The Spring 2023 Manga Guide

Endo and Kobayashi Live!

What's It About? 

One day, Crown Prince Sieg hears the Voices of the Gods out of the blue. Apparently, his fiancée Lieselotte is a “tsun de rais” villainess destined to meet her demise...and her sharp tongue is just a way of covering up her embarrassment. The prince can hardly contain himself after discovering Lieselotte's adorable hidden side. Little does he know, the heavenly beings that bestowed this knowledge unto him are actually high schoolers! Can he use their divine prophecy (let's play commentary) to save his betrothed and avoid a Bad End?!

Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte is based on the novel by Suzu Enoshima. The manga is drawn by Rumiwo Sakaki, with English translation by Minna Lin, editing by Ori Starling, and lettering by Viet Phuong Vu. J-Novel Club will release the first volume on April 19.

Is It Worth Reading?

Christopher Farris

Rating:

A manga adaptation of Endo and Kobayashi Live! could make for an interesting prospect. The story crosses multiple dimensions of media types, whether it's the dialogue-driven concept that made so much sense as an originating novel, or the anime adaptation which did its level best to show all the action that was being talked about. Manga could make for a happy medium, but as the product we get here demonstrates, it's a situation that might have worked better with more adjusting for its needs. While I will give the manga version of Endo and Kobayashi Live! points for its art, particularly the characters, looking more consistently sharp than the anime's take, it's not really enough to make up for the other shortcomings brought on by trying to pull it off in this format.

Basically, the sheer amount of text necessary for communicating the visual-novel exposition and carrying the commentary gimmick of Endo and Kobayashi Live! has been rather gracelessly slapped onto the pages of this manga adaptation. It means a lot of the descriptive play-by-play reads as cumbersome rather than enhancing the action like it's supposed to, and that's before we get into the issues of Endō. and Kobayashi's intermittent dialogue bubbles not bothering to specify which one of them is speaking at any given moment. This is supposed to be the defining feature of Endo and Kobayashi Live!, but here it comes off as a crutch. There's a whole paragraph blurted out describing Liese's lead-up of actions to watching a sparring match, which we are assured is supposed "Too Cute". There's no reason this couldn't have been drawn as an adorable little flashback sequence to actually illustrate that point, but manga author Rumiwo Sakaki apparently doesn't have time for that.

Endō. and Kobayashi themselves feel especially shorted in this adaptation. Very little elucidation on their broadcast club affiliation, relationship, or chemistry is given, and there's barely any sense of place regardless of if their commentary is happening in the club room or later at Kobayashi's house. They do finally expound on Endō.'s baseball blues backstory and his connection with Kobayashi in this volume's last chapter, which is also its strongest. That one feels like it's able to settle down and do something with the manga format to deliver some grounded poignance which contrasts with all the visual novel melodrama. As well, I do appreciate this version's moments of making Kobayashi come off like even more of an unhinged fangirl. But those couple of bright spots aren't really enough to make up for what's otherwise a sub-par, ill-suited adaptation.

Rebecca Silverman

Rating:

Some stories are good no matter the format; this is one of them. It's part golden-hearted rom-com, and part parody of all the otome game villainess stories that have come before. Endo and Kobayashi Live! manages to maintain a charming balance between its two halves – and I mean that in the genre sense. But also in the sense that we're following characters in two different worlds that are equally rewarding. Endō. and Liselotte struggle to get through to their love interests, and the parallels between them are interesting and endearing. It feels like if one of them succeeds, the other will as well in this volume.

Of course, Lise-tan has the help of the “gods” to explain everything to her fiancé, Prince Siegwald, while Endō. has to help himself to overcome his fears of rejection. Although it's too early to tell (in the manga; the anime adaptation is finished, as is the source light novel duology), it feels like Endō. is tasked with helping Lise-tan to understand his situation – he's the embodiment of many of the game's characters in different ways, with Kobayashi as the clueless but good-natured Fiene. The chapter where Endō. reflects on how he got to know Kobayashi does a particularly good job of showing this, and it's easy to get invested in the stories on both sides of the game console.

The manga also does a very nice job with facial expressions. Sieg's understated reactions are particularly good because they show us how much of his public persona as The Prince is just a mask. But Liselotte's terrified blushes and Fiene's bland charm also come across clearly. The book is generally a pleasure to look at. While the plot's pacing is a little off in its progression, this manga – like the novels – is a delightful read and a fun way to experience the story again.

Jean-Karlo Lemus

Rating:

Here's a fascinating twist on the villainess-isekai yarn! Instead of a character being reincarnated as the villainess, our protagonists help guide the villainess's love interest into a safe and happy romance with her. Armed with tons of fan materials (and a good deal of love for a very unfortunate victim of circumstance), Endō. and Kobayashi use their skills as members of the broadcast club to help Siegfried better understand the inner workings of his fiancée. There are lots of fun layers to this story; Lieselotte is painfully tsundere, even towards Siegfried, and he can only swoon over her more as Endō. and Kobayashi give their color commentary. Although he doesn't quite "get" fan parlance (hence the hilarious malapropism of “Tsun de Rais”), it's fascinating to see the perspectives of both our protagonists and the characters they're trying to help.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of layers to Endō. and Kobayashi. It would have been enough to have the two playing otome games together, but Endō. is truly head-over-heels for Kobayashi, particularly after she helped him get a new lease on life following an accident that ended his baseball career before it even started. Kobayashi is a bit of a closed book; all we can gather is that she's a very passionate nerd for otome games, but she's plenty spunky and seems like a wonderful friend to have. What we have here is a cast of lovable idiots.

The biggest downside is the art in the "real" world, which can be somewhat sparse whenever Endō. and Kobayashi are just speaking to each other. But it's a good decision as it helps make the game world feel more fantastical. With its multi-layered storytelling, fantastic cast, and hilarious writing, this is definitely one of the better romantic comedies you can look forward to. Keep an eye out for it!