Ordinary student Sora has been summoned to another world as one of seven “chosen heroes” meant to battle the Demon King. While the other six are blessed with grandiose titles and superlative stats, Sora is stuck with no title, no level, and a single, underwhelming he never gets tired from walking. After being judged useless to the cause, Sora is thrown out into the streets and left to fend for himself. Nevertheless, he grows determined to turn his unjust treatment and seemingly “useless” skill into a positive by earning money, making friends, and seeing sights he’s never seen before!
While a fairly standard isekai story with a teenager being summoned, gaining an at first glance weak power and being banished to the side lines as a result, it does come with a few things that set it apart at least to some extent. The summoners being bastards is a trope I tend to like and it is handled relatively well in this story. The MC has the potential to be OP, but being underestimated makes sense and he is far from OP during this volume (so no instant 0 to hero either). The world is fairly standard, but at least grim enough to add some tension to the story and it seems the demon lord trope is neither the misunderstood villain nor a murderous bastard either (making somewhat intrigued in what is going on). There is a system, at least for the MC, not as much for the average inhabitant, but as long as there is at least an illusion that it is meaningful I don't mind which seems to be the case here. And last, but definitely not least, the MC is likeable and the other characters feel alive all with their own goals and not just dropping everything because the hero came along.
So is it perfect? No, it is a bit simple, the plot (at least for volume 1) being straightforward, nothing big really happening (more of a slice-of-life story) and it is somewhat predictable. I am not a big fan of the alchemy system either, mostly the creation of the guns (for his own use) was a bit too easy for my taste. I might be biased though, being wary of guns in typical sword and sorcery settings.
Still, I found it an entertaining read just different enough to set it apart from other series in the genre, a good read if you are looking for some light-hearted entertainment with at least a hint of overcoming challenges.
3 Stars Japanese authors need to realize that we don't need women to fall for MCs left and right to know he is special. I was enjoying the book until we got introduced to the women. I just wanted the MC to build his skills without being dragged to something.
This was a fairly interesting and enjoyable light novel with lots of familiar elements.
Our MC is a highschooler named Sora who's caught up in a summoning ritual and brought to a medieval fantasy world, along with a half dozen other people from Earth, though nobody he knows. All of the otherworlders are told to touch a magic artifact that shows everyone their assigned class, stats, and skills. Other people get fantasical stuff like Paladin, Fencer King, and Sorcerer, but Sora doesn't seem to have a fancy title and just has the skill Walking, which prevents him from experiencing fatigue while walking.
As often happens in these setups, Sora is booted from the castle while the others are trained as heroes to challenge the Demon King. It wasn't shown on the magic artifact, but evidently Sora can level up simply by walking and choose additional skills. So we have our typical level-1 trash but level-100 godly build at play here.
Sora gets a job at the adventurer's guild doing delivery quests, which allows him to explore his surroundings and level up at the same time, eventually taking sword and magic skills.
The world and walking class premise was pretty interesting and I enjoyed the first 2/3rds of the book. It felt like a cross between Campfire Cooking in Another World and Spirit Chronicles, following many of the same tropes.
Unfortunately, one of my least favorite tropes reared its head: slavery. Maybe it's just me, but I'm trying to relax and have fun here, and the concept of slavery drains the fun out of the room. It was one of my biggest hangups with Rise of the Shield Hero.
So the ending of the story didn't leave me feeling too enthusiastic. There's a fair chance I'll check out the next volume in the series and decide whether things are worth pursuing from there.
Written by Arukuhito and illustrated by Yu-nit, Isekai Walking, one of J-Novel Club’s latest titles, takes the use of a gimmick to a whole new step!
Following Sora, a protagonist newly transferred to another world, his dreams of becoming a hero are immediately dashed when it’s discovered that he has no power other than to gain levels while walking. Thrown out on his ear with nothing but a few coins to his name, he’s introduced to a fantasy world in all its glory. With a world to explore and plenty of people to meet, his walking skill is starting to look more useful by the minute.
Despite the original draw of an out-of-the-box gimmick revolving around walking to level up, the first volume in the Isekai Walking series is well-crafted and engaging. The first volume acts as an introduction to the series, displaying the world and its skill system, the people, and ultimately, the dangers that lurk around its dark alleys.
It begins as Sora is thrown out into the world and resorts to using the adventurers guild for a stable income. Given that his skill isn’t combat-based, he takes a different path than most, opting to complete delivery and gathering requests rather than hunting quests. Through these jobs, the story can focus on world-building as well as showcasing how the walking skill works and how it will eventually become overpowered. Moreover, these quests help Sora interact with the local populous, giving him a foothold within the world as a vital part of the community.
As the novel progresses and his skills develop more combat abilities, Sora develops deeper connections and makes friends among his contemporaries. Chris, a mage, and Rurika, a swordswoman, act as Sora’s makeshift adventuring mentors.
They party together throughout the volume, but what makes their relationship notable is that despite their clear romantic interest, they don’t instantly gravitate to him and become blank harem members. Chris and Rurika are on a quest of their own and have goals they need to achieve, and both parties will need to develop before they can meet again. This volume also introduces Ciel, Sora’s contracted spirit. A bundle of fuzzy cuteness, they make for a good series mascot.
After parting with Chris and Rurika, the series makes its final fantasy world introduction to Sora during the climax. Isekai worlds are often filled with danger, and this one is no different. Aside from the occasional monster, Sora quickly learns that humans and humanoids can be just as dangerous. Having a run-in with a slave soldier and a demon points him in the direction of several mysteries and conspiracies that’ll shape the future of the series for several volumes to come.
Overall, Isekai Walking’s first instalment leaves a great first impression. Quickly shedding any notion that the series is all about its gimmick, the story has a lot to get excited about. As an introduction to the series, the first volume gets things right. There’s a focus on world-building and storytelling. Moreover, it subverts expectations by giving its characters purpose and agency.
Sora was a normal kid caught up in a summoning to a fantasy world. Unfortunately, everyone else got powerful skills and amazing jobs, but all he got was a skill that lets him never get tired when he walks. Kicked out of the castle, he's making his own way in his new life.
I like this more than I probably should. It's slow-paced in a lot of ways, although that fits with the type of story it's trying to tell. Sora isn't about having big flashy fights with huge stakes. He's more about building himself up, one literal step at a time.
In some ways, his skill ends up being a lot more flexible than the hero-type roles the others got. He can choose where he wants his experience to go, and what kinds of skills he'll earn. He's building relationships with the locals, figuring out his long-term goals.
Overall this is the first leg in a presumably much longer journey. Recommended.
Another Isekai manga I read online. This one started off pretty promising, with the protagonist starting off underpowered, but with the ability to gain experience points (and therefore build his skills) simply by walking. That aspect of the story got forgotten after a while, though, and the story became yet another overpowered protagonist wandering about.
Smooth writing, great start and a unique premise. Fun build up. Story does not end abruptly, it completes the book’s story arc then sets up the next book in the epilogue. I really enjoyed the story.