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Gran & Gourmet

Original Title: グラン＆グルメ～器用貧乏な転生勇者が始める辺境スローライフ～

Author: えりまし圭多

Format: Japanese Light Novel / Web Novel

Series Status: Ongoing

Current Chapter Read as of Review: 1040

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

*There are a couple series I've been putting off posting about because I love them so much that I'm afraid I'll never stop typing once I start. This is one of those series. For the sake of whoever is reading this, as well as my own, this post will be formatted a bit different than my previous posts. For future reference, any series I feel similarly particularly strong about will be formatted this way.

I'll try my best, so please bear with me.

Preamble:

When I first stumbled across this series on Kakuyomu, I had no expectations. I half-heatedly clicked on it while browsing the "ほのぼの" ("Heartwarming") tag. There are times when I purposefully go looking for something that will make me fall in love with the story and characters and keep me on my toes, but I don't recall discovering this story being one of those times. Most of the time, I'm looking for time-passers. So, like I said, I had pretty much no expectations. But in a more positive way, that meant I was open to anything at the moment.

Story:

This story starts off not too different from your typical isekai. The focus is our narrator and MC, Gran. A red-headed young man with memories of a past life in modern-day Japan. In the opening chapters to the story, Gran has already been living with his past life memories since he was a small child in the countryside, and we follow him now as he leaves the capital city where he was based for his work as an adventurer and moves into another countryside. His goal? To live the slow-life he admired back in his busy past life as a member of the Japanese workforce. Pretty typical elements for an isekai so far. Reincarnation, skills, slow-life, an obsession with food...etc.

However, the more the story goes on and the more characters are introduced, the more the reader realizes. This isn't just isekai.

This is one of those stories where everything matters. Everything and everyone introduced has some part to play in the story, big or small, momentary or till the very end.

IMO, the story has a pretty good balance and ratio of Slice-of-Life episodes to more 'eventful' arcs. More often than not with this series, the arcs filled with action and more serious moments are setup over the course of the more Slice-of-Life episodes. This way, the reader gets to relax and enjoy the cast's silly moments, while also being alerted to more action in the future. It's done quite well (sometimes I didn't realize things were being setup until later) and I enjoy every minute of it.

Characters:

*The cast for this series is quite big so these are just the 3 main characters that stick together for long periods of time in the series

Very much so a cast of 'boys being dudes' if you get what I mean. These boys are a mess together and I love them.

Gran: Our MC, narrator, representative red-head and designated chef of the house. He is neurodivergent-coded, air-headed, silly and oblivious, noisy, and loves his comrades and their time together more than anything in the world. His favorite things are cooking, eating, and crafting. Likes to think of himself as the 'conscious' of the group (he is not).

Abel: Gran's self-proclaimed best friend. He is ridiculously handsome, a ridiculously OP mage, and is ridiculously obsessed with Gran. Big tsundere that wastes magic teleporting his veggies away behind Gran's back so he doesn't have to eat them. Also likes to think of himself as the 'conscious' of the group (he is not).

Karyon: A half-elf man from Gran's old adventurer party. He was the party's tank. He is very charismatic, always smiling, and his instincts are pretty much never wrong. Gran calls him a 'bucket' because he wears full body armor. He tends to spoil Gran a lot and lets him get away with all sorts of nonsense. Once again, also likes to think of himself as the 'conscious' of the group (he is closer than the other two but still no).

Gran is such a joy to read. He's just a young man who wants to chill and have fun and eat good food with his buddies. Unfortunately for said buddies and fortunately for the readers, Gran is prone to shenanigans of varying degrees. From accidentally catching thieves, to cross-dressing, to encounters with ancient gods. When things aren't going awry, Gran is just chilling at home with his friends, cooking for them and crafting in his basement workshop.

Gran may seem like a lighthearted, simple-minded guy at first, but that's on purpose. Gran is a young man who shoulders a lot of deep thoughts and intense emotions. Yes he can be air-headed and carefree. But just like most people, when left all alone at night or when his friends are too busy to fool around with him, his doubts, fears, and negative thoughts assault him. His biggest source of fear and self-approach? His past life memories. I won't say anymore but it's yet another truly refreshing twist on the isekai/reincarnation trope that this series has.

