Rising of the Shield Hero - light novel volume 2 (read for fun)

This is the Filo arc. It isn't noticeable in the anime, but this volume is structured around Filo. She is the Arc Heroine, just like Raphatalia was in volume 1. Indeed, this volume follows a fundamentally similar structure. 

At the start, Naofumi is mistreated by King Aultcray, who favors the other heroes over him. Then he acquires Filo and raises her while he does his adventurer-merchant thing. Spear Hero causes him trouble because of Princess Malty. Then a certain event occurs where he fears losing Filo, a Curse Shield activates, and Raphatalia brings him back to his senses. That is the bare-bones structure, and it is misleading. 

This volume is very different from volume 1. Naofumi has developed as a person since the previous volume, and he has Raphtalia to soften his rough edges, so his interactions with others are different. The sense of despair and desperation that marked the first volume is not present here, because Naofumi is now an experienced hero and has a truly loyal party member. 

Naofumi raises Filo from an egg, and so he truly is her father for all intents and purposes (aside from laying the egg himself). Filo is also a different character from Raphtalia, and the fact that she is even is a character at all, rather than a simple beast of burden, was a surprise to both Naofumi and Raphtalia. 

Naofumi has advanced his trade beyond selling monster parts and is now a traveling apothecary. There's little detail on this but it is an interesting direction. 

That's a thing about this volume. There is little detail given to things like Naofumi's trade or to the fights that he and his party engage in. The hostile plant encounter was really hard to follow, and the zombie-dragon likewise. The author seemed more interested in the emotional exchanges. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Rising of the Shield Hero - light novel volume 2" a B+

Click here for my previous book review: Wandering Witch volume 2

Click here for my previous book review:  I've been killing slimes for three hundred years and maxed out my level - light novel volume 3 (read for fun)

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.

I've been killing slimes for three hundred years and maxed out my level - light novel volume 3 (read for fun)

For those of you keeping track, this volume is part of the anime's first season. About 2.5 episodes were made from this volume, and there is more you haven't seen yet!

One episode is when Falfa gets stuck in slime form. That is several chapters here, and I enjoyed reading them despite watching them already. The second major event, the Fake Witch of the Highlands. There is some detail here that the anime version didn't include. It was interesting to read that part. 

There is more to this volume than that. There are stories which are not in the anime's first season. It's a shame, because I thought the Quest for the Undead storyline was interesting; funny but also poignant. Azusa meets a foil here, another human woman who wanted a slow life after becoming immortal. The difference is that this immortal is undead and a NEET. 

Then there are the bonus stories. These are truly slice-of-life snippets of Azusa's household. Cute little fluffy things that are fun to read. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "I've been killing slimes for three hundred years and maxed out my level - light novel volume 3" an A+

Click here for next book review: Rising of the Shield Hero - light novel volume 2 (read for fun)

Click here for my previous book review:  The World's Strongest Rearguard manga volume 3

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.

The World's Strongest Rearguard manga volume 3 (read for fun)

I am definitely a fan of this series by now. I've only read the manga adaptions, but I plan to read to the original light novels sometime soon. 

The world building for this series continues to fascinate me. A good chunk of the start of this volume is the party visiting a professional treasure chest cracker. Seekers find these treasure chests in the Labyrinth, and they bring them to these chest-crackers to disarm of traps. This is not a simple thing, it's a process, and this treasure-cracker appears to be a single mom with two (very cute) children. She joins the monster-butcher and the guild staff as part of the industry that relies on Seekers to go into the Labyrinth.  

This Seeker party has comradery. This is a True Companions kind of series, and I like seeing that in adventuring parties. There is a dinner scene where Arihito's party expresses their commitment to each other, and some less serious /more funny shenanigans caused by Misaki.  They work together well in battle. 

Misaki is a troublemaker, but it is harmless trouble. She knows enough not to actually endanger her party members. This makes her antics cute instead of annoying.

Morale Discharge. In game terms, these sound like limit breaks. I'm looking forward to these. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives The World's Strongest Rearguard Manga Volume 3 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 3

Click here for my previous book review:  Konosuba light novel volume 4

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.

Konosuba light novel volume 4 ( read for fun)

This is the Arcanletia hot springs arc, which is the last event covered by the anime's second season.  The anime is overall a faithful adaptation, but there are some key differences. One of them is in the final battle. 

It is a fun read. Even though I am familiar with the events that this book covers, it was still fun to read through them. It is a slightly difference experience, because the light novels are written from a first-person perspective. We get a lot of more of Kazuma's thoughts here, such as how much he wants to avoid any and all demon-general plots. This is his vacation!

There are a few extras here that are not in the anime. Scenes that were cut for one reason or another. One scene is at the start, and it is among the funnier things in the volume. Another is part of the epilogue and provides a different perspective on the ending. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "Konosuba" light novel volume 4 an A+

Click here for my next book review: The World's Strongest Rearguard manga volume 3 (read for fun)

Click here for my previous book review: The World's Strongest Rearguard manga volume 2

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.

The World's Strongest Rearguard manga volume 2 (read for fun)

After enjoying volume 1 so much, I had to pick up volume 2 as soon as I saw it. I found both at my local library, but I'm planning to get my own copies soon enough. 

This is an immediate sequel, taking place the very next day. So, it is Arihito's second day as a seeker and the first with his new party member, Kyouka. It starts off as a normal day for dungeon-diving, but quickly turns into an adventure. 

The D&D vibe continues here, and that is part of why I like this series so much. The first scene is Arihito's party going to a butcher shop to have new equipment made from a special monster they defeated. It is a full scene. Arihito and the shop keeper talk about the monster and the equipment possibilities. It is like watching a role-play after a campaign event. Then the party smoothly goes back into the labyrinth.

That's another part of why I like this series so much. The pacing is great. The story beats and the panel structure work perfectly together. The shift from "routine exploring" to "call to adventure" is seamless and exciting. From the set-up to the climax, the story flows from page to page. It doesn't drop off there. The falling action, quest rewards and hook to the next volume satisfy as well. 

Fundamentally, the two volumes follow the same structure and story beats. That's great. It's like eating two pizzas from the same place with different toppings. 

Trickster Eric Novels gives "The World's Strongest Rearguard manga volume 2" an A+

Click here for my next book review: Konosuba light novel volume 4

Click here for my previous book review: Snow White with the Red Hair volume 7 (read for fun)

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.