The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter (manga) Volume 6 Review

Seiichirou Kondou, 30, accountant and workaholic, has made a career and a reputation for himself in the Royal Accounting Department in the Other World kingdom of Romany after he was accidentally spirited away alongside high-school girl Yua, the chosen Holy Maiden. Unlike Yua, he has no resistance to the ‘magicules’ of his new environment and if it weren’t for the devoted attentions of Knight Captain Aresh Indolark, he would have died. But now the two men are apart. Seiichirou has been sent by Prime Minister Camile to investigate the finances of the Church of Abran. And he’s being exposed to the raw magical energy emanating from the children cared for by the Church whose magical abilities are out of control. Even though Father Siegvold, a charismatic young priest at the church, has been looking after him – Yua is present too, with her devoted prince, Yurius, ‘in disguise’ as they set up a charitable school for the children – there’s also a malign presence in the background, determined to cover up the financial irregularities that Seiichirou has found in the accounts. The more Seiichirou is exposed to the magic contained within the Church, the more his health deteriorates. Meanwhile, Aresh is on the trail of some dangerous magical creatures and is too far away to come to Seiichirou’s aid.

Seiichirou is concerned that the special ‘sacred relic’ kept in the prayer chamber in the Church is not only absorbing the excess magic from the children, but is also possibly affecting Yua’s purification abilities by absorbing her magical energy too. But the one he should be most concerned about is himself! When the children go the prayer chamber for a ceremony, Ist from the Sorcery Department is there to observe alongside Seiichirou and Father Siegvold but is intrigued when one of the children tells him that the ceremony is ‘different’ these days. Aresh is on his way back from his mission and has just arrived at the Church when there’s the sound of an explosion from the prayer chamber!

Mangaka Kazuki Irodori again brings Yatsuki Wakatsu’s characters to life in Volume 6 and really makes us believe in Aresh’s feelings for Seiichirou. There are also some rewarding moments when we begin to see that Seiichirou is at last becoming able to acknowledge his own feelings for his prickly but devoted Knight Captain. The cover art delivers a very striking image, conveying how much Seiichirou has come to trust and depend on Aresh – but also the grim desperation in Aresh’s eyes and the set of his jaw tells us how close Sei has come to death. At this stage in the narrative the whole ‘sexual healing’ which brings Aresh to get to know Seiichirou so intimately has changed and matured into a relationship between the two men, so no more talk of Stockholm Syndrome from me here.

In the touching bonus chapter ‘The Future Outlook Depends on the Two of Them?’ we see Sei and Aresh back at home, looked after by his kindly butler Valtom and the rest of Aresh’s servants (who are more like family). But then Milan the maid says quietly to Valtom, “If they succeed in inventing a means to return to his world… will Master Kondou depart from this one in the end?” planting the seeds of the question that readers will have also been asking. Yua has admitted that she misses her family – but she’s still only a teenager, so it’s natural that she’d want to go ‘home’ in spite of the affection of the crown prince. But Seiichirou is a grown man and now he’s in a relationship with Aresh, would he be able to return to Japan without him? Especially as there might not be a way to come back, meaning they’d never see each other again.

Translation for Yen Press is again by Emma Schumacker with lettering by DK, making this a smooth read. There are no extras apart from the bonus chapter.

Events are building up to the unmasking of the wrongdoers at the Church, with all its attendant dangers for Seiichirou (and Yua too). Volume 7 is already out in Japan – but whether the manga will go on to bring us the storyline from the third light novel or not is unknown at this stage. However, by the time this review goes live, the anime TV series of this title will have started airing and the ‘first BL isekai’ to become widely known in translation, thanks to Yen Press, will be reaching an even wider audience. We’ll be discussing the anime in our Winter Preview and Volume 6-7ish is probably about as far as the anime will go.

Our review copy was supplied by Yen Press.