Abel is such a perfect character to have alongside Gran. He is Gran's foil, his support, his guardian, his best friend, his partner in crime, and his last brain cell. Unlike the friendly Gran, Abel is incredibly suspicious and cold to people outside his circle. Enough so that he's constantly vetting and even threatening people who get close to him and Gran behind Gran's back.

Him and Gran have so much trust for each other than they never doubt each other's methods or actions unless it seems like it would harm one of them. Because they trust each other. Because they want to spend as much time doing stupid things together as possible. Because they are each other's first and best friend in this world.

Karyon was first presented as a bit of a mysterious character. Strong, always smiling and a bit mischievous. At the same time, he was admired and respected by Gran. Throughout the later parts series, we eventually get more and more episodes with Karyon and his character blooms. Karyon is such a good example of a multi-faceted character in this series. He appears one way at first, then, bit by bit, layer by layer, you learn more about him. Why is he always smiling? How'd he get so strong? What worries could he possibly have with such a carefree facade? All this and more is answered with depth and emotion, impacting not only Karyon himself but those around him as well.

World Building & Magic:

This story is honestly the most lore heavy isekai I've ever read. The time and care the author poured into every bit of history, mythology, culture, and lore for this story is something I truly admire from the bottom of my heart. And the way they managed to weave all of it so seamlessly into the story. With the introduction of characters, when visiting or even just mentioning a new location, or even as a little tease when muttered by a side character out of earshot from the main cast or behind the scenes. Everything flows so naturally and beautifully. I never once felt the world building was lacking, or that the characters overshadowed or even neglected the world they live in. This is truly a story where you can't miss a single sentence or else you'll be scratching your head when something pops up later. Even the occasional side stories interspersed throughout the long list of hundreds of chapters are all unskippable. Please read with care!

Now the magic system for this story is great. It's not groundbreaking or anything, but it's fresher than 90% of isekai stories as far as I'm concerned. The magic system is based around the elements, as is most isekai. Water, Fire, Earth, etc. But my favorite element that is repeatedly brought up, discussed, and explained is the Void element. In this series the Void element represents Nothingness. Colorless and scentless. The lack of something. It's nature is such that when wielded by a skilled or high-level user, there's a chance you wouldn't even feel the magic being cast in the first place.

The best part about such an OP-sounding power, is that our MC, Gran, cannot use this power. In fact, the Void element is the one element that directly opposes Gran. Just by being near something that radiates Void energy he feels physically and mentally drained and uncomfortable.

For all magic, curses, skills, and blessings there are clear limits, conditions, and consequences to using them. Especially for humans, who are neither the most powerful or most wise in this world. There are some humans that manage to get around some of these restrictions, but since their reasons and methods for doing so add to the world building and story (and make sense) I don't dwell on them.

Wrap Up:

If you're tired of typical cliche isekai but somehow still want to scratch that isekai itch at the same time, I highly recommend this series. It has themes of friendship and found family, with no romance or harems to be seen (much to Gran's annoyance).

[ramunereads]

Breaking News: Aristocratic Dungeon Streamer Goes Viral!! Vol.4

Original Title: 【悲報】お嬢様系底辺ダンジョン配信者、配信切り忘れに気づかず同業者をボコっ���しまう～けど相手が若手最強の迷惑系配信者だったらしく動画がアホほどバズって伝説になってますわ!?

Author: 赤城 大空

Format: Japanese Light Novel

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This series is without a doubt one of my favorite time-passers right now. It's hilarious, over the top, and most of the time utterly ridiculous. Whenever I finish a reading session with this series, I always wonder why it isn't labeled as parody. Kinda like KonoSuba for the dungeon-streamer genre.

Karin, our MC (blonde girl on cover), is such a bundle of chaos. It's not because she's means to make trouble. On the contrary, she's a law-abiding citizen, terrified of the police as most average kids would be. She is without a doubt the epitome of the 'oblivious MC' trope, without a single shred of common sense. And it's glorious to watch.

