Old swordmasters, physics-bending “vanits,” traitorous hero’s party members, and semi-homemade dishes are on the menu in this week’s Reader’s Corner, as we once again cover the latest light novels, manga, and manhwa releases!
The Azure Sword, Slayer of Distortions (Vol. 1) • Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside (Vol. 12) • Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill (Vol. 5) • The Eccentric Doctor of the Moon Flower Kingdom (Vol. 12) • From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman (Vol. 5) • The Raven Dark Hero: From White Knight to Villain (Vol. 2) • Villains Are Destined to Die (Vol. 2)
The Raven Dark Hero: From White Knight to Villain, Manga Vol. 2
When I reviewed the first volume of this series, I noted that it seemed to tell a compelling story, shortcomings notwithstanding. Here in volume two, it seems to me as though the storytelling has received a drop in quality more or less across the board. But lest I sound too harsh, it turns out that volume three will be the last installment; so I’m guessing that the series was cancelled after volume one and thus what we have here is a rushed production that was not the originally intended work. That would explain the worsened art (sometimes I could not tell characters apart easily), graphical arrangement (it wasn’t always easy to tell who was speaking), and sudden and out-of-left-field plot twists (including the “reveal” at the end of this volume). Even so, the plot struggles to hold its own, and maybe with enough time it would have developed in a strong direction; but as things stand, it too suffers from the violently shortened space allotted to it. So, alas, I cannot really recommend this story further, much as I would have liked to. ~ Dr. Steve
The Raven Dark Hero: From White Knight to Villain is published by Titan Comics.
The Eccentric Doctor of the Moon Flower Kingdom, Manga Vol. 12
Koyou has successfully infiltrated the palace! But it’s a lot harder to get close to the empress and find out what her symptoms are. Koyou needs an ally who can not only help her but also do so without Consort Ro finding out about it. On the flip side, Singdam is approached by some of his fellow Nanakin, and they want to bring him home?! This was such a good volume! I caught myself gasping out loud, smiling, and then wanting to cry near the end! I’m not even sure where to start, because there was so much I enjoyed about this volume! This is my second time seeing women’s health represented in fictional manga, and I’m totally here for it! (My Girlfriend’s Child was the first, but this is my first time in a historical-inspired setting!) I was shocked that Koyou even gave a pelvic exam! The way she explained everything was also super impressive! Regarding the politics, what a twist with a certain character! Maybe it should have been obvious before now, considering what we’ve seen in a backstory from previous volumes, but it never clicked until another character pointed it out! I worry about what’s going to happen, as it doesn’t seem the character involved wants to be. Then we got a backstory about the Empress, and goodness, that really hurt my heart! She has tried so hard, and I admire her courage to keep going, but I’m thankful that Keiun insists that she get help because she desperately needs it! With the political stakes heating up and the empress’s health being dire, I’m extremely invested in seeing what happens next! This series keeps amping up, and I continue to love it! ~ Laura A. Grace
The Eccentric Doctor of the Moon Flower Kingdom is published by Seven Seas.
READ Reviews of The Eccentric Doctor of the Moon Flower Kingdom:Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 6 // Vol. 7 // Vol. 9 // Vol. 10 // Vol. 11
Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill, Manga Vol. 5
A mythical OP beast and ultra-cute slime aren’t the only ones dying to eat your food when you have access to a Japanese online store—goddesses are too. Volume five finds Mukohda trying to appease multiple goddesses who have found out about his not-regular-enough offering (at least to Ninrir) of food and goodies. Volume five continues to be great fun, featuring humorous episodes such as the goddesses scurrying to get the yummiest treats, satisfying fights with Fel taking care of business, and delicious sights with Mukohda cooking more sumptuous meals. But my favorite part is the role soap plays in these chapters. Yep, soap. All of it adds up to a wondrous meal of comfy reading that leaves you desperately wanting some semi-homemade Japanese food. Yum! ~ Twwk
Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill is published by Yen Press through the J-Novel Club imprint.
