No Game No Life enters double digits, and to celebrate, the book is about 260 pages long. A whopping number that also gave me cause for concern. Would the latest ” ” (Blank) scheme be so complicated that it needed so many pages to explain?
*opens the book and sees the color pages*
Nope, boobs. Shoulda known the answer was boobs.
Now, a warning before I begin: this volume is a bit incest-y. That may not be surprising considering Shiro’s obvious feelings for Sora and the (step)sibilings’ codependency. But this not only has the whole big boob aspect, but a perverted (step)uncle wanting his niece to have big boobs. That combined with a couple of images involving 11-year-old Shiro make me surprised that this series hasn’t been pushed up into M rating territory. Although maybe opening up No Game No Life volume 10 and seeing a buxom Shiro is part of the marketing strategy…
Anyway, Sora and Shiro have half-abandoned, half-surrendered the throne. Chlammy and Fiel managed to track them down to a medicine shop. As they all argue over what Sora and Shiro are doing as well as what they are selling, here comes a Dwarf with a challenge from their chieftain, Veig. While the messenger Dwarf, Tilvilg (nicknamed Til), at first is hidden beneath her cloak, Sora is quickly anxious to go to the Dwarf country. Why? Because based on Til’s appearance, it has to be a land of “dark-skinned Loli monster girls”!
Shiro, meanwhile, is furious: the role of a little sister character is hers! In fact, everyone wonders if Til just might be Sora’s perfect type. However, Til looks different because she’s a Dwarf with little magical powers and whose handmade weapons always end up exploding. Negative and prone to childish dramatics (think the protagonist of Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei), she’s also being constantly harassed by her uncle (Veig), who has a strong preference for buxom women. This causes Sora (and Shiro) to agree to a game with Veig in the name of different boob sizes.
The game prep and actual play take up about half the novel. So while my summary seems like it’s setting up for a long battle, my intro is highly abridged. Much of the volume, though, is dominated on boobs — usually real vs fake, although there’s big vs small in there as well. This also gives readers plenty of time to get to know Til, who feels like an outsider, and Veig, the roguish leader. Chlammy and Fiel also take an active role in the story, participating in the big debate and also trying to win the game against Veig for themselves.
The game itself is one of the more straightforward in the series, as it doesn’t take much to recognize key details that will likely play a role later on. I do prefer this approach versus the “I knew this the whole time!” complicated plots. But this also means that instead of Sora and Shiro explaining their plan, a lot of the light novel is very ecchi. Shiro in particular is pretty aggressive in this volume due to her trying to ensure that she remains #1 in her brother’s heart.
I doubt that’s going to bother No Game No Life‘s target demographic. But readers who may have already have doubts about a novel with a lead that’s accused of being a lolicon is not likely going to have their reservations assuaged with a picture of Shiro excitedly blushing at Sora underneath her skirt. Even what seems like a chance for romance to kind of excuse some of No Game No Life‘s skeevy behavior is instead turned into a punchline.
Still, Dwarves are one of the more intriguing races. Their capital reminds ” ” of a particular city at the center of a game remake. Each Dwarf has the ability to magically create tools with almost no effort, so despite their race seeming to be scientific, they aren’t. And Til’s looks are not the norm in her society, and she frequently cries out/apologizes for her lack of hair like other Dwarves.
This tenth volume also includes feature some aspects I don’t remember Kamiya including before, like a two-page spread and a fairy tale-like introduction to each chapter.
Still, at its core, No Game No Life volume 10 leans on one of its cornerstones: ecchi. As usual, much of your enjoyment will rely on your comfort level with Sora, Shiro, and Veig’s behaviors, but at least the game is one of my favorites in the series.