Reading(+Watching)+Listening Log 2025.07 - July
Previous: Reading(+Watching)+Listening Log 2025.06 - June
That month went too quickly by. A blurr like how these buns may look like they've just been copy & pasted.
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Reading languages: German, English, French, Japanese, not listing which was what. (There’s also been some meagerly continued music listening attempts at Chinese.)
Titles are as I’ve read them either first or most and thus remember it for that title mostly.
Not going to bother putting in the original titles of translated reads unless there is something worthy of note to it.
Cursive titles means series completed, or it was a one-shot. (Changed that bit back to what it was previously.)
Bold titles mean the ones that entertained or impressed me most,
If it says a volume number, it may mean it has been finished or is still in progress.
Some notes’ content may be subject to repetition here and there, as I also copy some older notes from casual conversations over into these logs and don’t go through any rounds of cutting things down.
I will freely use some very lunatastic terms like cheese and fluff, you can find an explanation here: Luna-Lingo.
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My readings of first half of the month were something like:
Me: I wanna read some books ...
My hand's athelete food: Imma gonna bleed!
The books: You are not making us dirty!
Chrome on webtoons: Hey, we don't load as quickly as you read!
Which probably is why this month basically is the Solo Leveling Ragnarok Novel month when it wasn't a webtoon month. Those, especially the Farmer/Dongeon Bun webtoon (as I dub The Top Dungeon Farmer for short) along with some work bits were pretty much the main time suckers.
And I guess that's the main reason, this month is so heavy on the webtoons, or mostly, it's otherwise mostly a Tapas month.
There were also some stray AMVs that stuck with me, so decided to put them into their own section rather than just having them mixed in with the music notes.
An Autumn in Amber, a Zero-Second Journey
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria V4-7
Madougushi Dahlia wa Utsumukanai v3p12-16
Natsu e no Tunnel, Sayonara no Deguchi p5-7
Of Course They're Not Fake Sample
Solo Leveling: Ragnarok (Novel) Prologue-ch9, Ch133-204, ch374-ch375, ch205-287, ch9
The Burning Desire to Save Sample
The Case Files of Jeweler Richard v15 比翼のマグル・ガル 第八回 skimming though
You Like Me, Not My Daughter?! V6
(classified #4) p7-29 (preview, incl. 1 illustration) reading
Blade Skill Online: Crushing the Competition with My Abysmal Stats, Useless Class, and Garbage Weapon! (Manga) v1ch7
Caligula's Love The Master
Das (fast) perfekte Fräulein und sein Butler v2ch11
Dead Mount Death Play v13ch111
Die Natur einer reinen Seele v1
Dragons Rioting v2-v4ch19
Echt jetzt, Tamon?! v3ch14
Heroine ni Akogarete ヒロインにあこがれて / 伊咲ウタ
Ich bin ein mächtiger Behemoth und lebe als Kätzchen bei einer Elfe v1-v2ch12, v5ch25-30
Isaki Uta Tanpenshuu: Uruu (Leaper), Tou-chan to Boku, Dappi, Haha wo Tazunete 40-bu
Make It Stop! I’m Not Strong… It’s Just My Sword! (Manga) v1ch5
Meine Arbeit als Missionar in einer gottlosen Welt v1
Meine ganz besondere Hochzeit v5 CE Booklet
Meisterdetektiv Ron Kamonohashi V9-10, ch89-170
Monster ForestNatsu no Owari ni Kimi ga Shineba Kanpeki datta kara ch1-4
Purgatory Survival v3ch12
Sakurairo Dialogue ch1-2.1
Seijo ni Uso wa Tsuujinai (Manga) ch1-11
Snegurochka of the Spring Breeze
Teuflisches Verlangen v1-3
The Conqueror from a Dying Kingdom (Manga) v1-v5ch25
The Water Magician (Manga) v1-4ch20
Wenn die Blüten Trauer tragen v2
Zero Damage Sword Saint v1ch5
<<刀剣乱舞>> Uki-Fune 浮舟(廉価版) / ハヤカワノジコ （歌仙兼定×同田貫正国）Doujin Manga
<<刀剣乱舞>> ガランドウ / ハヤカワノジコ （歌仙兼定×同田貫正国） / 日本の祝日 Doujin Manga
Adelaide: Das süße Leben v1-v3ch9
After Rebirth, I Used Mirror Reversal For Vengeance ch1-9
Can the Grand Duke and the Marquis be Friends? ch58-60
Guai ke Tegong: BEAUTIFUL LEGENDS ch0-8
Heaven Official's Blessing (Manhua) v1ch7
Hildegart Reincarnate ch1-18
How to use a Returner v2-v7ch24, ch89-143, ch94-98
Kill the Villainess ch1-21
Level Up with the Gods ch1-39
Philomel the Fake ch1-15-27
The Frozen Player Returns ch1-20
The Grand Duke’s Bride Is a Hellborn Warrior Recap Video
The Top Dungeon Farmer ch1-51 (Season 1 End)
Bold are what were more memorably stuck in my head.
