The best thing about The Ryuo’s Work is Never Done! is the afterword, where the author reveals just how much research he did to write a shogi-themed light novel. Usually, light novel authors use the afterword to thank the book’s illustrator, editor and the readers (in that order), but Shirow Shiratori goes out of his way to thank dozens of people involved in the professional Shogi world. He even recounts a personal story from his high school days, when he played Shogi against “the high-school Ryuo.”
The Ryuo’s Work is Never Done! is a novel that takes a traditional Japanese board game seriously. It took four years of research before the first volume was even published. Think of it like the Hikaru no Go of light novels, except with unfunny lolicon jokes and the worst opening chapter in the world.
Seriously, it cannot be overstated just how bad of a first impression this light novel makes.
The prologue opens with a nine-year-old girl saying to a sixteen-year-old boy, “Master… It’s rock hard…” In the Japanese version, the innuendo is even more explicit; she tells him that his tama (玉) is hard. In shogi, that would refer to the king, but it can also mean balls, as in testicles.
The rest of the prologue isn’t much better. The characters are panting, and the guy makes a big show of “violating” the girl’s territory. Even when it’s revealed to be an innocuous shogi match, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
In the next chapter, a fifty-year-old man whips out his penis in public and pees on his apprentices.
“This ranked first in Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!?” I thought incredulously. “I shouldn’t have trusted the Nourin author not to write trash.”
The thing is, The Ryuo’s Work is Never Done! was a critics’ darling. The way Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! was set up last year gave more weight to the critics than the popular vote, and the list wasn’t just filled with titles that had popular anime adaptations. I thought that The Ryuo’s Work is Never Done! had real potential, and was disappointed to find out that it sucked big time.
Fortunately, the novel does recover from it nadir. Honestly, I would have lost my faith in humanity if it had gotten worse. In the end, it manages to deliver some interesting matches and get me engaged in a game that I had no prior knowledge or interest in. Does that make up for it being so shit at the beginning? I dunno.
I guess the good thing is that you can read the free sample from Bookwalker. If you can tolerate the worst elements from the beginning, then you should find the rest of the book worth reading. I just wish that I had been given content warnings before reading this, because “Let’s only pretend we’re perving on elementary school-aged girls!” is still disturbing as hell.
If you do want to read one of those exclusive English light novels from Bookwalker, though, go with The Combat Baker and Automaton Waitress. It has none of the skeevy elements of The Ryuo’s Work is Never Done!, and it also delivers an interesting fantasy/sci-fi story in a postwar environment. Of course, the genre is very different from The Ryuo’s Work is Never Done!, meaning that some people might like one and not the other, but on a technical level, the prose and translation quality is superior. Overall, it is just a better release from Bookwalker.
Frog-kun's Blog 
Speaking of being triggered, I believe “nadir” is the word for which you were looking.
Thanks for the review!
Crap, fixed!
I have been updated on this series and I agree that the story started at a bad place. Nevertheless, I would continue reading the series particularly the latest volumes (v5 and v6) as those had such great character developments. Though such scenes with the grade schoolers do still exist in the following volumes, they aren’t as blatant as the 1st volume so hopefully you don’t write it off as such and continue reading it or you’ll miss reading some good stuff that proves why it was ranked #1 in Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!
I’ll give it some time to settle, but I may continue reading this series. Maybe. If I do, it will be in Japanese since I wasn’t happy with the English translation.
…Great, it’s A Sister’s All You Need all over again -_-
That said, MAYBE the anime version of Ryou will adapt the LN better…much better…hopefully…
I’m actually kind of looking forward to seeing how the anime will adapt the shogi scenes. If they make the animations over-the-top, it should be a lot of fun.
But yeah, less lolicon stuff please.
Great review! I noped the fuck out after reading the first two pages…
———–
“Master…It’s rock hard”
A lot has happened in the three months since I took the title of Ryuo, including taking on my first apprentice, a girl in the third grade. One thing led to another and now she’s living with me.
“Mngh .. It’s just too haaard…”
This nine year-old girl sitting in front of me, her soft cheeks rosier than you can imagine, leaned over with her cute eyes glued to her Master’s round formation, whining like a puppy.
This girl is so cute, I’d swear she’s an angel.
Feeling a little guilty that my wall got this hard playing with an innocent, still young enough to be considered “little” little girl like this, didn’t stop me.
It’s so hard, this is bordering on inappropriate advantage.
“Nh…”
My first apprentice, Ai Hinatsuru, takes a few hot, moist breaths before exposing her position and inviting me to make my move.
A bold technique for an elementary school girl.
But, I just gotta …
“…You sure, Ai?”
My young apprentice has made her decision, and I confirm.
She ….
“…”
She nods and says nothing, her little body trembling ever so slightly …
I hesitate for only a moment, but my mind is made up. It’s an open invitation.
“Here I go”
“Y-yes!”
I reach out,aiming for her most vital point,closer and closer.
Then, just as my finger touched it
“Ah! N-no, I take it back!!”
Ai’s whole body flinches, unable to hold back a scream for mercy.
————–
I think this says enough… Still looking forward to winning that lap pillow though.
Same tbh
[…] The Ryuo’s Work is Never Done! Needs Content Warnings (Fantastic Memes, Frog-kun) […]
[…] mentioned in my The Ryuo’s Work is Never Done! blog post that I liked Bookwalker Global other exclusive light novel release: The Combat Baker and […]
[Comment removed for pedophilia apologism]