#Watashi wa Teki ni Narimasen!

[beneaththetangles]

Reader’s Corner: Kyle’s Little Sister, Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence, and Guide to the Perfect Otaku Girlfriend

I Refuse to Be Your Enemy!, Vol. 6

This volume is a lovely conclusion to the reincarnated-as-a-villainess isekai story of Kiara. She was reborn into the world of a tactical RPG she played in her previous life (for a prime example of that kind of game, think Fire Emblem: Three Houses). Similar to a Fire Emblem game, there’s heavy focus on battlefield tactics, broken up by a sweet romance. Having fought her way across a kingdom, the final battle approaches. This volume delivers some backstory that clarifies the motives of a major antagonist and makes them, if not sympathetic, at least tragic. There’s a plot twist regarding another character that I found surprising yet also satisfyingly logical in hindsight. And of course there’s a beautiful, happy ending. (Well, for most of the characters…) My only complaint is that one intriguing mystery introduced in a prior volume was never resolved (and the author even acknowledges as much in the afterword). I happily recommend this six-volume light novel. ~ jeskaiangel

I Refuse to Be Your Enemy! is published by J-Novel Club.

Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence, Vol. 1

Sometimes you come across manga where even when you read the blurb beforehand, you still feel the piece was different than you expected. For me, Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence is one of those manga. I don’t think I had any expectations going in until I came across a reviewer mentioning that it was light on the “preachy.” It made me super curious because, a manga that has “preachy” in it (even if on the light side)?! I think due to this newfound expectation, I came in expecting one thing but got another. Not bad mind you! Pastor Lawrence is a fun character and I enjoy how “dense” he is, but also how he is deeply caring and compassionate. Saint Cecilia on the other hand was not who I thought she was, even though, again, I had read the blurb beforehand. She was cute and I think part of why I’m not sure how I feel about this manga as a whole is because I was unprepared for there to be a one-sided romantic interest in a series apparently about the titular saint and pastor living, working, and falling in love with one another. Despite these pages not aligning with my expectations, I found volume one of Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence to be a very light-hearted and quick read. ~ Laura A. Grace

Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence is published by Kodansha Comics.*

Reincarnated as the Piggy Duke, Vol. 1

At this point, there are quite a few reincarnated-as-a-not-so-villainous-villain isekai stories starring a female main character who attends a magical academy and/or school for nobility. This story mostly fits right alongside them, except for its male lead, Slowe Denning, and the fact that the isekai world is based on a fictional anime, not a video game as is more common. In the protagonist’s first life, he knew Slowe as the surprisingly popular, tragically sympathetic minor antagonist of an anime. Now possessing important knowledge about the world and aware of the sad fate that awaits him, Slowe embarks upon a quest to change himself and his story. I would summarize this volume thus: Slowe attends school while embarking on a weight loss program and PR campaign, as well as getting involved in some cloak-and-dagger extracurricular activities. This volume presented several multifaceted characters and some interesting world-building. I look forward to reading the next volume. ~ jeskaiangel

Reincarnated as the Piggy Duke is published by J-Novel Club.

Guide to the Perfect Otaku Girlfriend: Roomies and Romance, Vol. 1

On the one hand, we have Kagetora, the typical teen otaku boy who is desperate for an otaku girlfriend that matches his tastes. On the other hand, we have Kokoro, a fashionable, popular teenage girl who is secretly a fujoshi and wants an otaku boyfriend all the same. The two of them agree to help each other become the type of otaku that other otaku wants to date, and end up living together for reasons as well. While both have distorted views of romance, it says something that Kagetora’s issues and suggestions are generally worse, especially since many of his suggestions are to just have Kokoro behave more like classic anime girl stereotypes. Meanwhile, Kokoro’s suggestions are more the sort of general personal improvement that feels like it came from Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki. Given that, in the afterword, the author says that the story is based on his and others’ personal struggles with finding love as an otaku, perhaps it’s a sort of self-deprecating view about how guys have more to work through in this regard. Beyond that, this novel is an entertaining normal-world otaku romantic comedy, with plenty of otaku silliness and a nicely-developing relationship between the main leads that is the highlight of the story, and I’m definitely interested in reading more of it. ~ stardf29

Guide to the Perfect Otaku Girlfriend is published by J-Novel Club.

Kyle’s Little Sister

Grace is excited to start 6th grade, except for the fact that she’ll be in middle school with her older brother, the popular, athletic Kyle, to whom she’s always been compared. But she should make it just fine as long as she’s with her best friends, Jay and Amy…until they’re suddenly no longer friends. The road that Grace then takes into learning the nature of friendships and about siblinghood is absolutely charming and lovely. It transported me back to some of the books I read in middle school, to Judy Blume and the like, and I imagine may do the same for readers today who experienced more recent books for adolescents, or even to those in that stage right now. BonHyung Jeong captures the age extraordinarily well in its awkwardness and in the loveliness, too, of how 11-12-13 year olds are suddenly coming into their own without the experience or maturity to quite yet handle it all deftly. Grace is a realistic main character, and it’s wonderful to watch her experience this stage, while her friends are quite lovable, too. At just one volume, this “small” series reminds me that a manga about regular life, about kids just struggling to figure out the things in their world, even a world that’s actually quite easy in comparison to many, can be a significant story, imbued with warmth, authenticity, and heart. A highly recommended read for young people—or for those simply young at heart. ~ Twwk

Kyle’s Little Sister is published by Yen Press.*

One Week Friends, Vol. 4

One Week Friends continues to capture my heart! I was so excited for the growth shown by Hase in this volume. He has come such a long way and I’m very proud of him for how he is handling situations. I feel compared to how “whiny” he was with Kiryuu in previous volumes, he has really stepped up and just been a friend. Yes, it’s definitely obvious that he has feelings for Fujimiya, but I love how he is almost putting those feelings “on the side” so he genuinely can be there for her with his friendship. And speaking of Kiryuu, he is too cute. Seeing the young man completely out of his element was adorable. He puts up with so much from everyone, but yet continues to listen, observe, and stick around. He’s probably been the most interesting character in that regard because he is very much a rock for everyone…until a certain character flips his world upside down! Though in typical Kiryuu fashion, he still holds true that things will work out on their own. I suppose we shall see if things will indeed work out (which I honestly hope so!), but I am more than happy with the conclusion of this volume for our two precious main characters.  ~ Laura A. Grace

One Week Friends is published by Yen Press.

