With the addition of Sui, a slime that can do the dishes, Mukouda and Fel are now a trio and making their way across the world still. They’re headed through a forest that’s going to take six weeks to cross and parts of it feel like real time.
Things calm down this volume and the power creep inherent in almost all these isekai series begins to set in, making this a fun volume of the series but one that’s not quite as good as the previous two, as any dangers or stakes are slowly leached from the equation.
Parts are still just fine. Fel remains the nightmare of every pet owner - a giant stomach that can speak and demand food constantly. The artist always has the best expressions of wanton consumption whenever Fel chows down - I was particularly taken with a really nice morsel toss he pulls off.
Fel and Mukouda’s relationship carries a lot of the book, their endless bickering and Fel’s slightly warped version of ‘helping’ leads to some fun running jokes and Fel’s derision over Mukouda’s abilities, despite his appreciation of the latter’s cooking skill, is always fun.
The addition of Sui is a nice touch as Mukouda using it as a garbage disposal causes some definite changes in the young blob. Once Sui gets some attack prowess it leads to one of the nastiest (and best) laughs in the book. Sui’s view of Mukouda as a parental figure makes for a good alternative to the Mukouda-Fel dynamic and I do think that the slime was a smart expansion of the cast.
And then there’s the goddess who Fel actually serves, who keeps seeing all the goodies that Mukouda’s making and starts scheming to get some for herself (you try living on nothing but dates and honey). Beyond giving Mukouda a little power boost in exchange for food, she gets the bulk of the jokes this time, with her endless plotting and demands. I like how Mukouda sees right through her immediately - the poor guy is really starting to feel used.
It’s all cute and fun and enjoyable, but I do think the lack of any plot momentum hurts this one. Sui gets another skill that layers overpowered on top of overpowered, making Mukouda feel practically invincible at this point. The book is trying to sell some danger, but there really isn’t any and no stakes means it just kind of sits there when it goes for the action.
3.5 stars, I think, is fair, no round up this time. I have been really enjoying this series, and I still am, but there’s definitely a feel of diminishing returns as it leans into the tropier bits. It’s still one of my preferred isekai, buoyed by the sense that it is, above all else, having a good time.
Ok seeing an all powerful goddess basically pouting and begging for sweets is hilarious and I do like how fast Mukoda catches on this but just accepts it anyway. Mukoda is a really likable main character as he is a bit cowardly but not to much and how he interacts with Sui and Fel is pretty funny.
I like that this is more of a slice of live manga than a fantasy one. It is intriguing to see how materials get processed, how much money he gets from each endeavour and how wonderful it is for him being the 3rd wheel in his own story.