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Sep 7, 2014
“We must tightly grab on to what we truly desire. That is the reason why your pair of hands exists.”
The following review contains a small amount of spoilers. Be warned.
Story:
Looking up at the Half-Moon starts off with a boy meets girl scenario, where our hospitalized protagonist Yuuichi encounters Rika, a girl with a weak heart condition. The story mostly focuses on their daily activities, interactions in the hospital and how they gradually develop feelings towards each other.
What I found memorable is the main theme “limited time”, which is well established by the author throughout the series. Because of Rika’s serious heart problem, this ordinary
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heartwarming tale might suddenly end at any time. While reading, I tend to ask myself: How much time does the two have left spending with each other?
The melancholy atmosphere is nicely created as Rika only has a limited life span. I believe the realistic nature of her heart problem helped to create the atmosphere, since there isn’t any miracle happening that could heal her sickness completely. That being said, lighthearted humor and heartwarming character interactions are well balanced with the desperate situation.
Although Half-Moon seems to be an ordinary slice of life series, there are several powerful moments I find unforgettable even though I have finished the series for quite some time. The “a world without Rika” dream sequence really touches my heart. It perfectly puts readers into Yuuichi’s perspective and shows how heartbreaking it is to lose someone you deeply cherish. Another highlight of this novel is Doctor Natsume’s past. Not only does it make him a more well-rounded character, we get to understand why he chooses to break-up the two in the beginning.
As a side note Half-Moon’s main story ends at volume 6, the remaining two volumes are side stories. Though they are mostly lighthearted in nature, some provides additional character development and satisfying interactions.
Characters:
Yuuichi’s growth and how well he was developed is something I did not expect. He starts off as an optimistic teenager who wishes to move to bigger cities such as Tokyo. Throughout the series he understands that it won’t be easy staying by Rika’s side, sometimes sacrifices must be made. I was touched by his determination to be with Rika even if it means to give up his dream.
Rika is a slightly complicated character, it took me some time to understand her true feelings. Though she seems bossy and childish at times, she actually has a much more mature personality. She has her struggles being with Yuuichi as she fully understands their relationship will take away Yuuichi's future.
Half-Moon also has a lovable and vivid group of side characters. Rika and Yuuichi's relationship would not have blossomed if any of the casts were ignored. The cheerful nurse Akiko who introduced the two's encounter and always supporting them, Doctor Natsume who teaches Yuuichi to face reality, Yuuichi's helpful and encouraging friends and even Yoshizou Tada, the perverted old man in the hospital who helped the two create unforgettable memories.
Overall:
Looking up at the Half-Moon is an impressive ordinary romance story that deals with life and death. Although the plot is simple, the charming characters, powerful scenes and heartwarming moments made this series enjoyable and satisfying to read. Not to mention the deep bond between Yuuichi and Rika and the sweet moments they share under the “limited time”.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 31, 2014
“Are you willing to devour me?”
Mimizuku and the King of Night is a fairytale type light novel, which is rarely seen in the market. It is a story about seeking happiness and one of the few light novels that brought me to tears.
Story:
The story starts off with a girl who calls herself Mimizuku wandering in a forest full of monsters. She attempts to end her life and get eaten up by the beautiful monster, King of Night. She believes being devoured by the King of Night is the greatest happiness she could seek. While reading, although not knowing anything about Mimizuku, I could feel how
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abnormal and broken she is, which is really heartbreaking.
Out of Mimizuku’s expectations, the King of Night rejects her demand and tells her to stay away. While not giving up her request, she decides to reside in the King of Night’s residence and convince him to end her life. This is just the brief introduction of the story so there’s no need to worry that I’ve spoiled a major portion of the plot.
A large part of the story focuses on Mimizuku and the King of Night’s interactions and her new daily life. Though these are simple events, her past is bit by bit revealed to the King of Night and their interactions mend her crumbled heart little by little. Although the plot seems simple, there are also an amount of misunderstanding and confrontations, such as people from outside the forest who tries to rescue Mimizuku from the “atrocious” King of Night.
