Tanya shakes things up on the Norden battlefield and war room!
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Carlo Zen/Chika Tojo
Translation/Adaptation: Emily Balistrieri
What They Say
Extoled for her achievements in Dacia, Tanya makes her grand return to Norden! As the war escalates, so do the General Staff’s expectations for the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion (much to the young major’s dismay). From a barrage of enemy formulas to communication mishaps with higher-ups, it looks like everyone in the world-be they enemies or allies-will stop at nothing to sabotage the former salaryman!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Although it was officially a battle with Dacia, the so-called “live-fire exercise” in the previous volume was a fun romp for Tanya and her new battalion. Now they get down to business with an enemy that can actually deal damage on the Northern Front. The defense of the Kraggana Depot is also covered in the novel and anime, and the manga again provides more depth and humor than the other versions by presenting/contrasting the simultaneous perspectives of multiple characters. Not only does it highlight the disconnect between Tanya and her superiors/subordinates, the reactions of observers and enemies convey just how the extraordinary the 203rd is.
Additionally, the manga portrays a more complex battlefield. The anime mostly depicts aerial mages shooting at each other; the novel talks about the casting of various magic formulas, but the descriptions are so minimal it’s difficult to picture them. In this manga, the illustrations demonstrate just how the 203rd’s illusions thwart and misguide the enemy.
The story then takes another leap decades into the future where journalists continue to puzzle over what is Tanya’s shrouded legacy. What this chapter primarily offers is a look at how wrong their conjectures are. Because they don’t add new information to what’s happening in Tanya’s timeline, I’m not particularly interested in their pursuit of the “eleventh goddess.” Fortunately, the detour only lasts one brief chapter, and we’re back to Norden.
In the aftermath of Kraggana, the brass must coordinate their next move so the setting switches from combat zone to war room. We’ve seen these meetings before, but this time Tanya gets to weigh in on the discussion. The anime went through this scene so quickly that it wasn’t particularly fraught. While the novel provided a ton of detail, the writing was such that it was difficult to visualize the drama playing out. The manga, however, presents a very clear and sometimes comical three-way battle between the interests of Tanya, General Staff, and the Northern Army. So even though no bullets are flying, it gets plenty heated between Tanya and the Northern officers as she argues the futility of a winter offensive.
Extras include character introductions and a detailed glossary of terms between chapters.
In Summary
Once again, Tojo-sensei presents a brilliant interpretation of events that is distinct from the anime and markedly clearer than the novel. This installment has a little bit of everything: a prebattle speech, aerial combat, the future’s perspective on the war, and a heated war room debate. The only element missing is a confrontation with Being X, but I’m not enamored of that arc and think the story’s just fine without it.
Content Grade: A-
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B +
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: April 30th, 2019
MSRP: $13.00
