MANGA REVIEW | "The Ossan Newbie Adventurer, Trained to Death by the Most Powerful Party, Became Invincible" - Vol. 1
Yes, you are reading the title correctly. The Ossan Newbie Adventurer, Trained to Death by the Most Powerful Party, Became Invincible. Why do I keep having to deal with these Japanese fantasy series that have these long-ass names?! Well, it’s probably because most of them wind up being very entertaining. And The Ossan Newbie Adventurer (which I will refer to as such henceforth) is no exception in the slightest!
Our adventurer goes by the name Rick, a former receptionist that’s been bitten by the adventuring bug. Because of his age, it makes it hard for Rick to reach higher rankings in the guild. But for the last couple of years, Rick has been training with some of the toughest adventurers around. The time for the next Adventurer Trials arrives, with Rick aiming to go from his F ranking to an E.
Eying all of the other test-takers, Rick doesn’t have much confidence that he’ll get through the exams well. That is, until he starts seeing the other people in action, and he’s not exactly impressed. In fact, he thinks many of them are holding back. So when he goes to take the first test, one involving a slime bag that needs to be destroyed, the level of power Rick showcases leaves everyone speechless.
As you can guess, the main joke with The Ossan Newbie Adventurer is that he’s a lot stronger than he realizes it. To be honest, these are my favorite kind of heroes in fantasy series. While it’s funny to watch someone like Saitama in One-Punch Man attempt to hold back their super strength, it’s even funnier seeing someone who thinks they’re weak wind up leveling a wall without even trying. And that’s exactly what Rick does in his first test!
The situation causes one of the other test-takers, Freed Diarmuit, to call upon his older sister and have her defeat Rick. It all leads towards a duel, with the first daughter of the House of Diarmuit giving it everything she has to take down Rick. Naturally, Rick isn’t too impressed with how slow the Second Order Knight maneuvers in battle. Again, it’s not because she’s sluggish; it’s because Rick is super fast.
So now, it leads to how this thirty-something adventurer has become the man that he is today. While there are subtle hints of his training, the real mystery is behind who transformed him into a thirty-something master of combat. But when the big reveal happens, it makes a whole lot of sense why this former receptionist has the power of a god. Needless to say, Rick’s got great friends, and not just the sexy elf maid Reanette that dazzles on every page she’s featured on.
Where the manga shines is in its comedy. It’s obvious that Rick is not the smartest guy in the world, so him not knowing his strength brings about a lot of big laughs. How the others react to his strength is pretty funny, on top of the amount of damage Rick causes whilst giving it his all. (Props to manga illustrator Ken Ogino, who brings much of Kiraku Kishima’s original light novel to life with terrific detail and humorous facial expressions.)
I may hate having to deal with long titles, but there’s a surprising amount of fun to be discovered in The Ossan Newbie Adventurer. I’m not sure how long they can take the joke of a man who doesn’t know his own strength, but thus far it’s been pretty entertaining. And now that his comrades have entered the picture, I’d be curious to see just how much power they themselves have. After all, if they trained The Ossan Newbie Adventurer, then odds are their own strength must be at a terrifying level!
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Robert McGuire of One Peace Books.