In my opinion, these events are essential to the story as it puts Mimizuku it different situations. Like when she seeks death in the forest, her new daily life spent with the King of Night, the tragedy she went through before entering the forest and the peaceful life she lived after being “rescued”. From time to time she asks herself if she has found happiness, which is great character development.
Characters:
The interactions between Mimizuku and the King of Night are really satisfying to read. Mimizuku’s heart was twisted and torn apart badly, she even calls herself as a cattle. Ironically, it was the King of Night who keeps reminding her that she is human and giving her courage. Though the King of Night treats Mimizuku rather cold, he never rejects her staying by his side which I find heartwarming.
Aside from the two leads, it has a memorable cast of side characters. There is a Prince born with cursed limbs who also believes his birth was the reason of his mother’s death, the King who wishes to sacrifice the King of Nights life to heal his son defect and a Paladin who questions himself whether slaying the King of Nights is the right choice. Each of them have their own struggles and were never dull characters.
Art:
I have to point out that the only artwork for this light novel is its cover; there isn’t any inside the book itself. Artwork is the least important aspect for me to decide whether the LN is enjoyable or not, character development and the story always goes first.
Overall:
As Mimizuku and the King of Night is short length single volume light novel, it is rather difficult for me to discuss certain parts of the story or character relationships I enjoyed reading without spoiling the plot. The only way to experience the stories unique atmosphere and emotional impacts it brings is to read it yourself. Mimizuku and the King of Night is a superb healing classic that will leave a mark of warmth in ones heart after reading.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Mar 30, 2014
“Antiques: extraordinary items crafted by ancestors or magicians and blessed with supernatural powers.”
Story:
Tsukumodo’s story revolves around the daily activities of the Tsukumodo Antique Shop (Fake). The main cast is Settsu, the shop owner and the shop’s only two employees Tokiya and Saki. Each volume of Tsukumodo consists of 4 chapters which are short stories; they are mostly about how ordinary people get their hands on the antiques and are swallowed by the antique’s power. The goal of the trio from Tsukumodo is to retrieve the antiques and reduce the chaos done.
What made Tsukumodo Antique Shop a unique experience:
1) I fairly enjoyed reading Tsukumodo
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as short stories. The “antagonists” in each chapter has their charms and are quite memorable; they are not always twisted or insane like the typical villans we see everyday. They think logically like normal people, some of them pursues the antique’s powers in order to bring happiness to the people they care about, which I think is rather touching. The antiques themselves are also creative; it varies from a pendant that could manipulate fate itself, to a wallet that gives the owner inconvenience. There are even some battles involving antiques later on that are pretty intense.
2) The author dedicates every 4th chapters in the first five volumes of the light novels to write stories that focus on Tokiya and Saki. Though they seem like fillers, these chapters give the two a great degree of character development. Also, a number of foreshadowing is planted in these chapters, which has effects on the main plot. I really enjoyed those chapters; the interactions between Tokiya and Saki are fun to read.
3) The switching of character's perspectives from time to time is also a unique concept. In most light novels, we are only given the chance to be in the protagonist’s perspective. Tsukumodo switches from Tokiya perspective from time to time, sometimes to the “antagonist” or even Saki’s perspective. This is beneficial to Saki, as she is an emotionless character; we get to understand her true feelings towards Tokiya.
Characters:
From chapter 1 onwards, we are thrown into the situation immediately and never get to know why Tokiya and Saki work at Tsukumodo. It is not until the main plot kicks in and the truth between the twos relationship is revealed.
Tokiya is the protagonist of the story; he has an artificial eye antique called “Vision” which allows him to predict death. He is a quick thinker as he deals with the out of control antique situations constantly. He has special feeling towards Saki. Saki on the other hand is a complicated character. By appearance, she is an emotionless character filled with mysteries. I loved the parts when her past was revealed, explaining why she developed the emotionless personality. Not only does it make sense, it was extremely emotional and I sympathized for what she went through.
