I Was a Sword When I Reincarnated (WN)

Description

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I opened my eyes to find myself in another world. But for some odd reason, I ended up as a sword. Before my eyes laid a plain full of magic beasts, and so, I launched my body and flew in search of a partner, a wielder (females only).

Wait. Absorbing magic stones gets me skills? Oh hell yeah! This will be fun! More, more, give me more! Gimme all your magic stones! Okay, yeah no, but I am accepting anything anyone’s willing to give.

This tale is one that follows your everyday nerd, normal as could be, save for the fact that he happened to reincarnate as a sword.

Associated Names
One entry per line
Sword Shisho
TenKen
Tensei Shitara Ken Deshita
転生したら剣でした
Related Series
I Was a Sword When I Reincarnated (LN) (Light Novel)
Recommendations
I Reincarnated Into a Vending Machine (10)
Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? (10)
Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken (WN) (6)
Spirit Migration (3)
The Death Mage Who Doesn’t Want a Fourth Time (3)
The Elf Is a Freeloader (2)
Recommendation Lists
  1. enjoyed my time
  2. My Favorite Novels
  3. good novels
  4. Novels I've read.
  5. Non-humans and their meng pt.3

Latest Release

Date Group Release
03/04/24 FranscurryTL c1308
03/04/24 FranscurryTL c1307
03/04/24 FranscurryTL c1306
03/04/24 FranscurryTL c1305
03/03/24 FranscurryTL c1304
03/03/24 FranscurryTL c1303
03/03/24 FranscurryTL c1302
03/02/24 FranscurryTL c1301
03/02/24 FranscurryTL c1300
03/02/24 FranscurryTL c1299
03/01/24 FranscurryTL c1298
03/01/24 FranscurryTL c1297
03/01/24 FranscurryTL c1296
02/29/24 FranscurryTL c1295
02/29/24 FranscurryTL c1294
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98 Reviews sorted by


UnknownSaint171
UnknownSaint171 rated it
May 22, 2016
Status: c31
This is a very good story. I think the Synopsis needs to change since it makes him sounds too lecherous. The Main Character is very caring and he feels like a Father. Its really funny and heartwarming. Seeing the MC grow stronger is very entertaining. Despite being a Sword he still acts very Human. He still takes the Main Role!

The second Main Character is a Kuundere Cat Girl Loli! Its definitely worth reading! Her goal is as the weakest beast race is to evolve. I hope he can evolve to... more>> a Human too though sounds impossible. There are flaws here and there but that's only normal as a WN right? Some things don't make sense and could definitely be better so I rate this 4 stars! Still definitely one of the best WNs I've read. You can't stop reading <<less
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Unfairness
Unfairness rated it
December 12, 2022
Status: c1100+
I will try to describe my experience with reading this. I've been reading the raw version continuously for 2 years on syosetu. So I might forget some part.

First, the early part when MC was still alone is just normal power up fantasy. But the real story will begin when he met Fran.

The story follows the journey of Fran and the MC aka "Teacher" trying to find the cause why black cat tribe can't evolve and trying to solve it.

... more>>
Spoiler

It has something to do with ancient black cat tribe imperial family trying to use the power of the sealed evil god's part, so the gods punish them and make them unable to evolve anymore. To lift the curse of entire tribe they need to defeat an S-class monster. Or for an individual is to destroy more than thousands of fiends? I kinda forgot the specific

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Along the journey they face many difficulties, whether it's psychological or physical.

The journey is quiet fun. You will get the feeling of real "adventure". Fran did not stays on one place nor did she make some place her base operation. It's an adventure in truest sense, which is discovering and going to a new place.

For the writing style. It's have the feeling of planned and organized. The early part is just an adventure searching for a clue for the curse and Fran trying to evolve. While facing many events that will be relevant in the far future.

