Anicord Community Special Fall 2024

Warning: this article contains spoilers for all of The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria.

This is my review of the The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria for the Anicord Community Special of Fall 2024.

I've read my fair share of books, but never a light novel. I saw some friends of mine reading light novels though and I thought it was interesting so I put Zeroth Maria on my plan to read list a few months ago. Now that I've finally gotten to read it, I really liked it. This series is the kind of series that makes you think. The plot is complex in a way that reminds me of Link Click. Also, characters. They're very well developed. Starting from volume one, I had assumed Hoshino would be yet another bland, static main character— but that's not the case. He really grows and changes throughout the series, especially in volume six. The same goes for Maria and her relationship with Hoshino.

Speaking of their relationship, I'm amazed by Hoshino — 400,000 times is not a joke. I don't think a normal human being wouldn't be able to do that, or be willing to go past their breaking point like that.

The concept of Boxes is fascinating. Considering the Boxes actualize the owner's underlying beliefs regarding how the world works, in my opinion the only approach to use one would be Daiya's approach. Not that I like Daiya, he's a jerk. He's the kind of character that feels like he'd make a very good serial killer.

My favourite part of the series was the Game of Indolence arc. It reminds me of the Hunger Games in a way. The mind games/manipulation they used on each other to win — or just violence, that works too, Koudai — reveals hidden sides of the characters that you might not have gotten to see otherwise. Yuri Yanagi is scary, by the way. I don't blame Daiya for saying that he'd never trust women again after seeing what she did in the Game of Indolence.

In conclusion, I greatly enjoyed it and gave it a 10/10. Especially the ending — Maria marrying Hoshino made me very happy. Especially considering that usually in anime or what not they have a habit of hinting at a nice romantic ending and then ending it (I'm looking at you, Hyouka.)