Tags: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy, Romance, Harem, Slice of Life, Isekai

Sub-Tags: OP, Strong Lead

Eizo’s Dealings with Dragons!

A new week brings us back to the daily lives of those living in the black forest as My Blacksmith Life returns for a fifth volume.

This volume sees Eizo and the gang continuing their (not so) peaceful lives as several new adventures await over the horizon. Not only is a trip to the capital in order, but the group will face several challenges from welcoming a wolf pup named Lucy into the family to learning to smith appoitakara and eventually having a head-on fight against a dragon.

A Capital Venture

Despite how action-packed the synopsis of the fifth volume sounds, this volume happens to be more focused on the slice-of-life elements than the series’ previous two entries.

The main advantage of a more slice-of-life-focused volume is that Helen has a better integration volume, and there’s more time to focus on potential romantic coupling.

Already being one of the better side characters, Helen’s introductory volume as part of the family is one of the best in the series. Helen and Eizo have great chemistry, and whilst this had already been blossoming on their trip back in the previous volume, it’s much more apparent here. From smithing her new weapons, Eizo clearly understands her tastes and what brings her joy, so much so that I worry for him because Helen seems like the proactive type.

Romantic blossomings aren’t only to be found between Eizo and Helen. As this volume brings the forge to investigate the capital, there’s a nice scene as Eizo chooses accessories for everyone, ultimately bringing them all closer together as a family.

Of Dragons and Forest Wolves

Helen isn’t the only new member to join the family. On one of their many forest explorations, they end up adopting an orphaned wolf pup, deciding to name her Lucy.

A little bundle of joy, her actions often send Diana into fits of assaulting Eizo with a barrage of play punches.

Unfortunately, not everything at the forge can be fun and games. The volume’s climax sees the forest and their forge in danger as they spot a dragon while searching for magic stones.

Deciding to fight the dragon before it poses a danger to the wider population, they’re joined by Jolanda and Helen’s mercenary apprentice, Flore, in a supposed epic battle.

The battle itself is slightly underwhelming, although that’s to be expected in a slice-of-life series. I thought they’d end up struggling a little more against what’s meant to be a creature at the top of the food chain. Fortunately, it’s balanced out by the contents of the epilogue. Yet another epic myth of times gone by, it tells of a legendary craftsman who moulds armour and swords from the contents of a dragon.

Overall, My Blacksmith Life continues to be a solid slice-of-life series as it moves from the faster pace of previous volumes to focus on developing newer members of the family and any potential romance in future volumes.