Hey all, I’m back with the first entry in a sci-fi Isekai light novel series for this week’s Translation Necessary Thursday. It’s “Reborn as a Space Mercenary Volume 01” by Ryuto.

Plot: The plot starts off by introducing the main character, a man in his twenties named Satou who has an ordinary life and a job. He likes to play the video game Stella Online. One day he is reborn into another world by awakening as a space mercenary named Hiro in the cockpit of his favorite starship from Stella Online parked out in the middle of nowhere in a star system he doesn’t recognize. Thankfully for him, and sadly for the poor saps trying it, he’s attacked by some space pirates shortly after awakening and his body knows how to pilot the starship, the Krishna, a custom ship he won by playing Stella Online that’s built to take down even battleships (like the star destroyers from Star Wars).

Honestly, this is just a fun little series. While sure there’s plenty of action since Hiro lives as a mercenary, he’s so skilled that there’s almost no tension.

Characters: There are a few main characters we get to meet in this first book. Hiro is obviously the main character, but then there’s also Mimi and Elma as the two main female characters. I won’t spoil why they are, and why Serena another female major character isn’t but needless to say there is a reason.

Overall: A very fun sci-fi take on the Isekai genre, “Reborn as a Space Mercenary” is a good old fashioned relatively low stakes adventure.

For those who like: Sci-Fi, Isekai, Action, Adventure, Great Plot, and Good Characters.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.