Let’s just say three years ago the state of light novels was fairly solid, but unclear, as Yen Press and Vertical were the few committed to releasing them. From the establishment of J-Novel Club and Cross Infinite World to Seven Seas releasing light novels, times have certainly changed since then. As AX rolls around this week with potentially more game changing news and announcements, it felt like it was more than time to take the temperature of where everything is at right now. So I reached out to a couple of LN writers and bloggers and asked them where they think the market is now, and where it’s heading moving forward.
The participants:
Cho (English Light Novels Creator)
Sean Gaffney (A Case Suitable For Treatment creator, Manga Bookshelf contributor)
Krystallina (Daiyamanga creator, TheOASG contributor)
J.J. Piedra (Original English LN author, The Outerhaven Managing Editor of Anime/Manga)
Gee (YouTuber, English Light Novels contributor)
Justus R. Stone (Author of The Bleeding Worlds, YouTuber)
Demelza Ward (Anime UK News writer)
(For transparency: This was sent out over the past two weeks, and there was no limit for how long the answers could be for the questions, nor any guidelines for how the questions could be answered.)
TheOASG: What are your thoughts on the state of light novels today as opposed to three years ago?
Cho: Well, there certainly are a lot more of them releasing in English these days! As someone running a database for all the series coming out, I wouldn’t mind if things slowed down a bit now, to be honest. *sweat drop*
Save for the odd delay or two, pretty much all the series are releasing steadily and surely. So even if you only follow a few of them, you’ll probably have more than enough books to read in a year. I think it’s great that almost all the paperback series out there are also available digitally now too. It’s easier than ever to pick up some light novels and start reading.
Sean Gaffney: Welcome to the light novel boom. Seriously, the sheer number of titles coming out on an almost daily basis boggles the mind. You can’t possibly read them all any more. In addition to Yen Press, we now have J-Novel Club and Seven Seas, and Vertical is still pumping out NISIOISIN books. There’s also Cross Infinite World licensing shoujo LNs direct from the author, and Sol Press doing…something. Now, you might argue with what’s coming out (Editor’s note: answered in Question 3), but for those who used to be desperate for any prose at all, it’s damn good times.
Krystallina: I’m glad female-oriented works are starting to attract more attention. Years ago there were a few shoujo-esque releases like The Good Witch of the West or Socrates in Love, but light novels in English have been mainly targeting male audiences. However, companies are starting to tap into the female demographic (Cross Infinite World in particular). It’s also a pleasant turn of events that one such series is going to be an anime (My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!) and has an official English translation for both the original light novel and manga adaptation. Huzzah!
J.J. Piedra: As the anime culture continues to grow here in the U.S., I feel that light novels are growing alongside it. Anime in and of itself is becoming more of a staple in our pop culture with each passing year. I believe that light novels, seeing how they are source material to a lot of the shows being shown on Crunchyroll, Toonami, etc, are benefiting from that exposure because the more people that watch anime, the more inclined they may feel to learn more about the show they just watched.
Gee: The current state of light novels in Western publishing compared to the past is immensely different. Not only have light novels become a more accessible medium for fans to seek out, but industry perception has changed as well. Being able to find titles in bookstores has allowed for far more people to discover and buy many of the series that have been licensed, in turn increasing demand to publishers from new readers. Changes like this have also allowed licenses to expand past titles with wider name recognition or anime adaptations—also helped by the digital-first and digital-only initiatives from publishers like J-Novel Club and Cross Infinite World—giving underrepresented demographics and genres a chance. Of course, we can still rely on a license announcement for a novel series with upcoming anime adaptations as well, but it has been interesting to see the lesser-known stuff finding its way to English too. Up until recently, the light novel market was dominated by Yen Press (and their Yen On imprint), but now many of the major publishers are expanding to include light novel titles that may interest their readers; even VIZ has been licensing franchise novels like Tokyo Ghoul, My Hero Academia: School Briefs and Juni Taisen: Zodiac War.
