Spoiler Alert!

…so sleepy…

“Hey, wanna do some level grinding on this game after school?”

“Rats! I forgot my pencil case.”

“I know this great parfait store down the street!”

Looks like it’s going to be another boring day…

…

Hmm?

You must dozed off a bit.

It looks like Oka-chan is reciting something…

“Alright, everyone! That quote from Essays in Idleness (徒然草, Tsurezuregusa) is about transience. This’ll be on your upcoming test on literary classics, so please keep a note of this!”

*yawn*

Yep, boring as usual…

Hmm?

Is it just you or is the ceiling above you splitting in half?!

Suddenly, you feel overwhelming agony all over your body!

It feels like your head is splitting in half and your body is being torn apart!

And it looks like you’re not the only one…

Your classmates’ faces are all wrenched in agony and they seem to be fading before your very eyes.

Mercifully, you faint before oblivion overcomes you…

…

…

Ugh…uhh…

Well, at least the pain has stopped…

Hmm?

Your eyes are open, but you see only darkness.

You can’t move either!

You can hear a slight rustling…

Ow!

What is this? Are you inside a sack or something?!

Did someone kidnap you?

Moving around a bit, you make a crack that lets in some light.

A crack? Seriously, where are you?!

Gotta keep pushing…

WHOOOOAAAAHHHH???

YUCK!!! A spider swarm?!?

And they’re as big as people!!

What’s going…

?!

Could it be…?

NONONONONONONONONOOOO!!! Howdidthishappen?!

Alright, take a deep breath…

It looks like some of them are eating something.

Come to think of it, you’re starting to feel hungry yourself…

You should have a look…

THEY’RE CANNIBALS!!!

You’ve gotta get out of here!

YIKES!

Is that your…mother? Why is she so huge?!?

You scuttle quickly across the floor, over your new siblings and manage to reach a niche in the cavern wall.

Your “mother” tries to reach for you, so you retreat further inside.

…

Sometime later, you stop to take a breath.

Did you die?

Were you reborn as a spider?

Is your body still alive back in Japan?

• 

• 

No use dwelling on this. The first thing you have to do is survive…whatever this horrid place is.

• 

• 

So I’m a Spider, So What? (蜘蛛ですが、なにか?, Kumo desu ga, Nani ka?) is a light novel series, manga and anime written by Okina Baba (馬場 翁, Baba Okina).

In Japan, twenty-five high school students and their homeroom teacher are suddenly and painfully killed when a mysterious energy appears in their classroom and tears them apart. Their souls somehow travel across dimensions and are reborn on another world where humans and demons fight a centuries-long war for dominance.

One such unfortunate is an unnamed girl whose first experience in her new life is emerging from an egg as a monstrous spider and watching the other spider hatchlings fight and eat each other. After narrowly escaping her “mother”, a gigantic queen spider, she accidentally discovers the world’s System which grants her Skills, Titles and Evolutions based on the monsters she kills, much like how a character evolves in an RPG video game. The spider also eventually learns that she is now in the Great Elroe Labyrinth, a labyrinthine series of underground caverns where monsters of all stripes fight for dominance and survival.

Fighting fear, hunger and loneliness, the former schoolgirl gradually overcomes a hierarchy of progressively powerful monsters including giant frogs, basilisks, giant wasps, giant monkeys, fire drakes and even dragons. She occasionally encounters humans in the Labyrinth’s upper levels, but is unable to speak to them. The spider evolves through a sequence of stronger forms and eventually becomes an Arachne, a spider monster with the upper torso of a beautiful female human. With this, she begins to communicate with humans for the first time in years. Through her evolving Taboo Skill, she also learns that the world is somehow on the verge of collapse…

Meanwhile, the other students, and their teacher, live their new lives. Most were reborn as humans while others were also reborn as various fantastical creatures. Like the spider, they all retain full memories of their previous lives. Elsewhere, a mysterious entity watches over the lives of the former Japanese youths with amusement and anticipation…

Main Characters

“I” (私, Watashi), a nameless spider monster and former Japanese high school student nicknamed Kumoko by the story’s fans and eventually named in-story as Shiro (白, Shiro) for her pale appearance. A friendless loner who barely knows her own parents, Shiro is a carefree, ditzy and optimistic otaku. Originally reincarnated as a small monstrous spider known as a Small Lesser Taratect, she grew in power as she defeated monsters in the Great Elroe Labyrinth over time and eventually gained the final form of an Arachne. Determined to survive and retaining her human ingenuity, Shiro usually fights by making calculated decisions and using cunning tactics to overcome more powerful foes, making canny use of her growing array of monster abilities. As a result, she can get overconfident at times.

A powerful monster, Shiro has a plethora of Skills including HP (Hit Points) Ultra-Fast Recovery, SP (Stamina Points) Rapid Recovery, Deadly Poison Attack, Enhanced Paralysis Attack, Poison Synthesis, Medicine Synthesis, Thread Genius (greater control over her own spider silk threads), Parallel Thinking (ability to divide her mental focus as though she were several different people) and various types of Resistance. She later gains access to Magic Skills such as Heretic Magic, Shadow Magic, Poison Magic, Spatial Magic (teleportation) and several types of Evil Eyes. As an Arachne, she carries a scythe with a blade made from one of her own front limbs. This weapon is also imbued with a piece of Shiro’s own soul and can even cut through protections against magic.

