Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, Vol. 3

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By Rifuin Na Magonote and Shirotaka. Released in Japan as “Mushoku Tensei – Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu” by Media Factory. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Paul Cuneo. Adapted by JY Yang.

A lot of people had talked about the influence of Mushoku Tensei on other reincarnation isekais, and I must admit after the first two volumes I wasn’t seeing it. If anything, this series is more interesting for what it doesn’t do, as we see Rudy training up as a child, and at the end of this book he’s still only eleven years old or so. The subplot with Eris in the second volume also seemed fairly unique. But then there was that cliffhanger, with everyone and everything being scattered to the four winds. Unfortunately, we don’t find out anyone else’s fate (though there is a bit at the end that hints about why it happened), but the good news is Rudeus and Eris are fine. The bad news is that they’ve ended up in the middle of the Demon Empire, and their only companion is a Superd, whose mere presence is enough to reduce people to shaking terror. And the better (or worse) news is that this volume has them become… adventurers.

Yes, THIS is what everyone was talking about when they mentioned influence. The guild, the levels, its rules. Unfortunately, Rudeus is in a bit of a bind, as he’s got a plan to a) get back home, and b) restore Ruijerd’s reputation so that everyone does not scream and try to kill him on sight. (He has a tragic backstory.) This requires being a cool adventurer, but that takes lots of time and grinding. Fortunately (?), he has some advice from a god who speaks to him through his dreams (more things we’ve seen in other reincarnation books), and so is able to cheat the system a bit and Make.Levels.Fast. Unfortunately, Rudeus is still the combination of a precocious child and a shiny shut-in, so sometimes he has grand plans and they end up going very badly. It’s not till the end of the book that he works out how to handle their group of three, and by then they’re off to another city.

Rudeus is the highlight of the book, and the book is at its best when he’s seeing the consequence of a bad decision he’s made, usually involving someone dying. He’s having to grow up fast, and relying on his past life really isn’t helping here. After a couple volumes showing him as a child prodigy, he struggles with exhaustion, his magic isn’t always useful or effective, and he resembles what he is: promising but that’s about it. Eris does not fare quite as well here, for the most part remaining the hothead tsundere girl, though her swordsmanship is miles ahead of Rudy by now and she’s on her way towards being a legend. The debut here is Ruijerd, who is a good strong, silent type, and again at his best when he’s upset, such as when Rudy makes bad decisions and people die. I like him.

It’s clear that this book is the start of an ‘arc’, and I’m not sure when Rudy and Eris will be returning to what’s left of their home. Till then, though, enjoy a volume that’s a bit more like what you’ve read before but still worth reading.

Stravaganza: The Queen in the Iron Mask, Vol. 1

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By Akihito Tomi. Released in Japan as “Stravaganza – Isai no Hime” by Enterbrain, serialized in the magazines Fellows! and Harta. Released in North America by Udon Entertainment. Translated by Zack Davisson.

Sometimes when you see manga brought over to North America in omnibus format, it’s because the series would be too long otherwise (see, for example, YowaPeda). Sometimes it’s because of financial considerations. Sometimes it’s because the series is only 2-3 volumes long so it makes sense to release it all at once. And sometimes it’s because the publisher knows that the series only really gets good at the second volume, and doesn’t want everyone to read the first one and then drop it like a hot potato. After reading Stravaganza, I’m fairly sure that this last one is the reason we start with an omnibus of the first two books. The first volume is not bad per se, particularly if you’re a fan of nudity. But the nudity seems to be the point of the book, and it doesn’t really impress. That changes when we start the equivalent of Volume 2, when suddenly things turn very dark and very violent.

