Solo Leveling is one of those stories that knew exactly what it wanted to be and didn't really try to pretend to be anything else. We go from zero to hero with a character and learn more about a world where hunters a needed and gates and dungeons appear in cities around the world. Basically, this one is a lot of fun. Be sure to read the full review.
While I mostly enjoyed the anime series of WorldEnd my curiosity about whether the story was better in written form (whether the pacing issues and nebulous characterisation was better) eventually got the better of me and I decided to try out volume 1 of the light novel series. After devouring its pages the verdict is now in.
What is it about tragic magical girls? Magical Girl Raising Project was an anime I couldn't quite get into but the concept of a magical girl battle royal kind of appealed and so checking out the light novel made sense. Having tried the first volume, what are my thoughts?
Having loved book one and really enjoyed meeting the characters, seeing the world building and generally having a great time, I jumped on this series and read through volumes 2 - 4. Now the question is, do the follow ups pack the punch of the first volume?
Cute, Smart Girl Becomes Cute, Smart and Over-powered Girl? You would think there would be some cap on the number of stories of average Japanese teens dying tragically, meeting god and being reborn in another world, but no there is not. And I'm kind of happy about that. As much as some of these stories … Continue reading Didn’t I Say To Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?! Light Novel Review Volume 1
Helping Our Friends We're back with the next volume of Natsume's Book of Friends and I absolutely loved this one. Okay, I love all of them, but this one seemed extra-special. Natsume always feels like he is taking without giving anything back, which isn't true but it is how he feels, and he's incredibly grateful … Continue reading Natsume’s Book of Friends Manga Review Volume 16
The Endless Cycle of Rookie Mistakes I don't normally review volumes together unless they are clearly two parts of the same story with no resolution in between, however when I finished reading volume 5 of Goblin Slayer I was kind of at a loss as to what to write and so I simply stacked the … Continue reading Goblin Slayer Review Light Novel Volumes 5 + 6
Striving Toward Impossible Goals With most of my reviews of the various volumes of Natsume's Book of Friends I've tried to find a common theme that links the stories or ideas. Unfortunately I came up short in volume 15. Not because the volume isn't great, but because each story has its own distinct tone. That … Continue reading Natsume’s Book of Friends Volume 15 Review
And now the timeline makes sense. So I'm A Spider, So What has jumped back and forth between the events in the Great Elroe Labyrinth and the events surrounding Shun, the newly titled hero, through the previous volumes. While I always had a sense that the events from the spider's point of view were not … Continue reading So I’m A Spider, So What? Volume 4
What is precious to you? Another volume of Natsume and another delightful read. This volume focuses very much on losing things which are precious to you, or trying to protect them, and the result is a lovely and warm read as we see once again how Natsume has to balance his life in dealing with … Continue reading Natsume’s Book of Friends Volume 14