Anything is possible … if money if the motivation.
Creative Staff:
Original Story: Kisetsu Morita
Art: Yusuke Shiba
Character Design: Benio
Translation: Jasmine Bernhardt
Lettering: Katie Blakeslee
What They Say:
It’s vacation time! Whether it’s a dip in the ocean, a visit to Halkara’s hometown, or an invite to the demon king’s birthday party, plenty of twists and turns are in store to spice-up Azusa’s slow, laid-back life!
Content (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
On a bright and sunny morning, Fighsly has come to visit the house in the highlands to train for her next tournament with Laika, but as the two combatants try their best to defeat the other, with each wishing to become the strongest for their respective races, neither is holding back in their ferocious blows, even as the family safely watches from a distance as Flatorte points out opportunities her rival missed to end the fight early. However, as the red dragon praises her opponent for admirable skills, the driving force for the Fighting Slime’s enthusiasm is revealed after boldly stating she is after the thirty million gold grand prize, allowing Laika to take advantage of this distraction and land a critical hit which causes Fighsly to collapse in defeat. Yet the contest is not over as this martial artist reveals her special move of an unstoppable lower power kick, with the surprised challenger unable to counter as she finds herself stunned after each blow, but anthropomorphic slime pushes her advantage too far due to overconfidence, allowing the supposedly defeated dragon to retaliate with a burst of fiery breath. While Fighsly is surprised by this clever tactic which has engulfed her in harmless flames, the calm girl begins to roll in an attempt to extinguish the conflagration even as Azusa warns of a quickly approaching hill, from which the oblivious fighter rolls down and reverts her true form – that of a harmless slime.
After returning from an expected win at the martial arts tournament, the family at the house in highlands finds themselves engulfed within a chilly winter, and while Sandra can tolerate the change in temperature, it is the resident red dragon who finds herself unable to stay warm having grown in a volcano, questioning her teacher if they can spend some time at hot spring, which causes the boisterous Flatorte to mock her rival for her weakness and states this cold weather is the right time to go to the beach. While this enthusiastic blue dragon attempts to convince her mistress with this odd logic, it is Azusa who considers the idea would be better suited for summer, with her daughters approving of this future trip as each looks forward to seeing starfish in their natural habitat, which only causes Flatorte to counter their caution with the insight that tropical waters will still be tolerable, allowing all to enjoy this out of season pleasure and Laika the chance to be more comfortable in a warmer climate. It does not take long for the whole family to delight in their new location at Buvirun Beach, but as all witness the blue serenity of the salty waves, they decide the only proper way to play in the sand is if they have swimsuits, and yet have confusing difficulty in finding the commonplace leisure wear at the market, with no one selling the items until they finally find some at the last store. However, as they find themselves in the right attire and approach an empty seashore, the overly enthusiastic Flatorte and Halkara race into the ocean to be the first ones to get wet, only to scream out in pain and terror as they find themselves back on shore and covered in jellyfish stings, revealing the reasonable explanation as to why no one was playing or working on the deserted coast.
In Summary:
While I do miss the serious tone of the initial mangas in I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level, one cannot but be charmed by the humorous illustrations of mangaka Shiba-sensei, made especially endearing as Morita-sensei’s expansive story encloses additional characters and unusual circumstances through this current volume, all as the lighthearted nature of Azusa and her family enjoying their daily life becomes more contagious in its outrageous nature. To see established members of the cast break out of their molds is what makes the narrative entertaining, particularly when we see the normally serious Laika and hopeless Halkara attempt to do something against their nature, but at the same time, it is not unusual for these people to take responsibility for an action which we could be seen as her fault or help family, therefore making amends and allowing the audience smile at their hard work. However, it is exhausting to witness old jokes being recycled in strange situations, even if the creativity of the moment makes them tolerable, and yet knowledgeable readers can approximate how the scenario will end, making any surprises which Morita-sensei hoped to bring to an enchanted audience worrisome since the event can only end in one predictable way, thus spoiling the conclusion with predictability. But as new faces make their way into the story and create unusual events which seem interesting, one cannot but hope the cycle of repetition which we have seen before does not detract from their uniqueness, allowing for the future adventures of the Witch of the Highlands to continue to fascinate, even when the ideas seem familiar.
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: A-
Text/Translation Grade: A-
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: March 21, 2023
MSRP: $13.00
