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Muscles are Better Than Magic! (Light Novel) Vol. 2
A comedic fantasy romp where one man's amazing muscles overcome every magical challenge--and don't miss the manga, also from Seven Seas!
For ten years, Yuri has lived alone in the forest, training his muscles day and night to hone his body into the ultimate fighting machine. But when the beautiful elf Filia stumbles upon his home, she begs him to help her escape the forest. There’s just one problem: Yuri’s never left the woods, and besides, this odd couple can’t seem to agree on anything. It’s the beginning of a wacky journey through strange lands and stranger adventures!
For ten years, Yuri has lived alone in the forest, training his muscles day and night to hone his body into the ultimate fighting machine. But when the beautiful elf Filia stumbles upon his home, she begs him to help her escape the forest. There’s just one problem: Yuri’s never left the woods, and besides, this odd couple can’t seem to agree on anything. It’s the beginning of a wacky journey through strange lands and stranger adventures!
320 pages, Paperback
Published May 11, 2021
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7 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 26, 2021
For a sequel book, this is fine and it’s about as enjoyable as the first volume. One of my biggest worries for this book was that the translation could go either way: it could have muted some of the slang and overall, Filia’s personality would be more balanced with her ‘narcissistic’ personality and the focus wouldn’t be on the ‘joke’ of Yuri being a complete musclehead, OR, it could have an extreme of the opposite. Thankfully, the former is true for this volume.
Granted, there are still memes littered in the story but, again, there’s a given context (if I could say that) for them. Like, it makes sense for someone like Yuri to say those things. For the most part, Yuri stayed the same but also not really. He’s becoming more of a gentlemen muscle man with Filia’s help and he’s coming to terms with his feelings for her - which I liked! A lot! It’s nice for a character to slowly come to terms with their romantic feelings! And we didn’t have to read Filia’s thoughts to see how she’s reacting to him as well! And it’s cute and it makes me root for them!
Then Babandogas shows his sis-con self yet again… and then we meet Filias’s father, Elgis. Once again, we get a caricature of him and how much he loves his daughter. It’s a bit weird but thankfully, that’s not who he is. He very much loves his wife and it’s so good to see that.
The best way to describe the characterizations would be ‘muted’. In anime, one of the biggest problems is Flanderization and one-note characters. Authors who insist these flanderized characters and one-note characters have depth are especially annoying to me because they set up the characters, but really, they are dolls. It’s fine if you like those characters but let’s not pretend they’re something they’re not. There’s some measure of that in this particular series but it’s not enough to annoy me. Again, you see that more in the side characters like Babandogas and Elgis.
I think what charms me to this series so much is the fact it knows what it is: a light novel about a couple traveling. One is a muscle-obsessed guy and another is an elf. They’re not particularly deep but there’s potential and it seems the author sees it too. While the fights are fun and you may gasp when certain things happen, you already know that Yuri is going to survive in some capacity - but something about it makes me attached to the characters more. Then again, there are some aspects on how easy certain plot points are (Filia getting her abilities back is one example) which could annoy the reader.
I honestly feel this sequel is what brings the best of what light novels are supposed to be: light reads where, yes, you consider the characters and what could happen next, but it’s enjoyable. You’re invested, but you don’t worry too much. There are more light-hearted antics than anything serious but when it does, you’re just as invested. It’s a good balance of all the elements and it’s cute and fun.
The one series that I wish didn’t end is going to end in the next volume, but I’m really glad I’m here for the ride.
Granted, there are still memes littered in the story but, again, there’s a given context (if I could say that) for them. Like, it makes sense for someone like Yuri to say those things. For the most part, Yuri stayed the same but also not really. He’s becoming more of a gentlemen muscle man with Filia’s help and he’s coming to terms with his feelings for her - which I liked! A lot! It’s nice for a character to slowly come to terms with their romantic feelings! And we didn’t have to read Filia’s thoughts to see how she’s reacting to him as well! And it’s cute and it makes me root for them!
Then Babandogas shows his sis-con self yet again… and then we meet Filias’s father, Elgis. Once again, we get a caricature of him and how much he loves his daughter. It’s a bit weird but thankfully, that’s not who he is. He very much loves his wife and it’s so good to see that.
The best way to describe the characterizations would be ‘muted’. In anime, one of the biggest problems is Flanderization and one-note characters. Authors who insist these flanderized characters and one-note characters have depth are especially annoying to me because they set up the characters, but really, they are dolls. It’s fine if you like those characters but let’s not pretend they’re something they’re not. There’s some measure of that in this particular series but it’s not enough to annoy me. Again, you see that more in the side characters like Babandogas and Elgis.
I think what charms me to this series so much is the fact it knows what it is: a light novel about a couple traveling. One is a muscle-obsessed guy and another is an elf. They’re not particularly deep but there’s potential and it seems the author sees it too. While the fights are fun and you may gasp when certain things happen, you already know that Yuri is going to survive in some capacity - but something about it makes me attached to the characters more. Then again, there are some aspects on how easy certain plot points are (Filia getting her abilities back is one example) which could annoy the reader.
I honestly feel this sequel is what brings the best of what light novels are supposed to be: light reads where, yes, you consider the characters and what could happen next, but it’s enjoyable. You’re invested, but you don’t worry too much. There are more light-hearted antics than anything serious but when it does, you’re just as invested. It’s a good balance of all the elements and it’s cute and fun.
The one series that I wish didn’t end is going to end in the next volume, but I’m really glad I’m here for the ride.
Displaying 1 of 1 review