What can lead to a LN having a Spike in Popularity?

Serah

Does Ascendance of a Bookworm currently enjoying a popularity spike or something like that? It might be just my impression, but a significant amount of new registered users seem to be mainly just after this series.

I do read it too, but I cannot see anything too special about the series, compared to other very good light novels or my favourite one.

The series has been around for many years too, or not? The story did not change since few years ago, did it? Or is the current one a remake?

Rahul Balaggan

@serah the first season of the anime just finished airing, so that lead to a lot of people joining up to read what happens after the anime ends.

Also it has been renewed for a season 2, so now is th time to read before it airs

Shiny

@serah said in Ascendance of a Bookworm:

Does Ascendance of a Bookworm currently enjoying a popularity spike or something like that? It might be just my impression, but a significant amount of new registered users seem to be mainly just after this series.

Probably because of the decent anime adaptation, with the first season just having finished. I know of at least one person who has just read all the novels after having liked the anime.

I do read it too, but I cannot see anything too special about the series, compared to other very good light novels or my favourite one.

It's an above-average anime and I personally think the series is special. It avoids a lot of the most tired tropes, has a rewarding plot, and good pacing.

The series has been around for many years too, or not? The story did not change since few years ago, did it? Or is the current one a remake?

There isn't any remake, but the English translation hasn't been around forever (and hasn't hasn't had a print release forever). The plot is really picking up so wouldn't be surprised if some people who were either LN readers or anime viewers joined JNC to find out what happens next ASAP.

Serah

@rahul-balaggan Oh... the "Japan-First" effect I have heard about... In Germany it seems to air only via crunchyroll, so it does not have much of an effect...

I am not used to it, that a novel gets popular after... nevermind. If you think about it, a lot of novels got popular again after movie adaptions are around, despite the novels were already good/bad before...

When it comes to interesting plots, that is the thing which actually confuses me. I mean there are so many gems which seem not getting equally much attention despite they are more sophisticated or long ahead of their time with their plots, making nowadays stuff rather look like boring copies...

Rahul Balaggan

@serah not really sure what “japan first” effect is, but even in the states only Crunchyroll can stream the Bookworm Anime.

Really just boils down to how people consume media, millions will watch something rather then read something (even though they still read the subtitles unless you are watching the Dub). A percentage of those users who watch and enjoyed will look to see what will happen next and those people make a decision to buy the manga or the LN...or do things I will not discuss openly but you know what I mean.

A Novel may be the greatest work of literature on this earth, but the amount of people who sit down and read is no where near the amount of people who will watch a tv show or a movie. Some people would rather see if they like the movie or tv show before committing to reading a book.

Serah

@rahul-balaggan I see.

The Japan-First thing I mentioned: there were once several documentations about the anime/manga/games developments in Japan, and how they get support by the government. As far as I know it is a standard strategy used by a lot of Japanese multimedia companies, when "they set foot abroad", they go as much multimedia as possible instead of offering just one media. The government support includes that that way not only the media itself gets promoted, but also Japan and Japanese culture.

One example which was omnipresent at the beginning of the millennia in Germany was the "Pokémon-fever". All of sudden Pokémon seemed to be everywhere. As games, cards, caps, manga, anime, etc...

hopebestman

@rahul-balaggan

Some people would rather see if they like the movie or tv show before committing to reading a book.

i dont like reading much. So i am that kind a person , first watch the movie/anime etc and if i like it , i check some forums the novel is really worth spent time , after that i start reading. Because i dont like reading , i dont want to spent something "i might not like".

Serah

@hopebestman said in What can lead to a LN having a Spike in Popularity?:

@rahul-balaggan

Some people would rather see if they like the movie or tv show before committing to reading a book.

i dont like reading much. So i am that kind a person , first watch the movie/anime etc and if i like it , i check some forums the novel is really worth spent time , after that i start reading. Because i dont like reading , i dont want to spent something "i might not like".

While I do understand the premises of that logic, I am afraid it might do more often harm than it helps. Something which comes to my mind is the "Death Note" movie I have watched the other day on Netflix. I would not have bought the manga if I watched that first. A lot of movie interpretation of comics, manga, novels are too far from the original atmosphere - turning them often into something different...

hiroto

@serah said in What can lead to a LN having a Spike in Popularity?:

As far as I know it is a standard strategy used by a lot of Japanese multimedia companies, when "they set foot abroad", they go as much multimedia as possible instead of offering just one media.

That not the export specific strategy, but much more so in domestic market. In case of Bookworm, one medium which will never go international is their drama CDs. It is not audiobook, but audio enactment with voice actors and sounds effects and everything, which is completely separate production from anime. This format is pretty popular in Japan.

hopebestman

@serah yeah well , first :D i would check the anime not the movie :D also fame is important thing too. AoaB doesnt have that kind a fame so if anime would really bad , i wouldnt check the LN. However , when you follow american movies , tv series , animes , cartoons etc. you start hearing things about that area. So Death Note is really famous in anime world.

PS:Luck is really important. If you are not lucky , you could watch DN's movie first , not anime :D

Edit:

I am afraid it might do more often harm than it helps

Well , in the first place , i dont like reading. So i already in a bad position.

hiroto

@rahul-balaggan said in What can lead to a LN having a Spike in Popularity?:

Also it has been renewed for a season 2, so now is th time to read before it airs

It was interesting that a youtube anime commentator were saying that now the season has ended, he will read the books, but only up to the end of Part 1, because he doesn't want to be spoiled for the season 2 of anime. Opposite way of thinking.

