Hello everyone, it’s time for another post for random news and tidbits relating to light novels. I hope you are all enjoying a good book. What have you been reading? I am wrapping up My Youth Romantic Comedy volume 3, and hope to have an article for that written soon. Hoping to read the Yume Nikki novel next, from J-Novel Club.

There are a few editorials and features planned for November and December, so look forward to those!

Recent light novel license announcements:

• Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life? — Seven Seas (vol 1 – June 12, 2018)
• Outbreak Company — J-Novel Club (vol 1 – Nov 17, 2017)
• How Not to Summon a Demon — J-Novel Club (vol 1 – Dec 4, 2017)
• Walking My Second Path in Life — J-Novel Club (vol 1 – Dec 14, 2017)
• Yume Nikki: I Am Not in Your Dream — J-Novel Club
• Ao Oni — J-Novel Club

Note that all the J-Novel Club titles already have chapters up for members to read on their app and website.

A novel tied to the Berserk manga franchise has been licensed for English release. It is titled Berserk: The Flame Dragon Knight, and is an original story focusing on the character Grunbeld. The author is Makoto Fukami, and the illustrator is Kentarou Miura (the creator of the manga). This book released in Japan on June 23rd. No release date for the English edition yet.

Yen Press has announced the novelization for the anime film Napping Princess will be released in English on May 22, 2018. The movie aired in Japanese theaters in March 2017, and in select theaters worldwide in later months. Yen Press has been releasing a digital simulpub for the manga adaptation in English.

Synopsis: When Kokone sleeps she dreams of Heartland, a place full of technology and warring machines, where she's the Princess Ancien who possesses magical powers. But when events in her dreams and real life start to intersect, Kokone has to run from bad guys in both worlds. Will her dreams provide a way out, or get her into deeper trouble…?

Seven Seas has also begun releasing classic Boogiepop light novels digitally. Volume 1 (titled “Boogiepop and Others”) was released as a paperback in 2006, and is now being brought back in ebook format. Four volumes of this series were released in English back in 2006 to 2008 — no word yet on whether or not the series might be continued one day.

Accel World and The Irregular at Magic High School series are now getting digital releases too.

Also look forward to digital releases for The Isolator and Kieli. Volumes 1 through 3 of The Isolator will get ebooks on November 28th. Kieli volume 1 will be available on December 19th, followed by volumes 2 and 3 on January 30th, volumes 4 and 5 on February 27th, and then the rest (6 through 9) on March 27th.

Volume 2 of The Violet Knight will release as an ebook by Cross Infinite World on December 11th.

Cross Infinite World is also hinting at a new light novel series they are putting together from a Japanese web novel. It sounds like a lighthearted series starring the villainess of a sentai squad-themed story.

Seven Seas’ release of Record of Lodoss War: The Grey Witch was delayed a bit — this hardcover novel will be out on December 19th.

Also worth noting, there are several new series starting up in November and December. If you like isekai scenarios, you can read what it’s like to reincarnate as a spider monster, a slime creature, or a child with crazy eyes:

• So I’m a Spider, So What? — Nov 21
• That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime — Dec 19
• The Saga of Tanya the Evil — Dec 19

Japan News:

The upcoming 12-episode anime adaptation The Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These is planned to air starting April 2018. A trailer and some artwork has been released as a preview. The fifth volume of the novel series will release in English on November 21st.

The main cast has been announced for an audio drama CD for I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years. This will be bundled with volume 5’s release in Japan in January. The first volume of the light novel series will release in English on April 24th, 2018.

The Seraph of the End franchise will be getting a second spinoff light novel series focusing on the character Guren Ichinose. This new series is titled Owari no Seraph: Ichinose Guren, 19-sai no Sekai Resurrection (Seraph of the End: Guren Ichinose: World Resurrection at Age 19) and will begin in Japan this December. The first light novel series, Seraph of the End: Guren Ichinose: Catastrophe at Age 19, has seven volumes in Japan — six of which have been released in English by Vertical in the form of three omnibus books.

Nisio Isin will be releasing a sequel to Juni Taisen on December 12th in Japan. It is titled Juni Taisen Tai Juni Taisen (Zodiac War Versus Zodiac War). The first book was released in English by Viz Media in October.

On November 22nd, the 21st and final volume of Campione! by Jou Takezuki will release in Japan. A sequel series titled Shiniki no Campiones (Campiones of the Sanctuary) will begin on December 22nd.

For those that follow the Confess Your Love Committee (Kokuhaku Yokouo Renshuu) series at all, there will be a six-episode series coming out soon called Our Lives Are Always 10 Centimeters Apart. You can find a preview and information on that here.

Third season for the anime adaptation of A Certain Magical Index has been announced! Much to my dismay, as I can no longer make jokes about that.

Anime adaptations have also been announced for Sword Art Online‘s Alicization arc, as well as for the Alternative Gun Gale Online spinoff series.

Speaking of Sword Art Online and Gun Gale Online, a new video game titled Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet has had footage shown at the Tokyo Game Show. This will release for the PS4 on February 23, 2018.

There is also a game for A Certain Magical Index releasing in Japan in February. It is called A Certain Magical Virtual-On, and will feature the characters fighting each other in giant robots. (I mean, why not?) No word on if this will receive a release in English yet. This game will be for the PS4 and Playstation Vita.