English Title: Beatless
Japanese Title: ビートレス
Author: Satoshi Hase — “é•·è°· æ•å¸”
Illustrator: redjuice — “ã‚Œã£ã©ã˜ã‚…ã†ã™”
Translator: Ben Gessel
Genre: Science Fiction, Action
Original Run: February 2018 (Reprint Edition)
English Run: December 2019 – ongoing
Japanese Publisher: Kadokawa Bunko
English Publisher: J-Novel Club
Volumes in Japanese: 2 (Complete)
Volumes in English: 1 (In Progress)
Average Price Per Volume: Kindle $8 – iBook $8 – Kobo $8
Note: Also available to read online through a J-Novel Club subscription. This series is currently digital-only.
Synopsis: Boy meets girl… you know how it goes. But while the boy (Arato) might be a typical 17-year-old, the girl (Lacia) is a beautiful android equipped with an enormous black device that defies human understanding. Set 100 years from now, BEATLESS depicts a familiar yet futuristic vision of Japan in which society is run by incredibly human-looking robots, known as hIE. Most people regard them as mere convenient tools. Yet some hIE–like Lacia–now appear bearing technology that far surpasses anything regular humans can produce. Humans and ultra-advanced artificial beings: who is the master and who is the servant? Who made Lacia, and what ties her fate together with Arato? Bewildered by the turmoil of danger and mystery that Lacia brings into his life, Arato will find himself forced to make choices with profound implications not just for himself, but for all of humanity.
Volume 1
Amazon — iBook — J-Novel Club — Kobo — Nook
Released December 25, 2019 — ASIN: B082533TBT
Volume 2
Amazon -- Apple Books -- Google Play -- Kobo -- Nook -- Bookwalker
Released April 28, 2020 -- ASIN: B085KNZV5D
Reviews of Beatless
Anime Adaptation
MAL Entry — 24 episodes — Aired January 2018 – September 2018
Note: Adapted volumes the entire light novel series
Manga Adaptation
MAL Entry — 2 volumes — Published February 2012 – January 2013 (No English publisher)
If you liked Beatless, you might also want to try…
- Clockwork Planet — science fiction, androids
- The Combat Baker and Automaton Waitress — androids, themes of sentience
If you find any errors or broken links in this entry, leave a comment!
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*NOTE* The below information represents the previous publication of Beatless
English Title: Beatless
Japanese Title: BEATLESS ビートレス
Author: Satoshi Hase
Illustrator: redjuice
Translator: Edwin Hawkes
Genre: Sci-fi, Action, Drama
Original Run: 2011 – 2012
English Run: 2014
English Publisher: Tokyo Otaku Mode (J-Novel Club)
Volumes Published in English: 1 (Discontinued)
Note: Only part of the story has been translated. It appears the project was dropped.
Average Price Per Volume: Online -- free
Synopsis: One-hundred years into the future. A world in which society is mostly operated by humanoid robots called hIE. With the introduction of an ultra-advanced AI that surpasses human intelligence, beings that mankind is yet to fully comprehend made from materials far too advanced for human technology begin coming into being. Lacia, an hIE equipped with a black coffin-shaped device, is one of these. In boy-meets-girl fashion, 17-year-old Arato Endo has a fateful encounter with the artificial Lacia. For what purpose were these artificial beings created? Amid questions regarding the coexistence of these artificial beings and humans, a 17-year-old boy makes a decision…
Volume 1 – Beatless
Note: “Beatless” was previously serialized in 14 issues of Newtype from July 2011. It was penned by fantasy writer Satoshi Hase, who has been nominated for the Nihon SF Taisho Award and the Seiun Award, in collaboration with illustrator redjuice, who served as character designer for the animated TV series “Guilty Crown.” (Source)
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