86 –Eighty-Six–, Vol. 8: Gun Smoke on the Water

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By Asato Asato and Shirabii. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Roman Lempert.

As expected, after last volume’s romantic comedy shenanigans, we’re back to normal service with this volume of 86. Oh sure, the aftermath of Shin and Lena is still hanging around, and needless to say, the reader wants to strangle Lena. Don’t expect resolution in this book, though, because instead our heroes join up with a group of countries who normally try to avoid the threat of massive sea monsters, but sadly the Legion have proven to be even more dangerous to them, and finally, after ten years of slowly getting destroyed, they’re forced to call other nations for help. On the bright side, this means everyone gets to see the sea! On the down side, the sea is not really the gorgeous blue Mediterranean they had expected, but more of a cold Norway-style sea. What’s more, thanks to the cliffhanger from last time, there is a possibility that the end of the war could be in sight. Which means… thinking past the war. This proves difficult for some, especially Theo, the focus of this book.

I’m not great at remembering character appearances in this series beyond Shin and Lena, so when the cover art to Vol. 8 came out, I joked that 86 was crossing over with Isekai Quartet. But no, that’s not Tanya on the cover, it’s Theo, and he’s not having a good time. Several of the 86 are doing a much better job than he is at imagining a future for themselves that does not involve constant war and battle. He’s still haunted by the death of his former captain. And the Island Nations folks are weighing heavily on him, as they’ve thrown away their pride in order to protest what’s left of their people against the Legion. Given the 86 are supposedly left with nothing BUT pride, this baffles Theo. Fortunately, about 3/4 of this book is a huge sea battle against an unstoppable enemy that always looks dead but isn’t, with the potential for everyone to die horribly. So no change there, then.

As you might gather, the battles are excellent, but I can’t really say a lot about them, as military fighting novels are not my metier. Indeed, it’s still surprising how much I follow this series given that it hits a lot of my “no thanks” buttons, and it’s credit to the author. There is a Situation towards the end which deeply affects a number of the main cast, and while the reader has no doubt that all will be well, it does allow for some additional character development to be pulled off very well. That said… look, I’ve been waiting for another major cast member to die since Book 1, and have been very surprised it didn’t happen. And, spoiler, it doesn’t happen here either. That said, death is not the only way to leave a fight, and also not the only way to winnow down a cast. I suspect the majority of the 9th book is going to be dealing with the 86 having to cope with the events in this book.

So yes, fans should be pleased with Gun Smoke on the Water, despite an annoying lack of Frank Zappa and the Mothers. Will the war end anytime soon? I’m guessing no, but small steps is fine.

Durarara!!SH, Vol. 2

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By Ryohgo Narita and Suzuhito Yasuda. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Stephen Paul.

I always love to start off a review by admitting I was wrong. So yes, sorry Izaya, it turns out you were NOT the one who told Yahiro to come to Tokyo after all, it was Shinra, who is also an agent of chaos, just with a bit less malice. Of course, that’s all very well and good, but his arrival, along with meeting Himeka and Kuon, seems to have started everyone back on to their usual mess again. Narita specializes in chains of unconnected events exploding outward till they all connect, and that’s what happens here, thanks to… well, some of it is indirectly thanks to Izaya. OK, most of it. But alas, he’s still not in these books. But Celty returns, and it’s refreshing to see that she is much the same as she was before. Albeit a lot more panicked, given that while she was having a hot springs tour, people kept disappearing and she got the blame. We also find out a lot more about Himeka and Kuon… who both have a lot of issues to deal with as well.

Given that both Yahiro and Himeka are actively looking for Celty, it’s rather surprising that their confrontation goes so well. Then again, Celty’s a sweetie pie, as anyone who spends time around her knows. This helps Himeka to let go of the rage and anger towards the headless rider… and also makes her realize what’s actually going on, which is not supernatural in nature but instead involves a broken family, the desperation of being a true believer, and a drug that does very bad things to you. As for Yahiro, well, his fight with Shizuo was not nearly as secret as he’d hoped, and now everyone knows there’s a new bad boy in town. What’s more, one of his new friends is trying to manipulate him. Can he manage to resolve what it means to be a human with the monster that everyone says he is?