Schlain “Shun” Zagan Analeit, the renowned fourth prince of the Kingdom of Analeit and the reincarnation of Shunsuke Yamada (山田 俊輔, Yamada Shunsuke), one of Shiro’s former classmates. Courageous, hard-working, honest and kind, Shun is the personification of a classic isekai hero. Although he means well, he tends to take his ideals too far, such as charging head-long into battle without a plan or sparing the lives of villains for the sake of holding the higher moral ground.

Filimøs Harrifenas, the young daughter of the Elf Village leader and the reincarnation of Kanami Okazaki (岡崎 香奈美, Okazaki Kanami), the former homeroom teacher of Shiro’s class. Eccentric, pragmatic and responsible, Oka-chan (as she was known to her students) tried to be more like a friend to her students by adopting a quirky persona in class and understanding their interests. Reborn with the Student List Skill which gives basic information about her students’ current lives, Filimøs is now determined to find as many of her former students as possible and has already brought many of them to the Elf Village.

“D”, a mysterious, powerful deity and one of the world’s Administrators. Whimsical, playful and somewhat sadistic, she desires only amusement, regardless of whether or not anyone suffers. While “D” claims to be the evil goddess of the netherworld, her drive to be such is murky at best. After watching Shiro fight and survive for several years, the deity reveals herself to the spider and confesses that she had posed as one of Shiro’s classmates, Wakaba Hiiro (若葉 姫色, Hiiro Wakaba), on a lark. Apparently, a Hero and a Demon King had sacrificed themselves to cast a powerful spell that traversed dimensions with the goal of eliminating “D”! When the entire class died, “D” collected their souls for reincarnation on the world from which the magic that killed them originated. Ever keeping her motives hidden, “D” likely knows better than anyone else about the ills plaguing the world.

Personal Thoughts

This story begins with the protagonist’s struggle to survive in a very hostile environment where one misstep could cost her new life. It’s a combination of the basic “survival of the fittest” philosophy and the level-building of a character in an RPG through continuous monster fighting. Shiro’s combination of her abilities as a spider and human ingenuity allowed her to gradually build her power with the help of the world’s System. By keeping her weaknesses in mind, using appropriate Skills and utilizing various traps and tactics, she grew into an experienced, decisive fighter. Eventually, Shiro gained enough power to fight the Labyrinth’s most powerful monster such as the Earth Dragon Araba and her “mother”, the Queen Taratect.

After reaching the surface, Shiro eventually makes contact with her former classmates and learns that the world they are on is on the verge of collapse. The problem is largely because a goddess is absolutely determined to save as many lives as possible, despite the fact that doing so is slowly destroying her and the world! The reason why the demons have fought the humans for a long time was because they wanted to save the world regardless of the goddess’ desires. Having fought tooth and nail for her own survival, Shiro feels that idealism and morality have become obstacles for what’s really important – saving the world. Unfortunately, this belief makes her look like an evil villain in the eyes of the world’s more upstanding people, including her former classmate Shun.

While Shiro doesn’t enjoy fighting for her life, the only alternative for her would be death. In a dungeon where the strong eat the weak, the only choices for her were literally life or death. Meanwhile, Shun lives a life of luxury and freedom as a prince. While he usually means well, he is also innocently insensitive of those who had to fight tooth and nail for survival, including some of his former classmates. Shun also naively believes that his ideals should take precedence over everything, regardless of what the circumstances of others are and the costs involved.

We’d all love to live lives where no one gets hurt, but life often doesn’t give us that luxury.

Moral

Life often gives us a cruel, simple choice: survive or die.

Spoiler Alert!

“I’m sick of it, you hear me? SICK! Every day, it’s study, study, study!”

“…”

“If you’re embarrassed, then get a better daughter!”

You press “End Call” and put your smartphone in your pack.

Hmph!

Why does Mom always compare you to her neighbor’s daughter?

She probably hates you now…

*Sigh*

It seems running away from home was the best choice.

It’s been a long time since you’ve seen the sun set, since tutoring always ended after 11 pm.

*Yawn*

Maybe you should get some sleep. The bus should reach its destination by the time you wake up.

…

*CRASH!*

AHH!

What was that?!

It’s pitch black outside…is this a tunnel?

“Everyone out of the bus! NOW!”

Was there an accident?

You get out of the bus with the other passengers.

The acrid smell of burning rubber and motor oil assails your nose.

There’s black smoke everywhere.

You overhear someone gasp, “What happened?”

“An oil tanker up ahead got overturned!”

A man bumps into you and runs past.

“FIRE!!”

The oily smell is getting stronger.

You run towards what you think is the direction of the tunnel exit behind the bus.

*cough* *cough*

With each step you take, it gets harder to breathe.

*cough* *cough*

You slip on the floor.

It’s covered with black oil.

Must get…up…

*cough* *cough* *cough*

How long has it been? It’s getting darker…

Where is everybody?

Huh?

Did you kick something?

Looking down, you make out the vague shape of a person sprawled on the floor.

Is this how your life will end?!?

No…no…noo…

*cough* *cough*

Only one thing…to do…

Fighting back tears, you press the quick-call for “Mom”.

Hurry! Want to…hear you *cough*…one last…time…

“Hello? Hello? Jen, what’s going on?”

