brenticus's reviews
657 reviews

The Misfit of Demon King Academy: Volume 4 Act 2 by Shu

adventurous emotional funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was a really good climax to the whole Avos Dilhevia situation. I think it deals with the fairy realm in a more interesting way than part 1 did, and it tied into other characters really well. It promoted lots of character development, interesting plot points, and worldbuilding throughout without becoming overwhelming like this series always risks doing with it's magi-babble stuff. Really enjoyed this volume.

Solo Leveling, Vol. 8 by h-goon, Chugong

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

More of Hunter Cha is always appreciated. Should have let her in the guild. What a buffoon.

I do like that this volume focuses more on the general state of affairs in the world and in Korea and how Jinwoo fits in to that. But it still doesn't shy away from showing off how ridiculous he is; the volume really highlights the difference between his minions and any other strike force in the world. Neat to see it fleshed out like that.

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Vol. 1 by Fujino Omori

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This volume feels sort of slow. It might be because I've seen several seasons of the anime, so I'm just not remembering the beginning perfectly, but so much time is spent on stuff I don't really care about and on Bell's "motivations" to pick up girls when he clearly doesn't actually care that much (outside of Aiz). 

Still, Bell is a fun character to follow and see the development of, with actual character development clearly visible beyond the simple "number go up" that's common in these types of series. Danmachi is definitely a good series, and I'm thinking I'll probably pick up further volumes to read through the light novel version of events, but the start feels a tad slower than I'd like for sure.

Classroom of the Elite, Vol. 1 by Syougo Kinugasa

challenging mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I watched the anime a while back and I think it covered this volume pretty quickly, because holy moly the first half was more frustrating to get through than I remember. Ayanokuji is so passive and pathetic as to be annoying, but once he's finally pushed to action it's interesting to see how he handles while staying in the background as much as he can manage. Might continue reading, might not, but on the whole it worked out to not being a bad volume.

Combatants Will Be Dispatched!, Vol. 7 (light Novel) by Natsume Akatsuki

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

5.0

Belial is actually a really interesting character, and causes the exact chaos this series handles best. Kisaragi causes chaos to everyone else's detriment, then Kisaragi resolves that chaos to everyone else's detriment. Just perfect.

異世界黙示録マイノグーラ ~破滅の文明で始める世界征服~ 6 by 鹿角フェフ

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Vittorio is both the most annoying and most interesting character to have been introduced. Which is exactly how he has been described for several volumes now, so it's perfect. Arguably this volume moved the needle very little, with the initial conflict resolved practically without effort and the geopolitical situation shaking out to mostly the status quo, but we see a lot of interesting character interactions and new sides of some characters that are normally hidden from sight. 

On the whole, while I would have liked to see more "progress," this was a really enjoyable volume that tackles some new territory in interesting ways.

In the Land of Leadale, Vol. 7 (light novel) by Ceez

adventurous lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Even for this series this volume felt scattered. Opus remains sort of a driving force of the actual plot (because Cayna basically just forgets about the whole forbidden city thing within five seconds of remembering it every time) but he doesn't drive it very hard or clearly. Other than a few bits with Opus and Kee being suspicious it was sort of just a tour around a bunch of random locations with a joke of a tournament at the end.

Feels like it's slowly building up to an actual series climax, but holy hell is it ever taking its time.

The Invincible Shovel Vol. 4 by Yasohachi Tsuchise

adventurous funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

While this volume has upped the ante yet again by converting a whole nation to shovels, I also feel like the characters and antagonist felt less interesting. It also doesn't really resolve the current arc, leaving on a bit of a cliffhanger. 

Still a shovelly series, no doubt, but this entry could have been stronger.

I May Be a Guild Receptionist, but I'll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time, Vol. 2 by Mato Kousaka

adventurous lighthearted reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I think there's a bit more nuance to this volume than the first. Not just that we see more development from the members of Silver Sword, but bits and pieces seem to reflect the frustrations of common workplace cultures in more varied ways than the first volume. Bits like being promised help but never being sure when it's actually coming, or receiving praise because of things that shouldn't have happened to begin with. Bits like trying to stretch your abilities to deal with work beyond you, and taking responsibility for results that aren't really your fault. 

It's a fun, lighthearted read with some interesting action scenes and goofy character interactions. But there's a lot here that actually reflects the problems people deal with in their daily work life that go beyond the simple gag of Alina being overpowered because she hates overtime.

The Invincible Shovel Vol. 3 by Yasohachi Tsuchise

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Shov-pre-shovel development from Catria over time.