Light Novel News Digest (March 2020)

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License Announcements

Yen Press announced two new light novel licenses this month. All the titles are slated for release in August 2020.

  • The Garden of Words by Makoto Shinkai

From director Makoto Shinkai comes the novel adaptation of his award-winning 2013 film Garden of Words, a moody drama about two lonely souls who meet in the garden of Shinjuku during rainy season and help each other “learn to walk again” in life.

Light Novels of Makoto Shinkai

  • Konosuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! Bonus Story: We are the Megumin Bandits by Natsume Akatsuki (story) and Kasumi Morino (art)

The right magic words can stir a person’s soul. For Megumin, those words are “vigilante justice.” Join everyone’s favorite one- trick wizard, as well as Iris the Headstrong, Cecily the Problematic, and Yunyun…as they get a taste of the righteous bandit lifestyle! Evil aristocrats beware!

Konosuba series

News Stories

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Obake Zukan

Obake Zukan Ghost Story Picture Books Get TV Anime With Nana Mizuki – The Obake Zukan series illustrates various monsters and spirits and explains why they are scary.

Otherside Picnic Sci-Fi Yuri Novels Get TV Anime – This series is currently published in English by J-Novel Club.

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Jigokudō Reikai Tsūshin

Jigokudō Reikai TsÅ«shin Manga Ends ‘1st Season’ in April – The manga is based on a light novel series by Hinowa Kozuki that “follows three elementary school troublemakers who open the door to another world.”

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The New Gate

One Peace Books Licenses ‘The New Gate’ VRMMORPG Manga –  “The New Gate tells the story of Shin, the strongest player in a VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) known as The New Gate. After the game was turned into a death game and the players were all trapped inside, he took it upon himself to defeat the final boss and set everyone free. However, as he lingered in the game afterwards while everyone else logged out, he suddenly found himself falling unconscious. He then wakes up in an unfamiliar field, and comes to discover that not only is he still trapped within the game’s world, but that 500 years have passed since he defeated the final boss. He needs to find his way through a world that is now unfamiliar, and figure out what happened to the world 500 years ago after the boss was defeated, and all the players logged out.” This is an adaptation of Shinogi Kazanami’s light novel series.

Otoko no Sahō Essay by Onihei’s Shōtarō Ikenami Gets Manga Adaptation – The original essay focuses on men’s dress, etiquette, and manners. The story will center on a saleslady who meets an old man she calls “Sensei” and learns men’s manners. Ikenami is also the author of the Onihei Crime Reports in Edo (Onihei Hankachō) novel series.

’86’ Sci-Fi Battle Light Novel Series Get TV Anime – This series is currently published in English by Yen Press.

Combatants Will Be Dispatched! Novels by Konosuba’s Natsume Akatsuki Get TV Anime – This series is currently published in English by Yen Press.

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Date A Live

Date A Live Light Novel Series Ends on March 19

Magic User: Reborn in Another World as a Max Level Novels Get Manga – This series is currently published in English by Seven Seas Entertainment.

Yen Press Names Mark de Vera Sales and Marketing Director

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BNA: Brand New Animal

Studio Trigger’s BNA: Brand New Animal Anime Gets Prequel Novel – “In the 21st century, the existence of animal-humans came to light after being hidden in the darkness of history. Michiru lived life as a normal human, until one day she suddenly turns into a tanuki-human. She runs away and takes refuge in a special city area called “Anima City” that was set up 10 years ago for animal-humans to be able to live as themselves. There Michiru meets Shirou, a wolf-human who hates humans. Through Shirou, Michiru starts to learn about the worries, lifestyle, and joys of the animal-humans. As Michiru and Shirou try to learn why Michiru suddenly turned into an animal-human, they unexpectedly get wrapped up in a large incident.” (refers to the anime)

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BOFURI

BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense. Anime Gets 2nd Season
The novels’ story centers on Kaede Honjō, who is invited by her friend Risa Shiramine to play a virtual reality MMO game with her. While Kaede doesn’t dislike games, what she really, truly dislikes is being in pain. She creates a character named Maple, and decides to put all her points in VIT to minimize pain. As a result, she moves slowly, can’t use magic, and even a rabbit can get the best of her. But as it turns out, she acquires a skill known as “Absolute Defense” as a result of her pumping points into VIT, as well as a “Counter Skill” that works against special moves. Now, with her ability to nullify all damage, she goes on adventures.

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Project Piano

Science-Fiction Author Hiroshi Yamamoto Reports Cerebral Infarction – Yamamoto’s Project Piano novel centers on the protagonist named Piano, an idol singer who is also a lover of science. While she is a member of a popular idol group, she also collects various machines and electrical knick knacks from Akihabara to conduct experiments in her parents’ garage. She struggles to climb the world of entertainment, while also trying to achieve her dream of going to space.

 

Extras

Interview with Tomihiko Morimi, author of “The Night is Short, Walk on Girl” – This light novel was published in English by Yen Press.

 

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