Aosaki - tangible dynamics - 06 - broken wings (Instrumental)
BORN TO BE ON AIR! OST - 24 - Hayashi Yuuki - Don’t lose
Solo Leveling OST - 07 - [Solo-Leveling] SymphonicSuite-Lv.6
Solo Leveling OST - 09 - [Solo-Leveling] SymphonicSuite-Lv.8
Solo Leveling OST - 17 - aikari
Solo Leveling OST - 01 - DARK ARIA
Solo Leveling OST - 19 - 4eVR
Solo Leveling OST - 02 - [Solo-Leveling] SymphonicSuite-Lv.1
Solo Leveling OST - 06 - [Solo-Leveling] SymphonicSuite-Lv.5
Solo Leveling OST - 03 - [Solo-Leveling] SymphonicSuite-Lv.2
Solo Leveling OP - 01 - LEveL (feat.TOMORROW X TOGETHER)
Solo Leveling OP - 02 - DARK ARIA LV2 (feat.XAI)
Solo Leveling OP - 04 - LEveL -English ver.- (TV size) (feat.TOMORROW X TOGETHER)
To Be Hero X Insert Song - JEOPARDY
To Be Hero X Insert Song - PARAGON
To Be Hero X OP - INERTIA
Solo Leveling -Arise from the Shadow- OST - 01 - REVIVƎЯ
Solo Leveling -Arise from the Shadow- OP - 06 - ReawakeR -English TV Ver.
Solo Leveling -Arise from the Shadow- OP - 06 - ReawakeR -English TV Ver.-
Solo Leveling -Arise from the Shadow- OST - 02 - SHADOWBORN
Solo Leveling -Arise from the Shadow- OST - 03 - H∅WL
Solo Leveling -Arise from the Shadow- OST - 04 - [Solo-Leveling]-Arise from the Shadow-Suite-Lv.1
Solo Leveling -Arise from the Shadow- OST - 06 - [Solo-Leveling]-Arise from the Shadow-Suite-Lv.3
Solo Leveling -Arise from the Shadow- OST - 12 - [Solo-Leveling]SymphonicSuite-Lv.8 (Ver.0)
SawanoHiroyuki[nZk] - bLACKbLUE - 19 - Twin Fates
Goddess of Victory Nikke Global Theme Song - Sawano Hiroyuki feat. Mizuki - TuNGSTeN
Solo Leveling - DARK ARIA ᐸLV2ᐳ (from SawanoHiroyuki [nZk] 10th Anniversary Studio Live)
Shinedown - The Sound of Madness - Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)
Warriyo, LXNGVX - Mortals Funk Remix
Bold are what were more memorably stuck in my head.
PikaPika - Solo Leveling AMV - Dual Vengeance [ Souls Team Battle Arena IC ]
Arrow - DIAMOND EYES - Solo Leveling
Soul 剣士 - 「AMV」Mortals Funk Remix | Solo Leveling
Soul 剣士 - 「AMV」CONTЯØL | Solo Leveling
Soul 剣士- 「AMV」 AURA = ♾️ | Solo Leveling
Bass Flow - 「AMV」Mortals Funk Remix × Solo Leveling | 【EPIC】
Jinzo - Argo Vesta (DanMachi - Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?)
