The Fall 2023 Manga Guide

My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer

What's It About? 

Retired adventurer Belgrieve thought he was done with excitement...but his peaceful life is upended when he discovers a baby abandoned in the nearby woods. As her adoptive father, he teaches his new daughter Angeline everything he knows about the adventuring life—a past he had thought long forgotten after he lost his leg in battle.

Angeline idolizes her father and wants to follow in his footsteps, so she leaves home for the big city. As the years pass, she ascends the ranks, eventually becoming renowned as an S-Rank adventurer: the Black-Haired Valkyrie. But it turns out that being the best comes with its own struggles, and she can barely catch her breath between battling fiends. With everyone turning to her for rescue, can Ange get out ahead of each new disaster and finally reunite with her beloved dad?

My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer manga has story and art by Kyū Urushibara based on the original novel series by MOJIKAKIYA and character designs by toi8. The English translation is by Roy Nukia, with lettering by Richmond T. Published by J-Novel Club (September 6, 2023).

Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman

Rating:

I have yet to read the source novel for this series (shocking, I know), but even without that, this stands on its own reasonably well, which is, ideally, what an adaptation should do. Split between the perspectives of Belgrieve and his daughter Angeline, this first volume reads like a comedic fantasy that's hiding something beneath the surface. The final page supports that idea, and if Ange's true parentage (Belgrieve found her in the forest when she was a baby) isn't highly suspicious, I'll be shocked.

That's definitely for a second volume, however. The majority of this book is comprised of Belgrieve thinking about when Ange was a little girl before she left to become an adventurer at age twelve and Angeline desperately trying to take a vacation and go home to see her dad for the first time in five years. It's clear that they're a close-knit family, and as of this book, it doesn't look like they're too close, as has been a persistent problem in adoptive family fantasies for a while now. I can't say that with complete confidence, but right now, Angeline's desperation to go home reads like any kid who's been away for a while and wants to see their family. And Ange has plenty to miss even without considering the rosier-than-reality image she's been building in her head. Belgrieve taught her everything she needed to know to get by, supported her, and was an all-around terrific dad. If she thinks he was a more powerful adventurer than the truth implies, that's okay – all of us build up the people we love in our minds.

Ange's primary role here is to be frustrated that her vacation plans keep getting thwarted. While Belgrieve is quietly despairing every time her plans get changed (villagers note that he's been seen standing sadly at the entrance to the town), Angeline is bordering on irate. She feels, probably rightly, that the Guild is taking advantage of her as an S-rank adventurer, giving her more jobs than they ought to and curtailing her freedom. They have a point about the adventurers needing to protect towns, but it still looks like they're relying far more on Ange than anyone else because it's easy. She has every right to be annoyed.

Of course, there's probably something more going on. Why so many calamity class monsters are popping up is worth more questions than anyone is asking, and that last page may hint at something dreadful. But Ange's frustration is relatable, and the art shows that, along with some solid action scenes. This is a good start to a fantasy series that's so far bereft of RPG elements (no stats!!) and creepy romances. I can't promise it'll stay that way, but this book at least is a good time.