Thread: Zero no Tsukaima Novels Discussion Thread
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Old 2006-08-13, 16:39   Link #2
Catgirls
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Originally Posted by Sushi-Y (Volume #1)
------Originally Posted by Sushi-Y-------

Just finished reading the first volume of the novel.

I like this one. Saito is awesome. If anything, the premise of the story is definitely one of the more unique ones I have ever seen. To be summoned into a fantasy world and becoming someone's familiar... My decision to give up or continue with something like a light novel is usually made right in the beginning, if it doesn't interest me right off the bat, then it's very hard for me to keep on reading. In that respect, "Zero no Tsukaima" had a nice start to it: no long-winded stage setting, no personal world views, only the events that are happening at the moment. In a way, it was very easy for me to read.

The tsukkomi had a familiar taste to it, then I realized that Yamaguchi Noboru is the scenario writer of the classic eroge (and later, anime) "Green Green". Yes, *that* Green Green. All those perverted comedy materials suddenly begin to make sense now.

Hmm, before I go further, I've been wondering about all the names that appear in this novel. There are some people with really silly long names here, it's likely that we'll see a dozen different versions flying around when the fansubs come out.

So for the heck of it, here are my interpretations of some of the main names/terms that appeared in the novel (vol.1, at least):
Spoiler for character names/terms:

Anyway, to comment on vol.1 in general, I would say it's interesting. Thinking back now, I supposed it would've been nice to see a little bit more action in those 250+ pages. The novel started off on a good pace, and there were some cool developments, but other than that, most of the story was spent on establishing the story settings (I don't mind though, Saito is a fun guy to follow around ^^; ). If anything, this volume was primarily about the development of a trusting relationship between Saito and Ruiz. I guess you can compare this to the first volume of "Shakugan no Shana", although Saito is much less of a wuss compared to Yuuji. ^^;

But the volume ended on a really nice note (it made me go "aww~"), while leaving many possibilities open. At this point, it's really all up to the skills of the author to maintain enough steam and creativity for another volume (since many novels tend to "flop out" after the first volume, "Suzumiya Haruhi" series was like this until vol.4). But I have confidence in Yamaguchi-san. Seeing as how "Zero no Tsukaima" is up to vol.8 now, and how MOON PHASE's cyan-san is a big fan of the series, I think I won't be disappointed.

I'm curious to see how well will the novel's contents transfer to the anime too.
The portrayal of the "Staff of Destruction" is a good example: since the novel only described it as an "oddly shaped staff", we have no idea what it is exactly until Saito began to "prepare" using it. In the anime though, we will be able to see it right away, so I wonder how well that'll work out.

Also, according to the interview with the director, it appears that the anime's basic plot will cover up to volume 3 of the novel. However, there will be episodes that go beyond that as well.

I ordered the rest of the novel volumes, hopefully I'll be able to catch up by the time the anime airs. ^^

------Originally Posted by Sushi-Y-------
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