Neko HinotsukiCritiques

The action and adventure is behind us once again; time to get back to trade agreements, court intrigue, and romance. Weddings and engagements abound. And some of it is targeting Zenjiro. Since he's a modern man snatched into a medieval fantasy society, he is considered quite the catch thanks to his notions about female equality and empowerment. So of course he needs a harem! (Ummm? Huh?)

Goofy and slow-paced -- and sooooo many negotiations -- but it seems to have me hooked.

What? Action? Adventure? Who let all this exciting lizard fighting into the manga of diplomacy and manners?

The manga adapter feels obliged to note the change of pace in an afterword and assures us, "Next volume, we'll return to foreign and domestic political affairs again. . . "

Nooo!!! Keep killing lizards!!!

At least spin off Skaji the lizard slayer into her own title!

Oh, look, some new characters show up and set off yet another round of diplomatic negotiations. There is a tease that the wyvern infestation storyline that has been sidelined for a while may actually bring some action to a future volume, but I have a dreadful feeling the marauding reptiles will just be invited in for a state dinner where their poor table manners will draw many subtle looks of disapproval from members of the royal court before our hero intervenes with an earnest act or speech that will greatly benefit the standing of his wife, Queen Aura.

A low-key but enjoyable book of court intrigue and etiquette, as the hero tries to extract secrets from a visiting prince and princess who are as inept at diplomacy as he is.

Here there be dragons! Some battles against swarms of wyverns endangering trade routes gives the series a little energy boost. I'm also happy to see the hero's knowledge of our world's technology making a difference in this medieval kingdom. But the pacing still seems a bit lackadaisical as it continues creeping toward 2-star status. I could see myself forgetting to seek this out at the library in the near future.

Also, I'm annoyed that this is one of those poorly edited series where character names keep changing (e.g., Raffaelo/Raphaello and Mareno/Moreno).

The sweet relationship at the core of the book continues to carry it, but there is a slow and gradual drop in my interest every volume as it becomes increasingly about very low-key court intrigue in a fairly generic fantasy world.

The humor dies down as the title becomes more about court intrigue and trade relations. The likable characters keep things pleasant.

The book has an anti-harem gimmick, wherein all these pretty female characters are introduced who in other romantic comedy series would immediately become love interests but are here not particularly interested in the protagonist, nor he in them. Zenjiro is a royal consort devoted to his queen.

The author whose light novel is being adapted begins offering text short stories in the back of the book. They are sort of awkward deleted scenes that do little but add an extra ten minutes to the book's read time. I could do without them but they are in the next two volumes, so I guess they are here to stay.

A very male fantasy in which a Japanese salaryman named Zenjiro is pulled through a portal by a large-breasted queen who proposes that he ditch his breastless real-world rat race, marry her large breasts, and become her kept man and consort in a no-tech world of magic and large breasts. It's a no-brainer decision.

Yes, there may be a . . . .smidge . . . of fan service.

It's pretty stupid set-up, sure, but it really appeals to my memory of being the kept man of a large-breasted woman back in the '90s. (Were you wondering how I had time to write those #TBT reviews I've been posting?) Good times. (Hi, honey!)

But halfway through the book it starts being a little tribute to A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court as Zenjiro's knowledge of the maths (!) and technology starts to play into the court intrigue swirling around the first female leader in a patriarchal world.

More fun than I would have expected from the manga adaptation of a Japanese light novel, I've placed holds on the next three volumes at the library.