Madougushi Dahlia wa Utsumukanai v3 finished: The whole ordeal of third artificial magic sword was a surprising escalation on their relationship, I didn't exactly expect this early (or some probably would say late) in the game. Dahlia is pretty desperate and the thought of Wolf possibly getting himself killed on his job or worse though her own fault is scary and by the end of the book we get a mirroring of the end of volume 1 with Dahlias life goals and by now they have shifted a good deal, she isn't just trying to make magic tools to up people's life quality and comfort, she's basically injected Wolf straight into her life goals. He is important to her, but anything else about her just screams as much aroace as possible. Like that whole shower scene makes a pretty darn clear case of how the two view each other: Wolf doesn't even know where to look seeing Dahlia in her wet, half transparent clothes, so much he has to cool his head with cold water (which is extra funny given he is there to take a hot shower after getting himself partly frozen to an icicle) and Dahlia first doesn't even think about it at all and then she is just like that her memory of him being all wet and in half transparent clothes (which definitely would have made any average lady swoon as the series likes to emphasize) does not actually stir anything at her all, beyond that her brain is book-smartly half remembering an idiom that describes the situation rather aptly - only to belatedly realize what that idiom is good for that is what she is getting embarrassed about, basically a rare moment of the sheer amount of her own airhead sinking in. - I absolutely adore that scene. It just hits so close to home about how you'd not think too hard about some things until trained and learned manners come to haunt you, and you get a jerk reaction of what you should be reacting like to those things, even if it's not exactly innate. It also just makes such a neat case to differentiate the different ways the two see each other, despite having considerable overlap in parts and I really like this nuanced take of them being kinda soulmates in a way and probably heading towards the same goal eventually, but still so very different in their feelings around it all. Also, the scene is just really hilarious.
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria V4-7: It's almost startling that Lefiya appears several more magnitudes more cheese stricken for Aiz than Aiz is for Bell. Meanwhile as for Aiz, I am entirely baffled that there are zero cheese alarm bells going up.
Like, every emotional stir she is described to have is literally the same sort I have had for my (real) buns, and her onstinacy on getting him into her lap is a whole thing. And, well, the main series even did explicitly mention that she was feeling for him like a pet. Which makes them just bizarre as the pair set up as the OTP of the franchise.
They are admittedly kinda cute together, but I maintain, they'd be a terrible match for a ship in terms of their characters. And now I think it'd really just too bad, that an other girl from his sorta harem is pretty much already in the out and kinda set to loose out to Aiz. :/
Other than that, indirectly she has joined the flock of brutes, if she knocks him out, just so he gets unconscious, just so that she can get him on her lap.
Isaki Uta Tanpenshuu: Uruu (Leaper), Tou-chan to Boku, Dappi, Haha wo Tazunete 40-bu: Isaki Uta definitely has a thing for melancholic themes of alienation.
The first one is Leaper, which also has a solo digital release in eng, and definitely hits hard on that theme. The second one is a simple play on perception, the third was is kinda the same thing as Leaper, but with a different thing causing isolation and alienation (which may looks more sus that it is if one only looked at the art) and the last one is a huge ?????? in terms of what does it even want to say
It did have similar melancholic vibes of emotional turmoil as Mermaid in a Bottle tho.
Heroine ni Akogarete ヒロインにあこがれて by Isaki Uta:
So going from the short story compilation I went on to the latest doujin-short story of hers and somehow I' didn't exactly expect I'm not sure what I expected, but I did not expect this: Mine-kun is Asexual and Is Love the Answer? have leveled up!
Summary: MC Anju like Shoujo Manga. More precisely she likes their heroines. They are bold, they fall in love, they know themselves, they fight for their love and they have guys fighting for her, too and so on. Presently she is following one such heroine with a few love interest candidates including a pushover and a gallant helper to help her in crisis. Anju gets pretty fired up over these stories and also longs to be like one of those heroines. So one day before classmates she blurbs out that "Maybe I'd like to have a boyfriend!"
