What’s worse than ending up in another world? Ending up in another world with a parasitic plant in your body.
That’s exactly what happens to The Eccentric Master and the Fake Lover‘s Nichika. There’s no known cure either, only a stopgap measure: bodily fluids from the opposite gender.
Thus begins Nichika’s new life of make-outs and magics.
As in most of these stories, Nichika is a typical Japanese schoolgirl who finds herself teleported to a strange land. A helpful, talking wolf named Wolfie finds her and escorts her to his Master, an abrasive young witch (not wizard!). Oswald, as we learn, is rather notorious in this world, and he’s not thrilled that his hideout has been found or that he’s become some weirdo’s personal donor. But since he can’t get rid of Nichika, he decides to make her daily dose of “medicine” fun, which, of course, leads to some confusion for both.
Now, before your mind starts getting some NSFW imagery, I have to let you know these sessions are still mostly limited to first base. It’s true that Nichika and Oswald’s kissing scenes occur regularly and don’t always stay PG, and Oswald’s attitude is often less than gentlemanly. To my pleasant surprise, the light novel has veered away from being a blatant smut-fest, describing things without going into graphic detail.
Plus, during the three, maybe four arcs here, the story keeps pushing forward. Like other similar tales, the heroine eventually learns why she’s been brought to this world, and it’s Nichika’s inner charm and optimistic attitude that leads her to solving others’ problems as she, Oswald, and Wolfie journey across the lands and meet new people. It’s very easy to read this in between breaks or whenever you have some down time, as parts will be familiar and arguably generic (witches flying on brooms, collecting elements, the main city they visit is reminiscent of Japan).
But besides the rare “another world” story with sexual tension aimed at a female audience, this volume provides just enough in other ways to be an enjoyable adventure. For instance, although it’s only at the very end, Nichika worries about the fact that she hasn’t gotten her period recently. That’s not a conversation you’re not going to find often in a light novel, and it shows a realistic concern that not many other isekai cover. Witches and warlocks are two different classes of magic users (a unique twist). Even little things like the adorable shapeshifting Wolfie being Nichika’s language tutor brighten the story.
Speaking of Wolfie, as a dog lover, he stole the show. Look at the cover! Can you resist that face? Take Dug from Disney/Pixar’s Up and make him slightly smarter, and you get Wolfie. Actually, the three of them are kind of like the trio from Up: the grumpy curmudgeon, the cheerful, helpful one, and a slightly ditzy mutt. So if you like that sort of dynamic, this light novel will suit your tastes.
That being said, I did find myself wondering why Oswald was not more interested in Nichika — not in a romantic way but in a mad scientist kind of way. Oswald does a lot of research and creates things, and once he learned that Nichika isn’t some amnesiac, why not demand information or study her somehow? It seemed like a missed opportunity for both him and the story.
On some final notes, Itaru’s illustrations were very well-suited to the story. They had a classic shoujo feel and, despite the monochrome page, had a sense of color to them. I didn’t think Nichika looked particularly childish compared to everyone else, but I guess that’s just Oswald being Oswald. I particularly loved the detail on her cape, and I hope to see more of Itaru’s art in the future. I noticed a couple of minor errors in the text, but if it’s anything like “numskull”, they could just be variants I’m not familiar with.
At the end of the novel, the author provides some teasers as to what’s to come. As things prepare to heat up between the two leads, I’m optimistic the fantasy portions will also. If not, there’s always more Wolfie to look forward to!