Queen Vivian is the titular Queen, leader of a small Kingdom who wears a knight’s mask to disguise her face. She takes advantage of this by walking around the kingdom posing as a common adventurer, Claria, confident that the mask means no one will recognize her. This is annoying to her lady maid as well as her lead Knight, but what are they going to do? The Kingdom seems to be fairly isolated, and also has several species of monster living in its forest, including the Umber, whose snarling face can be seen in the background of the cover. The manga starts off with wacky antics, and while “Claria” is briefly in danger from the monsters, it gives every impression of being relatively lighthearted, including a “guess which of us is the queen” scene and tripping and falling out of her gown, revealing her breasts to her subjects. It was very much “for teenage boys.”

Then we hit the halfway point, and suddenly a huge herd of Umber are slaughtering everyone in the kingdom, climbing the walls to the castle, and looking for all the world like they’d stepped out of Attack on Titan. You sense there will be an arc where the kingdom unites to subdue the monsters, but these monsters are simply too overpowered and terrifying. In the end, they’re forced to flee the land after over 90% of its people are killed. The humor does not entirely go away (the Queen races forward ahead of everyone else, and is later found panting on the ground begging to be carried) and the nudity is still around, but there is a definitely “fun times are over” sense to things, which makes some plotlines such as the return of a lecherous old man from the first part (who’s far more dangerous – and lecherous – here) seem out of place.

I was interested enough in the first book to get another one, but it has to be said: the tone of this is all over the place. If you want a good action manga and don’t mind a lot of nudity, you might enjoy this, but be prepared to have it wander all over the place before it settles down.

Invaders of the Rokujouma!?, Vol. 22

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By Takehaya and Poco. Released in Japan as “Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?” by Hobby Japan. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Warnis.

The plot continues from the last volume, with Koutarou, Theia and Yurika stranded away from the rest of the cast and needing to make their way towards them without getting caught by the military. The rest of the cast have little to do, though Ruth does meet her father, who is happy his little girl is maturing, and also happy she’s fallen for a guy, though Ruth has not quiet told him the “let’s share Koutarou” plan she and Theia have set up. And then there’s Elexis, Maya, and the rest of Darkness Rainbow, who are joining up with the military in order to pursue their own goals, only to find that the military’s “burn everything to the ground” strategy is inimical to their own desires and goals. With that in mind, can Koutarou and company trust Elexis and company long enough to save the planet from a killer virus? And is it time for Magical Girl Pretty Yurika to shine once more?

Most of the book is as good as always, though I wasn’t very much into the part where, to get through a city, Koutarou, Theia and Yurika have to disguise themselves as dogs and cats, something which sounds like it was written in order to create a color illustration more than anything else. More interesting by far was the plot with Elexis, Maya and Darkness Rainbow. They’ve been set up as the best of the villains we’ve had to date, and it’s because their goals are, while not the same as our heroes, at least not evil. Darkness Rainbow want a place to return to and freedom. Elexis regards the kingdom’s rule as a failure and wants it replaced with his own as he thinks it’s better. This is why one of the best scenes shows Elexis coming up against the military leader Vandarion and being overwhelmed by his presence – it helps to show us that a) this guy IS ready to do bad things, and b) he’s not going to be a pushover like Kiriha’s villains were..

Despite being filled with battles and fights (indeed, one of Darkness Rainbow decides to help our heroes because a planet with everyone dead from a virus is a planet where she can’t FIGHT EVERYONE!), Rokujouma’s main success continues to be showing how a harem romance does not need constant conflict between either the fiancees and the heroine or the fiancees and each other to tell a good story. Everyone gets along. Yurika may whine, but she stops immediately when it’s something that she’s best at – indeed, stopping the virus bomb may be her finest hour to date. Likewise, Koutarou and Theia get into a stereotypical “tsundere yells and hits hero” fight, but they’re both hitting each other, and it’s actually a way to make her calm down and blow off steam, and everyone knows it. We’re at the point in the series where “there’s a wacky misunderstanding!” is not needed anymore, and that’s the main reason this is still so good.

We’ve caught up to where the “fan releases” were before J-Novel Club’s unique license, so I expect that the next few volumes may come out in clumps – indeed, I may review them in clumps. Till then, despite being 22 volumes and counting, this is still a series everyone should check out to see a Battle Harem done right.