We here at oprainfall don’t just love video games: we’re big fans of anime, manga, and light novels, too. So in celebration of the medium, we’re here to give you our thoughts on what we’ve been watching and reading each week as we enjoy them. Old, new – anything goes.
Currently Airing:
Things really have not let up since the introduction of Ai, not to mention the challenge issued at the end of last week. While Yayoi always seems to know what to do and she still kind of does, things are pretty dire. Her stuffed animal collection has been pretty interesting with the dynamic between her and the spirits. The “graduate” and how things proceed after seeing the god was a good twist. Seeing Yayoi and Keitaro trust each other was good to see, though as usual Keitaro still isn’t excited to continue with the search of spirits. Seeing where these newer even more dangerous spirits come in is pretty exciting. – Walter
— You can watch Dark Gathering on HiDive.
Manga and LNs:
Seirei Gensouki – Spirit Chronicles
Since last week, I’ve only read halfway through Volume 4 of Seirei Gensouki – Spirit Chronicles, as I find myself slowing down, mainly because of one big event that I partially saw coming, but am now hung up on as the story progresses.
As I’ve introduced previously, Spirit Chronicles follows the story of Haruto, who dies in the real world and has his soul merge with that of Rio, a young orphan. Rio lives in and navigates a medieval world of magic, nobility, politics, and power plays in all its forms, as well as one filled with small, everyday battles between good and evil.
In Volume 3, Rio travels to his parents’ homeland, wanting to learn more about who they were. It’s a good bit of character development and world building, as we get to see Rio’s discovery and acclimation to new, cherished knowledge, experiences, and acquaintances. Keeping with the theme of exploring one’s past, Volume 4 brings elements of Haruto’s past life, as in before his death and merger, into the forefront. In fact, some of these elements are literally dropped into Rio’s new life, and so he must handle this peculiar crossing of boundaries between Haruto’s past life and his new present.
Now as I mentioned, I had a strong inkling that these or events similar would sooner or later appear in the story. Indeed, there was enough history, background, and character shaping laid for this, or a similar situation, to eventually occur. My issue though, is at this point we have three volumes full of characters and their stories in this new world. Individual personalities, exclusive experiences and interactions, and many with solid backstories. And it feels like all of that has been put on hold for this new plot line. I understand, with a LN, there will be many different plot lines that may or may not converge, all to keep the series going. Yet, it just feels like the brakes were hit, hard, and I can assume that this plot line will be taking center stage for more than just this volume. I was excited for the “new life” aspects of the story, as they are what first caught my attention. So for past elements to take precedence at the expense of developing the new aspects, resulted in my doubts to rise and interest to drop. I’ll certainly finish the volume, but I’m having serious reservations regarding this series at the moment.
One last note, I’ll be reviewing Volume 1 for oprainfall, and will mostly likely review up to Volume 4, so do keep an eye out for those in the coming months. – Drew D.
Ume and Momo’s Everyday Life
Since last writing about Ume and Momo, three more chapters have appreciably become available via fan-translation. We get to see the two cute cat sisters go grocery shopping, watch a travel show, and we get our first chapter where Momo goes solo, working from a sweet potato stall. Always adorable and funny, Ume and Momo remains charming and relaxing.
One question does keep coming to my mind as I read, however. When the two are at home, they have step stools and such to help them interact with everyday items and fixtures. Outside, it’s less obvious, so I wonder how the two manage. Perhaps the author is purposely keeping things vague, letting our imaginations fill in the blanks.
Regardless, this is fast becoming a favorite of mine and I can easily recommend it to those looking for innocent humor and big dollops of cute!
Momo is dangerously good at sales, isn’t she… – Drew D.
No plans for an official translated publication of Ume and Momo yet. The fan-translations can be found on Mangadex.
The official English publication of Spirit Chronicles licensed by J-Novel Club.
What anime are you watching? What manga and light novels are you reading? Let us know in the comments!
You can read previous Week in Anime & Manga entries here!
