Orc Eiyuu Monogatari Sontaku Retsuden Chapter 19 part1 Discussion

As an eternal seeker of (fortunate) misunderstanding comedies and overpowered protagonists, this was a surprising home-run for me.

First of all, it reads very well. Hiccups in the translation are rare and there are some truly blessed sentences in there (as Enelthrei's review has touched on before me). Couldn't be happier with it on that front.

Next, although in the novel orcs and r*pe are often spoken in the same breath, actual examples of s*xual violence are rare.

Spoiler

One character in the first volume is explicitly said to have been r*ped, she is a background character with no dialogue and the story doesn't linger on her - despite it not negatively affecting the tone too much I would appreciate it if she could return later in the story, emotionally healed to some extent, since it is quite sad.

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More traditional violence, however, is common. Although the protagonist appears to be on the calmer end of the orc-spectrum, he still is one, and doesn't shy away from fights. People do die in this novel, although the story is primarily light hearted so don't expect it to linger on it much.

The story moves at a nice brisk pace, the structure it seems to be setting up is: one new waifu to try and seduce per volume. I've only read two volumes so far, so I don't know if this is a rigid rule or anything.

Spoiler

Although it's too early to say how it will go, I sincerely hope that the girls and characters met in earlier volumes will have a continued presence in later volumes. If they're just a one-and-done ordeal it'd start feeling less like an organic story and more like a checklist of girls to go through. A comment from the translator confirms that there will be at least one returning girl in later volumes, so I have hope.

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My only worry right now is if the story follows the same formula present in the first two volumes, it might get repetitive. To go into a bit more detail on it:

Spoiler

The first two volumes have gone like this -> Bash arrives at a city and pursues the waifu of the volume, in doing so he is embroiled in a problem the city has and solves it, he then attempts to propose to the waifu and leaves for the next place. I don't have a problem with this set-up, I think it's been great fun so far - it gives Bash the opportunity to show off what a badass he is. If it persists too long though it'll get frustrating as Bash solves everyone else's problems and (to necessitate his continued adventuring) gets little in return.

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As for the character of Bash, he's kind of sweet. I like him. Despite the vileness of Orcs as described in the novel, they do have (a few) admirable points, like their sense of honour, loyalty and strength. Bash inherits the best attributes of Orc culture, while having enough of an open mind to not cling to the worst. His interactions with women are mostly quite respectful, it really feels like he's trying his hardest to fit in, and like I said - it's sweet.

Zell, Bash's sidekick, is also a fun one - she acts as his trusty wingman.

Anyway, I think it's pretty fun, I'd recommend it. However, probably don't read if you don't like the sound of constant misunderstandings and an overwhelmingly powerful, sex-seeking protagonist. You'd probably bounce off.