Hirukuma

I ordered this off Amazon as a joke, because I saw it meme'd on a Facebook page, but it's genuinely one of the best indie novels I've read this year. This book is translated from the original Japanese into English, and the translation work is pretty good, and conveys emotion and warmth well. Note that this is not a manga, but in fact an actual novel series.

The main character, despite being an actual vending machine (yes, seriously) in a fantasy setting, is relatable and witty, and endlessly human. Even the villain characters are fleshed-out and have personalities that make up for their villainy. The premise is that a man dies and is reborn as a vending machine... Well, you can guess from the title. He meets an clumsy, but hyperstrong young adventurer called Lannis who is overpowered in terms of strength, but lacks dexterity. I quite like the hero characters in this book - they are all flawed, unlike characters from videogames or anime, and their shortcomings are used to find their main goal. For example, Lannis absolutely sucks at working at an inn, because she keeps breaking plates, but later one finds herself being impressive at construction because she can carry loads that take ten men to carry (WHILE carrying this sentient vending machine around). The vending machine - christened Boxxo by Lannis - will sell items that the human soul inside had previously bought in his human life, including foods, drinks, towels, and condoms.

I give this book a hearty recommend for anyone who loves fantasy, only because the nonsensical premise will lure you in with a "what on Earth" but will leave you feeling satisfied like a cup-a-soup from a vending machine.… (más)

Lately I've been getting into light novels (that's Japanese YA), and one common subgenre of those involves people from the real world ending up trapped in the world of a fantasy RPG, often through reincarnation. As soon as I saw that there was an upcoming release about a guy who gets reincarnated as a vending machine in a dungeon, I knew I had to order it, because that's just the sort of weird premise that appeals to me.

I'm glad I bought this book. It's the sort of book that I could have read all in one sitting if I didn't force myself to put it down when it was getting late, and I knew I needed to get to sleep. Probably the best thing is that the book (except for the prologue and the last few pages) is narrated by the vending machine, despite he fact that he can't move or say anything other than a few pre-programmed phrases such as "Welcome" and "Please come again." He makes for a lovable character as he figures out how to use his vending machine powers to help out himself and his friends.

The only thing I noticed that some might find a weakness (though I didn't) was that the story is very much episodic with no overarching plot. Instead, it's a string of adventures and incidents strung together that still managed to reach a satisfying conclusion.

I definitely recommend this, and already have the next two sequels on pre-order.… (más)