“Mom…save me *cough*…please…I don’t want to *cough*…die…”

“Jen?”

“I’m sorry I got *cough* angry. Mom, I’m sorry…I…screamed…”

“Jenny? Jenny!”

So slee…py…

*cough*

Sleepy…thir…sty…

“Jenny! Where are you?!”

Mom…Dad…

…

…

You open your eyes…

So weak…

“What’s wrong, Jeanie?”

Who…is she?

Where are you?

Are you…alive again?

Are you the daughter of a noble family?!?

That means…you’ll live a long life without working hard!

• 

• 

The Golden-Haired Elementalist (금발의 정령사, Geumbal-ui Jeonglyeongsa) is a web novel, light novel series and web comic written by Writing & Coating (글비 & 도막, Geulbi & Domag)

Fed up with long days of seemingly endless studying and after-school tutoring, a Korean high school girl runs away from her family by taking a bus out of her hometown. The bus ends up in an accident at a smoke-filled tunnel due to an overturned oil tanker truck. After calling her mother one last time on her smartphone, the girl passes out and dies from smoke inhalation. She is eventually reborn on another world as Jeanie Crowell, the youngest daughter of the Crowell noble family in the Dimitry Kingdom. At 7 years old, she is found to have strong potential for magic and is sent to the Royal Drike Academy, an institution for the kingdom’s brightest. Frustrated with having to study hard once more, Jeanie is a reluctant student at best.

In the Academy’s library, Jeanie accidentally discovers a book about the elementalist, a rare type of wizard who makes contracts with magical spirits. These spirits have the ability to cast spells by drawing upon the elementalist’s mana (magic power). Deciding that this is the answer to her desire for an easy life, Jeanie requests the Academy headmaster for personal education as an elementalist. Three years later, she becomes frustrated with the lack of progress and secretly tries summoning a spirit. The result is a metal spirit she names Ray. Afterwards, she summons an Undine, a water spirit, under the supervision of her elementalist teacher. Jeanie soon gains the favor of the Academy headmaster and the King of Dimitry for her prodigious talent in a rare form of magic.

Later, Jeanie is chosen as one of several representatives for the Drike Academy at the upcoming Weican Festival, a gathering where the students of five countries’ royal academies compete against each other in both weapons and magic. The Festival will take place at the Wienthid Academy in the Elan Empire and the journey would normally take three months by carriage. To save time, the Drike expedition uses teleportation magic at several transit points. During the long journey, the headstrong Jeanie encounters orcs, ogres and even noble-hating terrorists. At one point, she barely survives drowning in a river and is rescued by a friendly group of passing mercenaries.

Thus begins the story of the golden-haired elementalist.

Main Characters

Jeanie Crowell, promising elementalist, the youngest of the Crowell family’s four children and former high school student. Although smart and generally well-meaning, she is headstrong, impulsive and fairly quick-tempered as a result of having died during a rebellious moment of her previous life. Wanting nothing more than a life of ease, Jeanie often looks for shortcuts in magic that will enable her to gather power quickly. Because of this, she rarely considers the consequences of her choices and sometimes gets into trouble. Due to being the only elementalist student at the Royal Drike Academy, Jeanie is shunned by most of the other students but there are a few who try to befriend her.

As an elementalist, Jeanie has the ability to summon spirits with whom she has made a contract. She can also telepathically communicate with them. Since these spirits have to use Jeanie’s mana to cast spells, their power is limited by her mana capacity. Ironically enough, Jeanie has to develop her own mana capacity through training and study in order to allow her spirits to cast more powerful spells. Whenever she attempts to speak about her past life, she is mysteriously unable to give voice to her words.

Ray, a metal spirit and Jeanie’s first contracted spirit. Crafty and unscrupulous, Ray cares for little else besides Jeanie and its hunger for precious minerals. It also gets jealous whenever the elementalist turns her attention to another spirit. Originally bodiless, Ray now inhabits the body of a snake and poses as Jeanie’s pet, since it was originally conjured in secret. As a metal spirit, Ray has the ability to consume and take on the properties of any mineral or metal. For example, it can take on the properties of a diamond in order to gain resistance to heat. Ray can also adjust its density and weight at will, enabling it to crush whatever it coils around.

• 

• 

Undine, a water spirit and Jeanie’s second contracted spirit. Quiet and graceful, it is the most gentle of Jeanie’s spirits. Undine can use several basic water spells such as Aqua Ball (a small missile of water), Drown (encasing a target’s head with water), Purification (purifying water to a drinkable state), Water Breathing and Water Walking.

Ador, a lightning spirit and Jeanie’s third contracted spirit. Bellicose, proud and restless, it claims to have once served a more powerful master. Ador can use spells such as Lightning Hand and Thunderbolt, sometimes in conjunction with Undine’s Aqua Ball to enhance the conduction effect on targets.

Personal Thoughts

The main protagonist of this story is a fascinating character. Originally a teenager rebelling against a demanding life of education and study, Jeanie Crowell now wishes only for an easy, relaxing life. After taking what seems to be a quicker, easier path to mastering magic, she soon realizes that this path is not as smooth as she thinks. The spirits she has contracts with are dependent on her own ability to channel mana, which has to grow and develop from training and study. The spirits also have their own personalities, which sometimes results in conflicts between them and their mistress. If she had chosen to be a regular wizard, she probably wouldn’t have to deal with noisy spirits! Jeanie slowly realizes the consequences of her impetuous choices and she acquiesces to the need to develop as a person if she hoped to become a powerful elementalist.