Spoiler

Examples, the event like chaos on Barbra on around chapter 100+, the destruction was supposed to be greater but a certain someone advised his past self to not feed to much power to Fran. This will be relevant later on chapter 500+. I won't spoil to much of this one, but this has something to do with time travel, we also get to see the alternate version of Fran from different timeline, which is very very powerful but utterly ruthless.

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There is many big arc. They usually spans over 100+ chapter. Some even spans over 300+ chapters. No, this is not dragging the story. In this big arc we get many small arc which will connect the story to each other. And forming the bigger picture of the big arc, some this small arc even gave a clue to the previous big arc. This kind of writing is really organized I must say.

For the characters. They feels alive. The author did not introduce a character for nothing. They will interact with Fran from time to time on her adventure, and forming a friendly relationship. They also have their own unique personality.

But the most important thing is, at least for me. We can see how Fran grow as a person. From the early chapter Fran did not talk much, she always ask the MC for an advise before conversation with other.

Later though out the story, she experienced friendship, separation, reunion, losing someone important, ect. Her character growth might not noticeable, but later before you know it, she has become decisive, smart, and start to make her own decisions. This growth is not easy to notice. You need to read at least 900+ chapter to feel it. It feels like watching your daughter grow.

She was also ruthless at first, she has no problem of killing and torturing her enemy. She also has a big hatred for s*ave trader. She especially despise the entire blue cat tribe because they ens*aved the black cat tribe and killed her parents. But through the journey with MC. She learned not all blue cat tribe is bad. She learned what is mercy and compassion.

The MC play the role of a teacher for her. The MC scold Fran when she did something wrong, and praise Fran when she did a good job. He played a role like a parents and teacher. This is very important, later around chapter 500-600+ we get to see the alternate Fran.

Spoiler

In this time line, The MC has lost all emotions. And successfully become a divine sword. The MC is like an A.I., everything is based on calculation. There was no one that scold Fran when she did something wrong nor someone who praise Fran when she did something good. Fran in this timeline is very ruthless and very very powerful. She killed anyone who offended her, because she was very powerful, no one can punish her. I speculate her power is among the top of S-rank adventure in this timeline. It was shown in chapter 660, she already have mastered divine beast form and can unleash divine sword power. Not only that she can freely control evil gods power sealed on the sword without any negative consequences. On chapter 660, although the battle was not described, she single handedly killed the great beast which is S-rank monster alone.

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Spoiler

The Great Beast on the main time line was killed by Weena Rhyn, an S-rank adventurer. But she needs to borrow power from the future. So it's like combined power of her current self + future self. So yeah you can see how powerful alternate Fran is to single handedly kill S-rank monsters.

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Spoiler

You might ask why the MC lost emotions in this timeline? It's because his power grows too fast that his mind has not adapted and collapsed. You can say that Future Zerais advising his past self to not feed Frans to much power actually saved the MC in the main timeline, although the main timeline Fran is much weaker, but she is much better condition compared to alternate Fran. She has many friends, Urushi did not died, her Teacher is still sane. Overall she is a better person.

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Now for the last review I wanted to talk about power scale. You might think with the "ability steal" and "ability sharing" the MC has, Fran is overpowered?

That is far from the truth. The author did a very good job portraying the overall power of the world. TThe battle scene also portrayed very nicely. Through out 1000+ chapters, you can see how Fran battles changed from an inexperienced adventure to a veteran.

Fran did not always win battle. She lost many times. She also has many close match, and from it she learned and grow. Even after 1000+ chapter Fran is still B-rank adventurer.

Spoiler

Although her battle power is A-Class level, she also has taken the first step towards divine beast transformation around chapter 900+, and she was very powerful but not overpowered.

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Spoiler

An adventurer's rank is determined on their ability to defeat magic beasts with the same threat level as theirs if they are in a party, or one threat level below that they can single-handedly defeat. For example D-rank adventurers can team up with up to other D-rank adventurers to defeat a D-ranked monster, or they can defeat an E-ranked threat monster by themselves.

