Strawberry Summer

Really nice romantic story. I actually only realized part-way that this was my second time reading it, but it was a nice novel to re-read anyway.

Kuma Kuma Bear S2

Another pretty good season of one of my favorite light novel series. They didn't quite get the awesomeness of the fight scene in the final episode, though.

Skip to Loafer

A fun slice of life anime with a really fun protagonist. All in all, a really enjoyable heartwarming story.

The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash Vol. 3

Another good volume. This is the first isekai novel (I know of) to give the past memories a small downside; what if a bunch of stuff was actually different from Earth? My favorite joke is 'eggs' actually being a kind of fruit.

Klonoa: Empire of Dreams

Main game finished. Like the original game, a nice casual platformer. I might enjoy this game more than the original Klonoa because it focuses more on puzzles.

Surviving in Another World as a Villainess Fox Girl! Vol. 1

Mixed feelings about this one. One the one hand, the novel has a pretty interesting concept; multiple reincarnated people is not completely original, but it's still pretty rare. On the other hand, nothing actually really happens in the novel. My prediction for the next volume is that Laura turns out to be reincarnated too.

Pikmin 4

Absolutely fantastic game. This is everything I like in a video game, and I'm definitely going to be trying the earlier games in the series.

Reborn to Master the Blade Volume 3

Still a pretty interesting novel. It's the last part that was adapted for the anime so I already knew what was going to happen, but the light novel goes more into the motivations of the characters.

Pikmin 3 Deluxe

Really great game, although not quite as good as Pikmin 4.

Reborn to Master the Blade Volume 4

This is the first post-anime novel and still a pretty interesting series. The first two-thirds of the book is about a play so it's really surprising when the plot suddenly takes off at the end.

Persona 5 Royal

The original game was already the pinnacle of classic turn-based RPG's, and Royal adds even more cool features on top of that. The only gripes I have with the game is that I'm not too fond of Mementos and I don't like the Velvet Room alarm system.

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear Volume 14

This volume was a lot lighter on story; a swimsuit episode, in fact. We do get to see exactly how weak Yuna is without her onesie.

Taking My Reincarnation One Step at a Time Vol. 1

Amazing first volume. The characters are interesting, the plot is nice, there are a bunch of funny moments, and everything is well-written. I can't wait to read more of this series.

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear Volume 15

This volume is back to having some pretty cool fight scenes and generally more of the stuff I like about this series. This was the end of an arc, though, so I'm curious what happens next.

Back to the Battlefield Volume 1

Pretty cool story. It's fun to have heroes come back from retirement and see how their age hasn't slowed them down. You also don't see many light novels with 'older' characters.

Taking My Reincarnation One Step at a Time Vol. 2

Another amazing volume. Even the unlikable character gets likable in this volume, and a new villain is introduced. The main plot point introduced in the first novel is already taken care of so I wonder what the next volume is going to be about.

Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil

What a fun chill platformer. Those final few stages were brutal though, so I didn't get all of the collectibles. The story is also wonderful and wholesome.

Secrets of the Silent Witch Vol. 4

Another very good volume with a lot of good character moments. It also feels like the story is building to some kind of climax.

Reincarnated as a Sword Vol. 11

Another amazing volume. There are less cute moments and instead we get a crazy ride with the plot heating up, and things getting really serious.

Kirby: Squeak Squad

Not my favorite Kirby game, since Forgotten Land and Amazing Mirror exist, but still a lot of fun to play. I feel like this one is a bit less creative than the other Kirby games though.

Reincarnated as a Sword Vol. 12

A fantastic follow-up to the last novel. Some old characters return and some even older characters are expanded upon. The story also seems to be building up to some kind of climax. Will we learn the truth about Teacher next volume?

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Super Mario Wonder is a really fun game. In terms of game design, it's interesting to see a game where every level has its own gimmick that basically isn't reused anywhere else in the game.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

Dawn of Sorrow is another fantastic IGA game. I like it better than Aria, but I still think Portrait of Ruin is the best Castlevania I've played so far.

The Dirty Way to Destroy the Goddess's Heroes, Vol. 6

Like the previous volume, this one has a lot of lore. Other than that, there are some scenes of the heroines acting all jealous. The ending might surprise you: of course it ends with a harem instead of the protagonist picking someone. Kind of a low note to end on.

I Surrendered My Sword for a New Life as a Mage Vol. 1

This one is a mixed bag. On the one hand, the story is somewhat interesting with good world-building and it's one of the first isekai novels where the origin world is not Earth. On the other hand, I think the protagonist is pretty boring.

