After Isekai / Fantasy, What Genre Do We Want Licensing Companies to Pursue?

ladyillusion

I'd like to see more mystery, horror, slice of life or historical fiction. As much as I love fantasy, variety is always good.

Melting Sky

I would love to see even just a single iyashikei manga translated here. Something along the lines of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou or Mokke would be amazing. Of the genre suggested I would most like to see some hard science fiction, fantasy slice of life and mystery.

One thing I think JNovel should consider is branching out from its rather narrow genre focus and including even just one or two solid series from each of the major genres. Variety is the spice of life and I think it would help them retain some subscribers that come here for a single stand out series they really enjoy like Bookworm, but who otherwise aren't big isekai fans. It also provides a great outlet for isekai fans who are getting burned out and want to either take a break or branch out into something new.

saffire

@melting-sky said in After Isekai / Fantasy, What Genre Do We Want Licensing Companies to Pursue?:

One thing I think JNovel should consider is branching out from its rather narrow genre focus and including even just one or two solid series from each of the major genres. Variety is the spice of life and I think it would help them retain some subscribers that come here for a single stand out series they really enjoy like Bookworm, but who otherwise aren't big isekai fans. It also provides a great outlet for isekai fans who are getting burned out and want to either take a break or branch out into something new.

They've...done that though. I can't think of a major genre that isn't at least represented, aside from maybe crime-solving mystery.

Melting Sky

@saffire said in After Isekai / Fantasy, What Genre Do We Want Licensing Companies to Pursue?:

They've...done that though. I can't think of a major genre that isn't at least represented, aside from maybe mystery.

Perhaps I just haven't looked deep enough into the selection, but I don't remember seeing any classic horror or mystery, serious dramas, hard science fiction or iyashikie. Although admittedly iyashikie isn't exactly a major genre.

Edit: After looking around a bit I did find Last and First Idol which is a collection of short stories that covers a couple of these genres I mentioned.

Rahul Balaggan

@melting-sky

Both Yume Nikki, and Ao Oni are Horror, I wouldn't classify either as a Physiological Horror, maybe Yume Nikki to an extent, Echo is kinda Horror, and a bit of mystery.

Serious Drama - To an extent Grimgar, but definitely Kokoro Connect should count.

They have sci-fi, cant say if it is hard sci-fi - Beatless, Otherside Picnic (This is also Horror) Last & First Idol, Crest of the Stars, Occultic;Nine

iyashikie - Hard to pin down too much, but Welcome to Japan Miss Elf, Campfire Cooking, Grace of The Gods

Lots of stories with mystery elements but no real mystery series

Jon Mitchell

I selected rom-com

many of the license suggestions I upvote seem to be tagged as such (and recent 'heart' titles are enjoyable but not really in this category) - RomCom in contemporary setting, with little/no: supernatural/fantasy/scifi elements (i.e. Gamers, Shomin Sample, etc) stuff like that- I'm also ok w/ RomCom's in a fantasy/Isekai/ sci-fi setting - but that would be a different category

Sitcom works for me as well (Working!- had some romance but was more of a straight workplace sitcom)

Melting Sky

@rahul-balaggan

Thanks for the suggestions. I think a lot of these titles have elements from the genres I listed but aren't really an example of the genres themselves.

For instance I love Grimgar and it certainly does have plenty of heavy dramatic elements, but I wouldn't list it as an example of a classic drama since it's first and foremost a fantasy isekai. I haven't read Kokkoro Connect, but as a paranormal body swap story it's not what I think of when I think of a classic drama story. These are both fantasy stories with strong dramatic elements.

Although I haven't read Beatless, I have watched it. I wouldn't call it hard science fiction but it certainly is solidly within the scifi genre since it explores concepts like the moral and philosophical implications of AI and other advanced technology as an integral part of the story rather than just using the future setting as a wacky excuse so some guy can shack up with his robot waifu. I think a good example of a hard scifi story that explores similar themes would be the oroginal Ghost in the Shell and Stand Alone Complex.

