Everyone has their isekai fantasy, with a visit from truck-kun being a welcome visitor to send one off into their own magical world. Yet these things can go awry, and when a young salaryman gets killed by an apple truck he finds the fate of his otherworldy adventures tied to the fruit that struck the final blow. Now, with a direct line to the gods, a magical staff who can speak to the earth, and a few travelers that believe the red fruit's powers are tied to an adventurer's abilities, the young apple heads out and searches for the ‘world tree' to help change his unfortunate situation.
An Isekai pushed to its ultimate conclusion(?), “Reincarnated as an Apple” gained a modicum of notoriety due to people sharing the cover and scoffing at the absurdity of such a concept–a case of one Isekai too far. Consequently, the title became a brief and obscure meme, making it one of those titles that people know the name of but don't even fathom giving it a read. However, its inclusion as part of the J-Novel club, which has been adapting intriguing and exciting titles, revealed that there is merit beyond the initial reaction of, “huh, this apparently exists.”
Understanding the structure of the book is essential to discuss its merit, as the apple in question is not immobile or a passive observer in another person's tale. Furthermore, the book is not free of dialogue, due to conversations with both gods and a magical staff that lives in the apple's inventory. The simple apple is, in fact, ridiculously OP, with access to magic and the ability to rocket itself at enemies. Consequently, the story contains a familiar structure and pace where challenges are overcome by unlocking a new ability to deal with whatever peril presents itself.
However, the familiar storytelling structure does begin to collapse under the absurdity of the situation and Gato seems to constantly be attempting to claw his way out of a narrative pit. “Reincarnated as an Apple” always feels like it has an endpoint that the author is trying to obtain as opposed to creating a story around the apple. Consequently, there is an odd sense of desperation throughout the writing, which feels like a series of rationalizations and exposition to get the apple to the point of winning. The first major conflict, against a horde of ants and their queen, spends the majority of its time, essentially, managing and explaining inventory to the reader. The greatest joke in the series, if any, feels like Gato's willingness to take on such a project–was it a dare? was it a passion project? did he lose a bet?
Unfortunately, this element of constantly trying to turn an apple into a powerhouse buries the comedic moments under endless conversations about how the fruit can access its powers. That is not to say that the work is devoid of humor, and the human's reactions to a god-tier apple hero do warrant a few laughs. Yet, with a bizarre premise, the book not leaning as heavily into its comedic elements is an obvious mistake. Oddly, the action sequences and descriptions of magic act as the greater focus which Gato does an admirable job of conveying.
The illustrations provided by Itsuki Mito are complimentary to the book, with it apparent of them being in on the ‘joke'. Only available as a digital version, which will likely remain the case, the art does add value but to have this on the shelf does have its own appeal if only to confuse anyone who happens to stumble upon it. For now, the book is an easy pick-up in digital format for those wanting to give it a shot, especially if subscribing to J-Novel Club.
“Reincarnated as an Apple” struggles to find an identity, and the writing is often awkward and rushed. Furthermore, a story told predominantly through internal monologues between an apple and a magic stick is about as thrilling as one would imagine. The series could, possibly, improve in subsequent releases but the inaugural book is rotten to the core. To the credit of Gato, the light novel does manage to deliver on its premise and the story is simple enough to follow with a solution for every problem manifesting itself in, occasionally, amusing ways.
Don't read “Reincarnated as an Apple” if you are new to the light novel genre; though the book is heavily flawed, the charm comes from understanding the ‘rules' and tropes of the genre and seeing those toyed with under a peculiar self-imposed restriction. Furthermore, the comedic elements don't represent the best the genre has to offer, further making it a niche title. “Reincarnated as an Apple”, ultimately, is for those that have read plenty of light novels and are looking for a title to shake things up, nothing more.
