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Otherside Picnic Light Novel #6
裏世界ピクニック６ Ｔは寺生まれのＴ
私の名前は紙越空魚。埼玉に住むごく普通の大学生。だけどある日知らない金髪美人が現れて、今の自分は記憶喪失だと告げられる。戸惑う暇もなくヤクザの運転する車で謎の施設へ連れ去られて……私、いったいどうなっちゃうの!?──この現実と隣合わせの裏世界、それに関する記憶すべてを封じるネットロア〈寺生まれのＴさん〉が空魚たちの敵として襲来する！ 女子ふたり怪異探検サバイバル、シリーズ初の長篇となる第６巻!!
263 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 17, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 22, 2022
Sorawo is a perfectly normal young woman with a perfectly normal eye going to a perfectly normal university and she certainly doesn’t know anybody named Toriko. Except we know that’s not true, so what’s going on? Yes, something sinister is afoot again and it’s going to end up casting a far wider net than usual…
I’m pretty sure this is the best light novel series going right now. It’s easily my personal favourite at any rate. Honestly, when the five second summary works out as ‘yuri Lovecraftian X-Files’ it’s unquestionably ticking a lot of boxes for me.
And these stories are all so remarkably consistent. Despite the author’s statement that they wrote this one to be a single volume full story that was a bit more festive, it’s actually pretty harrowing and has some of the offhand creepiest moments in a series that thrives on them (one section where additional dialogue from an unseen party is just inserted into the conversation gave me the willies).
The supernatural entity at the heart of this one has the power to erase memories, which I thought was going to be the crux of the matter, but turns out to be the merest tip of the iceberg (I did wonder why it didn’t just keep doing this over and over, but there’s enough explanation of its true purpose at the end that you can infer why that’s the case).
As far as a supposed long-form version of the series goes, I didn’t really notice a big change. The shorter stories in a volume tend to flow together really well as it is. This does feature some notable callbacks to previous chapters and expands the role of some characters that should shake things up going forward. The enemy (or is it?) this time spends a lot of time in the “real” world, which is an extra unsettling layer.
I think my biggest compliment is that this series is very satisfying yuri, but it’s the other part of the story that keeps bringing me back. These stories and the world building are so interesting and they may all revolve around things going generally crazy, but the specifics are always just different enough.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some great strides made in the Sorawo and Toriko relationship this time around - Sorawo hasn’t verbally acknowledged Toriko’s feelings but she sure is trying to meet her partway. The bath visit is great.
Generally it’s nice to see Sorawo slowly growing up. She’s definitely been the more shut off of the story’s characters and seeing her really come into her own with both Toriko and Akari here is an excellent payoff.
I don’t know that she should feel quite so guilty about Akari’s situation - it feels like she’s placing a lot of that on herself for no good reason except to beat herself up. Still, the way she comes around on Akari after all these volumes and how that plays out are very well done. I’ve always enjoyed Akari as a character - her contrast with Sorawo alone is always interesting - so it was neat to see her get more page time.
5 stars - an interesting ‘villain’, lots of creepy atmosphere and that perfect dash of yuri blended all together for another spectacular instalment of a series that has yet to disappoint.
I’m pretty sure this is the best light novel series going right now. It’s easily my personal favourite at any rate. Honestly, when the five second summary works out as ‘yuri Lovecraftian X-Files’ it’s unquestionably ticking a lot of boxes for me.
And these stories are all so remarkably consistent. Despite the author’s statement that they wrote this one to be a single volume full story that was a bit more festive, it’s actually pretty harrowing and has some of the offhand creepiest moments in a series that thrives on them (one section where additional dialogue from an unseen party is just inserted into the conversation gave me the willies).
The supernatural entity at the heart of this one has the power to erase memories, which I thought was going to be the crux of the matter, but turns out to be the merest tip of the iceberg (I did wonder why it didn’t just keep doing this over and over, but there’s enough explanation of its true purpose at the end that you can infer why that’s the case).
As far as a supposed long-form version of the series goes, I didn’t really notice a big change. The shorter stories in a volume tend to flow together really well as it is. This does feature some notable callbacks to previous chapters and expands the role of some characters that should shake things up going forward. The enemy (or is it?) this time spends a lot of time in the “real” world, which is an extra unsettling layer.