The other major development for light novels (especially in this past year) has been the rescue and relicense of previously ‘failed’ series like Full Metal Panic, giving hope to many of the incompleted series from VIZ and Tokyopop’s previous attempts. Hardcover and omnibus releases have started to become more prevalent. Series with ‘no end in sight’ like Baccano! and the multitudes of Monogatari novels, or classics like Record of Lodoss War and Crest of the Stars are no longer deemed too risky to license. I am incredibly happy to have the Baccano! light novels on my shelves finally!
In regards to actual light novel content, the rapid rise of slavery and enslaved love interests in isekai has been something I actively avoid in most modern books—the actual reasoning as to why it has become such a popular trope has been examined and discussed by many much more informed than I, but I personally dislike normalising and romanticising something that still negatively affects and impacts millions of people across the globe for a fun power fantasy or trust exercise. Very few treat the subject like Twelve Kingdoms does, actually freeing the enslaved individuals immediately and without excuses to re-enslave them “for good reasons”, so those books aren’t for me. Luckily there are so many wonderful books (both isekai and not) that I can enjoy also available, so it hasn’t impacted my reading. We are in an incredibly healthy market for light novels currently, and I expect current levels should be fairly sustainable going forward too.
Justus R. Stone: Overall, it’s very positive. There are few industries where over 3 years they have had a 100% increase in related companies and 150% or more increase in products released, but light novels can. In fact, we have numerous companies where light novels are not just a part of their business, but the core.
I’d say we’re also seeing more consistency in terms of translation quality and editing. While there are some outliers, overall most light novels released in English are enjoyable to read and lack stilted translations or too many grammatical errors.
Demelza Ward: I think the market has grown considerably from where we were three years ago. With a couple of new companies popping up (J-Novel Club, Sol Press) and existing publishers investing in more light novels than ever before, a lot has changed. I think the market has gotten to the point where customers can be confident that the source behind the latest hit anime they’re watching is going to be available for them – either right now or at some point in the near future. That’s a great place to be.
The only downside to the current state of the market is that while we have a multitude of titles to choose from, the fact they’re almost all isekai or fantasy is all the more obvious. More titles hasn’t meant a better selection of genres, which is a real shame. That said, I think we’re approaching a bit of a tipping point now where publishers can use their ‘isekai money’ to branch out in other genres.
Another notable change is that consumers now understand what a light novel is and there’s more acceptance of them as a medium compared to three years ago. Back then you’d be surprised to come across your average anime/manga fan who knew and understood what they were (or that any existed in English!).
What’s been the biggest surprise to you regarding LNs over the past couple years?
Cho: Zaregoto volume threeeeeeeeeeee~
More seriously, though somewhat along those lines, I think it’s been nice to see some older series (including license rescues for Full Metal Panic and Crest of the Stars) getting picked up by J-Novel Club. Really, the success of that company and their business model in general could be brought up here. I don’t know if “surprising” is the right word to use though since it’s all quite sensible. I had been anticipating a more digital-focused approach to arise at some point over the past few years, as a means of bringing over more niche titles–similar to what is being done with manga (e.g. Kodansha’s digital lineup). But still, some of their licenses have definitely been what I’d call unexpected.
Going along with that, I’m glad that things seem to be going well enough for Cross Infinite World too. They release eBooks (and now paperbacks via Amazon) that no other publisher would likely ever translate, so it would’ve been a shame if things didn’t work out for them. I try to support them when I can, even if I don’t read all the books right away.
Sean: I’d say J-Novel Club taking off like it did. I was wary of the company at first, and its initial group of licenses underwhelmed me. But they’re very savvy, and good at picking out what will sell. Several of their books now have (or did have) adaptations, or manga – and indeed, JNC has many of those manga as a license now. They’re even doing a few rescues, though time will tell how that works out, and are moving into print with their bestsellers.
Krystallina: I don’t think a few years ago I would have thought you could check in with light novels on a weekly basis instead of waiting three, four, six months between releases. But now there’s J-Novel Club. I like reading things in small doses on a more consistent basis instead of waiting long periods for a larger release, and it’s nice to have a set schedule instead of “whenever we feel like it”.
Plus, now J-Novel Club is starting to license both the manga and light novel versions for series, which cuts down a lot of confusion and inconsistencies, and also picking up female-oriented titles. At first, I was a little afraid that light novel readers may not have put their money where their mouth is, but J-Novel Club seems to be doing well and have a great lineup with a nice mix of series.
