Hakusensha will start a new BL novel (light novel) label on May 20th, 2008. The label is titled "Hanamaru Bunko Black" (花丸文庫BLACK).
Hakusensha currently publishes BL novels under two other labels; Hanamaru Novels and Hanamaru Bunko.
Source: Hakusensha's New Lineup
From MangaCast comes the translation of the Gamers weekly light novel rankings (March 21, 2008).
Title: Shakugan no Shana (Volume 1)
Author: Yashichiro Takahashi
Illustrator: Noizi Ito
Licensed by: Viz
Price: $9.99
Invaders from the Crimson Realm have come to Earth looking for something called the Power of Existence. Whoever possesses this profound power will control the very quintessence of reality. To the rescue comes an enigmatic young girl with fire in her eyes. She may be cute and petite, but she's endowed with enough preternatural strength to save the entire universe. Plus, she's got a really big sword!
Title: Full Metal Panic! One Night Stand
Author: Shouji Gatou
Illustrator: Shikidouji
Licensed by: Tokyopop
Price: $7.99
Reviewed by: Matt122004
Just as quickly as I had finished the first in this amazing series, I got to start the second. How long did it take me to finish the second volume in this light novel series? Around two days cause I was lazy at reading it faster.
The second novel doesn’t disappoint and delivers a powerful and action packed story to the reader who is sure to have a smile cross his face as he watches all his favorite characters back in action again. The translation was just as good as the first, and the artwork was great, as usual.
The book was just about as thick as the first and definitely kept me pressing my face against the pages as I turned each with great anticipation. The big question that almost all of you are wondering, “Is the second as good as the first?” The answer is a simple, yes! I did however feel that the second novel was one tiny notch less than the first, but that is to be expected in a three novel story arc. I also already knew the characters, so unlike the first, I kind of knew how to predict the characters actions somewhat. However, I definitely enjoyed this book just as much as I did the first. Also on that same note, I would like to thank Shouji Gatou, the amazing author of Full Metal Panic, for the comedic opening to this second installment. The beginning had me laughing, and so did the end.
So what’s the story this time around? Well, Sagara is handling things pretty well. Fighting in giant mech’s in other countries, fighting terrorists in Japan, and going to school. Yep, life is normal for this abnormal teen, but even for him, things get……out of the ordinary. This intrudence into his daily schedule all starts when Tessa, his sixteen year old superior colonel, begins to have feelings for the overly adrenaline pumped Sagara. This combined with the detaining of a child terrorist who is being chased down by his terrorist organization and the fact that Kaname finds Tessa coming out of the shower as she tries to apologize to Sagara, creates problems galore for our favorite characters. Besides all this, something called “Behometh”, yea I didn’t like the sound of it either, is being readied to be launched by the A-21 terrorist group. What is the child terrorist’s connection and could he be a “Whispered”?
Filled with twists and turns, laughs and comedic events, and amazing plot turning revelations, this is most definitely not a book to miss!
Now……three more months till the third novel, which will complete this first story arc. I don’t know if I can hold on till then, but I will try!
My Grade for this Light Novel: A
As mentioned in a previous news article, Ichijinsha's site for announcing their new light novel label Ichijinsha Bunko has been updated with more content. Currently the site is showing the stories of the seven boy's light novels that will be published on May 20th. Also temporary titles for the next light novels (to be released on June 20th) are also mentioned on the site.
Source: Ichijinsha Bunko
The number 1 BL (boys love) publisher Libre Shuppan, and the well-known entertainment novel publishing company MediaWorks are starting a new label for publishing BL(boys love) light novels. The label is titled: "B-Prince Bunko", and will begin on April 7th, 2008, with 5 novels scheduled to be published on that day.
The first BL novels to be published on April 7th can be seen here.
Publication planning and editing will be by Libre Shuppan, publication by ASCII MediaWorks, and will be sold through Kadokawa Group Publishing.
Source: b-boy News
Title: Full Metal Panic! Fighting Boy Meets Girl
Author: Shouji Gatou
Illustrator: Shikidouji
Licensed by: Tokyopop
Price: $7.99
Reviewed by: Matt122004
Alright, so after reading Kino no Tabi by TokyoPop, I entered this book thinking, “Will I like it as much?” To help you understand, I have ‘not’ seen the anime or read the manga’s of Full Metal Panic. I entered this novel completely unaware of the storyline whatsoever. I had decided I would read the novels first since they were the original story. I am so glad I did.
This marks TokyoPop’s second best series they brought out. Is it better than Kino no Tabi? Well, you can’t really compare the two since they each have different objectives in their writings. However both Kino no Tabi and Full Metal Panic are the best series of their genre’s I have read.
It took me two days to read it, mainly because I began it a little before I was going to sleep, and ended it the following day. To say the least, the book was amazing. I was reading each page with immense interest, and holding my breath through the climaxes that continued to pile up one by one. I have not seen the anime, but I can say that the first novel was a hit.
The artwork is great, and is placed at the right parts so as to help the reader visualize key or more or less interesting scenery.
The story? Well, it follows the tale of Sagara, a high school military soldier who is sent with three other soldiers to secretly protect a girl named Kaname (without her knowing) from the Soviets who are wishing to kidnap her for some unknown reason. Sagara doesn’t know the word COVERT and comes off more like a stalker as he jumps out of moving trains through their windows to catch up to Kaname. To say the least, Kaname and her friends do not take this lightly and what follows is comedic events, and bruises for Sagara. The real plot begins when terrorists intercept a plane and all the governments of the world are thrown into a panic. The only one’s who can save them is Sagara’s organization, a non-national affiliated military group with advanced technology ten years ahead of the rest of the world’s. Filled with mech’s, fighting, romance, comedy, and the occasional dumb luck, Full Metal Panic creates a read that you won’t soon forget.
That is another thing to note. This was my first time reading a novel featuring Mech’s (giant robots that men pilot in combat), and I must say, it flowed perfectly. I almost believed it more on the paper than in most anime. The writer’s ability to flow the words and sentences is flawless. I kept turning the page every chance I got.
Now, as for TokyoPop’s translation? Very well done. The only problem to mention was an occasional typo (I spotted two major one’s in the whole book), but then again, all books have these usually. As for changes, I am glad to say that TokyoPop kept the original cover art, which made me very happy.
I was smart enough to see the strong possibility I would like the novel, so I had also taken the liberty of getting the second book, which I am anticipating reading greatly.
This is definitely not a light novel you want to miss out on reading, you’d be sorry if you did. So do yourself a favor, and go and read Full Metal Panic and become apart of one of the best selling light novel series in Japan!
My Grade for This Light Novel: A
Title: Kino no Tabi (Volume 1)
Author: Keiichi Sigsawa
Illustrator: Kouhaku Kuroboshi
Licensed by: Tokyopop
Price: $7.99
Reviewed by: Matt122004
With this new craze of light novels coming to the US market, it can only be a good thing for fans. TokyoPop is one of only a couple publishing companies that have decided to release entire lines of light novels from Japan.
One of TokyoPop’s newest light novel releases was book 1 of the Kino no Tabi (Kino’s Journey) series of books. I had had my eyes on this book for awhile and finally decided to give into my interest and take a shot at reading it.
The story is about a young girl who lives in the land of adults. She is almost ready to turn 12 and take on a job where at that time, she will do the job she hates and live her life in misery, as is expected. However when a traveler named Kino visits the city and makes friends with the girl, he tells her that she can still lead a happy life and not be forced to do a job she hates. However when the girl tells her parents her revelation, the parents perceive this as the most defiant behavior ever, and the father prepares to kill his daughter to save his family from disgrace. And thus her journey begins with a valiant escape, the death of a friend, and the hijacking of a friendly talking motorcycle. The chapters afterwards are really a collection of short story’s that take place at different times during her journey. The story’s themselves are meant to make the reader question the situation and see the errors in this world of hers. Each of Kino no Tabi’s chapters are meant to transmit a value or thought. However, this does not mean the story is boring or slow, far from it, the pages practically turn themselves and the story continues to build till its climax.