Overall:
After reading the first 6 volumes, I saw Tsukumodo Antique Shop as a collection of high quality short stories filled with twist and turns and memorable characters. I never would have guessed how the last volume brought the story to a whole new level. Volume 7 has intense battles, unexpected plot twists, deep emotional scenes. Once I started reading I could not put it down before I finished it. It is really satisfying to see the short stories are all connected to the main plot in one way or the other. All in all, Tsukumodo is a well thought out mystery story.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Mar 29, 2014
“From now on when I speak of the truth, I will use red.”
Story: (9)
After the incident of EP1, Battler accepts Beatrice’s challenge in the meta world. To deny the existence of the Golden Witch, he must once again solve the mysterious murders on Rokkenjima which somehow has completely different events and outcomes.
In EP2, the murders occur around half way of the story. The first half focuses on some of the characters relationships, their feelings towards each other. Also some events prior to the family conference have been revealed which are important tips. Some may see the romance parts sort of unnecessary but do keep in
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mind everything in Umineko has a purpose and meaning.
A major difference in “Turn” compared to EP1 is it tilts towards a fantasy story than a formal mystery, resembling Beatrice making her turn of actions. There are magical battles, a corpse controlled by magic and appearances of magical beings. Readers must decide whether to accept the witch’s illusions or not. That being said, there are still bizarre deaths and locked room murders that seem impossible. Some I found even more challenging than the ones in EP1.
In my opinion, the highlight of EP2 is the debates between Battler and Beatrice in the meta world. They formed a rival relationship and begin their endless torture. During their debate, Beatrice created a new rule: that when the truth is spoken, it will be in red. I’m really glad they kept this from the Visual Novel, not only is it a creative idea, it gives a degree of fairness to readers. With the Red Truth, readers could gather important tips more easily and challenge the witch’s game side-by-side with Battler.
Characters: (8)
As the first half of the story focuses on the character’s relationships, some of them received an amount of character development. Shannon’s struggle to be with George and also Jessica’s puppy love feeling’s towards Kanon. We could understand their feelings and beliefs through the events.
Beatrice is the most complicated and memorable antagonist I have ever seen. Though she is cruel and childish at times, she believes her duel with Battler is noble and the rules must be followed. The moment when she is involved is always fun to read.
Art: (7)
First I have to point out that the artist of EP1 and EP2 are different. Battler’s face is more simply drawn and his hair style looks sort of different. Personally I like his facial designs in EP1 better but that’s just my preference, others might like the new designs more. Beatrice’s expressions are drawn really well, especially when she laughs and when she becomes twisted.
Similar to EP1 the corpses are drawn very detailed. There is a certain “Halloween” scene filled with bloody corpses which is even gorier than the ones in the previous episode. Again, I treat it as tips; such as “could the culprit have decorated the exaggerated scene by himself/ herself in such a short period of time?”
Enjoyment: (8)
I had a fun time trying to hunt down the culprit just like in EP1. However with the interference of Beatrice and her magic tricks, the difficulty of EP2 raised a bit. The locked room murders and the master key debates are also challenging. The Battler and Beatrice debating scenes are really entertaining to read, just when he believes he found the correct solution, Beatrice destroys his theories with the Red Truth. Red Truth is a great addition to the story; it acts as reliable tips making the mysteries more solvable.
Overall: (8)
For those who enjoyed EP1, you are in for a treat. Turn of the Golden Witch provides more complicated locked rooms, disappearing corpse and other surprises. Though you are challenged by the Golden Witch Beatrice herself and resisting her magic tricks seems futile, never stop reasoning. Believe me; becoming the witch’s furniture is not pleasant...
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 28, 2014
“Does the Witch exist?”
Story: (9)
Umineko no Naku Koro ni also known as When the Seagulls Cry is a story about a closed circle mass murder mystery. 18 people on the Rokkenjima Island, which includes the Ushiromiya family, servants and a doctor are slaughtered one by one through gruesome methods. There are an amount of locked room murders that seems impossible to be done by humans, which brings up the question: “Is the Golden Witch Beatrice responsible for the murders?”
