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The Hero Laughs While Walking the Path of Vengeance a Second Time (light novel) #2
The Hero Laughs While Walking the Path of Vengeance a Second Time, Vol. 2 (manga) (The Hero Laughs While Walking the Path of Vengeance a Second Time
Kaito’s quest for vengeance is no longer a solo affair-with Minnalis at his side, he can accomplish so much more. As their hatred burns bright, the two of them begin their training to fulfill their lust for revenge...
164 pages, Paperback
First published March 23, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 7, 2022
I like it balances gore with the perfect amount of insanity and genius. Plus Kaito's flashbacks are really tragic justifying his revenge while the side heroine is a loveable psycho like Albedo in Overlord.
June 26, 2022
One man's anger and confusion, long since transformed into a hunger for violence and retribution, takes its tentative first steps toward absolution. THE HERO LAUGHS WHILE WALKING THE PATH OF VENGEANCE A SECOND TIME v2 isn't as doggedly straightforward and visceral as the first volume, but sets clear intentions of giving the protagonist every single sinful desire churning in his dark heart. And yet, whether readers are patient enough to see the character follow through may prove challenging.
THE HERO LAUGHS...v2 delivers on the dark violence of its broad, narrative premise, but limps and lingers from the outset. The fantasy world's gradual incorporation of greater spellcasting, greater monster characters, and greater political machinations is solid. However, the book also lacks balance and consistency of narrative perspective and is frustratingly ineffective at delaying a climactic payoff.
Readers track Kaito and Minnalis as they distance themselves from the chaos at the heart of the Orollea Kingdom. But what begins as a simple effort to level up and boost their stats, while plotting their future assault, hits a curve when the duo stumbles upon an adventuring party whose greedy and depraved members feigned friendship in a past life.
That past-life adventuring party, composed of skilled-but-ruthless characters eager to screw over anyone not a member of the in-group, fall into Kaito's hands just as the young man starts on the path toward his next, real target. Kaito's next target is a corrupt spellcaster, Eumis Elmia, daughter of the lord of the City of Elmia. But before he and Minnalis can draw up a plan to take out Eumis, they must deal with the egoists in their way.
Notably, THE HERO LAUGHS...v2 takes the interesting approach of exposing its antagonists through Kaito's vengeful gaze, only to later insert point-of-view chapters that tiptoe to the edge of sympathy. Sometimes, it works. For example, when Kaito encounters Hansel, a disgraced noble, he's aware the young man is obsessed with himself and obsessed with status. Readers enter the young sorcerer's mind and learn he's seeking approval from others because of his inability to discover, or reconcile, his own shortcomings. Hansel is selfish, and his death is exquisitely cruel and deserved; it's also very bittersweet.
Other times, the use of multiple perspectives is a waste of space. Early-career authors tend to learn this lesson a little too late: When the book head hops, readers lose track of the emotional fortitude said to guide the novel, and one's familiarity and investment in the characters weakens. In short, urgency is lost. Jumping from Kaito's dream state to the present time to somebody else's view of the situation, and then back to the present time, one tends to forget what was so important with killing these fools in the first place. Absent the filler, THE HERO LAUGHS...v2 would either make for a more compelling read or an incredibly thin tome of little consequence. The difference, frighteningly, could be marginal.
Regardless, the book's concept is still strong. Kaito and Minnalis don't skimp on the details when they plot their revenge. Bludgeoning? Decapitation? Acid liquefaction? It's all there and with plenty of clever twists along the way. Disappointingly, the novel doesn't quite get to Eumis yet, but it does elucidate a curious wrinkle in the plot: Eumis's half-sister, Shuria, is part elf. Why does Shuria's room have a massive sigil burned into the floor? And why was Shuria's home village completely wiped off the map? Eumis may not be the beneficent spellcaster she claims to be.
Hopefully, this revelation portends much more to come. But the novel series' enduring dramatic irony of every character meeting their deserved fate continuously tracks as being too ambitions and high concept for its own good. What's the point of killing characters too stupid to defend themselves in time? Where is the entertainment value in pursuing an antagonist who doesn't believe their position is in true opposition to any established norm? Why have so many blasted edge weapons with fantastical powers without telling the readers what they actually do? At its rawest, THE HERO LAUGHS...v2 is dark and fun, but as a work of literature that demands credible structure and pacing, the author still has a lot of work to do.
THE HERO LAUGHS...v2 delivers on the dark violence of its broad, narrative premise, but limps and lingers from the outset. The fantasy world's gradual incorporation of greater spellcasting, greater monster characters, and greater political machinations is solid. However, the book also lacks balance and consistency of narrative perspective and is frustratingly ineffective at delaying a climactic payoff.
Readers track Kaito and Minnalis as they distance themselves from the chaos at the heart of the Orollea Kingdom. But what begins as a simple effort to level up and boost their stats, while plotting their future assault, hits a curve when the duo stumbles upon an adventuring party whose greedy and depraved members feigned friendship in a past life.
That past-life adventuring party, composed of skilled-but-ruthless characters eager to screw over anyone not a member of the in-group, fall into Kaito's hands just as the young man starts on the path toward his next, real target. Kaito's next target is a corrupt spellcaster, Eumis Elmia, daughter of the lord of the City of Elmia. But before he and Minnalis can draw up a plan to take out Eumis, they must deal with the egoists in their way.
