AnimeSuki Forums

Register Forum Rules FAQ Members List Social Groups Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   AnimeSuki Forum > Anime Related Topics > Light Novels

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 2009-11-29, 20:09   Link #301
Kunagisa
Senior Member
 
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doraneko View Post
It wouldn't be too relevant to discuss this in detail here . But anyway aside from the award giveaways, seeing Kadokawa's president mentioning his interest (not yet a plan straightly speaking...) in turning Sugar Dark into an anime before it is even published did raise a few eyebrows in the LN community.

I can only wish them all the best, and certainly wouldn't mind seeing another signature media mix franchise from Kadokawa.

On another note, here is the result of the light novel ranking by このライトノベルがすごい published a while ago. The overall rank is largely influenced by public opinion polls, while the number at the right shows the professional review committee's scores to the works.
Spoiler:
Anime is a good way to increase the popularity of the novel though. At the core of it, doesn't really matter how interesting the novel is, the sales are always more important.

Of the 3 huge bookstores, Fujimi has been running the longest. Of the 25 years, only 5 Taishou has been awarded and the most recent one is from this year as well. In terms of rarity, this would be rarer than the Sneakers, but the attention 神さまのいない日曜日 gets is a lot less than Sugar Dark because Sugar Dark has the Haruhi influence. Promising an anime on top of that would definitely boost sales. I must say I am anticipating Sugar Dark because of these circumstances as well.
Kunagisa is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2009-11-29, 21:13   Link #302
Doraneko
The Owl of Minerva
 
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Quote:
Originally Posted by stuopidget View Post
Anime is a good way to increase the popularity of the novel though. At the core of it, doesn't really matter how interesting the novel is, the sales are always more important.

Of the 3 huge bookstores, Fujimi has been running the longest. Of the 25 years, only 5 Taishou has been awarded and the most recent one is from this year as well. In terms of rarity, this would be rarer than the Sneakers, but the attention 神さまのいない日曜日 gets is a lot less than Sugar Dark because Sugar Dark has the Haruhi influence. Promising an anime on top of that would definitely boost sales. I must say I am anticipating Sugar Dark because of these circumstances as well.
It sounds like Kadokawa is really in an award giveaway spree then . After all Fujimi is now directly under Kadokawa. But it is a bit sad that Kadokawa doesn't even bother to make any promotion for "Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi," contrast with the press conferences, dedicated websites and exclusive book shop counters for the other two award-winning works.

Coincidentally the descriptions of "Sugar Dark" and "Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi" are very similar with each other . They almost seem like the same story written from different perspectives (the heroine or the hero). Try to guess which is which.

Spoiler:

Spoiler:
__________________
Twitter: Kailyu | Light novel review blog: novel.co.nr | Nanoha Force Next TL: 01 02 05

Last edited by Doraneko; 2009-11-29 at 21:26. Reason: For no reason at all I romanized 神さまのいない日曜日 as "Kamisama no Inai Sekai"... orz
Doraneko is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2009-11-30, 05:28   Link #303
apr
Pedestrian
 
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Sweden
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doraneko View Post
On another note, here is the result of the light novel ranking by このライトノベルがすごい published a while ago. The overall rank is largely influenced by public opinion polls, while the number at the right shows the professional review committee's scores to the works.
Spoiler:
Seitokai no Ichizon's position and grade makes me depressed. I've never read anything quite as bad in my entire life.

I'll still have to check out Soukyuu no Karma and Tasogare-iro no Uta-tsukai, because I am stupid and can't help buying things on lists.


Edit: Didn't notice there was a new page!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Doraneko View Post
Coincidentally the descriptions of "Sugar Dark" and "Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi" are very similar with each other . They almost seem like the same story written from different perspectives (the heroine or the hero). Try to guess which is which.
This is ridiculous. Since when did grave keeping get so popular?
__________________
...in my humble opinion.
apr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2009-11-30, 21:26   Link #304
Doraneko
The Owl of Minerva
 
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Quote:
Originally Posted by apr View Post
This is ridiculous. Since when did grave keeping get so popular?
Even the most ridiculous thing can become popular when corporate giants boot up their viral marketing machines . You can also expect some copycats if the two books turn out to be successful in terms of sales.

Still I am not sure how the two writers got their ideas...

Btw I wonder if anyone is interested in the lineup of Dengeki's new MediaWorks Bunko? They have just released the cover arts and the books will be available in mid December.