Peddler in Another World Volume 3

This was an all-around fun volume. There were some fun moments where the protagonist one-ups the villain. There were some nice heartwarming scenes with Aina and her mother. And a lot of fun scenes with the introduction of Shiro's grandma. The volume also ends with a fun cliffhanger.

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox

Really cool game with a bunch of interesting mechanics and very satisfying combat. I liked all of the characters and the story is cool with a nice ending. Even though this is only my third Ys game, I still consider myself a fan of the series.

Peddler in Another World Volume 4

Really fun volume. At first I thought the part with just the sisters was pretty boring but it quickly picked up speed, culminating in a great arc with an actual villain and interesting things happening.

Peddler in Another World Volume 5

Another great volume. This writer seems to have really found his groove. The story basically has the same structure as last volume: a bunch of new characters are introduced in a humorous context and are then thrust into more serious situations.

Super Mario RPG

It was my first time playing it and I can really see why so many people like it. Most of the game was really great, although I didn't like any of the platforming sections because the isometric perspective doesn't mesh well with platforming. I love the quirky games that result when Nintendo lets other companies use their characters.

Taking My Reincarnation One Step at a Time Vol. 3

An interesting volume; at first it seemed like the novel would just introduce a new character and go with that, but then they suddenly used those new characters as an excuse to turn the novel into a travel story. I generally like travel stories because it allows for good world-building, so I'm looking forward to future volumes.

Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord Vol. 1

Pretty fun isekai novel. Instead of having a great superpower, the protagonist's powers are basically a bit of modern knowledge and being a nice person. The novel starts out with a bit of high society and then becomes a strategy and tower defense story.

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman Vol. 1

Pretty fun novel. It's one of those novels where the protagonist doesn't know his own power. It's pretty entertaining overall, although I do think the protagonist constantly proclaiming how old and weak he is gets grating at times.

The Brilliant Healer's New Life in the Shadows Volume 1

I have conflicting feelings about this one. On the one hand, it's a cool revenge story about a powerful protagonist building a new life. On the other hand, it's also a harem comedy, which is a genre I really don't like. The novel is good enough for the annoying parts to not matter that much, though.

The Retired Demon of the Maxed-Out Village Volume 2

Really good series so far. A likable new character or two are introduced, and more backstory is provided for some of the more interesting characters. There's also a lot of great action scenes.

Zero Time Dilemma

Despite hearing on Reddit that the game is bad, I enjoyed it a lot. The story is really interesting and I'm glad it wraps up all of the remaining plot holes from the first two games. All of the new characters are pretty likable to the point that even the mass murderer is sort of redeemed at the end. One tip for people who play the game: don't forget to read the epilogue files at the end.

Reborn to Master the Blade Volume 5

The ongoing adventures of Inglis in the ice world. The whole volume is about a single villain, like the other volumes, but a pretty interesting one that involves some pretty nice world building. The novel also ends on one heck of a cliffhanger.

Reborn to Master the Blade Volume 6

The first half of the novel is more world-building and a bunch of slice of life, with the occassional fight against a dragon. The second half, however, has the return of an old villain and it is a lot of fun. This volume also ends with a crazy cliff-hanger and the plot seems to pick up speed.

Reborn to Master the Blade Volume 7

In this volume, the war has begun. We finally get to see Rafael's artifact powers, and a new challenger is introduced along with his Hieral Menace. All in all, this volume has a lot of suspense and high-stakes action. The volume doesn't end with a cliff-hanger per se, but it's clear what the plot is leading up to.

World's End Club

Wonderful game. Gameplay-wise, it's okay. The gameplay is pretty simple and the controls were pretty finicky at times. However, the story was great. It's an incredible shounen "Power of Friendship" story, and it has a bunch of cool plot twists.

Reborn to Master the Blade Volume 8

The final volume of the current arc. This volume is mostly battle scenes, ending with a phenomenal climactic fight against the Prismer using several Hieral Menaces. Not much else to say about this volume, although the epilogue does tie up some loose ends.

My Magical Career at Court Volume 1

Pretty fun novel. It constantly reminded me of Silent Witch, but with a more confident heroine. That said, she's also one of those protagonists that doesn't know their own ability and constantly looks down on herself. The story is pretty cool and the characters are both fun and relatively believable.

Dahlia in Bloom Volume 6

It's been a while since I've read Dahlia, so I forgot how well this series is written. It reads more like a real romance novel than most light novels. The volume was also really amazing. It still has quite a few light-hearted moments but it also has an incredibly dramatic story this time, and there is some great resolution and character development. The extra stories also show more of what I think could be the series' final villain.

The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash Vol. 5

Pretty good chapter. It's mostly a slice of life volume, although it seems to be setting up a lot of threads for the next volume. A lot of cute moments between Ivy and Druid. Also, this volume features a lot of great big snake.

Dahlia in Bloom Volume 7

This volume was, as always, really well-written. This entire series reads more like proper novels than most light novels. Another recurring theme is that not that much actually happens. The volume has a lot of politics and interpersonal drama happening, but can mostly be boiled down to 'Dahlia invents kotatsu'.

My Magical Career at Court Volume 2

This was a difficult volume to get through at times. While the action pieces and slice of life scenes are generally pretty fun, I think it's really annoying that Noelle still keeps insisting that she's a worthless mage pretty regularly. And it's even jarring at times when she first acts confident and immediately flips to lacking confidence, as if the writer doesn't know what they want to do. The plot itself is still pretty fun, though.

Canine Detective Chris, Vol. 1

A cute detective novel involving a dog and a couple of elementary kids. The plot starts off really cute, and then gradually introduces more elements of the mystery before finishing with some very tense scenes. It's a pretty short novel, so I definitely recommend this novel to everyone.

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear Volume 16

This is a cooldown volume, so not much action in this chapter. On the other hand, we do finally get to see the Dwarven village and learn more about the Bearyllium.

RVing My Way into Exile with My Beloved Cat Vol. 1

It's another one of those villainess isekai novels. This one is a cute travel story that feels like the isekai novel equivalent of Yuru Camp. It can also be considered a cooking novel, because the heroine always goes in-depth about the meals she makes. There are some action-y scenes but for the most part it's just a fun slice of life novel.

Reincarnated as a Sword Vol. 13

Another great volume from my favorite series. Although this volume still has some great battle scenes, most of it is world building. In particular, we finally get to learn Teacher's backstory and how he got reincarnated as a sword. We also meet the other spirits in the sword, which is pretty cool.

Reincarnated as a Sword Vol. 14

Time travel, in my isekai novel?! So far, it's just been hinted at, but it seems very interesting so far. Our heroes mainly spend time leaving the Granzell and exploring a new country. There are cute moments like Fran fishing or going to school for the first time, but also thrilling battles against powerful enemies. Also, Romeo is back, which causes several interesting plot threads.

The Unimplemented Overlords Have Joined the Party!, Vol. 1

This was not the kind of novel that I expected. On the one hand, it does have a protagonist that suddenly gets incredibly powerful henchmen and just kind of does whatever he wants. However, this is only one-third of the story. The novel actually has two more protagonists: a young and mostly powerless girl who has to struggle to survive, and a charismatic Kirito-type who suddenly gets thrust into leading most of the players trapped in the game. The novel has quite a few tense moments and I definitely liked it.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe

Really great Kirby game. I didn't really like the parts with motion controls, but other than that it was a delight to play like all the other Kirby games. The game is mostly pretty easy, except for the extra stages and the brutal final world.

Infinite Dendrogram: Volume 1

Pretty amazing first volume. It does a pretty good job with the game stuff and it feels like, the technological hurdles aside, an MMO that could really exist. The fights are exciting and the characters are likable for the most part. The world building is pretty interesting, and some big plot points are set up from the start.

Infinite Dendrogram: Volume 2

A great second volume. We learn a bit about Ray's backstory and more about the nature of the game. We also get to learn more about the machine nation, as a mech pilot temporarily joins the party. The action scenes in the novel are well-written and even though it's all 'just a game', it almost feels more like an isekai novel.

Kirby: Planet Robobot

This is one of my favorite Kirby games, as of now. At first, I felt like I was just playing Triple Deluxe again but the game gradually got more and more interesting. This game luckily has a lot less gyro sections, and instead brings back the amazing Kirby shmup sections. The robot suit itself is great and there are so many interesting things they do with it. All in all, an amazing game that any Kirby fan should play.

Making Jam in the Woods Volume 1

Not a great novel. Not much actually happens in terms of plot, and there are a lot of sudden viewpoint changes without mentioning which character it changes to. The plot is basically one of those healing stories, where the heroine makes everyone around her happier, except this heroine is mute so her personality doesn't really shine through. Also counts as a cooking novel, because there are in fact several extended descriptions on how to make jam.

TUNIC

Absolutely amazing game. I already love Zelda-type games, and I also love reading through manuals for old games. The lore of the game is really good, and the gameplay is a lot of fun. Also, cute foxes and other animals!

Expedition Cooking with the Enoch Royal Knights, Vol. 3

Fun volume. About the same as the previous volumes; a lot of fun adventures with a likable cast of characters. The fox girl of last volume is added as a permanent member of the cast, although she doesn't really do much in this volume. Mell is also acting like a total idiot protagonist and not noticing Zara's feelings for her.

LocoRoco

Amazing game. This is one of the few games I would call just perfect. It's relaxing to play (except for the final level which is hell) and it oozes with charm in every way. The music is some of the best in any game I've ever played and I find myself still humming it from time to time. The gameplay is pretty simple but the game still has enough depth by hiding secrets everywhere so completionists beware.

Princess Peach: Showtime!

Alright game. The different stage types were a mixed bag: I wish some of them were an entire game, and for others I didn't have a great time. The game felt pretty unfocused because the gameplay kept being so different from stage to stage, and I didn't really feel like replaying the levels because there are a lot of (short) unskippable cutscenes. Not a game I would replay but nice for a single playthrough.

OneShot (World Machine Edition)

Nice little adventure game. Nico is super cute, and all of the other characters are likable too. Gameplay-wise, it's pretty simple and it's mostly going from place to place and picking up all the items. The Solstice ending was also a really nice addition, and I can't imagine the game without the proper ending.

Expedition Cooking with the Enoch Royal Knights, Vol. 4

Another pretty fun volume. Mostly a bunch of unrelated adventures, and general character development for every member of the squad. However, let's talk about the summary; not only does the event in the summary only happen two thirds into the novel but it happens completely differently from how it's described. Still a fun, cute novel though.

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger

Finished story mode and got every arcade ending. Really cool fighting game with a bunch of characters that all play very differently. The story is a bit of a mess, but the setting is very interesting. In terms of gameplay, this is probably my favorite 2D fighting game series as of now.

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear Volume 17

Another pretty chill volume. Yuna does participate in the Dwarven trials and, as the cover shows, has a fight with Shadow Yuna. Other than that, a bunch of traveling and social events.

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear Volume 18

A new adventure has finally begun. Yuna has made it to the Land of Wa and immediately meets a fun new character, and gets involved into a huge new problem again. No surprise that Yuna meets another little kid and can't stop herself from saving them. The volume has a bunch of cool fight scenes, and there are some great scenes with the bears.

The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects: Volume 1

While this novel started very slowly (and I almost stopped reading it halfway through chapter 2 or something), I'm happy I stuck with it because the novel got more interesting later on. This volume is mostly a romance and slice of life comedy, but the characters are pretty fun and interesting. Not that much intersting really happens in this volume, and it's mostly setup for later volumes.

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman Vol. 2

Another great novel. This is an interesting series because it's a departure from the pretty boy harem hero, and instead the hero is an older man with common sense. Beryl shows his skills in pretty ordinary ways, which makes him seem all the more amazing. This isn't a guy with super cheat powers but just a guy who is an amazing swordsman. Anyway, another fun character is introduced and Beryl gets involved in a whole political scandal which is pretty cool. The fight scenes are also pretty amazing. Also, the petite swordfighter girl gets a giant greatsword, which is a fantasy trope I really like.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift

Fantastic game. It takes the original FFTA (which is also one of my favorites), fixes some of its problems and adds some new cool features on top. The story is also pretty interesting, although like the first game it's a bit 'childish'. They also brought in some of the new races from the other Ivalice games and it adds some more variety to your party.

The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash Vol. 6

Very cool chapter. A bunch of the plot threads set up last volume are resolved with pretty well, and an interesting new slime is added to the party. There are also some cool action scenes, and Druid honestly acts like a badass. This volume also features a lot of great big snakes.

The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases: Volume 1

As I hoped, it's better than the anime version. However, it's still a pretty cliché superhero isekai novel. I would say it's outright bad, but it is pretty predictable and there wasn't anything really interesting. The thing that annoyed me most was that the protagonist constantly grinned and smirked all the time.

Taking My Reincarnation One Step at a Time Volume 4

Another great volume, and a bit of an emotional whiplash. We learn about Nellie's past, and meet her family. Sara and Allen also make good headway in growing as people, and Sara finally finds what she wants to do with her reincarnation. Also, some fun new characters are introduced.

Taking My Reincarnation One Step at a Time Volume 5

What an amazing volume, with so much happening. The migrating dragon season has come again, and this time Sara joins basically every single major character in the capital. Sara is a proper apothecary now, and Allen becomes Sara's personal guard. There is a really cool fight in this volume, where the limits of Sara's barrier are tested. All in all, the best volume since the first two.

