The World's Strongest Rearguard manga volume 1

It's like D&D + isekai, and it is a lot of fun.  

This is a story that I've seen at bookstores and then at my local public library. I decided to give it a try because this is the first volume in the series. I understand that it is the manga adaptation of the first light novel volume. This is a reincarnation isekai, and it has a number of aspects that make it an interesting example in the genre. 

The first of which is that the place which the protagonist, Arihito Atobe, reincarnates into appears to be something of an afterlife. Labyrinth country is full of people who have reincarnated after dying in other worlds. A psychopomp even appears to explain to Arihito that exploring Labyrinth country's various labyrinths is something that the recently reincarnated are expected to do. The local seeker guild's (basically a guild for adventurers) has a whole system set-up and ready for him to enter in order to start his new life. So, he may have reincarnated but Arihito is not special. This leads to the second interesting part of the premise. 

Arihito did not reincarnate alone. He died in a bus crash, and so many people reincarnated at the same time as he did. One of them is his boss from his previous life, and she wants to start a seeker party with him. In this way, Arihito's new life might have continued the same as his old life. It is an interesting point of contrast, since reincarnation isekai generally have more radical breaks and differences between the two lives. Not just with this scene either. This is a plot point developed throughout the volume. 

There are other parts, but I won't speak on them. I want to mention other parts of the volume, like Arihito's first adventure in a labyrinth. 

In this verse, a "labyrinth" is basically a wild area where monsters can be found. It is similar to how "dungeon" is used in fantasy stories. It is not literally a maze. So, in this labyrinth, Arihito and the mercenary he hired encounter a monster. I have to give the author and artist credit for this. They took a monster that appears harmless, and kind of silly, and make it into a scary and competent threat. Then, building on that encounter, they use it to set up the volume's climatic fight. The anticipation, the danger, and the stakes involved, it all builds up to a truly satisfying climax. And a satisfying resolution too. 

Falling action is a crucial part of making a climax successful, and this volume succeeds there. The aftermath of Arihito's first seeker adventure is explored, both in terms of material loot and the relationships with his budding seeker party. It reminds me of a game master for a tabletop role-playing game granting rewards for the successful completion of a quest. I think that may be why I like it so much. 

The art itself is also great. It establishes the aesthetic of Labyrinth country, and fully conveys the emotions of the characters. The fight scenes are dynamic and easy to follow. The panels set a pace that can be peaceful or energetic, and it keeps me turning pages. 

I'm definitely going to look for future volumes. I might even follow this story in both light novel and manga formats. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "The World's Strongest Rearguard manga volume 1" an A+

Click here for my next book review: I've been killing slimes for three hundred years and maxed out my level - light novel volume 2

Click here for my previous book review:  My Hero Academia - Vigilantes - volume 1

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

My Hero Academia - Vigilantes - volume 1

The first volume of the spin-off is off to a great start!

The core cast is entirely separate from the main series, yet the author and artist have no trouble establishing them quickly. Koichi is immediately established as the Nice Guy he is, a fact cemented by his first hero/vigilante name actually being "Nice Guy", because his initial heroics are things like picking up trash and giving directions to people who are lost. He also benefits from comparisons to main series protagonist, Midoriya, as someone who wants to be a hero but isn't born with a combat quirk. He has a great character arc in this volume alone. 

Knuckleduster is, likewise, a meaty character from the get-go. The afterword in this volume describes him as the MHA version of Batman, similar to how All Might is MHA's Superman. I say that is an accurate comparison. He operates in the shadows, punches out thugs with mundane strength, and recruits a talented boy to be his Robin counterpart. He is also used for comedy, which surprised me. He and Koichi have a Straight Man and Wiseguy routine, with Koichi as the straight man reacting to his over-the-top antics. 

Finally, Pop-Step, the third member of the trio, is developed from the same time as Koichi. In fact, the two of them are contrasted in the very first scene. Koichi's quirk requires him to assume a crawling position, and this makes him look creepy. Pop-Step's quirk enables her to jump high, and so people literally and figuratively look-up-to this independent idol. Yes, she is an idol singer. She performs song and dance routines on city streets, which is illegal, and not only because she uses her quirk without a license. At the same time, she is a selfish attention seeker and also a budding hero. She does, after all, go on vigilante patrols with Koichi and Knuckleduster on top of her schoolwork and independent idol biz. 

