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What does it mean to have lived a good life?

This is one of the many themes explored in “Mori no Majuu ni Hanataba wo,” a light novel whose contents I have been mulling over since finishing it just a few weeks ago(for the purposes of this review the title will be shortened to Mori no Majuu). While the story doesn’t offer a definitive answer to this question of life, it both rejects falling into a sort of daily hedonism while acknowledging the riskiness of living for the future. The story offers a middle ground for its frail and sickly protagonist, Cleo, who has essentially been ... disowned by his noble family in about everything but name.

There are other themes explored as well, such as the purity of a beast that has no hidden malice for its prey, compared to the sinister nature of human sociality which cuts all the more deeply for Cleo. Contrasting ideas are the name of the game here and Mori no Majuu explores each of its dichotomies in an interesting and beautiful manner. Even the worldbuilding is masterfully done with each fantastical item or magic serving multiple purposes throughout the story. In other words, there is little fat. Despite this lack of fat, there is also never a mechanical feeling of visiting one plot point to the next as a train would visit its next station. Instead, the storytelling effuses a certain childlike sense of adventure, mystery, and wonder with each part.

That being said, I don’t want to spend too long discussing the themes of the story when you can simply read the story. This is, after all, a review not an analysis. So why exactly should you read this novel? Well, I feel that first I should appeal to you with my personal experience with the story. For now, I think it has become one of my personal favorite pieces of media because of how well it was executed. Or maybe it’s because some of the themes just struck a chord with me in particular. The narrative follows a young boy who is forced to overcome a trial to become the new head of his family, and if you couldn’t tell by how I have already described Cleo, the chances of him doing this are slim to none. Without spoiling anything, as this aspect is discussed in the description of Mori no Majuu itself, the boy meets a plant monster and begins to live with it. Although this isn’t simply a light-hearted tale of a boy living with a girl, there is conflict that arises throughout the story and many emotional moments. If I were to attempt to convince someone who was on the fence about reading it, I would say that it was very well-written and enjoyable regardless of whether the themes hit you on a personal level as they did for me. On top of all this, the tale is quite short as well, only boasting a length of 200 odd pages.

Another reason why you should give this story a chance is because of the romance aspect, Mori no Majuu mostly shows the reader that the two main characters are in love through action rather than telling you that they are through dialogue. I know that two characters love each other in most romance media because they say it, there was an entire scene dedicated to a long-winded confession, how can they not be in love? In Mori No Majuu no such thing exists, the reader knows that the hero and heroine are in love because of how they act rather than what they say. This is shared most brilliantly and beautifully multiple times in the story, one of which was in the epilogue which caused my heart to essentially melt after reading it.

The reason why I am rating this 10/10 is not just because of the aforementioned heart-melting, but because in addition to hitting me on an emotional level, there is absolutely nothing I would change about the narrative or writing. Everything was executed perfectly and thus I don’t have much to say about criticisms of the story. If I had to imagine what someone who would take issue with the story would say it would probably come down to one of two main “criticisms.” The first one is that the English translation that currently exists is riddled with typos and broken sentences. The second one is that at its core, this is a story that leans heavily into cuteness for some of its scenes. The first of these complaints is a non-issue in terms of the novel itself, while the latter complaint is one that will come down to personal preference. A complaint I would see as unjustified would be one surrounding Cleo’s somewhat cowardly behavior, because everything regarding Cleo’s personality and character is perfectly explained by his upbringing, current predicament, and sickly nature. I hesitate to even call this cowardly behavior because anyone in his situation would probably act the same way, and this isn’t even taking into account the aspects that make it uniquely difficult for Cleo.

In summary, all I can say is that this story hit me deeply on an emotional level. This may not be the same case for you, but I believe Mori no Majuu is worth reading nonetheless, the story is well-written and structured which should make it at least an enjoyable read. I obviously adore this light novel in its entirety and could go on for ages about the smaller details and larger themes(and trust me I really could), but for the sake of brevity, I will leave that for another day. I hope that anyone reading this will be motivated to at least give the novel a shot. Who knows, maybe Mori no Majuu will become a personal favorite like it did for me.

The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt (Hey, How About Treason?) or shortened "Tensai Ouji," is an amazing series of light novels which perfectly balance political drama, war, and the cute interactions of its main duo. Each novel thrusts the main character and prince of a nation on a downturn, Wein, into some sort of new political strife. At his side is his "heart" and aide, Ninym, who is oppressed due to her race. Although it takes place in a medieval fictional world, it's somewhat unique in the fact that there are no magical elements or mythical creatures to speak of. ... Other than the totally different world, the only other fantasy element is the Flahm race, who possess white hair and red eyes. However, they don't possess magical powers either. Contributing to this grounded atmosphere is what Wein is able to achieve through politics. While his achievements are fantastical, they rarely feel like they break the believability of the world(with a few exceptions like memorizing the names of his army).

Story & Characters:

The arcs taking place over the span of one novel benefit the story greatly as well. The story is able to focus on one area or one central conflict, which is then complicated by shifting alliances or twists on that conflict. This hyperfocus on specific areas acts as a sort of lightning rod for the rest of the plot elements. This means that the story can introduce as many new elements as it needs without being convoluted or slowing down the plot like many other political dramas. Tensai Ouji also accomplishes foreshadowing and world-building naturally because of this, rarely does it feel like the author does so unnaturally… Except for one habit they have. Sometimes the story will take a break from its usual storytelling to hop ahead of time and show the results of a certain situation, then it goes back and shows how everything led up to that point. This writing technique is used well, but if you aren't bought into Wein's antics and just want to see the consequences of a certain arc, it might become a little tiresome. Luckily, Wein is an extremely entertaining character to watch in my opinion, his obsession with Ninym, his intelligence, and the mysteries about his past and "true intentions” all put a certain charm into his character. As aforementioned, his plans seldomly break the believability of the story, and he even sometimes fails to obtain his goal in certain areas. It's also nice that the characters act like human beings. In most light novels, anime, and manga any mention of romance is met with blushing and bashful behavior like everyone is a child. However, in Tensai Ouji characters are usually able to at least flirt with one another - with the two main characters even being able to show some physical affection. All of Wein’s mastermind schemes genuinely made me want to see what would happen next, whether it be the next page or volume.

Conclusion:

While having darker moments, Tensai Ouji always has a vibrant edge to it that is never overshadowed. Wein is able to ride the line of believability with his insane plans in just the right way, and it is great fun to watch. The series might be a little niche, but if you have the craving for a political drama that can maintain the right balance of light-hearted elements; this series might be for you. Fans of darker political media will still find enjoyment, but to what extent greatly depends on your liking of the more "anime" side of the story. I obviously fall on the former rather than the latter given my rating, as I enjoy the unique spirit of Tensai Ouji.

(Also completely unrelated, but the art on the cover of each novel is 10/10).