Unnamed Memory Volume 6 Review
While I’ve been regularly reviewing the Unnamed Memory manga adaptation, when it comes to the light novel, it has been over a year since I covered Volume 5. Some of that is simply down to a backlog of stuff to cover, but it’s also because this is the series’ final book, and saying goodbye to a favourite is often hard. Nevertheless, the time has come to close this one out, so let’s see if it has remained a solid read to the end.
As we reunite with our main characters Oscar and Tinasha we find them preparing for their wedding. Yes, despite Tinasha being the leader of Tuldarr, she declared she would only rule for a single year and then abdicate and hand over to Legis who had been managing the country before Tinasha awoke from her 300-year-slumber in Volume 4. Once free of her status as queen, Tinasha will move to Farsas and marry Oscar.
But before that, there’s still some time left in her one-year reign and crisis after crisis to solve! From a mysterious song that’s leading people to kill themselves to the king of a neighbouring kingdom falling into a coma. Yes, there’s a lot for our cast to contend with and somehow it all leads back to the Eleterria orbs (time-altering artefacts, one of which caused the timeline change in Volume 3/4) and the mage Valt who seems to know a lot more than he’s willing to admit. Why does Valt want to get his hands on the orbs? And, more importantly, what changes will he make to the world once he does?
Just like previous volumes of Unnamed Memory, this instalment feels a bit like a short story collection to begin with. Various incidents seem unconnected but soon begin to tie into the overall narrative as we’ve come to expect from the earlier volumes. And of course, rather than just conclude the overarching storyline for this book, this one has to tie off the whole series.
I’m somewhat torn when it comes to the conclusion of the main story. On one hand, it manages to finish most of its plotlines neatly, but there are some elements that I feel the author backed themselves into a corner with: mostly regarding Valt, why he desired the orbs and his ultimate goal and motivation. But those are small nit-picks on the whole and I don’t think take away from the bigger picture substantially. Particularly as a lot of what we learn about Valt is so emotionally hard-hitting and satisfying that it’s easy to forgive some missteps later on; the author has more than done justice to his character.
Since my last time reviewing this title, I’ve read one of Kuji Furumiya’s other works: A Pale Moon Reverie. Through that, I’ve come to appreciate all the more the care Furumiya puts into their works and the attention to detail. Both Pale Moon and Unnamed Momeory have rich settings that are filled to the brim with interesting elements that leave you eager to learn more. Couple that with characters who are engaging, thanks to their chemistry, and you have books that are difficult to put down. I didn’t want Unnamed Memory to end, didn’t want to say goodbye to the world I’m so engrossed in. Because of that, a lot was riding on the conclusion; it had to leave the characters in the right places without the reader lamenting there not being any more – and it accomplishes that.
At the end of the book, there are a couple of pages of comments from popular light novel author Tappei Nagatsuki (Re:Zero) where he comments: “I believe that for humans, the discovery of a good book is one of the finest and most irreplaceable treasures in life.” And truly I think Unnamed Memory is one of those irreplaceable treasures. It’s not perfect, some people won’t get on with its intricate storytelling or Oscar’s personality for example, but this is a light novel series like no other. Nothing else comes close to Furumiya’s way of bringing a story together slowly and neatly in a genre that’s so expansive. This is a fantasy, there’s a lot to juggle with just the politics of the differing countries alone but add in mages, witches, time travel and plenty of other genre-relevant concepts and you have yourself something other writers would struggle to contend with.
Volume 6 of Unnamed Memory comes to the West thanks to Yen Press and is translated by Sarah Tangney. As always with this one, the translation read well with no issues of note. If you’re still looking for more from this series then there’s a manga adaptation being released by Yen Press and an anime in the works, which is due for airing later in the year.
Unnamed Memory also has an ongoing sequel series subtitled After the End, but that is sadly unlicensed at the time of writing. But if you’re eager to read more of Furumiya’s work then keep an eye out for Babel, which Yen Press is releasing later in the year and which is set in the same universe as Unnamed Memory.
Overall, Unnamed Memory reaches a satisfying conclusion with a book that manages to tie off most of its ongoing storylines with a neat bow. If you’ve enjoyed the series up to this point then this certainly won’t disappoint as you watch over Oscar and Tinasha’s final adventure (for now, anyway).
Our review copy from Yen Press was supplied by Diamond Book Distributors UK.
