Goodbye Otherworld, See You Tomorrow: Volume 1

⚠️ TW: suicide attempt, suicidal thoughts.

This is a different kind of isekai. It's not the classic hero from another world story, nor is it the type that shows possible failures branching off that trope. It's not about abandoning world salvation to enjoy a slow life either. By the time Keisuke is summoned, the world is already dying. A sudden mana overflow turned nearly everyone and everything into white crystals, so all that's left are the remnants of steam technology and a great expanse of nothing. There's nothing else to do other than drive his steam car, gather supplies, and maybe find a way to go home. Maybe. When he meets a half-elf girl named Nito, the story turns into a road trip for two.

In the prologue, Keisuke tries to commit suicide due to the despair from loneliness and not having any reason to go on. And considering the state of the world, he's not the only one with such thoughts. That being said, no one in this book actually commits suicide. Despite the dark tone of the story, each chapter is wrapped up nicely in a rather heartwarming way. Being a road trip story, Keisuke and Nito run into new characters in each chapter. They camp, they cook, they talk while sharing warm meals. The next day, they go on separate ways and resume their own journeys. It's that kind of story.

This first volume is mostly about Nito and her search for the Golden Sea, a place she only saw in her mother's notebook. Nito starts off being super awkward around Keisuke, only traveling with him for that purpose alone. By the end of the book, they have grown attached to one another and developed their own chemistry, so they find new reasons to keep traveling together. I guess that's the best part about this book. It shows that even if the world is dying and there isn't much left to do, people will still live and go on. Personally, I find that quite uplifting. Which is impressive, coming from a story with such a depressing setting.

The world-building is pretty vague, but considering the bits and pieces of information that we do get, it feels like something that we'll learn gradually as the journey continues. Really looking forward to the next volume.