Hoàng Tử Thiên Tài - Hành Trình Gây Dựng Lại Đất Nước Đang Lâm Nguy - Tập 2

天才王子の赤字国家再生術~そうだ、売国しよう~ (Light Novel) #2

by Toru Toba, fal_maro (Illustrator), Ngọc Huyền (Translator)

Sau khi giành chiến thắng trong cuộc chiến với nước láng giềng chỉ bằng một lực lượng binh lực ít ỏi và khiến cho danh tiếng của mình vang xa, công chúa Lowermina của đế quốc Earthwold – người đang gặp phải sóng gió trong cuộc chiến tranh giành ngôi vị đã đột ngột đến gặp Wayne để... bàn về chuyện hôn nhân!? Mặc dù đã cảnh giác không để mọi chuyện diễn ra “quá suôn sẻ”, nhưng anh lại không thể ngăn nổi sự ồn ào đến từ những người xung quanh khi mối quan hệ giữa Wayne và đế quốc ngày càng trở nên sâu sắc hơn. Thêm vào đó, lời cầu hôn đến từ vị công chúa đang chuẩn bị tham dự buổi “mai mối không chính thức” này cũng ẩn chứa rất nhiều tham vọng đằng sau...

“Thật sự muốn từ chối màaaaaaaaa!”

Chương tiếp theo về vị hoàng tử trên con đường gây dựng lại đất nước đang lâm nguy của mình xin được chính thức mở ra tại đây.

Genres: Light Novel, Fantasy, Comedy, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, Politics

486 pages, Paperback

First published September 13, 2018

About the author

See also 鳥羽 徹 [Toru Toba].

Reviews

[Abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good sequel! I liked seeing Wein and Ninym again, and meeting a new character, Lowa. This book goes deeper into Wein's past in the Empire, along with furthering threads left by the previous book. I really enjoyed delving into the subject of political marriage, along with seeing what hare-brained schemes Wein would get stuck in. It was funny, and overall intriguing and entertaining to read about everything that took place in book two of the series. I especially enjoyed getting insight into Wein and Ninym's relationship (she's his heart) and meeting Lowa, who matches Wein with her scheming ways and political savvy - no easy feat! Overall, this was a pretty solid sequel, which deals more with the Empire, which is interesting. I'm excited to see how book 3 deals with the West in April! 4.5 stars. Oh, and the translation is excellent!

[Pieter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wein does not have much time to enjoy his victory over Marden. He is single, and the youngest Imperial princess Lowellmina Earthworld visits Natra to personally start the negotiations of a marriage between her and Wein. Wein suspects ulterior motives, even more so when she happens to be old study friends from his time at the military academy of the Earthworld Empire, friends who are much alike. Sometimes the plotters though are outsmarted by themselves.

The second book of the series is a contained story as well with obvious ties in to a much bigger story about the conflict within the Empire. Book 1 was mostly battle, book 2 is mostly political cloak and dagger with a few flashbacks lifting a tiny part of the veil hiding Wein's true character and motivation. It certainly makes me curious what happened at the military academy and how Wein has a much more personal interest in the conflict of the empire then just the risk it poses to Natra. Personally I don't mind the slow character development and love the smart protagonist who at times is fallible. No echi, except a few boob "jokes", and only the occasional eyeroll over Wein's extreme emotional reactions.

The book does contain a few moments with too much exposition, especially when Wein gives a needlessly long history lesson to his sister that happens to be about the people involved in the plot before Wein even knows this is the case. The characters appear flat, but there are hints we are going to see more on the people in future novels. The art is still to cutesy in my opinion. I like it as individual pieces, it just does not fit the theme of the book well. The black-and-white internal art is also a bit too similar too each other: faces plus upper part of the body of Wein, Ninym and Lowa.

Still, it is the type of book I greatly enjoy reading and part 2 was not a disappointment. I am looking forward to reading part 3.

