I appreciated the way the book has dealt with the villains, both Cecil and Cordelia getting what they deserved without any excessive cruelty, and Frank turning out to have been a bad actor without being a bad person, so to say.

I just though of something, how come our MC never questions the oh so very obvious similarities between this world and his previous one when it comes to the east? Grassy plains filled with mongol tribes by another name. China by another name. Japan by another name.

We have an almost 1 for 1 comparison between Japan from his previous world, and this. Their traditions, their meals, their clothing, their weapons, their almost everything. Only difference being that in this world, his original world's mythology is real.

I'm assuming that the whole reason so very many Isekai novels puts Japan into their world is a guilty pleasure. And I can accept and even support that. But at least have your Isakai protagonist find it kinda weird that they are so crazy similar.

There have so far been zero comparable examples among the western kingdoms. None of them look in any way like a 1 for 1 with any specific country in Europe. More like a generic western fantasy kingdom rather then any specific country like France, England, Germany or anyone else.

Kinda weird he hasn't even once thought about how weird that actually is. As someone with memories of two worlds.

I would immediately start wondering if either this world, or mine, had been influenced somehow by the other. And whether or not there is some kind of permanent connection between the two.

Edit; Why is me clicking the forum button on volume 5, bringing me to the volume 4 thread?

I really liked this book. I liked the show a lot too but I gotta say I think I like how the book did it better. Sarasa's such a good girl. And I just find it very funny how like, realistic she is about everything. Very neat character.

Just saying, I think Iris and Kate are a little closer than just besties, Sarasa. You'll understand when you're older, I'm sure. I saw that hand stroke she got.

I spent this entire time going "dang this art style both looks really good and REALLY familiar, where the hell have I seen these illustraions before..." and yeah, turns out it's the illustrator of Invincible Little Lady (another solid 10/10 series I really like and thought had really great illustrations). Fuumi. Good artist. Not many series I've read has had the same illustrator. Neat.

Anyways, highly recommended, especially if you like the show. Hope volume 2 comes out relatively soon. Insta-preorder if so.

@GeorgeMTO Seems like volume 11 came out on 1 Dec 2023. That would put it in the middle of the "licensing window". I said final volume based on what the author said in the afterword of (I think) volume 9. Then again, if sales are good and there are still ideas to be explored, it could go on for longer. I guess we'll find out when volume 11 drops.

Back to wait mode.

Volume 11 announced with a Japanese release date of 2024-05-30.
https://gcnovels.jp/book/1673

@Weird_Wizard said in Unwanted Undead Vol. 12 Discussion!:

My general impression is that things are inflated too much by Rentt‘s inner monologues. Also, can you believe, like in volume 12, a weapon test goes on for 20 pages or so?

This is my biggest problem with this series. You could cut like 30 or 40% of each volume and you would not miss it and instead find it much more enjoyable to read. It's such a fatal flaw of this series. Because it's the reason I often tend to drop it.
And on top of that you also get a lot of attention to "side-quests" that are kind of filler. And each volume already has a bunch of short story's at the end.

At the same time the author does create a lot of mystery and leads that you expect will later have much more importance later on in the series but are already ignored for over 10 volumes...

It's such a shame because the story has a lot of potential but is ruined because no one seems to criticize the author. Like WTH is the editor doing? Cutting down word count is supposed to be his job. Or the author is just to stubborn for his own good.

I’m trying my best not stop reading after the rather contrived need to personally secure silver. It makes no sense, it’s just an excuse to move the characters to a new location and bad guy.

So basically at the end here we learned that it's apparently not amnesia, but a split personality and the original one is sleeping to recover. So the Liz who's been narrating to us for the last two books (at least in the "now" segments) has been a fake personality created to let the real one sleep. But now we know they can swap if the need arises.

That seems counter to the prologue in the first book though, that told us she burned her memories in order to generate the massive spell she used to save everyone. Which would seem to imply a permanent memory loss.

@Windsagio said in Min-Maxing My TRPG Build Vol. 8:

The thing that struck me was the 'now we finally have our party' in the epilogue.

What were all the monster girls for then?

Yeah that really deflated my interest in this series a lot. Seig, Kaya, and (these days, with her relative lack of dialogue or agency) Margit are easily the three most boring and generic characters of the "party members" that Erich has had so far, so the author implying that they'll be the main group going forward, with maybe a spot for one more? Jeez. Talk about missed potential. You literally picked the least compelling monster girl waifu (or rather, wrote her into being the least compelling if she wasn't already) and the two least interesting characters.

That being said, several of Erich's former party members have important other commitments that will leave them indisposed for some 3-5 odd years, so I'm going to hope the author is smart enough to bring them back into the party once Erich is outside of his "level 1-4" phase, since they can all easily coast past that power level without needing to join him.

The latest Henderson at least implies Erich will perhaps be returning to Agrippa for a bit, which will at least put him in proximity long enough for some of the old gang to rejoin, but... Like, logically speaking, few of them are able to pal around with Erich on his adventures without basically hand-waving them into the party via author fiat; if they were available, they'd have gone with him in the first place when he first set out. But you could say that Kaya and Seig don't really have much reason to go on a trip back to Agrippa either?

I don't know man.

As I never finished reading this volume, I was surprised with how even Patrick was scared of the dragon in the anime considering it actually is kind of cute there, but seeing the illustration here I get it.

Let’s just avoid super random sexist comments.

Dammit Leon, stop hitting the Blademail Axe!

@Windsagio Given this from Ark:

Ark was familiar with several hunters who were a higher level than him. Some of them were similar to the Thousand Tricks, and some might have even been below him in terms of combat prowess

We can infer that either:
a) He underestimates how weak Krai is, combat wise
b) There's a level 9 who's even more Krai than Krai

I feel like (a) is more likely, and that Krai is a unique existence.

@AliceCheshire he was holding on.

I bet this has been discussed before, but I only picked this up while it‘s on Catchup this march.

Well, my question is: If he was so bored and wanted to end this slow life, because he can‘t overcome his human mindset, then why did he a) life with the high elves for 150 years and b) finally choose to leave only to life a - by human standard - slow life again?
Now he even plays family - I mean that might be very exciting in its own way, but as reader, I don’t feel the need to read about his internal monologues on how to raise the kid.
Too many words about things that don’t really matter, like religion in other countries, and it goes on and on. Will this story pick up speed or remain in this style that seems to have become popular these days?
Rhetorical question!

I love the author's comments in the afterword. "I'm going to go as far as the editing department will allow" shows how much he wants it to happen.

@saidahgilbert

I suppose this is one of the rare occasions where the bonus story was also incorporated into the final pre-pub.

It has happened in the past but even with this it is not more than a handful of times.

@Outinthegardener said in I Don't Want to Be the Dragon Duke's Maid! Vol. 1 Discussion!:

The impression of Duchesse is he's gay-yandere (Yandergay?) for the Duke. Maybe if he kills all the women the Duke will finally love him! That and the immortal superweapon thing.

I was thinking the same thing, that he was in love with the Duke.

There are all kinds of things they could tie into the next novel. Remember that there were more women dying than usual? Was that due to experiments he was doing?

How are they going to bring back the mana replenishment ceremony?

Will other races try to gain dragon power by eating dragonkin?

It's been years since I read it, IIRC Jo Walton's Red in Tooth and Claw had a culture of dragons where an important part of the will was who got to eat how much of the decedent and thereby ingest their power. Perhaps elderly dragonkin could will their bodies for consumption. We'll hope there's no dragonkin varient of kuru if so.

I know this is super late, but I decided to give both of these books a chance on catchup... And I have thoughts...

So in book 1 she finally breaks the cycle that has kept her trapped for an indefinite period of real time... The exact point she goes back to varies, so we can't say to well... But it's suggested it's between 1 Month and a year from her return point to execution. So roughly between 8 years and 99 years. The entire time living as a noble under suspicion. By the middle of book one she's had as much of being among nobles as she can stand. She's also really tired of all the people she is basically executed by (The 'Saint', Her fiancé, his aide, the emperor, her parents, etc).

She only really comes back in the 2nd half of book 1 to finish the 'Saint' and avoid having her new life trampled by war. Which of course can't go right. She doesn't have nearly a hundred attempts at doing it after all to get it right...

Then comes Book 2... Where she comes back to make sure her brother is good and happens across an entire plot to revive the 'saint'. Which of course means she gets involved... again. After all if there is one person she doesn't want to see again it's that person.

Then the 2nd half of book 2... Where the prince who loves Alphina and his father the emperor effectively kidnap her and force her to marry the prince... Because they want her to. She seems to have let them railroad her. It feels awfully forced and as a woman the whole thing feels icky. Personally if it was me I'd probably butcher the damn prince, screw his feelings and the entire empire.

I mean I feel like grabbing the damn prince by the lapels and saying to him "She doesn't love you you stupid prick! Stop treating her as an object!" Even her parents treat her that way (it's why they totally deserve as few visits as possible).

If I were her I'd start babbling all their thoughts out loud and see how long they like it... She doesn't even need to admit how she knows what they are thinking! Heck claim to be a saint! The last one was obviously a fake... At this point I'm sure anyone with unusual powers could be considered one...

I haven't actually quite finished the book... I'm tired of reading them come up with new ways to convince an obviously unwilling woman to marry the prince. I'm sure I'll end up finishing anyways in a day or two, but at this point I'm only really reading because I want her to escape and give the entire empire a middle finger.

@Zeteni said in Conqueror From a Dying Kingdom Vol. 6 Discussion!:

@potlucktlo said in Conqueror From a Dying Kingdom Vol. 6 Discussion!:

Does anyone know when Vol 7 begin?

https://forums.j-novel.club/topic/3478/future-volume-release-schedule

Based on when volume 7 released in Japan it could begin pre-pubbing just about any time now, but it's always anyone's guess.

Yeah, I try to never worry about a release for caught up series until 6 month have gone by, this case that is the end of May. J-Novel often gets them on the calendar sooner. Though I still gets antsy sometimes.