September arrives with TEN! Light Novel series making their debut. Six of those belong to J-Novel Club, with two new releases from Yen On, an advance digital release coming from Seven Seas and a one-shot title from Cross Infinite World.
Aside from one, all the titles are either isekai/fantasy or just pure fantasy. The one standout is a slice-of-life modern world mystery series.
First up, on September 8th, is the only real-world based series releasing this month. It’s from J-Novel Club and is part of their J-Novel Heart line. It had a 12 episode anime back in the summer of 2018. It follows a girl who not only finds herself a new part-time job, but it’s one solving mysteries behind antiques.
Holmes of Kyoto
Half a year after moving to Kyoto, high school girl Aoi Mashiro brings her late grandfather's old scrolls to Kura, an antique store nestled in Kyoto's Teramachi-Sanjo shopping arcade, for an appraisal. One thing leads to another, and she winds up working there part-time. The manager's son, Kiyotaka Yagashira--nicknamed the “Holmes of Kyotoâ€--is uncannily perceptive, and together, they solve strange cases relating to the antiques brought to them by clients.
Holmes of Kyoto Volume 1 (eBook)
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Released September 08, 2020 -- ASIN: B08CD3BJ84
The next day, on September 9th, we have one of many isekai titles. This one has a protagonist that has not only traded his memories for power, but he also happens to be a battle junkie?
Black Summoner
Waking up in a strange new place with no memory of his past life, Kelvin learns that he's bartered away those very memories in exchange for powerful new abilities during his recent transmigration. Heading out into a whole new world as a Summoner -- with his first Follower being the very goddess who brought him over! -- Kelvin begins his new life as an adventurer, and it isn't long before he discovers his hidden disposition as a battle junkie. From the Black Knight of the Ancient Castle of Evil Spirits to the demon within the Hidden Cave of the Sage, he revels in the fight against one formidable foe after another. Join this OP adventurer in an exhilarating and epic saga as he and his allies carve their way into the annals of history!
Black Summoner Volume 1 (eBook)
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Released September 09, 2020 -- ASIN: B08CD4K947
On September 11th we get a release from Cross Infinite World. It’s a one-shot release and sounds like a fun spin on the whole Otome Isekai genre.
Past Life Countess, Present Life Otome Game NPC?!
Oh dear, it seems I was reincarnated into a modern otome game from a fantasy world!
All I ever wanted was to be free of my responsibilities as a countess and I finally got my wish when I was reborn as a commoner in modern Japan. Everything was going perfect, except it turns out this is the world of an otome game and some crazy girl who goes around calling herself the “heroine†is upset at me for stealing all her “events†with the “love interestsâ€â€¦ Now she wants me to team up with her against the “villainessâ€. I'm supposedly just a random NPC, so why am I being dragged into this?!
Past Life Countess, Present Life Otome Game NPC?!
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Released September 11, 2020 -- ASIN: B08C567KG1
On September 13th we get another isekai title from J-Novel Club. However, this one features a main character who was already OP in our own world. I mean, he stops a truck with his bare hands, but out of consideration for the truck’s feelings, still allows himself to be sent to another world. Yeah, it’s that kind of comedy!
WATARU!!! The Hot-Blooded Fighting Teen & His Epic Adventures After Stopping a Truck with His Bare Hands!!
It's a wonderful day for Wataru Ito, high school student, master martial artist, honorable and humble teenager, and all-around awesome guy. During his daily run to school he happened to get hit by a large truck barreling around a corner. Not that this is the kind of event that would be the end of the likes of Wataru, of course, but when a truck runs into you, you get sent to another world. That's just the way things are sometimes. Still, Wataru's not about to take this kind of thing lying down! The first thing he sets out to do is find who's the toughest hombre in this land and go up against the greatest challenges this new world has to offer! Oh, and the greatest fighter in this place also happens to be the Demon Lord who is kidnapping people all across the kingdom in an attempt to wipe out humanity? Even better! Wataru's main interest is in facing a tough battle; saving the world in the process is just icing on the cake!
WATARU!!! The Hot-Blooded Fighting Teen & His Epic Adventures After Stopping a Truck with His Bare Hands!! Volume 1 (eBook)
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Releasing September 13, 2020 -- ASIN: B08CD492D2
On September 15th, from J-Novel Club, comes a pure fantasy title. It’s one of those light novels where the main character has a magical skill that’s considered useless except for one very power application!