Which promts this fellow, after she winds up working with him for the school festival commitee by drawing the unlucky straw to ask her out:
"Hey, do you already have a boyfriend? If not, let's date."
Not what she expected. At all. She tries talking to classmates. She looks into that shoujo manga she's hooked into again, and has a belated relazation: Eh, those stories paint it as something great, but the reality doesn't feel like that at all? She is at a loss, then she overhears the classmates talking about her. They have little understanding about her behavirous and confusion and how she could let the guy hanging like that without an answer and they also mention how she once mentioned that she has never been in love with someone and how "She probably wants to fall in love like a shoujo manga" and how funny that idea is, because a guy for that would not exist in reality. Anju, who has just realized the fantasy of those stories, is being like Oh, everyone knows that already. Shen she starts to have some doubts. You'd know if you just fall for someone, but how come she never came to get this understanding?
Back to the manga she's reading: That gallance prince charming has a conversation with the heroine and explains he's never fallen for anyone despite having tried dating. He asks her if they could just be friends and the heroine happily agrees.
The comment section to that new chapter: A shitstorm.
Among blames of an easy cop out, author blocks on how to handle a character that got more popular than planned, doubts to boot if it's possible to now fall in love at all, and then some other comments who do know about aroace and its other Japanese terms, even by name but express doubts where that twist came out of nowhere and that they really do not want that in their beloved romance manga ....
Anju doesn't even have the time to blink, quickly researches the terms and goes: Me. That's me. Me. That's me!
Dresses up for the next signing event, where she goes to express to the author just how great her manga is and how she got to learn about herself. Which promts the author to cry, because she faced resistance to have the male character be himself from the beginning, and her joy at she'd reach anyone at all with this character.
After that Anju goes and brings her life in order: They guy from the festival comiteee gets rejected. She'd like to be friends to him, but he declines saying that friendships between girls and guys are impossible for him. She feels dejected, even wondering whether that is how unrequited love feels like that, but them a new chapter of her beloved manga shows up and she's all zipper again.
Because, as she concludes: I love shoujo manga, but that doesn't mean, I want to fall into a romance like out of a shoujo manga. Is that contradiction? No. I am me, including this.
Well. Huuuuuuuuuuuuh, was my first reaction. In hindsight, why was I even surprised, this is from Isaki Uta after all. Frankly I never liked Mine-kun nor Is Love the Answer? despite them being good workds. They are kinda depressing and also focus too much on being educative trying a way in as much of it as possible. This one has a different approach. There is now explanation, it throws two synonym terms for aroace an and just lets the MC research on her own. While it doesn't neglect the feeling of desolation and alienation it's just one thing queer works usually neglect: It is extremely optimistic. Oh yeah, it's a trait. Good that I know about it. Life's going on anyway tho! Let's make the best out of it, and Anju is being fine as it is. That short focuses on a whole different thing: How precious media can be to help you in exactly that moment you may need it. And probably how it feels as the author of that piece of work, while being nervous if the content may be of any relevance to anyone. It's quintessencially about a connection between the reader and author though their work and the positive impact that can have despite all the downers and shitstorms that make come along it as well. And that's a pretty beautiful theme, especially over such an underexplored theme.
Solo Leveling: Ragnarok (Novel) Prologue-ch9, Ch133-204, ch374-ch375, ch205-287, ch9:
... I really did not mean to gap jump, only to unlock chapters, but then my eyes read too fast and I got stuck on that bit in chapter 133 and then I just read on and then suddenly there was news on it ending and I was curious how it ended so there is that ...
