“In a magical academy for summoners, students combine impressive stores of magical energy with artful incantations to usher legends, great and small, onto the battlefield. Feil Fonaf, an eighteen-year-old farmer's son, may have had a rougher upbringing than his more affluent peers, but he's here to prove he deserves his spot at the academy as much as anyone else! And as luck would have it, his counterpart summon winds up being the legendary god-slaying beast, Pandora! …There's just one problem.” (Yen Press)
Setting its scope on large-scale magical battles, “My Summoned Beast is Dead” is an ambitious project due to the grandiose scale of the combatants summoned by its users. While the ‘go big or go home' approach of the light novel makes for some fascinating moments of action, the series is prone to trip itself up in the finer details. However, it is important to set the groundwork for what works exceptionally well within the release, as, ultimately, the book's positives outweigh its negatives.
Notably, the action sequences in “My Summoned Beast” are deeply enthralling as Rakuzan envisions large-scale battles where the action flows in a way that makes the contrast between summoner and their beast simple to follow. This feat becomes all the more impressive when certain summoned creatures can reach heights as tall as mountain peaks. Moreover, the designs behind the various summons and magic abilities feel unique and not just recycled from other fantasy series or overplayed archetypes. In particular, Feil's summons is a daunting figure rich with its own lore and mythology. As far as creating a fully realized and unique world, Rakuzan impresses in a way few light novel authors can.
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Though there is some inconsistency in characters as far as their ability to capture the reader's interest, Feil is an ideal lead to navigate the story. He carries confidence with him forged from years of living in abject poverty and pushing to rise above it, while still maintaining his hard work ethic despite being offered security by others. Consequently, story elements outside of the battles, whether it be the young summoner's interactions at his evening job or run-ins with (potential) love interest Sasha, are equally enjoyable to navigate as the fantastical elements of the story.
So where do things begin to go awry? As competent as Rakuzan is in creating large-scale battles, grounding oneself in these confrontations can be difficult. Several chapters within “My Summoned Beast is Dead” start in the midst of a battle or action-heavy moments in a disorienting manner. As such, there is a consistent impression that one is trying to catch up with Rakudan, his imagination and enthusiasm trumping the need to develop prose that is simple to approach–the book fluctuates with regularity between enjoyable stability and utter confusion. While it is worth overcoming these moments and finding footing after the initial perplexity, it is still a limitation that keeps the work short of perfection.
There are additional elements of the novel that don't work, especially when combined with muddled moments throughout. Notably, the choice of giving Feil an accent which makes him sound less intelligible, ultimately, betraying how strong and intellectual the character actually is. Regardless of whether this is down to the author's choice or the translators, it does a disservice to the tone of the novel where Feil's past and turbulent background are adequate in establishing him as an outsider.
The art of Miyyu does prove to be slightly disappointing. While not technically flawed, the focus is on fan service (of which there is little in the text) over action. The choice to have art that shows an instance where a co-worker of Feils' gets her breasts touched by a rowdy patron is a peculiar choice for both being a minor character and an insignificant moment in the story.
“My Summoned Beast” is an exciting fantasy adventure led by a strong protagonist in Feil; moreover, the large-scale action sequences alone make the novel worthy of an audience. This is in spite of obvious issues with the book itself, and as long as one is prepared to push through random moments of confusion, “My Summoned Beast” is an impressive release–a strong recommendation for fantasy light novel fans that have the required patience.
