Category: Recommendation

Genre: Action, Fantasy

Summary [from NU]

An F-Class Hunter.

And on top of that, a F-class older brother who can’t even begin to catch up to the heels of his amazing S-class little brother.

After living a life that fell to pieces and even destroying my little brother’s life, I picked up the following resolution:

“Perfect Caregiver”

That’s right, this time, instead of becoming mean, I will quietly support those who are more capable.

Is what I thought… but the S-classes are kind of… weird.

Personal Thoughts [spoiler free]

And by weird, it means yandere. Lol. As of chapter 42, the main character, Han Yujin (or is it Han Yoojin?), is officially raising two S-classes. They’re both possessive and protective of the MC, and they get jealous of each other. A scene which is similar to watching a shrimp caught between two whales fighting is so funny, and that shrimp actually has the most authority out of the three. Oh, and in case the summary wasn’t clear enough, this is one of those second chances, go back to the past to change things type of story.

This story has a somewhat slow pace, slice of life feel at the moment as the MC tries to gather S-classes around him, make his brother’s guild the strongest, and make amends for the past. I like how the MC is more mature and level-headed in his second go at life (due to his past life experiences), but he is still selfish, which makes him human and relatable. The important point is that his selfishness is more on the lazy side, so he doesn’t come across as a despicable person, just pragmatic and realistic. The supporting characters are also interesting. People who hated the MC in his first life are not painted as the bad guys for the MC to face slap, instead their current friendly interactions with the MC highlight how much of a douche the MC was in his first life.

 

English Title: The Reincarnated Princess Strikes Down Flags Today as Well

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Harem, Romance, Shoujo, Slice of Life

Summary [from NU]

Personal Thoughts [spoiler free]

I first discovered the manga version of this story. The artwork is gorgeous. The story is cute, funny, and smart. After binging all the manga chapters, I learned that it was adapted from a novel and was lucky enough to find that it’s being translated.

The story starts off as a typical “oh no, I am the villainess in an otome game, let’s break my death flags just by being a good person,” but then it delves into the politics of what it really means to be a princess of a country and other mysterious intrigue to illustrate that beneath the shiny otome game veneer, there is a deeper and shadier side to every story.

I find the MC, Rosemarie, to be very likable and realistic. She’s smart but not omnipotent. Even though she may come across as Mary Sue-ish, the story and characters are actually not stacked around her. The narrative clearly shows that she doesn’t always have control of the situation. But she tries her best.

There are mixed feelings about the father/king character. Some people think he is interesting, some people think he is a douche. As of chapter 67, I am in the latter camp. He may be a smart individual and a resourceful king, but he’s a poor father, and since I love my baby Rosemarie, he gets a nope from me until he proves otherwise.

English Title: I Will Definitely Keep This Engagement Breaking in my Absolute Memory

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Shoujo

Summary [from NU]

A foolish Crown Prince who wants to break off his engagement. Will everything turn out as the Crown Prince wants or will the girl overturn everything with her abilities?

Personal Thoughts [spoiler free]

Excellent verbal smack down from the “villainess” to the cheating couple. This is a one-shot. Great for those times when you need a quick face-slapping story.

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

Summary [from NU]

When I opened my eyes, I was inside a novel.

[The Birth of a Hero].

[The Birth of a Hero] was a novel focused on the adventures of the main character, Choi Han, a high school boy who was transported to a different dimension from Earth, along with the birth of the numerous heroes of the continent.
I became a part of that novel as the trash of the Count’s family, the family that oversaw the territory where the first village that Choi Han visits is located.

The problem is that Choi Han becomes twisted after that village, and everyone in it, are destroyed by assassins.

The bigger problem is the fact that this stupid trash who I’ve become doesn’t know about what happened in the village and messes with Choi Han, only to get beaten to a pulp.

“…This is going to be a problem.”

I feel like something serious has happened to me.

But it was worth trying to make this my new life.

 

Personal Thoughts [spoiler free]

This one is a long novel. It’s already at 400+ chapters and still ongoing. At the time of writing this review, I am only on chapter 85. Updates for this story is nearly daily, so it’s good for those readers who are constantly craving more. This is the second Korean novel I’m reading. (I didn’t love the first one I randomly picked up, so I’m not recommending that one.) I’m not too good with Korean names, as I’m not used to them yet, so it’s good that the fantasy setting of this novel means that a lot of the characters have English sounding names and I can follow along better. For those who are just dipping their toes into Korean novels, I think this would be a good one to ease your way in.

