TNT: Only Sense Online Volume 05 by Aloha Zachou

This week for Translation Necessary Thursday I’m covering a series I haven’t covered in over a year! It’s Only Sense Online Volume 05 by Aloha Zachou!

Plot: The plot is much less action oriented in this volume sadly, and while that does fit this series well, it will turn away those who are looking for more action in a series that sometimes lacks it quite a bit. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the short action sequences were very lackluster and don’t really involve our heroine Yun. That said it’s definitely a more “fluffy” series like Kuma Kuma Kuma, but some may not enjoy it.

Characters: We don’t get any newcomers in this entry in the series, and it mostly reintroduces us to some people we didn’t see much of in the past volume. It was an okay entry, but short on character development.

Overall: An okay entry, but light on the action.

TNT: Only Sense Online Volume 04 by Aloha Zachou

This week for Translation Necessary Thursday I’m back with the fourth volume in Yun’s online adventures! It’s Only Sense Online Volume 04 by Aloha Zachou!

Plot Synopsis: After having some adventures in the community event and gaining a couple pets Yun took some time for relaxation and started to build up his crafting skills in order to give his shop Atelier more things to sell. He also took some time to enjoy time with his crafting friends Cloude, Lyly and Magi and helped them buy a guild hall for their crafting guild.

Plot: This entry is back to lots of action which is a welcome change from the relative calm of the third volume. That being said this volume reinforces the fact that OSO is a series less focused on action and more on character interactions, even more so than series like Sword Art Online. So for those action fans who wanted more of that, OSO will be a disappointment.

Characters: We get introduced to a new face this entry, but Emilio isn’t the most interesting character I’ve met. That being said looking back on this series as a whole it pales in comparison to some of the new things I’ve read since I last covered this series. Yun is still a very “my pace” sort of person, who does things in a very laid back sort of matter.

Overall: While staying true to it’s themes, OSO’s 4th Volume isn’t the best thing I’ve read. There are worse things though, so if you love the series Volume 04 will be awesome.

Manga Monday: 12 Beast by Okayado

This week for Manga Monday I’ve got another Quick Review! It’s 12 Beast by Okayado!

Plot Synopsis: Three things you should know about Touga Eita, second-year high school student and heir to the Touga-style ninjutsu dojo: First, he really, really loves video games. Second, when given a choice between heroics and saving his own skin, he will always choose the latter. Third, he’s never so much as kissed a girl. All this changes when a girl named Aero appears and calls on Eita to help save her people.

Plot: The plot isn’t super original, but it’s not bad either. I’ve read better, but there are also much worse plots I’ve read. I’ll probably end up reading the rest of the series eventually. It looks fairly interesting for a Shounen series.

Characters: This first chapter introduces us to Eita and Aero, and Eita’s grandfather who is quite funny. Eita himself is actually really smart, something that isn’t a common Shounen protagonist attribute. I actually enjoy Aero quite a bit as a lead character, and hope she proves to be Eita’s perfect foil.

Art: This is a series done by the same author as Monster Musume so it’s fairly good. The volume cover art above is actually not a good judge for the series, as the artwork in it seems to be much better than that.

Overall: For those who like Action series with a touch of Romance and/or Harems, you’ll love 12 Beast. Everyone else can probably skip this series.

For those who like: Action, Drama, Romance, Harems, Fantasy, Mechas, Great Leads.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Light Novel Thursday: High School DxD Volume 02 by Ichiei Ishibumi [Spoilers for Volume 01]

This week for Light Novel Thursday I’m back with a series that I thought I’d hate, but really liked after reading it. It’s High School DxD Volume 02 by Ichiei Ishibumi! Spoilers after the jump!