Synopsis

As a mercenary, John Ouzos is no stranger to the battlefield, but he’s never fought for glory. To pay off his father’s debts (from purchasing a farm) and to afford his own hobbies (anime), John grudgingly pilots his ramshackle ship (the Patchwork) wherever the money leads him as long as the mission doesn’t seem like too much of a hassle. As far as he’s concerned, trouble always follows the protagonist in a story—so he’s making sure he’s not even a side character. He’s gonna be just an NPC. Despite his short, portly frame, swarms of beautiful, strong, statuesque women approach John as he drifts through the galaxy. They’re only interested in working with or dueling him, though, and only because he happens to be one of the best pilots out there. John does his best to avoid the women and stay under the radar. After all, more attention means more trouble! Pirates hiding in asteroids, space opera pastiche, and humorous misunderstandings abound in this high-flying series! (Source: J-Novel Club)

The Best Mercenaries Work Behind the Scenes!

In space, no one can hear you scream nor notice dorky-looking space mercenaries, apparently. The latest title to join the J-Novel Club line-up, The Dorky NPC Mercenary, brings you a space opera from the sidelines.

A sci-fi parody extravaganza, the series follows veteran space mercenary John Ouzos. Believing himself to be nothing more than an NPC filled in a world of protagonists and heroes, he’s more than happy to just get on with his job and avoid attention. Unfortunately, John’s wish for anonymity may well be beyond his reach. His years of experience have made him a strong pilot, and this has caught the attention of several high-flying characters who’ll plunge him into a world of dogfights, pirates, and war.

Straddling both sci-fi and comedy, it’s the latter that comes to mind first. These undertones get off to a rough start as the central premise focuses on a trope where the protagonist belittles themselves into thinking that they are nothing more than a background character and believing that those around them, especially attractive main character types, also think this. Ubiquitous within light novels, it often puts a character on the back foot before they’ve even begun and can be a difficult balance to manage when the character, at some point, is forced to act.

Fortunately, these themes don’t last long, and with each passing chapter, the volume goes from strength to strength. For the comedy aspect, this sees progress as more colourful characters join the cast. From vain sentient super weapons to dismissive android pharmacy workers, they each add a lovely level of vivacity to the series, as well as helping to create a more well-rounded comedic undertone.

Furthermore, by the end of the volume, the story ends up turning the NPC trope on its head. Showing more depth than most light novels, it follows the perspective of one of the heroines as they begin to understand the protagonist’s point of view and come to acknowledge the importance of flying below the radar.

Looking towards the sci-fi aspects of the series, it becomes clear where the author’s true talents lie. The author, Toryuu, has a knack for creating expansive worlds. Firstly, there’s the way they’ve transitioned a traditional light novel fantasy into a sci-fi universe. By keeping familiar aspects such as an adventurer/mercenary guild, the author is then free to play around with how the jobs might change for a space mercenary. Instead of picking herbs, we have space gate maintenance, and instead of bandits, we have space pirates. These transitions help the audience to ease into a different setting, especially in a genre so rigorously set in the same series of tropes.

Additionally, the author’s talent for expansive worlds plays well into the novel’s world-building. In this volume, this is seen as the story covers breaks in the action by exploring the imperial home planet. Visualisations of sci-fi skylines, holographic advertisements, and air bikes all add to the author’s well-realised creation.

Overall, The Dorky NPC Mercenary’s first outing sets the stage for the author’s clear vision. Despite a slight hiccup in the comedic tone, these ultimately end up as distant memories, thanks to the series’ expansive setting and well-realised world-building.

I Give The Dorky NPC Mercenary Volume 1: 9/10