Light Novels JP (24)

Japanese fiction.  You read the blog intro right? 

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The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life - LN 4

The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life Volume 4 by Usata Nonohara, Illustrations by OX. Published by Yen On (Yen Press). After last volume's tragic conclusion with Lynx's death, having Mariela's crazy master show up was just the thing she needed. Now that Mariela is resolved to advance her skills as an alchemist, having her teacher appear in her life again to "guide" her along the way is fun. Freyja is overbearing, boisterous, alcoholic, and wise. Her epitaph is the "Sage of Calamity", and she truly lives up to it. She practically steals the show in…

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The Apothecary Diaries - LN 13

The Apothecary Diaries Volume 13 by Natsu Hyuuga, Illustrations by Touko Shino. Translated by Kevin Steinbach. Published by J-Novel Club. I am literally so sad that I'm caught up to this series... Volume 13 is a short story volume, and it's almost entirely from the point of view of the other characters. Since the main crew has been gone for a year, this volume catches readers up with Lahan, Yao, En'en, and even her sisters back at the brothel like Meimei and Joka. Even though it's not explored in relation to Maomao, there does seem to be some plot moving…

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The Apothecary Diaries - LN 12

The Apothecary Diaries Volume 12 by Natsu Hyuuga, Illustrations by Touko Shino. Translated by Kevin Steinbach. Published by J-Novel Club. After Gyoku-ou died in the last volume, I knew that this book would be a wild ride. There are tons of consequences to losing the governor of a province, and predictably, it set off a succession crisis. Someone has to manage I-sei province now, and we're introduced to Gyoku-ou's kids. He has 3 sons and 1 daughter, and the three sons are being "considered" for succession. Each of them has their quirks, and it seems like since the eldest son…

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The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter LN 1-3 [end]

The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter Volumes 1-3 by Yatsuki Wakatsu, Illustrations by Kikka Ohashi. Translations by Jenny Murphy. Published by Yen On (Yen Press). The original name of this series is 異世界の沙汰は社畜次第 | Isekai no Sata wa Shachiku Shidai which translates to "The Other World's Books Depend On the Corporate Slave". Although "Bean Counter" is humorous and an accurate description of the main character (he's a workaholic accountant), I think there's a little bit of nuance lost here. The main character, Kondou Seiichirou, is a Japanese salaryman who accidentally gets isekai'd along with the "Holy Maiden", Yua Shiraishi.

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The Apothecary Diaries - LN 11

The Apothecary Diaries Volumes 11 by Natsu Hyuuga, Illustrations by Touko Shino. Translated by Kevin Steinbach. Published by J-Novel Club. I feel like there's not really a whole lot I can say without spoiling the main plot line of this book, so I'll split my impressions up in half, one for the 1st half, and one for the 2nd. For the first half, the characters have successfully dealt with the locust plague, but there are still dire issues remaining. Much of the food has been wiped out, and the population is going to slowly starve to death if they don't…

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Agents of the Four Seasons: Dance of Spring Part I-II, LN 1-2

Agents of the Four Seasons, Dance of Spring Part I and II, Written by Kana Akatsuki, Illustrated by Suoh. Published by Yen Press. Translated by Sergio Avila Agents of the Four Seasons is a fantasy series written by Kana Akatsuki, who is well known for the Violet Evergarden series, which is highly regarded. I haven't watched Violet Evergarden yet (the novel hasn't been licensed, though there is a fan translation), but I know that it's a well-regarded as a highly emotional and beautiful series, and worth the watch. I really liked the art on this once, so I decided to…

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The Trials and Tribulations of My Next Life as a Noblewoman - LN 1

The Trials and Tribulations of My Next Life as a Noblewoman Volume 1 by Kamihara, Illustrated by Shiro46. Published by J-Novel Heart (J-Novel Club). When I first saw this cover among the new licenses by J-Novel club, I didn’t think much of the series. A lot of the newer female-centered isekai novels play with tropes related to Otome dating games, like “My Next Life as a Villainess”. I’ve watched and read a few series here and there that piqued my interest, but I haven’t gotten too deep into the genre. And even if it’s not isekai, “noblewoman” series might as…

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What does Ascendance of a Bookworm mean to me?

