Stranger’s Handbook

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The main character is suddenly summoned to another world…..and the one who shows up next is a malicious and scheming noble…..obey or die. I’ll try to rise in this world and live on by any means! It’s the story of such a hero.

Comedy and serious scenes? I’m the type that won’t let his guard down even when my magical powers are at a cheat level, I take my medicine while scheming wickedly.

Was I only scared of my surroundings in the beginning? Well, I’ll do my best to become an indispensable hero!

Associated Names
One entry per line
Isekaijin no Tebikisho
Otherworlder’s Handbook
異世界人の手引き書
Related Series
N/A
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Recommendation Lists
  1. RomComs with completely translated arcs and "no dr...
  2. Easy-going stories
  3. I genuinely like these novels
  4. watilike
  5. Good Romance Action ( no harem )

Latest Release

Date Group Release
08/08/18 HikkiTr c156
07/12/18 HikkiTr c155
06/23/18 HikkiTr c154
03/31/18 HikkiTr c153
03/21/18 HikkiTr c152
03/14/18 HikkiTr c151
03/06/18 HikkiTr c150
02/27/18 HikkiTr c149
02/17/18 HikkiTr c148
02/11/18 HikkiTr c147
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33 Reviews sorted by


BLKCandy
BLKCandy rated it
June 27, 2016
Status: c24
C11? I gave it till C24 before I decided I gave it too much time. The shift in PoV does not justify what the locals have done at all. Really. Multicultural, all accepting, anti discrimination righteousness my arse, they are too damn quick to kill and too demanding of the person they kidnapped, often resorting to threat.

I even re-read the so called 'revealing' chapter 11 thrice.

Like, seriously, killing men who kicked woman instantly after being summoned. What is an excuse for that? Being under magic pressure from MC? No, it's... more>> just their oh so noble moral code. Don't harm woman? Sure that's right. But killing men for that?

What other misunderstandings? Mistook MC fear for bravery and his surprise remark for flirting? How does that justify kidnapping, killing, and forcing people from otherworld to do their bidding? Nope, it's just a 'joke' put in the story which doesn't justify any cruel action done to the summoned.

And heroine 'misunderstanding' does not help one bit. It shows that heroine somewhat care about the MC and her actions which brings harm to others are not intended. But that is in no way justified what others did or planned to do to them. It only shows how innocent (read: s*upid) the heroine really is for not aware of the effects of her dark power. Sure it is a running gag. But nope, this misunderstanding doesn't justify anything either.

It's 24 chapters in already and those who were summoned with him have yet to reappear. So I guess they are really, really dead by now. wow. Yup, including those women they killed the men to save them from a few kicks. That is unless they reappeared after this. But hey, 24c and not a single hint that they will return.

Somehow everyone seems to forget about them. And I found it strange that our MC coped with the locals pretty quick despite being kept as a puppet or tool and often threatened to be killed. Like, he coped really well he just killed one in a duel because the other side was being a jerk, sent his head flying in a flash, wow. Sure that guy was a jerk but... wow. Our MC picked up local culture pretty quick. Oh, and he is pretty much become more accepting of everyone from the tyrant noble kidnapper, beastman knight mu*derer, and being pushed and dragged around on the noble's will.

I highly doubt the moral of this noble house. I had hoped to see someone pointing that out in the story that this is an evil house and our hero must escape, but it seems there is no hope for that. Looks like this will be the greyish good guys. Except they aren't grey but straight hypocrite tyrants.

Somehow still better than common shallow isekai harem op MC 'cuz it is funny. As long as you aren't bothered by the broken moral compass of this novel.

Edit: dropped the score down again after re-reading 1-11 for the fourth time to see if I really missed something. Nope, I didn't. <<less
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Draeghe
Draeghe rated it
July 13, 2016
Status: c32
The story is a fantasy comedy, with a tint of darkness filled humor.

A couple of points to start with:
- At the end of almost every chapter, with the Main Character as first-person-view, there's a kind of thing he constantly says/repeats. Which turns it into a running gag.
- Another thing to realise is that the Heroine has such a high darkness affinity, that everything she says or shows is almost always completely different from what she feels/thinks inside.
- The MC is basically super strong, but somehow remains a... more>> coward despite that. Which appears to be part of the humor. Which leads to the initial running gag.

All of this make the story rather unique as well as entertaining. And at the same time you can't really take the story very seriously.

