A Sister’s All You Need Volume 13 Review

Volume 12 of A Sister’s All You Need was filled with drama with Itsuki and Nayuta breaking up, leaving Haruto and Miyako to pick up the pieces. Now the two lovebirds are back together and with the conclusion of the whole series looming with Volume 14, author Yomi Hirasaka begins wrapping up everyone else’s storylines here in Volume 13. 

With Itsuki writing again, Haruto about to launch a new book series and Nayuta happy again, the spotlight falls on Miyako who’s about to join Branch Hill Publishing as a full-time editor. While she’s previously worked part-time at GF Bunko (the publisher Itsuki and his friends work with), this is the first time she’s stepped out into the working world without that support network should she run into a problem. 

For her first two weeks, Miyako works under senior editor Ayane Mitahora, who promises to mentor her and lend a helping hand whenever needed. She’s delighted that although Miyako has just finished college she has a good grasp of the fundamentals of the job already and handles her assignments with ease. With not much training to be done, Ayane puts Miyako on the company’s latest project – launching a light novel imprint. 

Up until now, Branch Hill Publishing has stayed away from the light novel market, so their first job is to find writers who’d be happy to work with them. Miyako spends her time on web novel sites, looking for series that are popular and would do well if professionally published. After picking out a particularly interesting one and arranging a meeting, Miyako is surprised to find a familiar face behind the work. 

The author behind the web novel turns out to be Soma Misaka, who readers may remember as the winner of the 15th GF Bunko New Writers Contest a few volumes ago. More recently we saw him get banned from GF Bunko after arguing with his editor and making some unreasonable demands, an event Miyako witnessed. However, Soma is in luck since Miyako doesn’t agree with everything that happened at GF Bunko and she’s happy to give the rookie a second chance. 

Most importantly, Ayane also gives her permission for Miyako to act as Soma’s editor although she does have concerns about what happened at GF Bunko. Our heroine sets to work finding an illustrator for the work and giving Soma suggestions to fix up the web novel draft to make it better suited to being a published book. However, it doesn’t take long for trouble to brew between the rookie writer and editor duo… 

Like many of the stories in A Sister’s All You Need, this one gives us a fascinating look at what goes into creating the light novels we enjoy so much – even if it’s often dramatised. This is the first time we’ve seen so much of the process from the editor’s point of view instead of a writer, which makes it especially interesting. Although Miyako was doing some editorial duties at GF Bunko, it was nothing like the work she’s doing here which helps keep things fresh. For someone who enjoys learning the ins and outs of the process, this is perfect reading. 

I have to say I am impressed with this book, which acts as the conclusion to Miyako’s arc. Back in Volume 1 of A Sister’s All You Need she was my least favourite character because it never felt like she fit in with the rest of the characters and the world they inhabited. But this storyline has taken her in a direction I couldn’t have imagined back then and now she’s firmly earned a spot in my heart because of it. Our protagonist Itsuki aside, Miyako’s story is the most rewarding in the entire series which is something I certainly didn’t expect to be writing anytime soon. She’s figured out what she wants to do in life and while she still faces plenty of problems before she can reach the ideal she wants to be, it’s both realistic and relatable to watch her on this journey. 

A Sister’s All You Need Volume 13 comes to the West thanks to Yen Press and continues to be translated by Kevin Gifford. The translation reads well with no problems to note. Included at the back of the volume is a short story from the limited edition version of Volume 13 in Japan, which is a very silly tale involving zombies (yes, you read that right). The author recommends reading this a while after the main story to avoid ruining any of the ‘good vibes’ you have, although I wouldn’t go so far as to say that myself. It may not be as serious as the contents of Volume 13, but it showcases the eccentric nature of the cast and series overall. 

As previously mentioned, Volume 14 is the conclusion of the series and is currently scheduled for an English release in February, so not long left before we bid this one farewell.

Overall, A Sister’s All You Need Volume 13 proves itself a highlight of the whole series. It’s unlikely anyone would be jumping ship now, given we’re only one volume from the end of the series, but all the same, I’m happy to report that this one is still well worth reading.