I found Kampfer entertaining, so I decided to read the first volume of the novel -they usually offer more background information, events, and have a slower pace-, and I can say I enjoyed reading it. The first volume of the novel was covered by the first two episodes of the anime – but it had material for more episodes, a problem of 12-episode adaptations.

The probably most interesting thing is that the novel is narrated in the first person by Natsuru him(her-?)self, which was a really interesting change of perspective. So having access to his thoughts, he doesn’t seem as slow-witted as in the anime. He is quite aware of the things going out around him and can be really sarcastic at times. He also realized very quickly that there was a relationship between the creepy plushies and Sakura, who was giving them out.

Other than that, the interesting thing about the novel is that it tells the story in a more detailed way.

In the anime, for example, Natsuru finds he has turned into a girl and the Harakiri Tiger immediately explains the situation, but in the novel he spends some time dumbfounded wondering what happened, and knowing how to react in such situations is always an important lesson. You never know when you’ll wake up to find you’ve become a girl. Natsuru even does the most sensible thing in this situation: he checks under his skirt!

Although the plot is basically the same, there is room for more events. While in the anime Sakura confesses to Natsuru (girl version) on the rooftop of the school and the fight with Shizuku ensues, in the novels they have gone on a date (where different stuff happens) and she confesses in a café. Unlike in the anime, Natsuru doesn’t panic but doesn’t know what to choose (if he accepts, it is as his girl form; if he rejects her, he will hurt her), so he goes to the bathroom to gain time. When he comes back, Shizuku is there instead and announces she will hold Sakura  hostage until Natsuru and Akane agree to fight her.

Natsuru decides to rescue Sakura who they think is held in the girls’ side of the school and it is really fun how there is an underground organization running a secret passage between the boys’ and girls’ sides, who are strictly kept apart by the feminazis ruling the former single-sex school, so that boys can meet girls and vice versa.

Akane just steals the show. She is just hilarious and awesome. As usual, extremely shy in her normal self but foul-mouthed and violent in her Kampfer form.

If you watched the anime, do you remember the seiyuu jokes? The characters mentioned the plushies spoke like the seiyuus voicing them. Well, in fact it is in the novels! Natsuru remarks that the Harakiri Tiger sounds like Shizuka from Doraemon, and her original seiyuu voiced him. Shizuku’s messenger is said to sound like Mizuki Nana, and guess who voices him in the anime? To top it all, in the middle of the fight against Shizuku Natsuru retorts to Akane that she just sounds like Horie Yui. I mean, it really made me laugh, and if I had read the novels before the anime it would have been hilarious.

All in all, it was a quick, light-hearted read, funny and entertaining. Of course, people who didn’t enjoy the anime or who don’t like (battle, lol) romantic comedy won’t like the novels either. But other than that, the novels offer more events, background information and humor.

Next read: Ore no imouto ga konnani kawaii wake ga nai, volume 4