I think my biggest compliment is that this series is very satisfying yuri, but it’s the other part of the story that keeps bringing me back. These stories and the world building are so interesting and they may all revolve around things going generally crazy, but the specifics are always just different enough.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some great strides made in the Sorawo and Toriko relationship this time around - Sorawo hasn’t verbally acknowledged Toriko’s feelings but she sure is trying to meet her partway. The bath visit is great.
Generally it’s nice to see Sorawo slowly growing up. She’s definitely been the more shut off of the story’s characters and seeing her really come into her own with both Toriko and Akari here is an excellent payoff.
I don’t know that she should feel quite so guilty about Akari’s situation - it feels like she’s placing a lot of that on herself for no good reason except to beat herself up. Still, the way she comes around on Akari after all these volumes and how that plays out are very well done. I’ve always enjoyed Akari as a character - her contrast with Sorawo alone is always interesting - so it was neat to see her get more page time.
5 stars - an interesting ‘villain’, lots of creepy atmosphere and that perfect dash of yuri blended all together for another spectacular instalment of a series that has yet to disappoint.
December 4, 2025
Hah!!!
March 10, 2025
The much-needed comeback for the series after the story was heading in a light-hearted relationship-drama way. Finally, some more intrigue regarding "them" and the chapter follows none of the previous formula (like the last ones felt like repetitions of previous ones). This was like 'Time, Space, and a Middleaged' man all over again: Exciting, unpredictable, and a good spur of development for Sorawo. Can't wait for Vol. 7.
July 6, 2024
E però io Akari veramente non la sopporto! Ma levarcela di torno per un paio di episodi no, eh? XD
June 4, 2022
I'm not a huge fan of horror, my heart is too weak for it but this volume just has one of my favorite scenes and it was a damn scary one.
The last few scenes near the end where Kozakura started blabbing things, I just had to prepare myself for what was to come next, and oh boy did Iori Miyazawa notched up the scare factor. The way that whole scene just unfolded in my head as I read was scary and brilliant, and I loved it.
Iori Miyazawa just continues to amaze and scare me with his work, that I'm already anticipating for what's going to frighten me next volume.
The last few scenes near the end where Kozakura started blabbing things, I just had to prepare myself for what was to come next, and oh boy did Iori Miyazawa notched up the scare factor. The way that whole scene just unfolded in my head as I read was scary and brilliant, and I loved it.
Iori Miyazawa just continues to amaze and scare me with his work, that I'm already anticipating for what's going to frighten me next volume.
October 27, 2022
After volumes 4 and 5, this was a volume which returned the focus to the horror/otherworld aspect of the story. We had a single file taking up the whole book, which meant we get to see a lot more of the other characters throughout the book, and everyone gets their moment to shine.
It was a fun volume, and one of the things I really liked about this volume was how much Akari we got. It was great seeing Sorawo finally warm up to her. It's been a while too since she called her karateka... I do feel bad about how she feels a sense of responsibility towards her, but she does appreciate just having her around, and stops treating her coldly, which is nice. It's certainly a step forward in their relationship. But Sorawo has started showing a worrying trend of constantly blaming herself for the misfortunes of people around her. I understand this as a step in the right direction for her as a character - she is caring a lot more deeply about the people around her, which is a good sign - but this probably also comes from a place of low self-esteem which has been a defining trait of her character for so long, so it's understandable. I do hope she can get over it.
Speaking of Sorawo, I absolutely loved her development. She's grown a lot as a character, she's more accepting of the people around her and has learnt to lower her guard around people she knows trust her, and most importantly, she's started to open up to Toriko, and try and acknowledge and accept her feelings and advances head-on. The mirror chapter in volume 5 was one of my favourite light novel chapters of all time, so it makes me extremely glad to see the impact that chapter has on the narrative.
The second half of the book focuses a lot more on the otherside aspect. The weird settings are always cool to visualize (and always leave me with an impression that all of this would look amazing if adapted well to a visual medium, along with a tinge of disappointment for obvious reasons...), but it doesn't really catch me the same way the character writing does. So I ended up liking the first half a lot more than the second. Miyazawa does work the setting well into his writing, however, and I can appreciate it, I guess it's just not what I'm looking for in this series.