Kino no Tabi starts out profoundly, and ends with you gripping the edges of the book. There is nothing I can say badly about this book. It is purely amazing and goes down as the best light novel release TokyoPop has given us. The translation by Andrew Cunningham is amazing and the book itself is one of the most enjoyable reads I have had in a long time. I would recommend this book to anyone, no really, anyone. In fact, I would go as far as to say that everybody should be required to read this book. I’m not kidding, when I say it is profound, I mean it. It’s simplistic appeal and profound message draws the reader in fast and doesn’t let go by any means. The author also has a an amazing way of writing, keeping the reader drawn into the story at all times. And each story is amazing unique and well thought out.
On two notes, the cover of the novel WAS changed from the Japanese release, however, the cover they used was thankfully a beautifully blown up illustration from within the book itself. On the second note, the chapters were changed. However, this change in my opinion was expertly done. The beginning of her journey is put at the beginning of the book instead of the end and the major chapter “Collosium” was placed as the chapter next to the Epilogue.
The only sad thing I can mention is that this book was released over a year ago and the second in this currently 11 book series still isn’t out. TokyoPop has said that this is because of licensing issues. I can only hope that this is resolved soon as I am literally on the edge of my seat to read the second in this stupendous series.
My advice to you is to not wait a single second and go out and buy this book and maybe a few extra copies for your friends and family.
My Grade for this light novel: A
From MangaCast comes the translation of the Gamers weekly light novel rankings (March 14, 2008).
For licensed light novels' release schedule go to this page: Release Schedule
For a list of all the licensed light novels go to this page: Light Novel Database
For the latest japanese light novels' releases go to this page: Releases
Licensed light novels:
.hack//Another Birth
.hack//AI buster
Ballad of a Shinigami
Boogiepop
Crest of the Stars (Seikai no Monshou)
Full Metal Panic
Kino no Tabi
Pita Ten
Scrapped Princess
Shakugan no Shana
Slayers
Strawberry Panic
The Twelve Kingdoms
Trinity Blood
Welcome to the NHK
Light Novels' Release Schedule
May 2008
Digital Manga Publishing
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| A Promise of Romance | $8.95 | |
| Better Than A Dream | $8.95 | |
| S | Vol. 1 | $8.95 |
Seven Seas Entertainment
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| The Pirate and the Princess: Sea Dragon's Tears | Vol. 3 | $5.95 |
TokyoPop
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| The Adventures of Duan Surk Volume 4: Opal of Ice & Snow | Vol. 4 | $10.99 |
| The Good Witch of the West | Vol. 2 | $9.99 |
Vertical
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| The Guin Saga: Book Four: Prisoner of the Lagon | Book Four | $9.95 |
June 2008
Dark Horse
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| A Wind Named Amnesia/Invader Summer | $12.95 |
Digital Manga Publishing
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Gentle Cage | $8.95 | |
| Eternal Love | $8.95 | |
| Sleeping With Money | $8.95 | |
| Like a Love Comedy | $8.95 |
Scholastic Corporation
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit | $17.99 |
Tokyopop
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Full Metal Panic! | Vol. 3 | $7.99 |
| Trinity Blood - Rage Against the Moons Volume 3: Know Faith | Vol. 3 | $7.99 |
July 2008
Digital Manga Publishing
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Ai no Kusabi The Space Between Volume 3: Nightmare | Vol. 3 | $8.95 |
| Fafner: Dead Aggressor | $8.95 | |
| Immoral Darkness | $8.95 |
Seven Seas Entertainment
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Ballad of a Shinigami | Vol. 2 | $7.95 |
| Pita-Ten | Vol. 2 | $7.95 |
| Strawberry Panic | Vol. 2 | $7.95 |
