What do you think?
Rate this book
Otherside Picnic Light Novel #8
Otherside Picnic Volume 8: Accomplices No More
“Did you know? They say that being accomplices is the closest kind of relationship in the world.” This is what Toriko said to Sorawo not long after they met on the Otherside. A little over a year has passed since then. Now that the threat of Satsuki Uruma is behind them, there's something else Sorawo must face; a genuine confession of love from Toriko, with only one week to respond. Through a series of conversations with herself and those around her, Sorawo begins to reinterpret her relationship with Toriko... Sorawo and Toriko's bizarre tale of exploration and survival is coming to a climax!
142 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 24, 2023
10 people are currently reading
92 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 2, 2023
The Otherside has been no picnic (thank you, thank you), but that’s nothing compared to human emotion for Sorawo. So, when Toriko tells her she loves her and demands a response, and then the Otherside gets involved too… could things get any messier?
This is the book that pays off every hint and drip of slow burning emotion between Sorawo and Toriko and addresses the question of what they are to one another, sort of, largely by Toriko forcing the question in the first place.
And who can blame her? Toriko is the more emotional one of the group and Sorawo is… less so. Sorawo gets compared to an explorer of old, boldly forging into unknown lands, but it’s really because Sorawo’s super good at one thing and it’s not looking back. Or inside. It’s an especially strong analogy.
The first part of the story brings in a rather creepy new character who I’d swear was about to be a rival if I didn’t think this story was well beyond that by now, but she and Sorawo get into some discussion about the nature of the Otherside that’s fun and her vibe isn’t unwelcome.
And we also drag in a lot of our side characters for some amusing discussions as poor Sorawo tries to figure out what Toriko is to her and whether she can match the latter’s desire to be lovers. This gives Sorawo somebody to bounce off while Toriko has her cut off for a week.
All while Sorawo’s being stalked by a malevolent Otherside creature that just happens to feel like a manifestation of her insecurities about Toriko. Which probably hits the nail a little too squarely on the head, but makes sense given the series, so I’m going to allow it. Especially because it’s so creepy.
In fact, the Otherside crops up in some surprising places and this paragraph is your spoiler warning ahead of me chewing into what we all came to find out - do Toriko and Sorawo actually get anywhere?
Last chance…
Last last chance…
Okay, the fake-out got me, it really did. The hilariously short chapter and the awkward denouement really feels like it puts a pin in everything, especially since Sorawo doesn’t want a traditional moniker like ‘lovers’ or anything so basic, while Toriko does.
I also really like that Toriko was considering what kind of trauma Sorawo might have gone through (and Sorawo being equally up front about how that’s not something she experienced). Toriko is always thinking of Sorawo, but the reverse isn’t exactly true. Not consciously.
But in the aftermath of their failed encounter, well, Sorawo suddenly figures out that she has a kink and it really does suddenly flip a switch in her and all her repressed emotions are suddenly a lot less so.
And, boy, does this ever become incredibly special without being cheap. It’s brilliantly done sex, not too graphic, just right, but the author also takes advantage of what has happened to our leads, so not only is this the aforementioned payoff, but it just kills at being an encounter like literally no other.
For all that the Otherside has been an alien and terrifying presence, it becomes an absolute thing of beauty in this final sequence, which does things that just wouldn’t work in another story and, in fact, work here because of all the things that the previous light novels set up. Intentional or not, it’s amazing.
And, yes, our leads come up with a reasonable, if goofy, moniker for themselves and it does make a lot of sense given their experiences. It’s perfectly fine and might be splitting hairs a little, but it’s important to Sorawo and that makes it worthwhile.
It’s interesting that there’s a lot left to be done with this series, there are a bunch of plot threads still flapping in the old breeze, but if we ended right here on this note, I think I’d be happy. It has closure, yet also it leaves it with somewhere to go. Not bad at all.
5 stars - it maintains the series’ core concepts, but is decidedly focused on the resolution of Toriko’s confession and basically gets everything right to make one powerhouse of a moment in an already great series.