It's hard to point out a favourite section, but if I had to choose one, it would probably be Toriko and Sorawo drilling holes into the concrete building's roofs (floors?), or the tera-umare's attack on the DS building (the section with Luna was glorious).
Kasumi is a really fun addition to the cast. I don't really have much to say about her character as such, but I'm interested in the direction they will take it. I really like the atmosphere of the scenes with her, and I like Toriko and Sorawo's interactions with her. It's really cute.
I don't have much else to add, the series does well what it usually does, great writing as usual. I'm very excited to see where volume 7 goes with everything (secretly hoping for more romance though).
It was a fun volume, and one of the things I really liked about this volume was how much Akari we got. It was great seeing Sorawo finally warm up to her. It's been a while too since she called her karateka... I do feel bad about how she feels a sense of responsibility towards her, but she does appreciate just having her around, and stops treating her coldly, which is nice. It's certainly a step forward in their relationship. But Sorawo has started showing a worrying trend of constantly blaming herself for the misfortunes of people around her. I understand this as a step in the right direction for her as a character - she is caring a lot more deeply about the people around her, which is a good sign - but this probably also comes from a place of low self-esteem which has been a defining trait of her character for so long, so it's understandable. I do hope she can get over it.
Speaking of Sorawo, I absolutely loved her development. She's grown a lot as a character, she's more accepting of the people around her and has learnt to lower her guard around people she knows trust her, and most importantly, she's started to open up to Toriko, and try and acknowledge and accept her feelings and advances head-on. The mirror chapter in volume 5 was one of my favourite light novel chapters of all time, so it makes me extremely glad to see the impact that chapter has on the narrative.
The second half of the book focuses a lot more on the otherside aspect. The weird settings are always cool to visualize (and always leave me with an impression that all of this would look amazing if adapted well to a visual medium, along with a tinge of disappointment for obvious reasons...), but it doesn't really catch me the same way the character writing does. So I ended up liking the first half a lot more than the second. Miyazawa does work the setting well into his writing, however, and I can appreciate it, I guess it's just not what I'm looking for in this series.
It's hard to point out a favourite section, but if I had to choose one, it would probably be Toriko and Sorawo drilling holes into the concrete building's roofs (floors?), or the tera-umare's attack on the DS building (the section with Luna was glorious).
Kasumi is a really fun addition to the cast. I don't really have much to say about her character as such, but I'm interested in the direction they will take it. I really like the atmosphere of the scenes with her, and I like Toriko and Sorawo's interactions with her. It's really cute.
I don't have much else to add, the series does well what it usually does, great writing as usual. I'm very excited to see where volume 7 goes with everything (secretly hoping for more romance though).
July 28, 2025
-Dementia Sorawo funny as hell, could’ve gone on for longer
-Insane that they now pretty much have a daughter. They’re moms. Kozakura too. They don’t even live together!
-Sorawo admitted that she enjoys exploring the otherside just so she can feel like she’s in minecraft…
-Templeborn sadly not doing much for me tbh, though it’s funny that it reminded me of Bel-Aired greentext stories from like 16 years ago
-Glad Toriko had that jealous bit near the end cause I was wondering too. The Otherside is for the two of them, period.
-Insane that they now pretty much have a daughter. They’re moms. Kozakura too. They don’t even live together!
-Sorawo admitted that she enjoys exploring the otherside just so she can feel like she’s in minecraft…
-Templeborn sadly not doing much for me tbh, though it’s funny that it reminded me of Bel-Aired greentext stories from like 16 years ago
-Glad Toriko had that jealous bit near the end cause I was wondering too. The Otherside is for the two of them, period.
December 1, 2021
in volume 6, otherside picnic captures a darker atmosphere than the previous book – which i really like. i'm so glad akari finally got involved in the unknown mysteries from otherside, it shows a lot about sorawo's grown as a character thanks to toriko.
January 9, 2022
hell yeah cant wait for vol 7
February 13, 2022
I cannot believe Kozakura became my new favorite character solely based on the fact she's a responsible adult who hates children but still wants the best for them.
