Let’s start off with the new series:
Dainana Maouji Zilbagias no Maou Keikokuki (English subtitle: How the Seventh Prince Brought Down the Kingdom): A ‘reincarnated into the same world’ story, this focuses primarily on the drama associated with suddenly becoming the child of your worst enemy with occasional bursts of comic relief here and there. What’s interesting is that learning about this enemy race’s attributes from the inside only makes the protagonist more determined to destroy them. The only real issue here is toward the end with the introduction of the high elf petplay, which I can only see growing more repellant as events progress.
Botsuraku Yotei no Kizoku dakedo, Hima Datta kara Mahou o Kiwametemita: Also a ‘reincarnated into the same world’ story, this one is instead a guilty pleasure power fantasy with a protagonist that loves training to a degree similar to Shinja Zero no Megami-sama‘s. Unfortunately (like with Ore wa Subete o Parry suru) the event progression is so blisteringly fast that you reach a point that’s exceptionally hard to swallow before the first book even ends. The whole magical familiar contract situation is also all kinds of problematic.
Buchigire Reijou wa Houfuku o Chikaimashita. (English subtitle: How I Crushed My Homeland with My Mighty Grimoires): Basically Konyaku Haki kara Hajimaru Akuyaku Reijou no Kangoku Slow Life if it were a kingdom-building revenge story instead of a comedy. While at first the protagonist here comes across as fairly well-adjusted, by the end of the novel it becomes clear she’s arguably even more psychopathic than that series’.
Now on to the continuing ones:
Shinwa Densetsu no Eiyuu no Isekaitan #7: Contrary to my earlier assumption the protagonist does not leave the stage… he doesn’t even manage to disguise his new identity long enough to reach the end of the novel. Honestly, I have no idea what even the point of faking his death in the first place was since it doesn’t seem to have accomplished much of anything he couldn’t have done openly.
Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken #18: The eighteenth Tensura novel starts out quite dire and remains so for roughly the entire first three-quarters. Just an incredible waste of time. Why use a cliffhanger in the prequel only to have it lead into a bog-standard meeting? Bizarre. The last quarter is quite good though, so there’s that.