Someone remarked in their review that they are discriminating. One of the tag lines in the story is 'misunderstandings'. This makes me think that that person who said that didn't read very far... or basically ignores part of what he was reading. In any case, that person seems to take the story too seriously, for what it really is.

In the story they do take discrimination very seriously. There's obviously a difference in culture, so you ought to keep that in mind when reading the story. A difference in culture will often lead to misunderstandings.

The people inside the story (namely the faction the MC wound up with (beastmen)) have their own strange code of honor. This code mostly means they need to be strong and just (and apparently swift in judgment), and that's where where the heads will roll whenever they meet 'opponents' (opponents heads that is).

The whole summoning was to obtain the MC, not the other people. It all revolves around him. I imagine the other persons who were accidently summoned with him, were basically forgotten by the author. Maybe at one point he'll leave more of a remark about it, but not yet. The author seems to love to leave things hanging, causing readers to misunderstand as well.

A few running gags:
Spoiler

The MC says something along the lines of "I'm going to die" or a version thereof at the end of almost every chapter his perspective is shown. (or he says something else 'negative')

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Spoiler

One of the presumed running gags is him wetting himself a little at occasion, which the 'beastmen' perceive as marking his territory. Making them think he's strong instead, rather than afraid.

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I must add that the story makes use of a lot of 'tropes'. Basically stuff that's been commonly used and re-used in other stories as comedic relief. Although that gives it a recognisable feel, it's also the reason I won't give the story a 5. I think I'll judge a 4 for now, for what I've read so far.

And to remind you and I hate to say the same thing as others, but it's true so here goes: "It's advisable to keep reading till Ch.11 (It won't take long to get there) in order to get the right feel for what type of story it really is. " <<less
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MondoX
MondoX rated it
May 10, 2016
Status: --
The transferring to the other world reminded me of _Gatz_. I could not contineu reading because people get summoned (kidnapped) and the summoners (kidnappers) expect the 'hero (s) ' to be polite and respect their customs. At least in other WN with similar stories, even if the royalty was evil, they understood the ones from another world had different customs, but it does not seem so in these WN. I do not have to read further to guess that the 'hero (s) ' will help the people that summoned them,... more>> even though the MC was threatened several times. It is ironic that the people doing the summoning do not believe in discrimination, but they excessively discriminate those that show a small amount of discrimination or prejudice, and will kill without mercy. Yet, they consider themselves the good guys. <<less
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berdy
berdy rated it
May 21, 2016
Status: c15
The story heavily focus on misunderstanding that are not always immediately apparent or clear. When reading the story, the character perspective leads to different interpretations of events. The misunderstandings can feel a little forced.
13 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Sumire
Sumire rated it
June 18, 2017
Status: c128
well, that's it for me guys. After a solid start and development the story has finally reached its end for me. Too much cringe with s*upid situations and brainless people while the plot literally hasn't progressed in the slightest for the past 50 or so chapters. The only reason I was able to make it this far is the thought it would get better but no, it never happened.
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Havisu
Havisu rated it
May 7, 2016
Status: --
About a salesman who, during a certain earthquake, was summoned to the other world together with some other people. Maybe because he was a salesman, he knew very well how to interpret other people behavior and make conclusion from their action.

... more>>
Spoiler

And after he started to learn magic, he will be able to even read his future wife's mind.

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There aren't any demon king or world invader setting, because it is a world without discrimination.. As far the chapter I read so far, it lean more toward political and comedy?

Rather enjoyable if I had to say so.

Edit: after reading the latest chapter (currently c28) the story is all nice and well, a bit boring if u may say, but...
Spoiler

There's one thing bothering me, what happened to all other people who was summoned with him??? After he got himself in comfortable situation, the story proceed as if those people didnt even existed.

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SeventhTale
SeventhTale rated it
January 8, 2017
Status: c90
A very great novel. This is a story about schemes around the politics. There is a serious development but the COMEDY content is high. The MC has a funny personality under his mask. The characters are also likable. I really recommend it for those who want to have a serious but relaxing reading.
8 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Fluffums
Fluffums rated it
October 30, 2016
Status: c71
I don't often give five stars in a review, but this one deserves it.

Good characters, decent setting, cute romance, amusing humor. The treatment toward the summoned people seems to bother some people, but consider that:
... more>>
Spoiler

The ones who were killed were attempting r*pe at the time. The killers were honorable knights who acted after hearing an old woman scream and seeing two young men approaching a bunch of women with bad intentions. It serves as a notice to the reader that life isn't valued in the setting, and the people they killed weren't the target of the summons, after all.

