Not the worst light novel I've ever read. Not the best. It was okay.
This one suffers a little from one of the common problems with light novels: lack of description. I assume that it's based on having illustrations (so little need to describe characters) and the rather generic settings these things are always done in. Why bother describing people when the reader can look at the pictures? Except then they don't describe anyone... Why tell the reader what the setting looks like when the reader can just picture it from all the isekai anime they've watched? It's also a characteristic of writing found in teenagers.
Anyway... This book sets its stall down early with a 'Chapter 0' set in the future when the protagonist is living happily in the middle of a forest they created from a wilderness. There's never very much tension in light novels, but this kind of start does rather give the game away entirely. And, frankly, the book was pretty boring for about the first 20%. It starts getting a bit more interesting after that because Teto gets boobs (cough), I mean a voice, but even then, this reads more like 'cute girls do cute things' than an isekai adventure. There's fighting, but it's not well-described and easy to overlook.
All that said, this is the first in the series and kind of setting up the characters. Book 2 might be better. I don't feel an immediate urge to find out, however.
A relaxed sort of slice-of-life isekai fantasy. There's nothing particularly new in this -- it reads basically like a story a player tells about their character in a fantasy MMO game -- but it engaged me nonetheless. I started reading on a plane when I was forced to take a break on another cosy fantasy isekai novel with a female MC (In the Land of Leadale), and didn't stop reading until done.
I think the things that hooked me are (1) it's relaxed vibe and (2) the foundational pairing. The MC and her bestie (?) have a really solid relationship for the genre. One is almost built-to-be-dedicated, but her efforts are returned by the MC. The first chapter reveals they are going to spend hundreds of years together, and it all seems wholesome. The two complement each other well, support one another, and have a nice balance of being there but trusting the other's independence.
There's really nothing unique in this - its world, its magic system, its characters have been seen before - but I enjoyed spending time in it. My favourite parts of D&D were chilling with friends, and this book is that. I'll probably continue reading the series.
CW: No real content warnings, but it does have the stereotypical boob fascination of a lot of Japanese media, and creatures do get literally sliced in half or beheaded (but you're supposed to treat it like a game and not be horrified).
I'd go 2.5 stars if I could. It's not terrible it just doesn't have a single quality that stands out and makes it interesting. The reincarnation is as generic as possible with no actual memories carried over and thus the protagonist doesn't really have a unique character. The first companion is a similar blank slate and the slice of life here involves basically no adversity with monster being thrown in purely to keep the fantasy setting. If you're gonna do a story like this you really need more interesting characters/character writing to carry the load. Also although it's obvious that nothing too bad will happen the use of multiple timeskips to a period presumably after the series end remove any minor intrigue about where the story will take us. Finally a lot of light novels are webnovel conversions but the really short chapters here, often without an actual event to make them stand out as a specific chapter make it a bit too obvious.
Also for the love of god check slang terms when translating, having everything called "gash" reads very differently in british english.
[Comments refer to this serial as a whole as far as I have read, through volume 8.]
Effortless, cozy slice-of-life about Chise, reincarnated into a new world as a young girl with a magic that allows her to rapidly become the overpowered, eternally youthful Witch of Creation. She uses her powers to heal people and have cute adventures; frequent use of timeskips and snippets from the future help provide payoffs to all of these events, like returning to a town 50 years into the future and meeting a child saved in the past.
Like most stories with an overpowered protagonist there is very little tension, but it works here because the focus is fluff. A long-lived protagonist draws immediate comparisons to Frieren, but so far this story lacks any of that melancholy. It's just a warm, happy hug of a series.
Average. MC is ridiculously OP, so there is no tension or challenge. She can’t recall her previous life enough to know her former age or gender, but knows she’s from modern Japan and recalls various products 🙄
Why is it an adventurer task to rebuild a village from the ground up? Doing guard work or monster slaying, ok, but they’re supposed to build houses and establish a town? Does the author define adventurer in a different way than everyone else?
As usual the author knows nothing about nobles but puts them in anyway. No, a count can’t make his son a baron just because he became the magistrate of a new town.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
The story is cute and well thought out most of the time, but the writing can be a little rough on occasion. I don't know if this is due to translation issues or the author being new to writing. Either way, it's still worth reading and I look forward to future installments.
An excellent diversion while on the treadmill for a few hours (not all at once!), taking me away from worries and stress. Really rather fun. Some word choices are a bit inappropriate and I wondered if the writer was telling us something "deeper" at times about Teto, but overall, just an entertaining story. I will read sequels, though when the price comes down.
Honestly it was a great read. The story itself seemed like I’ve heard it but the author spun it well. I would love to see the adventures of these two. They are quite amazing. Also thank you for the story.
Chise is a laidback but hardworking girl who has a secret... Reincarnated with the knowledge of her previous world. She uses pop culture references to create cheats in her new world with her unique skill.
Making Magic is a story about a woman being reborn in a fantasy world as a young teenager with the ability to create anything with mana limited by her mana capacity. She quickly creates a golem companion and together they explore the world. It is very much a light-hearted slice-of-life fantasy isekai about cute girls doing cute things. Likeable characters, decently written. The world is fairly standard, and the story not particular unique. As a fan of isekai and slice-of-life I enjoyed it, but it not particularly unique within the genre. All in all, an entertaining read and a nice change of pace.