In this volume various built up events and the main (first) antagonist since the beginning of the series has come to a head. We don't get a complete finale to our Karin's conflict with them (apparently that'll be settled in the next volume it seems). From the perspective of someone who read ahead from the webnovel version, it appears the finale of this arc has been split into two, with the ending shenanigans set to be in volume 5. That's unfortunate for me, since I was looking forward to any possible illustrations of Karin going on another rampage at the end.

Honestly, I hope this series gets an anime one day. It might turn off a lot of people, since Karin never loses a battle ever, but it's hilarious and I'd love to see this crazy young lady in motion.

[ramunereads]

Omawarisan to Manekineko: Vol.1

Original Title: おまわりさんと招き猫 あやかし��町のふしぎな日常

Author: 植原翠

Format: Japanese Novel

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Our MC, a rookie policeman, is transferred to a small coastal town. Everything about this town is seemingly quiet, quaint, and mundane. Except for the talking cat that seems to occupy his own dedicated spot in the police box where our MC works. Our MC adapts to the talking cat extremely quickly, yet he can't quite seem to accept the strange incidents that occasionally happen within the town.

I found this book to be pretty soothing. It has a very laid-back atmosphere to it, like you're being rocked by the waves of the sea. Fitting for it's setting of a small seaside town.

This book was a series of short stories, each chapter a different story of our MC and the talking cat solving problems, issues, and incidents that happen within the town. Our MC, perhaps because he's been designated the new favorite of the talking cat, seems to draw the supernatural end of the stick whenever something happens in the town. But other than one very impactful experience for our MC in the beginning of the book, the rest of the story was very slice-of-life with a dash of ayakashi. Yes all the incidents in the book involved ayakashi and or Kami, but the author has decided that besides the talking cat, nobody in the town necessarily automatically believes in the supernatural. Because of this the ayakashi involved are either only indirectly shown off screen (in this case meaning out of sight of MC), or their appearance is brushed off in some way.

Our MC is described by others as overly optimistic, simple, and honest. While these descriptions of him are endearing and very accurate, what I found most peculiar about him was his strange stubbornness to ignore or avoid thinking too deeply about the strange happenings that have occurred around him. He either accepts them as unusual and then resolutely stops thinking about them further, or he pushes his doubts to the back of his mind, letting them eventually fade away with time. Like the rest of the town, he seems to accept the talking cat quite easily, yet he can't bring himself to believe in ghosts or ayakashi. I found this choice by the author a little strange, and sometimes frustrating. This is probably because if it were me, I'd have the MC embrace the strangeness and go on more adventures. But I admit, then the story wouldn't be as light and easy to digest.

I have started volume 2 and am looking forward to more of our MC/cat duo.

[ramunereads]

Kamisama no Komori Hajimemashita: Vol.2

Original Title: 神様の子守はじめました。

Author: 霜月りつ

Format: Japanese Novel

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Finally returning to this series after finishing the first volume like a year ago.

Imagine you're suddenly offered (or rather, forced) into the job of raising 4 babies all at once. Now imagine those 'babies' are infant gods who can't control their powers. That's what our MC in this series has to deal with everyday...and probably until he dies.

MC has a heart of gold, which is why he was selected in the first place, so he truly loves the children. Having to deal with infant gods who act just like regularly toddlers (tantrums, making messes, always trying to run off in different directions, etc.) but are super powered on top of all that? MC is incredible in his own right and I stand by that.

This volume was quite busy, and from what I remember from the first volume as well, I think that might be the theme of the series. To be expected when the main cast are super toddlers I suppose.

We get to see each of the kids' personalities and quirks shine when they solve the problems of those around them with their unique powers. Though it's a bit unclear how much they understand about what they're doing.

We also get to see our MC be scolded on several occasions. As I said before, MC has a heart of gold. He's kind and empathetic. Because of these traits however, the gods who surround him have had to explain to him why helping and being lenient toward everyone and anyone, even those who deserve punishment, is not always the best solution. On top of that, they scold the MC for behaving in such a way that could influence the four god children.

I can definitely see there being a theme of our MC growing and learning alongside the kids. After all, before he was their guardian, he was a normal everyday worker, only 22 years old. He has much to learn about pretty much everything.

As a side note, there was some setup for future events in this volume so I'm definitely going to keep reading.