In July of 2022, I decided to watch a series that I had seen some anituber recommend, a series called "Ascendance of a Bookworm" or 本好きの下剋上 (Honzuki no Gekokujou). I don't even remember which channel it was, but I ended up binging the whole series within less than a week. I really enjoyed the anime, and raved about it to my friend. We ended up watching it together shortly after. It was a re-watch for me, but I wanted to share my joy with someone. I enjoyed Myne's hijinks, but the twists and turns in the story and delicate world-building was what…

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The Apothecary Diaries - LN 9-10

The Apothecary Diaries Volumes 9 and 10 by Natsu Hyuuga, Illustrations by Touko Shino. Published by J-Novel Club. Volumes 9 and 10 kick off “Western Capital, part 2”. There is a lot going on here politically since it is the region that Gyokuyou is from, and there are plenty of enemies with unknown motivations. In Volume 9, Maomao has basically become Jinshi’s personal doctor for [spoiler] reasons, so she must go though as much training as possible before they set off for I-sei province. For those in the know, it’s an open secret, but it puts Maomao in an even…

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The Water Magician: Arc 1 Volume 2 [LN2]

The Water Magician Arc 1 Volume 2 by Tadashi Kubou, Illustrations by Nokito. Published by J-Novel Club. The adventures continue! This volume has what I would consider 2 major events (mini-arcs) contained. One, where everyone has to fend off a stampede coming from inside the dungeon. The other is an assignment at a faraway port-town, to celebrate the launch of a new ship. The author has to solve what I call the “Saitama” problem. In order to preserve the tension of the series, Ryo can’t be around when big issues occur, since he is (supposedly) one of the strongest magicians…

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The Apothecary Diaries - LN 7-8

The Apothecary DiariesVolumes 7 and 8 by Natsu Hyuuga, Illustrations by Touko Shino. Published by J-Novel Club. Volume 7 contains the end the of the “Western Capital” arc and the beginning of what I would say is the start of Maomao’s next phase/status quo. Now that she’s outside the palace, Jinshi needs a way to keep Maomao around, and he finds it. He compels her to take the court service exam and become a medical assistant. From what you can see in the cover, she clearly passes (after tons of effort) and ends up entering the court service with two…

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The Water Magician: Arc 1 Volume 1 [LN1]

The Water Magician Arc 1 Volume 1 by Tadashi Kubou, Illustrations by Nokito. Published by J-Novel Club. Honestly, you know what got me to start reading this series? The Syosetsu listing for the original webnovel has a couple conditions listed about what the story ISN’T (google translated from Japanese): ・This is not a domestic politics cheat. ・There is no harem development ・This is not a science novel. ・This story is fiction ・This story is opportunistic. This is the original text, in case you’re curious: ・内政チートものではありません ・ハーレム展開はありません ・理系小説ではありません ・この物語はフィクションです ・この物語はご都合主義です （筆者はSNSを利用しておりません） I saw “Not a harem” and “opportunistic” and immediately wanted…

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The Apothecary Diaries - LN 5-6

The Apothecary DiariesVolumes 5 and 6 by Natsu Hyuuga, Illustrations by Touko Shino. Published by J-Novel Club. I initially thought I would include 7 here as well since it contains some of the falling action from these two volumes, but I figured I would wait since there’s way too much that happens in that one that’s hard to explain without knowing about these ones first lol. Beware spoilers below! These two volumes comprise what I think most fans are calling the “Western Capital” Arc? After the stunning events of the last volume, Maomao is forced into going west with Jinshi…

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The Apothecary Diaries - LN 3-4

The Apothecary DiariesVolumes 3 and 4 by Natsu Hyuuga, Illustrations by Touko Shino. Published by J-Novel Club. These two volumes finish out what I would say is the first major story arc in the series. Volume 3 continues the evolving relationship between Maomao and Jinshi (with what I have to say is the funniest romcom scene and deflection by Maomao so far) with further Rear Palace intrigue, while Volume 4 dives deep into the ramifications of a certain high ranking family’s actions. In my personal opinion, while the first 3 volumes were entertaining, Volume 4 was what really got me…

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The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life - LN 3 Impressions

The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life Volume 3 by Usata Nonohara, Illustrations by OX. Published by Yen On (Yen Press). I wasn’t ready for this volume at all. We’re fairly far into the series, so spoilers ahead! The first 2/3rds of this book are the same fair as the first two, and dive into further goings on with Sieg and Lynx’s training, and the Labyrinth Expedition. It was cute to see Sieg and Lynx really deepen their friendship despite being love rivals for Mariela. And I did wonder how Sieg would ultimately win, over Lynx,…

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The Apothecary Diaries - LN 1-2

The Apothecary DiariesVolumes 1 and 2 by Natsu Hyuuga, Illustrations by Touko Shino. Published by J-Novel Club. I watched season 1 of Kusuriya as it was airing, and waited to read the novels until I had completed the 24 episodes. As a result, I noticed two things: First, that the 1st novel is actually a standalone. I did think it was weird that Maomao was suddenly removed from the Rear Palace, but it makes total sense if you think of it as a standalone ending. The first book basically ends with a sequel hook anyways. Two, the writing in these…