This is the book that pays off every hint and drip of slow burning emotion between Sorawo and Toriko and addresses the question of what they are to one another, sort of, largely by Toriko forcing the question in the first place.
And who can blame her? Toriko is the more emotional one of the group and Sorawo is… less so. Sorawo gets compared to an explorer of old, boldly forging into unknown lands, but it’s really because Sorawo’s super good at one thing and it’s not looking back. Or inside. It’s an especially strong analogy.
The first part of the story brings in a rather creepy new character who I’d swear was about to be a rival if I didn’t think this story was well beyond that by now, but she and Sorawo get into some discussion about the nature of the Otherside that’s fun and her vibe isn’t unwelcome.
And we also drag in a lot of our side characters for some amusing discussions as poor Sorawo tries to figure out what Toriko is to her and whether she can match the latter’s desire to be lovers. This gives Sorawo somebody to bounce off while Toriko has her cut off for a week.
All while Sorawo’s being stalked by a malevolent Otherside creature that just happens to feel like a manifestation of her insecurities about Toriko. Which probably hits the nail a little too squarely on the head, but makes sense given the series, so I’m going to allow it. Especially because it’s so creepy.
In fact, the Otherside crops up in some surprising places and this paragraph is your spoiler warning ahead of me chewing into what we all came to find out - do Toriko and Sorawo actually get anywhere?
Last chance…
Last last chance…
Okay, the fake-out got me, it really did. The hilariously short chapter and the awkward denouement really feels like it puts a pin in everything, especially since Sorawo doesn’t want a traditional moniker like ‘lovers’ or anything so basic, while Toriko does.
I also really like that Toriko was considering what kind of trauma Sorawo might have gone through (and Sorawo being equally up front about how that’s not something she experienced). Toriko is always thinking of Sorawo, but the reverse isn’t exactly true. Not consciously.
But in the aftermath of their failed encounter, well, Sorawo suddenly figures out that she has a kink and it really does suddenly flip a switch in her and all her repressed emotions are suddenly a lot less so.
And, boy, does this ever become incredibly special without being cheap. It’s brilliantly done sex, not too graphic, just right, but the author also takes advantage of what has happened to our leads, so not only is this the aforementioned payoff, but it just kills at being an encounter like literally no other.
For all that the Otherside has been an alien and terrifying presence, it becomes an absolute thing of beauty in this final sequence, which does things that just wouldn’t work in another story and, in fact, work here because of all the things that the previous light novels set up. Intentional or not, it’s amazing.
And, yes, our leads come up with a reasonable, if goofy, moniker for themselves and it does make a lot of sense given their experiences. It’s perfectly fine and might be splitting hairs a little, but it’s important to Sorawo and that makes it worthwhile.
It’s interesting that there’s a lot left to be done with this series, there are a bunch of plot threads still flapping in the old breeze, but if we ended right here on this note, I think I’d be happy. It has closure, yet also it leaves it with somewhere to go. Not bad at all.
5 stars - it maintains the series’ core concepts, but is decidedly focused on the resolution of Toriko’s confession and basically gets everything right to make one powerhouse of a moment in an already great series.
December 6, 2025
i finished this book in one night, and i can't stop smiling. i wouldn't have wanted this book to turn out any other way.
i felt lots of emotions and this is the book of the series where you truly understand both sorawo and toriko as individuals and together. the explorations of deep topics such as their feelings about romantic/platonic relationships and eachother was beautifully well-said.
for me, both sorawo and toriko's articulations of their own thought processes were relatable to an extent, where it was personal and deeply emotional. i cannot express the love i have for these characters and their development so far.
this was a beautiful and deep novel, and i can't wait to read even more. i love soratori!!!
i felt lots of emotions and this is the book of the series where you truly understand both sorawo and toriko as individuals and together. the explorations of deep topics such as their feelings about romantic/platonic relationships and eachother was beautifully well-said.
for me, both sorawo and toriko's articulations of their own thought processes were relatable to an extent, where it was personal and deeply emotional. i cannot express the love i have for these characters and their development so far.
this was a beautiful and deep novel, and i can't wait to read even more. i love soratori!!!
July 10, 2025
Wow. Just wow. This volume solidified Otherside Picnic, as one of my all time favorite Light Novel series. The angst, longing, uncertainty, love, misunderstanding and companionship between Sorawo and Toriko is TOP NOTCH, and I'm here for every second of it. I think it is very hard to write a horror with romance, but Iori nailed it. Looking forward to the future in the Otherside
August 24, 2023
Ahhhhhh!!!
Omigosh omigosh omigosh!! So very very worth the wait!! I loved it!! I freaking adore this series!! Soritori for the win!
Omigosh omigosh omigosh!! So very very worth the wait!! I loved it!! I freaking adore this series!! Soritori for the win!
August 14, 2023
This was a really satisfying end for a remarkable series. Across all the weirdness and awkwardness between Sorawo and Toriko in the past volumes, this one really beautifully sticks the landing.
August 2, 2025
This is genuinely the most horrifying, yet beautiful novel of the series so far. I can't do it justice enough describing it, but when I began this series I never expected it to go this way.
I think it hit me as hard as it did because of Sorawo's uncertainty, fears and longings. But at the same time it struck me because of my own feelings and expectations of the novels and my hopes for both Sorawo and Toriko. I've read some cheesy novels and books in my days, but this one manages to strike a balance in what is absolutely otherworldly and beautiful at the same time.
I have a hard time to pinpoint exactly what makes it so good, but I think it's the way the author approaches it overall. There's a certain respect and awe for the subject of their relationship, much like how the true ghost stories are approached with a similar... reverence, if you will. It's not done "just because" or "they have to do it", because that's what the reader expects or the author basically wanting to deliver on that point. Maybe Iori Miyazawa does, but it doesn't feel like that to me like some recent books I've touched.
To make some comparisons to other works I've read that touches on these relationships, Fates Parallel, Stray Cat Strut or Beneath the Dragoneye Moons. Some relationships feel tokenized or simply implausible, either because of the setup or because of the frequency. Stray Cat does it well in the first volume and it would have honestly felt best if it was a one-shot novel, but afterwards it feels kind of forced and like the author just continues with it because that's the given trend. Likewise BtDM feels incredibly forced once you're past the initial hurdle, but then turns into an incredibly stilty and tokenized relationship. Fates is probably the best comparison in how the relationship develops, but overall the series is plagued by the sheer improbability of the frequency of these relationships, it's done well but it's "too much" in a sense.
In contrast, the characters and relationships are treated like people and with respect, despite all the improbable and overly fantastical happenings, or maybe even because of them.
There are three key points of the series where I felt like it really hit home in a fantastical way. When Sorawo got to see how Toriko really "saw" her in the mirror world. The utterly terrifying and oppressive sensuality of Satsuki sitting at that table across Sorawo, really nailing down what kind of force they have to deal with. Then this final chapter of the book, where everything is laid bare, the reader and the characters are torn apart in a mesmerizing back and forth that makes you wonder if anything good will ever come out of it, but you can't stop and simply must press on in this exploration of the Otherside.
I think it hit me as hard as it did because of Sorawo's uncertainty, fears and longings. But at the same time it struck me because of my own feelings and expectations of the novels and my hopes for both Sorawo and Toriko. I've read some cheesy novels and books in my days, but this one manages to strike a balance in what is absolutely otherworldly and beautiful at the same time.
I have a hard time to pinpoint exactly what makes it so good, but I think it's the way the author approaches it overall. There's a certain respect and awe for the subject of their relationship, much like how the true ghost stories are approached with a similar... reverence, if you will. It's not done "just because" or "they have to do it", because that's what the reader expects or the author basically wanting to deliver on that point. Maybe Iori Miyazawa does, but it doesn't feel like that to me like some recent books I've touched.