Strobe Edge, Vol. 1

As Viz nears completion of its run for Love Me, Love Me Not, a series I’ve reviewed volume by volume with much adulation, I’m stepping back in time to read an early series by the same mangaka, Io Sakisaka. Strobe Edge has been much recommended to me from Sakisaka fans, and volume one demonstrates why—it so astutely captures feelings of adolescent love, for better and worse, through the eyes of a clumsy, lovable protagonist and “more than he seems” male lead that she’s become so proficient at creating. In this series, that means Ninako, whose friends assume that she’ll soon date her childhood friend, Daichi, and the school hunk, Ren, whose cold exterior belies a kind heart. It’s a cute read, but becomes something further when a bomb is dropped at the end of chapter three, with the plot continuing to become webbed and tangled through the end of volume one. The mold for her later series, including the popular Ao Haru Ride, seems to have been made here, and just as with that manga and Love Me, Love Me Not, it is both breezy and compelling. I’m eager to see how the web unwinds. ~ Twwk

Strobe Edge is published by Viz.

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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 their reading—both those recently released as we keep you informed of newly published works and older titles that you might find as magical (or in some cases, reprehensible) as we do.

[singingbun]

Manga/Light novel list: Villainess route to redemption

I’ve been spending most of my spare time these days reading isekai otome villainess storylines, and mind you, the troupe surprises me. So we get our villainess girls, often used as a foil to the heroine’s path to their love life. Most of these deemed Villainesses are those who seek for a path to avoid their own destructive route or hope to redeem themselves of their stained name. So, here’s what I got so far:

Common sense of a Duke’s Daughter

Destruction flag Otome

The villainess wants to marry a commoner

Daughter of Albert house wishes for ruin

Of course I’ll claim Palimony

I am not a villainess!! Just because I control Darkness does not mean I am a bad person

Lady Rose wants to be a commoner

The result of being reincarnated is having a master-servant relationship with a yandre love interest

The observations of the villainess’s fiance

It seems I got reincarnated into the world of a Yandre otome game

Holy Guardian Tiger

May I ask for one final thing?

Watashi wa Teki ni Narimasen! (I will not become an enemy)

The Last boss witch will keep her Past self’s crush until her dying day

Let me know a few titles to add in

[hetamyumusic]

1-20) Ichi, Ni, no San de Nichidokui

1・2の3で日独伊

Kanji

１・２の３で　日独伊 １・２の３で　日独伊 俺たち　ルールの内容は

１　お互いを認めよう ２　お互い援助は惜しまない ３　有効期限は１０年 １・２の３で　日独伊 １・２の３で　日独伊

まるい地球の その軸が わたしたちという 意味を込め 名付けましょう 枢軸国と

まるい地球を 回すには 中心がなくてはなりません 英語でいうと 「Axis Powers」！

「わざわざ敵の言葉を使うんじゃない」

１・２の３で　枢軸国 １・２の３で　枢軸国 世界の中心　枢軸国

ここから先は 小さな事が 勝負を決める 日頃の鍛錬が必要だ よって俺は 大好きなビールを断つ

私の中にも 侍の血が 流れています 「贅沢は敵だ！」 質素倹約 よって　わたしは 大好きな塩鮭を 「断ちます」

１・２の３で　枢軸国 １・２の３で　枢軸国 世界の中心　枢軸国

負けて堪るか　俺たちは 世界の中心　枢軸国 負けて堪るか　俺たちは 世界の頂点　昇るまで 誰もが挑む　世界の中心で 勝利の美酒を　味わおう 誰もが望む　世界の中心で うまいビールを　飲むんだ

１・２の３で　枢軸国 １・２の３で　枢軸国 世界の中心　枢軸国

Ichi, Ni, no San de Nichidokui

Romaji

ichi, ni, no san de nichidokui ichi, ni, no san de nichidokui ore-tachi ruuru no naiyou wa

ichi　otagai wo mitomeyou ni　otagai enjo wa oshimanai san　yuukou kigen wa jyuunen ichi, ni, no san de nichidokui ichi, ni, no san de nichidokui

marui chikyuu no sono jiku ga watashi-tachi to iu imi wo kome nadzukemashou suujikukoku to

marui chikyuu wo mawasu ni wa chuushin ga nakute wa narimasen eigo de iu to “Axis Powers!”

“Wazawaza teki no kotoba wo tsukaun ja nai!”

ichi, ni, no san de suujikukoku ichi, ni, no san de suujikukoku sekai no chuushin suujikukoku

koko kara saki wa chiisana koto ga shoubu wo kimeru higoro no tanren ga hitsuyou da yotte ore wa daisuki na biiru wo tatsu

watashi no naka ni mo samurai no chi ga nagarete imasu “Zeitaku wa teki da!” shisso kenyaku yotte watashi wa daisuki na shiozake wo “Tachimasu.”

ichi, ni, no san de suujikukoku ichi, ni, no san de suujikukoku sekai no chuushin suujikukoku

makete tamaru ka ore-tachi wa sekai no chuushin suujikukoku makete tamaru ka ore-tachi wa sekai no chouten noboru made daremo ga idomu sekai no chuushin de shouri no bishu wo ajiwaou daremo ga nozomu sekai no chuushin de umai biiru wo nomunda

ichi, ni, no san de suujikukoku ichi, ni, no san de suujikukoku sekai no chuushin suujikukoku

One, Two, and Three, Japan, Germany, and Italy

English

One, two, three! We are Japan, Germany and Italy! One, two, three! We are Japan, Germany and Italy! Here are the rules of our pact:

One: We recognize and respect one another Two: We won't hold back on assisting one another Three: Our pact shall remain in force for ten years One, two, three! We are Japan, Germany and Italy! One, two, three! We are Japan, Germany and Italy!

Let’s name ourselves ‘The Axis’ To mean that we are ‘The axis the world spins on’

The round world needs a center To rotate around In English, we'd be “Axis Powers!”

“Don’t go using the enemy’s language!”

One, two, three! We are The Axis Powers! One, two, three! We are The Axis Powers! We are the center of the world, The Axis Powers!

From this point on, even little things will affect the outcome of a battle It's necessary to train ourselves at all times Therefore, I shall abstain from beer, my favorite thing

I also have the blood of samurai running in my veins "Luxury is the enemy!" For simplicity and frugality, I shall abstain from my beloved “salted salmon”

One, two, three! We are The Axis Powers! One, two, three! We are The Axis Powers! We are the center of the world, The Axis Powers!

