Tag: Adventure

Bofuri, Vol. 2 (LN)

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Bofuri, Vol. 2 by Yuumikan, Koin
Series Name: Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense. (Light Novel)
Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Magic, Sci-Fi, Slice of Life, Video Games
Intended Age Group: 13+
Publisher: Yen On/Yen Press
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-9753-2354-7
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

Maple has become famous overnight after finishing in the tip three of the battle royal and defeating over two thousand players without taking any damage at all. Now, with the treasure hunt event about to start, Maple and Sally set off in search of rare gear and adventure! The game admins and other players look on in both fear and excitement as they wait to see what crazy new development is about to hit the server!

Personal & Info

For others getting the light novels, the cover of the book is the papery kind, not the glossy kind. Because of this, it’s more flimsy. Mine has a small tear on it just from picking it up and setting it down a few times. You might want to be extra careful with how you handle it.

Characters

Kaede Honjou, player name Maple, is the main character. She didn’t play video games much until she tried New World Online. The game has a pain system that allows the player to actually feel pain when they take damage. Because of this feature, Maple puts ALL stat points into her defense.

Risa Shiromine, player name Sally, is Maple’s friend. She introduced Kaede to the game, and decided to follow her lead in making an overpowered build. Her primary stat is agility, and she has a special skill as a gamer to be able to handle fast movement and reaction times without any additional program assistance.

Several new characters appear in this volume. I can’t easily list them here without spoilers, so I’ll let anyone who doesn’t already know who they are find out by reading.

Story & Thoughts

This volume holds up well compared to the first. It’s approximately twice as thick, which is nice. The entire event they were prepping for is encompassed in this one book, so you don’t have to worry about getting the third to find out how it ends.

The length works against it a little, too, though. My biggest issue with the book is that there are several sections of the story where they have to wander around rather aimlessly. But, when something is happening, it’s really good. The various dungeons and bosses they have to clear are interesting. The boss fight with the bird had me on the edge of my seat. There’s still a decent amount of comedy mixed into the story, too.

In the first volume, there are occasional wholesome chapters of what people say in the game’s forums in reaction to Maple’s rise to fame. This one has something similar, which is the admins monitoring the event. Whenever Maple or Sally succeed at something that is designed to be impossible, or stumble into interesting situations, the admins freak out. It’s amusing, because the admins are afraid of either of them getting any more overpowered than they already are. There is also one tiny forum section as part of a normal chapter after the event is over.

The series does a good job making sure the reader knows where and how skills are obtained. However, Maple seems to have some skills that are not on her list of character information. I think they are skills she’s probably had all along, and just did not use until now. Several skills she uses in the event seem to be derived from her Hydra ability. When she first got and used the skills connected to that, there was an implication that there were only two skills: Hydra and Paralyze Shout.

I think I can excuse this, because of how early in the story it is. Maple is likely still learning what she can do. When she has to get down the cliff, she does take some time to look at her skills to see what is available to her. This all leads me to believe Hydra itself is more overpowered than I initially thought.

Overall, the book is really good. I wasn’t even in the mood to read it when I started, but after a chapter or two, I was sucked in. The series really is that good. I might have to bump it up on my priority list, because I’m always sad I don’t have the next volume.

The Invincible Shovel, Vol. 1 (LN)

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The Invincible Shovel, Vol. 1 by Yasohachi Tsuchise, Hagure Yuuki
Series Name: The Invincible Shovel (Light Novel)
Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: Seven Seas
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-64505-442-9
Rating: 1/5
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Description from the Book

The strongest miner in the world, Alan can reduce mountains to rubble with a swing of his trusty shovel—a legendary tool that grants him immortal life and can blast through the strongest of foes. When this legendary miner teams up with a runaway princess to track down cursed jewels and save her kingdom from an invading demon force, evil doesn’t stand a chance! A hilarious fantasy tale for fans of RPGs, with adventure…in spades!

Personal & Info

My light novel collection is currently rather small, so I’m gradually trying to expand it. Part of my process for doing that is getting my hands on some first volumes of things to try. This book is one of those volumes.

Shortly before reading this, I did a little research. It turns out that there are only four available volumes, and no new content has been added or announced since around 2020. The series is currently considered unfinished, and likely abandoned by the author, so keep that in mind if you decide to get into it.

Characters

Alan is the main character. He is a 1,011-year-old miner who lives alone on a mountain. His social skills are not great, but his shovel power is unmatched.

Lithisia is the fifteen-year-old princess of Rostir. She is first in line for her throne, and she needs help to save her kingdom from a demon villain by the name of Zeleburg.