J.J.: I would have to say it was seeing more and more original English light novels being created and published. There has even been a company established called Vic’s Lab that deals with promoting and publishing OELNs. I know the community often scoffs at this material because it’s not official or from Japan but it doesn’t mean it’s not any good. Sure, the writing isn’t going to be professional level but some of the ones I’ve read were on par with some of the top-selling series out there. Just because something isn’t from Japan doesn’t mean it’s not any good nor does it not deserve a place. I even say that as an OELN author myself. I actually didn’t write light novels because it was a trend. I actually didn’t discover the community until after I started self-publishing. Seeing that community out there was probably the biggest surprise for me.
Gee: The largest surprise was how the subscription-type of service J-Novel Club provides has been so readily accepted by fans. It may be due to the similarities in structure and release to fan-translations that many pre-existing fans relied on prior that they never had a problem. The chapter-by-chapter model is incredibly different from how traditional publishing houses work, but the team at J-Novel Club has done an incredible job at catering to fans; adapting to how this media has been consumed previously. The transition to print releases from them since has also validated been a welcome addition.
And speaking of print releases, the other largest surprise for me was Cross Infinite World announcing plans to print some of their most popular titles like Mia and the Forbidden Medicine Report and Little Princess in Fairy Forest. Up until now, shoujo light novels have always been relegated to digital-only, so it’s encouraging to see female readers being catered to amongst the deluge of male wish-fulfillment in a physical way. I will definitely be buying some of their books for my shelves.
Justus: Aside from the birth of new companies and number of titles being released, perhaps the biggest surprise has been the number of titles being published without an anime (or even a manga) to support them. Publishers seemed intent to market to the existing fanbase of anime and manga fans. Now, we are seeing light novel fans being acknowledged as their own demographic.
And not only are we getting light novels without adaptations, but at least one English publisher stated the success of light novels in our market are starting to influence which titles receive anime adaptations. So it seems even Japan is taking notice of the increase in light novel readership in English.
Demelza: I think the biggest surprise for me was J-Novel Club’s launch. I remember that the day it launched I was reading an Anime News Network article on it, wondering if such a service could even be legit. Although manga had been moving towards a ’streaming’ format for awhile with Weekly Shonen Jump, Crunchyroll and, more recently Manga Plus, I didn’t expect something similar for light novels to ever happen.
It wasn’t just a surprise in terms of the concept either. I was shocked by how quickly they were releasing volumes of their various licenses. When you look at Yen Press and their 2-4 volumes of a series a year, you wouldn’t expect anyone else to release books faster. J-Novel Club completely exceeded my expectations and have caught up to Japan with many of their series now, even long running titles like Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash, In Another World with My Smartphone, and I Saved Too Many Girls and Caused the Apocalypse. It’s really great for someone like me who prefers to be close to, or caught up to, the Japanese releases.
The other big surprise for me was when J-Novel Club licensed Kokoro Connect last year, because that’s a franchise I thought was well past the point of being viable to license and had given up on it. The anime aired all the way back in 2012 and the light novels finished in 2013, so that pick-up was a real shock!
Conversely, what’s been the disappointment over the past couple years?
Cho: I don’t think there’s much to be disappointed about. Things seem to be going well for the most part for light novels in English, as series continue to catch up to Japan’s more recent releases and become more readily available in both physical and digital formats. I’ve been pleased with the translation and presentation quality of most everything I’ve read.
This is just for me personally I suppose, but I will say I’m a bit bummed that Kino’s Journey didn’t get license rescued! The series was recently back in the spotlight with its new anime series, but even still, no luck for the LNs. I’ll continue to hold a tiny bit of hope for Vertical to bite, since they’re releasing the new manga adaptation. I get that it’s quite niche though…
Sean: I don’t have a hate-on for isekai like some folks, but the market really is glutted with it. The truly remarkable examples of it are already out there, so what we’re seeing now are the “throw it to the wall and see if it sticks” sort of titles. And with the isekai comes the other fantasy world trappings I could do without – slavery, particularly the “welp, this world has slavery, nothing I can do” sort; endless game stats and dungeon crawls; etc. The trouble is…this is what sells best. In fact, some evidence seems to show this is what sells, period – non-fantasy or isekai LNs sometimes struggle. Basically, I want the LN fandom to level up a bit and move on.
