Overlord Volume 15: The Half-Elf Demigod Part I - Fine Volume overall, plot is slow but that is expected since this Volume is the build up Volume. World building additions were very nice as well as Ainz contemplating a bit on his friends from the Yggdrasil days. I have high expectations for Volume 16 given the build up and work so far, I can see some interesting potential plot developments ahead, such as the Theocracy being on the same side as their arch nemesis given Ainz won’t see the Elf king in a favorable light (understatement of the century) once he sees how subordinates are treated in the Elf kingdom. Extremely biased since I love the series - 8/10
I liked the depiction of the Elf-King. Seems to be a SoIaF type of villain that I love to hate.
Same, I can even see where his twisted logic is coming from and I’ll be sure to enjoy when Ainz ultimately rips him to pieces. But the most interesting will be how the Theocracy will react to Ainz helping them get rid of the Elf King. Though I suppose with how people have reacted to Mare and Aura so far they’ll just usurp the throne (unwillingly) and deliver the Theocracy with a two-front war all the same.
The Magician Who Rose From Failure: Volume 6 - The series has an interesting magic system which was always a standout, but in this volume, the author appears to have lost every creativity because it this volume is the most generic and trope-filled magic academy arc I’ve read in a long time. Complete with haughty-ringlets-student-council-noble-girl looking down on MC and forcing a duel with expulsion on the line. And you can already bet that she’s now developing a fixation on MC - 5/10
Tearmoon Empire: Volume 11 - I used to love this series. It was my second favorite LN only after Bookworm, but since the translator switch it lost most of its charm and wit. And in this volume, it even uses anachronisms like “meme” in a fantasy setting. And not even in narration but in dialogue. I’ll give it two more volumes until Mia becomes Pickle-Mia sticking out her gyatt for the Pepefrog. Another example would be “… Mia and her crew …”. Before it would have been something like “… Mia and her retinue …” or something more fitting to the setting. But now it’s “crew”. Another character said “nope”. There are a lot more examples. The entire prose changed into something you would rather expect in reddit post than a fantasy novel. It could have been one of the all-time greats but thanks to the translator change it became mid at best. It’s really so saddening to see something you love get turned into shit. - 5/10
“… Mia and her crew …”. Before it would have been something like “… Mia and her retinue …”
yikes, that is sure to kill any sort of immersion someone has in a story like this. Now I feel afraid of reading up this far, while I’m not an absolute fan of Mia yet I really like the world building and plot.
What makes this especially bitter is that the previous translation was easily the best LN translation available. Usually a translation is something you don’t really think about when reading a book, but Tearmoon 1-9 had such a great translation that I was often thinking about how much wit and wordplay it had. I was comparing the prose to Prattchett when recommending the series to someone. The difference between the two is so extreme going from one of the best to one of the worst. I don’t know how all this internet slang made it past the editor.