Anyhow, the beginning is pretty much the same as the webtoon until Beru shows up, with the exception, that Suho doesn't seem to be passively depressive with that sorta minority complex and a deal less impulsive. Overall it actually even seemed a bit less impressive. But once Beru showed up he is a bit more of a dork while also just ... vastly less obnoxious as well as a better teacher/mentor/guiding post? At least it has zero of the frowns I got from the Manwah, but admittedly the novel does not seem to have anything very dramatic going on. It feels a bit like a game of Tetris: Sure, you get close to the ceiling and there's some danger of being crushed, but the obstacles that come their way are just like those tetris blocks. They may come in a bit of a different shape and start getting faster or bigger at one time, but structurally there isn't too much of a difference. It's still engaging enough to soldier on with reading ... kind of just like how I never feel like wanting to stop within a session of tetris. Those bite sized chapters probably feed into that as well.
But having no any huge surprised there, also means there are no negative ones either. Instead the surprises are coming in more from the world building front or the humor.
Which is just pretty Pffft. Or this
Hah. I'm not the only one who thinks that hairdo is looking lame!
And then there is anything Antares, and somehow this is just funny, and unfortunately theres's too many (and I ran out of pictures per post anyway) instances of his own arrogance and vanity tripping himself up. Which is impressive given that you never really saw more than the destructive, dangerous, arrogant character in the original series.
Oh and the "An entire bakery had appeared in the middle of an apocalypse."-arc was also fairly hilarious.
It's really neat for the sequel to introduce new characters while also entangling them with old characters that in part had maybe 5 panels in the first series. And it's taking all the liberties it can that come with how little fleshed out they originally were, by simply weaving some new characterization or worldbuilding around it. Even the Eternal Slumber condition has gotten an explanation and how this ties over to explain that never really explained or featured but more than once fancily mentioned full dive VR, only to drag it to the forefront of the plot was pretty neat actually.
Taeshik's demise was admittedly a bit anticlimatic tho, but the whole antics he does as Kira are funny enough. Or like what Suho's bunch of shadows of former villains get up to when they compete with themselves.
The ending comes somewhat sudden, one chapter it's like onto the next grand challenge! And suddenly it's the last chapter. But then somehow I'm not surprised. The story was pretty stubborn about keeping OP Jinwoo out of the plot, or more like anything too OP, as most of the Outer God villains keep being just small fry underlings explained away with the distance and how those gods are utter cowards not wanting to create too powerful beings. So once Suho joined his father it would have required whole other narrative stage and style, which apparantely the author wasn't even going to try. Still that last chapter was pretty funny, the author might actually excel more that a Slice of Life-Comedy with some action sprinkled in.
Anyway, it's a really nice quick read to breeze through.
Eat Before you Go a.k.a. Eat & Go ch1-11:
This is like ripping off Solo Leveling (take the Manwha Jinwoo and add the anime Jinwoo's little ahoge), then throw in your usual fantasy world Isekai, but in reverse in it, add some Delicious in Dungeon on top and then settle into something like The Bartender, but with monster food. I am amazed at how brazenly it goes about the Solo Leveling design lookalike only to diverge soon enough anyway. Not that it is all that original tho. It added (pet mascot) baby raising and so-called golems, that really are just mechas in, also, there's a demon king, too (or was) among other things adventures/hunters. It definitely is the usual a easy premise one, that has the MC start off completely OP off the bat, but at least it has backstory lore to indicate he trained himself up there and with this being a foodie of the day SoL primarily there isn't too much cheap rule of cool.
What it definitely manages to do is to raise appetite, despite being about monster food you cannot recreate, even inside my 32°C hot room, and I guess with that it already succeds in it's main aspect ...
.... which is to say I actually got really hungry ...
The Top Dungeon Farmer ch1-51 (Season 1 end): I got this thrown over the fence because of obvious bun reasons.
... And they were quite convincing ...
My first jerk reaction however was just: Another tower one ahaa... Where did this trope even emmerge from? Danmachi? Or Tower of God? No idea. This was quickly followed by a: Ok, the MC is complete moron with too much luck. Which is to say I am ludicrously darn envious. I mean, multiple buns. They all like the guy to eat and play with him and there is this totally badass black bun and they are also help with gardening work, and bun papa's springler that never runs out of water is so much of a WANT WANT WANT WANT, and----
I mean, the plot starts off on nothing I'd want to revisit, but it's hard to put down. I mean buns. And gardening success, which to me, who has more of a black thumb than not is a bit of a ferver dream. Yes, this is some very specialized fanservice self-insert wish fullfillment and it is hitting hard despite the lack of substance. I have to give it to that series.