We won’t accept defeat, since we are The center of the world, The Axis Powers! We won’t accept defeat, since we will climb until we reach the top of the world And at the center of a world that everyone fought for We shall taste the sweet wine of victory At the center of a world that everyone wished for We shall drink our delicious beer

One, two, three! We are The Axis Powers! One, two, three! We are The Axis Powers! We are the center of the world, The Axis Powers!

[recentanimenews]

I Refuse to Be Your Enemy!, Vol. 5

By Kanata Satsuki and Mitsuya Fuji. Released in Japan as “Watashi wa Teki ni Narimasen!” by PASH! Books. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Tara Quinn.

It will come as no particular surprise to learn that, in this volume, Kiara is captured by the enemy for a section. That is going to happen with this type of romantic heroine in this type of book. It’s handled pretty well, though there is a sexual assault warning fro the book, as Credias pretty much attempts to molest Kiara the moment she’s in his grasp. We also get not one, not two, but THREE times where I thought “ah, this is it, that character is gonna die” and then turned out to be wrong, which again is mostly related to the fact that Kiara, when it comes right down to it, does not like killing anyone she’s gotten to know – though she’s perfectly OK with killing faceless mooks she doesn’t know, as we see here. That said, more important than all of these things, Kiara finally clues in to her own feelings and realizes that she’s in love with Reggie. It may not shock the reader, but it shocks her.

As noted above, despite the best efforts of Cain and the other soldiers, Kiara is captured by Isaac. And unfortunately that also means Credias, who is perfectly happy to kill everyone in the way of his raping, torturing, and killing Kiara, possibly not in that order. Fortunately, Isaac is wise enough to realize that, in order to get what he needs, he cannot have Kiara be taken by Credias at all. Also fortunately, Reggie and company are coming to the rescue, which is cool and involves several giant mice. After this, there’s still a lot of war to be fought, trust me. The enemy seem to have endless piles of reinforcements, and are very happy to convert anyone who comes near them into a defective spellcaster. Fortunately our side has Kiara, who is strong, Reggie, who is learning how to use magic at last, and the Thorn Princess, who is… ???

I said last time that the series did not really lean too hard on the reincarnated from Japan into an otome game part of this plot, but that starts to change here, in several interesting ways. Some I won’t spoil, but I did find it very telling that Reggie and others worry that Kiara’s utter disregard for her own life and tendency to take daring risks stems from a fact that she thinks this is not a “real” world and that she might just wake up back there after she dies. That proves to… not quite be the case? Indeed, there’s a certain sentence in the book that made me say “Oh my GOD”, as we might actually be smooshing reincarnation isekai and otome game villainesses together with another stock plot. That said, for those who are reading this romance title for the romance, be assured there are love confessions, cute possessiveness, and a heck of a lot of attention paid to Kiara’s legs and feet in this book as well.

The next volume is the last, and the cover art has a wedding dress for Kiara, so no prizes guessing how it ends. Still, there’s a war to end, and one last pesky (or should I say thorny) plotline to wrap up. Another enjoyable volume of this military romance isekai villainess redemption fantasy.

By: Sean Gaffney

[shoujo-lightnovel-blog]

💎 【Ｉ　Ｗｉｌｌ　Ｎｏｔ　Ｂｅｃｏｍｅ　ａｎ　Ｅｎｅｍｙ！】 Associated Names : Watashi wa Teki ni Narimasen! 私は敵になりません！ Type : Web Novel (JP) Genre : Fantasy | Historical | Romance | Shoujo Author(s) : Kanata (奏多) Artist(s) : Fuji Mitsuya (藤 未都也) Year : 2015 Status in COO : 268 Chapters (Completed) 6 LN Volumes (Completed) Completely Translated : No Description : Kiara was the adopted daughter of the Earl. She was adopted to become the Queen’s lady-in-waiting but in order to become one, she had to marry a person two times older than her. In her despair, the young girl’s memories of her previous life appeared in her head. She then remembered about the game she had played many times Farujia Oukoku Senki and about the enemy Witch that will appear. “If I married, then I will have the exact same name as that enemy witch!” She tried to escape from the detestable marriage and the fate of dying as an enemy character. In doing so, on the carriage that had allowed her to secretly leave, were people who seemed familiar……. Currently, I am heading to the kingdom. Source : novelupdates.com #shoujo_lightnovel #shoujo_lightnovelrecommendation #novelrecommendation #novelupdates #webnovelrecommendation #webnovel #lightnovel #lightnovelrecommendation #shoujo #romance #fantasy #historical #historicalnovel #shoujoromance #isekai #isekainovel #reincarnation #reincarnatedinanotherworld https://www.instagram.com/p/BzOkUZhFXEr/?igshid=14pa7l31p2jt7

[beneaththetangles]

Otaku Reader’s Corner: Smile Down the Runway, Bibliophile Princess, and Oregairu

Tearmoon Empire (Vol. 1)

As Tearmoon Empire vol. 1 opens, protagonist Princess Mia (clearly inspired by Marie Antoinette) dies on the guillotine…only to wake up as a twelve-year-old! Now Mia strives to avert the coming revolution. The story challenges readers by offering divergent interpretations of Mia’s character. The people around Mia are often impressed by what they perceive as her kindness & insight, while the snarky narrator mocks them as delusional fools, insisting anything Mia does that appears good actually comes from entirely selfish, petty motives. I loved this book. I loved the history-inspired premise, Mia, supporting characters like Anne & Abel, & the thought-provoking unreliable narrator. This is a fantastic light novel and I strongly recommend it. – Jeskai Angel

Tearmoon Empire (Vol. 1) is available through Amazon.

My Youth Romantic Comedy is Wrong, as I Expected (Vol. 7.5)

I’ve read most of the Oregairu volumes already (admitedly fan translations before they were licensed), but it’s been some time, and with the final anime season to cover the remaining light novels and about to start airing, I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to revisit my favorite series. Volume 7.5 was one I didn’t remember well. A collection of “side stories” and “special acts,” it’s a lovely addition to the franchise. The picture of Miura on the cover gives you insight to what it’s all about—a chance for supporting characters to shine and for Watari to take us down some routes not entirely fitting with the main storyline. But as always, the writing is excellent, and further you get some nice illustrative pieces, like Yui’s calendar and a beautiful full-color foldout with Yukinon and Hikki on one side and Hiratsuka in a wedding dress on the other. This is must-own for any fan of the franchise! – Twwk

My Youth Romantic Comedy is Wrong, as I Expected (Vol. 7.5) is variable through Amazon.

