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Otherside Picnic Light Novel #7
Otherside Picnic: Volume 7
Satsuki Uruma—a young woman of considerable importance to Toriko who disappeared while studying the Otherside. She has menaced Toriko and Sorawo many times as an apparition, but now, she makes her boldest move yet towards the latter. In an act of desperation, Sorawo resolves to use everything she knows about the occult to finally “exorcize” her. Enlisting the help of not just Toriko, but Kozakura, DS Research, and even former cult leader and high schooler Runa Urumi, Sorawo leads the charge on a funeral operation.
197 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 16, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 8, 2022
There were so many instances that just creeped me out, and felt panic rose into my chest too while I was reading it. Miyazawa really does a great job capturing the atmosphere and just the intensity of what's happening that it felt like I was the one on the run from the scary things as I was reading it.
Sorawo and Toriko's relationship continues to grow, and I just love when Sorawo affirms Toriko's feelings for her. And I absolutely love the amount of love and just I love you's that were drop on this volume, not to mention the kabedon, the biting, and that one kiss. Can't help but feel so proud for the both of them for how they've just grown together.
And yet what my favorite thing about this volume was just how it felt so freeing by the end of it, especially with that last image of Kozakura smiling being the one to end this volume.
Sorawo and Toriko's relationship continues to grow, and I just love when Sorawo affirms Toriko's feelings for her. And I absolutely love the amount of love and just I love you's that were drop on this volume, not to mention the kabedon, the biting, and that one kiss. Can't help but feel so proud for the both of them for how they've just grown together.
And yet what my favorite thing about this volume was just how it felt so freeing by the end of it, especially with that last image of Kozakura smiling being the one to end this volume.
July 4, 2022
The ghost of Satsuki Uruma, Toriko’s… friend… who vanished on the Otherside, has haunted our leads both literally and figuratively for some time. When her latest manifestation threatens Sorawo, the latter decides enough is enough. But when a carefully concocted plan goes sideways, a funeral might turn out to be a grave mistake…
One thing I’ve learned from reading a lot more in the recent years is that dolloped exposition bores me to death, especially in the context of a university lecture. So despite one of the more interesting ones I’ve seen - Sorawo is presenting and her matter-of-factness about one very eerie detail creeps out her entire class - this still features a university lecture early on that bores me to death.
It’s a necessary evil, honestly, as it sets up some of the lore and pseudoscience behind the Otherside and the plan to come, but holy crow is it ever a lot to get through. Totally a me thing, but I was worried there for a minute.
And then it goes very creepy when Sorawo has her encounter with Satsuki, a little reminder of just how dangerous and, well, otherworldly the Otherside is and this story starts to weave in some very innocuous words from a previous novel, callbacks to things that didn’t seem like more than comic relief, and a return from many of the series’ major characters.
And if you think a story about the potential end of Satsuki isn’t going to touch on the relationship between Sorawo and Toriko, well, hold onto your hat. There’s something funny and awkward about the way Sorawo chooses to tackle Toriko’s feelings by just putting the cards right on the table during what can only be described as a dinner date.
But it’s not like Satsuki meant (or means?) nothing to Toriko, so there’s believable friction between Sorawo’s ‘damn the torpedoes’ approach to dispatching Satsuki, spurred forward by that encounter that leaves Sorawo feeling helpless as a kitten, and whatever feelings for their nemesis Toriko has left.
And if there’s one thing that Sorawo clearly despises, it’s feeling helpless. Not surprising, given her chaotic past with her family and the cult, but she’s a person who is out to exert and maintain control of a given situation or, in the case of the Otherside, place. As they say, it’s kept her alive, but it has also kept her alone.
Which also feeds into her perceived weaknesses when she’s showing emotion. Her shadowy doppelgänger shows up again and this withdrawn and dour apparition nearly wrecks everything when Sorawo realizes just what she represents.
Of course, her double also gets in one hell of a good dig when that kiss turns out to… oh, but maybe I’m saying too much. Suffice to say, things aren’t staying still on the relationship front, even if Sorawo still has a lot of growing to do.
Everything culminates in a showdown on the Otherside, after we check in with the cast and then drag along several unexpected guests for a climax that mostly eschews physical blows for a series of emotional ones, as things turn out to be less of a secret than our leads thought.