Not that it neglects that buns can glare their misgivings very much:
Or them being pretty smug.
Yes, I'd also be quite smug, if I had such a sprinkler!!
This series also went on to feature a somewhat obnoxious cat, but then also a most badass hamster lady. While I mourn that she overshadows badass black bun, and her job went to a hamster of all things, she is decidedly eyecandily badass no less.
The series otherwise also is a rare one to explain whyever a tower dungeon even exists rather than resting on the template laurels, which is a nice thing. (Now many that bother with coming up with their own worldbuilding.) And then ...
But of course the cheese could not be escaped. That gragon falling for the MC is a "not again ..." (that dofus of a moron does not deserve it), but that bun cheese is okay. Tho the season ends before it went anywhere.
She has some Nephy from An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride energy.
The Case Files of Jeweler Richard v15 比翼のマグル・ガル 第八回 skimming though: Well, I came across some posts where fandom went absolutely wild about the series main ship, and then I just had to do go and check it out with all the gap jumping it entailst. And …..
.... sheeeesh is it laying the cheese down thick.
"You don't have to say it three times!"
"Then give am a reply already!!"
Those two dork idiots remain silly to the very end, but the result isn't all that surprising given where the series has went. Admittedly it is a whole different place than I first hoped it to be, considering this was the first big thing showcasing some queerplatonic relationship, but at this stage it's tinkering and blurrying the borderline to romance a lot, that I'm not sure one could really can't it as a showcase title for it anymore, but then Kemutai Hanashi has occupied that place already anyway, so I guess having an example for "a complete confusing mess, but it doesn't really matter anyway!" instead is also a good thing to have out there.
How to use a Returner a.k.a. Regressor Instruction Manual v2-v7ch24, ch89-143, ch94-98: What a brilliant case once more of a title that starts absolutely atrocious for me only for me to find it pretty hilarious a whole lot later. This whole lot is basically the ending of Season 2 or print volume 7 or chapter 88ish. I mean, the beginning does start on a wrong foot quite badly, honestly: Random isekai summoning. Oh it's another system one with fantasy skills and gameplay, somehow it's a tutorial, which is to say a wild place with monsters and survival battle (and half a battle royal). Just the setting to turn out the worst of the worst of a character and the MC really is a bit of an ass, so he has plenty space to exhibit all his underhanded not so morally sound selfish schemes and when he basically groomed the female MC into a yandere by the end of print volume it got legit just creepy. Things weren't that much better once they got the continent at first, but eventually it settled in with that MC actually making himself useful, despite exlicitly not being entirely a cheat OP and also having a space of showing that he may be an ass, but he really isn't such a fan of living it out himself as much, at least unless you provoke him, which unfortunately does happen a lot in the beginnnig. But once the returner plot kicks in and the enemy being basically himself in a previous timeline and him realizing he may not be the most compassionate person, but has grown more than a few soft spots for his companions and more importantly taking responsibility for it, it started to get on its feet for me. Most importantly that last bit. He's even taking resposibility for his past self, which like really was the worst and unlucky and it pulled even so much worse sides out that the beginning even starts to pale against it, while also blending it with some tragic suffering anti-hero vibes. And then his present self is also suffering. A lot. In a different way tho, and it's self-made so much he even got bestowed a skill of attractecing questionably and dangerous women and there's also plenty of indication that despite the suffering he actually also enjoys it to some extend, so it's like not just suffering. When he's not terrified of being killed by his harem anyway.