[Pablo García · Rating 1 out of 5]

Main Character is supposed to be a "Genius", is more like an addicted gambler that keeps on writing checks that his body can't cash. Main character, Wein, is helping out his Empire academy friend Lowa, she wants to become the next empress, in exchange she offers nothing. Manipulated and foolish, Wein gambles time and time again and it's not really fun, funny or interesting.
If he worked half as much as he wastes his time with things irrelevant to his small kingdom, things would get better for his people.
Author tries to create a perfect chess player (great strategist) environment, but he is omniscient and cheats by playing all the cards that benefit him all of the time. Author has all the cards counted in the deck, creates impossible moves and cheats in the plots, so it ends up being not believable or logical. Wein moves from place to far away place, offers huge banquets to the young empress daughter Lowa, without having one gold coin to spend. Wein all the time wants out, to resign, and every move he makes sinks him deeper into de quicksand that is his poor territory and lackluster life. Ninym is always one step ahead of him, way smarter so I don't get how the author says that Wein is supposed to be a genius if the "smarter one" is the girl that is his shadow. Now Wein not only has to constantly please the expectations of Ninym but has Lowa as a second "bigger" "boss" with even higher and impossible odds and whims.
Light novel is short in length (three or four chapters 1st volume., 6 chapters 2nd volume) Author spends half the time trying to be funny and makes main character more of a clown/fool than a kingdom ruler. Illustrations look half done, half are completely naked and have no relation to the content of the light novel or the nonsensical plots the author thought up. Volumes 1 and 2 are supposedly 224 pages each but feel like less than 100. Are the blank pages counted as written pages in this bleak light novel?

[Bernard · Rating 3 out of 5]

We once again, we have a main character with all of the answers. Thankfully, the author added a wildcard in the form of a foreign princess who has her own agenda and different answers. Because of that princess, we have lots of flashbacks and get to know the main character a little better.

One issue with the Japanese approach to storytelling, is that they seem to love insanely complicated plots with loyalties divided a few thousand different ways. That style doesn't really work unless you know who ALL the players are in advance. In this type of story, it usually ends up with plots that drop in new characters just when they are needed...

The book is not bad but it doesn't really have the character development that I really would like to see. It does have a nice story arc with the succession crisis in the empire, but that is just not enough to carry the story.

Not a bad time waster.

[Donte McNeal · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a while since I the first book in this series, but Toru does a great job reminding you who everyone is, what they were last up to and how it leads into the current story. We get to meet some new characters this time around, and I've got to say, the battle of wits between Wein and the new character was really fun. I can't help but want to see more of her in the future, and I'm sure we will given how things ended in this one.

We get to see more of Wein's schemes and tactics play out, just like the first book. He's really too smart for his own good, and he's once again put himself in a position where he can't possibly sell his country and retire like he wants. But what fun would that be anyway? I'm looking forward to the fallout from the political marriage shenanigans in future volumes, because it definitely can't be wrapped up neatly after everything that happened.

[B. Sutthida · Rating 5 out of 5]

สนุกสนาน เฮฮา สไตล์การเมืองเบาๆ กับเจ้าชายเจ้าปัญญา

เมื่อทูตจากจักรวรรดิ์คนใหม่มาประจำการที่นาทรา...ความวายป่วงรอบใหม่จึงเริ่มขึ้น แต่ปัญหารอบนี้เกิดจากปากเวย์นเองแท้ๆ ที่ดันพูดเรื่องแต่งงานขึ้นมา เกือบโดนจับแต่งงานจริงๆ แล้วไหมละ (เหอะๆ) แต่นอนว่าภายใต้เรื่องราวล้วนเต็มไปด้วยการเมือง ทั้งการเมืองท้องถิ่นและการเมืองระดับประเทศ เรียกได้ว่าประเทศเพื่อนบ้านมีปัญหา ประเทศข้างเคียงก็ไม่อาจอยู่สงบได้จริงๆ

ความจริงเราดูอนิเมะถึงตอนประมาณนี้ ดังนั้นจึงไม่รู้ว่าเล่ม 3 จะเป็นเรื่องเกี่ยวกับอะไร แต่ปัญหาการเมืองและขั้วอำนาจใต้น้ำที่แสดงออกในเล่ม 2 นี้ก็พอจะทำให้เห็นแนวโน้มภาพใหญ่ของเรื่องนี้แล้วแหละ (มั้งนะ)

[Ricardo Matos · Rating 4 out of 5]

As fun to read as the first one, but by the end there are a couple of coincidences that are a bit too far fetched. Still, author manages to balance really well the funny side and the political strategic side.
So far, the series hasn’t disappointed!

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice progression from the first volume that felt a bit too straightforward. Also, giving our protagonist a decent foil made for fun moments. Though the turning point event mid way did seem a bit tossed together.