Rahul Balaggan

@hiroto never say never...

Is what I desperately want to say, at the very least we are getting the Rokujouma Drama CDs due to the Kickstarter. I am fully aware that was a very special unique and one of a kind situation I can only hope that it sparks a tiny bit of internal discussion for J-Novel Club to look at Drama CDs for their other popular titles and potentially start testing the waters for how the overseas fans will or will not engage with drama CD translations...

hopebestman

@hiroto i stopped watch anime after i start reading LN. So i can understand that but how he can restrain himself not to reading next volumes already released. I mean , i cant even wait a week for next part in JNC.

Rahul Balaggan

@hiroto that is a huge face palm moment for me.

My personality is that if there is a LN for it even if it is not licensed I will not consume any media for that title and just wait it out.

A real example is Sweet Reincarnation, J-Novel Club licensed the manga but not the Light Novel, so I am buying all the manga volumes to support it, I am not reading them because I am still waiting (and hopeful) that they will eventually get the LN.

Same thing with anime like Violet Evergarden, I could watch the anime and the movie, but I will just play the wit game, for how long...? Maybe forever.

But that is just me.

hiroto

@serah said in What can lead to a LN having a Spike in Popularity?:

I am not used to it, that a novel gets popular after... nevermind. If you think about it, a lot of novels got popular again after movie adaptions are around, despite the novels were already good/bad before...

Little Women, 150 years old novel is currently on Amazon's best seller list. I checked local library and there were 50 people cued up for the copy.

Serah

@hopebestman said in What can lead to a LN having a Spike in Popularity?:

Well , in the first place , i dont like reading. So i already in a bad position.

That is something I do understand and would support in making the stuff available in other forms than books. For reasons I cannot grasp due to my nature I know a lot of people who dislike reading. I mainly blame the writing since I know some authors are able to produce a captive text while others just do text...

On another note, I was no longer in my mind that there was a Death Note anime... I think I stopped caring about those adaptions someway along HunterXHunter, when all of sudden the majority of anime become mainstream and boring stuff, with only very very very little exceptions like IRODUKU : The World in Colors.

@hiroto thanks for the hint about drama CDs. In Germany we do not differ much between an audiobook which is just text read aloud and one with added sound effects and such. I have been always under the impression that the latter applies to any novel, thinking of the last audiobooks like that I listened was Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi.

Oh, wait - we do differ - but then we do not call it audio-book, but more a play.

Back to topic: had there been a similar spike with "If It's for My Daughter, I'd Even Defeat a Demon Lord" back then?

Rahul Balaggan

@serah said in What can lead to a LN having a Spike in Popularity?:

Back to topic: had there been a similar spike with "If It's for My Daughter, I'd Even Defeat a Demon Lord" back then?

Yes it did, although for what it is worth it was already a popular series for J-Novel Club before the anime aired.

Otherwise all titles that were released before the anime adaptations happened should have a seen an uptick in sales after the anime was announced, started airing, and finished airing.

Of the top 4 selling series at J-Novel Club (not in any particular order, Realist Hero, Arifureta, How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord, For My Daughter) 3 have had an anime air recently.

hopebestman

@serah

"If It's for My Daughter, I'd Even Defeat a Demon Lord"

Yeap , cute loli does cute things and her accent is cute as well. Saying "Dey-lu" worming my heart. However , when i reading 5th volume , i start hating that series.

spoiler

For reasons I cannot grasp due to my nature I know a lot of people who dislike reading. I mainly blame the writing since I know some authors are able to produce a captive text while others just do text...

I blame my elementry school teacher.

On another note, I was no longer in my mind that there was a Death Note anime... I think I stopped caring about those adaptions someway along HunterXHunter, when all of sudden the majority of anime become mainstream and boring stuff, with only very very very little exceptions like IRODUKU : The World in Colors.

Well %90 of isekai MCs are Kirito 2.0. Story same , no deep characters , side characters doesnt have personality. Shounen animes %80 shouting , %10 filler. Harem , ecchi , fan servise... Time to time we can have some decent projects like this season we had "AoaB". So i cant stop watching as well but those rare projects keeping me alive.

Serah

@hopebestman said in What can lead to a LN having a Spike in Popularity?:

Yeap , cute loli does cute things and her accent is cute as well. Saying "Dey-lu" worming my heart. However , when i reading 5th volume , i start hating that series.

Very understandable to have a dislike towards the series at that point.

For reasons I cannot grasp due to my nature I know a lot of people who dislike reading. I mainly blame the writing since I know some authors are able to produce a captive text while others just do text...

I blame my elementry school teacher.

I imagine reading would be more popular if schools actually start with simple stuff like light novels or Harry Potter.

I really would love to see "How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom" gets an anime. Yet I am still convinced it is better to have a real life movie out of it like Lord of the Rings...

HamsterExAstris

@rahul-balaggan said in What can lead to a LN having a Spike in Popularity?:

...at the very least we are getting the Rokujouma Drama CDs due to the Kickstarter. I am fully aware that was a very special unique and one of a kind situation I can only hope that it sparks a tiny bit of internal discussion for J-Novel Club to look at Drama CDs for their other popular titles and potentially start testing the waters for how the overseas fans will or will not engage with drama CD translations...

JNC isn’t going completely blind here. We’ve gotten drama CDs for some visual novel properties before - Kindred Spirits on the Roof, Fatal Twelve, and Aokana. (Although those are obviously a closer format fit to the source material—!)

I’d love for us to get more, though, so hopefully Rokujouma is just the first. JNC probably has a better shot at making it work than more traditional publishers.