Watching Sorawo use her brains to come up with a solution on the fly cements her as the de facto heroine of the story, plus the idea she comes up with is absolutely brilliant in the context of the series and completely works on a couple of levels. It’s a great way to end things that has a lot of pathos and leaves just enough unanswered questions for the future.
The epilogue is especially good, focusing not quite where you’d think and pointing out that sometimes the person with the deepest connection isn’t the one with the most to lose. Rather, that’s saved for the one who has nothing left when that one thing is taken.
And, while the art in the Otherside light novels has never been their strong suit, the illustrations this time are used quite well. The epilogue features a picture that it looks like we aren’t going to see, until it closes out the volume and gives it that little kick of melancholy. It was the hardest the series has ever hit me in the feels and it has nothing to do with Sorawo and Toriko.
Yeah, parts of it definitely dragged, but when it was on, this was so dang good. The creepy factor is great, showing up in the strangest places. There’s a point where Sorawo’s brain literally just short circuits mid-sentence and the way it’s written gave me shivers. This is definitely Otherside Picnic and, if it wasn’t at its best, it was mighty close.
4.5 stars - it starts a bit slow and takes its time building up steam, but culminates in a battle that isn’t a battle, yet is as clever as any stratagem our leads have come up with. And they crank the gay dial up a couple notches. That’s everything this series does well right there.
One thing I’ve learned from reading a lot more in the recent years is that dolloped exposition bores me to death, especially in the context of a university lecture. So despite one of the more interesting ones I’ve seen - Sorawo is presenting and her matter-of-factness about one very eerie detail creeps out her entire class - this still features a university lecture early on that bores me to death.
It’s a necessary evil, honestly, as it sets up some of the lore and pseudoscience behind the Otherside and the plan to come, but holy crow is it ever a lot to get through. Totally a me thing, but I was worried there for a minute.
And then it goes very creepy when Sorawo has her encounter with Satsuki, a little reminder of just how dangerous and, well, otherworldly the Otherside is and this story starts to weave in some very innocuous words from a previous novel, callbacks to things that didn’t seem like more than comic relief, and a return from many of the series’ major characters.
And if you think a story about the potential end of Satsuki isn’t going to touch on the relationship between Sorawo and Toriko, well, hold onto your hat. There’s something funny and awkward about the way Sorawo chooses to tackle Toriko’s feelings by just putting the cards right on the table during what can only be described as a dinner date.
But it’s not like Satsuki meant (or means?) nothing to Toriko, so there’s believable friction between Sorawo’s ‘damn the torpedoes’ approach to dispatching Satsuki, spurred forward by that encounter that leaves Sorawo feeling helpless as a kitten, and whatever feelings for their nemesis Toriko has left.
And if there’s one thing that Sorawo clearly despises, it’s feeling helpless. Not surprising, given her chaotic past with her family and the cult, but she’s a person who is out to exert and maintain control of a given situation or, in the case of the Otherside, place. As they say, it’s kept her alive, but it has also kept her alone.
Which also feeds into her perceived weaknesses when she’s showing emotion. Her shadowy doppelgänger shows up again and this withdrawn and dour apparition nearly wrecks everything when Sorawo realizes just what she represents.
Of course, her double also gets in one hell of a good dig when that kiss turns out to… oh, but maybe I’m saying too much. Suffice to say, things aren’t staying still on the relationship front, even if Sorawo still has a lot of growing to do.
Everything culminates in a showdown on the Otherside, after we check in with the cast and then drag along several unexpected guests for a climax that mostly eschews physical blows for a series of emotional ones, as things turn out to be less of a secret than our leads thought.
Watching Sorawo use her brains to come up with a solution on the fly cements her as the de facto heroine of the story, plus the idea she comes up with is absolutely brilliant in the context of the series and completely works on a couple of levels. It’s a great way to end things that has a lot of pathos and leaves just enough unanswered questions for the future.
The epilogue is especially good, focusing not quite where you’d think and pointing out that sometimes the person with the deepest connection isn’t the one with the most to lose. Rather, that’s saved for the one who has nothing left when that one thing is taken.
