Are Axed Novels/Manga Worth Licensing?
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If it's an incomplete series that J-Novel already had before it got axed, then they should definitely continue it to finish the rest that actually got released, even if it won't ever be done.
It also depends a lot on how well it's written. If the volumes stand alone well then it wouldn't matter much if the overall story never gets finished since the individual volumes will still be fun to read.
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I'm not sure I've read an ending that's been particularly satisfying since I grew out of "and they lived happily ever after." So I'm not seeing much difference between a series dying from economics and a series running to whatever conclusion it decided.
Spoilers: MC died of old age surrounded by children and grandchildren after a 50+ year timeskip with nothing of particular note happening during it and becoming just another name in history books.
Alternative spoilers: MC ascendeds to godhood because rank and power inflation doesn't really have any other conclusions that don't involve giving up all that accumulated power.
Final spoilers: ...and the adventure continues. ...and they lived happily ever after. ...they got married apparently never again experiencing anything other than marital bliss and wonderful children.
Ultimately the question you're asking is basically answered by a other questions: Who's asking? What are they trying to get out of it?
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I want to be able to read all stories
At least half of my favorite stories on JNC (probably more) have been apparently axed or put on indefinite hiatus
Deathbound Duke’s Daughter
Altina the Sword Princess
Faraway Paladin
The Sidekick Never Gets the Girl, Let Alone the Protag’s Sister!
Zero BelieversAll these are great books that I’m glad were translated, even if the author never finished the overall narrative
“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 said in Are Axed Novels/Manga Worth Licensing?:
All these are great books that I’m glad were translated, even if the author never finished the overall narrative.
This.
There are works where I'm unhappy that they weren't completed, but that's because of how much I enjoyed reading what had been written.
Where I'd be the poorer if I hadn't read what I had.
So I'm grateful that they were licensed. -
There are series I have enjoyed even though they don't have proper endings. So I voted yes.
Some examples:
The Sidekick Never Gets The Girl, Never Mind the Protag's Sister
Middle-aged Businessman Arise in Another World -
I voted "No" however I think the question begs other questions (and context/nuance)
should JNC license/translate try and sell a title/series that has been canceled? (Axed) That depends:
- JNC (I believe) licenses titles a volume at a time, and frequently these are not simultaneously released in Japan and on JNC's platform. Should JNC discontinue licensing a series that was cancelled? (for example JNC is publishing/translating volume 5 in a series ...that was just 'axed' after volume 7, should JNC try an license volume 6?
- Media in Japan (LN/Manga) often don't have planned endings, a publisher might not renew the contract on an ongoing series due to poor sales, an author might lose interest ...there are many reasons why a series gets orphaned, should JNC not license a series that isn't 'complete'? and avoid ongoing series?
your question requires JNC leadership to be psychic (to NOT license ongoing series...to know if they are GOING to be axed) or to judge 'incomplete' series as being unworthy even if artistically they are a fulfilling read (for example Bluesteel Blasphemer) so I say "No" if they were 'axed' because they were crap
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If you're talking about if JNC should continue publishing a series they already licensed because it's axed, then yes. They should finish what they license.
If the question is based on licensing series they know are axed beforehand, then my answer is no. But they'll continue this practice regardless, because the average amazon consumer doesn't know/care about the publication status of series they pick up. As long as they keep buying axed series, publishers will keep licensing them.
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@Tahu Missing the option of It depends if it's well written (and well translated) you've still got a good if incomplete story. As Terry Pratchett observed where a story starts or finishes is all up to the observer.
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@Lily-Garden Zero Believers was properly finished
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@Tahu you are incorrect. It is one volume from the conclusion. The author says they're working on it, but the LN is still ongoing.
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@GeorgeMTO that is a relief, I tried to find out whether the author was still working on it but had been unable to find anything.
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@Lily-Garden Yeah, came up recently on the discord with the announcement of Zero Damage v6 https://x.com/Isle_Osaki/status/1947663583917314049
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Personally I tend to avoid series if I know in advance they'll never be finished because for me reaching a proper conclusion is an important part of my reading experience.
Then a lot depends on the specifics of the series. Did it end in a huge cliffhanger that will never be resolved? Did it have a rushed but still conclusive enough ending that gives me enough answers to feel satisfied? Do we get proper closure of the current story arc, but there are more on the web novel that will never be adapted?