Mapping: The Trash-Tier Skill That Got Me Into a Top-Tier Party
Note Athlon was really looking forward to becoming an adventurer with his best friend (and crush) Miya. That is, until he drew Mapping--a rare skill with practically no purpose. In other words, it's trash. This kicks off a vicious spiral for Note, who plummets further and further into the depths of self-loathing despair when Miya leaves him. He now spends his days drinking away his earnings, wondering how things might have been different if only he'd pulled a better skill… But little does he know his trash-tier skill is about to score him an invite to a top-tier adventuring party! Note's now determined to find his way through life--and a dungeon!--in order to make something of himself.
Mapping: The Trash-Tier Skill That Got Me Into a Top-Tier Party Volume 1 (eBook)
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Released September 15, 2020 -- ASIN: B08CD3BZP4
On September 21st we get another isekai title from J-Novel Club. It’s from the same author as My Big Sister Lives in a Fantasy World, though I think it sounds a touch darker.
My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me!
Awaking to absolute chaos and carnage while on a school trip, Yogiri Takatou discovers that everyone in his class has been transported to another world! He had somehow managed to sleep through the entire ordeal himself, missing out on the Gift -- powers bestowed upon the others by a mysterious Sage who appeared to transport them. Even worse, he and another classmate were ruthlessly abandoned by their friends, left as bait to distract a nearby dragon. Although not terribly bothered by the thought of dying, he reluctantly decides to protect his lone companion. After all, a lowly Level 1000 monster doesn't stand a chance against his secret power to invoke Instant Death with a single thought! If he can stay awake long enough to bother using it, that is…
My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! Volume 1 (eBook)
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Releasing September 21, 2020 -- ASIN: B08CD4PP13
On September 22nd we get two new series from Yen On. Although, one of them is actually a spin-off of a spin-off, so I’m not sure if it exactly counts.
First up, we have another fantasy title where the main character leaves the frontlines of the battle against the Demon Lord and decides to try living a “normal” life.
Banished from the Hero's Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside
Red was born with incredible powers, and he seemed like the perfect candidate to join the front lines in the fight to save the world-but before he could, he was told this wasn't where he belonged. Instead, he finds his destiny in an apothecary…
Banished from the Hero's Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside Volume 1 (paperback, ebook)
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Releasing September 22, 2020 -- ISBN-13: 978-1975312459
Next up is the spin-off of a spin-off. But hey, it’s Konosuba and it stars Megumin. So, it’s a good thing ;)
Konosuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! Bonus Story
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!â€For the sake of justice, there's no line I won't cross! No criminal act I won't commit!â€
Konosuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! Bonus Story Volume 1 (paperback, ebook)
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Releasing September 22, 2020 -- ISBN-13: 978-1975387068
On September 24th we get Seven Seas’s lone release. It’s a digital advance release with the print edition currently set to release November 10th. It’s an otome/isekai/fantasy title. But instead of trying to take down the villainess, our main character wishes to woo her! It’s a Yuri title!
I'm in Love With the Villainess
Dear Archnemesis… Won't You Be Mine?
Ordinary office worker Oohashi Rei wakes up in the body of the protagonist of her favorite otome game, Revolution. To her delight, the first person to greet her is also her favorite character, Claire Francois--the main antagonist of the story! Now, Rei is determined to romance Claire instead of the game's male leads. But how will her villainous ladylove react to this new courtship?!
I'm in Love With the Villainess Volume 1 (eBook)(print releases November 10)
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Releasing September 24, 2020 -- ASIN: B088P9G8KR
For the last series debut of September we have another J-Novel Club fantasy title. Again, this a J-Novel Heart title. A tale of a girl who fights to achieve her desired position within magical society, and the boy who competes with her!
The Sorcerer's Receptionist
In a world of everyday magic, Nanalie has always dreamed of becoming a receptionist at the prestigious Sorcerer's Guild. To achieve her goal, she needs to attend a magic school full of princes and the daughters of nobles. Determined to prove that a commoner can be the number one student, she must compete with Rockmann, the son of a duke. When she graduates, she lands her dream job and they go their separate ways. Nanalie enjoys spending each day alongside her familiar Lala and her kind co-workers, but it seems that fate won't let her escape her entanglement with Rockmann that easily…
The Sorcerer's Receptionist Volume 1 (eBook)
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Releasing September 26, 2020 -- ASIN: B08CD3RHJ2
So those are all the light novel titles making their debut during the month of September, 2020. Which ones have made your TBR pile? Let us know in the comments down below!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Justus R. Stone has been running a light novel dedicated YouTube channel since 2014. He’s also the founder of the Light Novel Podcast, one of the first English language podcasts dedicated to Light Novels. In addition to his love of Japanese light novels, he is also the author of his own light novel-inspired series, The Bleeding Worlds.