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Onmyoji and Tengu Eyes - LN 3

Onmyoji and Tengu Eyes Vol. 3: The Call of the Roaring Waves by Utamine, Yoshiko, art by Kazuki, Yone. Published by Cross Infinite World. Third volume of this fun series! Volume 2 was focused on Misato’s past, and this one focuses on Ryouji’s, after a sizeable diversion in the beginning of the book dealing with an argument between Misato and Shirota (his spiritual familiar snake). There are more emotional developments this volume, and it was even more touching than the previous books. I was really invested in the main conflict, and Misato shows off more of his awesome powers! Poor…

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Expedition Cooking with the Enoch Royal Knights - LN 4

Expedition Cooking with the Enoch Royal Knights Volume 4 by Mashimesa Emoto, Illustrations by Tera Akai. Published by Cross Infinite World. I didn’t intend to write-up my thoughts about this volume actually, since I did the last 3 all in one post. But then I realized that since I caught up to the series, I would probably forget if I waited until the rest of the books are out. By this point in the series, I basically skim the cooking scenes since they make me really hungry! I’m here for the cast, and it’s always a good time. Although I…

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A Young Lady Finds Her True Calling Living with the Enemy - LN 2 [End]

A Young Lady Finds Her True Calling Living with the Enemy Volume 2 by Syuu, Illustrations by Fujigasaki. Published by Cross Infinite World. Because this is the second half of the story, this impression will contain spoilers. If you want my general impressions, please read my post about Volume 1! The second and final volume of this series follows the story-line from volume 1. Japan does this a lot, but these volumes are better thought of as the first and second half of the same story. Now that Bertine is secure in her position, she continues to do business, make…

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The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life - LN 1, 2 Impressions

The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City LifeVolumes 1 and 2 by Usata Nonohara, Illustrations by OX. Published by Yen On (Yen Press). I was excited enough by this series that I wanted to write up my impressions after I finished the first volume, but I wanted to read the 2nd volume first to get an idea of the direction of the story before I wrote up my post. This series is about a teenage alchemist named Mariela, who lives on her own after being tutored by her master, an experienced Alchemist. She makes a living near…

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A Young Lady Finds Her True Calling Living with the Enemy - LN 1

I’m super excited to talk about this book! I normally like to wait to check out books from the library to see if I actually like them, but I just knew from the premise that this one was going to be something I’d love. The premise is as follows: Bertine, the woman pictured on the front, a noble daughter of a Marquess from the island Kingdom of Luenne and, is sold off by her country as part of a negotiation for reparations in a war between the continental Empire (who Luenne was supporting), and a southern country called “The Federation”.

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Expedition Cooking with the Enoch Royal Knights LN 1-3

I’ve been reading this adorable series recently! It’s called Expedition Cooking with the Enoch Royal Knights. It’s a slice of life fantasy series about a female elf, Mell Risurisu, who leaves her village to work in the capital city of their country with other humans. She decides to work as a knight since there aren’t any jobs who would hire an unknown elf with no magic powers, where elves are usually known for being quite magically inclined. Even though she’s part of the knights, she’s more of a combat medic and cook. The knight squadron she joins is full of…

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Onmyoji and Tengu Eyes - LN 1-2

I recently finished reading Volumes 1 and 2 of Onmyoji and Tengu Eyes, published by Cross Infinite Worlds. The story is about Misato Miyazawa (long black hair), an independent onmyoji (occult expert) who leaves his elite family in order to live on his own after an attempt on his life. He gets a job at the local Town Hall at the “Abnormal Disaster Unit”, a department dedicated to dealing with occult and spiritual issues. He ends up living with Ryouji Karino (blonde), an outgoing guy with who works as a freelance buddhist monk. I generally enjoy “procedural” series that deal with…

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Dawn of the Mapmaker: The Surveyor Girl and the Forbidden Knowledge - LN 1

I’ve been researching more light novels to read, and I discovered “Dawn of the Mapmaker: The Surveyor Girl and the Forbidden Knowledge” which is published by Cross Infinite World. It’s published directly from Syosetsu, meaning that it hasn’t been published in Japan, but was translated and published into English directly. Instead of using light novel tropes, it’s more like a western type fantasy. I really enjoyed the fact that the main character, Unen’s only power is her ability to make maps! (Except for her mysterious magic sensitivity, think of the whispers Frodo heard while wearing the ring). It’s not often…

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