I enjoyed reading series like Monster Tamer or High school DxD enough that they are dear to me even if I'll never ready the intended conclusion from the author (but I can guess , at least). On the other hand, had I known in advance that the author won't finish Infinite Stratos I wouldn't have bothered with it. -
@Lex said in Are Axed Novels/Manga Worth Licensing?:
Personally I tend to avoid series if I know in advance they'll never be finished because for me reaching a proper conclusion is an important part of my reading experience.
Then a lot depends on the specifics of the series. Did it end in a huge cliffhanger that will never be resolved? Did it have a rushed but still conclusive enough ending that gives me enough answers to feel satisfied? Do we get proper closure of the current story arc, but there are more on the web novel that will never be adapted?
I enjoyed reading series like Monster Tamer or High school DxD enough that they are dear to me even if I'll never ready the intended conclusion from the author (but I can guess , at least). On the other hand, had I known in advance that the author won't finish Infinite Stratos I wouldn't have bothered with it.While I can relate very well to that stance and the feelings included, it is more often so the industry to be blamed as it is a standard to keep ongoing stories running just to profit from them.
That certainly does not apply to every story, but it is common practice with the entertainment business.
The benefits for the consumer is being able to enjoy an ongoing story for who knows how long and it depends on entirely on the author whether it gets to a satisfying ending or not, even if it means just getting an abrupt epilogue.
Sometimes it is outright necessary as the author is running out of energy to continue the story, at other times I got shocked to learn that a story has not been continued because the author suddenly died. You cannot plan life with certainty to get everything having a proper ending.
What could be done better, in my opinion, is for the publisher to make it clear early on when a story is about to put into hiatus or cancelled for whatever reason. Basically an early cooperation with the fanbase-publisher-author to determine if it makes sense to grab a point in the print edition and turn it in a proper ending, deviating from the -often so- web novel.
And even that is not certain. I have seen quite a surprising number of light novels which are supposed to die just to be revived in unexpected ways. Well, more or less unexpected, considering it matters what publisher is behind the author.
Yes, not having an ending can leave behind a very uncomfortable feeling with a story. Especially when it is with a cliffhanger. But then again - if the story is well written, it is worth to cherish them through and through until the end, whether it is as planned or unexpected.
I think there are possibilities yet to be discovered to make such endings more satisfying ~ like how prints (or in our case J-Novel translations) get additional content in form of bonus.
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@Serah yeah I'd love if publishers were able to give authors enough time to wrap up a series before it's canceled, and I appreciate authors who are able to plan in advance some stopping points in case their work turn out to be succesful. Of course, I know things aren't always easy when money is involved.
There is always some hope that adaptations or translations might rekindle interest in a series and help bringing it back, so licensing a series on hiatus or axed might not turn out to be pointless, other than giving fans access to the existing material. That reminds me, I should invest some money in those Seventh volumes...
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@GeorgeMTO the webnovel is finished but not the hard novel
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@Serah High School DxD was axed? And Manga Updates does not list IS as axed.
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@Tahu said in Are Axed Novels/Manga Worth Licensing?:
@GeorgeMTO the webnovel is finished but not the hard novel
It's almost like this entire topic was focused on the light novels, because that's what gets licensed for translation.
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Hmm.
Seems like everyone is thinking about this as a consumer and not a publisher.
As a consumer, there's a case to be made for being able to read what is available even when it doesn't finish. There's several series here that I don't expect to ever get more of and I don't have any regrets about having started them.
But as a publisher, it's a terrible business model. Series that have been cancelled aren't likely to have any cross promotion to help build a sales base, so they probably aren't going to sell very well. Meanwhile, folks that haunt a publishers' forum probably have the sense to check and see what the status is in Japan but the average buyer coming from places like Amazon or Bookwalker wouldn't. From their perspective, J-Novel licensed this series that they have gotten hooked on, then cancelled it. That could very well leave them thinking that J-Novel does that all the time, making them hesitant to buy series they release in the future.
Like I said, it's a really bad idea.
Now, it's very different when a series gets cancelled in Japan after it's started releasing here. I'm just talking about going out and licensing series that have been confirmed to be cancelled before they are licensed.
Of course, some of these series end up continuing for free on novel sites, but rights in a case like that get very, very messy. The exception would be something in the author's contract with the Japanese publisher returning the rights to them and allowing them to "shop" it to be released by someone else. Even in that case, licensing directly from the writer has it's own set of headaches.
All that weighed against what would probably be fairly small sales.
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@Tahu DxD wasn't axed, but the author has health problems and last time I checked there was no info on if and when he'll be able to resume writing.
For Infinite Stratos the author posted on Twitter that he won't conclude the series because he doesn't have the leeway to work on something that won't bring money.
