The Winter 2021 Manga Guide

Reborn as a Barrier Master

What's It About? 

Barrier Masters: wielders of a rare and powerful guardian magic, entrusted with the lives of those under their protection. When his life on Earth ends, Lynos is fortunate to be reborn and to inherit this special gift. What's less fortunate is that he's been reborn as a child, and slated for sale as a slave. Narrowly avoiding a dire fate, he is taken as a servant by a prosperous noble family, where he is trained to become the guardian of its reigning members. Step by step, one trial after another, Lynos prepares for a life of adventure as a Barrier Master!

Reborn As a Barrier Master is based on the light novel series by Kataoka Naotaro. The manga is drawn by Souichi and Seven Seas Entertainment has released the first volume of the manga both digitally and physically for $9.99 and $12.99 respectively.

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Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman

Rating:

There's something almost oddly pleasant about reading Reborn As a Barrier Master. I think that's partly because Linus, our protagonist, has such a rough start. It doesn't take up many pages, but after he dies of overwork in his thirties, he's reincarnated as a six-year-old (or becomes aware at the age of six) in a fantasy world…where he's a slave. His first new memories in this world are of being sold for a low sum on the auction block. But then everything changes for the better – he's got a special magical affinity (the titular barrier magic) and he's been purchased by a kind old woman who, although she doesn't free him immediately, treats him well, gets him trained, and provides him with plenty of food and clothing. He's going to have to work for her family as a guard eventually, but he's more servant than slave.

Despite the fact that Linus goes on several dangerous quests over the course of the volume, there isn't much urgency to the story. It's certainly more action-adventure than slice-of-life, but it's got the sensibility of the latter to it. Linus is clever and eager to work, and he acts like a median of his two ages, more like a teen than an adult or a young child. He's paired with Eryl, his benefactress' niece, and although she's older than him, there's a real sense that she might be getting set up as Linus' love interest. Given that before the volume ends Linus is adopted by the family, making Eryl equal in status (and his cousin, but whatever), this seems increasingly plausible.

Eryl's backstory is the hint of darkness as to where this may go. She was married off by royal decree at age twelve and her husband sexually abused her before divorcing her for her failure to produce any children. (Because we all know that's always only the wife's fault.) Eryl feels safe with Linus because he's younger and nonthreatening, but also because her aunt got her to take up sword lessons when she was returned to the family estate, rightly understanding that it would give Eryl confidence. Eryl can come off as a bit too confident at times, but given the coup that occurs in the final pages of the volume, it seems highly likely that her past is going to come back to haunt her – because the coup may have occurred on behalf of the king rather than the prince regent. This isn't an entirely new take on isekai or fantasy in general, but it really is easy to read, and if you're just looking for basic fantasy comfort food (where the isekai is at a minimum, as it seems to be thus far), you could certainly do worse than this.