There are some big-name authors from the Dengeki franchise, and apparently they are trying to use some conventional, non-moe covers to appeal to the non-otaky public. I am just wondering if the book shops will treat them as conventional bunko books, or just put them in the light novel section.
Spoiler:
__________________
Twitter: Kailyu | Light novel review blog: novel.co.nr | Nanoha Force Next TL: 01 02 05
Doraneko is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2009-11-30, 23:15   Link #305
apr
Pedestrian
 
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Sweden
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doraneko View Post
Btw I wonder if anyone is interested in the lineup of Dengeki's new MediaWorks Bunko? They have just released the cover arts and the books will be available in mid December.

There are some big-name authors from the Dengeki franchise, and apparently they are trying to use some conventional, non-moe covers to appeal to the non-otaky public. I am just wondering if the book shops will treat them as conventional bunko books, or just put them in the light novel section.
Spoiler:
I looked at the names and thought "I DON'T KNOW ANY OF THESE PEOPLE", then I wiki'd a couple and realized I had some of their books on my shelf already.

*looks up a third name*

Wait a minute, I just spent an hour reading that exact author.

Actually, there's a fourth I've got books by. Guess they do have a pretty big line-up.

One day I'll start paying attention to people's names and not just the titles of their books. I think the only ones I would recognize are Nishio Ishin and Kougyoku Izuki. Um, and Yuyuko, I guess. Except I can never remember her surname. And Miyabe Miyuki, obviously.
__________________
...in my humble opinion.
apr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2009-11-30, 23:19   Link #306
Kunagisa
Senior Member
 
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Quote:
Originally Posted by apr View Post
Seitokai no Ichizon's position and grade makes me depressed. I've never read anything quite as bad in my entire life.

I'll still have to check out Soukyuu no Karma and Tasogare-iro no Uta-tsukai, because I am stupid and can't help buying things on lists.


Edit: Didn't notice there was a new page!


This is ridiculous. Since when did grave keeping get so popular?

Tasogare-iro no Uta-tsukai is depressing =(

Seitokai no Ichizon's novel isn't that bad. Some parts are funny, other parts are slightly awkward. Then again, I always like novels that break the 4th wall so ...

Don't know if you guys have read 嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん, but this one is strangely interesting.

Speaking of ranking, there's a post here http://forums.animesuki.com/showpost...1&postcount=67 , and I will list the author ranking below.

Spoiler for author ranking:
Kunagisa is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2009-12-01, 22:13   Link #307
Doraneko
The Owl of Minerva
 
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Sugar Dark arrived yesterday ! The golden strip around the book looks really nice. But too bad that there is no first edition gifts for online orders.

Quote:
Originally Posted by stuopidget View Post
Tasogare-iro no Uta-tsukai is depressing =(

Don't know if you guys have read 嘘つきみーくんと壊れたまーちゃん, but this one is strangely interesting.
Got these two in my shelf but I haven't started reading it yet. I have built up quite a backlog to clear up after the exams.

On a sidenote, here are the award-winning works of the Dengeki Novel Competition. They will be released in February next year, according to the Dengeki email newsletter.
Spoiler:


But what surprised me is the description for the coming book of 俺の妹... It was nothing like a Toaru-index style magical fantasy when I read it last time...

I don't mind to see 黒猫 to inherit some of her power and characteristics in ねこシス, but certainly not to this extent.

Spoiler:
__________________
Twitter: Kailyu | Light novel review blog: novel.co.nr | Nanoha Force Next TL: 01 02 05

Last edited by Doraneko; 2009-12-01 at 22:25.
Doraneko is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2009-12-02, 16:17   Link #308
apr
Pedestrian
 
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Sweden
So what's the best way to keep updated on new releases?
I'm mainly worried about missing Takemiya Yuyuko's new series, if one ever shows up.
__________________
...in my humble opinion.
apr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2009-12-02, 16:57   Link #309
Kunagisa
Senior Member
 
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Quote:
Originally Posted by apr View Post
So what's the best way to keep updated on new releases?
I'm mainly worried about missing Takemiya Yuyuko's new series, if one ever shows up.
2ch or blogs would be the most up to date most of the time. I also use a secondary huge Chinese forum, which also happens to be my anime and manga source as well.

Though you probably will not miss Takemiya's new works because how successful Toradora! is.
Kunagisa is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2009-12-03, 01:08   Link #310
Doraneko
The Owl of Minerva
 
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Quote:
Originally Posted by apr View Post
So what's the best way to keep updated on new releases?
I'm mainly worried about missing Takemiya Yuyuko's new series, if one ever shows up.
You may subscribe to the email newsletter of Dengeki Bunko, or create an account at one of the online bookshops (e-hon, honya-town, etc) and sign up for automatic email notifications of new books by your favourite authors.

