The Saga of Tanya the Evil, Vol. 1

This book, which was a translation of the original Japanese version of the story, entitled Yōjo Senki in Japan, was an excellent production. The quality of the binding was much better than others I have seen lately, which means that it will be able to be passed around a few times and return with all of its pages. This not always the case with American bindings of Japanese titles. They took time to make sure that the translation of the Japanese was done in such a way as to more or less faithfully carry forward the idea of the original languages intent. The illustrations, which I believe were also a carry over from the original were printed with the original's quality and there was additional added full color state maps to show the political situation of the world from the start of the series, as well an explanation of some of the military tactics used by the Empire. The work itself was not a disappointment either. The world of Tanya the Evil is a dark one, and having been introduced to this manic loli-soldier mage in the production by a new studio called NUT, I was eager to read a English translation of the world to see what did not make it into the show and lay on the cutting room floor. The book, which was single-perspective third-person omniscient story, shifted perspectives by having one character, usually Tanya, narrate the scene. In almost every scene it was clear throughout who's eyes and vision you were seeing the world in. Without going into too many spoiler effects, this story, set in a alternative-universe world war setting, but with magic is filled with a plot revolving around control and rebellion. Tanya, the titular main character of the series is rebelling against the idea of "god" or the devil as she surmises that she titles Being X in controlling how she feels about the divine. To add a common twist that has become more mainstream in Japanese works over the last twenty years, Tanya is actually a guy. To be exact she is a reincarnated Japanese salary man who can remember her entire life from before when she ended up running afoul of Being X. It is well worth the price for the read you will receive. Even if you did not buy the book to see if it differs from the show, it can be a great introduction to the world of Tanya. The world building and pace of the book are well done and not replete with plot holes or inconsistencies that seem to be common for most alt-history/ magic adventure stories. While many will see Tanya as a Mary Sue in scope of her power, her inhumanity alone helps to break that mold, as does her failures and deep seated lack of empathy. Give it a shot!

In the Saga of Tanya the Evil, we are transported to another world alongside our main character. The premise might sound cliche and boring to many, yet the very aim of this series is different from that of many others of its kind.The story follows the title character Tanya, who was reincarnated into a world which is similar to our own around WW1 Germany. Yet there is one major difference between this world and our own: in this world, magic exists, and mages are used as a military force by major national powers. Since she is an orphan with nothing but magical talent, she joins the military - a true meritocracy - and due to her intellect from a past life and natural talent, manages to move up the ranks quickly and become a commander in her own right.Yet that's just the outward appearance of the story. The main character's reincarnation circumstances involve her literally being in a competition against what passes for "God," who reincarnates her precisely because of her lack of faith into a difficult world. We go from a middle-aged salary-man working in a company to a young girl shooting on the battlefield, and so you get a very unique perspective told.After all - Tanya's mentality seems inhuman. Her character was somewhat sociopathic before being reincarnated by a jealous God, and she is constantly put into difficult circumstances. All that she wants is to live a peaceful life, yet due to often hilarious circumstances and her own genius, she instead gets a reputation as a true patriot and is sent on the most dangerous possible missions.So the story goes on from this premise. Much of the story follows the overall progress of the war, and there is a lot of discussion about the details that might bore some readers. The story reads more as a bit of a war documentary with Tanya as its core than as a typical story of this type, and I find this to be fascinating to read, if a bit slow at times.If you want a boring action story, I wouldn't recommend this. If you want a story with complex characterization and details of a fictional war that is similar to WW1 - yet with the introduction of Mages and Tanya and other nonsense to spice it up quite a bit - then you'll enjoy this quite a bit.

It's more accessible than the light novels, but has way more content and context than the anime. You're still getting an understanding for what is happening and why, but there's less tangents about terminology or historical references. This is actually my favorite way to experience this story, as someone who has tried all 3 mediums. Just be aware that the chapters are long

Amazon brought up this title and it was the cover that sparked my interest. It suggested a little girl doing cosplay as Lady Luger. OK, that reference is a bit obscure, but Luger is a favorite villain. The story did not disappoint; it's a delightful piece of black humor, funny and horrifying at the same time. An arrogant Japanese salary man whose job it was to fire people dies, meets God, and God (or Being X as our ultra-rational salary man calls him) decides to reincarnate him as both a girl and in a world without science. Our antihero is now a girl named Tanya in a magic parallel world and her nation resembles Germany. Just nine, she shows magical potential and is conscripted into the military right about the time a major war starts. Tanya decides the best course is to wrangle herself a rear echelon desk job, and that might require some early heroic deeds. She's one of those people who tends to succeed just a little too well. One great scene has her trying to control her joy at getting a temporary rear line assignment. Later, we see her skipping as she plots how to use a command position to her advantage. However, the volume ends with Tanya learning she is going to be in the thick of combat and the panel of her getting the news is priceless. I like this first volume. Tanya is a fascinating character, a more nasty Yossarian and indeed, this series reads like Strike Witches crossed with Catch-22. I think we may have a winner with The Saga of Tanya the Evil.

Small scratches Bearley visible, came a day early too. Ask for the book itself, its quite a hard read. Goes into a lot of detail and it's a bit long to. But this is one of my favourite animes. If you're not much of a reader I recommend the manga, it's just as good as the anime.

It was a present but I bought wrong version, but that's my fault, but apart from that its good

This light novel is a masterpiece that goes into way more detail than the Anime series but differs in subtle ways.

Decided to get into this series after playing a HOI4 mod based on the novels and anime, wasn't disappointed with it, only issue is the time commitment for reading, but as HOI4 player it isn’t a major complaint. All in all, a solid LN with an interesting community.

Already watched the anime twice but I loved how this LN went more in depth onto how the characters felt during each situation that they faced and the thoughts put behind each decision. Currently half way through the 2nd book and still keeps me excited.Ps. Perfect to read with a nice scented candle, some coffee and a blanket. True bliss.