Can you believe we’ve reached fourteen volumes of A Condition Called Love? Yep! Is it still going strong? Laura lets you know in this week’s Reader’s Corner, and also gives her thoughts on other releases, including the first volumes of Mechanical Marie and the Villains Are Destined to Die novel, while Twwk checks out the opening volume of the Campfire Cooking in Another World manga!
Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill (Vol. 1) • A Condition Called Love (Vol. 14) • In the Name of the Mermaid Princess (Vol. 7) • Mechanical Marie (Vol. 1) • Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts Heir: White Rabbit and the Prince of Beasts (Vol. 2) • Villains Are Destined to Die (Vol. 1)
Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill, Manga Vol. 1
As a viewer of the anime series, I had my concerns about how Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill would be adapted into manga. How could black and white illustrations replicate the most important part of this series—the animation of food that makes you want to eat the TV screen itself? So, how did it do? I’ll get that in a minute, but first, a little background for those new to the series: Mukouda Tsuyoshi is isekai’d into a fantasy world where he and other summoned heroes are charged with saving the kingdom; however, Mukouda realizes that the heroes are being used to the king’s advantage in a war of aggression, and also that his skill, “online supermarket,” isn’t a particularly strong one for a hero. In fact, what exactly is “online supermarket”? Regardless of what it is, Mukouda is able to excuse himself from the heroes’ errand and hires a group of adventurers to escort him as far from the kingdom as possible. On this journey, he starts to use his skill, discovering that it allows him to order items from Earth straight into his new reality. He first uses it to supply adventurers with sumptuous meals, but soon enough encounters a new companion to feed—the always hungry, legendary monster known as a Fenrir! As adventurous as this all sounds, the story is really more of the cozy variety, quickly focusing on Mukouda using ingredients and items from Japan to flavor and cook monsters, animals, and, uh, orcs in this fantasy world. The drawings of food are well done; though they can’t match the beautiful animation of the anime series, they still look yummy and steaming hot, far better than I thought monochrome illustrations could make them look! More importantly, though, the manga does well in emphasizing the real heart of the series: the relationship between Fel (as the Fenrir is later named) and Mukouda. In fact, this is so important to the tale that we fly a little too quickly through the first two chapters to get to Fel. That can be excused, however, because the slightly off-put Mukouda and the almost-genteel but also matter-of-fact and brutal Fel work off each other so incredibly well that their interactions are where the story picks up anyway. The manga will be a fun read for fans of the anime (and presumably original light novel), and for those new to this world? I think you’ll enjoy it too, if you like cozy adventures, lovable beasts, and of course, yummy-looking anime food. ~ Twwk
Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill is published by Yen Press through the J-Novel Club imprint.
A Condition Called Love, Manga Vol. 14
Our precious couple continues to grow and shine together, but unfortunately, with the recent reveal of who Hananoi’s friend was growing up, he is deeply struggling. And he’s not the only one, because with Yao-kun’s last day at the bookstore he and Hotaru work at, Hotaru is more emotional than she expected. Add a new coworker to the mix, and these two certainly have a lot going on in their lives! Based on how the previous volume ended, I didn’t think this volume would be really “smooth sailing,” but some of those panels of Hananoi hurt! The closer I got to the end of the volume, the more I felt crushed for him because he’s the only one who really has memories of Hotaru’s grandpa. On a lighter note, when the blurb said there was a new adversary, I was very shocked! I mean, they obviously don’t stand a chance against Hananoi (Ha!), but the fact that there seemed to be some kind of challenger was surprising.Thankfully, it wasn’t a love triangle kind of thing, and I think everything with that character sort of points out that Hananoi and Hotaru have grown in their relationship, but they still have more growing to do. I don’t mean that in a bad way because I love them both, but I could see things said in this volume really affecting their future. Hibiki and Keigo’s chapter was so good! I find it hilarious that Hibiki and Hananoi are so similar! Ha! I hope that we continue to see more of Yao in the series! I know there were moments I wasn’t fond of him, but he really is the MVP for this series because the way he has cheered for Hotaru and Hananoi’s relationship is amazing! Another gripping volume! ~ Laura A. Grace
A Condition Called Love is published by Kodansha.
READ Reviews of A Condition Called Love: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 6 // Vol. 7 // Vol. 8 // Vol. 9 // Vol. 10 // Vol. 11 // Vol. 12 // Vol. 13
In the Name of the Mermaid Princess, Manga Vol. 7
Mio and July have been kidnapped, and with this kidnapping, they begin to realize their history as Elementsia. Yet simply knowing isn’t enough because Kuyo the Sky Dragon is not only encouraging war against humans but has wounded Mio’s beloved, Yuri! Can Mio overcome the anger stirring in her heart, and will her dream of humans and unhumans being united in peace be fully realized? I don’t think I’ve felt as strongly as I have about a volume being the perfect ending for a character’s journey as I have this one. Was it my favorite ending? No, but this is the best ending I could ever imagine for Mio, and I loved it for that reason. I was very nervous about how this series would wrap up with the introduction of an entirely new arc near the end of the previous volume because it seemed impossible to be concluded in a single volume, but both the creator and artist did a fantastic job! I was deeply touched by Mio’s final story because forgiveness is not easy. As someone who has struggled with deep anger towards a close family member, I very much appreciated how this manga conveyed that forgiveness is hard, and that you have a right to your anger! But there is a beauty in forgiving, and even if you can’t do that, there is beauty in willingly wanting others to find happiness…even the person you hate. So in that sense, this volume ended on a powerful note that resonated deeply within me. Overall, I am very thankful I picked up this series! It has been a gem to read, and I know I will miss seeing Mio and Yuri’s adventures with their friends! I would definitely recommend this series if you want a story that has very cute art, touching (and sometimes dark) themes, and a heroine who refused to stop fighting for justice for all people, unhumans and humans alike. ~ Laura A. Grace
In the Name of the Mermaid Princess is published by Shojo Beat.
READ In the Name of the Mermaid Princess Reviews: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 6
Villains Are Destined to Die, Novel Vol. 1
Imagine trying a reverse harem video game that you think is going to be pretty cheesy and not engaging, only to find that at first you beat every single route on easy mode. Seeing the heroine, Ivonne, is satisfying, and you think the game is pretty good, but then you see there is a hard mode where you play as the villainess. You’re even more interested because the routes are extremely hard, and you stay up all night trying to prevent the villainess from dying. Eventually, you fall asleep…only to wake up in the body of that very villainess you played hours ago! So begins the story of Penelope Eckhart in Villains Are Destined to Die! I confess it is hard for me to convey my thoughts, as Penelope is my all-time favorite female lead, and being able to read the original story was such a wonderful experience! However, I will mention that the manhwa is a very faithful adaptation and I can recommend either format; I even struggled a little bit in the beginning because the information was repeated twice while I was ready to get to the “good part,” so to speak! That was a first for me, and don’t get me wrong! The novel was good! But I was surprised how closely they matched, as I think I was fully prepared for scenes and information to be missing, but they weren’t. That aside, I found the story to have a darker, maybe more serious tone? I felt Penelope’s frustration a lot harder in the novel than I did reading the manhwa. I know for certain that Eckles and Winter seem much more intense than they did in the manhwa! I remember Eckles being the first one I really shipped with Penelope, and while that feeling has since changed, there is much more darkness surrounding him that I don’t think I fully realized until now. Overall, I think the manhwa will still be my favorite way to read this story, but I definitely will continue reading the novels! I hope the second volume doesn’t take too long to release because after I finished reading this, I went to read the next part in the manhwa! Ha! ~ Laura A. Grace
Villains Are Destined to Die is published by IZE Press.
Mechanical Marie, Manga Vol. 1
Marie is a “robot” who has been hired by a famous company to help protect its future heir, Arthur, who has a major distrust of humans. The problem is Marie isn’t actually a robot but has to pretend to be one for her job, and under no conditions can he be allowed to find out the truth! She didn’t think this would be very hard, but she couldn’t have been more wrong! She was fully unprepared for Arthur to dote on her, making her own heart skip a beat! What a quirky little story this was! The majority of the time, I didn’t know if I should cheer Marie on to tell the truth that she wasn’t a robot, or continue to cheer how good she was at disguising herself as a robot so we could keep seeing more smiles from Arthur! Ha! It made for an interesting reading experience to say the least, and I have no idea how this series is going to unfold since Arthur adamantly makes it known that he hates liars. It doesn’t matter what the reason is: He will automatically fire or get rid of anyone around him who lies. Obviously, our sweet Marie has been lying, but I feel her reasons for wanting to continue to be a “robot” are so heartfelt and greater than simply needing/wanting money. I truly hope things will be revealed in a way that doesn’t backfire and ruin this cute romance forming, even though it’s hilarious how Arthur has even mumbled to himself about needing to find a way to marry a robot. Ha! And speaking of Arthur, I loved him! I loved all the soft moments he had with Marie and how special they were! I deeply enjoyed seeing the two sides of him and am hoping for a happy ending for these two! Overall, this was a really fun read! If you want something similar to Teppeki Honeymoon but without the age gap, and instead want a “robot” and cute smiles from a male lead who is angry the majority of the time, this is one I would definitely recommend! ~ Laura A. Grace
Mechanical Marie is published by Yen Press.
Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts Heir: White Rabbit and the Prince of Beasts, Manga Vol. 2
Prince Richard’s journey continues! However, things are getting intense and potentially deadly! As Richard finds out his master’s story and history from before they met, what will he do moving forward? Stick with his new friends, or return home before fulfilling his adventure? Another fantastic volume with the creator’s ever faithful emotional touch! Richard’s journey has been anything but simple, but I really appreciated how, in this volume, he was urgently helping others! He definitely still wants to prove himself, but at the same time, he sees those around him and wants to genuinely help those he can (or at the very least be involved with them, even when difference in beast-kind or social status is an issue). I feel a great example of this is with the beast he was helping look for and Keely. Both really hit my heart, especially with one of them, because Richard broke down crying at one point, and I can only imagine how hard it is to be in his shoes! I admire how he handled that situation because he was incredibly brave! I would say the same with Keely too! The way he stood up for her was scary and incredible all at the same time! However, that ending had me gasp because what?! I have no idea what’s to come, and I’m honestly nervous because Richard is such a precious main character, and I do not want to see him get hurt or be in harm’s way ever! I know the next volume will be just as engaging as this volume, but I hope it won’t be quite as emotional! Oh! I will say if you are a fan of two certain characters in the first series, you will love a scene that takes place in this one! I absolutely loved it and squealed! ~ Laura A. Grace
Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts Heir: White Rabbit and the Prince of Beasts is published by Yen Press.
READ Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts Heir: White Rabbit and the Prince of Beasts Vol. 1 Review
“Reader’s Corner” is our way of embracing the wonderful world of manga, light novels, and visual novels, creative works intimately related to anime but with a magic all their own. Each week, our writers provide their thoughts on the works they’re reading—both those recently released as we keep you informed of newly published works, and those older titles that you might find as magical (or in some cases, reprehensible) as we do.