Notably, THE HERO LAUGHS...v2 takes the interesting approach of exposing its antagonists through Kaito's vengeful gaze, only to later insert point-of-view chapters that tiptoe to the edge of sympathy. Sometimes, it works. For example, when Kaito encounters Hansel, a disgraced noble, he's aware the young man is obsessed with himself and obsessed with status. Readers enter the young sorcerer's mind and learn he's seeking approval from others because of his inability to discover, or reconcile, his own shortcomings. Hansel is selfish, and his death is exquisitely cruel and deserved; it's also very bittersweet.
Other times, the use of multiple perspectives is a waste of space. Early-career authors tend to learn this lesson a little too late: When the book head hops, readers lose track of the emotional fortitude said to guide the novel, and one's familiarity and investment in the characters weakens. In short, urgency is lost. Jumping from Kaito's dream state to the present time to somebody else's view of the situation, and then back to the present time, one tends to forget what was so important with killing these fools in the first place. Absent the filler, THE HERO LAUGHS...v2 would either make for a more compelling read or an incredibly thin tome of little consequence. The difference, frighteningly, could be marginal.
Regardless, the book's concept is still strong. Kaito and Minnalis don't skimp on the details when they plot their revenge. Bludgeoning? Decapitation? Acid liquefaction? It's all there and with plenty of clever twists along the way. Disappointingly, the novel doesn't quite get to Eumis yet, but it does elucidate a curious wrinkle in the plot: Eumis's half-sister, Shuria, is part elf. Why does Shuria's room have a massive sigil burned into the floor? And why was Shuria's home village completely wiped off the map? Eumis may not be the beneficent spellcaster she claims to be.
Hopefully, this revelation portends much more to come. But the novel series' enduring dramatic irony of every character meeting their deserved fate continuously tracks as being too ambitions and high concept for its own good. What's the point of killing characters too stupid to defend themselves in time? Where is the entertainment value in pursuing an antagonist who doesn't believe their position is in true opposition to any established norm? Why have so many blasted edge weapons with fantastical powers without telling the readers what they actually do? At its rawest, THE HERO LAUGHS...v2 is dark and fun, but as a work of literature that demands credible structure and pacing, the author still has a lot of work to do.
December 25, 2022
Edgelord Kaito and the Yandere Bunny’s quest continues. I wouldn’t call this story good but I’m still entertained by it. All the villains/victims in story have their evil/dislikability turned up to 11. I assume so that you don’t complain when their punishment occasionally exceeds their crime. In fact they are so bad, that it’s hard to believe that they could fool Kaito for years during his prior life.
July 5, 2022
Light novel not manga
The main character's behavior and personality is actually pretty believable despite the very dark story, and even the bad guys have realistic personalities if you assume they're pyschopaths. The quality of the writing is also a couple steps above the average light novel.
The main character's behavior and personality is actually pretty believable despite the very dark story, and even the bad guys have realistic personalities if you assume they're pyschopaths. The quality of the writing is also a couple steps above the average light novel.
October 2, 2022
The revenge continues. The torture has definitely gotten more creative and practically everyone in this world is some flavor of bastard. It makes me wonder how anyone gets anything done with all the backstabbing. But this is a vengeance story, so it makes sense, in a weird way. Looking forward to reading more from this revenge road trip.
August 10, 2024
Every single character in this story would benefit from a therapist
The author does a good job of balancing the insanity and violence, but it's all so excessive
I'm not sure if that's good or bad yet, but the story has me intrigued
The author does a good job of balancing the insanity and violence, but it's all so excessive
I'm not sure if that's good or bad yet, but the story has me intrigued
September 30, 2022
Good
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2022
Fewer deaths but more descriptive than Vol. 1.
December 5, 2022
Minnalis and Kaito get a small revenge on the horrible slave trade humans by coercing them into eating food enchanted to turn them into goblins...but is also laced with monster poison... which kills them because they're now goblins. That's some evil D&D character stuff, right there. DMs, take notes.
Other than that, Kaito and Minnalis make their way to a safe location to begin training. Then the story suddenly goes into an unannounced flashback. No warning, no dark edged pages, nothing. And we see a bit of what Kaito went through just before he was murdered the first time. Again, more twisted evil D&D character stuff. DMs, take notes.
But it's also where I can see why this series was dropped after two volumes. It's not the most pleasant read, but the awkward pacing and only the hero's say so that what he's doing is justified are probably what killed this manga. But, if you're still interested, you can read the light novels.
This series was dropped at 2 volumes.
Other than that, Kaito and Minnalis make their way to a safe location to begin training. Then the story suddenly goes into an unannounced flashback. No warning, no dark edged pages, nothing. And we see a bit of what Kaito went through just before he was murdered the first time. Again, more twisted evil D&D character stuff. DMs, take notes.
But it's also where I can see why this series was dropped after two volumes. It's not the most pleasant read, but the awkward pacing and only the hero's say so that what he's doing is justified are probably what killed this manga. But, if you're still interested, you can read the light novels.
This series was dropped at 2 volumes.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews