Sleeps In Sunbeams's manga / #Fantasy(156)

A cute story centred around Eru, a first year student at magic school with self confidence issues and the friends he makes.

An interesting idea for a story but it was heavily let down by the ending. Dorothy was meant to grow as a witch but she stayed greedy and bossy all the way through. There were moments of something softer to her personality and she did make friends but it really wasn’t achieved by being friendly. There were also hints of Dorothy being abandoned when young which explained why she was so materialistic but it was really just flashes that were never explored and therefore it was harder to find her a sympathetic character. The tag on this is romance but there was nothing really romantic. Hints about something forming between Dorothy and Toto, but no kisses (except for power exchange where one did last a bit longer) and no words of love exchanged. That’s not romance. If you read this for a story where a witch gathers servants who become willing followers and matures into her powers but stays with an immature personality then this will suit you. Just don’t expect much from the ending. It left pretty much every plot line open.

A pretty good story about Hitachi Hayato, an overworked salaryman with no life and Urashima, a gigolo for a dragon God under the ocean whose soul lies in a casket. There were some interesting plot points but it wasn’t one of my favourite stories.

It’s cute but really too short to really grab your attention. Four chapters but only 17 pages completed.

A wonderful story about a strong willed girl with red hair and jade green eyes and the possessive demon who claims her as his pet. The dynamic between Nora and Albrecht was really quite interesting. For all the ageless power of Albrecht’s ancient demon nature, Nora was so natural with him. No wonder he was so fascinated. It was a lovely story with an ending full of good surprises. Highly recommended.

Kanzaki Misuzu is whisked into a different world of magic and knights where she becomes the Black Healer, Daughter of Gaia (the God of the world) and sets about to find her way home. I enjoyed her journey, she was a brave adventuress who sought to use the talents she had to make her own way. The romance was sweet, though probably something I wanted more of and I liked the choices Reene made. My only issue was the ending seemed just a touch fast (the flow was a little off, perhaps from the new translator) and I wanted to see her life more in the demon world (the whole story was really spent in the human realm after all). A recommended read.

Someone from Tokyo is killing people with a gun in Edo. Aki is a doshin in Edo, investigating the mysterious deaths of people with only a small hole in their bodies. When he runs into a familiar face he has no idea that his whole world is about to be turned upside down. I liked the story, mostly because Aki was adorable and I liked the concept of Tokyo and Edo as this mangaka created them.

Story is finished. Considering that most isekai stories are long (some go on waaay too long) these 4 oneshots managed to pack a lot into a chapter. It helped to have the characters introduced in the beginning and I enjoyed the simplicity for a change over dragging on forever. Perfect for those times you want something that has a mix of romance and light smut to just pass the time.

There are more romantic, soft smut isekai style stories in this second multi author volume, one a continuation of one of the volume 1 stories “The Villainess Can’t Escape”. I really enjoyed the escapism and variety, with a trap and a yandere, magic users and royalty.

Nora was about to die saving a cat. She didn’t want to die but her impulsive rescue ended with her drowning… and then waking in another world. One where cats walked on two legs. And one where humans were treated as pets. Captured by a young master named Caesar, Nora was about to turn this world on its fuzzy ears and fall in love. I really liked the story. Nora was a great FL. She had faith in those she liked, was bold enough to declare her feelings openly, and was optimistic in her outlook. I liked the ending, it seemed pretty obvious that she found her way back.