[ramunereads]

TS Elf’s Drinking Stream

Original Title: TSエルフさんの酒飲み配信～たくさん飲むからってドワーフじゃないからな！？～

Author: 銀

Format: Japanese Webnovel

Series Status: Ongoing

Current Chapter Read as of Review: 240

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (more like a 3.5)

In a world where magical dungeons and exploring them are integrated into normal everyday life, a Japanese man eats a mysterious mushroom while live streaming, passes out, and wakes up as a beautiful elf woman.

I found this story after purposefully searching for elf TS (aka gender bender) stories. I was hooked immediately from the synopsis and I dove right in.

Our MC is the type of person who sees no benefit to fighting or even agonizing over things that aren't sure to change. So, she immediately puts aside her transformation and vows to live as she always has. The MC's laid-back and go-with-the-flow attitude made reading the story a very light and enjoyable time passer. She's quite pragmatic when problems or incidents happen, though she tends to be a bit careless sometimes. In the end, everything works out though, so I would recommend this series for those who want something ultimately stress free.

Now, our MC remains a daily mukbang live streamer even after her transformation and it's not just the descriptions of the food itself. There's also the shenanigans the MC does while eating or cooking that make it fun to read. Our MC quickly gains a fairy partner early in the story (shortly after her transformation in the first chapter) and the two are certainly a joy to watch together. The fairy's energetic and air-headed personality meshes well with the MC's relaxed nature and it was very amusing to see them each get influenced by each other enough to completely match energy as the story went on.

There's also just enough action and mysterious happenings in the story to keep it interesting. It's still pretty much Slice-of-Life but every now and then something big or unexpected will interrupt our MC's daily life of dungeon diving and live streaming. These incidents aren't the main focus of the story, but so far they have helped add depth and world building to a story that could have very well been in danger of becoming stale. Props to the author.

[ramunereads]

Shiganai Kengyou Kannushi no Yaoyorozu na Nichijou: Vol.1

Original Title: しがない兼業神主の八百万な日常

Author: さとの

Format: Japanese Light Novel

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

I quite enjoyed this story. It's laid back, most certainly a Slice-of-Life, but as a shrine/torii lover I loved pretty much every minute of reading it. The author also seamlessly included explanations on various aspects of the work of Shinto priests so I got to know some new info as well.

I also very much appreciated how the gods and spirits were portrayed in the story. They were usually benevolent, but also sometimes whimsical, unpredictable, mysterious, and of course, divine. I love whenever supernatural beings are portrayed as close to their traditional roots as possible. There's a reason such beings were revered and feared since the beginnings of humanity. So I had a great time reading about the MC's interactions with all the different beings.

The MC, save for his ability to interact directly with spirits and gods, is really just a guy. There's no part of his personality that stands out. Except for his love, devotion, and respect for the spirits he serves and converses with. Which, for a Shinto priest, is just what is needed I would imagine. Despite not having many definable traits personality wise, throughout the story he was directly driven by his desire to help, be of use to, and to understand the spirits and gods in his life. I found that rather endearing, probably because such devout belief is not so relevant in my life.

There were a couple loose ends that I suspect will be addressed in the second volume, which I intend to dive straight into.

[ramunereads]

How the Prince Makes Friends

Original Title: 왕자가 친구를 사귀는 방법

Author: 하냑

Format: Korean Webnovel

Series Status: Ongoing

Current Chapter Read as of Review: 183

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

So far this is a very cute series.

Although I enjoy found family and close friendship stories, straight child-rearing stories aren't something I actively go looking for. I was drawn to this series because the cover, and the synopsis, suggested that the child-rearing would be done by another child. That interested me and sounded darn right adorable, so I picked this up. Well, I was half-right.

We have two MCs here, the 7 year old prince Lian, and the new friend he picks up after almost turning him into roadkill. The story so far (as of where I am) is mainly about Nihil, the new friend, scurrying around and improving the surroundings of the little prince. Lian, rumored to be cursed from birth, is attention and love starved. So, Nihil goes around catching spies planted in Lian's space, gathering new allies while strengthening the ones already present, and even helping to mend the strained relationship between Lian and his father, the king. All the while taking care of (and occasionally teasing) the little prince. We see Lian smile more, become healthier, and even stand up to his bullies. All this from the Lian who was sickly, withdrawn, shy, and timid before Nihil showed up. I loved seeing Nihil's small gestures toward Lian, like reading him bedtime stories, singing him lullabies, and biting his cheeks because not even he can resist the little prince's cuteness. This is even more emphasized with Nihil's cold attitude toward those he deems unnecessary or enemies.