Perhaps due to the overarching length of this novel, I feel that events happen quite slowly and gradually, so if I’m craving action and fast development, then this is not a story that I can binge. But the contents itself is enjoyable at a slower pace, and I like the main character, Cale. He is easygoing and laid-back, so following his adventures through his eyes feels relaxing(?) Lol. He also looks out for his people, although he denies it, like the tsundere that he is.

I enjoy Cale’s relationship with the hero, Choi Han. I’ve read quite a few non-BL “MC becomes a villain in a book” type stories (in Chinese and Japanese too), and in those stories, the original hero or protagonist of the book becomes the foil/villain to the MC. That, or they don’t get mentioned (for a long time). Cale actually meets Choi Han rather early on and they have a working relationship that is neither enemies nor best buddies. I’m interested in seeing how their relationship progresses.

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, Slice of Life, Supernatural, Yaoi

Summary [from NU]

“Please, I implore you to save the world.” This is what a goddess in white says to me in a pure-white space. Such is the standard line that suggests the game is about to begin. Please say this stirring line to boys and girls with sparkling eyes! It’s wrong to direct it to someone like me, who’s exhausted from job hunting! When I declined her politely, she flew into a fit of tears; when I agreed to assist her on small tasks out of reflex, she proclaimed: “it’ll be fine if you just help in the Starting-Village Arc. Please guide the Hero!” Then she tossed me into another world. No, this is a world modeled after a game that this gamer goddess likes…

Personal Thoughts [spoiler free]

I’ve been following this story for a long while. Now that there are more chapters out, I feel more confident about recommending it to others. This is a super sweet, cute, and funny story about an adorably funny MC who tries to be a villain, but instead just comes across as tsundere. He seems to be a bit slow in the romance department, or maybe he’s just in denial, but he is smart and very hardworking. It’s very clear the amount of effort he puts into nurturing the hero and in researching ways to protect the village.

I absolutely love the ML in this story. He’s so perceptive and mature. It’s like a breath of fresh air, because I feel like I’ve been reading about a lot of dense characters lately.

For a story set in an action/adventure game, there isn’t much adventuring at the moment. Mostly it’s a slice of life, and the main focus is in the characters’ relationships with each other. If you want a relaxing read with no frustrating drama (as of chapter 17) then I recommend this story to you.

 

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Harem, Historical, Romance, Yaoi

Summary [from NU]

Ma Xiaodong was a good-natured young man content with his lot in life. He had a job, a girlfriend, and a car. In this life, he had it made. One day he had a quarrel with his girlfriend who cursed his lack of ambition, saying that he should be struck by lightning from the heavens. As he drove through the pouring rain, a dazzling lightning bolt hit his car!

Unbelievable… the heavens must have gotten something wrong!! As compensation for the mistake, the underworld’s emissary let him transmigrate into a good body with great fortune.

Thus he was reborn as a first-class prince in Ancient times. But what’s this? Why is the person in his bed a man? This is not good!

Personal Thoughts [spoiler free]

A funny story about a blundering straight man trying to navigate his unsolicited harem of beautiful men. This is a BL story that is told from the uncommon perspective of the seme. As of chapter 38 there is no papapa scene yet, but there’s been a few hot kisses.

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Gender Bender, Sci-fi

Summary [from NU]

The red meteor shower rained across the sky, a black fog engulfed the world.

After waking from a night of torture and agony,

Humans discovered they no longer dominated the world.

—The hunters have become the hunted.

After the apocalypse, I struggled for survival for ten bitter years, but ultimately couldn’t escape death.

But when I opened my eyes again, I had transformed from an ordinary 35-year old woman into a beautiful young man of 18.

A different gender, a world that is both familiar yet not, an apocalypse that has vanished without a trace, and an unexpected return of 17 years of youth.

Looking around, I discovered I had a powerful, protective big brother and a gentle, charming little sister.

Just as things couldn’t possibly look any brighter—

The end of the world came crashing down again.

And this time around, is it fight? Or flight?

 

Personal Thoughts [spoiler free]

I recently had a hankering for a zombie apocalypse story, so I picked this one out from my to-read list, and boy was I blown away. The action scenes were especially captivating and well written. I think timing is really important when reading novels (or consuming any other form of media). When you have a craving for a particular genre or trope, the story instantly becomes much more interesting to you than if you were to casually pick up a story you know nothing about. While that was definitely the case for me, this story also has its own merits.

