A young cadet bent on revenge makes a pact with a Ghost who holds the power of Oblivion.
Creative Staff
Story: Kei Uekawa
Art: TEDDY, Naohiro Washio
Translation/Adaptation: Roman Lempert
What They Say
The power to rewrite history…and all it costs is a deal with the devil
For a hundred years, the East and West have waged a ferocious war using everything from tanks to witchcraft, but the technological advancements of the West have begun to shift the balance. That all changes one day when Rain Lantz, a young soldier from the East, finds a few mysterious silver bullets–and discovers that anyone shot with them is erased not only from the battlefield but from history itself. Soon after, he meets the bullets’ creator, a Ghost who calls herself Air, and learns that if he wishes to continue using this power to end the war for good, he will have to give her his freedom…
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Rain Lantz is a cadet at the East’s Alestra Academy, where he specializes in Bullet Magic. One day, he and his classmates get caught in an ambush by the West. Backed into a corner, he fires a mysterious silver bullet at his attacker – and erases the man from history itself. Soon thereafter, he meets the bullet’s creator, Air, a Ghost with the power of Oblivion and a 100-year grudge against the West.
The world of Leaden Battlefields is complex. There are two countries with a century-old conflict. Armies fight with two-person mecha called Exelia and magic is delivered via various guns, so there are mechanical, firearm, and mage terminology to keep track of. Finally, Ghosts are supernatural beings, each with their own unique power, who take corporeal form during times of war and fade away when peace comes. So if intricate world-building is not your cup of tea, this is probably not a good title for you.
However, if you choose to tackle Leaden Battlefields, what you’ll ultimately find is a tale of revenge. Rain has a single-minded desire to make the West pay for massacring his family. As for Air, she was cruelly betrayed by the West. Having revived as a Ghost, she uses her unique power of Oblivion to create Devil’s Bullets, magical bullets that erase a person’s entire existence. Seeing that Rain has the mental fortitude and resolve to effectively use them, she offers Rain a deal. Her Devil’s Bullets in exchange for his absolute obedience. And because his country is losing before the overwhelming might of the West, Rain accepts.
Sound hard-core? It is. However, because Rain is an eighteen-year-old Academy student, the novel also inserts “fun school hijinks” amid the battlefield carnage. Most of this is Air, who has the appearance of a cute, petite girl, showing up at the Academy as a transfer student and causing Rain trouble by making his (pretty female) Exelia partner Athly jealous. Although Rain is somewhat oblivious, Athly harbors strong feelings for him. The tension of a romantic triangle doesn’t fully realize in this volume, but the final chapter strongly hints it will play a key part in Volume 2.
Instead, the first half of this volume has Rain struggling to understand the world-altering power of the Devil’s Bullet and figuring out who and what Air is. Once he forms a pact with her, the plot then shifts to the forces behind the East versus West war, namely the Ghosts. Each has its own unique power, and all have been meddling in the world’s military conflicts to suit their personal agendas. The second half has Air going head-to-head against rival Ghosts, and Rain trying to survive amid the resulting destruction.
As personalities, Rain and Air start off fairly flat. Air comes off as a mean-spirited bully, who picks on Rain and flashes her panties just because. As for Rain, he’s a stereotypical model soldier and student. However, two-thirds into the novel, there are a couple of surprise revelations that really add depth to Air and Rain. Rain’s hidden eye felt a bit like a cheat; the narrative makes his thoughts privy to the reader so there should’ve been more hints prior to the reveal. In contrast, the underlying connection between Air and Rain was a legitimate shock and made them much more compelling characters.
Like many light novels, the text is short on dialogue tags, so it’s often difficult to tell who said what. It’s also difficult to tell where characters are located. One scene went on for several pages before informing me that a character was in an Exelia and not out in the open as I had imagined. In addition, there are what looks like a lot of extraneous section breaks and at least one typo.
The first eight pages, which contain character profiles and mecha illustrations, are printed in full color. Extras also include eight black-and-white illustrations and afterword.
In Summary
May These Leaden Battlegrounds Leave No Trace: Bullet Magic and Ghost Programs may be a light novel, but it’s got a complicated setting involving military conflict, technology, magical warfare, and supernatural beings. However, if you’re not deterred by the aforementioned elements and you like tragic characters motivated by revenge, give this title a try. It gets off to a slow start, but once the myriad elements of this world have been established, Air and Rain’s partnership becomes a compelling one.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: C
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: July 21st, 2020
MSRP: $15.00
