Cover of “The Hero and His Elf Bride Open a Pizza Parlor in Another World” by Kaya Kizaki.I’m back with another book review, and this time I’m reviewing the light novel “The Hero and His Elf Bride Open a Pizza Parlor in Another World” by Kaya Kizaki! When I saw that this light novel hugely revolved around food like “Restaurant To Another World” did, I knew I had to pick up this book and check it out.
Here’s a quick summary so we know what it’s about:
“After being struck and killed by a pizza delivery bike, Kaito is given the option to be reborn in an alternate world as one of three “hero” classes: 1. A swordsman; 2. A magician; or 3. A hero who saves the world with pizza. When the first two options are quickly taken, Kaito is forced to live his second life as a hero endowed with the power of pizza, in a land of an herbivorous race of elves…one of whom happens to be his new wife! What kinds of pizza-related adventures lie ahead for our “High-Calorie Hero” and his food-obsessed elf bride?”
Worldbuilding Development: 4 out of 5 stars
I thought the worldbuilding was fairly well thought-out. The surprised and exaggerated reactions of the elves eating pizza makes a lot more sense once the reader finds out early on that the economy is so poor that they cannot afford meat and other animal products often. They barely even have any main concept of spices and so on, so the recipes and dishes they do generally use are fairly flavorless and taste like grass. I do enjoy that this particular isekai-themed book did not talk much about more serious possible topics like other series have done, especially considering that this book is meant to be read for lighthearted humour.
I also am curious about the goddess in charge of Kaito’s reincarnation—did she just make him go with the third option because the first two were genuinely taken, or because she didn’t want to wait for his decision? Considering that this is a standalone novel, the reader will never know for sure, but it does make one wonder if the goddess has dealt with similar people before.
Plot Development: 4 out of 5 stars
Considering that this was a standalone light novel, I should mention now that this is not a light novel that you should take seriously. It’s clearly written for humor, and you should not expect anything super-deep to be figured out here. But considering that the hero runs a pizza parlor and everyone’s exaggerated reactions to eating anything flavorful, it’s to be expected and the author made it work.
It does feel more like a slice-of-life series than there being a full main story in this book, admittedly, and the way it was written made me think that it could be adapted into a possible one-season anime series, if more detail was given to the characters and worldbuilding. But as is, it is a nice, light read without any super-heavy or dark elements. I also just enjoyed how the book poked fun at the typical isekai hero experiences—dying and being reincarnated in a new role, trying to adjust to the new world, and dealing with the potential love interest or interests bonding with you when you least expected it. I thought it was nice that the book kind-of made fun of those elements, since it added to the overall story.
Character Development: 3.5 out of 5 stars
The characters were fun to read, and I personally enjoyed reading Kaito and Lilia the most. Considering that this light novel was a standalone, there was not much time for development for many of the other minor characters. However, reading how Kaito did his best to cope with reincarnating and getting used to all of his newfound abilities was fun to read. I also enjoyed reading Lilia, but I wish I could see more of what she is like individually (outside of her constant eating and romantic relationship with Kaito).
Romance Development: 4 out of 5 stars
Considering that this was a standalone light novel and the romance was mainly a subplot compared to everything else happening, I thought that the author did a good job of writing Kaito and Lilia’s developing relationship. Despite the initial awkwardness that both of them have over Lilia’s parents (and virtually the rest of the elves around them) trying to get them to get married and being forced together, both of them actually do develop feelings for each other over time and have some great chemistry with each other.
Overall, I’m rating this book 4 out of 5 stars!
I think this was a fun, light read, especially for those that are fans of pizza. If you go into this knowing that this light novel is not meant to be taken seriously and you like reading some good humour that pokes fun at the typical isekai hero’s experiences, I definitely recommend this to you to read.
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