The protagonist is likable despite several negative traits, because it makes them realistic and relatable. They end up stepping on people’s toes, especially in the beginning, but that’s because of the paranoia they carried over from their past life. I usually don’t like drama caused by misunderstandings, because most of the time they’re not done well, but the ones in this story were well executed imo. Due to the protagonist’s past, it’s not easy for them to just talk it out, which is how most misunderstandings could be resolved, but they do eventually open up and grow as a person.

I do have one gripe about the protagonist, and that is their tendency to space out when they’re deep in thought. The first time it happened, it was played for comedic effect, and I was fine with it, but then she spaces out in the middle of battle. I don’t care how much of a space cadet you are, you do not zone out when there are enemies right in front you. The protagonist would literally space out in the middle of action and go off on a tangent. Although some could argue that the protagonist’s monologue thoughts help to build the world, I would have to counter-argue that the timing and placement of such world building material is poor. These sections make me frustrated and thus decreases my enjoyment of the story.

In regards to the cast of characters, I like how they each have their own strengths (and hints of more background stories). They’re not just there to prop up the main character. They’re all strong and interesting in their own way. Even the non-combatant characters are given attention. I especially enjoy the protagonist’s relationship with their two siblings (although these siblings really are too good to be real, but it’s so fluffy and moe to read about).

The translation quality by Prince Revolution! is simply top notch. They seem to be translating a lot of other works by the same author, although I haven’t read those yet, so no comments at the moment. Translation speed is a bit slow (approximately once a month), but they are consistent and the translations read super smooth. Highly recommend.

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, Smut, Yaoi

Summary [from NU]

When he first crossed over, Chen Liguo did not want to accept it.

But he quickly discovered, after he crossed, he found that all the men he met had perfect figures and eight-packs. Furthermore, these men liked him.

As a gay man, Chen Liguo was so excited he shed tears of joy.

However, the world obviously wouldn’t have such good things.

Because, just as he was drooling and about to pounce, a system appeared and told him: Buddy, sorry to let you down, but you can’t be with these people.

Chen Liguo: What if I insist?

System: Hehe

……

Chen Liguo: You trash system! Destroying my youth! Ruining my s*x life!

 

Personal Thoughts [spoiler free]

I held off on recommending this one, because while I thoroughly enjoyed the first arc, the second and third arcs fell short of my expectations. However, the fourth and fifth arc reeled me back into the story. Now I’m on the sixth arc, and more confident about recommending this story as one that I enjoy reading. (Please keep in mind that this is all a matter of personal taste. I might like some things that you don’t and vice versa.)

This story has some dark themes and tags (like rape, confinement, and stalking) that would be a cause for horror in any other story, but the MC here makes it work. From his internal thoughts we can see that the MC is not bothered by his circumstances and he even enjoys it, finding it to be the thrilling, hence, giving levity to what would otherwise be a very dark and bleak situation. I must say, the MC’s interactions with his system as they bicker during these tense situations is some of the comedy highlights of this series. The MC purposely acts like a fool in his head and pokes fun at his system, who is just so fed up with its stupid host that it digs pits in retaliation. It’s hilarious if you enjoy that kind of comedy. Although some people might find this in-story commentary jarring, as it can break up the pacing of the non-meta story.

I’m sure we all entertain some dark sexual fantasies in our heads; things that we know are problematic and unacceptable in real life, but still fun to fantasize about within the safety of our minds. And this story caters to some of my darker fantasies. In particular I love it when the ML is obsessively in love, a little forceful, but always gentle with the MC. So far, the ML of arc one is my favorite. Some yanderes are plain delusional, but this one is self-aware enough to know that what he is doing is wrong, yet at the same time he can’t let the MC go.

A super big plus of this series is the ‘daughter of fate’ of each world, or the FL. She is BOMB in every single arc I’ve read so far, even in the two arcs that I didn’t like as much. Ironically enough, the FL with the weakest presence is in the first arc, simply because she didn’t have as much screen time, but all the FLs have unique personalities and they truly deserve to be the ‘daughter of fate.’ They’re all good and/or heroic people. Actually good people. After all the copious amounts of green tea b*tches and straight up villainess girls I see in BL stories, I could just cry from happiness at how lovely these girls are. I love them all (some are shy, some are straightforward) and I would date any one of them. In particular, the FLs of arcs three, five, and six really stand out in my memory. Honorable mention to a female side character in arc four who – I kid you not – serenaded the MC with a guitar, roses, and all. It was really cute and romantic. Too bad our MC is gay. XD

Another BL quick transmigration story with actual good female characters is It’s Actually Not Easy Wanting to be a Supporting Male Lead.