It has been heavily implied that Nihil is actually extremely old, and is currently a child only in appearance due to some incident. In fact, Nihil is the biggest mystery and the biggest driving force of the story so far. I'd say more characters surround him than the little prince.

The pace of the story is slow, as in most of it reads almost like a Slice-of-Life. But when events or incidents happen, the story seems to temporarily speed up and a lot can happen in a short amount of time. That's fine by me, I don't really mind and personally, it doesn't take away from my own reading pace or enjoyment.

If you want a cute childcare novel that is building up to be much more than just everyday, Slice-of-Life shenanigans, I recommend this series for sure.

[ramunereads]

Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols

Original Title: 김 대리는 아이돌이 싫어

Author: 퇴사연습생

Format: Korean Webnovel

Series Status: Ongoing

Current Chapter Read as of Review: 140

My Rating: ⭐⭐

I really like idol stories because more often then not they feature close bonds between the main cast. I love watching heartwarming interactions between characters. It's why I adore found family stories so much. Which is exactly why currently it's a bit hard for me to read through this series.

Our MC in this story has been through years (actually pretty much his whole life) of emotional, mental, and sometimes physical abuse. He may look and seem perfect on the surface at first glance, but he's quite broken. Let alone understanding when people are worried about him, he is seemingly not able to comprehend why someone would worry about him in the first place. And that's frustrating to read. His teammates care for him deeply and worry about him a lot, yet he brushes it all off, evades their questions, or procrastinates on even thinking about why. I understand that this is all because of his trauma, and he has a whole lot of healing to do. But that will probably take hundreds of chapters at the story's current pace and I just don't think I'm willing to sit through all of that.

Maybe it's because the MC's struggles and thought processes resonate with me that it makes me so uncomfortable. Either way, I don't know if I'm going to continue with this series. As of writing this, probably not.

[ramunereads]

Becoming an Extra in a Trash Game

Original Title: 망겜 속 엑스트라가 됨

Author: HEAJANGNIM

Format: Korean Webnovel

Series Status: Main Story Complete / Side Story Ongoing

Current Chapter Read as of Review: 275

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was not expecting to like this series as much as I did. The reason being, I had started this series before and dropped it. Originally, I read less than 50 chapters and decided it wasn't for me and turned away. So, thank you to that one long NovelUpdates review that made me give this series another chance.

I really like this series now, it's filled with elements right up my alley. Found family, ally gathering, a scheming MC that has a weak spot for his own people...this story has it all. Stripped down, this series is quite similar to Trash of the Count's Family, another one of my all time favorite Korean web novels.

I am not good with war stories. Yet with this series, and even going back to my love for Trash Count, what keeps me engrossed in the story is the relationship between the characters. In Becoming an Extra in a Trash Game, our main party is very much so a family. Unlike Cale in Trash Count, our MC here, Adelian, is very affectionate with his party members, who he views as his children due the nature of how he arrived in this fantasy world. He gives them head pats, a constant stream of good food and candy, and his almost unconditional love. In fact, his only "demand" of them in exchange for his love is simple. In the end, after everything is settled, live and be happy. It was even stated by the character who brought him into this world that the reason he was chosen was because he loved them the most. I almost cried when I read that. Of all the reasons for a MC getting isekai'd I've seen and read, that was one of the simplest yet purest reasons I have encountered so far.

I think another reason I am able to read through this story is that although it's been clear from the start that it's going to evolve into a continental war story, the MC is handling things fairly well. Most things so far have gone according to his planning and nobody on his side has died yet. Obviously that'll probably change in future chapters (since the main antagonist is a powerful god) but at least up until now it's been fairy comfortable for me, who usually shies away from stories with intense conflict.

