A review by roksyreads
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Vol. 1 (Light Novel) by Fuse

adventurous funny lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Having first encountered this series as an anime in 2019, I have always wanted to read the story which has spawned both manga and anime adaptations. The light novel series is the closest to the original serialised web-story that was published from 2013, and the light-hearted nature of the story suits the light novel label; cute, fun, and at times a bit silly. 

However, whilst fun, the novel is not without faults. The world-building was somewhat overbearing at times, presented mostly through stilted monologue or dialogue. The frequent reliance on coincidence was also not my cup of tea. I’ll accept a character being blessed with a high-degree of luck, especially in this style of narrative which appears to draw inspiration from gaming, but there has to be a balance between luck and risk. Instead, there is almost a complete lack of narrative tension, as it is clear that no matter the challenge, the MC(s) will be suddenly gifted with the resource/knowledge/skill/etc needed at the time to suitably resolve their issue. Although significant danger/risk is encountered, it's resolved within a handful of pages, and the narrative continues to careen onwards to the next plot point. The pace makes for a fast read, but not a particularly engaging one. 

Whilst I enjoyed the overall story, at this stage, I’m unsure if I’ll continue with the light novels. To be fair, the narrator may be to blame, as translations ultimately do lose some of the nuance and minutiae of the original language, but I do feel the story will be better suited to a visual format. I think I will instead look into the manga, which should be able to capture a lot of the visual humour that the story hints at but doesn’t quite capture through the written word.