First of all, the pacing of the story is done pretty well. The author spent the first six chapters to mainly focus on the characters. As I
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mentioned, episode 1 consists a huge cast of 18 people, these six chapters gives a brief description on the characters background and personality, which helps the readers to become familiar with the cast. Not to mention the six chapters are not merely character introductions, strange events also takes place, such as the appearance of the witch’s letter and umbrella.
After the first set of tragedies occur, the story becomes fast paced and intense. More and more questions are raised while mysterious murders take place. However, don’t expect all the questions to be answered in EP1. As you may have noticed, this is the first episode to the Umineko series, which serves as a prologue to the story and an introduction of the Umineko world. As the episodes continue, more tips and parts of the story will be revealed.
The author took his time and the story was never rushed. I am impressed by the details they put in this manga adaptation. Most of the tips are included from the original Visual Novel, this is particularly important for Umineko, as tips are essential for solving the complicated challenges and understanding the truth of the story. Sadly this was not the case for the anime adaptation.
Characters: (8)
Our protagonist, Ushiromiya Battler serves as the detective of the series. The story is unraveled through his perspective most of the time. He gets the greatest amount of character development in EP1, he is determined to seek out the witch and bring the tragedy to an end. He is a likable character to me. Although he is one of the casualties in the mass murder, he still manages to pull himself together and tries to end other family member’s conflicts with his theories.
Other characters did not receive the amount of character development that Battler got. It would be really difficult to put a large number of times on the characters individually while balancing the murder parts of the story at the same time. Also, EP1 act as the prologue of the story, we get to know more about their pasts and personalities in depth in future episodes.
Art (8)
The most impressive part of EP1’s artwork is the character’s expressions. They are drawn filled with emotions, such as how twisted the grown up’s facial expressions are when then plan to scheme against each other.
There are also some impactful moments nicely drawn. The scene when Battler has his first encounter with the witch’s portrait gave me a strong impression. The artist used two pages to illustrate that scene, which is really memorable.
I have to point out that the gory corpses are drawn pretty detailed. I have no problem reading those scenes but others might feel uncomfortable, be warned. One might argue it is excessive gore though I treat it as tips. Why would the culprit put in so much effort to damage the corpse’s faces brutally? That is the question.
Enjoyment: (8)
I had a lot of fun reading Legend of the Golden Witch. Not only does the locked room murders, bizarre deaths got me attached to the story, trying to hunt down the culprit myself is also enjoyable. From time to time, when I suspect a certain character is the culprit, they get murdered suddenly. One might even ask themselves if the Golden Witch Beatrice exists and involved with the murders, making the story even more mysterious.
The enjoyment of EP1 does not end when you finish the last chapter. There are tons of challenges left by the author unanswered, such as who is the culprit and the methods of murder. Readers could also challenge the witch’s epitaph, which is the greatest challenge of Umineko in my opinion.
Overall: (8)
As a mystery lover, Legend of the Golden Witch is a must read. It is packed with locked roomed murders and challenging puzzles one after another. One must bear in mind that EP1 is only the prologue to the Umineko series, an amount of questions would not be answered immediately and readers must come up with their own theories. Episode 1 is merely the beginning of your eternal struggle with the Golden Witch Beatrice.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 27, 2014
Episode 5: End of the Golden Witch
From the conclusion of Episode 4: Alliance of the Golden Witch, Beatrice is one step away from being checkmate by Battler. To fulfill the promise to “kill her”, Battler must understand the truth of the witch’s game. Once again he enters the witch’s game for the fifth time even though the host is absent. Could he arrive at the truth this time and fulfill Beatrice’s promise? What is Beatrice’s fate? Who is the mysterious visitor of Rokkenjima?
Main Characters: (9)
Ushiromiya Natsuhi:
Unlike the previous games, Natsuhi and Krauss got an amount of screen time in EP5. Secrets that they held
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back previously have been revealed, which serves as answers to the question arcs. Natsuhi also gets threatens constantly from “the man from 19 years ago”, a major focus of EP5.
Ushiromiya Battler:
As Beatrice is in a vegetable state, Lamdadelta takes her place and hosts the fifth game. Battler does not participate the game directly as he was too late to join. He is not the detective in this game and his chess piece is controlled by Bernkastel. In EP5 there are moments where he presents his ridiculous theories which I find really entertaining. However he has his moments in the meta world, together with Beatrice defending Natsuhi’s honor.