My Father is a Unicorn

This one volume manga is a concept that was just too ridiculous to not read. Our main character comes home from school one day to find out that his mother re-married…a unicorn. The unicorn Dad can go back and forth between human and unicorn form. I saw Morgana Santilli‘s review of it for Comic Beats and had to check it out. Ended up really enjoying it. If you enjoy silly stories about what defines us as family (which I do) and find yourself needing more horse jokes/puns in your life (which, of course I do), then this may be for you. – MDMRN

My Father is a Unicorn is available through Amazon.

Bibliophile Princess (Vol. 1)

There’s no such thing as too many light novels with bookworm protagonists. Bibliophile Princess is a more of a shoujo romance take on the story, with protagonist Elianna not only trying to get a hold of rare books, but also trying to figure out what to make of her relationship with the prince that she’s somehow betrothed to. The first volume consists of two major arcs, and each one feels like a full story in and of itself, albeit told in a somewhat strange fashion as events play out without explanation until the end. The highlight of this volume is definitely Elianna herself, who is the main narrator and provides plenty of amusing commentary on everything going on; plus, her bookworm tendencies gets put to good use as she helps the people of the kingdom out with the knowledge from those books. Fans of shoujo or of bookworm protagonists should definitely give it a shot. – stardf29

Bibliophile Princess (Vol. 1) is available through Amazon.

Smile Down the Runway (Vol. 6)

I’ll be real here, while I still think the anime was a good adaptation for the story, that doesn’t change the fact that it had to cram around 75 chapters’ worth of content into 12 episodes. Unfortunately, for that to be feasible, a lot of minor plot points and relationship details had to be either changed or omitted altogether so that the bigger ones took more focus. Right now, Kodansha’s released the midpoint of the Geika arc, so if you’re up for reliving the series again during this time, I’d strongly recommend reading the manga from the very beginning. – thathilomgirl

Smile Down the Runway (Vol. 6) is available through Amazon.

Your Lie in April (Vol. 3)

Our readers (and me) all seem to be huge fans of the Your Lie in April . I have watched it twice at this point and am working on a third watch-through now. Only recently did I discover that my library network has all of Your Lie in April. I started on volume 1 and it is gorgeous. The art is just breathtakingly well done and the story…well, I’ve seen the anime so I know what’s happening. Yet, the manga presents everything so incredibly well that I can’t put each new volume down. I’m 3 volumes in, but if you liked the anime a little bit—I would absolutely recommend the manga. I mean, it’s the manga series Eiichiro Oda (the creator of One Piece) wishes he could have created, so…that’s high praise. – MDMRN

Your Lie in April (Vol. 3) is available through Amazon.

I Refuse to Be Your Enemy! (Vol. 1)

I Refuse to Be Your Enemy! vol. 1, is a new entry in the reincarnated-into-a-video-game subgenre of isekai tales, this time using the premise for serious fantasy adventure, plus some shoujo elements. When protagonist Kiara realizes her strange dreams are memories of a past life, & she’s living in a tactical RPG where she’ll become a villain & die by hero’s hand, she immediately takes flight. Naturally, she gets entangled with the game’s protagonist & his associates. The integration of Kiara’s tragic background with her character is outstanding. The story quickly reveals that Kiara has had an abusive childhood, & at first I found it off-putting how well adjusted she seemed to be. But as I kept reading, I realized Kiara’s sad backstory isn’t just a pile of tropes used for cheap drama: the abuse she endured profoundly shapes her character is realistic, subtle ways. I heartily recommend this one. – Jeskai Angel

I Refuse to Be Your Enemy! (Vol. 1) is available through Amazon.

[beneaththetangles]

Nice Shoujo Protagonist You’ve Got There…Shame If Anything Happened to Her

Jeskai Angel continues our Holy Week series on anime and disability by examining a condition that might quality as the latter, but which as he mentions, can certainly be significantly disabling.

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Shame is an extremely common result of being abused, and it can happen with any kind of abuse: physical, emotional, sexual, etc. Shame isn’t a disability, at least not in the usual sense of that word, but it is indeed disabling. It constrains one’s choices, paralyzes one to the point of inaction, prevents one from considering new possibilities, blinds one to the truth, and gets in the way of relationships. Of course, in ordinary everyday language, “shame” is a synonym of “guilt,” both words being used to describe a distressing awareness of having done wrong. This raises obvious questions about what I mean by “shame.”

Some years back, my psychologist, Dr. Geoff Weckel of Fort Worth, Texas, explained to me that there is a profound difference between “shame” and “guilt” as mental health professionals use those terms. In this paradigm, “guilt” is a feeling that says “I did a bad thing.” On the other hand, “shame” is a feeling that says “I am bad.” To put it another way, guilt is a negative view of specific actions one has committed, while shame is negative view of one’s very identity. Someone who feels guilty thinks “I shouldn’t have done such-and-such, I should apologize for doing such-and-such, I shouldn’t do such-and-such again,” etc. But a person suffering from shame believes that their fundamental nature is flawed: “I am a terrible person, my inner self is irreparably flawed.” Real and even imagined failings are regarded as proof of one’s own corrupt character.

I’ve read books and articles by various other mental health professionals, and they consistently define shame and guilt in terms similar to those my therapist used. Since I don’t want you to rely on a secondhand recollection of something I heard years ago, I tracked down some direct quotes. First, a 2013 quote from Dr. Brené Brown, professor of social work:

I believe that there is a profound difference between shame and guilt. I believe that guilt is adaptive and helpful – it’s holding something we’ve done or failed to do up against our values and feeling psychological discomfort. I define shame as the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging – something we’ve experienced, done, or failed to do makes us unworthy of connection.

Second, a 2017 quote from sociology professor Dr. Thomas Henricks:

Guilt is distinguished by its focus on particular actions… Guilt, it may be recalled centers on improper actions – things done and undone. Even in its free-floating form, it focuses on failed actions to come.  By contrast, shame centers on the self in its fullness. Guilty people regrets their moments of “deviance.”  Shamed people, that they have become, profoundly, “deviants.”