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Spoiler

Monster Threat Rank and Example
S Rank: Global Crisis
Mythical Beasts | Fenrir | Divine Dragon
A Rank: Continental Crisis
Demon Lord | Monarch Dragon
B Rank: National Crisis
Greater Demon | Arch Dragon | Giant King
C Rank: Citywide Crisis
Tyrant Saber Tiger | Lesser Demon
D Rank: Townside Crisis
Lesser Hydra | Dragon Blast Tortoise
E Rank: Village Crisis
Lesser Wyvern | Ogre
F Rank: Can Be Dealt with by a Mercenary Party
Pack of Wolves | Horde of Goblins
G Rank: Can Be Dealt with by average adults
Goblin | Fang Rat

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Yeah there is many more you can find by reading the story. Let me say the world building is very huge and detailed.

I still enjoyed this story until now. Thank you for the story Tanaka Yuu-sense! <<less
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SUBSIDY
SUBSIDY rated it
January 6, 2017
Status: c54
It's a tips bit disappointing, kinda feels dry at times, and a bit forced, but overall... Disappointing

Well... the first few chapters were good, but when the MC meets the heroine (wielder) he pretty much gets chained down, kinda like she's holding him back from going full power... adventure with a slice of life kind of feel?
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ReadsWebNovels
ReadsWebNovels rated it
August 6, 2018
Status: c123
The story's flat. No peaks or tension. 95% of opponents are weaklings who could never pose a threat to the MC, yet all of the problems can be and are solved using brute strength.

It's another meandering directionless slice-of-life story.
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keklel
keklel rated it
July 25, 2016
Status: c33
Swordbro isn't the best reincarnation novel out there, but I wouldn't say it's bad. It's way better than Re:Monster (which I think is garbage) but not on the same level as Reincarnator (a masterpiece). Sometimes it presents the story from perspective of other characters such as the kuudere lolicatgirl, and it has good story focus so it doesn't ever feel boring unlike certain novels (e.g summoned slaughterer). Characterization is not that bad. If you simplified it you could say the MC just wants to eat powerful monsters and kuudere lolicatgirl... more>> just wants to evolve or something well she doesn't really talk much. So the characters are arguably pretty bland but they do get fleshed out here and there somewhat. What I'm saying is that the characters actions are consistent and make sense and not s*upid. Well the main draw of the story is the plot rather than characterization and forget about MC's past life, he doesn't even mention it past chapter 1. I won't say much about the action other than that it's pretty standard xuanxia stuff - use skill, BAM enemy dies, gain new skill repeat ad infinitum. But the story progression so far is pretty interesting, it definitely feels like it's moving forward and not just slaying the same monsters over and over since he keeps getting new skills which significantly impact the story. Well it's only been 33 chapters so it might get boring at some point, we'll see if the translator keeps it up. <<less
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Peco4418
Peco4418 rated it
January 24, 2024
Status: c1256
Shounen/Slice-of-Life hybrid with a focus on the father/daughter relationship between the sword and the wielder. Very cute, with surprisingly very little weird stuff ever happening in all 1200 chapters.

I whole-heartedly recommend this series, however do note that somewhere in the 300-400 range the translations get quite rough as the series gets juggled between multiple different translators.

The first couple dozen chapters are also a bit rough, but once it get's going it is hard not to fall in love in this series.

I'd recommend watching the anime adaptation first, if you are... more>> somehow here not having seen it. That said, it only covers up to the first 60 chapters. The manga will get you to the mid 100~s but it adds plot detail not present in this version, with one particular set of characters being introduced and fleshed out almost 1000 chapters early. Thank you for reading. <<less
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DidYunCheGoddamnDieAgain
DidYunCheGoddamnDieAgain rated it
February 8, 2022
Status: c177
Yeah, no.. Not enough patience for a novel like this. I'm fine with weak protagonists that make sense. I'm fine with s*upid protagonists that make sense. What I'm not fine with are protagonists that are supposed to be smart or have the potential to be strong, but just aren't because the author went too far with the abilities and now tries as hard as he can to slow down the pacing.

In the beginning, it was not that apparent because the growth felt pretty consistent with the abilities the MC had.... more>> The issues started when the author realized that he's 50 chapters in and the MC is in the top 10perc. When it comes to power and at this rate it'd take at most another 100 chapters before he becomes some sort of peerless overgod. Now there are other novels with pacing like this, but they usually solve it by adding more powerful enemies above the "peak" that the reader didn't know about in the beginning. The way it's solved in this novel is the author creating situations that force the MC into leveling situational auxiliary abilities instead of combat oriented ones. Essentially. The MC gets around 60 skill points each lvlup. Those 60 skill points are enough to lvl one school of magic or swordsmanship, or even defense so high, that there would be almost no one in the world stronger than him in that one area. Why doesn't he do that? Well just before he levels up, every time there just happens to be a situation that convinces him that he needs detection skills that do almost nothing.. Or psychic defense skills that are useful against exactly two people out of the entire story so far.. He confidently spends 40 points on extremely situational skills, but refuses to spend 10 to max his swordsmanship. And that's not all.. The worst part is, that the skills he gets look very impressive for exactly one chapter, and then they just don't exist.. Whether it's his divine eyes that were stolen from the gods or whatever and allowed him to see through smoke one time, then never did anything useful again, his "Unsealable" skill that makes him very much sealable, just with a different ability, or his newest ability that protects him against psychological influence, unless it just doesn't when it's not convenient.. The abilities don't work, he doesn't use them or there's some meh explanation about why he can't use them..

TLDR: The villains have plot armor, the MC has plot holes. It's like the slime/spider reincarnation if 100 chapters in, the author decided not to have an OP protagonist and tried to explain why they're actually not that strong after all.. <<less
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NoobElite
NoobElite rated it
April 26, 2018
Status: c211
A lot of the logic simply does not add up.

... more>>
Spoiler

People with stats in the thousands like this Rynford guy can be blocked even tough they have like Tier 2 Evil God magic skill and like 2000 magic but much later in the story when Fran is like 4 times stronger and has Maxed out Tier 2 Sword Ability that is like highest possible (since the idiotic sword forgot it has like the overskill ability that can evolve maxed skills) level with much more stuff and gets wrecked by people with lower stats and lower weapon mastery.

Either I am really dumb or the author does not manage do be consistent in his ability grading since the novel even once said that having 5 levels difference in weapon mastery gives an insurmountable rift that even absurdly higher stats do not cover (remember the super skeleton guy). But no Fran can't win against person with lower speed and lower whip arts even tough she has like a sword with 3700 attack (not that it was ever explained how that number does influence anything) and 120 skills tailored to the situation.

Take my review with a grain of salt.

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Pulsing_Pressure
Pulsing_Pressure rated it
May 20, 2016
Status: c30
Slow start but don't let that deter you from reading this, the story is building itself nicely and
Spoiler

the story finally picks up the pace when the MC find his wielder

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Xu
Xu rated it
December 13, 2018
Status: c296
The story has an unique setting, but the plot itself doesn't particularly deviate from the standard "isekai MC becomes an adventurer and does stuff", the worldbuilding is pretty good, and even though the story isn't anything special at least it's well told.

The Sword (MC) has more or less the personality of the average japanese protagonist, the type that acts a bit like an idiot (may or may not result annoying), but at least he's not a pushover. Not particularly deep though.

The wielder (other MC basically) on the other hand is... more>> unique, she's very laconic and has a goal which isn't a generic revenge plot or a "I wanna be the strongest". That said she also doesn't have a very deep personality and, outside her quirk of being laconic, she is pretty much your average musclehead MC. Also she could very well be male and other than her appearance, and maybe the reaction of the other character, nothing would change.

