The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter (light novel) Volume 2 Review Church Management Support Plan
Just when salaryman Seiichirou was grudgingly settling into his new life as a court accountant in the Romany Kingdom (sustained and protected by Knight Commander Aresh Indolark’s magic) he’s dispatched on an important mission: an audit of the church of the god Abran. At the same time, Aresh is sent away on a dangerous mission. So now Seiichirou is on his own and even though Aresh does everything in his power to protect him with magical barriers before he leaves, the church is filled with all kinds of magic (especially a sacred relic). To make matters worse, the church is also caring for children who have been abandoned by their families because of their inability to control their own magic. Yua, the Holy Maiden, is a frequent visitor at the church but Seiichirou is seen by the church hierarchy as a threat as his plan to protect her role in banishing the miasma has also diminished her relevance. Seiichirou is not made to feel welcome at the church at first – but then Siegvold, a young priest, takes an interest him as another otherworlder, like Yua. “You may not be the Holy Maiden,” he tells Seiichirou, “but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re a disciple sent by God.” It’s the first time that anyone has told Seiichirou that his arrival in the kingdom has ‘meaning’. Siegvold is charismatic, with violet eyes (an unusual colour) like Aresh, and Seiichirou can’t help wondering if they’re related.
Yua is determined to set up a private school for poor children and the children at the church and Prince Yurius (who has a crush on her) is persuaded by Seiichirou to help. But what is the mystery and significance of the sacred relic that the church protects? Is something sinister being planned within the hierarchy of the church and is Seiichirou in danger?
Readers who are up to date with Yen Press’s English edition of the manga (four volumes so far of the five released in Japan with a sixth on the way) will be keen to read the second of the original light novels. So here we have the whole of the Church Management Support Plan arc, which moves the story on beyond Volume 4 of the manga, shows Yua, the Holy Maiden in a new light, and offers some growth in the relationship of Sei and Aresh.
Of the two versions available in English, however, I still prefer Kazuki Irodori’s manga for the same reasons I outlined in my review of Volume 1 of the light novel. Even though the original illustrations by Kikka Ohashi were the template for Irodori’s character designs, the manga brings them to sparkling life. Here thirty-year-old Seiichirou still looks like a schoolboy of the swotty Harry-Potter type (not a good look) – and he’s always depicted in the Volume 2 illustrations and even the cover art looking annoyed, embarrassed, ill, his grimacing face covered in sweat drops (cold sweat? fever?). Why does this bother me? Because this is a Boys’ Love series which delivers scenes describing a sexual act between two men which is medicinal in purpose. So that’s all right, then! As the story opens, our hero still doesn’t seem to be experiencing any kind of affection, even though Aresh obviously feels differently. But it’s okay for Aresh and Sei to have sex because it’s saving Sei’s life! If the shtick is that – having been compelled to undergo the sexual experience because if he doesn’t he’ll die (because of his inability to physically cope with the magicules of the Other World) – Seiichirou eventually falls for his partner, this comes across as a kind-of Stockholm Syndrome-y get-out clause. The sex scenes are still unsexy to read (the volume is rated 16+) but when Aresh and Seiichirou actually talk together, their developing relationship becomes much more believable and relatable.
It’s not just the way the sex scenes are written that I find problematic. The repetitive and unnecessary character descriptions which afflict so many light novels appear on every page (Prime Minister Camile’s pink-blonde, perfectly coiffed hair is mentioned every time he appears, which is amusing at first but rapidly becomes wearisome). If you’re invested in the characters, you’ll be prepared to tolerate these kinds of verbal tics but redundant sentences like ‘Selio’s bright-green eyelashes moved up and down as he blinked’ and ‘Camile huffed a laugh through his nose’ needed removing before the novel went to press. I accept that many light novels are web novels and usually released as serials, chapter by chapter, but before print copies are brought out, surely it doesn’t hurt to do some revision?
However, if you can put these concerns to one side, there’s an intriguing plot which begins to emerge, pitting the various factions within the court and church (and the Royal Accounting Department) against each other. There are even hints of heresy – and belief in a rival deity. Yua plays a much more active role in this volume and that’s a real plus as it’s good to see her asserting herself as well as becoming Seiichirou’s ally; she brings a refreshingly different vibe to the whole novel.
There are plenty of black-and-white illustrations as well as a character guide at the front. As extras, there’s also Norbert’s Report and the rather touching letters that Seiichirou writes to Aresh but doesn’t send. An Afterword from author Yatsuki Wakatsu rounds off the volume. The translation for Yen On is again by Jenny Murphy and works well as before.
Good news for manga fans is that Volume 5 is due out in December from Yen Press; I’m really looking forward to seeing the way Irodori brings the first chapters of this story arc to life!
Our review copy from Yen On was supplied by Diamond Book Distributors UK.