[Loae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 2 was better than volume 1 and much better than I expected. The author put together a great plot with multiple levels of deception. It would have been a great fantasy novel if the plot was written as a fantasy novel and not a light novel.

[Book-o Loco · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was a close call lol

[Patrick Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mmmmmaaaannnn I want more

I have to say there is some serious thought into this book and the mind around the main character you just don't know what he will do

[¥uri ݁˖☘︎✟⚚☕︎݁˖ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was not as good as the first volume but it was still good, I still don't care for the characters very much but the plot is good, however, I thought the first volume had a better balance between diplomacy, schemes, and military tactics, while this book consisted mostly of just political schemes, they were well written political schemes and it was still nice seeing how those schemes escalated from a simple proposal for a political marriage to preventing a civil war in a neighboring country but that doesn't change the fact that I thought that the less varied situations on this book made it a bit less fun than the first volume

(I also don't like the art style for the illustrations in this book, the anatomy of the characters isn't always consistent, and the exaggerated expressions are a very repetitive punchline for the series, the guy clearly knows how to draw, but I personally am not a fan)

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wein is quite the troublesome fool. Typically, he's not trying to be half as much the political annoyance or haphazard spoilsport he becomes, but fate has something different in mind for the young ruler. As the Kingdom of Natra struggles to recover from its short-war with its neighbor to the immediate west, Wein and Ninym scrape the royal coffers and thumb through myriad piles of paperwork to keep the country running smoothly. As rural, impoverished, and luckless as the kingdom may be, Wein and his trusted adjutant will do everything in their power to see things through to the end.

Naturally, GENIUS PRINCE . . . #2 curves the path a bit. It turns out the Earthworld Empire, which governs a confederacy of small nation-states on the eastern half of the continent, is on the verge of a civil war. The three crown princes are feuding while several of the middle- and lower-tier vassals itch to prove they're worth their salt. Good thing the Kingdom of Natra is holed up in the north. Good thing nobody would think to bother that tiny nation with notions concerning the Empire's internal squabbles. Or would they?

Wein whines and complains about wanting to turn his kingdom over for a profit and live the easy life, but circumstances conspire, and the young man is forced to govern like an adult. Such a travesty.

The sly dialogue and raw palace intrigue that made the first novel a credible and curious piece of fiction returns in GENIUS PRINCE . . . #2. Wein and Ninym are beset with the political machinations of friend and foe alike, and the two must navigate everything from dangerous proposals of political marriage to civil unrest to fending off assassination attempts. The joy of a novel like GENIUS PRINCE . . . #2 is that there's always something quirky and challenging around the corner. It may be forgone that Wein's genius will guide him to success, but the odd twists and turns he enacts along the way are what make the title worth reading.

The best example punches through when a visiting aristocrat takes a drunken fall out of a second story window and bites the dust. Whoops. How does Wein control information as it seeps back into the hands of his enemies? What does Wein do in response to this obvious (if accidental) threat of violence against a head of state? How many allies does Wein have, if any, to shift into position to better access an escape route in the event something goes wrong (again)?

It's the getting-out-of-trouble that makes GENIUS PRINCE . . . #2 such a fun book. However, on occasion, the challenges Wein faces are a bit contrived, like when a friend from his time in the military academy turns out to be the second imperial princess of the Earthworld Empire . . . it's a weird coincidence one feels the author threw in at random but also just so happened to have worked out. Lowellmina Earthworld is a fun character, she's as arrogant and sharp as Wein, but the author could have done a much better job of integrating her into the narrative than conjuring a ridiculous backstory her about playing Robin Hood in their childhood days.

This is a good novel series and is easy to digest for readers eager for a consequential tale of domestic governance at a time when there's little to hold onto but the will of the people and the cobblestones beneath one's feet. There's war and death, betrayal and uncertainty, and a lot of conniving. But that's what it means to be an impoverished ruler. The novel's patient and subtle insistence that Wein and Ninym are reluctant lovers-in-waiting, despite all the mayhem surrounding their struggling kingdom, is a delightful backbeat to an otherwise fast-moving and energetic tale of impudence on the throne.

[Mister · Rating 5 out of 5]

It left me in a good mood at the end, so, five stars.

[Iqbal]

No game no life vibes, but much funnier