To make some comparisons to other works I've read that touches on these relationships, Fates Parallel, Stray Cat Strut or Beneath the Dragoneye Moons. Some relationships feel tokenized or simply implausible, either because of the setup or because of the frequency. Stray Cat does it well in the first volume and it would have honestly felt best if it was a one-shot novel, but afterwards it feels kind of forced and like the author just continues with it because that's the given trend. Likewise BtDM feels incredibly forced once you're past the initial hurdle, but then turns into an incredibly stilty and tokenized relationship. Fates is probably the best comparison in how the relationship develops, but overall the series is plagued by the sheer improbability of the frequency of these relationships, it's done well but it's "too much" in a sense.
In contrast, the characters and relationships are treated like people and with respect, despite all the improbable and overly fantastical happenings, or maybe even because of them.
There are three key points of the series where I felt like it really hit home in a fantastical way. When Sorawo got to see how Toriko really "saw" her in the mirror world. The utterly terrifying and oppressive sensuality of Satsuki sitting at that table across Sorawo, really nailing down what kind of force they have to deal with. Then this final chapter of the book, where everything is laid bare, the reader and the characters are torn apart in a mesmerizing back and forth that makes you wonder if anything good will ever come out of it, but you can't stop and simply must press on in this exploration of the Otherside.
April 23, 2025
Wow.
After seven volumes, Sorawo finally answers Toriko's feelings properly. I won't spoil anything that happens, or what her answer even is, but it was very well done and unlike any yuri series I've read before. They have a very unique relationship (as the subtitle alludes to), and the events play out as they only could between these two characters.
I'm quite impressed with how Miazawa-sensei handled everything, given I was slightly apprehensive about how it would play out. But the characterization really shines through and I never got the feeling anything was written for reasons other than "this is what they would do given the situation."
There's a bit of action and horror, but this is definitely a "soratori" volume. I can't wait to see where they go from here, and hope it continued for a long while.
After seven volumes, Sorawo finally answers Toriko's feelings properly. I won't spoil anything that happens, or what her answer even is, but it was very well done and unlike any yuri series I've read before. They have a very unique relationship (as the subtitle alludes to), and the events play out as they only could between these two characters.
I'm quite impressed with how Miazawa-sensei handled everything, given I was slightly apprehensive about how it would play out. But the characterization really shines through and I never got the feeling anything was written for reasons other than "this is what they would do given the situation."
There's a bit of action and horror, but this is definitely a "soratori" volume. I can't wait to see where they go from here, and hope it continued for a long while.
February 2, 2026
Really, really cool volume. With one of the biggest forces behind the plot having been dealt with, now our heroes are forced to acknowledge what type of relationship they truly have. Sorawo has to deal with apparitions on her own and the apparitions even kind of actively try to help her come to realize her own feelings.
Once she finally faces Toriko it’s a real page turner. I for one think it rules that they couldn’t do it properly the first time, I’d say this is underrepresented in media, you’re telling me everyone’s a sex beast on their very first time? Well they are, at least on their second try lol. Anyway, great payoff, the series could even end here but I guess we can still go on trying to discern the true nature of the Otherside or whatever, looking forward to it.
Once she finally faces Toriko it’s a real page turner. I for one think it rules that they couldn’t do it properly the first time, I’d say this is underrepresented in media, you’re telling me everyone’s a sex beast on their very first time? Well they are, at least on their second try lol. Anyway, great payoff, the series could even end here but I guess we can still go on trying to discern the true nature of the Otherside or whatever, looking forward to it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2023
I do not know for sure that this is the final volume, but considering the satisfying resolution, it is difficult to see how the author could write more stories without making important changes to the setup. A few loose ends are left dangling, but this is the kind of story where things like that should be taken more or less for granted. However, I do not rule out a continuation entirely, mainly because a new character is introduced.
