Roll the Film on January Catchups!
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A new year means a new season of anime, and we've got both new series and returning ones coming to the screen! Members can read past the anime while waiting for new episodes, or catch up on what happened last time before jumping into a new season!
On his deathbed, Hero-King Inglis wishes he could live a life without becoming a ruler and just live by the sword. He gets his wish... although with a slight, unexpected change... Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire ♀ begins airing next week! Joining it is a poor office worker who gets caught in a hero summoning and ends up on his own journey with some peculiar companions... a mythical wolf and a baby slime?! Check out the manga of Campfire Cooking in Another World today!
Returning for a new season of antics is The Misfit of Demon King Academy! The Demon King Anos reincarnates into the future, hoping to see the world of peace he brokered... but things didn't quite go according to plan, and conspiracies roil beneath the surface in a new world. On the other side of the fence and trading intrigue for slimes, By the Grace of the Gods is back as well! Ryoma died of overwork, but divine intervention has him transported to another world as a young boy. Can he find peace and relaxation this time around?
Finally, we have the time travel shenanigans of Maddrax for something completely different! Matthew Drax stops the moon from falling to Earth, but is sent 500 years into the future as a result! As he adventures across this unfamiliar land, will he find a way home, or just a ticket to another pocket of time?
Over 30 volumes of content are available for J-Novel Club members to read today! Happy 2023!
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Pinned by
myskaros
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By the Grace of the Gods is fun if you're looking for a slow life relaxing read. Fair warning the pace starts out at a brisk walk but by volume 11 has slowed to a crawl. Still pleasant, but perhaps too sleepy for some.
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Definitely recommend Misfit. The sheer insanity that is Anos has to be seen to be believed.
Sir 'I killed a man with my heartbeat to prove a point' is about the only way that a overpowered protagonist can be made in any way entertaining instead of a repetitive stomp fest. Play it for pure comedy and ramp the madness up to 11.
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@83drew Agreed the series both knows it's ridiculous and yet plays it completely straight. Props to the author for finding that balance
“There’s always a story. It’s all stories, really. The sun coming up every day is a story. Everything’s got a story in it. Change the story, change the world.” ― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky
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@Lily-Garden, I found the early dynamic between Sasha and Misha to be pretty emotional too. I just wish the author had realised that Misha is a male name.
[Edit]Unless...
After reading something captivating, book lovers simply need to talk about it with someone.
—Tearmoon Empire -
@Angelus I mean... Sasha is also a male name.
My grasp on sanity remains absolute.
Oh, right, the poison, the poison for Kuzco, the poison chosen especially to kill Kuzco, Kuzco's poison. ...That poison?
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@TheGrimLich, not always - it can be the diminutive of Alexandra as well as Alexander.
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Nice, I've been waiting for By the Grace of the Gods and hoping it would be available on catchup soon with season 2 of the anime coming out. I guess I've got plenty to read this month.
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Is there a good place to start reading Maddrax other than volume 1?
For some reason, reading from the beginning, I had a hard time getting into it.
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Reminder that catchups will be changing on Wednesday, February 1! Better finish catching up before then! :)
Whoever said nothing's impossible never tried slamming a revolving door.
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@myskaros said in Roll the Film on January Catchups!:
Reminder that catchups will be changing on Wednesday, February 1! Better finish catching up before then! :)
Gah!
I just started in on By the Grace of the Gods, which had always sounded, well, I dunno, not something I even looked at the "free" preview section of.
Having just finished Chapter 1 Episode 4, I can say that it appears I was wrong.
It's different, yes.
So far it has been an enjoyable read.
But with mere days left until it drops off Catchup, and one of those being Myneday and then what releases on Tuesdays...I won't finish in time.
If it does really catch my fancy, why, I'll end up buying it.
(Which I tend to do anyway, truth to tell.) -
@Geezer-Weasalopes It does have premium bonus stories to add to that value, but if not, maybe it'll be something you utilise the new rental feature for when that comes around.
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@GeorgeMTO
My tendency is that if I enjoy the story, I purchase it.
Part of that is due to my justifying being involved with fan translations with the argument that it helps prove there's a market... so if any story I'm involved with gets licensed, I buy it.
I look at JNC as a bridge between fan and pro translations, a blending of both environments.
You get the regular posting of sections, and the knowledge that at some level the author gets financial return from it.
I joined JNC initially as a Patreon type of thing, a means of helping make sure the bottom line was met so they'd stay in business; it was a while until I actually started reading the prepub releases, etc.
Anyway, if I enjoy something on catchup, I treat it as a try and then buy situation.
If I don't like it, it was a premium I decided I didn't want.
It's a weird way of looking at things, I suppose.There's also that JNC isn't just a firm publishing books to me, it's a place I hang out, and I want it to prosper so I can keep hanging out here.
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@Geezer-Weasalopes said in Roll the Film on January Catchups!:
My tendency is that if I enjoy the story, I purchase it.
My rule is if I finish a volume I buy it, even if I wasn't thrilled by it. I figure if I made it that far then I should support JNC licensing it.
That's easy for me since I have a well-paying job and my hobbies are fairly cheap. It's not something I'd tell anyone they're "supposed to" do.
If you end up blind-buying later volumes, be prepared for my warning above about how the... pace... slows... down......... in........ later............ volumes. Kind of like how Unwanted Undead Adventurer spent one volume just getting ready to go on a trip.
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Unpinned by myskaros
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So I've bought all of By the Grace of the Gods, and have just finished Volume 6.
I'd have to look through my various files where I've kept track of my reading progress to be sure, but I believe I was reading the fan translation at one time; Volume One was just too familiar in too many ways.ETA:
Finished.
Eagerly awaiting the licensing of Volume 12, released in Japan in late 2022...