Catria is Lithisia’s friend and sworn protector. She’s an embarrassment of a knight, and seems to be the only person in the story that has any common sense.

Fioriel is the last elf, and descendent of one of Alan’s friends. Alan considers her to be his niece.

Alice Veknarl is the last queen of Riften, and undead heir to the power of Veknar.

Julia is a water priestess from the Rahal tribe.

Story & Thoughts

This…This is not good. There is so much wrong with it. I had concerns early on when Lithisia explained the plot.

Lithisia, the princess of Rostir, goes into a long-winded explanation about why she is not in her castle, and why she needs help. At first, this description sounds very similar to the situation with Jafar and Jasmine from Aladdin. But as she goes on to say she has a body double covering for her, I can’t help but wonder why the villain can’t just force the body double into marriage and make everyone think he married Lithisia. Her story seems to have a significant amount of potential problematic holes in it.

After that, everything just becomes absolutely ridiculous. The characters are more like caricatures. Lithisia becomes hyper-religious about shovels, to the point she very obviously wants to turn her country into a cult. Her personality becomes the embodiment of shovel worship. I know the intention is to be for comedy, but it just paints her as a complete airhead and makes her annoying. Her friend Catria is the only person who does not buy into her new shovel religion.

Another aspect of the story I find annoying, everything has to be thought of as erotic or an innuendo. The joke is that girls want Alan sexually, but he’s too dense to realize it, because in his mind, there is no way that could possibly be what they want. I think the book does a poor job with this kind of humor. It’s like it’s trying to be a harem without actually committing to being a harem since the dude isn’t interested in anybody.

I guess, the long of the short is, it feels too try hard. I know it’s absurdist comedy, but I think it could still be that and be written better. It says it’s for teens, but the humor feels more juvenile than that age group despite a lot of it being sexual jokes.

Maybe it’s just not my kind of comedy, but I genuinely did not enjoy this. I have no interest in reading more volumes, so my copy will be going into the donate pile. If you want to read something good with absurdist humor, I recommend JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm, Vol. 4

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Daemons of the Shadow Realm, Vol. 4 by Hiromu Arakawa
Series Name: Daemons of the Shadow Realm
Genres: Action, Adventure, Supernatural
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Square Enix
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-64609-259-8
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

Dera suddenly arrives at the manor, as if to interrupt Yuru’s somber thoughts about Asa’s past. Though a tense debate about the twins unfolds, it’s Yuru who has the last word: a brash declaration to all hostiles! As he leaves the Kagemoris behind for Dera’s secret lair, however, a vicious pair of Daemons lies in wait. Right and Left must take on a primal evil to keep their master alive!

Personal & Info

I feel like maybe I should have read volume three fresh before starting this one, but my reading gap wasn’t as far apart as some of my other ones, so I think it’s fine. When I picked it up to get started I couldn’t help feeling like it was just so small, and that makes me disappointed that I have to wait for the next volume to release. At least August is not that far off compared to some of the longer waits I’ve experienced with other manga.

Characters

Yuru is the older male twin of the two main characters. He has great hunting skills and a helpful nature.

Asa is the younger female twin of the two main characters. She is Yuru’s younger sister, and she seems to adore her brother with an unusual intensity.

Gabby is Asa’s best friend and bodyguard.

Ryuu Tadera, who goes by Dera, is a seer. This means he can see Daemons. He is half of the Higashi Village retainer pair, and he acts as supply runner and liaison. He is currently posing as Yuru’s father and guardian.

Hana Danno is Dera’s partner, the other half of the Higashi Village retainer pair. She’s also a seer, but she’s never been to the village. When Dera goes up to the village, she usually waits somewhere outside as his transportation. She’s currently masquerading as Yuru’s step mother.

Ken Tadera is a new character introduced in this volume. He’s thirteen, and obviously related to Ryuu Tadera.

Jin Kagemori is the youngest of the three Kagemori brothers. He’s a high rank in the family organization in which Asa chooses to reside. His current goal is to try to recruit Yuru willingly.

Divine Guardians Left and Right are the most important daemon characters with ongoing appearances. Yuru is their master and they rarely ever leave his side. They are made of stone, and their abilities are intended to be direct counters to Break and Seal.

Story & Thoughts

I wasn’t entirely in the mood to read this when I started, so it’s possible this might deserve a higher score than what I’m giving it. It starts with the imminent fight volume three sets up, with the Daemon pair Tenaga-Ashinaga, also known as Long-Arm and Long-Leg. The fight takes up a good chunk of the book, but once it’s over, the story turns in a plot building direction.

A few new characters appear, some foreboding, others beneficial. We get some info dumps, and detective work, to find out even more information. Who can they talk to who might know where the Tadera head and Yuru’s parents went? How did people get into the compound through a gate that doesn’t exist? These are the main questions everybody is trying to answer.

