Decided to read a new series about spies. This book was written by あんのまる and the illustrations are done by シン. The series is relatively new (only 4 volumes).
Here’s a brief synopsis of the plot.
The book started off with getting to know some background about the school. It is an academy for spies and our female protagonist Nano （ナノ）wants to be the best spy in the world. But her grades aren’t the best. As for the male protagonist Reo （レオ）, he’s a successful student but still hasn’t risen to the best class the academy has to offer. Together these two must go on a mission to save their academy.
If you are interested in checking this series out after reading this review, you can find it on Bookwalker. The first 3 volumes are on sale until April 6th (JST).
ENTERTAINMENT
It was a slow at first but it gradually picked up speed when the mission started. The story is told through the point of view of Nano. She can be somewhat of an unreliable narrator at times. Like when she doesn’t want to bore herself explaining Reo and her abilities. The action scenes are pretty good and the mysterious vibe from some of the characters you meet in the book make you want to learn more about them.
The main characters Nano and Reo seem to butt heads quite a lot during the mission due to their different ideals. Nonetheless, their character dynamic is good and I look forward to see what is in store for them in further volumes.
LANGUAGE LEARNING
As this was this first book, it was a bit difficult getting into the writing style. I can see this being the same difficulty as a Kaito Red novel. The grammar isn’t hard and considering there is furigana on each kanji, it makes things easier to look up. Looked up 97 words while reading. Here are some interesting words I found while reading:
勘（かん）のいい ＝ perceptive, intuitive, quick on the uptake
見（み）まくる ＝ to watch over and over again
- 見 = see, watch
- まくる = to do something over (this is a handy grammar point)
見（み）せしめ ＝ make an example of, setting an example
腐れ縁（くされえん） ＝ an undesirable but inseparable relationship
欠（か）かせない ＝ indispensable, fundamental
A SMALL JAPANESE REVIEW
最初は、面白くないと思いましたが、だんだん面白くなりました。ナノとレオなどは不思議な存在です。まあ、スパイを目指しますから、当たり前ですね。もっと知りたいです。理想だけ見るナノと現実だけ見るレオ＝水と油。でも、二人なら、ミッションを達成できそうです。どんでん返しはすごかったです。
ちょっと気になります。もしかして。。。学園はワシントンDCにありますかなあ。
NEXT BOOK…
My first official light novel will be 『おまえをオタクにしてやるから、俺をリア充にしてくれ！』or “I’ll Make You An Otaku, So Make Me A Normie”. This books is fun so far. It kind of reminds me of Oreimo (minus the sibling thing). This book came out back in 2011 so I can see why it does. I’ll be taking my time with this one, so I’m breaking away from monthly reviews for now.
Japanese Practice・日本語の練習 