A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation

qka_bee

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Alternative Names
A Mild Noble’s Vacation Suggestion, 穏やか貴族の休暇のすすめ。, 休暇だっと思って楽しみます。, I’ll Think of This as a Vacation and Enjoy It

Genre
Adventure, Fantasy, Slice of Life, Isekai

Author
Misaki

Artist
Sando

Japanese Publisher
TO Books

Began Publishing
2018

Website
https://tobooks.jp/odayaka/index.html

Synopsis
In the space of a blink, Prime Minister Lizel finds himself not in his office, but on a random street in an unfamiliar city. A look around quickly tells him that he is somewhere very far from home, and he’s going to need some assistance. Luckily, he runs into Gil, or “One Slash”, the strongest solo B-rank adventurer in the country, and they form a partnership that will last far longer than their initial one month contract. Gil guides Lizel on how to become an adventurer so that he can gain an ID and make a living in this new world while he waits for the people back home to find a way to get him back. Since there’s nothing Lizel himself can do, he decides to simply consider this a vacation and enjoy himself!

Propoganda
Gentle Noble is refreshingly different in so many ways, playing in the realm of fantasy and isekai from alternative angles. Lizel ends up in a new fantasy world, but he also comes from a fantasy world. He’s adjusting more to the lifestyle of being a commoner and an adventurer than he is to being in a new world, and it’s fun to see him earnestly but misguidedly doing his best to shake off his noble demeanor and be more like an adventurer—and everyone else trying to adjust to this curious noble wandering around! A lot of the humor comes from that disconnect and his wide range of activities. We get both cool battles against dragons and silly quests like guarding a chocolate shop or dealing with somebody getting turned into a child!

And just when you think there’s really no plot, multiple threads will suddenly come together for a dramatic arc of action. The follow-through on ideas is incredible while never deviating from how light-hearted the story is.

There’s plenty of other fun characters, too: the emotionless guild employee with a bloody past, Stud; the puppy-like shopkeeper, Judge; the gorgeous but reclusive Count Shadow; the naughty, affectionate bandit, Eleven.

And I just have to say, the protagonists are neither teenagers nor old men, but simply young adults. The silly mistakes don't come from teenage immaturity, but simply capable people being in new situations, especially within the unknowable logic of the labyrinths. It makes Lizel and co.'s adventures surprisingly relatable and feel-good.

While the manga is fantastic, it naturally misses a lot of detail from the novels. It’s far beyond my Japanese ability to read them, and I hate MTL, but the story was so good that I ended up reading all 195 chapters of the webnovel version through a browser translation extension. (I do not recommend doing this.) I’m desperate to be able to read it properly!

It’s from the same publisher as Ascendance of a Bookworm, and, as far as TO Books' merchandise selection seems to indicate, it's nearly as popular!

Adaptation
Originally a webnovel on Syosetu
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n5128by/

Adapted into a manga with art by Momochi, released in Japanese on Corona EX (up to chapter 42.2)

and in English by TokyoPop and on INKR
(up to volume 6)
(volumes 1-3 are no longer available directly from TokyoPop, but they are available at other retailers)

Also two stage plays, a live reading event, and multiple drama CDs

naivette

@qka_bee I'm a big fan of Bookworm and have read this manga.

It doesn't have bookworm vibes exactly, but something about the funny mix of politics vs. Humor vs. Magic mechanics is very appealing, and I would love to be able to finally read the novel!

KaroKatten

@qka_bee

I love this manga and would love to read this series officially translated. It fits right in with other j-novel books yet remains fresh and interesting.

frenchbreadneechan

@qka_bee Oh I love this!!! Really wish they would pick this up because the manga is so nice. I'd want to read more what happens in the LN that hasnt been included in the manga adaptation

nowavingforks

I would love to read this novel

Geezer Weasalopes

17 volumes thus far, the most recent published April 20, 2023. Given the first volume released June 9, 2018 that doesn't seem too shabby.

I really like the illustrator's style.
It's a pity that none of the works they illustrate have been licensed in English; MAL and ANN don't have a good grasp of their activity as a result. It also makes what their preferred romaji is more difficult to determine.

The author has chosen a nom de plume that makes it hard to determine if they do have a web presence outside of Narou; a hasty scan through TO Books Twitter and the Illustrator's Twitter failed to provide any links (I didn't check to see what might appear on the mangaka's feeds.)

yuu1412

+1 to this suggestion!

auz

+1 to this suggestion!

qka_bee

@Geezer-Weasalopes Thanks for adding more information!

As of today, the Gentle Noble manga has been delayed again, making volume 8 a full year late. It makes me wish all the more that I had the light novel to look forward to as well. Especially with J-Novel Club's part by part releases, it wouldn't be such a crazy long wait, and there's plenty to catch up on. We're up to 18 volumes of the light novel after Misaki finally returned from a long break to care for her ill parents, plus two short story collections and a guidebook that I would kill to have translated!