We don’t really learn much, but we do get some new plot hooks. It seems the village is not yet done being tormented, and Yuru or Asa might have some rescuing to do later. I would guess Yuru, since he is the one who currently has the freedom to do what he wants.

Despite this being the lowest rating I’ve given any volume, so far, I still enjoyed it. I love the characters. Their personalities are so distinct from each other, and the comedy of their actions is so well placed. I’m also just a huge fan of Hiromu Arakawa’s portrayal of facial expressions. The story has so much to build on at this point, and I am excited to see what happens.

Spice & Wolf, Vol. 10 (LN)

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Spice & Wolf, Vol. 10 by Isuna Hasekura
Series Name: Spice & Wolf (Light Novel)
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Commerce
Intended Age Group: 15+
Publisher: Yen On/Yen Press
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-316-32236-2
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

After the turmoil in Kerube, Lawrence and his companions make for the kingdom of Winfiel across the sea. Their destination is the great abbey of Brondel, said to hold the wolf bones they seek. Arriving in the kingdom, they hear tell that the abbey, normally prosperous due to its great wool trade, has fallen into a financial crisis. Worse, the most powerful economic force in the world—the Ruvik Alliance—is entering the kingdom with its eye upon the abbey’s land holdings…

Personal & Info

It’s been a while since I circled back around to this series. I don’t remember how the events of volume nine concluded, but I do remember the majority of the significant parts. This book gives a few refreshers about those events, so that helped jog my memory a bit.

Characters

I don’t remember why, but something in the previous volume led me to believe Holo would have reason to be cross with Lawrence. I guess I was mistaken, because she has no lingering anger toward him. Lawrence is set on doing things by himself, so Holo takes a back seat for this one. She actually stays behind at their lodgings frequently, and only gives small indications of moral support or implied guidance when she’s present for negotiations. Lawrence seems to make progress in being honest with himself about his feelings, but he still doesn’t voice any of them.

Col doesn’t seem to have much to do. He’s just kind of around. He doesn’t seem to like some of Lawrence’s more blunt opinions on things.

Huskins is a shepherd. He tends to the Abbey’s vast quantity of sheep. The role he plays in the story is interesting.

Piasky is a face character of the Ruvik Alliance. Lawrence goes to him for pretty much everything. He’s also one of the few characters who can make Lawrence jealous because of what Holo thinks. There’s no problem of a crush like before, though. This one is more of a situation of Holo possibly thinking he is more admirable and capable than Lawrence.

Story & Thoughts

Lawrence’s group has left Kerube. They are following the rumor of the wolf bones to Winfiel, armed only with letters of support from Lud Kieman and Eve Bolan. This is the last journey Holo and Lawrence can currently use as an excuse to stay together, while neither of them is willing to be honest about their feelings.

Our group of travelers has uncanny luck for stumbling into interesting economic situations. They have no intention of getting involved, but of course, they never have a choice in the end. They always get involved.

The story for this one is a bit dull compared to some of the others. There’s a lot of information gathering, and then when things get serious, it feels more like a game of chess than their usual business dealings. I don’t think they make any profit from this trip, either. It’s more like they choose to do a good deed because it aligns with their morals and what they are after.

Honestly, I’m not satisfied with the ending. Lawrence is more honest with himself about how important Holo is to him, but he never says anything about it. Additionally, the group never discusses what they plan to do after their dealings with the wolf bones. I think it’s just assumed that he will go with her to Yoitsu as promised, but if that’s the case, why is he so worried about her running off without him for the duration of the book? He insists on handling everything himself so that she won’t have any excuse to leave. Maybe that’s just paranoia on his part.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 7

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Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 7 by Kanehito Yamada, Tsukasa Abe
Series Name: Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
Genres: Adventure, Elves, Fantasy, Magic
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: Viz/Shonen Sunday
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-9747-3620-1
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

Elf mage Frieren and her courageous fellow adventurers have defeated the Demon King and brought peace to the land. But Frieren will long outlive the rest of her former party. How will she come to understand what life means to the people around her?

After all the dangers the examinees have faced, passing the first-class mage exam will come down to a simple interview with Serie, whose intuition will determine success or failure. Then, Frieren, Fern, and Stark set out again on the road to Aureole, the land where souls rest. The journey provides new challenges – though the most challenging thing Stark and Fern may have to face is a date with each other!

Personal & Info

I bought this at the same time as volume six, and read them one after the other after my reread of the series. At this point, there are ten volumes available, so I’m still a little behind. When I eventually get caught up, I plan to try to keep up better with the current releases.