Edit: Just finished reading the seventh arc, and it is giving me some major Rebirth of Chen An vibes.

 

Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Psychological, Romance, Yaoi

Summary (from NU)

Su Yang was bound to a ‘Slag Cleansing’ System, each world he went as a slag Shou that was rejected by the Gong. In order to return home as soon as possible, he began to work hard by counter-attacking the people who rejected him.

Later he found that these people who were supposed to have normal attributes going by the script were all abnormal. In the face of this rabid animal, Su Yang was forced to abuse his heart again and again.

Personal Thoughts [spoiler free]

With two translated arcs so far (at the time of writing this), the MC, Su Yang, is really carrying the story right now. Although it’s hard to discern his true personality since he has to play a different role in each world, so far he seems like a genuinely good person who is simply stuck in a bad situation. Maybe it’s because of how he has to play his characters in order to achieve the objective of each world, but he comes across as a pure individual who’s also a bit naive, thus making him a likable person that I want to root for. And that’s important, because I have very mixed opinions about the ML.

In the original version of each world, the ML was definitely the victim and deserves the audience’s pity. But once Su Yang enters the scene, the ML becomes a foil in the MC’s quest for character redemption. Thus, the ML becomes cast in a negative light. There’s no doubt that the ML truly cares for the MC once he falls in love, but his questionable actions lead to his own tragic suffering.

As a tragedy, I give this story high marks (especially the second arc), because I think the story is beautifully tragic, full of karmic retribution and due consequences caused by character flaws. I normally avoid tragedies like the plague, because I prefer more uplifting stories, but fast transmigration is a genre in which I can enjoy a beautifully written tragedy, because I know that a tragic end is not the final end. The MC (and ML) is still alive and will go on to write more tragic (or happy) stories.

The Scum Shou’s Survival Guide is another fast transmigration story that has some really beautiful and dramatic tragedies. Readers might find the MC of that story to be not as likable as Su Yang, but I think he is a interesting fellow.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Mature, Romance, Yaoi

Summary [from NU]

In the spirit of love and in order to help his ex-boyfriends walk out from the shadow of heartbreak, every time before Ye Ming leaves after successfully completing each world’s romance mission, he will ‘kindly’ (ruthlessly) break up with with his boyfriend.

After transmigrating to N different worlds he had finally gained enough experience. At this time the system informed him that because the accumulation of his ex-boyfriend’s grievances had exceeded critical levels, leading to the failure of all his missions…. So he needs to return to each world to eliminate their grievances if he wants to complete his missions!

Ye Ming: This is an outcome I didn’t predict.

System: I tried to tell you before that if you did this you won’t have a good end.

The ex-boyfriends all laughing coldly: He He. That despicable scum that ran away after deceiving my feelings is finally back. This time don’t even think about running away!

Ye Ming: ……

System: Since you “zuo” yourself to death, even if you kneel you have to go to the end!

Ye Ming: Luckily I have a special “scum cleaning” technique ^_^

Personal Thoughts [spoiler free]

Disregarding the overarching meta story, which is the fast transmigration part, each individual arc of this story is a great standalone tragic love story in its own right. (At the time of writing this, there are 3 translated arcs thus far.) Romeo and Juliet ain’t got nothing on this dog blood drama.

The MC, Ye Ming, is a real tool. After completing the romance mission of each world, he cruelly throws away the love interest. Karma comes biting him in the butt, but just when the audience thinks they can laugh at his comeuppance, he struts through his troubles with a calculative gleam in his eyes. Some people might find this type of character off-putting, while some, like me, find him interesting and want to see how he pulls off his reversal of fates. Ye Ming is not meant to be a likable character. He’s the type of character whose story you follow because you want to see how and what makes him tick, although there are hints that tie his callousness with events in his hidden past, much like the MC of A Wave of Exes Came Looking for Me. What to Do?! So I think we’ll get a justification for all his actions by the end.

Finally, another reason that you should read The Scum Shou’s Survival Guide is because the translation quality is superb. The first two arcs and a part of the third arc was translated by White Sky Translations, who is a super fast translator with a good grasp of both the Chinese and English languages, resulting in easy to read translations. After that, Syeki (Deep Dream Translations) took over translating the story. She’s a translator that I’ve worked with on Let Me Shoulder this Blame! and she’s also the translator of The Strategy of Washing Clean a Slag Shou (another story that I recommend). She has a fluid understanding of the translation material and her works are always so smooth, making them a joy to read and very easy to digest.