JK Haru is a Sex Worker in Another World: Summer

JK Haru is a Sex Worker in Another World (Light Novel) #1.5

by Ko Hiratori, J-Ta Yamada (Illustrator), Emily Balistrieri (Translator)

The much-anticipated sequel to "JK Haru is a Sex Worker in Another World" is here in the form of a short story collection! What happens to Haru after the main story? Does she meet the rainy weather man again? Meanwhile Chiba has some new encounters and gradually finds his way in the other world...

Genres: Light Novel, Fantasy, Short Stories, Manga, Magic

185 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 4, 2019

Reviews

[Hyperion · Rating 4 out of 5]

JK Haru: Summer is a semi-sequel to the original JK Haru that the author self-published in Japan. Thankfully, J-Novel Club was able to license it through Hayakawa so we could read it. However, Summer is different from the original in that it's a series of short stories told mainly from the points of view of side characters, instead of Haru, and fleshes out their backstories. In that respect, I would say it was a success and I really enjoyed it. Though there were still a few sad parts, I appreciated the overall lighter tone of this book in comparison to the original, which got pretty bleak at times.

Of all the characters fleshed out in this book, I came away with a better understanding and even appreciation for Chiba (the idiotic classmate of Haru's who was transported into this world too when they died). For a character I despised in the original book, ironically, my favorite part of Summer was his chapter toward the end, which was a great culmination of a few plot points in the book. Before I read that chapter, I was feeling good about the book but not very good, but because I felt so satisfied after reading that chapter, I'm still giving this book 4 stars. I enjoyed the chapter that much.

In comparison, the ending unfortunately couldn't compare though it was fun in its own right. I couldn't help but want more of a resolution with the demon lord than what we got, which is my only criticism. Any "closure" on that front happened off-screen since Haru isn't the primary POV character in this book. Here's to hoping the author will write a full-on sequel volume of Haru, not just a series of short stories because I would love to read it.

Though it starts off a little slow and the ending was just okay, I came away satisfied that I read it. I definitely recommend it to those who were able to read through the original JK Haru as it does an excellent job fleshing out side characters, especially Chiba.

[Selena Pigoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

If half stars were a thing, it would get a 4.5, but with how great the first volume was, I was a tad disappointed.

Summer is a collection of short stories centering around Haru and friends. As the title suggests, most take place across a single summer and so the majority overlap. It feels like an interlude between volumes (likely why it's listed as 1.5 on goodreads), but when I looked the series up on Wikipedia, it lists an end date for publication so... I guess this is it? I have fingers crossed that we get a proper volume 2, especially with the events of one of the short stories in this one, but somehow, I don't think we will.

Since it's in a short story format, I'll write my thoughts on each story separately, then give my impression on the whole.

I Wanted to Save You Like a Hero Someday: 2/5
This was probably the most difficult of the stories to get through. Chiba has never been high on my list of characters I want to follow in these stories, and so an entire 'chapter' through his point of view, especially at the start, was insufferable. He's pretty much an insufferable jerk.

Granted, this story does serve a purpose in the scheme of things. It gives insights into his character and highlights his growth throughout the collection. It just... felt long. I get why it's there and all, but it did make for difficult reading.

Murder at Blue Cat Nocturne 4/5
Reading this one gave me a case of deja vu. Was there a short story like this in the first book? I feel like there was.

The murder however, was new. Haru trying to be Conan made me laugh, and the underwhelming ending was so on brand I found it hilarious.

Jaysohbrother's Kitchen 5/5
I entirely forgot Sumo's real name.

This story is narrated by Sumo and is part cooking show, part story of him teaching Kiyori how to cook. It's a bit of character fluff and was a sweet read.

The Muck Always Sinks to the Bottom 5/5
Told entirely from a new character's perspective (or at least one that didn't have much screen time in book 1), this one expands on the world. Igo, a member of a race maligned as the "Cursed People," tells the reader about growing up in a village in the middle of monster country. Weaving in and out of this narration, Kiyori comes requesting to be Igo's apprentice.

It has a darker tone than many of the others in this collection, but it ends on a hopeful note. Kiyori eventually wins him over, gives him a Sister-worthy scolding, and becomes his apprentice in dark magic.

Mom 5/5
The closest we come to a real ending to the series, and we're in the middle of the book! The start sees Haru facing off with the demon lord, then we switch to Lupe running the Blue Cat Nocturne while the proprietress is away. We learn a lot about Lupe and see her grow throughout the story. We also get some shocking development from other characters, so this and the previous story were far and above my favorite.

I Wanted To Save You Like A Hero, Cont. 4/5
This one was fascinating. It centers around Chiba and spans the same timeline as the other stories. You get to see Chiba's side of things, some of which are quite surprising. Lots of character development too. Not my favorite, but a really good one.

Live It Up While Your Young With Ramen! 4/5
A fun one. Let's make ramen. That's it. That's the story. I enjoyed it regardless.

First Christmas 4/5
Haru brings Christmas to the other world. Fun fluff.

Rejected Version 4/5
And we come full circle with the old world seen through Haru's eyes. Covers more or less the same timeline as the first story.

Overall, I enjoyed this not-quite-a-sequel series of shorts. Like I said before, it's more of an interlude than a proper sequel, but I'll take it.

Definitely worth a read if you read volume one.

[Honeymilk · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5. Definitely better written than the first LN.

