This is a guest post from Cho of English Light Novels.
It appears this is the start of a trend, especially where Yen Press is concerned. This year already promises at least thirty light novel releases, including entries from newly-announced licenses such as Durarara!, Strike the Blood, and Black Bullet. At this point, it looks like there’s quite a bit on Yen On’s plate–will there be even more announcements from them in the months to come? And will any other manga or book publishers begin to follow suit to some degree? At the moment I am aware of Vertical expressing interest in pursuing the medium a little further (they already have some more Attack on Titan books planned for release, at least), but I have not heard of further interest from other relevant publishers.
With that all in mind, I will go ahead and make a few “predictions” for future English light novel licenses. I will take a look at the following publishers: Viz Media, Seven Seas, Vertical, Dark Horse, and Yen Press–and come up with a couple LN titles that I feel would be a good fit among their respective manga and novel lineups. Perhaps it is more accurate then to call this a “wish list” rather than a set of predictions to bet the farm on, but let’s not sweat the details!
Viz Media
Some light novels published in the past: Vampire Knight: Fleeting Dreams, Hot Gimmick S, Death Note: Another Note, Shakugan no Shana, Fullmetal Alchemist novels, Naruto novels
Some novels from Haikasoru imprint: All You Need is Kill, Brave Story, Rocket Girls, Mardock Scramble, Battle Royale
Some of their manga: Naruto, Bleach, Nisekoi, Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Assassination Classroom, Black Bird, Kimi ni Todoke, Vampire Knight, Kamisama Kiss, Natsume’s Book of Friends
(covers pictured: Naruto, Tokyo Ravens, Sugar Apple Fairytale, From the New World)
Naruto epilogue novels – Naruto is the very popular manga about a young ninja who strives to–oh, I think you all know about it already. But the point is the manga ended in Japan recently, and Viz Media will perhaps wish to keep the cash flowing from this series as long as they can manage. Unlike most of the past Naruto light novels they released, these six upcoming “epilogue novels” will presumably be all-new stories rather than novelizations of manga story arcs. A lot of fans will be wanting these, and it would be an obvious way to get a large fanbase aware of light novels in general.
Tokyo Ravens – The story of Tokyo Ravens seems like a perfect fit for the Shounen Jump crowd (especially when seeing all the yokai-themed series Viz Media publishes). It’s a modern fantasy battle series about onmyouji clans duking it out in Tokyo. It’s still popular and ongoing in Japan, and had an anime adaptation just last year. This series would perhaps be a good “transition” series for fighting shounen manga readers to get into light novels.
Sugar Apple Fairytale – There are many shoujo light novels in Japan, but I don’t know of any recently that have received anime adaptations (for that matter, it’s usually only the most popular of manga series that get one). Regardless, there are plenty of stories that would resonate with the Shoujo Beat crowd, including Sugar Apple Fairytale–the story of a girl who travels to a city to become a sort of magical patisserie, and buys a human-sized bishounen fairy bodyguard to keep her safe from bandits. It’s a cute story, and has a basic setup that could draw comparisons to the likes of Kamisama Kiss, Vampire Knight, and Black Bird.
From the New World – The Haikasoru imprint is all about dark fantasy and hard sci-fi, and I think From the New World would be a perfect fit there, with its setting in a dystopia of telekinetic users and rat monsters. It’s not a light novel, but it’s a book that would certainly be well-received by fans of the anime who enjoy reading.
Seven Seas
Some light novels published in the past: Alice in the Country of Diamonds, Pita-Ten, Strawberry Panic, Ballad of a Shinigami, Boogiepop
Some of their manga: Alice in the Country of Hearts, Toradora!, Zero’s Familiar, Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer, Kokoro Connect, Gunslinger Girl, Devils and Realist, Blood Alone, Arpeggio of Blue Steel, A Certain Scientific Railgun
(covers pictured: Toradora, Tsukumodo Antique Shop)
Toradora! – Seven Seas has a lot of manga based on light novels, but now seems a good time to consider bringing over the source material as well. Toradora!, the story of high school boy and girl who try to help each other win the love of the other’s best friend, is easily one of the most popular romantic comedies among anime fans, and the light novels have long been a big request from readers.
Tsukumodo Antique Shop – Like some of the past light novels published by Seven Seas, Tsukumodo Antique Shop tells a variety of stories involving teens and supernatural elements. The characters work at a shop that deals in mysterious items called “relics,” which gives the series a xxxHolic-esque feel to it. There is also a good romance subplot and interesting character arcs, all of which come together for a series with wide appeal.