Hopefully these examples suffice to clarify what I mean by “shame.”

Shame is a liar, hobbling its victims with false perceptions of reality. Shame is a voice in one’s head insisting at all hours of the day that one is dirty, not good enough, unworthy. Shame says that one never does anything right, and even if one does something right, it must have been from wrong motives. Shame says one has nothing of value to contribute, that one’s very presence is a net negative for other people. Shame says that one doesn’t deserve to enjoy good things and that one is unlovable.

With that typically long-winded intro out of the way, let’s…err…have a slightly less long-winded intro? I Refuse to Be Your Enemy, a fairly recent entry in the reincarnated-into-a-video-game subgenre of isekai light novels, opens with an ominous letter from fourteen-year-old Kiara’s nominal guardian Count Patriciel announcing her arranged marriage to the noble Lord Credias. This letter proves to be the last piece of a puzzle, helping Kiara connect the dots with the strange, recurring dreams she’s had as long as she can remember—dreams of being a different person in a different world. All the details add up and she deduces that she’s living in the world of a tactical RPG (e.g., Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy Tactics) that this other self was fond of playing in her past life.

Most importantly, she recognizes her soon-to-be married name “Kiara Credias” as the name of a villain who dies by the hand of the game’s protagonist: “I was a character in a video game. And even worse, I was an antagonist.” Being sensible, Kiara flees. Immediately. She takes a few moments to gather her meager possessions, then hastens to get away from the school her guardian had her attending. Naturally, book-protagonist Kiara soon winds up involved with game-protagonist Alan and his associates. Lots of fun and sweet stuff happens, so go read the book once you finish this article.

All this is relevant because Kiara is a remarkably well-written example of a character who suffered childhood abuse and now lives with the shame those traumatic experiences caused. In short, her mother died when Kiara was quite young, her father never loved her, and her stepmother hated her. Then her father died and her stepmother treated her like a slave for a while, before finally selling Kiara to Count Patriciel for a large sum of money giving her up for adoption to Count Patriciel. Her new guardian doesn’t treat her like a slave, but he does some pretty sketchy things, like force her to drink mysterious concoctions, train to fight with a dagger, and carry a vial of poison with her. Finally, at age eleven, Kiara goes off to boarding school to become a proper noblewoman.

I would expect such a traumatic background to leave serious scars on the person who went through all that, and at first, I was rather annoyed by how well-adjusted Kiara seemed to be. She appears smart, decisive, friendly, and kind. I suspected the author was just using a melodramatic tragic backstory to build easy sympathy for the otherwise emotionally healthy protagonist. Thankfully, first impressions proved misleading. Kiara is deeply traumatized by her past, and the story reflects that. However, like many victims of abuse, she doesn’t fully understand how hurt she is, and she has grown capable of appearing psychologically functional around others. As a result, the symptoms of her trauma aren’t immediately obvious.

Kiara’s burden of shame is no less real for manifesting in subtle ways. Indeed, the subtlety makes her shame more realistic! The story never explicitly says “Kiara was traumatized by abuse,” but it does provide an accumulating series of examples of behavior that accurately depict a person dealing with shame from past abuse. For one thing, Kiara feels almost pathologically compelled to prove her worth to the people around her—even if they already like her plenty well. She believes that unless she demonstrates her value to others, they will soon cast her out. Second, she expects rejection at every turn, even when it’s totally irrational to think her friends would suddenly turn against her over this or that. She fully expects they will cast her out the moment she makes the tiniest mistake. Kiara is under the impression that unless she is perfect, she will be rejected by others.

Finally, Kiara is nearly incapable of considering that anyone might love her, or even just care about her as a friend. This is dangerously reminiscent of tiresome tropes we’ve all seen before involving stupidly dense characters, but Kiara averts them once we remember her background. She lives with shame born of trauma inflicted through abuse. That means it’s eminently realistic that she would believe others can’t like or love her. This being a shoujo story, there are three potential male love interests, though only one, Prince Reggie, goes out of his way to express it to her. But in Kiara’s mind, there’s obviously no way that any of these guys could be romantically interested in someone like her, which leaves her sincerely baffled and slightly worried by their inexplicable behavior. To the reader, it’s obvious that the guys are treating her with friendly, and Reggie’s case romantic, affection, but Kiara, with her distorted, shame-wracked perspective, just finds it puzzling.

Kiara’s sad backstory isn’t merely a pile of tropes used for cheap drama: abuse left her with shame that is reflected strongly in the kind of person she’s become. As someone who grew up in an emotionally abusive environment, I find Kiara deeply relatable on all these points. I remember more than once feeling mystified and disconcerted by kindness from others. “Why are they so nice to me? I don’t deserve their generosity, and I haven’t done anything for them to have earned their favor.” I’ve lived with the belief that people cared about and respected me only so long as I proved my worthiness by being perfect all the time. Worst of all was God: What with that whole omniscience thing, there’s no way God could be mistaken about how bad I am, and since that was the only basis on which anyone could care about me, I concluded there was no chance God could love me.

Shame is a liar, a vicious non-physical wound left in one’s mind by the sins of abuse others committed. This intangible injury to the psyche is harder to perceive than many of the issues that we commonly associate with “disability,” but it is no less a hindrance to living life as one wishes. I can’t say for certain, but I strongly suspect that like more concrete injuries or disabilities, shame will never be *fully* healed in this life. But even while we wait for the resurrection, when our minds and bodies alike will be completely whole, partial recovery from shame is possible right now. I can say from experience that good counseling with an appropriate mental health professional makes an incredible difference. I’m much more capable of fighting back when the voice in my head spews cruel lies. If you or anyone you know is besieged by shame, please don’t give up. Remember that shame is a liar, cunningly twisting our thoughts so that we see ourselves and others in a distorted way. Take courage, seek help from licensed professionals, pray without ceasing. You are lovable (and loved!), and you deserve to enjoy good things.

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Beneath the Tangles recommends I Refuse to be Your Enemy!

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Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, everyone!

On this day, we celebrate that Christ has risen, and with him so have all we who believe in his name. His death and victory paved the way for our own salvation, for life now and into eternity. What a thing to commemorate. What a joy to know!