In later stages it just becomes so much of a bluff and just wringing it all, intermixed with actually doing something for real and even pulling a leg on a goddess in order to get some cheat skill, it kind of feels like the energies of Gintama and Konosuba mixed in a pot twirled around and garnished with some bun cuteness (that yandere girl's SD form is a bun) and heavily spiced with a pink themed cute (but dangerous) yandere. Which almost makes all the OP skills he does get feel earned in the most dubious of ways ever. It probably also helps that literally any recurring cast is crazy in their own way, much like those two series and even the grooming a yandere bit kind of mellowed down once you learn that other other option would have been her hanging herself like her previous timeline self. Maybe the present is the least worst after all ...
And the stakes are also properly there. He mustn't let his cute returner find out he was his archenemy in a previous world and somehow just rock the boat one way or another as he stumbles into one crisis to the next because he needs to keep his card house of lies intact. But at least it's one spinned for the greater good of more than just for himself by then.
Oh and basically it trolls the cheese for the most part. That harem of the MC is a whole handful all on its own from yandere, soulmate, devoted yamato nadeshiku waifu, sorts of wife that brought a child in and forced a sort of marriage onto the MC, a fiece fire dragon femme fatale and a complete moron of an obnoxious villainess. There are hints that his cute returner has had a whole harem of folks fallen for him, but that guy now is just a complete airhead.
And you know, for all the harems with the girls.
This timeline of the whole exists, because the MC wasn't able to get over the death of a guy. Hard to argue the bromance energies at least and it's being pretty playful of the BL tropes, too. (There are plenty of other slang and media works tropes, like that yandere School Days cruise ship ...)
Some other impressions right when I was reading it:
MC goes about and basically collects a harem.
Who are so much of a handful that it's literally his skill to attract dangerous girls. But turns out the whole thing is actually one huge bromance and the overarching plotline is basically only happening because MC couldn't get over a guy - well, darn, my print vols just ran out when it started to get interesting (and the MC being less of an ass) and the wait until free chapters on tapas are just 1 per day .
Wrong ship, but anyway, now I know why all the trolling in series made me raise eyebrow over eyebrow, but I was still reading on
This is pretty Gintama-esque (and thankfully without the poop and dick jokes)
When you're like, those (free) webtoon chapters ran out and you start digging for spoilers and the wikia doesn't exactly hold a lot of information, but made sure to note which girl had managed to get herself banged by the MC yet or not.
(insert dubious looking face, much)
I will say tho, one of the more interesting (or: actually pretty rare) things about How to use a Returner is, that it doesn't have any clear OTP ship in there.
And the MC has put himself into a position where literally his life hangs in the line if he was to reject any of them at that.
I'm kinda 80% sure this is a Gintama reference, but not entirely sure
Meisterdetektiv Ron Kamonohashi V9-10, ch89-170: This series has a similar issue like Katekyo Hitoma Reborn from the same author, in which the last arc is vastly less interesting than the mid series showdown …
Also that middle part showdown has had some suit action that never came back :<
The last chapter also leaves an icky aftertaste, if you actually think it though: This is quite some sort of unhealthy dependency-trauma he's having there, which he's always kinda had, but it fit well with all the other stakes in the first part, but the way it just gets brushed off for jokes at the end is a bit errrr.
I guess, all the drama about his affliction got a bit anticlimatic, because healed to easily after that middle part showdown and other than that faux trick in the end (which also included some more asspulls than not that weren't so interesting), went completely nowhwere.
Seijo ni Uso wa Tsuujinai (Manga) ch1-11: I had planned to read this in English before, but things happened and now I am wholly reading it in Japanese. Anyhow, from the author of The Apothecary Diaries comes this one, with a girl not after poisons buuuut
That doitsu is something.
It cannot go without the cheese ...
But yes, that definitely is more like it.
There was even shortly material for the delusional yuri fan.
Whereever this one is going to go anyway.
The Novel's Extra ch1-36:
A new level of question mark.
I kind of read it simply because it was on the recommendation box on Tapas. Isekai, OP cheat skills, plus sucked into a novel, so you have everything regression without it being one exactly. Can't say I'm too exited about this, but it's also pretty solid, so nothing bad to be said either.
This following one however ....