And, while the art in the Otherside light novels has never been their strong suit, the illustrations this time are used quite well. The epilogue features a picture that it looks like we aren’t going to see, until it closes out the volume and gives it that little kick of melancholy. It was the hardest the series has ever hit me in the feels and it has nothing to do with Sorawo and Toriko.
Yeah, parts of it definitely dragged, but when it was on, this was so dang good. The creepy factor is great, showing up in the strangest places. There’s a point where Sorawo’s brain literally just short circuits mid-sentence and the way it’s written gave me shivers. This is definitely Otherside Picnic and, if it wasn’t at its best, it was mighty close.
4.5 stars - it starts a bit slow and takes its time building up steam, but culminates in a battle that isn’t a battle, yet is as clever as any stratagem our leads have come up with. And they crank the gay dial up a couple notches. That’s everything this series does well right there.
December 6, 2025
the scariest book i've ever read omg
June 22, 2022
Otherside Picnic's themes of healing from abuse and trauma come to a triumphant crescendo in this volume where Sorawo decides to deal with the Satsuki problem once and for all. I want to write a whole article about the themes surrounding Satsuki, trauma, and recovery in this series, and probably will, but here I'll just say it's really nice to read a horror book that explores abuse in a tasteful, restrained way while still being creepy and tense. Leaning into the horror of being emotionally exploited (especially by a mentor and teacher) and representing that in terms of a literal monster wraith is good stuff, and this book handles it well.
Sorawo is STILL having trouble figuring out her feelings for Toriko while Toriko is 100% wanting them to go out, but we get some good (and, in the tradition of Otherside Picnic, weird) developments here, so I don't mind it being dragged out a little more- though I do kind of wish we'd get to a resolution so we could stop skirting consent issues. I want to see Toriko and Sorawo struggle to be fully functional as a couple, so I get a bit impatient. But this book shows Sorawo's well on her way to a breakthrough. Overall, it was a fun, tense tale as usual, the series back in full fine form.
Sorawo is STILL having trouble figuring out her feelings for Toriko while Toriko is 100% wanting them to go out, but we get some good (and, in the tradition of Otherside Picnic, weird) developments here, so I don't mind it being dragged out a little more- though I do kind of wish we'd get to a resolution so we could stop skirting consent issues. I want to see Toriko and Sorawo struggle to be fully functional as a couple, so I get a bit impatient. But this book shows Sorawo's well on her way to a breakthrough. Overall, it was a fun, tense tale as usual, the series back in full fine form.
June 27, 2022
This book taught me that true love is exorcising the ghost of your first loves, first love.
October 6, 2025
Whole ouija sequence is just amazing. This one really makes me think how awful things are from Satsuki’s perspective though.
Imagine you disappear one day and some girl out of nowhere (who now hates your guts) steals your harem for herself and holds a funeral for you so they all get over your death asap. Even as they play ouija to talk to you she convinces them to let go of any positive feelings they ever had for you. Your last few bonds on earth now severed you become a spirit on the other side for the rest of time.
Obviously it’s not that bad since we know it was a kill or be killed situation at worst or a “helping a spirit truly move on” situation at best, but if you buy even a little bit into her Uruma’s humanity then it’s really, really bleak. Like someone joining your friend group and then excluding you type of situation. This is the type of thing that happens at the beginning of horror stories!
Imagine you disappear one day and some girl out of nowhere (who now hates your guts) steals your harem for herself and holds a funeral for you so they all get over your death asap. Even as they play ouija to talk to you she convinces them to let go of any positive feelings they ever had for you. Your last few bonds on earth now severed you become a spirit on the other side for the rest of time.
Obviously it’s not that bad since we know it was a kill or be killed situation at worst or a “helping a spirit truly move on” situation at best, but if you buy even a little bit into her Uruma’s humanity then it’s really, really bleak. Like someone joining your friend group and then excluding you type of situation. This is the type of thing that happens at the beginning of horror stories!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2022
I loooove books that make me scared to be home alone and they're also queer. Yet another great entry in this series, very gay and chaotic, wonderfully spooky. It felt waaaay too short. Please give me more.
November 20, 2022
the only thing i have to add is that it should've been longer. there is no doubt that it is one of the best, if not the best, otherside picnic volume with definitely the best illustrations so far.
