The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest Volume 3 Review
As we continue The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest into Volume 3, I bring good news! Since the release of the last volume, an anime adaptation for the series has been confirmed. Having previously stated how much fun this manga would be animated, I’m certainly happy to learn of the announcement and look forward to watching it. In the meantime, let’s see what the third book has in store for the cast.
Mathias, Alma and Lurie continue to explore the dungeon as we rejoin them. With the demon realm preparing for an invasion, Mathias wants to ensure that the girls can look after each other and so continues to go further and further into the depths of the dungeon.
However, our hero is also searching for materials to help create a barricade to protect the city from the demons. So while the girls fight monsters and gain more proficiency in their abilities, Mathias hunts for the ore he needs. Eventually, Mathias decides to leave the girls behind on a safer floor as he descends to the 25th, something which is a world record!
Not only does Mathias finally find the ore he’s been hunting, but he also finds himself a boss to fight! Having not had a powerful enemy to fight since reincarnating into this body at the start of the series, this gives our hero the chance to finally let loose and use his full power.
As you’ll have perhaps noticed from my summary thus far, not a lot happens in this volume of The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest – at least not until the final chapter. It’s clear that this probably worked better in the original light novels where the training saga would have been part of a book rather than the whole book.
It’s not that there is anything particularly wrong with the content of this book. It’s entertaining enough and the action scenes are eye-catching and captivating, but I do hope there is more to the plot in the next instalment. Plus it would be nice for the cast to get some development beyond simply getting stronger. It’s clear that Alma and Lurie have more to their stories that we have yet to see.
Despite my complaining about the lack of plot progression, I am still enjoying the series. As I mentioned above, the artwork for the series continues to be very expressive. I also like how we have a broad range of monster designs now, ranging from the cute (but vicious) right up to fearsome beasts that are ready to kill our cast. This book in particular also makes good use of two-page spreads, which I am always fond of in an action-driven series such as this.
While we haven’t gotten to the point of the series losing my interest nor will it for other readers invested in it, there is certainly a time limit on how long it can continue to prioritise flashy battles over progressing the story. How many more volumes you’re willing to give it will be down to the individual reader, of course, but I do think two or three more will be enough for me.
The Strongest Sage with the Weakest CrestVolume 3 comes to the West thanks to Square Enix Manga and has been translated by Caleb D. Cook. The translation reads well with no problems to note. As with previous releases there is a short story included in the back of the book, which is a nice bonus. Volume 4 of the series is scheduled for release in July.
Overall, this is one of the weaker entries in The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest since not much plot progression is made. Having said that, the artwork continues to be a big plus for the series and if you’ve been enjoying it for that so far you won’t be disappointed.