I hope that this week’s post also helped point you toward the risen LORD. Though none were about Easter, and not all even mentioned faith, they still spoke of him in a most subtle and still striking way. Here’s a rundown on the articles we posted:

Holy Week: Anime and Disability (Introduction)

All Might and the Importance of Rest

In/Spectre, Violet Evergarden, and Invisible Disability

Nice Shoujo Protagonist You’ve Got There…Shame If Anything Happened to Her

Fully, Wholly Metal Alchemist

Making Assumptions: Violet Evergarden, Disability, and Imperfection

As we discussed disability in anime this week, I hope it reminded you of the diversity of humankind. We are all different and yet brought under the umbrella of God’s great love. And in fact, Jesus was different, too: Though a religious leader, he did not fit into any of the parties of his day, his background was considered disreputable, he was rejected as Messiah by a people wanting a leader of a different kind, his accent and station in life far from that admired by the crowd. And yet his life demonstrated the ferocity with which he loved the downcast, the poor, the humble, the children, women—those who mattered little in the culture of turn of the millennia Palestine. They were all of worth in his eyes, and he was and is most worthy of all.

If you’re in need of a streaming worship service this Sunday, and don’t know which church to attend, we’ve created a list of possible choices. We urge you to check it out.

And to everyone, we hope you have a wonderful and joyous Easter holiday!

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Featured illustration by Nengoro (reprinted w/permission)

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I Refuse to Be Your Enemy!, Vol. 4

By Kanata Satsuki and Mitsuya Fuji. Released in Japan as “Watashi wa Teki ni Narimasen!” by PASH! Books. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Tara Quinn.

I’ve mentioned before that, aside from the basic “villainess otome game” plot, there’s very little here that could not simply be imported as is to a Western romantic fantasy, albeit one with a very military strategy sort of bent. No one is trying to make miso, and the references to Kiara’s past life in Japan are kept to longing for family and nothing specifically cultural. So, for the most part, I had this down as a book you could happily recommend to casual, non-anime fans… at least until the catgirl Festival showed up. See, one city has a legend of being saved from certain death by a cat goblin, and so every year girls put on kitty ears and wear angel wings. And then go out and look for men they might be attracted to. It’s not particularly handled in a bad way, and it doesn’t detract from the rest of the book. It just made me go “really? cat ears?” when I got to it.

We pick up immediately where we left off, and continue to slowly wage war against the enemy army. Several things happen here that are of note, though. First, after a second encounter with him disguised as a merchant, Kiara finally clues in that the helpful guy giving her advice is actually the opposing king. That said, the king has an “I am not evil” backstory, so I suspect we may be able to work things out. Secondly, Lady Emmeline, who was the savviest of the hostages we met in the last book, becomes a major supporting character, and another person for the perpetually baffled Kiara to turn to when it comes to emotions. She also makes a great general. Lastly, and most importantly, Lord Credias, Ada’s husband and the one who turned Kiara into a spellcaster, is on the battlefield, and his presence makes Kiara unable to use her magic.

I have, of course, left out Ada, who has the most interesting plotline in the volume. We get several short chapters from her point of view, as she struggles with trying to win Reggie over, her intense hatred for Kiara, and the fact that Kiara turns out to be a fairly decent person. I had briefly wondered if they might try to redeem her, especially as the book seemed to be shipping her with Reggie’s guard, Felix. Unfortunately, after the events in this book, I suspect if there is a redemption it’s going to be one ending in death. Ada is, as has been lampshaded, in the same position that Kiara was in in the original game. And, unlike Kiara’s game self, Ada actually has someone to blame for all of this. It is understandable that she does not decide to turn herself in. (There’s also a very interesting side scene from the POV of game Kiara, a few years before the game events, where she attempts to drown herself and is saved by Reggie.)

We’re now 2/3 of the way through this, and an ending is in sight, but until then there’s going to be pitched battles. At least Reggie has tried to make his feelings relatively clear… but Kiara’s romance aversion and low self-esteem are a wall that is still too high to climb. Definitely recommended for J-Novel Heart fans, though. Despite the cat ears.

By: Sean Gaffney

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I Refuse to Be Your Enemy!, Vol. 3

By Kanata Satsuki and Mitsuya Fuji. Released in Japan as “Watashi wa Teki ni Narimasen!” by PASH! Books. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Tara Quinn.

For the most part, while reading this series, it’s fairly easy to simply ignore that it’s meant to be a “villainess otome” book at all. Yes, Kiara’s memories of the game do sometimes come in very handy, but they don’t always match, as she’s altered the world too much for them to be the same. That said, there is one big subplot that is very dependent on Kiara’s original role being the villainess who gets killed off. Kiara is no longer filling that role and so it has to be filled by SOMEONE. And so we see a lot more of Ada, the spellcaster who uses fire we briefly saw in the second book. After Kiara ran away, she was next in line to be married off to the frog-faced noble and turned into a weapon, and boy is she angry about it. It’s an interesting reminder that this fantasy military action-adventure still runs on otome game rules, which means you still need a villainess no matter who it is.

As for our original villainess, now turned heroine, she’s doing pretty well here. While still not wanting to directly kill anyone, one battle sequence shows that she’s come to terms with indirectly doing it, in a chilling reminder of how deadly Earth Magic can be when used cleverly. Reggie’s army is slowly moving towards the capital, though it needs to make a few detours (farmers have a limited amount of time to cultivate, and they would like to have their land back). Things are mostly quiet on the romance front with Reggie, but that’s just because this is Cain’s book – he’s her bodyguard and has a crush, and starts to come on strong before being told that Kiara really is not ready to think about this sort of thing (she never dealt with love in her previous life, either). And there’s another surprise… Reggie can use magic?

Fortunately at least one of the pair of doomed lovers has decided to be less doomed – Kiara is taking more care of herself here – well, a bit more, but it’s visible – and no longer seems quite as willing to throw her life away for Reggie. The same cannot be said of him, unfortunately. Hearing about the fate of his game self seems to have given him a big case of “I’m living on borrowed time anyway”, and trying to hide the aftereffects of the wound he got last book is not really helping anyone in the long run. In particular, he’s clearly jealous of Cain and his closeness to Kiara, but almost seems to be giving up rather than fighting back. His fatalism had better change in the next book. Giving Kiara an evil counterpart who’s obsessed with him might help – all the setup for that is in this volume.