This situation is similar to how a rebellious teen has to learn about the harsh realities of life on their own. They would realize that education and work is necessary to give them a comfortable life, but they would need to find their own work-life balance so that they don’t need to be miserable. If such a rebel has to take care of children, the demands on their life would be doubly harsh. They might even ironically realize why the discipline they were taught as a child was necessary!

Learning about how ill-conceived decisions can lead to unintended consequences is something that we all go through. Such decisions can harm not only us but also those we care for. For example, smoking and drinking alcohol may seem fun at first glance but both habits have long-term effects that ruin our health. Since childhood, we all gradually learn how to rein in our selfish instincts and how to be more aware of long-term results of our choices, both good and bad. Some become wiser while others…not so much.

Moral

Impetuous actions often have unwanted consequences. It is advisable to know and understand the circumstances involved first.

Spoiler Alert!

Even though it’s been about a week now, you still don’t believe this!

***

You were just an ordinary 27-year old salaryman in Tokyo. You read web novels in what little spare time you have, but you never expected to go to another world yourself!

In a ritual meant to summon three heroes, you were accidentally summoned along with three high school students, two girls and a boy.

When the summoners analyzed the four of you, you all had the Item Box and Appraisal skills that all otherworlders have.

The students were found to have a multitude of skills such as holy sword, holy magic, fire magic and so on. Talk about OP!

Your only unique skill was Online Supermarket!

What’s up with that?!

The four of you were brought before the king, who gave a speech about how his kingdom, Reijseger, was in trouble and that only the summoned heroes could save it.

What was more interesting to you was that the king was a fat, old man wearing jewels that cost far, far more than you’d earn in a year!

The princess sitting on the king’s left wore an awfully luxurious, expensive-looking dress.

If Reijseger really was in trouble, could its royal family really afford to live in such luxury?

You then asked for some money and permission to leave. After all, since you weren’t a hero, it’s unlikely that you could count on their hospitality!

The next day, you quickly left the capital to reach the neighboring kingdom of Feenen.

At the next town, you hired a band of adventurers as bodyguards for your journey.

You’ve been cooking meals for them since then.

***

Thinking about all this makes you hungry. Today’s meal is stir-fried pork, made from a giant red boar the adventurers hunted early today.

Well, time to eat!

Hmm?

You look up at the adventurers. Their faces are rigid with fright and shock.

They seem to be looking at something…

…behind you?

Its jaws open…

“HUMANS, LET ME…EAT WITH YOU.”

• 

• 

Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill (とんでもスキルで異世界放浪メシ, Tondemo sukiru de i sekai hōrō meshi) is a light novel series and manga written by Ren Eguchi (江口 連, Eguchi Ren).

On a seemingly typical day, the Tokyo salaryman Tsuyoshi Mukoda is whisked away to another world along with three Japanese high school students. Not only does he learn that his summoning was a mistake, but also that his only unique skill is Online Supermarket. Mukoda and the students are then taken to the king of the Reijseger Kingdom, who explains that his country is currently fighting a losing war with the neighboring Demon Kingdom and they, the summoned heroes, are his people’s last hope. Noticing the king’s generous waistline, the royal family’s expensive-looking jewelry and the throne room’s opulence, Mukoda suspects that the Reijseger Kingdom has less-than-altruistic motives. Deciding to take his chances, the salaryman requests a small amount of money and leaves the castle.

• 

• 

At an inn, Mukoda tries out his Online Supermarket skill and learns that it works like a website from which he can purchase and instantly acquire food and other everyday items from modern-day Japan, from salt, rice, beer and ready-made foods to shampoo, portable stoves (powered by magic) and sleeping bags. After making preparations, he departs for a neighboring country. Along the way, he hires a group of adventurers as bodyguards and prepares their meals using items from the Online Supermarket. One night, they are approached by giant wolf who demands to eat with them! The shocked adventurers tell Mukoda that the wolf is a Fenrir, a powerful, legendary beast and that it would be wise to do as he says. At the end of the meal, the Fenrir learns that Mukoda was the cook and demands to make a familiar’s contract with him. Mukoda reluctantly does so and gives the Fenrir the name Fel.

Mukoda soon joins the Merchants’ Guild to legally work as a trader and the Adventurers’ Guild to sell the remains of monsters killed by Fel. Although reluctant to fight, he often finds himself dragged by the battle-hungry Fel on dangerous quests. During his adventures, Mukoda befriends a few other creatures and makes familiar contracts with them as well. He also quickly earns a fortune by selling the spoils of his familiars’ hunts and several items from the Supermarket. Mukoda cooks delicious meals for his familiars every day as his part of their contract with him and later regularly sends offerings to some of the world’s deities, who have grown to crave the Supermarket’s unusual snacks and drinks! The former salaryman would rather live a peaceful life, but that’s obviously not going to happen anytime soon.

