The Spring 2024 Light Novel Guide

The Contract Between a Specter and a Servant

What's It About? 

That was the worst day of Masamichi Adachi's life. He failed the college entrance exam again, was fired from his part-time job, and to top it all off, was fatally injured in a hit-and-run. However, just as he was resigning myself to death, a stunningly beautiful man appeared and said to become his servant. In exchange for his life, Masamichi now works for the mysterious entity that runs an antique store...

The Contract Between a Specter and a Servant was written by Michiru Fushino. The English translation is by Eriko Sugita. Published by Yen On (March 19, 2024).

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Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman

Rating:

In the afterword, the author of this light novel notes that the version Yen Press is publishing is a completely rewritten version of the original story – and I get the impression that they aren't entirely thrilled with that. Or perhaps they're just nervous. The original series dates to the early 2000s, when the light novel publishing landscape was considerably different. Does a series from twenty years ago need a rewrite to still be relevant? That's a question beyond the scope of this review. However, it's still interesting to think about, especially given that the author also appears ambivalent about their work being categorized as BL, not because the story isn't a romantic relationship between two men, but because, as I understand it, they don't think that romance necessarily needs such subgenres: it's about two souls coming to love one another, full stop.

That's a journey that should be tricky and interesting in the context of this series. Masamichi doesn't enter into his relationship with Shino in anything like a clear state of mind: he's just had the absolute worst day of his life (rejected from college, forced to quit his job), culminating in being hit and nearly killed by a car. He would have been killed had not Shino, a supernatural being known as a specter, drawn in by the sweet scent of Masamichi's pooling blood. Shino makes him an offer: if Masamichi becomes his servant, Shino will heal his body and provide him with food, clothing, and shelter. Given that his other option is “dying in incredible pain,” Masamichi agrees. The next thing he knows, he's living in a Showa-era antique shop that Shino inherited from the old couple who used to run it, discovering that he has some very real spiritual powers and can “feed” Shino with more than just his flesh and blood.

There are a few things that give me pause here. The first is using the words “curse” and “Voodoo” as synonymous; surely there was a better way to translate that line into English. But the more pressing issue is the scene wherein Shino informs Masamichi that instead of chewing on his limbs, he'll get power by raping him. The purpose of the scene is almost certainly to show that Shino, as an inhuman being, has no real understanding that rape is a serious issue; he seems to think that Masamichi could simply make himself enjoy it. Masamichi does explain that rape is an act of both physical and emotional violence, and they ultimately discover that snuggling works to feed Shino just fine. Still, there's something uncomfortable about the entire scene that's at odds with the rest of the book. Overall, this is a good book. The characters are interesting, and I like how it uses tsukumogami lore. If those two issues aren't dealbreakers, this is worth checking out.

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Lauren Orsini
Rating:

A bit of light cannibalism spices up this take on supernatural romance.

Masamichi Adachi is a dude who has absolutely nothing going for him. When Truck-kun finally arrives to put him out of his misery, a handsome stranger shows up at the last minute to… start gnawing on his leg. I wouldn't exactly call that love at first sight, but this initial encounter becomes a spin on Beauty and the Beast if Beauty was an everyman reader-insert and the Beast was a malevolent spirit from the Heian era.

The spirit, whose name is Shino, decides he'd prefer to play with his food and makes a deal with Masamichi to save his life to eat him later—though he seems so taken with Masamichi that there doesn't seem to be any danger of this happening anytime soon. Thus begins their quasi-romantic partnership of master and servant, working together to solve supernatural mysteries and right wrongs. When he's not trying to eat people, it turns out that Shino runs an antique shop that is a front for his spiritual detective agency—a lot like if Holmes of Kyoto had a supernatural side.

The Contract Between a Spirit and a Servant is a rewritten version of a 2002 novel trapped in copyright purgatory for a few decades. For example, there is a scene in which Masamichi pragmatically explains to Shino that it's not a great idea to rape someone, a theme that is thankfully less popular in modern BL than it used to be. This updated scene may still put a sour taste in some readers' mouths. This book is fairly tame, but it doesn't shy away from discussions of sexuality. I can easily see the second volume, which comes out in July, being more graphic. (And actually, I've already pre-ordered it, which seems like an important detail to add to the review.)

I can easily see this light novel appealing to fans of the Netflix anime Onmyouji since it references the folkloric Abe no Seimei as one of Shino's former acquaintances. Additionally, if you enjoyed The case files of Jeweler Richard or The Morose Mononokean but wish there was more romantic development in either of those, you won't want to miss this title.

One last nitpick: unlike other light novels I've read, this one doesn't include a single illustration! I've grown accustomed to reading light novels with occasional artwork and missed it here.

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Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. Yen Press, BookWalker Global, and J-Novel Club are subsidiaries of KWE.