Furudo Erika:
Erika is a visitor of Rokkenjima who claims herself as a detective. Blessed by miracle, she drifts to the island unwounded after a ship accident. She is actually an added chess piece by Bernkastel which has no effects to the previous games. Though she seems well-mannered and polite in first sight, she is actually very cunning and sometimes breaks down when her reasoning falls apart. She would do anything to support her reasoning and is the perfect rival for Battler.
Dlanor A Knox:
Dlanor who acts as Erika’s sidekick is actually the personification of the Ten Commandments written by Ronald A Knox (As a side note, the name Dlanor is Ronald spelled backwards). These Ten Commandments are rules Ronald created that he believes mystery novels should follow, which makes the mystery fairer to the readers. In Uminko’s world, the author deleted one of the rules and changed the other a bit. Dlanor could wield these commandments as “Red Truths” to support Erika’s reasoning.
What I like about Umineko is though it introduces new casts from time to time, no matter magical beings or not, they are never meaningless and all have their purpose. In EP5, the members of the Eiserne Jungfrau, Gertrude and Cornelia represent Erika’s “weapons” duct tapes and the paper slips that she uses to seal doors. The character Dlanor is the author’s salute to Ronald, giving him credits for his contribution during the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, which I think is meaningful. The great detective Erika, though having a twisted personality, she is a memorable, charming character, my favorite new character introduced in Chiru.
Story: (10)
End of the Golden Witch has a rather slow start, in the beginning it focuses on Krauss and Natsuhi’s financial crisis and their acknowledgment of Kinzo’s condition. Though it has a slow start, these tips are essential to the story, such as the servants keeping their secrecy of the situation in the previous games.
EP5 has a lot of impactful scenes. Without spoiling too much, my favorite scene is where Battler and Beatrice “welcomes” Erika to join the witch’s game, which is really well done and satisfying. I cheered for Battler during that scene!
Different from the previous games, EP5 is a Formal Mystery rather than debating if the scenario is mystery or fantasy. Under the Knox’s Ten Commandments, secret passages cannot exist; Battler’s widely used theories such as “Trap X” is also denied by the commandments. They serve as additional red truths.
Interestingly, these commandments could also be used in the previous games to act as additional tips, which aid the readers that have not arrived at the truth yet. It is sort of the author’s way of saying “All the tips have been given to you, the mystery is now solvable”.
With these commandments Umineko could be looked at in a different angle,by re-reading the previous episodes, readers may discover clues and tips they once missed, which I find amusing.
In EP5, there were some new tips to solving the witch's epitaph. To me it’s of the most difficult mystery to solve in the series.
As always, battles and fighting scenes are done through debates and dialogues, which make Umineko stand out and unique. The debates of Red and Blue Truth is even more intense than actually seeing to two characters fighting each other physically.
Art: (8)
What I like about EP5’s artwork is how the character’s expressions are vivid and lively. This expresses their emotions really well, such as when Natsuhi feels hopeless, when Erika’s jeers at others and when Dlanor switches to execute mode. Also, the background is clear and I never felt confused while reading.
Enjoyment: (10)
After reading EP5, I could see that the author is taking another approach to the story. For the first four episodes, if the truth cannot be arrived under that structure, no matter how many same scenarios are done repetitively, the truth still cannot be seen. That is why the author changed the story’s structure and added the Commandments to assist readers.
In my opinion, EP5 is the most challenging scenario amongst all the episodes (excluding EP4 as there were too few tips and Battler never paid attention to the out of control situation. EP4 could have infinite possibilities). Again, the meaning of truth is discussed, Erika’s truth, Battler’s truth and the REAL truth. Different truths could co-exist in the cat box under Schrödinger’s cat, which is my favorite part of Umineko, you are the one to decide what to believe hence becoming your single truth.