Main Characters

Tsuyoshi Mukoda (向田 剛志, Mukōda Tsuyoshi), a 27-year old adventurer, trader and former salaryman. Friendly, observant, timid and a bit of a coward, he dislikes violence but gradually grows in confidence over the course of his adventures. Although Mukoda usually lets his familiars do his fighting, he is not completely helpless in a fight and can use some fire (e.g. Fireball) and earth magic (e.g. Stone Bullet, Stone Wall), enhanced by blessings given to him by deities in exchange for regular “offerings”. In addition to his Online Supermarket skill, he can also use the Item Box skill, which gives him access to an extra-dimensional space of infinite capacity that can perfectly preserve anything inside. Another notable skill he possesses is Appraisal, which allows him to instantly and accurately identify anything, including magic items. A former part-time restaurant chef, Mukoda is skilled in preparing various dishes, even when using meat from fantastical monsters. Being the only humanoid of his group, he acts as the spokesman whenever they stay at a human settlement.

• 

• 

Fel, a 1,014-year old Fenrir, a legendary wolf beast, and Mukoda’s first familiar. Aggressive, brusque, demanding and proud, he enjoys fighting and judges everyone by how powerful they are compared to him. Accustomed to immediate respect, Fel is often impatient for Mukoda’s cooking. Supernaturally strong and fast and capable of destroying entire countries single-handedly, Fel can kill powerful monsters such as rockbirds, black serpents and chimeras in mere seconds, with dragons among the few creatures who could give him some pause. He is also a powerful magician who can use almost any kind of magic, including wind, lightning, ice, healing and barrier magic. Fel is very knowledgeable about his world’s wilderness and monsters, but is completely ignorant and unconcerned about its civilizations. He is also immune to all diseases, toxins and other debilitating effects thanks to the blessing of his guardian, the wind goddess Ninrir.

Sui, a young slime (3 days’ old when found) and Mukoda’s second familiar. Cheerful, curious and loyal, it can consume anything and has grown in power and intelligence as a result, eventually becoming able to speak. Sui is able to shoot bullets of acid, replicate itself and grow to an enormous size. After consuming many healing mushrooms, it is able to create healing potions with its own body. After receiving the blessing of the water goddess Rusalka, Sui gained the ability to use powerful water magic. To Fel’s delight and Mukoda’s dismay, Sui has learned to enjoy fighting. On expeditions, Sui usually resides in Mukoda’s shoulder bag.

Dora, a 116-year old pixie dragon and Mukoda’s third familiar. Audacious, lively and strong-willed, he has a very casual attitude. Despite his tiny size, Dora is a keen fighter who prefers to charge into his targets like a missile, using magic to augment his body. As a result, he enjoys fighting alongside Fel.

Personal Thoughts

An interesting and important dynamic is demonstrated in this story. The main character Mukoda is neither a skilled warrior nor a powerful wizard, but he has skills that contribute to his group’s livelihood. He cooks delicious food for his familiars, provides daily necessities through his Online Supermarket and establishes friendly relations with other people for the group. Fel and Dora are powerful monsters who do the group’s fighting and hunting, allowing them to accomplish difficult quests and acquire the remains of powerful monsters for consumption and skinning. Sui is a slime who can not only fight but also produce clean water and high-grade healing potions. It can also consume trash and unwanted corpses. Each individual is capable in their own way, but they form a formidable team that prospers in and out of battle.

Inevitably, there will be things that we are good at but others aren’t. On the other hand, there are people who are good at things that we aren’t. When people with complementary skills work together, they achieve far more than they would have as individuals. This actually happens in almost every workplace. For example, in a small company that sells televisions, an engineer is responsible for product quality and maintenance, an accountant keeps track of the expenses, a marketer advertises the products to customers and a manager conducts negotiations and keeps the company working as a cohesive whole. Each of these people has unique skills and their own contributions, potentially creating a company with a reputation for customer-friendliness, quality and reliability. Whether their personalities can allow them to work together is another thing entirely!

• 

• 

A lot of the story’s focus is given to Mukoda’s food preparation, emphasizing how a good meal is needed not only for nourishment, but also to improve the eater’s morale and outlook on life. As Fel and the other familiars grow accustomed to Mukoda’s cooking, their friendship with him grows. It reminds me of the saying, “The way to one’s heart is through their stomach.”

Moral

Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. People with complementary abilities who work together can achieve more than they could on their own.

Spoiler Alert!

This is so high up!

It’s great that the school chose Tokyo Tower for today’s field trip!

Your classmates don’t seem all that thrilled…but never mind!

AAAHHH!

Your time on the binoculars ran out!

Let’s see now…where’s your coin purse?

Huh?

“Please take this with my compliments. I enjoyed watching you having fun.”

Who was that?

One of your classmates says, “Isn’t that uniform from that private school for geniuses?”

You should thank her properly!

You try walking to her, but a group of schoolgirls suddenly gets in your way!

Hmm? Aren’t these girls from a snobby, all-girls school for rich families?

Is today field trip day for every school in Tokyo?

Suddenly, a blinding light from the tower windows envelops you.

As you blink, you see a little girl with long, blonde hair in a white dress.

“Please save our world, Legendary Magic Knights!”

Huh? WhaaaaAAAAH?!

There’s no floor?!?

Seconds later, you make a soft landing on…something.

Looking around, you see the girl with glasses who gave you some money and one of the rich girls who got in your way a minute ago!

You’re also standing on…a giant, flying fish?!

What’s going on?!?

What IS this place??