Tokyopop
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Chibi Vampire: The Novel | Vol. 5 | $9.99 |
Vertical
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| The Guin Saga: Book Five: The Marches | Book Five | $9.95 |
August 2008
Del Rey
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Zaregoto 1: Book 1: The Kubikiri Cycle | Book 1 | $9.95 |
Digital Manga Publishing
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Clear Skies: A Charming Love Story | $8.95 | |
| S: A Love Bite | Vol. 2 | $8.95 |
Disney Press
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom Hearts: The First Door | Vol. 1 | $5.99 |
| Kingdom Hearts: Darkness Within | Vol. 2 | $5.99 |
Seven Seas Entertainment
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Boogiepop at Dawn | $7.95 |
September 2008
Seven Seas Entertainment
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Vamp! | Vol. 1 | $7.95 |
October 2008
Seven Seas Entertainment
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| The Pirate & The Princess: The Timelight Stone | Vol. 4 | $5.95 |
| Wicked City | Vol. 1 | $9.95 |
November 2008
Dark Horse
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Vampire Hunter D Volume 11: Pale Fallen Angel 1-2 | Vol. 11 |
Seven Seas Entertainment
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Ballad of a Shinigami | Vol. 3 | $7.95 |
| Pita-Ten | Vol. 3 | $7.95 |
| Strawberry Panic | Vol. 3 | $7.95 |
December 2008
Seven Seas Entertainment
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Zero's Familiar | Vol. 1 | $7.95 |
January 2009
Seven Seas Entertainment
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Vamp! | Vol. 2 | $7.95 |
February 2009
Seven Seas Entertainment
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Wicked City | Vol. 2 | $7.95 |
March 2009
Seven Seas Entertainment
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Ballad of a Shinigami | Vol. 4 | $7.95 |
| Zero's Familiar | Vol. 2 | $7.95 |
Tokyopop
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| The Twelve Kingdoms | Vol. 3 | $8.99 |
April 2009
Tokyopop
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| GOSICK | Vol. 3 |
May 2009
Dark Horse
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Vampire Hunter D Volume 12: Pale Fallen Angel 3-4 | Vol. 12 |
Seven Seas Entertainment
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Vamp! | Vol. 3 | $7.95 |
| Wicked City | Vol. 3 | $7.95 |
June 2009
Seven Seas Entertainment
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Zero's Familiar | Vol. 3 | $7.95 |
July 2009
Seven Seas Entertainment
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Ballad of a Shinigami | Vol. 5 | $7.95 |
November 2009
Dark Horse
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Vampire Hunter D Volume 13: Twin-shadowed Knight | Vol. 13 |
Seven Seas Entertainment
| Title | Volume # | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Ballad of a Shinigami | Vol. 6 |
BL/Adult novels are in red color.
Some japanese children's literature are considered by fans to be light novels, these will also be listed here, but will be in blue color.
Found a mistake or something is missing, please report it in the forum.
Reviews of japanese light novels.
Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora
Reviews of licensed light novels:
Ballad of a Shinigami
Ballad of a Shinigami Volume 1
FLCL
Full Metal Panic!
Full Metal Panic! Volume 1
Full Metal Panic! Volume 2
Kino no Tabi
Scrapped Princess
Shakugan no Shana
From MangaCast comes the translation of the Gamers weekly light novel rankings (February 28, 2008).
Mediation will start a new BL novel (light novel) label that's titled: "Hug Novels". The label will start on March 10, 2008 with 3 novel volumes to be published on that day:
Domestic Love -Kateinai Renai-
Author: Hanamoto Romeo
Illustrator: Sakura Ryou
Otona no Jijou
Author/Illustrator: Kanazawa Yuko
Saite Sakasete Koi no Hana
Author: Shima Minori
Illustrator: Fuyumori Machi
Source: Mediation's blog
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