How Important are Side Story, Vol. 0, and X.5 Volumes in LNs?

cosm1cfall

I know that in the Index series, SS volumes are basically required reading for canon purposes, that Hataraku Maou has a volume 0, and I think SNAFU has an X.5 volume somewhere?

Two questions:

Why do these kinds of volumes happen? Is it common practice in Japan?
Do these kinda volumes get officially licensed and translated?

Phione

@cosm1cfall

It stems from the practice of having side stories to the work itself, and it's a pretty common practice for manga and LN. Sometimes the author wants to write about the main characters in different settings, and sometimes the author or the readers want to read more about certain side characters. In LNs, you'd sometimes get so many stories that it's better to collect them into a single volume instead of just having 1 or 2 side stories chapters at the end of regular volumes.
I have no clue since I don't normally buy English version of LNs (I'd just buy and read the Japanese original instead :/)

Aruseus493

In regards to the second question, it's apparently a separate license so we don't see them licensed often unfortunately. I know that Yen Press hasn't licensed the needed Index SS volumes. This is regarding SS volumes though. .5 volumes somehow might fall under the main series still I think. We don't have much to go on though overall though cause we haven't seen how any other publishers would treat SS volumes specifically since the practice isn't super common in Japan. It's uncommon, but not rare.

stardf29

Sam proposed a theory that side story volumes are a way for authors to relax somewhat from the pressures of writing the main story (often on a schedule) and write some stuff that doesn't really affect the main story too much. Though that was including "mainline" volumes that happen to be side story collections, like Vol. 7 of Outbreak Company, which was widely agreed to be... well below the quality of the main series.

cosm1cfall

@stardf29 Yeah, Outbreak volume 7 was painful to read through.

Phione

It's important to note that SS could sometimes serve as an important tool for the author to cover plot holes or even ret-cons. Some authors, such as Kazuki-sensei of Bookworm, even go as far as taking requests on Twitter and Narou for what readers want to read as SS or just alternative POV of an event.

Paul Nebeling

@cosm1cfall Hataraku Maou-sama has a volume 0, a 00, and a couple of x.5's along with every seventh volume being nothing but side stories. Given YP's glacial translating pace, I'm not hoping to ever see the prequel volumes.

HamsterExAstris

@cosm1cfall said in How Important are Side Story, Vol. 0, and X.5 Volumes in LNs?:

I know that in the Index series, SS volumes are basically required reading for canon purposes, that Hataraku Maou has a volume 0, and I think SNAFU has an X.5 volume somewhere?

SNAFU has three: 7.5, 6.5, and 10.5.

(6.5 is weird. It was originally released between volumes 9 and 10. It's a compilation of three short volumes that were released with the Blu-rays of the show, set between volumes 6 and 7: 6.25, 6.50, and 6.75. It also includes new material set between volumes 9 and 10.)

Two questions:

Why do these kinds of volumes happen? Is it common practice in Japan?

These kinds of volumes happen for series happen in the US too. (The Dresden Files is the first example that pops to mind, but not the only one.) They just don't normally get numbered as .5 volumes in the series sequence.

Do these kinda volumes get officially licensed and translated?

It depends. As others said, Index's aren't being licensed, but the Oregairu ones are. I think that Sam said on Twitter that the Full Metal Panic! side-story volumes will depend on how well the main series does.

Raitoiro

@cosm1cfall said in How Important are Side Story, Vol. 0, and X.5 Volumes in LNs?:

Do these kinda volumes get officially licensed and translated?

If you want to know if JNC translate those just wait a bit, Grimgar has a Vol 14.5, currently vol 14 is getting translated so we should know around june/end of may if JNC does .5 vol.
It seem like they will, since the translator gave explaination on the content of that vol while not saying anything about it not being licence.

Timmaaah

@raitoiro They probably will considering they have the Rokujouma x.5 books up there.

Rahul Balaggan

@raitoiro yes but outside of JNC no one is doing that, and OP called out some YP titles by name which I will just assume we will never see .5 volumes for...

Paul Nebeling

@timmaaah To be fair, Rokujouma's .5's are essential to the main story.

spoiler

Raitoiro

@timmaaah Yeah JNC seem rather likely to translate that kind of stuff anyway but Rokujuma isn't really the best exemple since the circonstances are rather unusual.

Raitoiro

@rahul-balaggan YP probably won't translate short story or .5 vol but i can see Sevens Sea do it, they did translated Mushoku Tensei short stories after all.

Rahul Balaggan

@raitoiro did they?

On the website I see listings for just the manga the light Novel & the spin-off manga.

I don’t see any mention of a .5 volume.

HamsterExAstris

For Yen Press, it’s on a series-by-series basis; they’re releasing the .5 volumes for Oregairu.

Raitoiro

@rahul-balaggan Yeah the short stories are bundle with the manga.
Mushoku Tensei has no .5 volumes anyway, but to take an other serie they recently licence, i would be surprised if they don't translate the .5 of Classroom of the elite.

Aruseus493

I think it'd be best to separate the .5 stuff from SS stuff. There seems to be a difference where all .5 stuff are getting translated, but "SS" stuff is getting skipped. (From YP's history so far.)

Phione

@aruseus493

It’s funny that you mentioned this, but labeling a volume as x.5 instead of just a ss volume is actually a relatively recent phenomenon intended for boosting sales in Japan. The consensus is that ss volume will almost always undersell the main series, with some fall as low as just 1/3 of the numbered volumes. Labeling something as x.5 boosts sales, at least anecdotally.