novels it that it seems highly unlikely that the heroine would really be so oblivious not to realize that the original premise of the series went off the rails the moment she started making everyone fall for her/becoming an adventurer or world leader instead/sipped tea in a prison cell while bullying her ex, etc. But let’s face it, when you know the script, it can be hard to improvise. It may be a bad end, but dammit, at least it’s a straight line. So I don’t blame Endo and Kobayashi for thinking that, even though they’ve improved Lieselotte’s life vastly, they still have to deal with the whole evil witch possessing her. Indeed, the first half of the book sets us up for just that. But what follows is… well, it’s a lot less satisfying from the perspective of a game fan, but it’s a heck of a lot funnier for us, the reader.

As I said, the start of the book makes it seem as if the Witch possessing Lieselotte and forcing a bad end is still very much in platy. Toward that end, not only does Sieg have to keep his fiancee happy, but they also have to recruit the other two love interests… only this time without them falling for Fiene, who already has a boyfriend. What’s more, they suddenly realize that if this isn’t a game and they aren’t limited to the school grounds, they can ask actual adults to help! Meanwhile, Endo and Kobayashi are also getting ready for the culture festival, and fending off the idea that literally everyone thinks they’re already a couple. Unfortunately, when Kobayashi’s older sister arrives we get one of those classic “I came in halfway through the conversation and completely misunderstood everything” moments. Can they save Lieselotte AND manage to confess to each other?

I’m trying not to spoil, but I have to admit, possibly the best part of the book is the appearance of the witch, and who she really is. As a climax to an otome game plotline, or a major supernatural battle, it’s abysmally awful, but I was laughing my ass off. This also helps, though, as it makes the final part of the book, back in Japan, be far more about Endo and Kobayashi’s misunderstood feelings rather than about the possessed Kuon trying to forcibly take back his long lost love even if it means destroying the world. I also appreciated the fact that in the end they get to have Lieselotte in THEIR heads explaining exactly what they’re missing… as well as the “witch”, who does sort of help. I guess. It’s a satisfying conclusion to a book that was always meant to be more fun than dramatic.

This is the final volume, which feels about right. Dragging this out would lose the impact. At two volumes, it’s a great read, especially if you’re looking for a villainess novel but also love Twitch streamers.