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Sabikui Bisco (Light Novel) #4
Sabikui Bisco, Vol. 4 (light novel): Karmic Crown, Florescent Sword
A MUSHROOM TRIP LIKE NO OTHER
The Six Realms Penitentiary is a legendary prison so vast and so intricate that many have come to call it the prison city. Hot on the trail of the Akaboshi Mark I, Bisco and Milo find themselves in Kyushu, and there they receive the troubling news that a mountain of a man swept through the area, snatched up Mushroom Keepers, and took them to this place of no return. Worse, the giant bore mystical flowers that steal the life force of anything they touch, including mushrooms! Now Bisco and Milo will have to infiltrate Six Realms Penitentiary and pull off the prison break of a lifetime, but they won’t be doing it alone. A young “prince” who also possesses the ability to manipulate these ravenous blossoms is serving a sentence as well. But their path to freedom is barred by something much tougher than prison walls…
The Six Realms Penitentiary is a legendary prison so vast and so intricate that many have come to call it the prison city. Hot on the trail of the Akaboshi Mark I, Bisco and Milo find themselves in Kyushu, and there they receive the troubling news that a mountain of a man swept through the area, snatched up Mushroom Keepers, and took them to this place of no return. Worse, the giant bore mystical flowers that steal the life force of anything they touch, including mushrooms! Now Bisco and Milo will have to infiltrate Six Realms Penitentiary and pull off the prison break of a lifetime, but they won’t be doing it alone. A young “prince” who also possesses the ability to manipulate these ravenous blossoms is serving a sentence as well. But their path to freedom is barred by something much tougher than prison walls…
- GenresLight Novel
264 pages, Paperback
First published August 10, 2019
43 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 25, 2023
Lo and behold, a Light Novel that doesn't use the concept of sex slaves for titillation, but actually addresses the ramifications.
This is probably the most ambitious volume yet, and also offers what I missed from the last one: some quieter character moments. I like Milo, Bisco, and Pawoo as a trio (and it might be a controversial opinion, but I don't mind the potential of Bisco getting with both siblings) - unfortunately it doesn't last long before Pawoo gets yeeted out of the story. That's probably what you have to do if you created a character so overpowered they'd resolve any conflict in two minutes flat through sheer brute force. Or if your editor forced you to keep a character around and now you have no idea what to do with them.
Bisco and Milo spend quite some time apart too, which gives Bisco and newly introduced gender mess Shishi the chance to develop an entertaining dynamic, while Milo, between fits of jealousy, gains some serious skills as a knife cat. Jealous people and sharp, stabby objects make for a rather unhealthy combination, but that's for future volumes to explore.
The ending is not only my favorite part of the novel, but of the whole series so far. That's exactly the kind of gnarly content I want to see. To elaborate a bit, because I already see the ending being divisive: Unfortunately, I already know what happens in the following volumes
My biggest complaint would be the regrettable absence of Tirol - and, please, Yen Press, pay for a proof-read, will ya? It's only small mistakes, but the sheer amount of them is irritating.
PS: Satahabaki and Housen totally fucked, thanks for coming to my TED talk.
This is probably the most ambitious volume yet, and also offers what I missed from the last one: some quieter character moments. I like Milo, Bisco, and Pawoo as a trio (and it might be a controversial opinion, but I don't mind the potential of Bisco getting with both siblings) - unfortunately it doesn't last long before Pawoo gets yeeted out of the story. That's probably what you have to do if you created a character so overpowered they'd resolve any conflict in two minutes flat through sheer brute force. Or if your editor forced you to keep a character around and now you have no idea what to do with them.
Bisco and Milo spend quite some time apart too, which gives Bisco and newly introduced gender mess Shishi the chance to develop an entertaining dynamic, while Milo, between fits of jealousy, gains some serious skills as a knife cat. Jealous people and sharp, stabby objects make for a rather unhealthy combination, but that's for future volumes to explore.
The ending is not only my favorite part of the novel, but of the whole series so far. That's exactly the kind of gnarly content I want to see. To elaborate a bit, because I already see the ending being divisive: Unfortunately, I already know what happens in the following volumes
My biggest complaint would be the regrettable absence of Tirol - and, please, Yen Press, pay for a proof-read, will ya? It's only small mistakes, but the sheer amount of them is irritating.
PS: Satahabaki and Housen totally fucked, thanks for coming to my TED talk.
August 14, 2023
Volume 4 starts right on the heels of Volume 3, with Bisco, Milo, Pawoo, and Akutagawa chasing after Bisco’s younger brother, Akaboshi Mark I. However, finding him running amok and eventually captured, led them to a mushroom keeper’s village overgrown with Sakura trees and devoid of its inhabitants. Seeking an audience with Satahabaki the prison warden to both get Akaboshi Mark I back in addition to addressing the Sakura tree crisis, leads them to a run in directly with Satahabaki. Imprinted with his curse, Bisco and Milo are captured and imprisoned, while Pawoo is sent back home. Akutahawa is largely left safe. Taking their place is an inhuman character facing a gender-identify and mental health crisis due to her companions being imprisoned, father facing death, and worst, for themselves, an inability to reconcile who they want to be in the face of a body that disagrees with their imagine of manliness, prince-liness, and kingliness.