As a side note, for those who are interested in the REAL truth for EP5 could visit my profile page below. I did not discover the truth myself, it is the info I read from EP8 Twilight of the Golden Witch manga which I wish to share. These tips were never included in the Visual Novels and with these tips, the Real truth of EP5 is finally revealed.
EP5 is really enjoyable; it has twist and turns of unpredictable events, locked room debates that seem impossible and an unexpected, satisfying ending!
Overall: (10)
Episode 5: End of the Golden Witch is a solid addition to the series. While answering some questions from previous games, EP5 provides an amount of new challenges. I feel refreshed from the new story structure the author introduced, while giving out new tips, they are also applicable to the four previous episodes.
Overall, End of the Golden Witch has an in depth story that is worth thinking about, charming new additional characters, artwork that illustrates the character’s expressions really well. I highly recommend one to read this after the conclusion of EP4 Alliance of the Golden Witch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Feb 16, 2014
What is Dantalian no Shoka?
Dantalian no Shoka also known as The Mystic Archives of Dantalian revolves around phantom books. These phantom books contain forbidden knowledge that no man can ever possess and can even bring the world into chaos.
Characters:
Dantalian no Shoka's main casts are introduced in pairs which are
Hugh Anthony Disward and Dalian
Huey is the protagonist of the series who is an ex-military pilot from WW1. One day he received a letter from his grandfather and decided to leave the military. He then met Dalian and became the keeper of the key and started recovering phantom books with Dalian. Huey did not get much character
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development throughout the series though he takes responsibility of things and has bad-ass pistol skills.
Dalian who is referred to the Black Biblioprincess is actually an entrance to a secret library known as Dantalian no Shoka, which contains 900,666 phantom books. Dalian and Huey's goal throughout the series is to recover these phantom books and avoid the world running in chaos. In my opinion Dalian is the star of the series, her reactions with Huey is always fun to watch. Although she always acts brave in front of Huey, she is actually scared of crowed people heights and ghosts.
Hal and Flamberge
Hal is a libricide officer, whose goal is to burn every phantom books they meet. His past is revealed bit by bit throughout the course of the series when he burns each phantom book. Though the author never specifies what happened to him and why he chose his path, readers could sort of understand.
Flam is kind of like Dalian who is called the long lost library, she joins Hal's journey and provides him phantom books to burn as fuels to light up his staff. I find the concept pretty interesting. The reactions between the two are as good as Huey and Dalian's reactions. As Hal is always serious in nature, Flam always teases him in front of other people which I find hilarious.
The Professor and Raziel
They are actually the antagonists of the series, their objective is to create new phantom books and cause chaos to the world. The only thing we know is the pair is scheming for the lose of WW1.
Story:
Each volume of Dantalian no Shoka consists of 4-5 different short stories which is around 50 pages per story. Usually it's the adventures of Dalian and Huey recovering the phantom books and sometimes the author includes extra episodes about Hal and Flam. The stories themselves also has a variety, some have a darker tone than others, some are more light-hearted and some provide a warmth ending.
Something I really like about the series is that the reason why phantom books are so dangerous is not because monsters crawl out of the books but because of knowledge itself. As Dalian says "Some things in the world are better kept unknown", the reason why most of the books overdrive are because of the readers taking advantage of the knowledge but not because of the book itself.
I also have to give credits to the author for the research he done before creating the phantom books. A lot of them are not made up, they range from Greek mythologies to Chinese legends.
I have to mention that most of the stories have little or even no connections to each other and there is no major plot throughout the series. The three pairs of characters just keeps on doing what they are doing. One collects the books, one burns them and one creates new books. I personally enjoy them as short stories, Dantalian no Shoka is more of solving mysteries than following a grand plot or epic intense battles.
Despite lacking a main plot the lovable characters kept me enjoying and yearning for more of this series. When the pairs of characters cross blades, you know something fun is going to happen. When Dalian meets Hal she always calls him a "short tempered ape", and when Flam tries to make a pleasant conversation with Huey, Dalian scolds at him immediately because of jealousy. Although the situation always gets out of control, as a reader I always hope to see the pairs next meeting. (It's a shame that in the anime the two pairs never got a proper meeting.)
As a side note the author includes fragment episodes in the novel which consists of 8-10 pages short stories between the main episodes. These fragment episodes are kind of hard to understand and make readers scratch their heads.
Conclusion:
I really enjoyed reading Dantalian no Shoka. Though there isn't a intense plot throughout the novels, the interesting and lovable character relationships made Dantalian no Shoka stand out from other similar LNs. This is also the main reason why I used so much paragraphs to talk about the character relationships.
It's such a shame that this series ended at volume 8 and there were still a lot of questions remain unanswered. Such as Dalian's past and who is the white dressed girl inside the library? What is the Professor's grand plan?
I really hope Dantalian no Shoka could make a return in the future so that Huey and Dalian could finish their quest to retrieve the phantom books!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Feb 15, 2014
What is Beyond Another Darkness?
B.A.D. is a mysterious fantasy story about a 14 year old gothic lolita named Azaka Mayuzumi who is the head of the Mayuzumi psychic detective agency. One day Mayuzumi saves a teenage school boy Odagiri's life and from that day onwards, Odagari devotes his life to work for Mayuzumi.
Characters:
Azaka Mayuzumi is a 14 year old gothic lolita who only eats chocolate even if she's having a serious flu. She is the head of the Mayuzumi psychic detective agency and only accepts client's cases if she's interested or out of boredom. She has psychic powers such as connecting with the dead
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or entering other peoples dreams. As her psychic powers are fairly strong she was given the name Azaka same as the first generation Azaka in her family who has superior psychic powers. Part of the Mayuzumi family treats her as a god though she herself believes that she is Azaka Mayuzumi because she was born as Azaka Mayuzumi.
Odagiri was a ordinary 19 year old school boy before meeting Mayuzumi. After the incident, he became the sole worker and assistant of the Mayuzumi psychic detective agency. He occasionally tries to change Mayuzumi daily life such as cooking her some normal food or introducing her a hobby though always fails. Unlike Mayuzumi, Odagiri tries to save a lot of the unfortunates throughout the novel even if it means risking his own life.
Story:
This review will be focusing on the first volume of the light novel though I have read up to the seventh volume. B.A.D. consists of 4 to 5 cases per novel, they could be read separately and are all tied up in the final chapter of each novel.
What makes B.A.D. stand out from other horror mystery type light novels is it does not solely rely on visual horrors to tell the story. The author also uses different human senses to create the horror atmosphere such as smell, sound and even taste.
In the first chapter, there were falling human organs from the building which is a basic visual horror through descriptive.
Different kinds of smells were used in this volume, such as the strong sweet scent of chocolate that Mayuzumi was eating, the rotten kitchen garbage that Odagiri smelt while he was visiting a client's apartment and also the smell of the salty ocean in chapter 3 as it was about the mermaid princess.
The sound of laughing skulls during midnight were used in Chapter 2, not only giving nightmares to the client in that chapter but also giving a creepy atmosphere to the readers who is reading B.A.D. at night time.
Taste was used in chapter 4, while Odagiri was dreaming, he dreamed of tasting human flesh and while we know it was merely a dream it felt so real to Odagiri and to the readers.
As the author used different sensation horror to stimulate the readers feelings, while reading B.A.D. it gave me a very strong impression and more enjoyable than other horror based LNs.
The first 4 chapters are basically Mayuzumi and Odagiri solving different client's cases and in chapter 5 it was revealed what happened between the two and part of Azaka Mayuzumi's past was revealed. The bond between the two were very well written in chapter 5. Although Mayuzumi accepts the fact that each generation of Azaka's fate is to be killed or murdered, she trusts Odagiri and gives him the decision whether to save her or not.
Conclusion:
Beyond Another Darkness is really enjoyable and satisfying to read. Though it is bloody and dark at times, the author uses a different approach to let the readers feel how Odagiri's world around him is changing and at times how he lacks the power to save others that is suffering. There were also tear dropping moments in the novel that is touching and warm which made me understand B.A.D. is more than just horror and gore. I'm looking foward to read the new arcs and hope Odagiri could change Mayu-san's tragic fate!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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