Recently there was a bit of a turning point with the reveal of the true identity of a certain character, so I'll probably go forward being a bit more cautious with my reading, just in case something big happens. As of now though, I still intend to finish the series.

[ramunereads]

Yozakura Quartet: Vol.1-33

Original Title: 夜桜四重奏 ～ヨザクラカルテット～

Author: ヤスダ スズヒト

Format: Manga

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I complete binged the entire series of Yozakura Quartet.

Having watched the original anime years ago, as well as the remake (?) also quite a while ago, I had known of this series prior. I was driven to the manga after all this time after discovering the author's newest work Bootsleg. The art style suited my tastes quite well, but the story was lacking imo and I'm currently on the fence about continuing to follow the series. I wanted something more substantial, longer, and with a cast I actually liked. So I retraced my steps and dived head first into Yozakura Quartet, the author's longest running and most popular series.

I will say, I like it a lot. I'm a sucker for community based stories. Stories of found family and friendship make me so happy, I will never get tired of reading series with those themes. So, I was very pleasantly surprised when, the more I read, the more it became clear just how deep the bonds run between every single character in Yozakura, even the background characters.

All the main cast characters care deeply for each other, in such a way that it struck me as even being just as potent as typical shounen friendships. Maybe even more so since the Yozakura manga has long chapters of just Slice-of-Life where we get to see the cast interact and bond with each other organically, not just in tough or life threatening situations.

Side Note: We even got some LGBT rep within the main character circle so that's always nice.

Now about the characters. I feel it's been a while since I've liked so many characters. Hime, who is responsible and strong, yet spoils her friends and is actually quite timid. Ao, who is like the secret rock of the group, always cheerful, terrible at lying, and cares so so much about everyone. Kotoha (my favorite character btw), a bookworm who strives to always improve herself and her powers for the sake of her friends, community, and self while also being the goofiest of the main quartet. And those are just 3 out of a rather large and colorful cast. After all, the story is about a town's close knit community.

I also really enjoyed how all the gods are portrayed. Silly, whimsical, seemingly approachable but always retaining divinity, unfair, loving (whether that be the affectionate or tough kind), etc.

In Yozakura, everything the gods do have meaning because the gods are all knowing. From when you'll trip and fall, to what you'll eat for breakfast several weeks from now. Even how and when the world will end. However, because of various restrictions, the gods cannot interfere with people's--or the world's--fate. So they do nothing. And I found that fascinating. In some mythology and pantheons, there are quite a few meddling gods. Whether they be tricksters or just bored, there are plenty stories of gods or higher beings messing with humans for various reasons. So to see them quite literally sit back and watch from afar as the world neared it's end was what I thought was to be quite an interesting take on the relationship between gods and humans.

The longer I read and the deeper I got into the story, I truly came to appreciate and be impressed with how much the author put into this story. From the yokai and half demons and the interpretations of their powers and quirks, to the hierarchy of the gods and of course all the Japanese history and mythology intertwined in the plot and settings of the story. As someone who loves mythology and went through a bit of a Shinto-crazy phase years ago, learning so much Japan's history and mythology was just the cherry on top of reading this series.

This series is currently still ongoing, but depending on how it ends I might have to give Yozakura a place on my top favorite manga list.

PSA:

This manga has crazy fan service in it. Like, an excessive amount. If that makes you uncomfortable then I wouldn't recommend this to you despite all my gushing. I cannot emphasize this enough--there is a ridiculous amount of partial and even full nudity in this series. Everything is censored....but like at a minimal degree.

Everything else about this series is close to being typical shounen or Slice-of-Life, but the fan service is quite glaring.

[ramunereads]

Ghost & Witch: Vol.3

Original Title: ゴーストアンドウィッチ 3

Author: ヤマザキコレ

Format: Manga

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This volume felt a bit short compared to the first two, but that may be because I was so excited about it I was reading pretty fast.

In this volume I felt like Saku grew a bit. Or, maybe since it's still early in the series, I hadn't really understood her character as I thought I had. She's a stronger person than I thought, as she faces her (literal) inner demon directly for the first time in probably her whole life. And with attitude too.