Characters

Frieren is an elf mage famous for defeating the demon king with her companions around 80 years ago. She’s a bit of a slob and rather lazy. Her hobby is collecting any and all types of magic spells, no matter how useless they may seem. Her perspective on magic is that the pursuit of the art itself is the greatest joy.

Fern is Frieren’s mage companion and apprentice. She seems to take a motherly role in caring for both Frieren and Stark.

Stark is Eisen’s apprentice. He has great skill as a warrior, but tends to be easy to scare.

Story & Thoughts

This one felt long. It’s not, but the pacing makes it feel like both a lot and nothing are happening in a way that makes the volume feel lengthy. I think the beginning and end sections were the best parts.

The first part of the volume covers the third part of the exam, picking up where the previous book leaves off with Fern. The rest of the examinees are then evaluated. If you read volume six, you know that this part of the test is simply Serie choosing to pass or fail them based on reactions or questions. I found this part amusing, because Serie’s questions and judgements about who passes and fails says a lot about her personality. It’s an interesting way to learn more about her character.

After the exam, there are the goodbyes to all the friends everyone made during the test. Some are seen again on the road, but things mostly get back to the travel montages and various flashbacks of things from Frieren’s past.

The part that excites me, and probably other readers with ships, is the latter end of the book. Stark and Fern actually go on their first date. It’s cute, but don’t get your hopes up too high. No drastic changes or improvements to their relationship occur during or because of the date.

There isn’t much action now that the exam is over, but this is still a good volume. I found myself smiling at multiple parts throughout the story. Despite the series starting off on a depressing note, I think it’s very heartwarming. It’s a comfortable and cozy feeling to read almost any volume.

Negima! Omnibus, Vol. 1

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Negima! Omnibus, Vol. 1 by Ken Akamatsu
Series Name: Negima! Magister Negi Magi
Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Magic, Romance
Intended Age Group: 16+
Publisher: Kodansha
Edition: ebook 
ISBN: 978-1-61262-820-2
Rating: 2/5
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Description

Negi Springfield is a young graduate fresh out of a magic academy. The next step in his education is a work study. His assignment is to be a teacher…at an all girls junior high!? Can he balance a job as a child teacher and manage to attain his goal of becoming a great wizard?

Personal & Info

Amazon does not appear to have an active listing for this book, so the link leads to the series list where volumes two and up can be found.

I don’t really know anything about this series, aside from that it was wildly popular at one point.

This is the first 3-in-1 omnibus edition of any manga I’ve ever read. I wasn’t sure how I was going to format the review, because I wasn’t sure if the volumes have clear dividers. It turns out they do, so I’ll be reviewing each individual volume, as well as the omnibus as a whole.

Individual ratings for the volumes:
Volume 1: 2/5
Volume 2: 1/5
Volume 3: 3/5

Characters

Negi Springfield is about 10 years old, and a graduate from a magic academy. He’s from Wales, and his school assigns him to be a teacher in japan at the all girls school, Mahora Academy, for the purpose of working toward his chosen career.

Asuna Kagurazaka is a blatant bully, and most likely the love interest. She’s also Negi’s roommate/guardian.

Konoka Konoe is the Headmaster’s granddaughter, and Asuna’s roommate.

Konoemon Konoe is the headmaster. He is aware that Negi is a wizard, and his head is shaped like a pear.

Takamichi Takahata is the teacher Asuna is crushing on. Negi takes over his class, and Takamichi is not around much after that.

Shizuna is one of the school guidance councilors.

Ayaka Yukihiro is the class representative. She has a rivalry with Asuna that dates back to when they were small.

Negi’s entire class makes up the main cast, so I’m not going to list them all. They are all rather unique and quirky. Their names and general information can be found on a page that shows the class roster. More detailed information about each can be found between chapters where they list student bio information in small groups. The characters I chose to list here are the ones I feel are most important or are not included in the roster because they are faculty.

Story & Thoughts

Volume 1

My first impression is that this is a very dated type of humor. It doesn’t appeal to me right now, but it’s probably absolutely hilarious to twelve-year-olds. The main character, Negi, repeatedly sneezes girls’ clothes off throughout the volume. I wouldn’t mind it so much if there were a logical reason behind it. The way it’s done makes it feel forced just to have an immediate comedic effect.

There is a huge amount of fan service in this. I don’t think I’ve ever read a manga with this much fan service in it that was not intended to be explicit. This has way more ecchi in it than any other teen series I’ve ever read. That’s what stands out the most, but there are some good things I like.