Krystallina: Authors and companies are still overly reliant on isekai stories. Reborn, summoned, whatever — not every fantasy story has to involve Japan, Earth, and/or sucked into video games you know! There’s plenty of good ones, of course, but sometimes, I feel like all these long titles involving “another world” start to blend together. In fact, the titles are sound like a game of Mad Libs: I was a/an [adjective] but now I’ve been [verb] into another world as a [object or job] — bam, new light novel series.
J.J.: I would say the isekai genre as a whole. Don’t get me wrong…I don’t dislike isekai. I believe it has its place; however, it seems that everything is an isekai these days and some of these books are just scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas. That’s a sign of oversaturation and a lot of them just reuse common themes over and over again without any originality. It’s getting to a point where isekai, which was once this really awesome idea, is now becoming just a trope. I think that’s a shame because there are so many great tales that could be told within that genre but a lot of books just want to go with the “summoned to..” “resurrected in…” “transported to…” “awoken in…” “…another world” and then throw in some random gimmick. There could be so much more originality within the genre but it seems like a quick cash grab because it’s popular and that’s pretty disappointing to me.
Gee: Whether it be because of the original prose, or the stress of turn-around for so many of these books to be released, translation and editing have caused some of the most obvious disappointments for me.
Although light novels have never been and should not need to be intense literary pieces, I have noticed an amateur quality to many of the digital titles I’ve recently read—perhaps due in part to originally being web novels and first-time authors. There are often times when the writing reads like sub-standard fanfiction, or clunky description halts the pacing to a standstill. Digestible media that are meant to be quickly consumed, like light novels, rely on being engaging and following a flow; it’s unfortunate that I have experienced being thrown from a story on multiple occasions because of this. Again, this may rely on the standard of light novels being licensed currently, but the divide between series and publishers can be very obvious.
Editing standards have also slipped a little recently. Perhaps it’s my keen eye and semi-formal experience in copyediting that makes me particularly attuned to spelling and grammar mistakes, but I do think that many of Yen’s titles need a second (or more thorough) copyedit. I’ve found far too many deserts in place of desserts and angles in place of angels in the past year for me to ignore as reasonable oversights.
Justus: I guess my biggest disappointment is that light novels, despite such huge strides, still are treated like some fringe niche. Going to anime conventions, the majority of people seem ignorant of light novels. I don’t think it helps when many anime YouTubers pretend light novels don’t exist, even when discussing anime based on them. And negative impressions of light novels persist among English fans. Some degrade and insult light novels, while again ignoring their favorite anime started as one.
I’ve felt like over the past three years we’ve been missing something. What does the anime community have that we lack? Someone on Twitter put it in a way that finally clicked with me. He said light novels lack the “Event” status of anime.
Anime release in predictable seasonal schedules. Anime fans know when to look forward to a new season. And if you have access to the internet, you can pretty much watch the anime with everyone else. And since anime has a set episode length people can enjoy an episode together. Meaning you can have discussions/hype about a series at the same time most other anime fans are.
Light novels aren’t like that. Even if a book is releasing in English markets, it won’t necessarily be available in all countries at the same time. Also, people read at different speeds, so some people finish well ahead of others. Additionally, unlike each season of anime where the entire world can only watch each episode as it’s aired, most light novels being licensed have been available in Japan for some time. Meaning if fan translations of several volumes exist, everyone in the world could be at different points in the story. This robs light novel fans of the same experience anime fans have of discovering a series together.
I’m not sure whether a solution exists to this. Publishing books is a very different animal than streaming anime. But it’s definitely this sense we are a fractured fanbase that I wish could change.
Demelza: I think the biggest disappointment was the botched translation of Nisemonogatari. Those two books changed translators from Ko Ransom, who had been handling them before (and has done since alongside Daniel Joseph), and they read terribly! Filled with typos and awkward sentences, along with not including Tsukihi’s ‘Platinum Mad’ catchphrase, it was just a terrible experience all round. I’m not sure whose to blame there, the translator or editor or both, but it ruined those books for me in a series that I love.
I think Sol Press’ move into the light novel industry has also been a disappointment because their releases are so slow. They took a year between releasing volumes 1-2 of Strongest Gamer: Let’s Play in Another World, which is unacceptable when similarly small companies like J-Novel Club can do so much better. Heck, even Yen Press, who are known for delays (No Game No Life), are quick compared to that!
I think a quick nod to the fact Yen Press licensed the first volume of Sound! Euphonium and then never continued it should also be made for disappointments. The market clearly just couldn’t sustain it, but it’s a real shame to see something licensed and (presumably) dropped in a market that is fairly stable now.
What light novel title(s) would you recommend people try out in 2019?
Cho: Too many people are sleeping on Ao Oni, a surprisingly solid horror series! Whether you’re familiar with the game it’s based on or not, this one’s a good read. J-Novel Club is best-known for its many isekai series of course, but they’ve also brought over some off-the-beaten-path titles that I doubt would’ve ever made it over in English otherwise–and this is one of them.
I’m also currently in the middle of a re-read/finish reading of an older series, Kieli. About a year ago Yen On released eBooks for the whole series. I wish more people would give this one a shot! It has some great writing and offers a different sort of story than what we typically get nowadays.
I’ve also been really enjoying Katanagatari, which is getting beautiful hardcover omnibus releases by Vertical. The story is a lot of fun, and it’s nice to finally get something that works with a traditional Japan setting for once. I feel like I can recommend this series to just about anyone.
Sean: Der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight (J-Novel Club) has a reincarnated man work as a vice commander to the demon lord – and continually underestimate just how dangerous and badass he is. It’s a very well-written fantasy that leans light on the isekai. From Seven Seas, Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?! is my favorite of the parodies of the ludicrously overpowered hero – or heroine in this case. And from Yen, I’ve really been enjoying The Saga of Tanya the Evil, despite its deliberate moral ambiguities and edging up against WWII imagery. The author is avoiding Nazism, which he hates, but as a study of militarism it’s top notch.
Krystallina: The Champions of Justice and the Supreme Ruler of Evil was a fun one-shot. It has some mature content, so it’s not for everyone. For readers who are open to it, the story features a great spin on the typical team of heroes versus the villain setup. It’s my favorite out of Cross Infinite World’s initial print lineup.
Otherwise, the aforementioned My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! is a good read because the titular villainess is morphing into the heroine while she’s trying to master her farming skills — I mean, earth magic. The Devil is a Part-Timer! is the reverse of most Devil King/Hero tales with them coming to Japan instead of being summoned from there.
J.J.: If we’re going mainstream, I’ll say your name. by Makoto Shinkai, My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected by Wataru Watari, and Re:ZERO by Tappei Nagataski. Been reading these series and have seen their subsequent anime. All of which I found were pretty fantastic.
From the OELN community, I would recommend Beyond the Dome: A Blue-Collar Hero by C.S. Mills, Journey of a Betrayed Hero by Brandon Varnell, and Global Divide: Ryu Rising by Peter Rodriquez. I felt each of these series was really well-written and could compete with some of the mainstream titles out there. Of course, I have to be a little selfish here and also recommend my own series A.R. Dragonfly, haha!
Gee: One of my favourite new releases is My Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! The fun way it homages and satirises otome tropes is both humourous and done without denigrating fans of said tropes. In that sense, it reminds me a lot of Ouran High School Host Club (although Haruhi is the sensible one amongst a group of dramatic, dense idiots, compared to Katarina who is the dramatic, dense idiot amongst a group of sensible friends). Katarina’s obtuse nature makes her more likeable in her actions, rather than frustrating, as she is earnest and does everything with genuine intentions. It’s nice to follow a character who feels deserving of the adoration the supporting cast gives, and I highly recommend it to fans of comedy.
I would be amiss to not mention Baccano!, a series that continues to be some of the best available in the market and one of my personal favourites. The hardcover releases are beautiful, and the translation from Yen manages to capture the energy and distinct character voices impeccably. It’s quite unlike anything else currently being released, and with the period setting, I find it more engaging than it’s sister series Durarara!!! If anyone has not yet tried the action-packed story of immortals and mafioso, you’re missing out.
Finally would be both the Walk on Girl and Penguin Highway novels, if only because I hope more of Morimi’s writing finds its way to us in the future. His mix of bizarre and mundane always creates a little magic to believe in for the real world, which is a valuable quality.
Justus: Without a doubt, 86 —Eighty Six—. I just finished the first volume and it was one of the most rewarding light novel experiences I’ve had in some time. It had all the fun and up-pace of a light novel, but addressed deep and troubling themes. And it managed to do so without feeling preachy.
Demelza: My go-to recommendation is always Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? because it’s a fantastic fantasy story with a lovable cast of characters. Durarara!! is almost finished now in English with just a volume to go, so that’s also a good one to jump on board with. If you’re looking for something more down to earth then you can’t beat Toradora! or Kokoro Connect, nor a true classic like Full Metal Panic.
I also have a real soft spot for A Sister’s All You Need, Ascendance of a Bookworm, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, and If It’s for My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord. While each of them have elements that might be off-putting to some readers (either fan service, isekai or the romance of For My Daughter), I genuinely have a great time reading them, so I’d love to see more people give them a shot and enjoy them as much as I do.
I know I complained about Nisemonogatari in my reply to the last question, but I wholeheartedly recommend readers check out the Monogatari franchise too. It’s weird, it’s confusing and it’s often crazy, but NISIOISIN is a brilliant writer and you never know what to expect from his stories.
What makes a “great LN experience” now to you in 2019?
Cho: My answer probably hasn’t changed much since 2016, so I’ll approach the question a little differently this time.
Being part of the ever-nebulous “online community,” I’m always pleased to read a book and then discuss it a bit with others who have read it. I’ve been trying for years to encourage more light novel discussions in general — and still, getting even one response is never something I can actually count on, ha ha. Other than that though, it’s also fun to try out a story that isn’t necessarily “my sort of thing,” and still get some enjoyment out of it. So it’s nice to hear what other people are recommending, and what series are really resonating with them. I’d like to see more anime and manga fans giving LNs a try, and I’d like to see LN readers branching out a bit more for the types of stories they check out.
Sean: Smooth, well-written prose that makes the book a page-turner (the translator is key here). Fanservice that isn’t over the top or puerile. A great cast of characters that I can tell apart and remember when the next book is out 2-4 months later. Well-written action sequences that don’t read like they came from an RPG log.
Krystallina: For me, it’s fun. That may be obvious, but I want to see characters being snarky, getting the last laugh, or just some general craziness. Some authors get a little too involved in the fight scenes or drama. No matter what’s going on or the genre of the work, there should still be moments where the characters are alive and find moments of joy.
As I alluded to earlier, I tend to pay more attention to series that don’t involve being transported or reborn into a different land, so that also plays a part. But even then, a “great LN experience” doesn’t have to have a completely unique story. If I can’t find the fun in a work, I don’t feel like I’m having fun, and I don’t feel like the author is having fun either. I need those little happy or weird moments to stay with me long after I’ve finished reading.
J.J.: A book is a book is a book no matter which way you slice it. It has a cover, it’s filled with words printed on paper and you’re going to hold it in your hands and read the words that are written. That’s pretty much the basic experience no matter what you read but what sets that experience apart from other books is how the words form the story and how that story draws you in. Having a well-described world filled with lively characters, each with their own diverse personalities is what is going to give you your best experience. Twisting a character’s story to fit the main, overarching plot all while building and expanding the world is a tricky task but the more a writer can pull it off, the more you will experience a suspension of disbelief. Soon, you’ll find yourself turning the pages as the minutes and hours pass by with the only jarring moment is realizing you’ve reached the back cover of the book. If that happens, then you’ve had yourself a great light novel experience.
Gee: Entertainment and engagement are paramount to me; if I can finish a light novel and want to dive straight into the next one, it’s achieved its purpose. A big part of that is attributed to the writing (and the translation) quality, but can also be dependent on character archetypes and plot contrivances too. Mysteries that telegraph the answer the moment it’s alluded to or introduced have become incredibly tiresome, so I love when a book can surprise me with its twists. Likeable characters are always a plus too, even if they aren’t technically ‘good’ people. Thankfully I have many more great experiences compared to disappointing ones, and I hope that continues in the future.
Justus: I just want to be entertained. I’ve enjoyed all sorts of light novels—comedy, isekai, fantasy, war, and more! The common thread of them all was that the prose was fun to read, felt natural, and avoided annoying grammar errors. I guess I’m pretty easy to please.
Demelza: I think what makes a great light novel experience for me is discovering the unexpected. It’s going into that brand new isekai title and being surprised when it breaks the mould or has some distinct element that firmly makes it something special. There’s no escaping that genre, so I’m happy to embrace it providing the titles licensed are worth my time.
In contrast to the above, I also think a great experience is reading the titles that aren’t isekai. I touched on this briefly earlier, but the industry as it is right now is overrun with isekai stories, so I’m always happy to see something different get picked up by publishers. Recently, a lot of ‘classic’ titles have been being released (Sorcerous Stabber Orphen, Toradora!, Full Metal Panic!) and that’s something I’m really delighted about. A lot of them were lost when Tokyopop died or were popular when light novels didn’t really exist here, so they deserve this second chance. I just hope they sell well enough for the trend to continue.
I suppose part of a great light novel experience is also constantly having a pile of books to read, as evidence of the growth the market has gone through in the last few years. Probably a worse experience for my wallet though…
Finally, how do you see the future of LNs playing out moving forward?
Cho: At this point it perhaps doesn’t take a genius to guess we’ll continue getting a lot more isekai series brought over in English. A year or two ago I felt that this trend would start dying down a little, but it seems clear this premise–and the Dragon Quest-style setting in particular–is exactly the sort of thing a lot of people really love these days, both within Japan and everywhere else in the world.
With that in mind… I imagine that in the upcoming years, in order to diversify the books publishers are bringing over, more “technically not LN” titles will be translated and published right alongside “actually LN” titles. What “light novel” means in Japan is pretty specific (though perhaps not readily apparent to everyone there), but what “light novel” means to English-speakers is… “well, they’re Japanese books for anime/manga fans, right?” Which can mean just about anything. So I think we can expect more along the lines of Vertical’s The Dark Maidens or Anime Supremacy, J-Novel Club’s Echo or Side-by-Side Dreamers, and Yen Press’s Penguin Highway or upcoming The Miracles of Namiya General Store. (Not to mention, everything under VIZ Media’s Haikasoru imprint.) These books are nice for everyone interested in genres that may be less popular than others, in this corner of the fiction universe.
Sean: Good question. I’m a bit worried we’re getting too much at once – I’ve had to drop several series simply as I didn’t have the time to keep up, and that number is only going to rise as more new series take their place. Ideally, I’d like to see the isekai trend peak and slowly die down a bit – though that hasn’t happened in Japan, so…I also suspect we’ll get a few more LNs marketed towards women. Cross Infinite World is the leader on this, but others are edging in as well. I also suspect it will grow harder on Amazon to tell the difference between the Japanese LNs and their Western imitations – in fact, this may already be happening.
Krystallina: We’re starting to see the swing back to also releasing titles in print instead of just digital-only, but I think we might see more premium and deluxe packaging. Cross Infinite World has now announced physical copies for several light novels, and the Monogatari series and Spice & Wolf both had limited editions for fans to catch up. As more and more light novels reach their endings or go to print, I imagine we’ll see more hardcover versions, box sets, and such. More like collectibles as the light novel market becomes more crowded. Hopefully crowded with more shoujo/josei works in particular!
J.J.: One thing that I have learned is that today, young adults bury their faces into technology almost like a silicon obsession and yet, there are still tons of people out there who are willing to pick up a physical book and read. The number of people still willing to do that is pretty surprising given the times we live in but that fills me with hope that as the anime and otaku culture continues to grow, there will still be a market for physical print. This means that light novels can become a more accepted platform.
After interacting with the writing community on Twitter, there’s still a lot of people out there who didn’t know what a light novel was. The term was unfamiliar but they understood it better when it was defined as an illustrated novella. Once they discovered what they were, those who didn’t know became interested. That makes me wonder if a little mainstream marketing will educate people on the existence and genre of light novels and help grow their popularity here in the U.S.
The only thing that bothers me is that while the culture is growing, it is still not fully accepted by major entertainment standards. Anime movies are sparsely nominated and hardly, if ever, win at the Academy Awards. Movie showings in the U.S., save for some highly popular franchises, barely draw a fraction of big-budget Hollywood blockbusters. That there in and of itself shows that our culture is still niche despite the traction it has received. Of course, it’s getting better and it is only a matter of time at this point where it becomes more widely accepted but until it does, light novels will probably remain as they are for now. Still, I don’t doubt that one day, they may start taking spots on the N.Y. Times best-seller’s list. At least, that’s what I hope would happen.
Wishful thinking and dreams sometimes come true so you never know.
Gee: Currently, the light novel market is in a growth period. Rapid diversification from existing publishers means that light novels have become normalised and capitalised on. Both the most popular titles in Japan and the most hyped series from anime adaptations (not always one and the same) are being made available at increasing speed, fulfilling current demands. The sheer amount of light novels is near-impossible to keep track of currently, and I expect that at some point the huge mass of monthly releases will slow down. It’s an interesting time, and although I do think that things will slow and stabilise within the next few years, I don’t think we need to worry about the medium itself being abandoned or branded as a gamble like previously.
The reliance on digital publishing is something I expect to see continued in years to come—hopefully giving a platform to niche and unknown titles for readers to discover moving forward. We’re already seeing many publishers transitioning to print releases of digital-titles as well, so many fans worried about the unreliability of digital publishing have an option too.
Licensing will hopefully continue on its current path of variety—the most popular of tropes will always be available, but classic titles and quirky unknowns will always have support and a place within the reading community too.
Justus: A couple thoughts…
We will continue to see the number of volumes released per month increase. Companies will put out a greater variety of titles, but they will be completed series with a small number of volumes. In tandem with this, I think we’ll see a decrease in “big name” title licenses. We will see an increase in smaller, lesser known titles.
We will see an increase in Japanese novels which are not considered light novels in Japan getting released here and marketed to the light novel fandom.
I only see a new light novel publisher emerging if they are a Japanese publisher looking to release their own books in English. Otherwise, a new company might break into the market if they focus on light novel-style titles from other Asian countries. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this happen in the next couple years.
I lay odds we will see one of the publishers open themselves up to publishing English books influenced by light novels (much as we’re seeing happen with manga). Hopefully we see an increase in awareness of light novels amongst anime and manga fans and light novels play a bigger part in anime conventions.
I’m pretty sure at this point light novels are here to stay. So I have no concerns of everything going *POOF* like it did back around 2008. But again, I think we’ll continue to see some cautious moves made by the English publishers.
Demelza: I think in the near future we’ll see publishers continue to broaden their selection of titles. Although the industry is built upon selling isekai, they can’t count on that forever – especially as the isekai boom is beginning to wear thin in Japan. I hope we continue to see both new and old titles licensed (Hyouka and Pet Girl of Sakurasou please!) as the industry grows. I’d especially love to see the rest of Tomihiko Morimi’s works after the delightful release of Penguin Highway earlier this year.
Earlier I praised the fact that consumers can be confident that the original source material for the new anime they’re watching will be there waiting for them when they finish, but I actually hope that the publishers don’t just focus on series being turned into anime or manga. J-Novel Club and Yen Press have started licensing series that are only a couple of volumes long in Japan (and on-going) and I think that gives us a comfortable middle ground between the ‘hits’ and the brand new titles we can fall in love with for simply being good light novels.
I find myself somewhat concerned about what will happen when Yen finally catch up with, or finish, series like DanMachi, Sword Art Online, Re:Zero etc. because then we might start seeing the market shrink when the ‘must haves’ are less frequently available. To withstand that the publishers have to branch out, and while I’m confident they will the cautious side of me is ready to ride out a downturn in the industry while the publishers figure things out.