Liked the short stories and how they fleshed out the side characters more, esp Lupe (my girl😭).

Also liked that they gave us **some** Haru & Ojisan crumbs but man, wish it didn’t happen off screen. Even if it’s just a short chapter, I really wanted to see how Haru resolved things with Ojisan (especially given the context of his implied thoughts towards her in the short story at the end of the manga’s last volume).

They really could’ve delved more into that for me but this LN was a nice read.

[Jessica Cravens · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sequel to the piss-taking Isekai about a girl becoming a prostitute in a sexist fantasy world, this book unfortunately lacks some of the fun from it's predecessor. It also follows a slice-of-life style story, but this time it bounces between more characters than just Haru herself. While it's still charming in its own way, the writing remains mediocre.

Unfortunately, the story is a bit harder to follow, acting as a sequel in the timeline established previously. The first half is essentially following a linear story, but the second half jumps back and follows a side character's perspective of essentially the same tale. If you suddenly get lost once the perspective shifts, that's why.

The story of Haru herself ends on a bit of a cliffhanger letdown and nothing further is said about it before the story switches perspectives. I hope the author writes another book in this universe, and I also hope they can improve their writing style. (I'm aware that it may be a translation issue but since I can't read Japanese, my opinion will remain the same until proven otherwise)

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection of interconnected short stories set after the events of the first book is not a very satisfying sequel.

A large part of the book is narrated by my least favorite character, Seiji Chiba, the otaku who came with the title character from Tokyo to a misogynistic, medieval fantasy realm where he has a magical cheat code that lets him succeed at being a warrior and a complete ass. He keeps flashing back to the truck accident that caused their jump in dimensions as he gets involved with a sex worker in the Blue Cat Nocturne brothel who is addicted to drugs and is her own version of a complete ass.

The rest of the stories also focus on side characters like Kiyori, Lupe and "Sumo" (Jaysohlbrother) with barely a glimpse of Haru here and there. She does get one big revelation in the middle, but most of the book seems to be content with the tracing the small ripples of her big splash in the world. Her dining habits are more important than the conflict with the demon lord in the forest.

If you're here for the fan service that was so plentiful in the first novel and its manga adaptations, this book is pretty much sex free except for an extended sequence of double entendres regarding a new character named Dick.

The one thing that does carry over from the first novel is the writing, or at least the translation, which remains very amateurish.

I hope a real sequel comes out someday.

[Lils · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you liked the first novel, then this inevitably is a pretty good read too considering it follows on as a sequel but in the perspective of all the characters around Haru. It definitely made me like Chiba a lot more because it gave time for us to better understand him, but it also really fleshed out other characters like Lupe who I was always interested in and I'm glad we got to see more of her struggles outside of her "perfect" motherly persona. It was also nice to see the number one of the shop even though she was rather..eccentric or just spoiled in a sense, but thinking about her life being nothing but the brothel is rather depressing.

Even though I did enjoy it, I did want more of Haru and her perspective because I think her thought process and actions are the most interesting for me. Another gripe is that I wanted a more clear and rounded out conclusion to what happened to the Demon Lord. I mean, I assume Haru's baby is his, but where is he? What happened to him? I kinda hope the manga can hopefully flesh that out in the future since the novel didn't.

[G. Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not strictly a sequel

I read several reviews that rated this book poorly based on the fact that they were expecting a proper sequel and got this book instead. I would say that this book is more like one of the intermediary volumes between a book and a sequel. It is really full of short stories that are primarily either character development, and/or 'the other side' of events that happened in the first volume, but were only described from one character's viewpoint.

That said, I really enjoyed it. I have a high regard for Ko Hiratori's ability to blend humor into a serious and often dark story. From what I can tell, it is a stepping stone to a future, 'true' sequel.

[Jean-Luc Chartier · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a sequel to JK Haru, it's a lot better than what I expected.

Instead of directly following the plot to kill the demon lord or describing more interaction with customers of the brothel Haru is working at, it focuses on the character development of some of the establish cast in the format of short stories following the events of the first book.

Overall, a very different reading experience than the first book with a lot of interesting idea and concept.

[Min · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is pretty good, but the Kindle version is definitely marred by a pretty horrid formatting job - there's a spacing issue between words on literally every page of this particular edition. I kept track in the beginning but just gave up after a while. Just a heads up if you plan on buying the kindle version instead of premium epub version or another publisher.

[sachi · Rating 2 out of 5]

got it yesterday, finished it today. honestly im disappointed. the original was a good variation on the overpowered Isekai trope. also haru is pregnant and about to have a child and there's just no context to it??? i don't care abt kiyori or lupe or chiba (especially chiba) so im uninvested

[Feen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Not as good as the first but still decent. The characters are still getting more fleshed out but the main character was not touched on as much in this volume.

[Violet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first, but it has some interesting new (and fleshed out) characters and is overall very heartwarming.

[Alex Conn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid collection of short stories, fleshed out the back stories of several characters. Leaves you wanting more, but there is no more.

[Sunset ZT · Rating 1 out of 5]

La historia de Lupe es muy buena, el resto es basura.

[Thi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ramen and Krissmiss short stories ;_;

[Shinya]

amazon限定とか書いてあるけど、普通に有隣堂で買った。千葉のこともだんだん好きになってきたし、キャラ書くのが本当にうまい。