There’s a large cast of characters. The entire class all has names. It’s not one of those series where most of the students are nameless blobs that only exist in the background. The cast size isn’t important to me. It’s more impressive that they bother to show the class roster with everybody’s names and activities on it next to their photos. That’s a good page to reference if anyone ever needs a refresher on who is who.

Aside from that, I like one of Negi’s quotes. “Courage – even a little bit of it – is the real magic.” It’s simple, but inspiring. It’s also probably Negi’s only solid teacher moment in the entire volume one section.

As for the story itself, the concept is simple and straight forward. Negi must be a teacher at this all girls school until March to meet the study requirements for his magic school. Nothing goes according to plan, because he’s younger than the class, and the little bit of magic he can do both causes and remedies problems. Plus, he has Asuna as his own personal bully.

I’m hoping there will be more to the story than all the nonsense and fan service. It’s apparently a romance, and I can only guess that Asuna and Negi are going to be the pairing. That’s a little strange due to their age difference.

I see plenty the story can build on for plot points, already. There’s a part where Asuna seems to be the only person immune to a spell that effects the whole class. I hope there is an actual reason for this that gets addressed later. Negi didn’t seem to notice, but it has to mean something.

Volume 2

The more I read this, the more problems I notice. One of the big things is Negi is too close to his students. He allows them to call him by his first name. He’s more of a friend to his students than a teacher. It would be wise for him to set some boundaries.

I have an issue with the ongoing types of humor and fan service. They’re highly inappropriate, and quite frankly, give me the ick. The story thus far is full of scenarios that surround Negi with naked girls and regularly shove people’s faces into boobs. This is a normal type of comedy for the time period, but the ages involved make it gross, and there’s just far too much of it.

Negi says he is in his tenth year, which makes him actually nine. All of his students are approximately six years older than him. It’s disgusting for teenagers to act this way. They keep saying he’s just a kid, but realistically speaking, he’s old enough that he should not be treated like he’s still a toddler when it comes to nudity.

The story itself is pretty weak. Negi is supposed to be doing a normal non-magical job as a teacher, but he resorts to magic for everything. We find out in this volume that all of his athletic ability comes from his magic. He literally cannot function without it. He becomes a child that needs to be coddled if he can’t use it. Not only that, but whenever a problem arises, he thinks he should use magic to fix it. Maybe he will grow to stop relying on it so much as the series goes on. I would hope that he does.

I did like the concept of Library Island. It’s strange that a library like that would exist and nobody would question it or think it odd, but it’s still an interesting idea. I don’t think teenagers should be the ones doing expeditions for it, though. I think I would have enjoyed this section more if it wasn’t also riddled with fan service. Adventure and lore about the library could have been interesting enough if made the main focus of the dungeon delve.

To be perfectly honest, I considered abandoning this omnibus maybe halfway through. Finishing this section was difficult, but I’m determined to complete the book. I’ve heard enough about the series over the years to know how popular it was, so I want to be able to say I gave it a fair shake by getting through the first three volumes.

Volume 3

This is the best volume in the omnibus. The fan service is downplayed significantly compared to the other two sections. It’s actually a relief. The addition of a perverted animal seems redundant when the series already has a ton of fan service as it is, but thankfully that behavior dies down after the character’s introduction.

There is much more to like about this section than the previous two. The story itself stands out now that the fan service is tamped down. We learn information that creates questions to actually try hooking the series better. A magic system regarding a mage and a combat partner gets an explanation, which leads us to magical combat.

The battle was enthralling. Renewal of the contract seemed pointless, but I guess it functioned as a way for Asuna to distract Chachamaru while Negi fought the vampire. I finally found some comedy that actually appealed to me in this part, too. The speech sounds people make when they get hit or knocked around during a fight are hilarious.

If the whole series were more like this volume, I’d like it better. This is what the series should be like. Volumes one and two are horrible introductions.

Overall

This series gives me Love Hina vibes, but with a younger age group. That’s not a compliment. I don’t like Love Hina.

As a whole, it gives me the ick. Negi is nine, because he claims to be in his tenth year, and according to the character information between chapters, Asuna is approximately five or six years older than him. That kind of romantic pairing is gross, and the amount of nudity thrown at Negi is abhorrent.

This is supposed to be a comedy, but I don’t find it funny. The comedy types and tropes are dated and probably appeal better to a younger audience. I didn’t get a laugh until part 3, and it came from the noises people made when being hit or knocked back. I doubt I would have enjoyed this series back when I was in the target age group, either. The comedy seems to be on the level of twelve year olds, but the series is recommended for sixteen and up.