I never really have as much to say about these books. They’re so straightforward and serious – I believe I counted two jokes, which were admittedly quite funny – and they don’t give much to overanalyze. They’re just a good yarn. And this is the halfway point of the series, so I expect things to move even faster next time.

By: Sean Gaffney

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I Refuse to Be Your Enemy!, Vol. 6

By Kanata Satsuki and Mitsuya Fuji. Released in Japan as “Watashi wa Teki ni Narimasen!” by PASH! Books. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Tara Quinn.

It’s the final volume of this series, and I am pleased that it’s ending pretty much the way that it began: with lots of strategy and battles. There is some romance here, as the cover art will no doubt clue you in on, but for the most part this is still a military fantasy first and a romance second. e get to see the remaining bad guys be really bad, but also (well, in one case) see how they got to be that way, and witness Kiara say that if Reggie had died she’d totally have done something very similar, which is… chilling, but very on brand. There’s a character reveal that’s well-handled and an actual surprise, which pleased me. And, of course, our heroes very nearly lose several times, as we are shown that just because you may know about the past in a game… or even via other means… does not mean that there is not still danger of death lurking everywhere. This ISN’T a game.

Having confessed to each other, all that’s left for Kiara and Reggie’s happy ending is… well, a lot, to be honest. Lord Patriciel is still around, as is Queen Marianne. And they both seem far more confident than they should, really. It would help to have a few more allies, which means getting the Thorn Princess completely on their side, but to do so they’ll have to discover who she really is. The enemy is brutal, enslaving people and using them as meat shields, then using the slaves and its own soldiers as defective spellcasters in order to kill the troops. And oh yes, they also have a monster, a huge flying beast that obeys the Queen’s command. Even when they’ve won and all that’s left is for the Queen to surrender, there’s still one nasty trick up her sleeve, which Kiara may have to pay for with her life.

As I mentioned earlier, I appreciated that it’s very hard to change fate, but not impossible. Every time Kiara or the Thorn Princess feel that they’ve managed to alter the past so that Reggie is not brutally killed, he ends up in a different kind of danger. It’s not easy trying to find the right butterfly to step on. Fortunately, they have the ability to plan and strategize on the fly, but it’s a touch-and-go thing, especially towards the end, where various characters compete to see who can sacrifice their life to save 3everyone else first. That said, it’s not a big spoiler to say that most everyone lives happily ever after, even some people that I was pretty sure were going to die. And, for those who DO like romance, there’s some nice stuff here – Reggie is very affectionate, and spends most of the book trying to get a very reserved Kiara to accept him touching her. A lot.

At six volumes, this turned out to be exactly the right length. If you like villainess stories done almost completely straight, with few cliches and a heaping helping of battle, this is a terrific series to read.

By: Sean Gaffney

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I Refuse to Be Your Enemy!, Vol. 2

By Kanata Satsuki and Mitsuya Fuji. Released in Japan as “Watashi wa Teki ni Narimasen!” by PASH! Books. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Tara Quinn.

In my review of the first volume I said that light novel fans would be disappointed but romance fans should be happy. This volume dials back the romance (though it’s still there), and I’d argue that it may be fans of RPGs who get the most out of the series, as it’s become a military fantasy novel, which Kiara’s choice to become a spellcaster having far more of an impact on the plot than whether she likes Reggie or Cain. (It’s Reggie, btw. Of course it’s Reggie.) The cliffhanger is resolved fairly quickly, but the overall situation is not, as the King and castle are still very much under attack. We also get a couple of good choices for ongoing villains in this book, and see quite a few people on both sides die, which impacts Kiara more than anyone would like. But most importantly, Kiara and Reggie show how incredibly similar they are to each other, and how that’s a VERY bad thing.

Last time I noted that Kiara’s life in Japan was far more vague than in most reincarnated isekai protagonists, and that’s still true, but we do see a bit more of it here, including some of her life in Japan as Chisato, when she was essentially pretty happy but also alone much of the time, having no siblings and two parents who were working much of the time. She’s determined to avoid the fate of everyone in the game, and we’re pretty sure what she’s managed to avoid turning into an evil spellcaster, at least, but saving Reggie is not as simple as stopping the soldiers from killing him that one time. This is a constant war, and Reggie is in constant danger. As is Kiara, much to Reggie’s chagrin – the woman he’s falling in love with is not one who would take kindly at all to him shutting her away to keep her safe, so he doesn’t, but boy does he hate that.

This series is a romance. And it ends with Vol. 6 in Japan. Not to spoil hideously, or anything, but the final volume has a wedding couple on the cover. That said, you might be surprised at that when you read this book, where you’re wondering if the series may actually kill Reggie off a third of the way through it, or kill off its heroine by the end of the series. It turns out that the thing that he and Kiara both share is a flagrant disregard for their own safety that verges on suicidal tendencies at times. In fact, in the dream we see Kiara have in the epilogue side-story, her reaction in the original world to being killed by Alan was essentially “oh, thank God”. In the second half of the book this turns almost comical, with both desperate to save each other at the cost of their own lives and then getting really upset when they do just that. They really are perfect for each other.

This is a smooth and easy read, with the translator change not really noticeable. If you’re here for the romance, I hope you like slow burn. If you like turn-based RPG strategy books, though, this is right up your street.

By: Sean Gaffney

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I Refuse to Be Your Enemy!, Vol. 1

By Kanata Satsuki and Mitsuya Fuji. Released in Japan as “Watashi wa Teki ni Narimasen!” by PASH! Books. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Molly Lee.

Despite the fact that, if you look at forums and message boards, you’d think “otome game villainess” novels were the new vampire or Alice trend, we haven’t actually had too many legally licensed over here yet. My Next Life As a Villainess, aka Bakarina, it a very broad comedy, almost a parody, of the genre. Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter just has the manga so far, and seems more interested in the politics and worldbuilding than it does in anything else. This new series, though, may be the purest form of the genre I’ve heard of. It’s not subverting anything – in fact, the opposite, it’s almost painfully earnest throughout. Our heroine knows she’s going to be a villainess (actually, not even that – a mid-boss) and get killed by the hero, and does her damndest to avoid that in every possible way. All this while falling in love. Light novel fans might be a little disappointed. Romance fans should be quite happy – it’s right up their street.