The side characters are generally intresting and not basic cliché one (the important ones at least), but don't expect them to be deeply characterized either.

Translation is good.

Overall it's an above average novel, but it's not so good that I'd recommend it to someone that isn't intrested in the genre (generic but well told story, unique but shallow characters). <<less
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LGear
LGear rated it
September 8, 2018
Status: c287
This may not be the best ever WN I've ever read, but it's the one that's caught my heart the best, and for one simple reason:

The protagonist, the adorable catgirl Fran.

That's right, I consider Fran the actual protagonist of the story because she definitely is: everything that propels the plot forward is in accordance to her motivations and wishes, and she's the one who undergoes the actual heroes journey. The supposed main character i.e. Master may be who the story is titled after and may be our viewpoint character, but... more>> he pretty much just fills the role of the supportive guardian who's responsible for Fran's powerups, and of course his goal is pretty much to support Fran's goal. Both Fran and Master may have their own goals, but Fran's is definitely the more compelling one, and the majority of the adventures in the story occur due to her decisions. It even holds true this far into the story, because even when Fran accomplishes her initial goal, her motives extend far beyond herself and that goal, thus she doesn't lack in direction and motivation to push the plot forward. And Fran as a character is extremely likable: she's the right mix of someone who's taciturn and seemingly blase in her expression without being a stiff cold-hearted robot, and when her emotions flare up we definitely know it. Also, she's not a wishy-washy character who wavers in her convictions at the slightest thing, she's incredibly resolute and once she sets her sights on something nothing will stand in her way. This extends to stuff like life or death, where she's quite merciless to those who deserve it and will think of nothing of enacting torture and mu*der on her enemies, and yet she never becomes one of those dark and edgy antiheroes for whom the ends justifies the means because in the end she's just pragmatic. She also wholeheartedly displays her childish side (like in her foodie side and her absolute boredom at things that don't involve battle and food) because despite everything she is still a child, and that childishness combined with her aforementioned taciturn ruthlessness makes for a very appealing and adorable character.

I also like that despite Master's cheat abilities and her own genius, Fran still is far from being the most powerful character in the setting, with one of the LN's overarching lessons being that there's always someone or something more powerful. She's definitely OP, but the story does give opportunities to show her struggling or even losing against more powerful enemies without resorting to downplaying her abilities.

I do like how many reasonable characters there are in this story. Sure you have the standard contingent of characters too s*upid to live, but there's also a lot more characters here that definitely have a good head on their shoulders despite their quirks, and they play off well with Fran.

I'm glad I found the manga first before reading the WN, as the manga definitely knows that Fran is the best way to start of the story, and it condenses the first dozen WN chapters with just Master into a single chapter. Thus, I came in knowing that Fran is the best part of this story and worth sticking around for, and it was definitely a mistake on the WN's part to focus so much on the sword at the beginning. <<less
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nightdrgn
nightdrgn rated it
May 31, 2018
Status: c196
If you're looking for a Fluffy x Serious Business story, this is up there as one of the better ones.

The ML and FL share the leading role but mostly this is a novel focusing on the ML (the sword) for the general narative and FL (pettit succint catgirl) for interactions and the bulk of character development. It's a good formula for developing what is otherwise a pretty timid and quiet character.

The relationship is mostly teacher

student, which is nice touch when everything else, particularly JP, is some romance or another. That... more>> said, there is some room for interpretation.

The action revolves around a gamified fantasy setting. The execution is pretty well done. The one-catgirl party of two, has the typical growth advantage, but is severely lacking in many other aspects, from combat tactics to social relations and just plain general lack of knowledge of the world (one is a reincarnator, the other was a s*ave until recently).

Won't go into details but the plot fits nicely togheter, there's an overarching mystery, the world has a palatible internal consistent logic to it, there's various interlocking subplots and submysteries, and characters introduced in one arc come up again. Side characters have their own agendas, and will vary in their alignment with the main heroine and her sword-sensei. However, since this is pretty fluffy, a lot of the time the bar only really goes down to "highly suspecious" / "dangerous unknown" rather then outright hostile towards the main heroine.

