The Fall 2023 Manga Guide

The Ephemeral Scenes of Setsuna's Journey

What's It About? 

Setsuna Sugimoto's life is forever changed when he's summoned to another world to be a hero. Changed for the worse, that is, as he's quickly tossed aside because of his weak constitution. Fortunately, a former hero named Kyle gives Setsuna another chance at life by passing on his knowledge and strength. Thus, Setsuna embarks on a journey to experience this incredible new world.

The Ephemeral Scenes of Setsuna's Journey has a story by Rokusyou and Usuasagi with art by Ken Terasato based on original character designs by sime. The English translation is by Andria McKnight, with lettering by Chiho Christie. Published by Yen Press (September 19, 2023).

Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman

Rating:

It sometimes feels like you can't have isekai without slavery. Fortunately, The Ephemeral Scenes of Setsuna's Journey understands it's not good. Like a few other light novel protagonists (namely Anne of Sugar Apple Fairy Tale and Mariella of The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life), Setsuna immediately frees Alto after he rescues him from the slave trader who is abusing him. Yes, that means he buys the child, but he at least shows more inner conflict about that than many an isekai “hero.” He offers Alto his choice of life path; the boy opts to become Setsuna's apprentice because Setsuna is the first person ever to show him any kindness in his life.

That's something that Setsuna values. Summoned as the 68th hero to a fantasy world, he spent his first and second lives bedridden with illness because the goddess who summoned him took his sickly body along for the ride. When a previous hero offers him a third chance, he takes it, although he has reservations about doing so. Setsuna is used to not really living, to having dreams destined to go unfulfilled, and now that he has a healthy body, money, food, skills to travel with, and a whole new world to explore, he's still trying to figure out how to handle it. Essentially, he wants to live as “Setsuna” rather than as a summoned hero, but he has to work around the world he's stuck in because there's no way back to Japan.

There's a definite bittersweetness to this book. Setsuna misses his family (he was only eighteen when he died/was summoned) and doesn't quite know what to do with himself. Alto is a big help in this respect because he sees himself in the boy, and mentoring him gives him a sense of purpose and catharsis.

The volume feels a little disjointed, which may be an issue of adaptation. Yen On released the light novel this is based on, but I haven't read it yet. Most of the pacing problems feel like an attempt to better condense the story to suit the manga format. On the whole, though, this feels like the start of an isekai series that understands the pitfalls inherent in the genre, and that alone makes it worth seeing where the story goes.