If the whole series was like volume three, I would be interested in reading more. Unfortunately, I can’t predict if the series is more like the first two or the third. Only one good volume out of the first three doesn’t bode well, so I don’t plan on looking into it any further.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 6

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Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 6 by Kanehito Yamada, Tsukasa Abe
Series Name: Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
Genres: Adventure, Elves, Fantasy, Magic
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: Viz/Shonen Sunday
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-9747-3400-9
Rating: 4.5/5
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Description from the Book

Elf mage Frieren and her courageous fellow adventurers have defeated the Demon King and brought peace to the land. But Frieren will long outlive the rest of her former party. How will she come to understand what life means to the people around her?

The mages begin the second stage of their certification exam: a dangerous expedition into the innermost depths of the ruins of the king’s tomb. This time, there are no teams and it’s every mage for themselves. Whether they want to team up or not, the challenge they will face – their own clones – will push their skills to the limit.

Personal & Info

I haven’t been keeping up with this series as well as I should. There are long gaps between some of my volumes getting read, and I don’t buy them as often as I would like. I did a reread of volumes 1-5 before reading this one, because it’s been more than six months since I read anything from the series. The reread was worth it. It made the transition to my newer volumes smoother and refreshed my memory.

Everybody probably knows this already, but there’s an anime for this series available now.

Characters

Frieren is an elf mage famous for defeating the demon king with her companions around 80 years ago. She’s a bit of a slob and rather lazy. Her hobby is collecting any and all types of magic spells, no matter how useless they may seem. Her perspective on magic is that the pursuit of the art itself is the greatest joy.

Fern is Frieren’s mage companion and apprentice. She seems to take a motherly role in caring for both Frieren and Stark. Her skill shines during the exams.

Kanne and Lawine are both third-class mages. They were Frieren’s teammates for the first part of the exam. Both of them attended the same academy of magic, and are good friends, despite how often they fight.

Übel and Land are third and second class mages. They were Fern’s teammates for the first part of the exam. Übel apparently learns magic via empathy and she’s pestering Land because she wants to learn his ability.

Denken, Laufen, and Richter are mages from a team in the first part of the exam. Richter appears to run some kind of store. Denken comes from an imperial mage background, and Laufen gets treated like she’s his granddaughter. Richter and Denken are second class mages while Laufen is third class. Denken is their leader.

Scharf, Ehre, and Wirbel are mages from a team in the first part of the exam. All three are second class mages. Wirbel appears to be their leader.

Sense is a first class mage, and the proctor for the second part of the exam.

There are more characters, but these are the ones that are most significant due to having played important parts in the first part of the exam. They are also the ones who get the most screen time in this section. Others mentioned in the book get less time, but may still be important.

Story & Thoughts

This is a great volume. The second part of the first class mage exam begins. It’s much simpler in comparison to the first part. Catching the stille was convoluted compared to this. For the second test, the goal is simply to make it to the end of an unmapped dungeon. What they don’t tell you is it’s not an ordinary dungeon.

Much like the the previous book, there’s a lot of magical combat. This is paired well with more information about various types of magic. So, if you like learning about how the magic of the world works, it’s pretty interesting.

I didn’t like Übel at all when she was first introduced, but the more screen time she gets, the more I like her. She’s a little psychotic, but sometimes the best characters are. I’m looking forward to more content with her if she makes any appearances after the exam.

The third exam is also in this book. It’s pretty pitiful compared to the first and second, but Fern’s turn makes me giggle. Her reaction must have felt so insulting, and then the volume just ended right there.

Overall, this volume was really good. It has comedy, strategy, competition, magic battles, and magic lore. I was torn on giving it a five, but I don’t think it was quite perfect. I’m enjoying the exam section a lot, but I also miss Stark. We’ve hardly seen him since the exams started. Poor guy can only wait around and kill time while the girls are taking the test.

Crystal Keepers

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Crystal Keepers by Brandon Mull
Series Name: Five Kingdoms
Volume Number: 3
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Isekai
Intended Age Group: 8-12
Publisher: Aladdin/Simon & Schuster
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4424-9707-8
Rating: 3/5
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Synopsis from the Book

Cole Randolph still can’t believe the way his life has turned inside out. Stuck in a strange land far from home, he has found his friend Dalton and has survived the first two kingdoms of the Outskirts, but none of that has prepared him for the magnetic highways and robotic bounty hunters of Zeropolis.

Ruled by Abram Trench, who stayed loyal to the evil High King, the government of Zeropolis uses advanced technologies to keep tight control. Luckily, the resistance in Zeropolis is anchored by the Crystal Keepers – a group of young rebels with unique weapons.

On the run from the High King’s secret police, Cole and Dalton hope to find more of their lost friends and help Mira locate her sister Constance. But time is running out for Cole to uncover the secrets behind the Zeropolitan government and unravel the mystery of who helped the High King steal his daughters’ powers.