If there's a downside it's that the world is very average. It's not bad, it's actually very consistent, but there's nothing that will necessarily wow you. There are towns, there are monsters, countries, dungeons, etc, and they're as average as you can imagine them.

In short,

    • ML, FL party combo that stick together like glue thoughout
    • Action has strategy and depth to it. There's also plenty of political conflicts.
    • Gamefied western style cultivation system.
    • Interesting relationship between ML and FL
    • World and conflict are logically consistent
    • Plenty of interesting characters all round. There are followers but their story is mostly inserts into chapters and they don't (perma-) join the main party or follow every whims of the main heroine
    • The villains get plenty of exposition on their background and motivation
    • Translation is good. First chapters are a bit rougher, but quality picks up a lot once CardbordTL picks it up.
Make of that what you will. <<less
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justice41
justice41 rated it
June 15, 2017
Status: c71
2/5: Near Average
Premise is good, quite unique and striking MC (Fran and Teacher) but why I rate it 2/5... well sort of it has few issues.. mostly on the author....

First the first few chapters was way too fast of a development for the sword, even though the intention was to be an OP, it's pretty plain and dull. No further explanations and just poof... OP sword

Second might be to the inconsistent characterization. On analogy, if you portrayed a stoic, anti-social like MC (Fran) you should stick to it while... more>> adding few char. developments as story progresses. But.... this doesn't happen here. It's quite the reverse, OP sword gets more char. dev. than Fran.

Lastly, unconceivable setting. If you introduced a society with political plots and manipulation, and have an MC with anti-social and trust-issues (once a former s*ave), be thorough with it. If I'm the OP Sword "

Spoiler

Why the hell would I say to reveal that I'm an intelligent weapon to someone who I just met a day ago, quite bullshit. Didn't I came to thought that person would secretly say it to the higher ups? Way too trust in this kind of setting.. Why the hell would I openly enter the scheme of the Guild Master when I have felt it moments before... Why oh why for the sake of plot it was made like this, damn author.. oh went 4th wall break.

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So as of now it would be 2/5.... don't get me wrong.. the series is good, even the manga (though it felt rushed).. but it lacks careful writing preparation and suffers potential plot holes and no end goal, rather feels slice of life than adventure...
Nevertheless I highly recommend it for a good read... <<less
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TokenZero
TokenZero rated it
May 15, 2016
Status: c27
Okay the first 11 or 12 chapters are all background/building chapters where the sword starts to become familiar with his surroundings and gain skills and power ups
Spoiler

because you see later that his attack alone isn't even a match for common steel swords and daggers, so he actually needs quite a bit to set off

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.
The story picks up after he meets his owner and travels to a town so that his owner may become an adventurer. There they learn various things about the world, trying to find out where he came from (who made him), classifications of swords and whatnot and begin the life of an adventurer.[As of chapter 27]

As far a characters go even though some of them are quite cliche like the elf guild master and dwarf blacksmith even one has there own unique personality and so far none of them are just there to be a peanut gallery.

In contrast to what other people thought of the first 11 or 12 chapters, I actually quite enjoyed reading them probably because 'Game Elements' novels are my favorite types but also because this is probably the only novel I have read with a non-living protagonist. So I was just wondering how a sword could do things all that time without bothering to think of whether it was repetitive or 'boring'
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Miraclebreaker
Miraclebreaker rated it
June 29, 2022
Status: c700
This story isn't afraid of letting a scarred, abused and hungry 12 year old lop off the arms of her enemies before nuking them with lightning.

That example should tell you enough about the story's limits, which compared to many of its genre, are nonexistent.

