This summer J-Novel club announced a number of Yuri light novels for English-language distribution.
This is the beginning of a really ambitious program, about which I spoke briefly at Otakuthon with founder Sam Pinansky (the same Sam Pinansky who started Anime Sols kickstarters for classic anime series.)
Here is a rundown of the first set of licenses, with a reminder that these are Light Novels, which generally are written to an 8th grade reading level and sensibility. While there are a few LNs that really reach above this, like the Maria-sama ga Miteru series, most are dead set in the written, reading and thinking style of 12 year-old boys. ^_^;
Here’s the full line up of this first batch, with synopses and a little light editorializing:
Sexiled: My Sexist Party Leader Kicked Me Out, So I Teamed Up With a Mythical Sorceress!
Tanya Artemiciov is a talented Mage-class adventurer who just got kicked out of her party by a sexist scumbag. So what’s a girl to do? Go to the wasteland and blow stuff up of course! One small problem though: she inadvertently frees a mythical Sorceress named Laplace who was sealed away for the past 300 years… Surprise! Turns out this so-called “wicked” Sorceress is actually pretty cool. Laplace wants to start a party of her own, Tanya wants revenge, and the solution is obvious: team up. It’s time to kick ass, kiss girls, and dismantle the patriarchy!
E: I’m mostly looking forward to this, despite having maxed out on isekai/D&D adventures in my teens, and expecting the word “boobalicious” to appear. More than once. ^_^
You know, I’m not looking for high art here, but this had better be fun! Lady, you have a sword and an evil sorceress – there had better be vengeful violence.
Her first encounter with Toriko Nishina was on the Otherside after seeing “that thing” and nearly dying. Ever since that day, exhausted university student Sorawo Kamikoshi’s life changed. In this Otherworld, full of mystery, which exists alongside our own, dangerous beings like the Kunekune and Hasshaku-sama that are spoken of in real ghost stories appear. For research, for profit, and to find an important person, Toriko and Sorawo set foot into the abnormal. A tale of two girls’ bizarre exploration and survival, brought to you by an up-and-coming Sci-fi author!
E: I’m looking forward to reading this one a lot, having read the first volume of the manga. It seems to be a little more imaginative and science fiction than the others. I might save this one for last, just because I expect it to be good.
Miyazawa is not a bad writer, from the stuff I’ve already read, so consider me on board for this.
Saya Hokage, a high school girl who is unable to sleep due to insomnia, encounters Hitsuji Konparu, a girl who can put anyone to sleep as a “lover” in a dream. When Hitsuji’s senpai – Ran Aizome – sees potential in Saya, she ends up joining them and their group of Sleepwalkers. As it turns out, unbeknownst to the common citizens in their town, a battle has been unfolding between the Suiju – beings that possess people’s spirits in the land of sleep – and the Sleepwalkers, who have the power to move about freely in their dreams. Sleeping together as a team, Saya and her newfound group are doing a good job hunting Suiju. That is, until an unexpected darkness comes along… Will the girls be able defend humanity’s sleep?
E: Another Miyazawa story and an interesting premise. Could be anything from okay to fantastic. I’m betting on at least “good.” ^_^
And you know what I always say about entertainment – all it has to do is be entertaining.
“Bye-bye, Earth! My idol activities here were so much fun!” 4th Hayakawa SF Contest Special Prize 48th Seiun Award (Japanese Short Story Division) 27th Dark Seiun Award (Guest Division) 16th Sense of Gender Award (Future Idol Award) Last and First Idol earned the first ever special prize in the Hayakawa SF Contest, and the first debut work to win the Seiun Award in 42 years! This existential widescreen yuri baroque proletariat hard sci-fi idol story has carved out a new legend in science fiction history! Also includes Evolution Girls, in which some gacha-expert friends race to find the truth of the universe, and Dark Seiyuu, a brand-new space opera about voice actors! Gengen Kusano’s astounding debut collection!
E: OMG, “yuri baroque proletariat hard sci-fi idol story”. Who wouldn’t want to read that?! I mean…and all those awards.
I guess this is going to be my first review of the bunch, just for that synopsis. Holy crap that sounds awesome.
Long ago, on the continent of Ephenia, there existed the feared tribe of vampires called “True Bloods,” whose great strength allowed them to reign supreme over all other tribes. However, a millennium has passed, and any trace of them has vanished off the face of the planet. That is, until the youngest and most talented royal daughter of the True Bloods awakens in the modern day. Vampire Princess Ristia has only one wish—a cute little sister! Monstrously strong, skilled in magic, and incredibly beautiful, people regard her as an “angel,” but she assures everyone she’s just a normal girl. Can this “normal girl” be the elder sister she so desires? Follow this (unusual) vampire through a fanservice-filled sibling-searching fantasy adventure.
E: I tried to read this, despite the fact that every single thing about it is lined up against me liking it. ^_^;
As I read it, I had a lot of feelings. I’m currently re-reading Count of Monte Cristo in which Dumas’ grasp of and love of human nature and his humor and delight in life is so clear and wonderful. As I read Seriously Seeking Sister, a part of me wept for the me that read Madelyn Arnold’s Year of Full Moons, or Jane Rule’s Desert Hearts, back when I was young and foolish and would never had read a vampire isekai imouto-fetish story written for an audience who need to be assured that, despite her chronological age of a millennium, the main character is not-yet 18 and be told her matching bra and panty set are blue. The translation is not adapted, it’s pretty much a literal translation and I have no doubt David Evelyn did a fine job of communicating just how not-all-that-well-written this book is. That said, if you think a vampire isekai imouto-fetish story is up your alley, here is Yurimother’s review of it! Enjoy both review and book. I will never think less of you for enjoying something I don’t. That’s why it’s good that there is variety in the world. ^_^
J-Novel Club is looking to expand their Yuri offerings and, as I said, is planning an ambitious rollout, so if any of these sound good to you, give them a try! I think there’s a lot to look forward to!
I’m really looking forward to Last and First Idol, it’s been quite a long time since another memorable scifi yuri pops up. Murasaki no Qualia and Harmony are both like ages ago. It’s crazy how much it achieved considering it starts as a NicoMaki (Love Live) fanfic (You can still read the NicoMaki version on pixiv and buy it on doujin site even!).
Guess non-yuri series can still spawn good yuri content after all.
That is absolutely true. I know someone whose Xana x Gabrielle fanfic was turned into an original novel series.
I guess it’s just easier to find an audience when you do fanfic/fanart compared to original. Though it’s kinda funny and sad at the same time that the most popular yuri couples this decade all come from series without actual “yuri” (HomuMado, NicoMaki) and their popularity, the fan content and the discussion they generate blow everything else (actual yuri series or lbgt stuff) out of the water.
Well, I can’t say anything about the author’s intentions, although in my opinion it’s obvious that Love Live’s authors intentionally tease shiping as a good way to attract an audience to the project. Nevertheless, you are really right, shiping critically doesn’t work well with actual romance, so while shiping can produce really good and popular ships like KuroMaya, this also leads to the disappearance of actual romance in the media.
Fortunately, this mainly applies to multimedia franchises and original projects that require constant interest, but given the relatively small number of actual yuri and BL anime, this becomes quite problematic, I think.
Well, even if heterosexual fanfics can become overhype franchises, then what makes lesbian fanfics worse? As far as I remember, Nanoha was also a kind of yuri version of pairing from the original Gundam.
“Ambitious” and “the guy from Animesols…” I’d say to everyone to be a little wary, at least if he’s asking for money up front for anything.
I appreciated the idea behind Animesols, and there’s no denying he likes unique endeavors, but I think his ambitions outstrip his abilities to deliver. At least when it came to Animesols project, his communication was terrible and nothing was ever delivered even remotely on time.
J-Novel club is not a kickstarter. They have been successfully selling digital (and now print) LNs for some years.
Obviously, I cannot testify to your experience.
Kickstarters are nothing like stores. You’re not *buying* an item, you are *backing* a project that may or may not be successful.I thought AnimeSols was fine. We got the box sets we backed, which is all I wanted.
I learned a lot from Anime Sols, but most importantly, we did get everyone everything they pledged for (and honestly, it wasn’t nearly as delayed as a lot of kickstarter rewards are, we got everything delivered within a year).
There was one major issue with delivery of one tier of rewards to 4 people which took extra long to resolve, but I got it done personally (even after the LLP itself had dissolved).
I was not implying that you took the money and ran and/or never delivered; I’m sorry if it sounded that way. As far as I know, yes, everything that tipped was eventually delivered in some form (maybe not exactly as originally outlined in terms of quality or specifics, but still completed).
Even the loose deadlines for delivering stuff were forgiveable/understandable, knowing it was a small operation, as well as the bureaucracy of Japanese companies in general and the anime industry specifically. My main issue was the lack of communication. You would go weeks or months after the stated ship date passing, with no message on the site or twitter or email stating that there had been a delay or how long you expected it to be. Direct inquiries were ignored. Now, I was ordering stuff the last year or so, so maybe it had become overwhelming and that’s what fell through the cracks first. All I can say is that was my experience transacting with you, and why I felt it important to mention to others in the context of conducting business with you in a new venture. But, as Erica said, crowdfunding is not the same as retailing, and it sounds like you’re doing well with this new thing, so I hope it is a big success.
Again, I really credit you for what AnimeSols was and accomplished, and there are way worse crowdfunding fiascos. But it was a frustrating situation from the customer/backer point of view.
I am not very into yuri LN, if it isn’t MariMite or Yagatte Kimi ni Naru, but I have already advised a couple of these works to my LN-loving friends.
Yeah, I was going through a lot at that time. It wasn’t really something I was able to spend any time on since I was in an awkward position as a full time employee at Yomiuri but also a partner in the project (so, I was on the committee with my boss, and was unable to effectively go against him because of that), and I made the decision to quit my job that year in part because of all that.