Personal & Info

I found myself in great need of something fantasy that does not involve vampires or romance, so I circled back around to this series to scratch that itch. This book was just what I needed.

Content Warnings

Slavery is a big industry in the Outskirts. If you don’t like elements of slavery in your stories, this series is not for you.

Mira and her sisters have more years than they look, but not in a creepy way. They are children, and think of themselves as children, despite their number of years. Any crushes regarding these characters are not intended to be creepy. The idea is they are as old as they claim to be, because they have never been any other age. I can see how this might still upset some people, so just use your own discretion.

Characters

Cole Randolph is the main character. He’s in sixth grade, and shorter than most in his class. His weapon of choice is a jumping sword. Unfortunately, he doesn’t get to use that at all in this book.

Jace was a scout for the Sky Raiders. He’s moody, arrogant, and rash, but has a good heart. His current hobby is pranking and bullying Dalton, likely as a form of hazing. His weapon of choice is a rope that he doesn’t get to use in this book.

Mira, also known as Miracle Pemberton, is an eleven year old girl who has been hiding from her father for decades. She is one of the High Shaper’s daughters, and did not age during the time her powers were missing.

Dalton is Cole’s best friend. He stresses easily and tends to be anxious. He can create seemings, but that ability does not work in Zeropolis.

Joe is a member of the resistance, also referred to as the Unseen. He’s originally from Monterey, California. We get a little more of his backstory in this volume.

Constance, or Costa, is the princess the group is trying to locate in Zeropolis.

Roulette is a Crystal Keeper. She’s the one we see most often.

Googol is one of the leaders of the Unseen in Zeropolis, and their chief tinker.

Nova is the leader of the Unseen in Zeropolis.

Blake Daniels is one of the kids abducted in Sky Raiders. He’s not exactly a friend to Cole, but Cole still cared enough to inquire about him. Blake has a one of a kind technomancer ability that makes him very useful.

The Hunter is a character who has been silently pursuing the group since they entered Elloweer in Rogue Knight. He’s been a background concern, until now.

Sidekick is an intelligent robot in the guise of an old cleaning bot.

As usual, there are plenty more characters that are not listed here, but these are the ones I feel are most important.

Story & Thoughts

The story picks up where the last leaves off, like usual. However, getting started, it feels slow in comparison. Things are happening and the group is going places, but it really just feels like a lot of nothing and running around. There’s a significant amount of trying to get from A to B, just to find out that B is a problem, which means going to C instead.

I think this is probably the weakest book in the series, so far. That doesn’t mean it’s not good, though. It’s just a little different. I’d describe it as a transitional volume. There’s a lot of information gathering, and heavy focus on Cole doing things alone.

Cole himself is the main focus of the whole book. The group is constantly splitting up, most often with Mira going a separate direction from all of her friends. Cole even goes on his own adventure, without anybody else. Some sections feel like we’re missing out on the interesting bits because we’re following Cole around, but other times it’s very important that he’s doing these things alone. Most of it is important plot building, despite the drag of some sections.

Zeropolis is pretty cool. It’s the high tech area of the Outskirts, and their shaping is basically technomancy. We get to see some cool exoskeleton action suits and various other high tech gizmos. There are some artificial intelligence supercomputers and robot characters. My favorite character in the whole book is actually one of the bots, Sidekick. Sidekick has a charming personality, and they play a huge part in the story, even though they are just a small bot.

I can’t help thinking that Abram Trench must not have been thinking when he helped create Roxie. What he did to make her seems like a very dumb idea. With the public history of Zeropolis being what it is, he should have known better.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm, Vol. 3

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Daemons of the Shadow Realm, Vol. 3 by Hiromu Arakawa
Series Name: Daemons of the Shadow Realm
Genres: Action, Adventure, Supernatural
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Square Enix
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-64609-244-4
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

To get some answers, Yuru warily accepts an invitation from the Kagemoris, the very people who assaulted his village. This soon turns into an uneasy alliance when an ambush threatens everyone’s safety. But not even that surprise can prepare Yuru for Asa’s story! What is the stark secret to claiming the twins’ powers? And does Yuru have what it takes to confront what lies in the abyss…and beyond?

Personal & Info

I’ve been wanting to read this volume for a while now, but I’ve been too exhausted. It’s been sitting in my pile for about three weeks, so I’m glad I can finally get around to it. I feel like I can’t get these fast enough, because they all end on some sort of cliff hanger, whether it’s informational or action related. The urge to be able to binge is strong.

Characters

Yuru is the older male twin of the two main characters. He has great hunting skills and a helpful nature.

