The baptism of new recruits on the front line!
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Carlo Zen/Chika Tojo
Translation/Adaptation: Emily Balistrieri
What They Say
After a successful exercise with the Norther Sea Fleet, Tanya leads her battalion to the nostalgic, blood-soaked skies of the Rhine front lines for another mission…Only this time, the mission includes babysitting new recruits?!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
It’s been a while but Tanya returns to the Rhine front, this time with her elite battalion. The narrative’s mostly dealt with ocean battles of late, so to reintroduce the world of trench warfare, Tojo-sensei skillfully brings us back to that battleground alongside new recruits. We get a quick glimpse of Lieutenant Grantz and his fellow rookie mages leaving civilian life, and then the focus shifts to a group of footsoldier newbies following the vets for their first taste of combat.
The new recruits are woefully undertrained. In addition to demonstrating how bad the situation is, their ignorance provides an excuse for the experienced soldiers to explain the what, why, how, and where of trench warfare. Even if you’re not a war nerd, explanations are easy to understand and increasingly engaging as the troops get backed into a corner. Plus, they allow Tanya’s 203rd Battalion to make a heroically impressive entrance.
Tojo-sensei does a stellar job with this volume’s artwork. From the chaos of ground fighting to the diagrams detailing the movements of different units to the breathtaking images of Tanya and her mages, all the illustrations are delightfully on point. Speaking of illustrations, I’d previously complained about the over sexualization of preteen Mary Sue. Well, at the very least, Tojo-sensei demonstrates gender equality in this department with Lieutenant Commander Vianto providing tons of eye candy in a Parisii bath.
The volume closes with the bright eyed, bushytailed new mages joining the 203rd, much to Tanya’s dismay. The dialogue does a great job explaining why the rookies are liability, and the rookies themselves drive that point home with their haphazard introduction to their new commander. Getting stuck with annoying assignments is an ongoing theme for Tanya, and she’s got her work cut out for her having to babysit clueless subordinates on the front lines.
Extras include world map, battle log thus far, character introductions, country profiles, and detailed glossary of terms between chapters. Unfortunately, the font on the character introductions and country profiles is so small (4 point? 3 point?) that reading it feels like an eye exam.
In Summary
Tojo-sensei delivers an excellent installment with Tanya’s return to the Rhine. The chapters don’t contain any game changing maneuvers for this theater as a whole, but we get plenty of action, thrilling illustrations, and new characters. In addition to reintroducing the world of trench warfare, the narrative lays the groundwork for trouble to come, both in the form of a scheming commander on the enemy side and impossibly green additions among Tanya’s ranks. It’s never a dull moment for Tanya!
Content Grade: A+
Art Grade: A+
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: August 18th, 2020
MSRP: $13.00