Vertical
Some light novels published in the past: Attack on Titan: Before the Fall, Guin Saga
Some novels released: The Summer of the Ubume, The Crimson Labyrinth, Parasite Eve, The Ring Trilogy, Ashes
Some of their manga: Knights of Sidonia, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, My Neighbor Seki, The Flowers of Evil, Chi’s Sweet Home, Limit, Five Centimeters Per Second, Twin Spica, Black Jack, No Longer Human
(covers pictured: Kino’s Journey, Shiki)
Kino’s Journey – This title was licensed by the now-defunct Tokyopop (which managed to release one volume in English), but it’s still ongoing and critically-acclaimed in Japan. Kino’s Journey is a series of thought-provoking fables of sorts, following a traveler (and motorrad) who visit peculiar towns and observe their practices. Vertical has published many “classic” titles but is lately also breaking into newer and popular series as well–and Kino’s Journey feels like a nice balance between the two ends of that spectrum.
Shiki – Vertical also has published more than a few Japanese horror novels, and I would love to see Shiki join their ranks. Not a light novel, but it is the source material for the highly-praised anime that released a few years back. Shiki tells the story of a small village that is gradually taken over by vampire-like beings, and the author is also known for her other works such as the Evil Spirit series (Ghost Hunt) and The Twelve Kingdoms.
Dark Horse
Some light novels published in the past: Vampire Hunter D, Blood Plus, Ghost in the Shell, Blade of the Immortal, Dirty Pair
Some of their manga: Gantz, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Trigun, Oreimo, Cardcaptor Sakura, Gate 7, Oh My Goddess!, Bride of the Water God, Berserk, The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service
(covers pictured: Fate/Zero, Sunday Without God)
Fate/Zero – Dark Horse publishes a lot of works that are–well, dark–and Fate/Zero is certainly a story that fits the bill in that regard. The anime adaptation of the magic battle-filled Holy Grail War was a big hit, and the franchise in general is still making waves with recent and upcoming adaptations of Fate/Stay Night. I think there would be a lot of Fate fans who would appreciate getting this series in English.
Sunday Without God – A bit of an unusual series, what with the pensive themes it weaves with a dark setting and magical plot twists. Sunday Without God tells the story of a young gravekeeper–one who has the power to lay the dead to rest in a world where death does not stop people from living. The anime for this one unfortunately ended far too soon, and it would be nice to be able to get the full story for it in English.
Yen Press
Some light novels published in the past: A Certain Magical Index, Accel World, Another, Spice and Wolf, Kieli, Book Girl, Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, My Girlfriend’s a Geek
Some of their manga: Pandora Hearts, Yotsuba &, Soul Eater, No Matter How You Look at it It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular!, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Maximum Ride, Higurashi: When They Cry, A Bride’s Story, Akame ga Kill!, Black Butler
(covers pictured: Oregairu, Hikaru, Chaika, HakoMari)
My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU (Oregairu) – To some degree, it feels like Yen Press has already acquired a large chunk of the light novel pie, at least when it comes to popular titles that would fit in relatively easily with Western audiences. One series that I think stands out in the localization waiting room is Oregairu, the cynical spin on romcoms that has won Japan’s Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! for the last two years. It’s a regularly-requested title, and it will be on anime fans’ minds once again this spring.
When Hikaru Was On the Earth… – Last year marked the end of the English release of the Book Girl series, and I imagine fans of Mizuki Nomura and Miho Takeoka’s work would be glad to jump into their next series, Hikaru ga Chikyuu ni Itakoro…, which overall appears to be just as well-received. This series tells the story of a boy who can see a certain ghost who has a lot of promises to fulfill to the various girls he romanced while alive.
Chaika the Coffin Princess – Yen Press has licensed quite a few titles based on what has had anime adaptations over the past couple years, and Chaika would certainly fit that pattern. This fantasy action series is a fun romp in which a girl and two bodyguards have an adventure somewhat akin to the author’s earlier Scrapped Princess light novels. The manga adaptation for Chaika has already been licensed, so perhaps it’s only a matter of time for the LN to follow.
The Empty Box and the Zeroth Maria (HakoMari) – At this point I think it will still be worthwhile for Yen Press to have a series or two going that doesn’t have a direct anime adaptation. It’s been handled well before (e.g. Kieli), and HakoMari is perhaps the most frequently-requested title I’ve seen in that category (and is also the highest-rated novel series on MAL). It tells the story of a boy who is antagonized by a girl who claims to be caught in a daily time loop because of him. I believe the story’s setting and concepts would have a lot of crossover appeal with the other light novels Yen Press is releasing.
And that’s all for my “predictions” this year. There really isn’t any telling what series will be picked up in the future, and it’s always possible that some brand new series in Japan will end up making waves all around the world. It will be fun to see what future titles will be translated into English, whatever the case may be. Are there any specific series you think would be a good fit for any of these publishers? Feel free to let us–and them–know about it. (Nicely, of course!)
When not reading English light novels, Cho either writes about English light novels at englishlightnovels.com, or makes attempts at writing English light novels. Unsurprisingly, you can contact Cho at englishlightnovels [at] gmail.com.