For general information and new releases of each light novel label, Ranobe-mori is a pretty good site.

Of course you may also try the 2ch light novel board (which is usually the most updated source), if you don't mind the spam and crap also posted there. Pay attention to 電撃文庫・電撃文庫MAGAZINE総合スレッド and the 竹宮ゆゆこ thread.

Spoiler for 竹宮ゆゆこ 105:

(Not exactly a new series, but at least it is something new from ゆゆぽ. Hopefully the full story will be published in bunko format next year .)
__________________
Twitter: Kailyu | Light novel review blog: novel.co.nr | Nanoha Force Next TL: 01 02 05

Last edited by Doraneko; 2009-12-03 at 01:30. Reason: Added some quotes from 2ch
Doraneko is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2009-12-08, 14:54   Link #311
Kunagisa
Senior Member
 
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
New SPIN OFF FROM ZAREGOTO!!!!

Spoiler for info:


Dies from excitement overload.
Kunagisa is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2009-12-08, 19:10   Link #312
Kunagisa
Senior Member
 
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Oricon's chart of top light novel sales of 2009 (2008/12/1 - 2009/11/30)

http://contents.oricon.co.jp/enterta...204_01_17.html

Saiunkoku Monogatari wins. I'm glad Kino no Tabi's on there though =).
Kunagisa is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2009-12-08, 22:14   Link #313
Doraneko
The Owl of Minerva
 
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Quote:
Originally Posted by stuopidget View Post
Oricon's chart of top light novel sales of 2009 (2008/12/1 - 2009/11/30)

http://contents.oricon.co.jp/enterta...204_01_17.html

Saiunkoku Monogatari wins. I'm glad Kino no Tabi's on there though =).
Saiunkoku has always been a topseller. Too bad that I haven't started reading it earlier. The current number of volumes released is simply prohibitive to any newcomer. (At least it is still much shorter than Guin Saga... )

I am surprised that Summer Wars got the second place though. Maybe I should pick up a copy after watching the movie.

Other light novel sales rankings:

くまざわ
1.おいしいコーヒーのいれ方 Second season 1
2.サマーウォーズ
3.彩雲国:黒蝶
4.彩雲国:黄粱
5.キノ12
6.グイン・サーガ123
7.グイン・サーガ124
8.グイン・サーガ125
9.グイン・サーガ126
10.MAJOR 2


とらのあな (a more otaku-centric bookshop)
1.とら9
2.とら10
3.俺妹2
4.禁書17
5.ゼロ魔16
6.俺妹3
7.とら・スピンオフ2
8.ゼロ魔17
9.香辛料10
10.禁書18

俺妹 is the the only light novel from Toranoana's top selling list that hasn't got an anime adaptation. Maybe we can expect one next year/the year after the next?
__________________
Twitter: Kailyu | Light novel review blog: novel.co.nr | Nanoha Force Next TL: 01 02 05

Last edited by Doraneko; 2009-12-08 at 22:25.
Doraneko is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2009-12-09, 02:51   Link #314
apr
Pedestrian
 
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Sweden
Hrm, wish I could read faster. Even if it takes me a week to finish a book on average, I won't get through my bookshelf in under two years. And god knows how many new novels Nishio will release in that time, etc.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Doraneko View Post
I am surprised that Summer Wars got the second place though. Maybe I should pick up a copy after watching the movie.

Other light novel sales rankings:

くまざわ
1.おいしいコーヒーのいれ方 Second season 1
2.サマーウォーズ
3.彩雲国:黒蝶
4.彩雲国:黄粱
5.キノ12
6.グイン・サーガ123
7.グイン・サーガ124
8.グイン・サーガ125
9.グイン・サーガ126
10.MAJOR 2
Summer Wars is a surprise? Film adaptations nearly always fly up the charts when people go see the movie and enjoy it.

I've read the first volume of おいしいコーヒーのいれ方 and while it's pleasant, it's probably the first time I've ever felt like the main character was unconvincing due to being a guy written by a woman. I'd imagine her writing gets better, though, considering she won the Naoki Prize later.
__________________
...in my humble opinion.
apr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2009-12-09, 03:53   Link #315
Doraneko
The Owl of Minerva
 
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Quote:
Originally Posted by apr View Post
Hrm, wish I could read faster. Even if it takes me a week to finish a book on average, I won't get through my bookshelf in under two years. And god knows how many new novels Nishio will release in that time, etc.
I can get through 2-3 books a day if I quietly sit in front of my desk for the whole day, but the problem is that I don't have much time. For the minimal time left, all of it are sucked up by anime and web surfing. So I usually only read novels during commutation, finishing 1-2 books biweekly. There are over 30 books in the current pile of unread novels, and it is growing every month .

