사사키와 피짱 06

Sasaki and Peeps Light Novel #6

by 분코로리

헤르츠 왕국의 왕위 계승 문제도 일단락되고, 이세계에서 현대로 돌아온 사사키와 피짱.
그런 그들에게 미확인 비행 물체가 습격했다는 소식이 들어온다.
바로 대책국에 호출된 사사키. 아쿠츠 과장은 우주 공간에 떠 있는 정체불명의 비행 물체를 조사할 것을 명한다.
사사키는 호시자키 씨, 후타리 시즈카와 함께 일단 조사에 나서지만, 아무리 그래도 이번만큼은 손 쓸 방도가 없는 상황.
최근 피곤를 호소하기 시작한 후타리 시즈카의 의향도 있어서, 결국 사사키는 한동안 느긋하게 직무를 해나가기로 한다.
하지만 행운인지 불행인지, 그들의 나태한 판단이 예상 밖의 성과를 끌어내게 되는데…?!

데스 게임에 이은 새로운 인원, 작중 다섯 번째 세력이 당당하게 등장하는 제6권!
우주조차 끌어들이는 새로운 전개가 지금 시작된다!!

Genres: Light Novel

302 pages, ebook

First published November 25, 2022

Reviews

[S.Q. Eries · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Summary
Just when you thought the cast couldn’t get larger or more varied, alien android Type Twelve makes her appearance. The volume’s first half detailing initial UFO sightings and investigations drags and isn’t particularly original compared to other sci-fi works. However, the second half is more interesting with Type Twelve’s reactions to the planet anomalies that are psychics, Disciples, and Magical Girls.

The Review
I thought this series had hit its capacity for sci-fi and fantasy elements, but I was wrong. With Volume 6, we have the introduction of UFOs to the modern world, along with wildly advanced alien AI. And not just any AI, but the super logical type that has developed the bug called emotions, leading to terrifying destructive results. Predictably (and annoyingly), the form this AI takes among Sasaki and company is of a gorgeous teenage girl in accordance with the series’ particular brand of fanservice. (Even Hoshizaki’s younger sister calls Sasaki out as a “weirdo” who’s always hanging around young girls in this volume).

Anyway, this UFO arc reads sluggishly overall. Unlike the situation with the Octodragon, the UFO has no connections with Sasaki or his varied friends. As such, there is a lengthy setup with the Bureau calling Sasaki, Futarishizuka, and Hoshizaki to do an independent investigation of the UFO; a bunch of data crunching by the sparrow starsage; and Futarishizuka showing off her knowledge of radio equipment. This finally culminates in an unexpected and funny alien abduction in a swan boat. However, the three Bureau members apparently aren’t the only humans involved in this first contact. So once aboard the UFO, there’s again a ton of passive observing and random chatter before Sasaki and his psychic colleagues encounter their alien host, Type Twelve, a super advanced android with the emotional maturity of a baby.

In terms of their exchange, it’s not particularly original. The Bureau employees’ special powers aside, the encounter is fairly similar to other sci-fi works where humans must deal with computer systems destabilizing due to the introduction of “feelings.” The conversation tends to drag due to all the information dumped in, and as if to make up for it, the story shifts into overdrive when the alien ultimately decides to destroy humanity and jettison all the abducted humans into outer space.

Thanks to psychic/Magical Girl powers, many of those humans, including all of Sasaki’s group, survive, only to have to tell their respective organizations the planet is in imminent danger. Once again, the pace slows to a crawl as the narrative details everyone’s responses. Then things rev up for a final nighttime Battle Royale involving all the paranormal elements thus introduced into the series. Unfortunately, creating a clash where our main character get mixed up with government agencies, Magical Girls, an Angel/Demon isolated space, psychics, and an alien takes a while. So despite the fate-of-the-world-depends-on-it stakes, this epic fight gets a bit slow (and confusing) toward the end.

The first eight pages, which contain illustrations and a thread from Lady Elsa’s social media, are printed in full color. Extras also include a summary of events thus far, nine black-and-white insert illustrations, an afterword, a character profile of Type Twelve, and a text exchange between Peeps and Sasaki about the anime adaption.

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