Read Reviews of Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4
The Azure Sword, Slayer of Distortions, Light Novel Vol. 1
Many stories play with the idea of fate—from movies like Arrival and the Final Destination films to anime like Steins;gate and Madoka Magica—but I’ve read few light novels that attack the subject as well as The Azure Sword, Slayer of Distortions does. I won’t say that it treats the topic with special depth, but the writing is creative, stylish, and gripping. Volume one opens by introducing Shin Karamori, who wields the titular sword, a “vanit” or “distortion” that shouldn’t exist in the world. He’s joined by a robotic girl named Archive, who also owns special powers. From there, the adventure is on as they fight against a group trying to collect vanits, and in doing so, encounter a very personal adventure. The vanits are quite creative powers, unlike any I’ve read about before in light novels, and author Takana Nanishi does a wonderful job of describing them (and the battles) in a way that helps you picture these fantastical images in your mind. Usually. They’re sometimes a little hard to comprehend, especially Archive’s power, but I still appreciate the attempt to create something new within this often staid genre. I also appreciate how Nanishi goes for it—it feels like all the stops are pulled out in the opening volume, which is almost self-contained. It’s a fearless way of writing, to push it toward an ending that feels somewhat resolute and in which a number of major events happen that I would typically expect to be saved for future volumes. It made the volume all the more exciting and fulfilling. Hopefully, Nanishi-sensei has more up her sleeve for volume two; I’ll be eagerly awaiting it! ~ Twwk
The Azure Sword, Slayer of Distortions is published by Yen Press.
Villains Are Destined to Die, Novel Vol. 2
Penelope is officially on her way to the Hunt with her brothers and father, and she can only hope things will go smoothly! I mean, all she wants to do is bring home a prize or two for Eckles, the love interest she’s going all in for, but between a monster, assassins, and staying stuck in a cave with a shirtless Callisto, the one love interest she wants to avoid at all costs, I think Penelope is going to have to deal with a lot more than she bargained for! Another excellent volume! I continue to be amazed at how faithful the manhwa is: I don’t think I felt anything was left out after reading this installment! However, there were a few things I noticed or thought of while reading this novel, especially about Callisto, who was still absolutely terrifying at first. I do not blame Penelope at all for being afraid of him! Granted, when we got to the cave scene, I easily found myself remembering why I ship them and how fun their banter is! Derrick is still awful and hasn’t stopped being my most hated character ever. Man is out here spouting lies, telling his father, “I’ve never despised Penelope or harassed her, Father.” Liessss! Reynold had his moment in the doghouse last volume, but I genuinely love how his and Penelope’s (non-romantic) relationship is changing for the better! Especially when he says he believes her concerning the allegations/trial, and it isn’t like Derrick because at least one of her brothers isn’t a total jerk! Winter reminded me of how much I adored his character (outside of the unhinged moment in volume one) because it deeply warms my heart that he wants to see Penelope smile. As for Eckles… Penelope, sweet girl, I love you dearly, but I need you to think more about those moments where you know something isn’t right. This volume, I believe, is a turning point in showing he is far more smart than he lets on… I’m excited to dive into the next book! ~ Laura A. Grace
Villains Are Destined to Die is published by IZE Press.
READ Villains Are Destined to Die Vol. 1 Review
Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside, Manga Vol. 12
The last several volumes, building up Ruti’s story as she decides to no longer be the hero, finally lead to substantial consequences in volume twelve of Banished from the Hero’s Party. She and Red meet up with Rit and Tisse in the elven ruins, but there are other explorers there, leading to more than one explosive confrontation. The fights in this volume were fun, though one reunion that I think most readers like myself were looking forward to was a little underwhelming. I was also left very confused by the talk of the hero’s blessing (or does Ruti not have one?) in the opening pages of the book; I appreciate how there’s some real lore to this world, but I was left even more confused after Red’s internal monologue about the situation than before. Nevertheless, the action and drama still made volume twelve an excellent read, and it ends on a cliffhanger that has me dying to find out what happens next! ~ Twwk
Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside is published by Yen Press.
READ Reviews of Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 7 // Vol. 8 // Vol. 9 // Vol. 10 // Vol. 11
From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman, Manga Vol. 5
Mewi may have been adopted into a new life, but her old one continues to call her back—not to once again live a life of crime, but to find her sister’s body and avenge her death. Of course, Beryl, good man as he is, will help her. There are cruel mechanisms involved in all this—the vile church kind (sigh…could we get a little more creative here?)—but only a little time is spent on explaining the scheme; most of volume five is action-focused, as Beryl takes on three master opponents at once. It’s a terrific duel, reminiscent of great sword fights at the movies. Even after that match is over, the fighting continues, leading to more characters and more adventure. I really love how Beryl gets to show off his true skill and his lethal intent, as needed, in these chapters; it really helps to round out his “aww shucks” character quite a lot. And while I’m not expecting some shocking turn in the end, I remain in suspense to see how this arc will ultimately end because I can’t wait to see how the battle that is just beginning at the conclusion of volume five will play out in volume six—the action scenes, after all, are enough to carry this series, even as it has other excellent qualities that make it a manga worth reading. ~ Twwk
From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman is published by Yen Press.
Read From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman Reviews: Vol. 1 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4
“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.