That reason alone enough warrants 3 stars, but I will add another star because the story itself while it's very journey based and has its fair share of tournaments arcs, it actually likes to pay attention to detail and does a lot to build a world that... more>> it takes place in. So get your notepad out and start writing down the names of minor characters because there's a good chance you're gonna see them down the line in a very different way.

Furthermore while I haven't done an in-depth analysis of the themes within this specific web novel, Unlike a lot of other reincarnated stories, there are very clear themes in the story which are hard to describe without spoiling because it gets very in depth about things like, how the main character who is a sword is coping with not being a living being and how his continuous growth in strength is affecting his mind. Another examples of interesting themes in the story includes a very unhealthy dose of racism caused by a cultural divide, and how changing it is difficult due to the amount of people who don't want to change how they used to think.

AND one of my favourite parts of the story that a lot of other readers have not touched on and for that reason I invalidate their reviews in my mind for, is surprisingly the characterization of the two main characters. This is best seen in one of the future chapters with time travel is involved and you can see two very different versions of the main characters, simply spurred on by the sword being slightly more powerful in that alternate reality. Fran, The cat girl main character in this world is a character who at my time of reading, The lost child who has healed by gaining a member of family and soon gaining more friends and family over time and because she has felt loss and despair in the past, he is willing to sacrifice her blood and flesh and body in order to protect what she has regained. In the alternate reality on the other hand, The sword which is what spurred on her healing by being a trustworthy partner that to her was basically family, that sword becomes just strong enough to become a divine sword, however in the process he has completely lost his humanity. In other words he is more comparable to an AI, someone who answers questions not someone who offers opinions. And In that alternate reality, this breaks her, as she loses someone dear to her in a way where swinging a sword cannot solve the problem. I wouldn't call this a masterpiece, but unlike a lot of other novels I have read before coming to this website, I can say for a fact this wasn't a waste of time and I quite enjoyed the experience. <<less
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winterprison
winterprison rated it
February 29, 2020
Status: c713
If I have to describe this series, it would be European fantasy Dragon Ball with a little side of political intrigue but take out the almighty wish granting device and replace monkey boy with cat girl... and I'm digging it.

As the story steadily progesses, the focus slowly shifts away from the sword and focuses more on Fran's development and how she, kinda like Goku, is a battle maniac and wants to grow as strong as strong as she can, and that's what's selling this story for me.
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avatarivn
avatarivn rated it
January 8, 2019
Status: c303
Liking this WN depends heavily on you liking (or disliking) the MC. While the story might not be the most original out there, the author really put an effort in making it readable and enjoyable (combined with the good work from the English translators and you have a winner).

Pros:
- Strong female lead. This girl might not look like a hero, but she certainly has the heart of one (strong-willed, kind with the weak but merciless with evil-doers, self-driven and a hard-worker). She is the kind of person you both... more>> trust and cheer for.
- Interesting side characters. Not every secondary character is interesting, but the ones who do are good and in fact, some side stories are more than welcome (I would even say more diverse POVs are needed).
- Not overwhelmingly OP. Unlike 85% of isekai novels out there, MC is far from the all-mighty who just stream-rolls each and every enemy without needing any help. In fact, some of the most memorable moments come precisely when the main characters are about to lose. None of the MC are very good team leader material but that doesn't mean they can't work well with others.
- Story is well written. Despite using generic ideas and concepts, the story is well written and engaging to read. For a WN, you have to recognize its not messy and the ideas are well developed. In fact, some topics are just worthy of their own arc with all the material available and the world building.
- No Harem, no dense-as-a-rock male MC, no beta doubts. Main characters need to get their hands dirty, they do and that's it.

