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J-Novel Club Licenses 10 New Light Novel Titles

J-Novel Club announced during its panel at the Anime NYC event on Saturday that it has licensed the following light novel series:

• When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace
• Housekeeping Mage from Another World: Making Your Adventures Feel Like Home!
• Prison Life is Easy for a Villainess
• Fantasy Inbound
• To Another World... with Land Mines!
• Forget Being the Villainess, I Want to Be an Adventurer!
• My Stepmom's Daughter Is My Ex
• Magic Knight of the Old Ways
• Saint? No! I'm Just a Passing Beast Tamer!
• My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World

All titles will have chapters available some hours after the end of the panel.

J-Novel Club describes When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace (Inou-Battle in the Usually Daze):

Andou Jurai is a second-year highschooler with the mind of an eighth-grade edgelord. His self-indulgent fantasies and over the top antics make him a constant pain in the neck for his friends in the literary club...until, that is, they all suddenly awaken to spectacular supernatural powers! Their godlike abilities include stopping time, manipulating the elements, creating matter from nothing, subverting the very laws of reality, and...producing black fire that doesn't burn. (Some superpowers are more godlike than others.)

Andou's read enough comics to know what comes next: it's only a matter of time before they'll be dragged into life-or-death battles with the fate of the world itself at stake! The world, however, disagrees. There are no villains, no battles, no earth-shattering disasters—nothing whatsoever. Half a year later, the literary club finds themselves confronting a new question: what do you do with supernatural powers when your day to day life is as commonplace as ever?

Kota Nozomi launched the light novel series with illustrations by The Devil is a Part-Timer! artist Oniku (029) in 2012, and ended it with its 13th volume in January 2018.

The novels inspired an anime adaptation from Studio Trigger in 2014. Crunchyroll streamed the series as it aired, and Sentai Filmworks released the series on home video in North America.

Kōsuke Kurose launched a manga adaptation in Kadokawa's Monthly Comp Ace magazine in September 2013, and it ended in February 2015.

J-Novel Club describes Housekeeping Mage from Another World: Making Your Adventures Feel Like Home! (Kasei Madōshi no Isekai Seikatsu: Bōkenchū no Kasei Fugyō Uketamawarimasu!):

Shiori is an average Japanese office worker who was suddenly teleported to another world. Four years later, she's managed to carve out a niche for herself—as a housekeeping mage.

Alec is an A-class adventurer, just returned from a long-term assignment. When his friend Zack, the local Guild Master, tempts him into going on a manticore hunt by promising to bring in a mage with special skills, what Alec finds is the last thing he could have expected.

On the outside, the two couldn't be more different. Yet deep in their hearts, they each yearn for the same thing: a place to belong. In the face of old wounds, their dark pasts, and the everyday challenges any adventurer must overcome, will they find the courage to risk being hurt again?

You Fuguruma began serializing the story on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website in September 2017, where it is still ongoing. Ichijinsha published the first print volume with illustrations by Nama in August 2018, and it published the fifth volume on May 1.

Akihito Ono launched a manga adaptation of the novels in Ichijinsha's Monthly Comic Zero-Sum magazine in August 2019, and Ichijinsha published the third volume on April 30.

J-Novel Club describes Prison Life is Easy for a Villainess (Konyakuhaki Kara Hajimaru Akuyaku Reijō no Kangoku Slow Life):

Prince Elliott is engaged to Rachel, the daughter of a duke, but he has his eyes set on someone else. He decides to break off their engagement by accusing Rachel of a crime she didn't commit and throwing her in prison. Little does he know, Rachel has already heard about his plans...and she is thrilled! To her, prison sounds like a fun vacation with no lessons and no annoying servants. She is more than ready to laze about and live the slow life!

Surrounded by all the comforts she could want, Rachel thoroughly enjoys everything the dungeon has to offer while tormenting the prince however she pleases! Her free and merry prison life is just beginning!

Hibiki Yamazaki began serializing the story on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website in April 2018. Though the main story has ended, the story still has ongoing side stories. Kadokawa published two print novel volumes for the story with illustrations by Tetsuro Nabeshima, and both volumes debuted in January 2019.

Miya Taira drew a manga adaptation of the novels in Kadokawa's Comp Ace magazine in 2019, and Kadokawa published the manga's one volume in November 2019.

J-Novel Club describes Fantasy Inbound (Isekai, Shūrai):

The world is in peril. Legends live, fairy tales walk, and fantasies become reality, threatening to turn Earth into a waking nightmare. When the flames of war reach Japan's shores, the vestiges of a shattered nation fail to protect what remains of its people against an unknown enemy, and all seems lost. Those left behind and those that failed to flee now live in scattered communities among the remnants of a better time.

Yu Ichinose is just another survivor, a quiet, scrawny middle-schooler trying to get by. That is, until he finds his fate bound to a mysterious, elvish girl who seems to hold the key to hope. Now, the time has come to stand and take up the sword against sorcery. To become the hero who saves the world.

The time has come to awaken the Asura Frame

Jō Takezuki published the first light novel volume in June 2020, with illustrations by Shirabii. The third volume debuted on June 25.

Takezuki previously wrote the Campione! light novel series. Takezuki published the first volume in 2008, with illustrations by Sikorsky. The series ended with its 21st volume in 2017, and it was followed by the Campione EX! and Campione! Lord of Realms sequels. The novels inspired a television anime adaptation in 2012. Crunchyroll streamed the anime as it aired in Japan, and Sentai Filmworks released the anime on Blu-ray Disc and DVD in 2013.

J-Novel Club describes To Another World... with Land Mines! (Isekai teni, Jirai-tsuki.):

“Hey! I'm an evil god, but I'm not actually evil!”

Those were the first words I heard in the afterlife.

My name's Naofumi Kamiya, and my entire class died in a tragic bus accident. The god told my classmates that he would transport all of us to a dangerous new world, but he created skills for us on request, so maybe he was actually a good god?

That's what I thought at first, anyway. But when it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! I feel bad for my classmates who thought that gimmicky skills wouldmake them invincible. I mean, the god did warn them that there were no cheat skills! Oh well.

As for myself, I'm enjoying my life with my childhood friends, putting safety first and staying out of trouble. After all, this world might seem like a game, but it's not. It's reality.

Mizuho Itsuki began serializing the story on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website in January 2018, where it is still ongoing. Kadokawa published the first print novel volume with illustrations by Neko Nekobyō in February 2019, and it will release the sixth volume on December 5.

Relucy launched a manga adaptation of the novels on Kadokawa's Shonen Ace Plus website in July 2019, and Kadokawa published the manga's second volume on April 26.

Itsuki's Shinmai Renkinjutsushi no Tenpo Keiei (Management of Novice Alchemist or literally, Novice Alchemist's Shop Management) light novel series is inspiring a television anime.

J-Novel Club describes Forget Being the Villainess, I Want to Be an Adventurer! (Tensei Reijō wa Bōkensha wo Kokorozasu):

Serephione Granzeus is your average three-year-old girl...or so she thinks, until she meets Lou, the super-fluffy Holy Guardian White Tiger. Memories of her past life as a Japanese businesswoman come flooding back to her, and she realizes she's part of a fantasy book she read before, but as the villainess. Yet her past life isn't all that she remembers; she can recall her life as the original Serephione, and her sadness, and her pain...

After making a contract with Lou, she comes up with a plan to change the plot and avoid the villainess's dark fate: become an adventurer and avoid everyone from the book! But the more she diverges from the plot, the more unpredictable the other characters become. How will she keep everyone from learning her secrets and spoiling her plans?

Hiro Oda began serializing the story on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website in April 2018, where it is still ongoing. Kadokawa published the first print volume with illustrations by Tobi in February 2019, and it published the third volume in February 2020.

Tasuke Sakura is drawing a manga adaptation of the novels on Kadokawa's ComicWalker website. Kadokawa will publish the manga's third volume on December 3.

J-Novel Club describes My Stepmom's Daughter Is My Ex (Mamahaha no Tsurego ga Moto Kano Datta):

Ah, high school. Is there any better place to start fresh after a horrible middle school relationship? Nope! Not unless your ex ends up at the same school as you and is now your stepsibling. What was supposed to be a sanctuary of peace where I could avoid ever seeing her again has become a living nightmare! Everywhere I look, I see her—in my house, in my school, in my class. There's no escape! She even claims that she's the older sibling. Like hell she is!

But I won't lose to her. After all, I'm the older brother in this new family situation. That's right, we're family now. No matter how much we may have thought we loved each other before, we saw one another's true colors and realized we weren't meant for each other. That's why even though we may keep up a buddy-buddy sibling act for the sake of our parents, things will never go back to the way they used to be.

Kyōsuke Kamishiro began serializing the story on the Kakuyomu website in August 2017, and uploaded the latest chapter on August 24. Kadokawa began publishing the story in print volumes with illustrations by Takayaki (Arifureta - From Commonplace to World's Strongest), beginning with the first volume in December 2018. Kadokawa published the seventh volume on July 30.

The light novels are inspiring an upcoming anime adaptation.

Rei Kusakabe launched a manga adaptation of the novels on Kadokawa's ComicWalker website in December 2019. Kadokawa published the manga's third volume on May 8.

J-Novel Club describes Magic Knight of the Old Ways (Furuki Okite no Mahō Kishi):

A long, long time ago, in the era of legends, there was a knight known as Sir Sid the Barbarian who pledged his sword to the Holy King Arthur. Unparalleled in strength, he was the greatest magical knight of his time, but also a disgrace to the name of chivalry. His evil deeds were countless, and eventually he met his end at the hands of his own king...or so the story goes. Now a thousand years have passed, and Sid is summoned from his eternal slumber by Alvin, a descendent of Arthur and a prince who knows the truth about Sir Sid the Lightning Knight. Honoring his ancient pact, Sid rises from the grave to help Alvin save the kingdom from impending peril and become the new instructor to Alvin's class of fellow aspiring knights. As danger lurks in the shadows, Sid must train this class of underdogs to rely on more than just their magical fairy swords and teach them the old ways of the magic knights.

Tarō Hitsuji launched the light novel series with illustrations by Asagi Tōsaka in December 2020. The second volume shipped on June 18.

Yoshihiro Kawabata launched a manga adaptation of the novels in Kadokawa's Monthly Comic Alive magazine on July 27.

Hitsuji's original Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor (Roku de Nashi Majutsu Kōshi to Akashic Records) light novel series, with illustrations by Kurone Mishima, launched with the first volume in July 2014. The series is ongoing, with 18 volumes and eight short story collections. The light novels inspired a television anime adaptation in April 2017. Crunchyroll streamed the anime, and Funimation streamed it with an English dub. Funimation released the anime on Blu-ray Disc in 2018. Seven Seas Entertainment releases the novels' manga adaptation by Aosa Tsunemi.

Hitsuji also pens the Last Round Arthurs light novel series, which Yen Press is releasing. Yen Press is also releasing the manga adaptation.

J-Novel Club describes Saint? No! I'm Just a Passing Beast Tamer! (Seijo-sama? Iie, Tōrisugari no Mamono Tsukai desu! ~Zettai Muteki no Seijo wa mofumofu to Tabi o suru~):

There are all sorts of Professions in this world, from Magician to Fencer, from the lowly Beast Tamer to the mighty Hero. Every adult has their own, which they can never change as long as they live. Kanata Aldezia is an icy and mysterious beauty, a fighter, and a genius without peer. Today is her Selection Ceremony: the day when a child must decide their Profession from those chosen for them by the gods. Everyone is eager to see what Profession Kanata will choose. There is even speculation that she will be the one chosen as Saint, destined to lead the Holy Church.

But Kanata has a secret. There is something she must obtain at any cost. Something more precious to her than her own life—her quest for the fluff! Kanata loves fluffy fluffy critters more than anything, and would go to any lengths to pet their soft fluffy fur. Saint? No! She's just a passing Beast Tamer!

Inumajin began serializing the story on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website in April 2019, and the latest chapter debuted in August 2020. Kadokawa published the first print novel volume with illustrations by Falmaro in March 2020, and it published the second volume in August 2020.

Toi Iida launched a manga adaptation on ComicWalker in March 2020. Kadokawa published the second volume on March 27.

Yen Press is also publishing Inumajin's Woof Woof Story - I Told You to Turn Me Into a Pampered Pooch, Not Fenrir! light novel series, as well as Kiki Koikuchi's manga adaptation.

J-Novel Club describes My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World (Kajiya de Hajimeru Isekai Slow Life):

Eizo is a middle-aged, overworked software engineer wholoves cats. One night after working late, he saves an injured cat from a speeding truck. The cat survives, but Eizo does not... Luckily, that cat turns out to be a god-like being who offers him a second chance in another world! Eizo decides that he wants a slower life, one where he can live off the things he creates with his own hands. So, why not become a blacksmith? He does have one other stipulation: a cat companion for his quiet life. These requests are granted, and Eizo is whisked away to a new world and imbued with blacksmithing knowledge. He soon finds out that his abilities are above average—in fact, his new skills are so overpowered that they're like cheats. On top of that, his cat companion turns out tobe a half-tiger girl! Eizo's blades soon garner attention, and he realizes that he can turn the tides of battle with his forge and hammer. With so much commotion in store, will Eizo truly be able to enjoy a quiet life?

Tamamaru began serializing the story on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website in December 2018, where it is still ongoing. Kadokawa published the first print novel volume with illustrations by Kinta in December 2019. Kadokawa published the fifth volume on November 10.

Yoshino Himori is drawing a manga adaptation that launched on Kadokawa's ComicWalker website in 2020. Kadokawa published the manga's second volume on September 27.

Source: Email correspondence.