Also in this volume, the focus shifts a little, bringing Rosie and her mysterious past and motives a bit more to the surface. Honestly, the author really knows how to make a cliff hanger. They not only end the volume with a peek into Rosie's past but also with a teaser of a mysterious hidden figure who seems to be reveling in the chaos that has been happening in the background of the plot. With the setting of the story being intertwined with fae and folklore, and taking into account the author's love of mysterious, possibly morally-grey characters, this figure could be anyone or anything.

In other words, things are starting to pick up a bit now. There are so many things left to be answered, as usual with Kore Yamazaki's works.

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Cherry blossom stroll by simabossneko

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High quality SAMPLE of The Ancient Magus' Bride: Midsummer Pilgrimage illustration made by Toji Honojiro.

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A GENTLE NOBLE'S VACATION RECOMMENDATION IS BEING AN ANIME!!

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The Last Dinner: Vol.5

Original Title: 最後の晩ごはん　師匠と弟子のオムライス

Author: 椹野道流

Format: Japanese Novel

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My favorite volume in this series so far.

We started this series with Natsugami, the owner and chef of the diner our MC Kairi works at, being Kairi's savior. He quite literally rescued Kairi both physically and mentally and thanks to that Kairi was able to face many of his past and present inner demons. Now however, in this volume we have the firm, guardian-like Natsugami the most vulnerable he has ever been. Because of this, we get to see Natsugami truly rely on Kairi and my heart ached in both sympathy and happiness when Natsugami pleaded Kairi for help and acknowledged him as family.

We delved in deeper into Natsugami then previous volumes, finally uncovering the last pieces of his tortured past. Here, we get to see just how deep the bond has become between these two characters. How deeply Kairi feels for his savior and how he becomes that very same thing for Natsugami.

It was a bittersweet yet fulfilling volume and honestly, it has solidified my intention to read through the entirely of this 20+ volume series.

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The Last Dinner: Vol.3

Original Title: 最後の晩ごはん　お兄さんとホットケーキ

Author: 椹野道流

Format: Japanese Novel

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

I knocked off a star for this volume because although I enjoyed it in the end, I was still kinda annoyed.

In this volume Kairi and his older brother's strained relationship comes to a head, even more dramatically than it did in the first volume, where Kairi was kicked out of his childhood home by said brother.

Ultimately, Kairi and his older brother make up to an extent, but only because of a character in between them essentially holding herself hostage. This is what annoyed me in this volume.

For the first time since starting this series I felt like the author was a bit too brusque and could have picked a different method bringing the brothers together. Of course, wounds and relationships broken since childhood don't heal easily. So, Kairi and his older brother aren't magically a loving family. They make up as much as they can in the moment, and Kairi easily comes to terms with the notion that it'll probably take a long, long time to become close to his brother.

If it wasn't for the events that led up to their reconciliation being, in my opinion, unnecessary, I would have enjoyed it more.

However, I am ultimately soft at heart. I enjoy it the most when characters I like are kind to and respect each other. So, I was satisfied with the ending of Kairi, his older brother, and the fiance sharing a bit of a laugh.

[ramunereads]

The Last Dinner: Vol.2

Original Title: 最後の晩ごはん　小説家と冷やし中華

Author: 椹野道流

Format: Japanese Novel

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

In this volume our MC, Kairi, is once again thrown in the spotlight after an accidental slip up from his former junior brings the paparazzi to his door. Kairi is forced to confront his feelings and the realization of how precarious his position is.

This volume was a bit tense, even more so than the first volume when when all of Kairi's troubles began. Just when I thought this volume was going to focus on the 'drama' side of the rotating genres that make up this series, the second half of this volume once again introduced the supernatural. However, from the first to last chapter, everything flowed smoothly into each other, showing how much care and thought was put into the story. So, the reintroduction of the supernatural element, following from the first volume, didn't jar me or make me feel lost while reading.

Kairi is such a kind person, he does his best to resolve the diners' customer's problems and although he doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut sometimes (otherwise known as 'minding your business'), it always comes from a place of concern rather than from just being nosy. In fact, even if he's seen as nosy, that is overshadowed by his care and dedication.

I've really grown to love Kairi, as well as the other two main characters that have created a delightful MC trio.

The epilogue was quite cute too.