"Isn't this person a girl?"

...Don't ask questions you aren't yet ready for the answers to, Ashy-boy.

Rook's battle visualized looks amazing!

Also, the link to get to the forums at https://j-novel.club/read/the-conqueror-from-a-dying-kingdom-manga-volume-2-chapter-2 leads to volume 1 discussion instead of here.

When the volume opens with the drill-haired noble lady being told by her servant "you're looking especially drillsome today," you just know this is going to be good. And it is.

As before, the clear strengths of this series are the lively and funny facial expressions, and the non-stop banter whenever the main gang is together. Which is only about half of the volume since Mary's studying in a different otome game abroad this year!

I think my favourite part is Adi's constant attempts to subtly get to Mary to notice his feelings which get misunderstood in the most impossible ways. But it's also some of the rare moments when she manages to get through his thick skin that anything else just slides off of, so it warms my heart to see her get some payback.

To balance that out, all the little moments when Mary starts speaking to Adi who actually isn't there are done wonderfully, and really tug at the heartstrings.

OK seems like the manga is pole vaulting right into conflict. Now we get to see Arcus in action.

Kaoruko: So the two of you are a couple? I'm new to this "couple" thing, can I ask some questions?

I'm normally not one for comedic violence, but the image of prez walking off to the infirmary with the bent baseball bat still lodged in his head keeps popping up in my mind, and cracks me up everytime.

I also love how Usami sees herself as the one serious about art, when in fact she's a total tsundere who always blows up at somebody and is never far from violence, being in fact as problematic as everybody else. (:

Streaming personalities, street gangs and literal deathfights, oh my.

This series is not the slightest bit subtle about throwing everything and the kitchen sink in and printing whatever happens, but it's really fun.

Unlike the previous tournament, this one is giving us a lot more colourful personalities, not to mention more likeable too. (I-Noor's backstory really had me rooting for her.) I guess that's the difference between a tournament that wants to be serious, and a tournament that knows it's all about being engaging.

This time we got only a tiny bit of the magical girl mascots storyline, and it was mostly just hints, but I really appreciated how Ishii's first thought was putting Kei back into her body. Gives me hope that we'll get a happy ending for her yet.

I think the chapter title is indicative of what is going on. "Invitation From a Fallen Noble". The viscount kid wants a favor. His father and mother are gone (maybe older brothers/sisters) . Either by bad weather by sea (ala "Frozen"), murder (ala "GoT"), or sickness. My guess: the viscount wants Pastry and his dad's military expertise (for a cheap price). He heard about Pastry's exploits and he knows he has to pay and arm and a leg for the dad, but not so much for the son. We know how much the upper rank nobles paid Casserole (entire manga established it), but the kid viscount is likely trying to avoid paying the high price by getting to Pastry and Josie. Problem is that he didn't do his research that Pastry was the one that originally set the high price but his dad hashed out the details!

I've re-read all three volumes because of the catchup, and it's a ride right from the opening, with the first shot being Nanami's notes on "How to start a conversation with a new friend", and first shot of Kaoru being him rehearsing his apology for being a boy IRL. These two are so silly, wholesome and lovable...

I've forgotten so much of it already, and there are tons of funny and touching moments. Even some of the footnotes are hilarious! (Personal favourite: "Lag is a catch-all excuse for gamers. It usually doesn't mean anything.")

And I love how much the manga can often do with very little. Like, there's a chapter (four pages, they're often short) about the pair of them letting some older people sit on a train, and it's sweet and funny and a little embarrassing and very relatable, and all that in such a small place, about such a small thing...

There's also some really great side characters, recurring or not; like the two ladies at the clothing shop where Kaoru usually buys girl clothes, or the clubmates who are around Ryuuji and his senpai. They bring a lot of colour and humour to the story.

Even after rereading, my favourite exchange remains:
"You should never open a girl's closet without permission! Didn't you learn this in school?!"
"Does a girl's closet always shoot out an avalanche?"
"Yes! Remember this!"

The search for Patty's friend can finally begin and the first meeting with Aina and Patty was just so casual. Aina now providing Boos transportation services has begun.

I could just picture Patty trying to pretend to be a charm or doll and then having to sneeze would ruin her attempt.

I'm sure Patty would love the pure honey used in making the fairy mead. Not to mention what sort of difference clover honey vs specific wildflower honey would make.

So, what was that huge magic supposed to be? It didn't attack anyone. Was it just a flash magic?

Also, I wish they punch the imperial princess more.

Hi all! Please note that after getting more context from the light novel, the team has decided to change the term "invisibility magic" to "concealment magic."

An updated version of vol 1 has been posted to stores, so you should be able to redownload it in a week or so!

Mukohda, a giant softie surrounded by battle junkies and gluttons.

That was satisfying lol. I agree with Akira. It's not easy to work with someone who likes to pick a fight.

@Geezer-Weasalopes Hm... now that I'm see it out of context... sounds like a proposal. I guess Fuuri will be getting a new mom at some point.

@TheGrimLich said in My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer (Manga) Vol 1 Discussion:

@Pieta Not only "despite his disability" — actively integrating his prosthetic into his fighting style.

A bit of both, really; we see him use the leg to his advantage and we see him lose balance because of the leg easily.

I continue to appreciate the realism of this game's bugs and exploits

Fiene's mother's backstory always gets me. And so does Lieselotte's reaction, telling her father to go and adopt Fiene into the family. And so does Art and Sieg immediately agreeing to go falsify the relevant records. It's all of them working for the same goal together without having to talk to each other and I love it.

Oh no! Mr. Dragon didn't know people celebrate their birthdays!
Love how in this series, even the crises are entirely wholesome.
And I don't feel bad for tearing up all the time while reading, because so do the character within.

The art is a great fit for the tone of the series. (My favourites were the Dark Queen's incognito outfit, and the two-page spread of the Olivia and Mr. Dragon looking at spring flowers.)

@Kotenmaru said in Black Summoner (Manga) Vol 13 Discussion:

@xdrfiredogx @GeorgeMTO Thank you for reinforcing my thoughts. I didn't remember anything like this in the LN, but it's also been about a year and a half since I reread the full series.

I know the manga like to make changes to the fights, probably trying to make them more dramatic. This, however, feel different. I'm going to put my thoughts in spoilers.

spoiler

Oh no doubt. I have a lot of issues with how things were done in the actual LN. This actually makes it feel like an organic buildup and not a random ass-pull.