Cons:
- Main antagonists are not memorable. Except for perhaps one or two, the majority of villains are pretty much generic and nothing more than "boss monsters" without much going for them except high stats or unusual skills.
- Everything is black or white. There is no middle ground here, all characters are either good at heart or completely rotten. While that makes it easier to know who is who, the lack of any ambiguity is a bit boring.
- Not getting above the "Japanese food is the best" trope. Seriously, Japanese food is not the last Coca-cola in the dessert. Period. <<less
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JapaneseFandom
JapaneseFandom rated it
May 12, 2018
Status: c230
This series is one of those isekai stories that are actually good, not like those other isekai novels where MC gets an op cheat and goes on a journey to create the greatest harem intentionally or not, or those other stories where MC goes on a rampage of killing for revenge or self satisfaction showing no character development at all (there are ones where the MC gets some character dev so not all revenge stories are bad).

Now let's talk about why this series is such a masterpiece in my eyes.... more>> First of all the MC is reincarnated as a sword (not a spoiler since the title kinda says it all) which is a really unique type of reincarnation (haven't seen any other stories with sword MCs tbh), and the MC isn't given a world toppling cheat, it's not really op, maybe just a tad bit so.

Let us move on to the main lead that accompanies the MC. The main lead isn't some ignorant blockhead who doesn't know of the darkness of the world, although she's still as innocent as one can get (just saying she's so damn MOEEEEEE) and isn't some sort of person who insists on not killing/over excessively harming the other party, not saying she's a damn killing machine which lives to kill, she acts depending on the situation, taking everything into consideration, and then acts upon how she sees fit. Also the MC isn't an idiot who sticks to the ideology that killing is wrong, he realizes he's in another world where the common sense of people is different and that his ideology might not be beneficial when facing certain situations in this world.

The characters in this story aren't some 2D brainless cardboards that are there to add more awesomeness to the MC. In my opinion every character that I came across in this story had a lot of personality and color, we get to see there point of views and come to understand why they act the way they do and we also see the supporting characters aren't brainless people who do whatever the MC and the main lead say, acting as their arms and legs.

Character development is just amazing. We see the MC and the main lead grow as and we see how their way of thinking changes and how their perspective changes towards the world and how they strive to improve their ways of doing things and their actions to achieve better results later on, and they're not always in the right either, they realize that they were at fault sometimes and try their best to learn from their mistakes and improve so that they're never repeated again. They also learn to depend on each other more and more as the story goes on which makes their bond grow stronger and stronger (and also grow sweeter and sweeter).

Overall every element of this novel is great no matter how I look at it, not saying their aren't any bad points about the novel. Although there are a bit non existing problems with it, it doesn't really hinder the enjoyment one receives from reading this, at least for me. Also props to the translators for working hard on this novel, especially the current translator, CarboardTL, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for picking this novel up when it was stagnant and releasing around 3-4 chapters weekly, keeping us readers intrigued and not letting us lose to the boredom of waiting. <<less
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Degidegi
Degidegi rated it
February 26, 2018
Status: c187
A breath of fresh air in the Isekai genre.

Since the MC is a sword, there is no harem in sight and there is also no sign of an edgy revenge plot. The MC plays the role of a parent for the cat girl Fran and is damn good at it. Both of them have distinctive personalities and their interactions are sweet and funny. The named side characters have also flashed out personalities and many of them reappear thru the story.

Since the duo of cat and sword isn’t overpowerd, the outcome... more>> of important battles isn’t clear from the start and the power of friendship doesn’t help against strong foes. The Skill System on itself is reasonably designed and the fight depiction is very entertaining.

The world building is decent, while the plot itself is interesting (and in some points intriguing) and the only parts which I would name as filler, are the ones with describe food (in typical Japanese fashion). Furthermore, the introduction of the big bad antagonist further rises the expectation for the coming plot development. <<less
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elsewhere
elsewhere rated it
June 16, 2023
Status: c1039
Guys its best. I don't know how many people read novels like overlord and came here, but this is best novel when u read more chapters, and came across more and more fights, u get the story quite interesting. If you are curious on what will happen in finally, fighting at each time will leads to separate theory and that's where the some twist lies. Super good narration. Hope you will spend time to learn till the end.
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