Unnamed Memory Volume 4 Manga Review

Unnamed Memory currently has its anticipated anime adaptation airing and available to watch on Crunchyroll, but if you’re looking for more from the franchise, then have no fear as the manga is always here. With a fourth volume now under its belt, let’s check in on Oscar and Tinasha’s adventures.

As we reunite with our dynamic duo, we find Tinasha informing Oscar that she’ll be leaving the castle for a few days to air out the magical items she keeps in the tower. Before leaving, she warns him to stay safely at home and not go and get himself into any kind of trouble, as he is prone to doing when unsupervised.

Unfortunately for Tinasha, Oscar gets a report that nine people have disappeared in a forest in eastern Farsas before later being found dead. This is too important a case for Oscar to leave to his knights alone, so despite his best intentions, he sneaks out with Lazar to investigate himself. In the forest, the two soon find themselves facing off against some kind of man-eating plant.

Although Lazar gets poisoned in the fight against the plant (poor Lazar, always falling victim after being dragged around by Oscar!), the two find themselves being saved by The Witch of the Forbidden Forest: Lucrezia. Due to the magical barrier Oscar has around him at all times, the witch instantly recognises it as Tinasha’s work and can’t resist gossiping with the prince about her old friend.

Oscar is surprised not only that there’s a second witch within Farsas, but also that she’s familiar with Tinasha. Although he knows witches are dangerous, he can’t help but want to find out more about Tinasha from her and is shocked to learn that Lucrezia knew Tinasha before she even became a witch. Oscar always assumed that Tinasha was born with her remarkable powers, which leads him to wonder why exactly she became such a powerful mage in the first place…

After an action-packed ending to the previous arc, here in Volume 4, it feels like we have a chance to regroup before diving into the next big storyline. With Tinasha out of the picture for a little under half the book, it also means more time spent developing Oscar and newcomer Lucrezia who looks set to continue hanging around the group. As we’ve not seen any witches other than Tinasha up to this point, Lucrezia’s introduction is very welcome, especially as she has a long-standing relationship with our heroine. Just what secrets does she hold and is she truly friendly or a foe waiting to strike?

Elsewhere we’re also dealing with the fallout surrounding Tinasha’s identity as a witch being revealed to everyone else in the castle. This led to some uncomfortable encounters for her but also served as a strong foundation for getting her involved in investigations and so forth. But, the reveal also means word of her living in the castle with Oscar is spreading and that means people from her past may begin seeking her out, as we see toward the end of this book. That’s certainly going to lead to some interesting developments going forward!

With the anime now airing, I’ve come to realise that the manga adaptation is the perfect middle ground for newcomers between the original light novels and its animated outing. While the anime has been speeding through the original content and skipping large chunks here and there, the manga is still taking its time and including everything important for us to understand the motivations of the cast. I recommend this if you’re not interested in light novels but perhaps have been watching the anime and want a more coherent experience. Or if you simply want to enjoy more of this world, artist Naoki Koshimizu has been doing a wonderful job of bringing it to life so far.

Unnamed Memory Volume 4 comes to the West thanks to Yen Press where it continues to be translated by Jeremiah Bourque with lettering by Chiho Christie. As usual, the translation reads well with no problems. Like the previous instalments of the series, this release contains a colour page at the beginning, this time depicting Lucrezia.

Volume 5 of the series is set for a release later this month and after that, we’re likely in for a lengthy break as #6 only just came out in Japan in February.

Overall, Unnamed Memory Volume 4 gives us the chance to reset before jumping into a new arc. We’re still treated to some excellent action scenes and get to learn more about Tinasha’s history, which is always a welcome addition.

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