The plot itself is quickly set-up and established as meaningful. These vigilantes do hero work even if they are not professional heroes. Side - note; Present Mic has a scene where he states that vigilantes like Knuckleduster were heroes before "hero" was a profession, back in the early days of the super-hero society. 

Someone is passing out a Psycho Serum. It is a drug that amplifies the power of a quirk while at the same time diminishing the user's ability to reason. In short, it creates "instant villains" out of ordinary people. Making it more insidious, some users aren't aware that it is a drug at all, and it doesn't have to be taken voluntarily. It is called "Trigger". 

Knuckleduster recruits Koichi to help him track down users and find the source. 

Strangely, all the users of this Trigger become monstrous after using it. They literally transform into monstrous entities that would surely be seen as villains by civilians. I wonder if this is intentional, in-universe, that is. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "My Hero Academia - Vigilantes - volume 1" an A+

Click here for my next book review: The World's Strongest Rearguard manga volume 1

Click here for my previous book review:  Ultra Kaiju - Humanization Project - volume 1

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

Ultra Kaiju - Humanization Project - volume 1

A Cute Girls doing Cute Things series, where the cute girls used to be large monsters. Yes, that's what it is. This is a story where giant monsters are reincarnated as cute human girls and gather in a high school just for them, where they have harmless fun with each other. If you find this a silly situation, then you are not alone. The protagonist, Meflias, agrees with you. 

After his canon fight with Ultraman, Meflias wakes up to discover that they have become a human girl. The mysterious principal of the high school she is expected to attend offers little in the way of explanation. The school doesn't even have any actual classes. Meflias is expected to live a life that consists of self-study, school club activities, and hanging out with other kaiju reincarnated as human girls. No conquering of earth or fighting Ultramen. 

As you can expect, this is a silly and cutesy series. Its chapters are stand-alone comedy skits. Those are funny, definitely, but also kind of shallow. There isn't much of a plot going on, except there are hints that something is going on behind the scenes. I get the sense that someone is trying to tame/domestic/redeem/ etc. the various kaiju that the various Ultramen defeat. There is also a scene that implies Meflias-chan the human girl might have more to her than "defeated by Ultraman as in canon".  These and other things make me think that "Humanization Project " might be more than a subtitle for the series, and might be something in-universe.

The art is cute, for sure. It makes the light read even lighter. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Ultra Kaiju - Humanization Project -  volume 1" a B+

Click here for my previous book review: My Hero Academia - Vigilantes - volume 1

Click here for my previous book review:  Lizzie Newton - Victorian Mysteries V1

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.

Lizzie Newton - Victorian Mysteries V1

This is something I picked up on a whim while browsing my local library. It stars a mystery novelist and her steward/fiancé/personal barrister solving real mysteries during the Victorian era of England. 

It is a fun read. The art is great and the story is good, too. Perhaps that is a good way to put it, the art is better than the story. 

The art is consistency good through the volume. It can't be easy to draw all these Victorian era outfits on every page, and the staging of the cells in a manga is always an artform itself. So, the art is great.  I enjoy the character, the setting, and the presentation of the mystery. The chemical experiment in the climax is worthy of being the climax when it is presented like this. 

The story is good. It makes sense internally. It develops naturally. It has a suitably mysterious start and a great establishment for its protagonist. I think, for me, the issue lies in how the book feels disjointed.

 It's like it is half VIctorian-era romance and half mystery. First, it's all about gossip, marriage matches and the expectations of gender and social class, and then it's all about the mystery. Then the mystery is dropped entirely for the two leads to bicker about what is and isn't appropriate behavior, and the mystery might not have returned if not for the police visit.  Which has its own issues. 

I'm not speaking poorly of the story. Like I said, it is a fun read. It just feels like I'm reading two genres separately. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives Lizzie Newton -  Victorian Mysteries V1 a B+

Click here for my next book review: Ultra Kaiju - Humanization Project - volume 1

Click here for my previous book review:  Scarlet Soul volume 1

Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.