Manga Review: Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for my Retirement (Vol. 1)

Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for my Retirement is a Japanese web novel series by FUNA adapted by Keisuke Motoe into a manga that is currently being published by Sol Press in the US. The story follows eighteen-year-old Mitsuha Yamano who suddenly finds herself in another world. Buckle up for my review of the manga adaptation of this web novel!

Review

Mitsuha Yamano recently lost her parents and brother in a tragic accident. Afterwards, she struggles financially for a while and doesn’t know what do with herself. Then… she’s mugged. But beyond theft, the muggers shove her and she begins to fall off a cliff. But as she falls, Mitsuha finds herself transported to another world.

The other world is a fantasy-esque setting where modern, earthly items are rare to non-existent. When Mitsuha returns to Earth, she meets a nameless, super-powered entity that informs her that she has gained some of their powers accidentally when she was isekai’d into the new world, meaning that Mitsuha can now travel between the two worlds.

How will Mitsuha use the power to travel between these settings? Well, she realizes she can use basic items from Earth and sell them in the other dimension. She figures the money she obtained there can be brought back to Earth to help her retire incredibly wealthy.

What a practical girl.

Truck-kun and other methods of conveying the same basic isekai plot device may make introductions of such stories feel unnecessary, but even so, this one begins a bit too quickly—it’s a bit too rushed. However, from the moment Mitsuha understands her power to shift between worlds, the first volume really hits its stride.

Mitsuha goes home, snags a rifle, and then returns back to the other world to take out some wolves attacking the girl she first met there. She brings back gold coins to our world again and is able to buy an arsenal while learning to shoot firearms. She sells a pearl necklace in the alternate world and uses the profits to open an entire shop. Mitsuha had found a way to make herself a profit in preparation for a wealthy retirement.

Or, so she thinks.

The entire concept is definitely intriguing. It’s a slightly different take on isekai and Mitsuha’s ability to slide between worlds is a fascinating one. I’m definitely interested to see where the story goes, even if I didn’t love the unoriginal introduction. I’m definitely interested to see where it goes next.

Overall Rating: B

Art: A — I really enjoyed the art. It was expressive and I appreciated the differentiation in style between Earth and the fantasy world .

Characters: B — Some of the characters were very detailed and interesting; some were kind of weak. But the story rests entirely on the character of Mitsuha. She’s interesting and I love the fascinating use of her sliding powers, but she’s not what I would call the deepest character I’ve ever read about.

Story: B — It feels like a lot happens in this first volume, but really, it’s not much. Mitsuha shifts between worlds, discovers her powers, and in the end sets up her shop. It’s a good setup, but I think I’ll need to see what happens next to see if the story professes and gets more interesting.

Staff

Original Story: FUNA

Adaptation/Artist: Keisuke Motoe

Translation: Lukas Ruplys

Editing: Taylor Fonzone

Typsetting: Brandon Imber / Giancarlo Subervi / Michael Valdez

Proofreading: Adam Haffen / Matthew Carolan

Media Production: Marie “Kid” H. / Avelina Kyriacou

Production Assistant: Stephanie Hii

Production Management: Matthew Carolan

Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for my Retirement can be purchased from Sol Press.

mdmrn
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