Eventually, the fish comes to a stop and you all tumble off.

As the rich girl gets up, she says, “Where are we? What happened?”

“This isn’t Tokyo.” you say.

“Obviously!”

“We should introduce ourselves first.” says the glasses girl. “I’ll go first. I am Fuu Hououji, middle school second-year.”

The rich girl sighs and says, “My name is Umi Ryuuzaki, middle school second-year.”

Right, your turn!

“I’m Hikaru Shidou, also in middle school second-year!”

“WHAAAT?”

“You’re the same age as me?! You look like you’re eleven!” says Umi.

“Sorry, I thought you were in grade school.” says Fuu.

Rrgh…why does everyone think you’re a kid?!

“Alright, that’s enough!”

Who said that?

Turning around, you see a boy wearing voluminous white robes.

“So you’re the Legendary Magic Knights…”

• 

• 

Magic Knight Rayearth (魔法騎士(マジックナイト)レイアース, Majikku Naito Reiāsu) is a manga and anime written by CLAMP (クランプ, Kuranpu), an all-female group of manga artists consisting of Nanase Ohkawa (大川 七瀬, Ōkawa Nanase), Mokona (もこな, Mokona), Tsubaki Nekoi (猫井 椿, Nekoi Tsubaki) and Satsuki Igarashi (いがらし 寒月, Igarashi Satsuki). Other works by CLAMP include Cardcaptor Sakura (カードキャプターさくら , Kādokyaputā Sakura) and xxxHolic. The Magic Knight Rayearth anime is one of several anime series integrated into the story of Super Robot Wars T, a tactical RPG video game playable on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.

In 1994, three middle school girls from different schools arrive at Tokyo Tower on field trips: Hikaru Shidou, Umi Ryuuzaki and Fuu Hououji. After witnessing a vision of a young girl with long, blonde hair, they are suddenly transported to an unfamiliar, fantastical land. As they introduce themselves to each other and try to get their bearings, the girls are greeted by a boy who introduces himself as Master Mage Clef. He tells the girls that they are now on the world of Cephiro, the harmony of which is maintained through prayer by a chosen Pillar. The girls must become the Legendary Magic Knights and rescue the current Pillar, Princess Emeraude (the girl from their vision), from her captor, High Priest Zagato.

Accompanied and guided by the little, mysterious creature Mokona, the newly-minted Magic Knights set off on a quest to gradually build their magic power and awaken the three Rune Gods (魔神, Mashin), mecha-like creatures that the Knights can pilot. After they defeat Zagato in a fierce Rune God battle, the girls learn the horrible truth: Emeraude allowed herself to be imprisoned and summoned them to kill her, since no native of Cephiro may harm the Pillar. This was because she fell in love with Zagato, hindering her ability to selflessly pray for Cephiro’s well-being. With this, Emeraude’s despair overwhelms her and she summons her own Rune God, intent on avenging her lost love. After much hesitation, the Knights finally kill the Pillar and are transported back to Tokyo, as though they never left.

One year later, the three girls meet each other again at the Tokyo Tower, still overcome with distress and guilt. Once again, they are transported to Cephiro, which has become a devastated, near-lifeless landscape with only a single castle of crystal left standing. There, Clef tells them that this is the result of Cephiro without a Pillar to pray for it and a new Pillar must be found before the world tears itself apart. In addition, three other planets, Autozam, Chizeta and Fahren, have sent their forces to conquer the now-weakened Cephiro. As the girls defend the castle from all hostile forces, they come to the conclusion that Cephiro’s fate shouldn’t be the responsibility of only one person. Once another Pillar is chosen, the vicious cycle of failing to pray solely for Cephiro’s well-being, summoning Magic Knights and dooming Cephiro could occur all over again…

Main Characters

Hikaru Shidou (獅堂 光, Shidō Hikaru), a 14-year old middle school student and Magic Knight. A brave, exuberant and straightforward tomboy, she is the most determined and loyal of the Knights. Hikaru is also rather innocent and is able to relate well to animals, from her family dog Hikari to several of Cephiro’s fantastical beasts. The youngest child and the only girl among four siblings, she comes from a family that runs a kendo (劍道, kendo, lit. “sword way”) training hall. It is said that Hikaru’s talent for kendo was such that she defeated her father in a duel at 5 years old, resulting in him going on a training journey from which he has yet to return. As a Magic Knight, she can use fire magic such as Arrow of Fire and Ruby Lightning. She also carries a longsword made of Escudo, crafted by Master Artisan Presea. Weapons made from Escudo ore have the unique ability to magically evolve along with their owners and are usable only by their chosen owner.

Umi Ryuuzaki (龍咲 海, Ryūzaki Umi), a 14-year old middle school student and Magic Knight. Caring, impulsive and optimistic, she is the most grounded of the Knights. The only child of a wealthy couple and a fencing champion, Umi seems somewhat selfish and spoiled at first, but beneath this is a sensitive girl who cares deeply for those close to her. Her quick temper and her tendency to speak her mind are the source of much of the story’s comedy, from fretting over Cephiro’s defiance of common logic to getting annoyed by Mokona’s antics. In battle, Umi becomes calm, focused and fiercely determined to win. As a Magic Knight, she can use water and ice magic such as Water Dragon, Azure Hurricane and Icicle Blades. Her weapon is a thin, rapier-like Escudo sword.

