The Crimson Vow are off on their travels in the eighth volume of FUNA’s Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?! light novel series, revisiting some familiar places. That is followed up by them setting out to unfamiliar lands, but they are always getting caught up in some event or other.
This volume contains chapters sixty-three to sixty-seven of the story, as well as a side story and a bonus story.
Front cover of the eighth volume of Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?!, featuring Mavis
No Place Like Home
When the creeping tendrils of the massive Albarn Empire threaten Mile’s – once Adele’s – hometown of Ascham, the Crimson Vow do not hesitate to dash to the aid of the small provincial fief. Armed only with Mavis’ chivalry, Pauline’s wisdom, and Mile and Reina’s magic, the party faces down an entire invading army – and, more importantly, Mile’s past!
The first thing on the agenda for the Crimson Vow in this volume is the task of preventing an invasion. Of course, Mile and her companions approach the task in their own inimitable way.
Being back in the Kingdom of Brandel also gives Mile a chance to reunite with the Wonder Trio – Marcela, Aureana and Monika. It feels like a very brief reunion, though, almost as if FUNA is acknowledging that those three characters still exist before the Crimson Vow move on to their next thing.
No complaints about me from that, as the best stuff to come from Abilities Average happens when the focus is on the Crimson Vow. For example, their approach towards the invading army, which also leads to them earning a pretty penny. Of course, half the fun is seeing the way people react to the Crimson Vow’s – well, Mile’s in particular – antics, and there is no disappointment on that front.
As for the new lands the Crimson Vow travel to, there is a very exciting prospect waiting for Mile when they girls take on a job to protect some merchants. The job is taken from a guild a town the Crimson Vow haven’t been to before, so they are back to being underestimated. That results in two more hunter parties joining them for the mission, but the Crimson Vow’s abilities very quickly come to light.
Lots of fun stuff in this volume, with the Crimson Vow just being the Crimson Vow. A lot of that is Mile utterly failing to be just average, though she doesn’t seem as preoccupied with that in these more recent volumes of the light novel. It is nice to just read about her letting loose without worrying too much about her appearances. Especially with Mavis, Reina and Pauline letting loose that they know perhaps a bit more about Mile’s “storage magic” than they had initially been letting on.
Itsuki Akata’s illustrations are as wonderful as ever; plenty of great pictures of the Crimson Vow in this volume. Getting to see the goddess Visibiel illustrated is a nice bonus – though no points for guessing who that so-called goddess actually is…
The eighth volume of Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?! is definitely one of the better entries in FUNA’s light novel series. The Crimson Vow get to do what they do best, and that is when Abilities Average shines brightest.
Rory Muses 