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J-Novel Club Licenses Arifureta Zero Prequel Novel
posted on by Alex Mateo
Digital publishing company J-Novel Club announced on Thursday that it has licensed Ryo Shirakome's Arifureta Zero, the prequel spinoff novel to the Arifureta - From Commonplace to World's Strongest (Arifureta Shokugyō de Sekai Saikyō Zero) light novel series. The title will be J-Novel Club's first simultaneous publication, as the first part of the first volume is available now for free on the company's website to coincide with the Japanese release on Wednesday. J-Novel Club will add more chapters weekly for the next two months, and the first volume's full e-book will launch in early April 2018.
The company confirmed with ANN that it plans to release the second volume in a similar manner, with the first part getting a simultaneous release with Japan and additional chapters published weekly.
J-Novel Club describes the story:
This is the story of what happened long before Hajime was summoned to Tortus. Oscar Orcus is considered a third-rate Synergist by most people. He spends his days peacefully, working so he can send money back to an orphanage. All that changes when the whirlwind that is Miledi Reisen storms into his life. Miledi sees the hidden potential in Oscar, and invites him on her journey to defeat the gods. Oscar wants no part of any journey, and he refuses. But Miledi is persistent, and the situation changes drastically when the orphanage he wants to protect is attacked. In the end, what will our unlikely hero decide?
J-Novel Club also licensed the original light novels for digital publication. Shirakome launched the novel series in Japan in June 2015 under the OVERLAP Bunko label, with illustrations by Takayaki, after initially presenting it on the user-submission site Shōsetsu ni Narau. OVERLAP published the novel series' seventh volume on December 25 with a drama CD (that shares the same voice cast with the anime) and will publish the eighth volume with another drama CD on March 25.
Seven Seas Entertainment will publish Arifureta - From Commonplace to World's Strongest light novels in print beginning in February and the RoGa's manga adaptation beginning next March.
A television anime adaptation has been green-lit for an April 2018 premiere on Tokyo MX, AT-X, and other channels.