Generally, the plot was vastly compelling as Akaboshi Mark I was an interesting character developed in the previous arc and serves as one of the only survivors of the plot. To see him not tossed the wayside was fun. Additionally being involved in the plot as basically Bisco’s younger brother is cute and has opened the way for more about the subservient automatons breaking free of the powers that bound them to be shown. This is important as this forms the foundation of the arc. This foundation directly ties into the basis of the formation of the Six Realms Penitentiary, Shishi, Satahabaki, and the king, these three characters who are sentient automatons who broke free of the chains that bound them due to the fluorescence.
For the main characters, the plot was a further statement to their love and adoration in each other through the trials and tribulations they face in this dangerous yet at times beautiful world. With them promised to stick to each other even in the afterlife, having another opportunity to see Bisco’s determination and belief in his friend and partner Milo, and Milo’s similar determination and blind faith in his friend and partner Bisco was great to see. In terms of powers and outcomes, both characters complement each other with Bisco’s still wielding the powers of the rust eater mushroom (dormant but capable of rising, and not gone, but still potentially contradictory to what was stated in pervious volumes), and Milo’s still controlling the rust through the mantra.
If I had to ding the volume it would be for the handling of Shishi which took me out of the story a few times. The writing could have handled them with a bit more consistency. As stated, they are facing some a gender identity crisis due to a mismatch in their physical appearance and the role that is traditionally reserve for manly princes and kings. Even worst, because of their appearance when they do dances that are combat oriented instead of looking powerful and almighty they look beautiful and cute which clearly perturbs them. Unfortunately, little things like that do make an appearance as do characters such as Bisco, Pawoo, and even Milo, making heart felt statements about being who you want to be regardless of appearance, yet the writing falters to go deeper with this. To me it kept wanting to make statements about this in a combat-oriented series but it just couldn’t stick to it and worst eventually drops it for the sake of action. Though they at least allow Shishi to never resolve this anguish in the course of the three days of time the story covers, there is a bit more that could have been done. Most annoyingly though are the pronoun inconsistency, its all over the place.
Anyway, the action was great, actually better written than it is in typical for Cobkubo, and for the first volume post the original planned trilogy, I found that it didn’t feel tacked on or badly planned. In fact, I kind of would probably put it as my second favorite arc so far. The ending of the volume is unforgettable as well.
Generally, the plot was vastly compelling as Akaboshi Mark I was an interesting character developed in the previous arc and serves as one of the only survivors of the plot. To see him not tossed the wayside was fun. Additionally being involved in the plot as basically Bisco’s younger brother is cute and has opened the way for more about the subservient automatons breaking free of the powers that bound them to be shown. This is important as this forms the foundation of the arc. This foundation directly ties into the basis of the formation of the Six Realms Penitentiary, Shishi, Satahabaki, and the king, these three characters who are sentient automatons who broke free of the chains that bound them due to the fluorescence.
For the main characters, the plot was a further statement to their love and adoration in each other through the trials and tribulations they face in this dangerous yet at times beautiful world. With them promised to stick to each other even in the afterlife, having another opportunity to see Bisco’s determination and belief in his friend and partner Milo, and Milo’s similar determination and blind faith in his friend and partner Bisco was great to see. In terms of powers and outcomes, both characters complement each other with Bisco’s still wielding the powers of the rust eater mushroom (dormant but capable of rising, and not gone, but still potentially contradictory to what was stated in pervious volumes), and Milo’s still controlling the rust through the mantra.
If I had to ding the volume it would be for the handling of Shishi which took me out of the story a few times. The writing could have handled them with a bit more consistency. As stated, they are facing some a gender identity crisis due to a mismatch in their physical appearance and the role that is traditionally reserve for manly princes and kings. Even worst, because of their appearance when they do dances that are combat oriented instead of looking powerful and almighty they look beautiful and cute which clearly perturbs them. Unfortunately, little things like that do make an appearance as do characters such as Bisco, Pawoo, and even Milo, making heart felt statements about being who you want to be regardless of appearance, yet the writing falters to go deeper with this. To me it kept wanting to make statements about this in a combat-oriented series but it just couldn’t stick to it and worst eventually drops it for the sake of action. Though they at least allow Shishi to never resolve this anguish in the course of the three days of time the story covers, there is a bit more that could have been done. Most annoyingly though are the pronoun inconsistency, its all over the place.
Anyway, the action was great, actually better written than it is in typical for Cobkubo, and for the first volume post the original planned trilogy, I found that it didn’t feel tacked on or badly planned. In fact, I kind of would probably put it as my second favorite arc so far. The ending of the volume is unforgettable as well.
February 4, 2023
The story was fantastic, entertaining and enchanting with its world building.
...But the end, it was completely different from any other volume. I am still reeling.
...But the end, it was completely different from any other volume. I am still reeling.
November 11, 2023
sure whatever that was
March 22, 2024
Such astounding story development
November 28, 2024
It's so wild and fast-paced, it leaves almost no room to breathe... Which can be tiring at times. And the ending? Whoaaaa what was that??? It makes me want to read the next volume soon!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews