TNT: Arifureta Volume 04 by Shirakome Ryo

This week for Translation Necessary Thursday I’m back to Hajime’s journey to get back home. It’s Arifureta Volume 04 by Shirakome Ryo!

Plot Synopsis: Having killed his classmate, Shimizu Yukitoshi, for trying to kill their teacher Aiko and destroy an entire town at the same time, Hajime left with Yue, Shea, and their newest member Tio for the next Great Labyrinth. At the same time Kaori and Shizuku along with Amanogawa Kouki and his party have been steadily conquering the Great Orcus Labyrinth in the hopes of finding Hajime who they still think is dead. What awaits both their teams are things no one could have seen coming…

Plot: This is probably one of my favorite volumes in the entire series, the reason why is incredibly spoilerific, but I will say it also includes character growth.

Characters: We get introduced to a couple new faces in this entry, but mostly we see old familiar faces from the previous volumes. Tio is still a shameless pervert though…. However of the newcomers my favorite is definitely Myuu, if only for what she brings to the story and the cast’s character growth.

Overall: An excellent addition to the series, this is where the story really starts to take off.

TNT: Upcoming Anime Adaptations of Light Novels

This week for Translation Necessary Thursday I’m back with a quick look the towards future. It’s all about Upcoming Anime Adaptations of Light Novels!

Arifureta: Color me really surprised, but yeah Arifureta is getting an Anime. Hopefully it isn’t absolute crap, but the storyline is actually pretty amazing, and I’ve read the entire web novel and a bit of the after story. Whether the adaptation is any good will remain to be seen.

Shield Hero: Again I’m really surprised this is getting an Anime, considering the absolutely horrid things that occur to Naofumi in the first few chapters.

Sword Art Online Alicization Arc: Not surprised at all that this is getting an Anime, with how huge a hit the first two seasons were. I’ll admit I’m partial to the GGO arc of SAO, but the rest is a bit too lighthearted overall for me. Alicization though shouldn’t be that lighthearted and I fully expect it to take the entire two cour’s worth of episodes to animate the entire thing, if not possibly 3 cour.

Toaru Index Season 3: Once more a suprise announcement, it’ll happen sometime in the future. Eventually.

Shout outs go to both Overlord and Death March for their adaptations happening in the Winter 2018 season. Hopefully Death March’s won’t be absolutely terrible.

Wish List Adaptations I’d love to see happen in the second half of 2018, but incredibly likely that they won’t happen:

Fate/Strange Fake and Fate/Prototype Fragments: Both are really interesting series that haven’t really been translated yet, so I’d love them to get some love from my favorite studio ufotable. Of course I’d also like a Fate/Extra Caster Route with Hakunon by ufotable as well. Hell get everything Nasuverse related done by ufotable in the future TYPE-MOON! Seriously though, a match made in heaven.

That’s it for the first Translation Necessary Thursday of 2018, come back next week for a more regular sort of post.

TNT: Sevens Volume 04 by Mishima Yomu

This week for Translation Necessary Thursday I’m back with the fourth entry in Lyle’s Adventures! It’s Sevens Volume 04 by Mishima Yomu!

Plot Synopsis: Having undergone a second post Growth episode and become mr. lyle once more, Lyle Walt is now conquering the Arumsaas Labryinth without the use of his skills in order to become a better adventurer. What awaits him, other than his newly automaton companion awakened by a kiss….

Plot: This entry is pretty good, and really is upbeat compared to the last couple entries. That said it does have it’s lower moments, but for the most part it’s a fun ride. I won’t say much more about, because that’d go into spoilers.

Characters: We don’t get many new faces, but I’ll say I like Porter and Poyopoyo the most. You’ll understand once you read the volume.

Overall: A solid fourth entry, more upbeat than the past two entries.

TNT: Praise the Orc Chapters 1-40 by Lee Jungmin

This week for Translation Necessary Thursday I’m covering the first set of chapters in a recently fully translated series. It’s Praise the Orc Chapters 1-40 by Lee Jungmin!

Plot Synopsis: Praise the Orc! is about Jung Ian, a cafe owner with a dark past, jumping into the world of virtual reality in order to protect his sister from any predators. However, things may not be as simple as they seem, as the world and its inhabitants proved to be much deeper than he believed them to be. Witness as he explores the lands of Elder Lord as an orc, a species labeled as the “game creator’s mistake”.

Plot: The plot is pretty good, although it’s very light on the LitRPG aspect. There is almost no explanation of skills and stats, which I find to be a bummer as that’s part of the charm of the LitRPG genre. However it does have tons of character development, so that isn’t terrible at all. There is almost no romance in these first few chapters, although there is some hints at a possible romantic sub-plot.

Characters: Ian is a pretty awesome main character, although I find that the lack of interaction with his sister Yiyu more than a bit disappointing. Especially when you compare the series to something like Legendary Moonlight Sculptor where Weed is constantly grubbing for money in order to pay for his sister’s education. Even worse is the fact that he starts playing Elder Lord to protect his sister from lechers.

Overall: A decent LitRPG, but lacking in some critical areas. You could do worse, but there are better series out there like LMS or Ark.

For those who like: LitRPGs, Korean Novels, Action, Adventure, Decent Plot, Great Lead Character.

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

TNT: Everyone Else is a Returnee Book 02 by Toika

Hey all I’m back with the second entry in one of my favorite Korean series for this week’s Translation Necessary Thursday. It’s Everyone Else is a Returnee Book 02 by Toika!

Plot Synopsis:  Left out during the elementary school picnic. Left out during the middle school camp. Left out during the high school trip. I finally became a college student, and what? I’m left out from all of humanity? Yu IlHan watches over the earth alone while everybody’s away in other worlds…

Plot: The plot of this second book picks right back up with the battle of the Shadow Panther cub and Yu IlHan and Kang MiRae. The rest of the book is just as good and action packed. It’s also just as hilarious as the first book with just as many references.

Characters: We get introduced to a couple new characters, my favorite being Na YuNa. That being said Yu IlHan is still my favorite, because he’s a monster.

Overall: An excellent second entry. If you aren’t reading this series already you really ought to be.