January 2, 2024
Another great volume of Otherside picnic. Not much of new adventures for the Otherside but more introspective monologue. A really in-dept piece of work about what love means from a less traditional (or classic, maybe) perspective.
I identify deeply with Sorawo this whole volume, so the rating is definitely biased. I really glad that the author wrote this, seeing more perspective about the so-called concept of "love" is always nice for someone who is probably on the asexual spectrum. Probably comparable to the whole concept of Bloom into You (with way less metaphor) or volume 6 of Adachi and Shimamura. Highly recommend to people who question what is love.
I identify deeply with Sorawo this whole volume, so the rating is definitely biased. I really glad that the author wrote this, seeing more perspective about the so-called concept of "love" is always nice for someone who is probably on the asexual spectrum. Probably comparable to the whole concept of Bloom into You (with way less metaphor) or volume 6 of Adachi and Shimamura. Highly recommend to people who question what is love.
November 2, 2023
a 5/5 for me...Miyazawa san how do you do it? this is soooooooo good I've never read anything like this. The experience was so immersive I didn't feel bored even for a second like I do with some other books. There wasn't much horror in this one but ig we do deserve some insight into the characters and their feelings every once in a while no? I hope the author will continue this series because it's just so good!!! 10/10 characters, world building, horror, story progression, character development and 1000/10 for the author. 💕💕
October 28, 2023
A whole volume spent on cryptid lesbian sex okay
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2023
this was sooo worth the waitttt I JUST WISH WE COULE GET A SEASON 2 OF THE SHOW 😭😭😭😭
July 3, 2024
I'd have liked this more about 4 books ago
August 22, 2024
i was blushing so much my cheeks started to cramp, I COULDN'T HANDLE THAT AGHHH
January 17, 2026
this ruined me. queer relationships that made me want the author to get out of my head (in the best way). also fantastic ace representation.
September 14, 2023
Show-stopping. Spectacular. Incredible. I loved the exploration of how love, sex, and romance are so different for different people and it's impossible to put it in neat boxes. The acknowledgement of asexuality in the beginning made my heart sing and it just got better from there.
Sorawo admitting she doesn't hate kissing but doesn't crave it and having such a hard time navigating the different labels society puts on romance/love was so relatable. Sorawo and Toriko having a frank but messy conversation about their relationship was just so perfect.
And that absolutely bonkers, wonderful finale. I think this pretty much seals Otherside Picnic as my favorite yuri series outside Utena, and one of my favorite stories in general.
Sorawo admitting she doesn't hate kissing but doesn't crave it and having such a hard time navigating the different labels society puts on romance/love was so relatable. Sorawo and Toriko having a frank but messy conversation about their relationship was just so perfect.
And that absolutely bonkers, wonderful finale. I think this pretty much seals Otherside Picnic as my favorite yuri series outside Utena, and one of my favorite stories in general.
October 28, 2024
Hehehehe, interface.
March 26, 2025
While most of this series has dealt with ghost stories as a proxy for fear, volume 8 dishes out something a Lyle closer to home: fear of intimacy and the fear of being known. Sorawo confronts her lack of understanding of herself, Toriko, and society as a whole by digging into the differences between sexual and romantic attraction, love between friends versus love between lovers, classifications of relationships, and of course labels. To discuss these things so frankly and then also to link them to fear in a way that feels novel (but also rings very true as soon as you think about it) was refreshing.
I don’t really want the series to end on this note, but if it did, I suppose I would be satisfied
I don’t really want the series to end on this note, but if it did, I suppose I would be satisfied
June 1, 2025
J'en reste encore sans voix, c'est l'un des plus beaux volumes de la série et ce n'est quasiment que des phases de dialogues.
L'introspection de Sorawo et de ses sentiments fut passionnante à suivre du début à la fin et nous offre une très belle conclusion.
L'introspection de Sorawo et de ses sentiments fut passionnante à suivre du début à la fin et nous offre une très belle conclusion.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews