Welcome to 2020! We here at English Light Novels are ringing in the New Year with a new format of News post written by an all-new staff member (me!) – and yes, that’s a lot of newness! I aim to make these posts a regular feature, popping up at 1 AM on the 1st of every month, recapping the new license announcements, new publications, new news stories, and new articles of interest in the world of Light Novels. IMHO: if you rely on only one news source for the most important information relating to Japanese Pop Literature – this should be it! (^_−)☆

New License Announcements

Buck Naked in Another World

The Misfortune Devouring Witch is Actually a Vampire?

Even with all the new titles that were already announced during the New York Comic Con and the Anime NYC convention,  we still had two new license announcements in Dec ’19.

• Seven Seas Entertainment will publish Buck Naked in Another World by Madoka Kotani and Mochiusa on July 21, 2020 (and earlier on digital platforms). When an ordinary Japanese man is catapulted headfirst into a fantasy world, he's especially disappointed that he was sent stark naked! Adapting to life in a land of monsters and magic is hard enough without having to do it in your birthday suit, but Yoshida Shuta is going to grin and bear it--or bare it--as best he can. This already has a manga adaptation, so it will be interesting to see if that gets picked up eventually as well. As an isekai comedy with ecchi and harem elements, this could have broad appeal with fans of everything from Sword Art Online to Mixed Bathing in Another Dimension. Maybe.
• Cross Infinite World announced that they’re preparing The Misfortune Devouring Witch is Actually a Vampire?! by Kiiro Himawari and Kibiura for an English release on January 31st. Would you pay in blood to have access to the witch’s knowledge? Rumors about Yuuri Watoh being a witch who feeds upon the misfortune of others have kept customers away from her Eastern Medicine Shop as long as she can remember--until he showed up. Intrigued by the rumors, Count Ernest Travis Selden, close attendant to the Hylant king and a notorious eccentric, seeks the Hinomoto witch’s specialized knowledge to solve a royal incident. But borrowing the witch’s aid comes at a steep price--one that can’t be paid in gold or jewels. How will the stubborn shut-in vampire witch who hails from the East handle the peculiar Western Count who frequently brings her problems to solve and seems all too happy to pay the price? The romance aspect should appeal to Cross Infinite World’s established audience of shoujo fans, while the interesting elements of traditional medicine and the meeting of East and West makes it sound like they’ll be forging new ground in the world of English-translated Light Novels!

News Stories

What else is spiraling around this wild galaxy of Light Novels?

• ‘Josee, the Tiger and the Fish’ Short Story Inspires 2020 Anime Film by BONES
• One Piece Gets New Novel About Nami
• Ascendance of a Bookworm Anime’s 2nd Part Premieres Next Spring
• ‘The 8th son? Are you kidding me?’ TV Anime Reveals More Cast, April 2020 Premiere
• Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious Anime Delays Episode 10 by 1 Week
• Palm Springs Int’l Film Fest to Screen Weathering With You Anime Film
• A Certain Magical Index Light Novels Get New Series in February
• Hatena Illusion Anime Premieres on January 9
• Strike the Blood Anime Announces New Cast & Delay, Previews Special in Video
• Weathering With You Film Does Not Make Oscar’s International Feature Shortlist
• Meidea Tensei Monogatari Novels by Kakuriyo’s Midori YÅ«ma Get Manga
• Myne and Orphen Wear Costumes from Each Other’s World in 1st Collaboration Visual
• Dragon Quest V Novelist Sues Dragon Quest Your Story Film’s Production
• ‘The 8th son? Are you kidding me?’ Novels Get New Manga
• Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna Film Gets Novels
• Nachi Kio’s Remake Our Life! Novel Series Gets Anime
• DanMachi Tops Sales Ranking for Light Novel Series Adapted into TV Anime in 2019
• The Promised Neverland Franchise Gets 3rd Novel
• Funimation to Stream Infinite Dendrogram Anime
• ‘Ore wo Suki nano wa Omae dake ka yo’ Gets OVA
• Hige o Soru. Soshite Joshi Kōsei o Hirou. Novels Get Anime
• Infinite Dendrogram Anime Casts YÅ«ki Kuwahara, Maaya Uchida
• Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld Anime’s ‘Last Season’ Confirmed for April
• Cheat Kusushi no Slow Life – Isekai ni Tsukurō Drugstore Light Novel Has Anime in the Works

December 2019 Releases

H = Hardcover     P = Paperback     D = Digital     Bold = Previously Available

• Dec 1 -- The Master of Ragnarok and Blesser of Einherjar (10) D
• Dec 2 -- How Not to Summon a Demon Lord (11) D
• Dec 3 -- Cooking with Wild Game (5) D
• Dec 3 -- How Not to Summon a Demon Lord (7) P D
• Dec 3 -- An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride (2) P D
• Dec 3 -- If It's for My Daughter, I'd Even Defeat a Demon Lord (6) P D
• Dec 3 -- The Magic in This Other World is Too Far Behind! (6) P D
• Dec 3 -- In Another World with My Smartphone (7) P D
• Dec 3 -- You Call That Service? (1) P D
• Dec 3 -- Re: Zero (11) P D
• Dec 3 -- So I'm a Spider, So What? (7) P D
• Dec 3 -- Wolf and Parchment: New Theory Spice and Wolf (4) P D
• Dec 5 -- That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (4) D
• Dec 10 -- WorldEnd: What Do You Do at the End of the World? Are You Busy? Will You Save Us? (5) P D
• Dec 10 -- Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest (7) P D
• Dec 10 -- How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom (5) P D
• Dec 14 -- Sexiled – My Sexist Party Leader Kicked Me Out, So I Teamed Up With a Mythical Sorceress (2) D
• Dec 15 -- The Rising of the Shield Hero (15) P D
• Dec 17 -- Banner of the Stars (1) D
• Dec 17 -- Accel World (20) P D
• Dec 17 -- A Certain Magical Index (21) P D
• Dec 17 -- Konosuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! (10) P D
• Dec 17 -- The Devil is a Part-Timer! (15) P D
• Dec 17 -- Weather with You – H D
• Dec 17 -- Monogatari S2 Box Set – P
• Dec 17 -- Restaurant to Another World (3) P D
• Dec 17 -- Lazy Dungeon Master (8) D
• Dec 18 -- I Became the Secretary of a Hero! (2) D
• Dec 19 -- Bloom Into You LN (1) D
• Dec 23 -- The Combat Baker and Automaton Waitress (3) D
• Dec 24 -- Campfire Cooking In Another World With My Absurd Skill (4) D
• Dec 24 -- Baccano! (12) H D
• Dec 24 -- That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (7) P D
• Dec 24 -- I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level (6) P D
• Dec 24 -- Konosuba Explosion (1) P D
• Dec 24 -- Kingdom Hearts X – P D
• Dec 24 -- The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt (Hey, How About Treason?) (2) P D
• Dec 24 -- Toradora! (8) P D
• Dec 28 -- Holy Knight's Dark Road (1) D
• Dec 30 -- Full Metal Panic! (5) D
• Dec 31 -- Outbreak Company (12) D
• Dec 31 -- Combatants Will Be Dispatched! (2) P D
• Dec 31 -- Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (14) P D
• Dec 31 -- Spice and Wolf (21) P D
• Dec 31 -- Alchemist Who Survived (2) P D
• Dec 31 -- The Irregular at Magic High School HS (14) P D
• Dec 31 -- Our Last Crusade (2) P D
• Dec 31 -- Seraph of End Resurrection (1) P
• Dec 31 -- Owarimonogatari Pt 1 – P