Full steam ahead (or should I say, full Ludea ahead?), I Was Sold Dirt Cheap, But My Power Level Is Off the Charts released the Volume 2 English translation on December 3rd of last year. The series continues to be fast-paced and fun, with small interjections of seriousness. The themes are simple to follow and the introduction of new characters keeps the story interesting.
Volume 2 is summarized as such:
Reunited in another world, classmates face off in a mecha colosseum. Next up, the front lines.
Let the battles begin!Vowing revenge for the murder of his first benefactor in the new world, Yuto prepares to take down the Ludawan Kingdom. First step: gathering funds.
He claims bounties in deadly colosseum battles―but to Yuto’s surprise, he encounters an old classmate, sent along with him from Earth.
Yuto expected friendship, but quickly finds that the rules have changed…
Though my review for the start of the series was spoiler-free, this review will contain spoilers for Volume 1 and details that spoil parts of Volume 2.
Volume 2 picks up right where Volume 1 lets off, with Yuta looking to join in Magic Suit coliseum fights.
Now that the mecha fights are full-blown, I’m paying close attention to the details to understand the movements. With manga being in black, white, and gray, it’s difficult to make everything out. That’s the biggest aspect I struggle with when it comes to more action-based manga series. At the very least, this allows me to appreciate the art fully.
As I mentioned in my first review, the art style is great. The Magic Suits continue to capture my attention the most, my eyes pouring over the little details that separate each person’s unique suit. With Yuta naming his suit Arleo, after a white lion from an anime series he watched as a kid, it’s obvious why his suit has a tail coming from the helmet that looks like a lion’s. They also keep expanding the features of Magic Suits, like the added magic flare to Arleo. I was as excited as Falma to see that her suit could fly, and the addition of her having a bow as a long-range weapon was perfect.
The plot itself continues to go in a good direction. Every step of Yuta’s journey either highlights the irony of this world, reveals how quickly karma can catch characters, or shows how power can corrupt. With Jean officially spearheading the new group of our main three, Yuta, Nanami, and Falma with Aryuna and Lyza joining, the world and plot expand. Though their mercenary group name, Iron Riders, is underwhelming, their group itself works well.
I find myself grappling with the representation of female characters. While there’s a majority female cast, at least in the main and major characters, sexual depictions are still present. I was excited to see the strongest gladiator for the coliseum battles was Aryuna, but her creepiness towards Yuta combined with him “owning” her and her references to him as a “boy,” are off-putting.
Still, though they depict girls and women as sexy or cute, they also don’t shy away from being strong and powerful. Plus, Yuta himself isn’t weird about them and is uncomfortable about Aryuna instead of taking advantage. We even have the Magic Suit mechanic, Lyza, as Aryuna’s protector. This also opens the door to reading into Lyza’s interest in Aryuna; I wouldn’t be surprised if with a large enough fandom, those two women would be shipped together.
I was disappointed not to see Nagisa or their class teacher in this volume. What did Nagisa’s search for Yuta turn up? While we’re getting cameos of background students, showing how widespread their destinies became, I’m eager to see how the teacher is fairing. Is she searching for her students? Will she find the ones that Yuta has already proven wrong? I’m wondering how long it’ll take to see them again.
Overall, my complaints mattered little as I read. Yuta’s character as the defender of his friends continues to warm my heart. I even found myself giggling occasionally, like when Nanami and Falma broke the hotel’s bed by jumping up and down on it. I’m even becoming fond of their cunning strategist Jean.
The focus for Volume 3 will clearly start with the Yuta and Yui face-off. So far, it feels like Yuta can’t lose any battle, but I wonder if the protege Yui will give him a run for his money (or life). Or will they stop fighting when they realize it’s each other?
I would continue to give I Was Sold Dirt Cheap a comfortable five out of five stars for a rating. It’s not groundbreaking in the slightest, but it’s entertaining and hasn’t pissed me off yet.
As an ongoing series in Japan, the English translations are quickly catching up to the six Japanese volumes. Volume 3 will be released on April 15th and Volume 4 on July 15th of 2025. Follow the links to pre-order them from Amazon!
The English editions are published by One Peace Books with the original story by RYOMA, illustrations by Cambria Bakuhatsu Tarou, and character designs by Susumu Kuroi.