News: Spring 2015 Anime Based on Light Novels

(pictured: Mikaguya School Suite)
(pictured: Mikaguya School Suite)

A new anime season is upon us, and I'd like to briefly spotlight a few series airing in Japan that are based on light novels. I will update this page with links to official streaming services for those who are interested in watching these series as they premiere.

For a general chart on spring anime, visit AniChart.net.

Below I've included some pictures of the first (or most pertinent) volume for each series, as well as some synopses from MyAnimeList.net.

High School DxD BorN Season 3
Hyodo Issei is a (perverted) high school boy. When he goes out on a date with his first girlfriend Asano Yuma, he is killed by her. Her true identity is Reinare, a fallen angel sent by a secret society Grigori to eliminate dangerous divine weapons. Issei is reincarnated as a devil by his senpai Rias Gremory, a Duke of Hell. Issei serves as Rias’s low rank devil and fights against the fallen angels.

Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (DanMachi)
Commonly known as the “Dungeon,” the city of Orario possesses a huge labyrinth in the underground. Its strange name attracts excitement, illusions of honor, and hopes of romance with a pretty girl. In this city of dreams and desires, new adventurer Bell Cranel has his fateful encounter with the tiny Goddess Hestia. Thus begins the story of a boy striving to become the best adventurer and a lonely goddess searching for followers both hoping to reach their goals and perhaps have some romance on the side.

Mikagura School Suite (Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku)
A story based on the super popular song series from NND. Eruna Ichinomiya, a freshman who dreamed of a school life filled with cuteness, entered a boarding school--Mikagura Private School. In this school, each of the cultural club representatives have to battle each other, with unique powers…!! What will happen to Eruna, who somehow ended up becoming the representative of a certain club?!

My Teen High School Romance SNAFU Season 2 (Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. Zoku)
Hikigaya Hachiman is a high school boy with twisted character. He prefers to go against the trend and refuses to make friends with anybody. In order to get Hachiman back the right track, his school teacher Hiratsuka Shizuka forces him to enter ‘Public Service Club’. There he meets other problematic students.

Ninja Slayer From Animation
Ninja… Ninja were… merciless demi-gods, ruling Japan with their karate in the age of ninja tranquillity. But, “some” committed a forbidden form of hara-kiri storing their souls at Kinkaku Temple for future resurrection. Their lost history was falsified and concealed and the truth about these ninja was long forgotten. Now, in the future where the universalization of cybernetic technology and electronic networks are God, suddenly, sinister ninja souls, resurrected from thousands of years past are unleashed on the dark shadows of Neo-Saitama. Fujikido Kenji, is a salaryman whose wife and child were killed in a ninja turf war. In a brush with his own death, Fujikido is possessed by an enigmatic ninja soul. Fujikido cheats death and becomes Ninja Slayer. A Grim Reaper destined to kill evil ninja, committed to a personal war of vengeance. Set in the dystopian underworld of Neo-Saitama, Ninja Slayer takes on Soukai Syndicate ninjas in mortal combat.

Sound! Euphonium (Hibike! Euphonium)
Hibike! Euphonium begins when Kumiko Oumae, a girl who was in the brass band club in junior high school, visits her high school’s brass band club as a first year. Kumiko’s classmates Hazuki and Sapphire decide to join the club, but Kumiko sees her old classmate Reina there and hesitates. She remembers an incident she had with Reina at a brass band club contest in junior high school.

Random Notes:

  • DanMachi (Is it Wrong…) is a unique instance of an anime airing after its light novel has been licensed for English release. The first volume is available to purchase, with the second volume to arrive April 21st.
  • Mikagura School Suite‘s light novels are based on Vocaloid songs, a situation similar to Kagerou Daze (which had an anime adaptation titled Mekaku City Actors).
  • Ninja Slayer was a series of Japanese novels purportedly translated on Twitter from English, the original narrative being written by American authors Bradley Bond and Philip Ninj@ Morzez. It appears these are pseudonyms used to give the series a unique backstory, but English versions of the novels are nonetheless available online via Tokyo Otaku Mode.
  • Sound! Euphonium is technically considered a regular novel. This is an instance of overlap between the light novel and young adult fiction mediums though, given the manga-style cover as well as the high school setting and protagonists.

6 thoughts on “News: Spring 2015 Anime Based on Light Novels

    1. The manga adaptation for Mikagura appears to have been aimed for the shoujo demographic, so that may be the target audience for the anime as well. I’m pretty interested in it personally; shoujo anime are less common, especially when the source material is a light novel.

      1. There are English publishers that localize shoujo titles, even light novels at times. I wouldn’t say Mikagura is an impossible possibility, especially when it’s getting an anime adaptation.

      2. It is kind of odd, though, when you consider that the light novel is published under MF Bunko J – a light novel label firmly targetted at male readers with a reputation for slightly (or sometimes not-so-slightly) fanservicey series.

      3. Yes, I noticed that too. Possibly this is a title that can be considered to have crossover appeal–Kagerou Daze seems to have been that way as well to some degree. Can’t say too much without reading the story itself though.

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