The answer is no, but don’t worry, that’s a good answer – in fact, it’s the best part of the book. DRRR!! is a series where we see normal, non-powerful humans turning out to be the absolute scum of the earth, while one of the actual supernatural monsters is one of the nicest people in it. Ikebukuro is a place where being a monster may be cool, it may attract attention, it may force events to revolve around you… but it’s not really the terrible thing that Yahiro dealt with in his small town. As for the human part of the book… well, Horada, everyone’s least favorite minor villain, is out of jail and still just as pathetic, but I think we know by now he’s a running gag. More concerning is the Heaven’s Slave drug, which has not only made a big comeback but also brought back two somewhat more major villains, both of whom have decided to get revenge on the city rather than a person. No doubt that will spark the third volume.

All this and I didn’t even get into the use of cults and their use to get away from what ails you, which can be a problem when your cult leader suddenly disappears. In any case, if you love DRRR!!, Izaya or no, this is a very fun volume, greatly enjoyable.

Konosuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! Bonus Story: Deadbeat Busters

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By Natsume Akatsuki and Kurone Mishima. Released in Japan as “Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Bakuen wo!” by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Alex Wetnight.

After three volumes that act as a prequel to the main series, and two volumes that give us the further adventures of Megumin trying to adventure with a different group of characters, we have finally come to the end of her spinoff. There are, of course, still a number of KonoSuba spinoffs out there, albeit unlicensed. Heck, even in Japan it’s hard to keep up with the source – one story in this volume has the author apologize in the afterword, as it brings back an antagonist from a preorder bonus story. So it’s not just English speakers who can’t keep up. More to the point, rejoice! This volume takes place after Book 14, meaning that for once, we’re getting a spinoff volume exactly where it should be. As for the premise? Well, I mean, wacky Megumin antics, for the most part, what do you expect? But mostly it’s about Megumin realizing that, much as she has fun with her side story adventuring party, there’s no party quite like home.

Megumin wants to go out and adventure, but it’s the rainy season, and Kazuma, Aqua and Darkness really don’t want to. Particularly Kazuma, which annoys her, as they’re supposed to be a couple. Clearly it’s time to get the side character band back together: Yunyun, who may be the next chief of the Crimson Magic Clan but still will walk down a suspicious dark alley with three burly dudes if they say they’ll be her friend; Iris, who is determined to go out and be a hero even though the slightest thing harming her will mean execution for the rest of the party; and Cecily, who… ugh, must we? They meet an eccentric scholar with a passion for rare monsters and a desire to impress the woman he likes, and so try to defeat a King Toad (much larger than the toads we’ve seen before) and a poison slime (which is not Cecily’s fault technically, but let’s blame her anyway) before Kazuma finally shows up with the rest of the team and they take on a Crystal Liger, its magpie tendencies, and its poop.

First, the most important part of any KonoSuba book: the book is quite funny, with a lot of good gags. As always, Megumin and Yunyun trade off the position of “the only one with common sense” throughout the book, though more accurately Yunyun has it 75% of the time. She and Iris manage to take down a wyvern on their own, though we don’t see it, and I think she’s going to be a powerhouse once she gets over her pathetic insecurities about friends. Getting away from Megumin might also help. As for the title character, as I noted above, this book serves to show to her that it’s most fun back with Kazuma, Aqua, and Darkness. More to the point, she finds she does not like being the leader of a party, and feels sympathy for Kazuma… though I assume that will vanish when she gets to go back to being the loose cannon we know and love.

So that’s it for the spinoff. Fortunately, we have more of the main series coming in the fall. Till then, Megumin fans should enjoy this.