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kalp456
kalp456 rated it
October 22, 2016
Status: c87
I quite like this novel. I enjoy reading it. The characters are kind of hypocrites when dealing with unimportant characters, e.g., cannon fodders, people used to show the strength of the characters to the viewers, people like that. Anyway, self indulgent novel, as always, but still enjoyable, nonetheless. 3/10

Edit: After not reading it for a while, I guess I lost interest on it. My taste also changed. Although I can now give a higher score with a good reason, my tolerance towards shitty stories decreased considerably. So I'll be dropping... more>> this now. <<less
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jcgonz24
jcgonz24 rated it
July 27, 2016
Status: c32
Hilarious af.

I like how the author makes sure the misunderstandings are turns into a comedy.
7 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
ahadiscoelf
ahadiscoelf rated it
June 3, 2016
Status: c20
This novel is just full of misunderstanding that it actually managed to make the 2-star reviewer here misunderstand the story. No, don't blame him, this just show how legit the writer is in writing misunderstanding chapters.

For real though, this novel is far from going through the injustice/tragedy plot. It's just a fun daily life story of people who can't help but causing misunderstandings due to extenuating circumstances (e.g.; cultural difference, curse/blessing)

It's a fun timewaster.
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JerryHatrick
JerryHatrick rated it
May 12, 2016
Status: --
To begin: You have to read up to at least Chapter 11, where it has another character's point of view. Between that chapter and Chapter 10, whatever you thought of the story up till then will either be confirmed or completely blown away.

As for me, I'm not quite sure what to think but I'm more than willing to give a story with such an interesting, yet somewhat confusing, beginning a chance.
5 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
Seregosa
Seregosa rated it
May 30, 2017
Status: c123
Spoiler

Last chapter out was the one where his wife gives birth, I guess that was a great stop point for me too since I hate most stories where the MC gets a child, it tends to change and twist the story while restraining the MC with a lot of bullsh*t daddy drivel (as someone who really doesn't want kids, I find it hard to stomach, fine with adopted children though, or when the initial setting was about someone with a child).

Enough about that though, now onto what I think about this. Well, it was actually fairly good, plenty of humor and I got a good few laughs. It wasn't too interesting, but it was enough to keep you reading and let you smirk while sometimes laughing out loud. There's a lot of comedy and close to no real serious moments... Actually, there is no truly serious moments except for 2 chapters, the prologue and the continuation of the prologue around chapter 100 (some pretty dark stuff about the end of his journey 100 years after he arrived in that world, seems everyone is gone leaving only him behind and he's planning to do something that will result in his death after finishing the "strangers handbook", pretty much a recount of his experiences and the events over 100 years to help future transmigrators, these chapters s**ked and made me quite sad, because I hate endings like that, I feel that it'd have been better if the author didn't add them at all).

So, read this for the light-hearted slice of life comedy. There's nothing serious to see here and no proper plot. Everything moves at breakneck speed compared to what I'm used to. It's hilarious, but sometimes the author tries crappy jokes that just pisses you off. I'm still really annoyed about their first wedding night and that the author can never after that describe their s*xual experiences even once, it's always like "they did it" and it's done. I mean, I don't want a lot of detail, but at least make it a little bit more immersive so that I can imagine that they're doing it...

If something really pissed me off, it's how the characters changed a lot and brilliant settings were dropped for no good reason. As an example, he gets an ability to read his wife's true thoughts because the dark magic twists everything she says and does. This was hilarious and really cute, because she'd say something quite scary and rude but think something really sweet, or it'd be pretty scary thoughts like the typical yandere. It was a great thing. But when their love reach a certain point after perhaps 40 chapters, she starts showing her feelings all of a sudden and the mind reading stops working. She's still stiff and all, but the true meaning of her words is coming across. The issue is that the mind reading would still have been brilliant, because it gives you a really sweet feeling or is just a bit scary, in a funny way, when he can REALLY see her true thoughts and not just the restrained words. But we never saw that ability again, a crying shame. Other good and funny parts of her also disappeared, like her inability to cook properly due to the dark magic. Well... it just turns a bit boring. Especially when Suu is introduced properly after 100+ chapters (she was present around chapter 2 or something though) and starts to serve him, she is a far better woman as compared to the MCs wife (in my opinion), but sadly the author will probably not condone harems at all, which is a crying shame. Overly clingy and obsessive yandere characters are not really my cup of tea, so I really loved that dog eared honest and somewhat eccentric maid way more. Tsk.