After Rebirth, I Used Mirror Reversal For Vengeance ch1-9: One another Solo Leveling knockoff and a really brazen one at that with panels that look almost traced, but it threw in revenge and regression of the bat and really didn't waste a long time to add necromancy to the mix as well. And yeaaaah, that was where morbid curiosity has reached for.
Like really, isn't there any really good and knock off copycat clone out there to blow one's mind?
Philomel the Fake ch1-15-27: This is one that may not blow one's mind, but seems to be really rock solid and pretty to the eye.
What starts off with something that looks like a setup to some unloved girl turned villainess redemption regression plot, quickly turns out into a ... girl reads a book and some things from that book seems to play out in her reality. You basically get the premise of Tearmoon Empire, but it's no real regression and the MC has brain. The titular MC Philomel remains a proper small girl terrified for her life who, in best villainess Isekai reincarnation manner tries to rectify her fate, except it's not a borrowed one, but her actual one. The one thing it does really right is first and foremost:
She is still a little girl. Awkward, with her cute sights, in a way full of resignation about the people around her and on the hand bold and determined to go her own way. She works really hard on herself without any cheat skills and even her book about her possible future may give her hints, but ultimately didn't give her a golden way out, either. And despite all her hard work, she still is a princess a bit removed from the world so her attempt at an escape remains really brief and short. Some other bishonen guys pop up as well, but rather than making them into a harem for her, they turn our to be blood related family doting on her (in some unorthodoy ways) instead.
All the while there is also the whole mystery of where that book came from or the real princess seeming somehow strangely off (almost like as if she was a returner from a future she wants to repeat, but fails at.)
The artwork otherwise is really pretty and aside of showing a big wardrobe is really rich in different expressions. The coloring and shadings are even and consistently nice to look at. Most of all panels wouldn't be out of place as chapter covers or book covers. Will definitely read on, as as the adaption isn't even finished yet, probably also peek into the novel. Which Tapas conveniently also have in their catalogue.
Hildegart Reincarnate ch1-18: Regression-reincarnation plot, nothing really special there, but the MC is a female one who quite rocks.
Kill the Villainess ch1-21: Once a panel of this one caught my eye and I will give the series this: It has some really memorable and immediately recognizable character designs. But as for the art itself, it seems to focus a lot of all the fancy noble wardrobe, but other than that the art looks very .... quickly produced webtoon? Like the coloring kinda basic, not too much shading, the backgrounds look really simple, too, or downright 3D models not all that much obfuscated. The plot itself also seems a bit ... not that exiting and her stubborness to get herself killed to go back to Korea is a bit ... Why would that reverse the isekai? It does seem to protrait that she is maybe not in the best mental state, but it also comes along with a lot of she be cool and gorgeous in whatever adverse situation thrown in and then there is this very ??-romance bit. That knight of hers is ... weird? He doesn't even seem like a proper character more like a devoted doll playing a dog.
Level Up with the Gods ch1-39: Another system one, another regression one, another tower one. Generic and it doesn't even waste any time on anything explanation. The MC is extremely no-nonsense and quickly smashed through your usualy bully villains and tutorial things and like he's super OP. And acts the part of one with his betire being, so like absolute confidence in his abilities and potential that he knows he was able in the past, but also cautious observation and a deal of courage to plunge into new things to reach his goal. Despite the reader never having followed him on his growth to power and at beast is fed only titbits of flashbacks it doesn't even really feel like your usual narrative cheat OP, even as he literally goes to collect all the cheats and smash the hindrances on his way. Other than that it... actually doesn't have much to offer? Characterization is really basic and most names are only just barely memorable because it's using names out of Greek and Asian mythology. (Which gives it a bit of the charm a DanMachi has.) The art is solid tho, and it's pretty overt about what it has to offer. You like the dish or you don't.
Yet again, pretty much exactly the same as the end part of the previous month. Those Solo Leveling tracks sure hold out with some endurance. The only new additions were the last 4 tracks from the list, which came in towards the end of the month via some AMVs for the series, which somehow were so well put together I just got a few earworms from them.