Some 2ch guys claim that they can finish one light novel in 20min . I can only read that fast if those books have already been translated into my mothertongue.

Quote:
Originally Posted by apr View Post
Summer Wars is a surprise? Film adaptations nearly always fly up the charts when people go see the movie and enjoy it.
I thought it would only be the case when the novel is the original work. Actually, none of the major writers of Summer Wars (Hosoda, Okutera, etc) are involved in the novel. But well it has the blessing as an official novelization. Also, from the reviews I have seen the story seems to be quite solid in itself even if you haven't watched the movie, defying the rule that adaptations always suck when compared with the original.

(Btw there is another official novelization which is far from being a bestseller. For anyone interested in ordering the novel, make sure you have checked the name of the publisher and author carefully.)

Quote:
Originally Posted by apr View Post
I've read the first volume of おいしいコーヒーのいれ方 and while it's pleasant, it's probably the first time I've ever felt like the main character was unconvincing due to being a guy written by a woman. I'd imagine her writing gets better, though, considering she won the Naoki Prize later.
Talking about Naoki Prize winners active in the light novel field, I personally quite like the works of Kazuki Sakuraba (桜庭一樹), famous among English anime fans for her Gosick novel series.

Her works usually deal with dark but real issues faced by young girls, and it is common to see scenarios of abuse and murder. The only bad thing them is that after she got famous as a Naoki prize winner, all her previous light novels except Gosick are rereleased as boring bunko books with all illustrations stripped away .

For starters, I would recommend A Lolipop or A Bullet (砂糖菓子の弾丸は撃ちぬけない). Get the original version with illustrations if you can. It is part of the appeal of the book to see those saccharinely moe girls fallen into the abyss of abuse, darkness and total helplessness.
__________________
Twitter: Kailyu | Light novel review blog: novel.co.nr | Nanoha Force Next TL: 01 02 05
Doraneko is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2009-12-09, 04:09   Link #316
apr
Pedestrian
 
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Sweden
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doraneko View Post
I can get through 2-3 books a day if I quietly sit in front of my desk for the whole day, but the problem is that I don't have much time. For the minimal time left, all of it are sucked up by anime and web surfing. So I usually only read novels during commutation, finishing 1-2 books biweekly. There are over 30 books in the current pile of unread novels, and it is growing every month .

Some 2ch guys claim that they can finish one light novel in 20min . I can only read that fast if those books have already been translated into my mothertongue.
Er. Depending on what I'm reading, I take 2-5 minutes per page. Zero no Tsukaima novels are finishable in 8 hours, some Nishio stuff takes ~40 hours. Absorbing a page in 4 seconds sounds obscene.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Doraneko View Post
Talking about Naoki Prize winners active in the light novel field, I personally quite like the works of Kazuki Sakuraba (桜庭一樹), famous among English anime fans for her Gosick novel series.

Her works usually deal with dark but real issues faced by young girls, and it is common to see scenarios of abuse and murder. The only bad thing them is that after she got famous as a Naoki prize winner, all her previous light novels except Gosick are rereleased as boring bunko books with all illustrations stripped away .

For starters, I would recommend A Lolipop or A Bullet (砂糖菓子の弾丸は撃ちぬけない). Get the original version with illustrations if you can. It is part of the appeal of the book to see those saccharinely moe girls fallen into the abyss of abuse, darkness and total helplessness.
I've already read Gosicks 1 and A Lollypop or a Bullet.

Lollypop was very good, and I'll try to get a hold of her award-winning book eventually. I disagree with it needing illustrations, though. It really doesn't feel like a book that should have pictures.

Spoiler for Lollypop 'review' from a mail conversation I had (with SPOILERS):
__________________
...in my humble opinion.
apr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2009-12-09, 22:51   Link #317
Doraneko
The Owl of Minerva
 
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Quote:
Originally Posted by apr View Post
I've already read Gosicks 1 and A Lollypop or a Bullet.

Lollypop was very good, and I'll try to get a hold of her award-winning book eventually. I disagree with it needing illustrations, though. It really doesn't feel like a book that should have pictures.

Spoiler for Lollypop 'review' from a mail conversation I had (with SPOILERS):
I share your sentiments, and I also found the discrepancy between the illustrations and content very unnatural. But in retrospective I think those illustration in a way helps to magnify the shock given to the readers .

Also, remember that it was not easy for light novel writers to switch to the general literature industry, given the prejudice towards light novels in Japan (kind of like anime) by the literature elites and the public. That is why Sakuraba had to work within the limitations (i.e. publish in light novel format with illustrations randomly planted by the editors) even if she attempted to break out of them. Lolypop not only drastically changed her career, but also helped to improve the perception of the general public towards light novels. It also gave a whack to the light novel publishers and let them realize the need to expand the genre instead of staying in the comfort zone.

If Lolypop didn't exist or was just published by a traditional publisher, I highly doubt that you would be able to see dark and non-conventional works like Mimizuku and Sugar Dark being ever published, let alone securing major light novel awards. The original version with sugary drawings let you feel the conflicts in the industry beyond the story, and appreciate its value as a milestone in the modern development of light novels. The new version is simply a good story among thousands published, memorable but nothing beyond that.

As for manga, it's variety in terms of topics is as wide as books and movies. There is no reason to ridicule a manga before even reading it by simply asserting that it is dealing with a wrong genre, given that there are good manga on Kani-kousen, quantum physics and any Greek mythological tragedy. Dark themes on abuse is by no means a rarity in the manga industry.

The manga of Lolypop is certainly not a masterpiece that everyone on earth should read, but at least it has done a good job in retaining the atmosphere and emotions in the novel. The character design is also less sugary and easier for the readers to feel attached to. The overwhelmingly positive reviews of the manga to a certain extent reflects its quality.

I haven't read Gosick though, so no comment on that. But I find the afterwords of every book highly amusing (Sakuraba can make a novel out of them and I will gladly buy it, seriously). My advice to everyone interested in Gosick is to go to your local bookshop, skip the content and read the afterwords only.
__________________
Twitter: Kailyu | Light novel review blog: novel.co.nr | Nanoha Force Next TL: 01 02 05

Last edited by Doraneko; 2009-12-09 at 23:02.
Doraneko is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2009-12-14, 00:14   Link #318
Kunagisa
Senior Member
 
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Have you guys read アクセル・ワールド?

Something about this novel's quite special. I would imagine it is not for everyone.

Spoiler for minor spoiler:


I haven't got this euphoria reading/watching a story for a while. I hope either this or SAO gets an anime =(.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Doraneko View Post
I haven't read Gosick though, so no comment on that. But I find the afterwords of every book highly amusing (Sakuraba can make a novel out of them and I will gladly buy it, seriously). My advice to everyone interested in Gosick is to go to your local bookshop, skip the content and read the afterwords only.
Gosick or 紅玉いづき 's "trilogy" is actually on my reading list after Accelerated World and Denpa Onna (which is hilariously refreshing too), so hopefully I can join on the discussion on that soon
Kunagisa is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2009-12-15, 12:14   Link #319
apr
Pedestrian
 
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Sweden
Sugar Dark's not selling that much, despite the award publicity. Two weeks after release it's gotten up to 18290 books sold. Popular titles usually sell ~50k the first week.

Still waiting for mine to arrive.
__________________
...in my humble opinion.
apr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2009-12-15, 12:34   Link #320
Doraneko
The Owl of Minerva
 
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Quote:
Originally Posted by stuopidget View Post
Have you guys read アクセル・ワールド?

Something about this novel's quite special. I would imagine it is not for everyone.

Spoiler for minor spoiler:
Thanks for introducing the novel. I have heard of it quite some time ago (it got an award from Dengeki I think...) but haven't tried reading it. Maybe I should include it in my next batch of orders.


Quote:
Originally Posted by apr View Post
Sugar Dark's not selling that much, despite the award publicity. Two weeks after release it's gotten up to 18290 books sold. Popular titles usually sell ~50k the first week.

Still waiting for mine to arrive.
It is disappointing, especially when the reviews on the book are quite positive. Even mid-tier Dengeki works do better than that in terms of sales.


Though not exactly on topic, today I stumbled across an interesting discussion on the low status of light novels in Japan and the differences between normal literature and light novels. There is also a scholarly essay quoted (just replace 通俗小説 with ライトノベル ) and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the issue.
__________________
Twitter: Kailyu | Light novel review blog: novel.co.nr | Nanoha Force Next TL: 01 02 05
Doraneko is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
light novels

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:51.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
We use Silk.