Asa is the younger female twin of the two main characters. She is Yuru’s younger sister, and she seems to adore her brother with an unusual intensity.

Gabby seems to be a good friend to Asa, but she doesn’t like Yuru after the events of the first volume. I like her even more after learning what names she chose for her daemons.

Ryuu Tadera, who goes by Dera, is a seer. This means he can see Daemons. He is half of the Higashi Village retainer pair, and he acts as supply runner and liaison. He is currently posing as Yuru’s father and guardian.

Jin Kagemori is the youngest of the three Kagemori brothers. He’s a high rank in the family organization in which Asa chooses to reside.

Divine Guardians Left and Right are the most important daemon characters, so far, with ongoing appearances. Yuru is their master and they rarely ever leave his side. They are made of stone, and their abilities are intended to be direct counters to Break and Seal.

Story & Thoughts

This is the third volume, and it’s still going strong. The focus of the plot for the volume is continuing to dump information they started discussing from volume two. The only reason I’m giving it a four instead of a five is because plot building episodes of anything tend to be a little less satisfying.

I love learning more about the plot regarding any story I’m reading, but let’s face it, they’re not always the most amazing sections. However, I feel like this series does a good job keeping those parts entertaining. The discussions have a certain liveliness about them, while still managing to keep the serious undertone.

In this case, we get more information about Yuru and Asa’s childhood. Yuru’s childhood was already filled with danger that no child should have to deal with, and Asa’s life after leaving the village has been no picnic. The conversation picks up from the dramatic conversational cliff hanger of volume two, and we learn how she acquired Break, which also tells us why she wears an eyepatch.

Aside from that, there are many areas in the second half where there is comic relief from Yuru seeing and learning more about modern things. Hiromu Arakawa does a good job with these parts by making them feel natural and not too time consuming. Yuru’s face in these situations is always priceless.

I think this series is well on its way to becoming one of my new favorites. I love everything about it, so far.

The bonus comic in the back titled Entombed, which stars the daemon Break, is all too relatable to me.

Dragon Ball: That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha

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Dragon Ball: That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha by Dragongarow Lee
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Isekai
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: Viz/ Shonen Jump
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0371-5
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

A Dragon Ball fan’s Greatest dream is getting to live in the Dragon Ball universe and fight alongside Goku and his friends! One particular fan thinks he’s living the dream when he suddenly dies and is reborn in the Dragon Ball world, but he’s in for a rude awakening when he realizes he’s been reincarnated as everyone’s favorite punching bag, Yamcha!

Personal & Info

I grew up watching Dragon Ball religiously and playing all of the games I could get my hands on. It had a huge impact on my life, but these days I’m not interested in anything made after the release of GT. This book was given to me as a gift, and it was the first time I was excited about anything Dragon Ball related in a long time.

I think this manga is more likely to be enjoyed by people already familiar with the Dragon Ball universe. It would be more difficult to follow story elements if the reader doesn’t know anything about the series or the original plot.

Characters

Yamcha is the main character, or in this case, an unnamed protagonist in the body of Yamcha. A Dragon Ball superfan, to be more specific.

Several characters appear throughout the book, but most of them only have brief appearances since the story focuses on Yamcha. If you’re familiar with Dragon Ball, just think of the gang from the Saiyan Saga, and that pretty much covers it.

Story & Thoughts

This was actually more serious than I was expecting. I thought it was going to be a hard core comedy, and I would have been okay with that. It’s not super funny, but it does have some laughs. The focus is more about Yamcha crushing on Bulma and using his fan knowledge of the series to try hard not to die in any of the events that would normally threaten his life.

Part of me was hoping that Yamcha would overcome Goku’s level of power and steal the show somehow, but realistically, that’s not possible for a human. Wishful thinking, I guess. I was a little worried when I heard Yamcha’s intentions, at first. Trunks is one of my favorite characters in the series. If Yamcha succeeded in what he wanted, then my favorite character would no longer exist. I don’t know if I would like a Dragon Ball world where Trunks was never born.

I never read the manga for Dragon Ball or Dragon Ball Z, but I get the feeling this uses the terms and names from that version. Some are spelled different than the TV versions or just completely different words (probably the Japanese ones).

Overall, I give this manga a soft three out of five. I like it enough to say that I enjoyed it. The story is so fast paced it covers Dragon Ball, the saiyan saga, AND the Cell saga, all in one tiny book. I think if it were longer, it could probably make a really good action drama romance series. That’s a spin on the series I would love to see. Regardless, the book is a fun and quick read that triggers all the right kinds of nostalgia. It almost makes me want to collect the manga for the parts of the Dragon Ball universe that I know I like.