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Fuu Hououji (鳳凰寺 風, Hōōji Fū), a 14-year old middle school student and Magic Knight. Calm, observant, polite and reserved, she is the most intelligent of the Knights. A natural strategist, Fuu sometimes suffers from self-doubt but her faith in herself and her friends allows her to pull through in the end. The younger of two daughters, she is a member of her school’s archery club and she enjoys reading and playing RPG video games. As a Magic Knight, Fuu can use wind magic with a variety of effects such as Winds of Healing, Winds of Protection and Emerald Typhoon. Early in the story, she uses a magical bow loaned to her by Presea, but later gains a large, two-handed Escudo broadsword that is almost weightless to her.

Personal Thoughts

One of the most popular works of CLAMP and a classic, but poignant, lesson about friendship.

While much of this story is optimistic in nature with occasional comedy, there are a few dark moments, of which the twist of actually killing a princess is the most notable. For the main characters, the overall objective was personal empathic growth as people, symbolized by how their weapons and armor grew in power as they themselves matured in personality. Hikaru’s and Umi’s character development was especially profound. The formerly innocent and idealistic Hikaru gradually came to terms with killing Emeraude while retaining her inherent selfless nature. Meanwhile, Umi became less selfish and more willing to fight for those she cares for. It’s basically an example of how teenagers eventually learn that reality won’t always be kind to them and that circumstances won’t always allow them to make the choices they want, but they still have the choice to be happy. Life is often about making the best of what we have.

There are several life lessons throughout the story, but the most important one here is how friendship and working together can ease the burdens of responsibility and tragedy. When Princess Emeraude became the Pillar of Cephiro, she shouldered the enormous responsibility of protecting an entire world by herself while being forbidden from pursuing her own happiness. When she fell in love with Zagato, she also felt guilt and shame for her own need for happiness, believing she had failed her responsibilities. Unable and unwilling to share her burden and grief, Emeraude was overwhelmed by stress and later believed that death was her only salvation.

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On the other hand, the Magic Knights gradually built their friendship during their time together and learned to believe in each other even when hope seemed lost. Through their shared bond of friendship, they endured tragedies and work towards a better future.

Moral

Having a friend who understands you can help ease your sadness and anger. By working with friends and family, you can live life with more happiness and purpose.

Spoiler Alert!

Disappointing. Not only was the target a lookalike, but the terrorists were more incompetent than you thought. You stride into the commander’s tent and salute to the officer sitting at a desk.

“Colonel Kasia Del Roman reporting.”

“Welcome back. Is Ahmad dead?”

Who is this man? Is he a new transfer? He looks familiar for some reason.

“The target in the city was a lookalike.”

“I see. There aren’t many who would admit their mistakes.”

*BANG!*

?

Turning around, you see a soldier aiming his smoking gun at you.

Coughing blood, your legs lose their strength and buckle underneath you.

The officer gets up and stands in front of you.

You look up at his face.

He’s…from Camp X!

“Sage…Cahill?”

He pulls out a handgun and aims it at your forehead.

“I never liked that look in your eyes.”

He then gives you a cruel smirk.

“If you have any last words, say them. If you beg for your life now, maybe I’ll change my mind…maybe.”

So it’s come to this…at last.

“Why are you smiling?”

You roll the capsule in your mouth to the back of your jaws.

Sage’s puzzled frown contorts into a mask of fury and panic.

“NO! HOLD HER DOWN! STOP HER!! NOOO!!!”

You bite down hard…

It’s finally the end. It’s finally over…

You hear gunshots around you as you lose consciousness…

…

…

How long has it been?

It feels like you’re drifting through nothingness. Somehow, you find it comforting.

“Again.”

?

“You must go back again.”

To where? To whom? Why?

A blinding light fills your sight…

You blink and see…a blue sky?

Urgh! You ache all over for some reason.

“Over here! She’s still alive!”

You see…people standing over you. A nurse…?

“Alive? Like this?!”

Your nose is assailed by a stench of rot and…gunpowder?

No…not another battlefield?!

Crimson Karma (진홍의 카르마, Jinhong-ui Kaleuma) is a web novel and web comic written by LemonFrog (레몬개구리, Lemongaeguli).

Betrayed by her comrades and threatened by someone from her past, U.S. Colonel Kasia Del Roman commits suicide by breaking a capsule containing a deadly virulent agent in her mouth. Dying to the fading sounds of gunshots, Kasia embraces the cold comfort of death only to regain consciousness some time later. Badly injured but alive, she quickly learns that she is not on Earth anymore. Instead, she is in a medieval-era country called Calistonia where she is a young female knight also named Kasia. According to her caretakers, she was the only survivor of a huge magical explosion that wiped out countless soldiers. Unsurprisingly, Kasia has no memory of her life on the new world before this incident.

During her recovery, Kasia learns that, as a knight, she serves Prince Tasel, the second prince of the Calistonian Empire who is currently commanding an army against the rebellious first prince, Caylen, in the name of their father Emperor Altherion. After accidentally learning about Kasia’s assassination skills, Prince Tasel sends her on a secret mission to rescue his mother, Queen Elena, from house arrest at the Karina Palace.