Oh well, if you're looking for something that is not serious yet hilarious with high paced comedy, this is for you. It's funny, there's no doubt about that and it shouldn't disappoint unless you hate settings like this. Never read this for the plot, just read it when you want something light and simple.

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4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
chencking
chencking rated it
February 23, 2017
Status: c97
Great novel. There's some action but mostly comedy. The comedy is good, and unlike most isekai tensei novels, this series doesn't rely on the knowledge from the past making you OP trope. It can get a bit confusing remembering who is who at times, but that should be limited to side-characters only.
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
canaria
canaria rated it
January 6, 2017
Status: --
do not be fooled by the dark start and fantasy setting, this is a slice of life comedy with plot.
4 Likes · Like Permalink | Report
slay_mithos
slay_mithos rated it
November 25, 2016
Status: c82
Finally I find an "other world" story where the protagonist is presented as an actual adult, and doesn't act like a h**ny teen on steroids.

I mean, he definitely isn't the most intelligent person, or anything like this, but it is also consistent with how he is presented, a sales-person. He is able to appear calm, and to somewhat judge both situation and character, which are skills a good sales-person could very well be expected to have.

The writing isn't exceptional, but it's a bit above the usual level for those novels,... more>> and the translation is fairly good too (not to mention that the translator seems to be keeping his schedule for the most part, at 3 chapters a week).

The world is definitely not a simple and easy place either, with powerful nobles scheming (so far it's still fairly tame, but there are hints that it would likely be worse later on). While the characters aren't especially deep, there are a few characters that have interesting personalities, making it feel a bit more believable.

What I'm trying to say is that while it's not at an exceptional level, this novel is actually fairly enjoyable to read. As long as you don't go into it waiting for some especially deep scheming or some perfect story telling, you will probably have a good time reading this. If you take into account that it's a web novel, and not the work of a renown author, it makes me rate it above average. <<less
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Jarrow
Jarrow rated it
September 10, 2016
Status: --
This would be best summed up as a dark comedy with a bent morality. Part of the the shock value comes from the casual evil of the main characters, yet they are presented humorously and with warmth. That plants this LN firmly in the cognitive dissonance subtrope, with the humor and contempt blending and competing for your attention.

The MC is, unfortunately, in most respects a standard Japanese pe*vert MC archetype, just a little older than usual. Loli Harem will ensue (ages 16 and 10, as of ch45. The MC is... more>> in his late 30s'). <<less
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Albus
Albus rated it
July 24, 2016
Status: c32
This is a really funny and refreshing story, but at least in my opinion it get's especially good around the later chapters so delay your judgement until them to truly understand the novel.

Or at least wait until chapter 11...
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Aho555
Aho555 rated it
November 8, 2017
Status: c56
2.5/5 stars.

I had to write a review to warn people from wasting their time with this. It starts off seeming like a light hearted, comedic story in the 'summoned hero' vein that doesn't go the way they typically do, but as you read on, it gets sillier, the narrative holes keep piling up, and then you realise - it's one of those masturbatory novels where the author is just having (too much) fun with his own self insert adventure without regard to proper plot or character development. This one just... more>> manages to hide it better than the rest.

By the time the third idiot character pops in out of nowhere to insult the MC and is just as quickly dispatched by the MC, never to be heard of again (all to make the author--oops, the MC look cool), I gave up.

(If you want more details:)

Spoiler

-MC is all powerful and can do great things with his magic, like cure infertility at first try - just because

-He wished to be able to read the mind of his future wife - and so he could. But only her mind. Why? Doesn't matter. After around 40 chapters, he could no longer read her mind. Why? Doesn't matter. She's opened up and he doesn't need that ability anymore.

Just things like that that make it really obvious this novel is driven by the author's whims, and not in the interest of creating a believable world and characters.

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Darien
Darien rated it
November 16, 2016
Status: c77
Quite amusing, and with a decent flow. The novel is rather farcical in nature, and with a few streaks of dark humor and violence, although not dwelling very deeply on the subject. The nature of this work sort of requires shallow characterizations, so don't expect Dostoevsky. Some reviewers have given the novel a bad mark due to moral objections over its content, but I do believe most readers could get past it. If not, you will at least find out very early on.

The translation itself is at a quite decent... more>> level, keeping the language flowing and natural. I can of course not attest to the fidelity to the original, but at least it isn't a pain to read. <<less
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