A Livid Lady's Guide to Getting Even Volume 1

You know those novels where a noble lady is banished by the prince, goes to another country and then turns out to be a wonderful person who makes everything around her better? This is not that kind of novel: this one has a genuine villainess protagonist who screws over the people in her way and doesn't really shy away from harming innocent people. The middle of the novel is pretty generic but then the ending hits like a truck and leaves me wondering about what else will happen.

Riku Can't Be a Goddess

This novel came out of nowhere and was absolutely fantastic. It reminded me of Marimite (one of my favorite light novel series) but with more focus on LGBTQ+ matters. This is, as far as I know, one the only light novels to actually treat those kinds of issues seriously and I highly recommend it.

RVing My Way into Exile with My Beloved Cat Vol. 2

Still a slice of life cooking light novel. At certain points it seems like there will be some action scenes, but all of the tension immediately drops off after a scene. For example, they go through an entire dungeon but every time they come across a monster they just hit-and-run it. All in all, just a cute zero-tension slice of life novel.

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman Vol. 3

Another great volume with great fight scenes. We meet another pupil, and the conflict set up in the previous novel is expanded in scope. Beryl has to make some tough decisions in this novel, and the novel gets pretty interesting.

The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash Vol. 7

Another fun volume. It's finally time for the festival, but that's the least of what actually happens in this volume. The big plot in this volume is that Ivy starts getting involved with monsters leaving their tamers because of mistreatment. The other really import plot is the further development of Ivy and Druid's relationship. Finally, we get to see more of Ivy's sister, and learn what happened to her family after Ivy left.

Dahlia in Bloom Volume 8

Another great volume with two plot threads. One is the ever-present Dahlia inventing something extremely handy and everyone scrambles to prepare the manufacturing. The other plot is a very emotional arc that revolves around Marcella and his noble family. At the end, we also finally start seeing a resolution to the main romantic pairing (Dahlia and Volf). Small side-note for people who care, but this volume has a single paragraph of extremely pro-LGBT messaging.

Metroid Fusion

Great Metroid game. It's more linear than the other Metroid games, but I don't really mind because the gameplay is a lot of fun. The story is pretty simple, but still interesting. So far, this is my third favorite Metroid game after Zero Mission and Samus Returns.

Lucia and the Loom Volume 1

The first spin-off of Dahlia, and a pretty good first volume. Instead of the original series, which revolves around Dahlia and her toolmaking as well as her relationship with Volf, this series is a collection of "cases" where Lucia creates clothing for people and mostly changes their life for the better. It's a fun and pretty emotional volume, and I really liked it.

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear Volume 19

Really amazing volume. The Orochi is one of the first monsters that actually gives Yuna trouble (for a bit). We also get to see great action scenes with other characters, as well a nice side-story involving the fox girl.

Taking My Reincarnation One Step at a Time Vol. 6

Amazing volume. As far as I can tell this is the final volume, and it's a really great one to round of the series. Every character we've been introduced to appears, and we get to see their growth compared to the earlier volumes. The main plot of the volume is a giant monster that takes every other character to deal with, and we see the limits of the Invited tested as they deal with a monster that's impervious to their powers.

I Guess This Dragon Who Lost Her Egg to Disaster Is My Mom Now Volume 1

First of all, this is a gender swap story, so it has that going for it. That aside, this was a really enthralling novel. It starts out pretty simple, hitting every cliche for a reincarnation story and some really cute moments between the MC and dragon mom. However, it starts picking up steam and the story gets really interesting and emotional.

Dahlia in Bloom (Anime)

I don't generally review Anime and I don't think light novels are automatically better than their anime version, but this one in particular is different. The anime feels incredibly rushed compared to the novels, and anyone who likes the anime at all owes it to themselves to try the novels. The novels have so much more interpersonal relationship fluff and go in-depth about all of the crafting.

Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament

Still a great puzzle platformer series. Better than the first GBA game in basically every way, and still pretty casual although some of the puzzles in the final world had me stumped for a bit. Also a pretty good story, and fun characters both old and new.

Monster Hunter Stories

Playing this game after the sequel was an interesting experience. The game is a lot of fun, with a great battle system and very fun shounen-style story. I love the Monster Hunter games and this one lets you craft all of the wonderfully designed weapons and armor, as well as form a party with all of your favorite (gen 4 and earlier) monsters of the series. On the other hand, I spent the entire time while playing this game thinking about all of the great additions of the sequel. The sequel is one of my favorite games of all time, and it sort of ruined my experience of this game.

Reincarnated as a Sword Vol. 15

This was an exceptional novel, even for a great series like this. The entire novel revolves around the time travel this time, but we also have several big fights with the guy I thought was going to be the series antagonist. The last few chapters of the novel are also very emotional and had me in tears by the end. I'm very curious where the story goes from here.