The Great Cleric Volume 1 Review

It would be entertaining if this led to some small change in this world. May your new life be a happy one. The God of Fate.

I was just about to reach my goal. A hardworking Japanese salaryman is unlucky enough to get shot on the street and as his consciousness fades away, he makes a fervent wish. I can’t die…not yet… Due to a lost bet between the God of Fate and the Chief God, he is one of ten souls chosen to be reincarnated on the planet Galdardia, a fantasy world where magic and monsters exist.

Now a 15-year-old boy called Luciel, he will have to navigate the new world, with his own strength. Thankfully, though, the god who sent him over allowed him to choose his own skills which appear in a videogame-like skill window. To have the best chance of survival, Luciel picks both healing and combative skills. Now he just needs to train and start making some money.

The first step is heading into town and signing up to the local Healers’ Guild. But as soon as he reaches the town’s gates, problems arise. Thanks to a woman from the Healers’ Guild, Lady Lumina, he reaches his destination safely and starts learning healing magic. But it’s not enough. He also needs to find a way to protect himself, and so the Adventurers’ Guild is the next logical step. There is just a teeny tiny problem…Luciel is afraid of the adventurers.

Certainly, the adventurers he meets look scary, but there is a reason why that is. Little by little, Luciel learns of the racism that the humans show toward the beastfolk and most adventurers seem to be beastfolk. Moreover, the corruption in the healers’ ranks doesn’t make the adventurers trust this new guy. It seems as if Luciel is biting off more than he can chew, but persevering in his goals might show the people and creatures surrounding him that he’s different.

His first priority, though, is surviving the hellish training that Brod, an instructor at the Adventurers’ Guild, puts him through.

The Great Cleric is based on a light novel series and follows the isekai trope down to a T in that the main character is an overworked salaryman who dies in this world after visiting a client; when he’s reincarnated in a new world, he gets skills and right away finds a way to get stronger. However, the story seems rushed, leaving little room for character growth. Luciel doesn’t doubt or despair about what he went through on Earth, but he accepts his new life calmly. Yes, the god gave him skills and the knowledge to read and speak the local language, but other than that, he is on his own.

Luciel takes the initiative in deciding to get stronger, but his interactions with people in this new world betray his gullibility. He’s too trustworthy. His good personality trait is that he treats both humans and beastfolk the same. Beastfolk are actually sceptical of him at the beginning, not trusting his intentions. Only when he takes action do they start to open up to him. The bet between the gods was to send ten souls to the fantasy world, so it remains to be seen if the other reincarnated souls will become Luciel’s friends or foes once he meets them.

Galdardia resembles Europe during the Middle Ages for its architecture, while the fashion is a mix between medieval and ‘adventurer’ clothing—optimal for hunting monsters. And of course, let’s not forget the magic element. The videogame-like skills window that Luciel possesses seems to be unique to him as Galdardia’s inhabitants haven’t shown yet if they see it as well.

The Great Cleric is written by Broccoli Lion, illustrated by Hiiro Akikaze and the character design is by sime. The TV anime is available on Crunchyroll, while the digital (12 volumes) and print editions (7 volumes, with #8 announced for March 2024) are published by Kodansha with a translation by Steven LeCroy.

Our review copy from Kodansha was supplied by Diamond Book Distributors UK.