December 9, 2023
Miyazawa is a master of imagery and storytelling that i hope will come to define an era in light novel publishing. I'm consistently impressed with the quality and craftsmanship his stories display.
July 3, 2024
Such an interesting beginning and then it's all downhill
August 3, 2024
Amazing!
August 29, 2022
I really liked that volume. Satsuki Uruma had been figuratively and literally hanging like a sinister shadow over Sorawo and Toriko relationship since the beginning of the series, and it made sense that Sorawo would try to get rid of her, given her "barbarian" personality. She is not the kind of girl that run away from monsters. I always liked that about that series.
But ultimately, this is a book about Doppelgängers. Not only the actual Sorawo Doppelgänger that turned out to be Sorawo younger self brought to life by the power of the Otherside, but also Satsuki herself. Satsuki Uruma goals and personality has always been a bit of a mystery before. Kozakura and Sorawo think that Satsuki was just a charismatic and manipulative psychopath who did not care that she was putting her friends in danger by involving them with the Otherside, and they are probably right, but she also had a lot more in common with Sorawo than she would like to admit. Like her, she was an academic with an unhealthy interest for the occult which ultimately became a fascination for the Otherside and cost her her life. You can easily see an older Sorawo becoming like Satsuki. So in order to grow into a better person and survive, Sorawo needs to reject both those Doppelgängers, her angry and disturbed younger self and also the monster she was in danger of becoming as she grew older.
I liked the academic presentation Sorawo gave at the beginning : It gave an insight in her motivation : she not only was interested in "true ghost stories", she wanted ghost stories to be true. It is no wonder she ultimately found the Otherside, and keep getting involved in it despite how dangerous it is.
As for Satsuki Uruma, she is now an actual ghost and not the kind of monster that could just be shot with a gun (Sorawo tried, of course, and it did not work). Ghosts are said to be held back by the regrets they held in life, but here it was the opposite, with Satsuki being called back to the real world by the regrets of the living people who knew her : Kozakura and Toriko. So, in order to lay her to rest, they needed to reject her and say they did not regret anymore that she died. Which was made easier by the fact that Sorawo had increasingly been filling the hole left behind in the world by Satsuki, replacing her as Toriko's love interest, Kozakura's friend, Akari's mentor and DS Lab's star scientist, and showing them how toxic Satsuki was in contrast. Sorawo truly cares now for Toriko and her friends, unlike Satsuki, and it shows that she is indeed becoming a better person.
But ultimately, this is a book about Doppelgängers. Not only the actual Sorawo Doppelgänger that turned out to be Sorawo younger self brought to life by the power of the Otherside, but also Satsuki herself. Satsuki Uruma goals and personality has always been a bit of a mystery before. Kozakura and Sorawo think that Satsuki was just a charismatic and manipulative psychopath who did not care that she was putting her friends in danger by involving them with the Otherside, and they are probably right, but she also had a lot more in common with Sorawo than she would like to admit. Like her, she was an academic with an unhealthy interest for the occult which ultimately became a fascination for the Otherside and cost her her life. You can easily see an older Sorawo becoming like Satsuki. So in order to grow into a better person and survive, Sorawo needs to reject both those Doppelgängers, her angry and disturbed younger self and also the monster she was in danger of becoming as she grew older.
I liked the academic presentation Sorawo gave at the beginning : It gave an insight in her motivation : she not only was interested in "true ghost stories", she wanted ghost stories to be true. It is no wonder she ultimately found the Otherside, and keep getting involved in it despite how dangerous it is.
As for Satsuki Uruma, she is now an actual ghost and not the kind of monster that could just be shot with a gun (Sorawo tried, of course, and it did not work). Ghosts are said to be held back by the regrets they held in life, but here it was the opposite, with Satsuki being called back to the real world by the regrets of the living people who knew her : Kozakura and Toriko. So, in order to lay her to rest, they needed to reject her and say they did not regret anymore that she died. Which was made easier by the fact that Sorawo had increasingly been filling the hole left behind in the world by Satsuki, replacing her as Toriko's love interest, Kozakura's friend, Akari's mentor and DS Lab's star scientist, and showing them how toxic Satsuki was in contrast. Sorawo truly cares now for Toriko and her friends, unlike Satsuki, and it shows that she is indeed becoming a better person.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews