Tags: Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy, Slice of Life, Isekai

Sub-Tags: OP, Strong Lead, Cute, Heartwarming, Dungeons, Family

What’s the Problem with Frogs?!

Trials of the Invited

Having finally reunited with Nelly, my latest review looks at One Step at a Time’s third volume as Sara, now alongside Nelly, takes a further step towards adventure.

In its third instalment, the story finds Sara and Nelly in a spot of bother. The town of Roses is no stranger to visitors, but Nelly and Sara’s troubles this time take shape when the adventuring town is visited by the invited. Whilst not necessarily trouble in themselves, the fact that they’re closely guarded secrets by the Kingdom means that the royal knights are unlikely to be too far behind. With the knights not long on their way, Nelly and Sara will have some tough decisions to make about their future. 

As a brand new day dawns for Nelly and Sara, their adventures begin with the appearance of Invited in Roses. Known as Haruto, he’s another reincarnated person from Japan who’s taken an interest in Nelly and the Dark Mountain.

With the introduction of Haruto into the cast, the story provides a perfect opportunity to compare the lives of those who’ve been invited to the fantasy world. Unlike Sara, Haruto’s originally young age and pampered treatment in the capital has left him rather bratty. Unlikeable at first, his character goes through a wealth of development thanks to the influence of the main cast in Roses. Through the trials they set him, he grows enough to become one of the Dark Mountain’s caretakers alongside Bradley.

A Journey Beyond Roses

Unfortunately for Nelly and Sara, where there’s Invited, there are always knights not too far behind. At the prospect of this development, the second half of the volume sees a big change for the main characters as they decide to leave on a journey across the continent.

As Allen, Chris and Ted all hop along for a ride, their first destination is the nearby city of Camellia. A city with its own set of problems, the big issue for this volume stems from the city’s lack of an apothecary guildmaster and a populace overrun by monster frogs.

It’s a plot with plenty for everyone in the cast to do. The most noteworthy aspects, however, follow the development of Sara’s talents and abilities. Alongside picking medicinal plants, Sara seems to have all the makings of a good apothecary, even if she doesn’t want to do the job full-time. Such is her promise in the role that even Ted has to acknowledge her abilities.

Her time in Carmellia also sees her make leaps and bounds in her magical abilities. As the city gets overrun by frogs in the final act, it’s Sara’s newfound abilities that end up saving the day. Turning her physical strengthening against the frogs stops the threat and gives her a good reason to turn down Liam’s adoption. It’s refreshing to see a problem solved without violence, for once.

Overall, One Step at a Time’s latest volume continues to take the series from strength to strength.

The third instalment brings new dimensions to the series that bring promising developments for the series’ future. On the one hand, the introduction of new Invited allows for different perspectives on the reincarnation process. On the other, Nelly and Sara’s journey around the continent will see vivid new landscapes come to life and the chance for new encounters.