At the top of a dingy tower at the palace, Kasia finds the queen starved to death, neglected by her own guards. She realizes that the Emperor kept Elena’s death a secret in order to keep Tasel under his thumb. The civil war between Emperor Altherion and Prince Caylen was likely an elaborate ruse to kill Tasel, who was long hated by his own family apart from his mother, and his allies. After Kasia brings the queen’s corpse back to Tasel, the prince officially ends his allegiance to the Emperor and becomes the leader of his own Imperial faction.

At the border city of Derun, Tasel sets up a temporary headquarters and invites his allies to join him. The second prince’s army is reorganized and Kasia is appointed as commander of a new covert squad specializing in espionage and assassination. For this purpose, she puts her new subordinates through extremely harsh training. Later, Kasia is given a mission to investigate Prince Caylen’s army. On the way, she encounters the Imperial archmage Ernon, one of the Empire’s most powerful wizards and one of Caylen’s supporters. Posing as a mercenary, Kasia hires herself out to Ernon as a bodyguard as a way to learn information on the inside. She eventually learns that the archmage has a magical seal of obedience placed on him by his own father, Duke Alistas.

Meanwhile, Emperor Altherion is working on finding a way to become the inheritor of Caladbolg, a legendary magic sword said to belong to the hero who will bring prosperity to Calistonia.

Main Characters

Kasia, formerly Kasia Del Roman, a 22-year old low-born knight of the Aruelo Order, assassin and commander of Prince Tasel’s covert squad. Detached, diligent, level-headed and observant, she is a seasoned war veteran who goes to almost any lengths necessary to succeed in her missions. On Earth, Kasia had a death wish and lived only for her success of her missions. On her new world, she is gradually learning how to feel the emotions she suppressed long ago. Kasia retains all her skills as an assassin and a military officer from her previous world, making her one of Tasel’s most valuable allies. In addition, she now has some potential to use magic, which she mostly uses to find those hidden from her sight around her.

During her escape from war-torn Lebanon as a child, Kasia Del Roman watched her mother throw herself overboard from the refugee boat that was transporting them to Europe in order to prevent capsize. After living as a vagrant for some time, she was taken by a soldier to a secret military training camp known only as Camp X. There, Kasia was constantly and ruthlessly trained, along with countless other children, to kill without hesitation. She later joined the United States Army where she swiftly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a Colonel. There, she gained a reputation as an unsympathetic, pragmatic commander who achieves victories that minimize overall losses, no matter who dies in the process, be they soldier or civilian. Because of this, she was hated, yet grudgingly respected, by those who worked with her.

Tasel Kan Amaris, second prince of the Calistonian Empire and rebel leader. Attentive, considerate and somewhat troubled, he is an intelligent man who weighs the opinions of those around him to make tough decisions. Tasel’s mother, Elena, was a princess from a country that the Calistonian Empire conquered many years ago. Because that war resulted in the death of one of the Emperor’s favorite generals, Elena was constantly abused by her husband and ostracized by most of the Calistonian nobles despite her status as queen. When Tasel was born, he came to be abused and hated as well. Because of this, Tasel is deeply suspicious of nobles in general and tends to trust commoners more.

Ernon, an Imperial archmage aligned with the army of first Imperial prince Caylen. Curious, confident and a bit sadistic, his bored, indifferent expression hides a deeply troubled man. The son of an aristocrat, Duke Alistas, and a prostitute, Ernon was ignored and neglected by his father until his potential for magic (indicated by his bright violet eyes) was discovered. Despite this, the duke sees his bastard son only as a useful pawn for his own schemes, having placed a magical seal on him years ago to ensure his obedience. Because of this, Ernon deeply resents those who seek to control his life. He sees Kasia, whom he nicknames “Etelle”, as the one bright spot in his miserable life of enforced servitude and is teaching her how to better use her innate talent for magic. A powerful wizard, Ernon particularly enjoys using flight and teleportation, since these spells afford him a degree of freedom away from prying eyes.

Personal Thoughts

This is an interesting, if slow-paced, story. Thrust into the midst of a civil war in a country where prejudices against commoners and women run strong, Kasia once again struggles to survive but also gradually finds appeal in those who believe in fighting and living for the sake of others. She eventually becomes protective of these people and even learns to consider them friends. In time, Kasia learns to feel love, but is somewhat scared of this because she is afraid of the anguish she felt when she saw her mother drown. An interesting take on a female lead character with a reverse harem!

This story also shows the darker side of humanity, as expected of its cynical outlook. Most of Calistonia’s aristocrats are arrogant snobs who look down their noses on anyone beneath their station. The Emperor, known to his people as the hero who founded the Calistonian Empire, is a cruel, capricious narcissist who wants to destroy anything that could threaten his rule or his public image. The soldiers assigned to Kasia deeply resented being under the command of a low-born woman and, when they first learned about her, planned to beat and gang rape her into submission. Only when the assassin beats them to pulp do they learn to reluctantly respect her.

Life isn’t always happy and it often becomes a tiring struggle for many, but it becomes much more worthwhile when we find a purpose that helps others. There are many ways to help others such as teaching, doing chores for family and working on projects that benefit many people such as a power station. Somehow, when we know we have helped to improve life, we feel better about ourselves. Even small acts of kindness allow us feel better, but we must be careful about who and what to help.

Moral

Life is a struggle to survive, but helping others makes it more worthwhile.