Kiara has had a rough life. The daughter of a Baronet (the lowest rung of nobility), her mother died early, and her father sold her off to the family of a count. There she was fed odd potions, trained in poisons and knifework (for some odd reason) and shipped off to boarding school. What’s more, she’s been having these odd dreams where she lives in a different world as a schoolgirl playing an RPG… whose plot sounds a lot like the world she lives in! What’s more, she remembers from the dream that she (with a different, married name) is not only a spellcaster, but is brutally murdered by the heroes. So when a letter comes from the count telling her to come home and marry the guy whose last name she now recognizes, she very quickly runs away. Fortunately, she ends up hiding in the wagons of a group of young men who are sympathetic to her story… and one of them is more than he seems. Now she has to find a way to stop the fate she’s familiar with from the game from happening.

As you might guess, this is an isekai of sorts, but it’s handled in an interesting way. Kiara never loses her sense of “self” to whoever the Japanese girl whose memories she has, which the memories remaining “dreamlike”. As such, it feels a lot more realistic, even when she brings up RPG terms. On the down side, her character can be highly variable depending on the nature of the plot – she was bad at school, so has to have a few things explained to her (and the reader), but by the end of the book she’s putting her RPG memories to use as a real-time strategist, and seems to get far too good at spellcasting far too quickly. The better parts of the book are her interactions with Reggie, her love interest (yes, besides the presence of two other obvious candidates, there seems to only be one love interest here), and her “I must be mistaken no one could be interested in me” thought process is both frustrating and adorable.

The book ends on a cliffhanger, which is a bit annoying as it felt like if it had gone 10 pages more, we could have ended the series with the first volume. But there are five more. In the meantime, this is pretty solid, if a bit humorless. It’s serious romantic fantasy, with everyone acting the roles as straight as they can.

By: Sean Gaffney

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Manga the Week of 2/19/20

SEAN: February. I can’t believe we’re still in February.

ASH: It really does seem to be taking its time this year.

SEAN: Fantagraphics gives us the 2nd volume of Kago’s (has he dropped his first name?) Dementia 21, which promises to be disturbing in many and varied ways.

ASH: The first volume was pretty great, in true Kago fashion, so reader be warned.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has dabbled in shoujo light novels (Bakarina), but at Anime NYC they announced a big push to start a shoujo LN line. The first of those is out next week, I Refuse to Be Your Enemy! (Watashi wa Teki ni Narimasen!). It’s from PASH! Books. The premise is quite similar to Bakarina: the heroine realizes that she’s the villain character in an RPG… but she’s not the villain till she gets married! When her future husband shows up, she decides to RUN AWAY!

MICHELLE: Sounds potentially fun.

ANNA: Running away from husbands is a good trope.

SEAN: J-Novel Club also have Banner of the Stars 2, Cooking with Wild Game 6, and The Greatest Magicmaster’s Retirement Plan 4.

In print next week, Kodansha gives us Drifting Dragons 3, Eden’s Zero 6, Fairy Tail 100 Year Quest 3, Gleipnir 6, and O Maidens in Your Savage Season 6. That’s more print than the last four weeks have had.

ASH: I’ve been meaning to give Drifting Dragons a try now that it’s available in print. I’m a volume or so behind, but O Maidens in Your Savage Season has been consistently excellent.

SEAN: The digital debut is I’ll Win You Over, Sempai! (Senpai! Ima Kara Kokurimasu!), a 5-volume shoujo series from Nakayoshi. A girl has lived a life when she’s always confessed successfully and never been dumped… till now. Still, she persists… because if she just keeps confessing over and over, eventually he’ll say yes! This seems like the sort of series that had better be very funny or it may be excruciating.

MICHELLE: Forsooth.

SEAN: Also out digitally is GE: Good Ending 2, Living Room Matsunaga-san 7, Lovesick Ellie 10, MabuSasa 2, and Shojo FIGHT! 9.

MICHELLE: Yay for more Lovesick Ellie and Shojo FIGHT!.

ANNA: I need to get caught up.

SEAN: Seven Seas has four titles, all 2nd volumes. We get Arifureta ZERO’s 2nd manga volume, How to Train Your Devil 2, the 2nd (early digital) volume of Neon Genesis Evangelion: ANIMA, and Nicola Traveling Around the Demons’ World 2.

ASH: The first volume of Nicola Traveling Around the Demons’ World was an absolute delight! The second is high on my list to pick up.

SEAN: Tokyopop gives us the done-in-one volume Dekoboku Sugar Days, another BL title from Gentosha, this one from LOVE xxx BOYS Pixiv. A boy who always had to be protected by our hero as a kid is now all grown up… and huge! Can there still be any protecting? What about a confession?

Vertical has the 7th Arakawa Under the Bridge and a 2nd Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro.

Viz gives us Downfall, an Inio Asano title for those who think Dead Dead Demon is too light and cheery. It’s depressing, realistic, and no doubt excellent. It ran in Big Comic Superior.

MICHELLE: I’m sure it’s excellent, but I just can’t handle depressing these days.

ANNA: Me too, I’ll stick with the cheerfulness of Dead Dead Demon.

ASH: I’ll definitely be reading this, but will need to wait for the timing to be just right.

MELINDA: Wow.

SEAN: Also from Viz: The Drifting Classroom Perfect Edition 2, Golden Kamuy 14, Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt 13, Ran and the Gray World 6, Tokyo Ghoul: re 15, and, most importantly, Urusei Yatsura’s 5th omnibus.

ASH: Ooooh, I’ll be reading quite a few of those, too!

MELINDA: I still mourn what Ran and the Gray World was in its first volume.

SEAN: Yen On has a 10th volume of No Game No Life, the first to come out without any delays in ages. They’ve also got Log Horizon 1-11 out digitally, meaning every Yen On series is now available in both print and digital. Hooray!

As for Yen Press and the manga end, no debuts, but we do get Interspecies Reviewers 3, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Familia Chronicle Episode Lyu 6, Kakegurui Twin 5, Overlord a La Carte 3, Re: ZERO Arc 3 Volume 10, The Royal Tutor 13, Silver Spoon 13…

MELINDA: Silver Spoooooooooooooooon!

ASH: Silver Spoon is a terrific series.

SEAN: …Skull-Faced Bookseller Honda-san 3, and Tales of Wedding Rings 8.

ASH: Looking forward to spending some more time with my Skull-Faced friend.

MELINDA: I’m here for Skull-Face.

SEAN: That’s quite a bit. Anything tickle your fancy?

By: Sean Gaffney