Good volume
Good volume
April 4, 2023
Fabulous
July 3, 2024
I really wanted another POV for the beginning.
August 18, 2024
this one was funny with silly T-san going around and punching everyone but wasn’t that serious with overarching plot developments.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 8, 2024
This sole chapter is just them fighting a meme character and I love it.
Sorawo getting amnesia in the first pages broke me, don't do this to me Miyazawa.
Sorawo getting amnesia in the first pages broke me, don't do this to me Miyazawa.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2022
Well, this was the first book in the series to be a full length story rather than a collection of interlinked short stories. But this volume is entirely about Sorawo and Toriko fighting the Templeborn.
T-san the Templeborn is originally an internet joke poking fun at ghost stories, but the Otherside entity based on it was no joke. It attacked Sorawo and sealed her memories of the Otherside, causing her to forget about Toriko and her friends. I normally hate amnesia as a plot point, but this part was thankfully solved rapidly, with Sorawo recovering her memories shortly after the beginning of the book thanks to Toriko's help. I liked the way it was used to show not only how much Toriko, Akari and Kozakura care about Sorawo, but also how much she actually cares about them and how much they have become an important part of her life. Kozakura is always snipping at Sorawo, but was actually upset when something happened to her, and Sorawo was later upset when the Templeborn attacked Akari.
It also showed how much the Otherside means to Sorawo, and the contrast between the way Sorawo and Toriko perceive the Otherside, as a fun place to explore and play in together despite the occasional danger, and the way everyone else sees it, as a scary place full of eldritch abominations. Who is right here ? I think Sorawo and Toriko refusal to see the dangers of the Otherside is paradoxically what allow them to effectively fight off these dangers, since they refuse to be cowed by them.
The Templeborn was a truly creepy monster, not only because of its brainwashing powers, but also because it tried to pretend to be human and often managed to almost succeed and fool people, with what it was saying almost making sense, but not quite. There was truly some inhuman intelligence behind its actions, and it raise a lot of questions concerning its goals : Did it truly only want to communicate with people ? Then why did it hurt them ? Was it unable to understand that it was hurting them in its attempts to communicate, or did it just not care ? In the end, the Templeborn is destroyed and the questions raised by its existence went unanswered, but the entities from the other side of the Otherside that created it are still here, and will probably keep trying to "communicate" with Sorawo and the others and hurt them while doing so.
T-san the Templeborn is originally an internet joke poking fun at ghost stories, but the Otherside entity based on it was no joke. It attacked Sorawo and sealed her memories of the Otherside, causing her to forget about Toriko and her friends. I normally hate amnesia as a plot point, but this part was thankfully solved rapidly, with Sorawo recovering her memories shortly after the beginning of the book thanks to Toriko's help. I liked the way it was used to show not only how much Toriko, Akari and Kozakura care about Sorawo, but also how much she actually cares about them and how much they have become an important part of her life. Kozakura is always snipping at Sorawo, but was actually upset when something happened to her, and Sorawo was later upset when the Templeborn attacked Akari.
It also showed how much the Otherside means to Sorawo, and the contrast between the way Sorawo and Toriko perceive the Otherside, as a fun place to explore and play in together despite the occasional danger, and the way everyone else sees it, as a scary place full of eldritch abominations. Who is right here ? I think Sorawo and Toriko refusal to see the dangers of the Otherside is paradoxically what allow them to effectively fight off these dangers, since they refuse to be cowed by them.
The Templeborn was a truly creepy monster, not only because of its brainwashing powers, but also because it tried to pretend to be human and often managed to almost succeed and fool people, with what it was saying almost making sense, but not quite. There was truly some inhuman intelligence behind its actions, and it raise a lot of questions concerning its goals : Did it truly only want to communicate with people ? Then why did it hurt them ? Was it unable to understand that it was hurting them in its attempts to communicate, or did it just not care ? In the end, the Templeborn is destroyed and the questions raised by its existence went unanswered, but the entities from the other side of the Otherside that created it are still here, and will probably keep trying to "communicate" with Sorawo and the others and hurt them while doing so.
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