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Reviews in Project: Translation (357)

Fighting Dragons With You

Delicious in Dungeon, volume 11

By Ryōko Kui  

24 May, 2023

Translation

1 comment

2021’s Delicious in Dungeon, Volume 11 is the eleventh tankōbon in Ryoko Kui’s secondary-world comedy fantasy manga series. Originally published as Danjon Meshi, Delicious in Dungeon appears in Enterbrain’s Harta. Volume 11 was translated into English in 2022.

Laios and his dungeon delving companions (half-elf mage Marcille, halfling security expert Chilchuck, dwarf fighter Senshi, and cat-beastkin ninja Izutsumi) appear to have the edge over the Lunatic Magician. True, the magician is very powerful, but he is one person while the party is many.

If only the Lunatic Magician were not accompanied by an army of ferocious dragons.

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Savage Beauty

Eniale & Dewiela, volume 1

By Kamome Shirahama  

17 May, 2023

Translation

0 comments

Eniale & Dewiela, Volume 1 is the first volume of three that collect Kamome Shirahama’s modern fantasy manga series. Eniale & Dewiela was serialized in Fellows! from 2012 to 2015. The English translation of volume 1 was published in 2020. Whereas Shirahama’s Witch Hat Atelier is a drama, Eniale & Dewiela is comedy.

Eniale is a low-ranked angel, forever determined to better the world. Dewiela is an equally low-ranked devil, forever determined to better herself. Playing as they do for opposing teams, their perpetual proximity must logically be due to their never-ending rivalry. Right?

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Never Know I’m There

Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible, volume 1

By Nene Yukimori  

10 May, 2023

Translation

4 comments

Nene Yukimori’s Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible, Volume One (Japanese: 久保さんは僕を許さない, Hepburn: Kubo-san wa Mobu o Yurusanai, Kubo Won’t Give Up the Mob (Is Me)) is the first of twelve volumes collecting Yukimori’s speculative fiction manga series. Prior to collection, it was serialized in Shueisha’s seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Jump from October 2019 to March 2023.

High school student Junta Shiraishi has turned being unremarkable into what would in other contexts be deemed a superpower. He is effectively invisible. Classmates speculate about his whereabouts in Junta’s presence. Even automatic doors have a hard time noticing Junta. Since Junta has no control over his lack of presence, his ability is more of a burden than a power.

Pretty and popular Nagisa Kubo has a curious immunity to Junta’s invisibility. This has consequences.

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What Dread Hand

Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu

By Junji Ito  

3 May, 2023

Translation

4 comments

Junji Ito’s Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu is a semi-autobiographical manga. First serialized as Itō Junji no Neko Nikki: Yon & Mū in Japanese manga magazine Monthly Magazine Z from the January 2008 issue to the February 2009 issue, Cat Diary was collected into a single volume in 2009 and translated into English in 2015.

Years of hard work1 have delivered horror manga artist J‑kun the life he covets. He has a brand-new home. He has a darling fiancée, A‑ko. However, to his growing alarm, he discovers A‑ko has dreadful plans, plans against which a simple writer/artist cannot hope to prevail.

Whereas J‑kun is a dog person, A‑ko is a cat person. A‑ko has a cat named Yon. Yon will be living with J‑kun and A‑ko.

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Stars Above

Insomniacs After School, volume 2

By Makoto Ojiro  

26 Apr, 2023

Translation

0 comments

2019’s Insomniacs After School, Volume Two is the second tankōbon of Makoto Ojiro’s manga series. Serialized in Shogakukan’s seinen manga magazine Weekly Big Comic Spirits, Insomniacs After School has been ongoing since May 2019. The English translation of Volume Two is slated to appear in 2023.

I previously reviewed Volume One of this manga and you can find the review here. But if you don’t want to read the older review, here’s a recap.

Teacher Kurashiki accepted insomniac students Ganta Nakami and Isaki Magari’s perfectly plausible explanation as to why the sleepless pair were hanging out together in their high school’s disused observatory1. She even provided the pair with a more acceptable reason to continue using the facility: re-start the school’s astronomy class.

There is a catch.

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This Girl Is On Fire

RuriDragon, volume 1

By Masaoki Shindo  

12 Apr, 2023

Translation

0 comments

Masaoki Shindo’s RuriDragon (Japanese: ルリドラゴン, Hepburn: Ruridoragon) is a Japanese modern-day manga series. Originally a one-shot published in Shueisha’s Jump Giga magazine in December 2020, RuriDragon was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump starting in June 2022.

Adolescence is a time of sometimes bewildering physical change. Japanese schoolgirl Ruri is more bewildered than most teens. One morning she glances in the bathroom mirror to discover that during the night she has sprouted two razor-sharp horns.

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Shine The Light

The Apothecary Diaries, volume 7

By Natsu Hyuuga  (Translated by Kevin Steinbach)

5 Apr, 2023

Translation

3 comments

2018’s The Apothecary Diaries, Volume Seven is the seventh volume in Natsu Hyuuga’s secondary-universe light novel series. Illustrations1 are by Touko Shina. The 2023 English translation is by Kevin Steinbach. 

In this volume, Maomao struggles with school work, international intrigue, and of course the glacial progress of the romance between her and attractive (but incapable of straight-forward declaration) Jinshu, revealed as a prince of Li a few volumes ago.

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A Beautiful Plan

Delicious in Dungeon, volume 10

By Ryōko Kui  

29 Mar, 2023

Translation

3 comments

2021’s Delicious in Dungeon, Volume 10 is the tenth tankōbon in Ryoko Kui’s secondary-world fantasy manga series. Originally published as Danjon Meshi, Delicious in Dungeon appears in Enterbrain’s Harta. Volume 10 was translated into English in 2022.

Laios has a plan to save his monstrously transformed sister Falin. With the help of his companions (half-elf mage Marcille, halfling security expert Chilchuck, dwarf fighter Senshi, and cat-beastkin ninja Izutsumi), he is determined to put his scheme into action.

There are one or two minor impediments to the plan.

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