Anyway, I don't mean to nit pick the kind recommendations you went out of your way to give me. I haven't read any of these others so I will go check out the preview chapters on them.

Terrence

@saffire said in After Isekai / Fantasy, What Genre Do We Want Licensing Companies to Pursue?:

They've...done that though. I can't think of a major genre that isn't at least represented, aside from maybe crime-solving mystery.

I'd say they still could give us some horror that isn't just an adaptation / mixed media (First and Last Idol may count as that, but it has more of a SciFi genre mix), but it's not like you can keep going back to the drawing board for those without results. =(

Some mystery would be great, yeah. Besides crime solving, something more "trapped in a facility with 12 other people" Agatha Christie style locked room murder mystery would be nice.

Also, Death Game. If that's a horror subgenre they would try, I would love it.

saffire

I was more interested in making sure it was clear that Sam and the JNC crew have done a good job in diversifying their offerings, at least in my opinion. My ongoing title reading list is over 15 titles and I think less than half of those are isekai. You're going to have a hard time finding light novels that don't have some sort of supernatural aspect though; that's just the kind of field it is.

I'd certainly take a death game.

Melting Sky

@saffire said in After Isekai / Fantasy, What Genre Do We Want Licensing Companies to Pursue?:

I was more interested in making sure it was clear that Sam and the JNC crew have done a good job in diversifying their offerings, at least in my opinion. My ongoing title reading list is over 15 titles and I think less than half of those are isekai. You're going to have a hard time finding light novels that don't have some sort of supernatural aspect though; that's just the kind of field it is.

I'd certainly take a death game.

That's a very good point. I have read western novels for decades but I am rather new to the LN scene and one thing I tend to forget is that this is a young adult printed medium from a completely different culture so the sorts of genres offered are actually very different from mainstream western literature.

It's a bit like if I went into a western movie theater and complained there aren't any 2D animated film offerings. They just don't exist here. Similarly I probably shouldn't be looking for Arthur C/ Clark and Isaac Azimov-esque hard Scifi and Agatha Christie style mysteries etc. in Japanese LN.

Hosikuzu

@melting-sky said in After Isekai / Fantasy, What Genre Do We Want Licensing Companies to Pursue?:

Similarly I probably shouldn't be looking for Arthur C/ Clark and Isaac Azimov-esque hard Scifi and Agatha Christie style mysteries etc. in Japanese LN.

There are actually quite a bit, but I suspect that as far as English-language LN publishers are concerned, the customer-base for books like that is still very shaky.

Part of the reason so much of what gets translated is isekai is precisely because that's what built and continues to exploit the niche. Outside of it you're still largely going to run into the dark cloud of English-language chauvinism that hangs over translations in practically every genre and medium.

A lot of this stuff gets made, to put it somewhat unflatteringly, to fill up the shelves. Yes, people will still buy them, and sometimes they'll end up being successful, but the English-language market already has its own Clarks and Christies: if you're going outside your own native literature to find something to publish, you'd better be pretty confident that it will offer something new.

BloodyGaikotsu

A. Why do I have to choose one!?
Well, I went with romantic drama...but it doesn't have to be to be romantic.

B. AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO CHOSE IT?

Well, I just want more drama, romcom, light bungei, mystery.

Also, state-wise, I think the most popular genres are Fantasy then SciFi.

Melting Sky

@bloodygaikotsu said in After Isekai / Fantasy, What Genre Do We Want Licensing Companies to Pursue?:

A. Why do I have to choose one!?
Well, I went with romantic drama...but it doesn't have to be to be romantic.

B. AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO CHOSE IT?

Well, I just want more drama, romcom, light bungei, mystery.

Also, state-wise, I think the most popular genres are Fantasy then SciFi.

I'm with you on wanting to see more drama.

Melting Sky

@Rahul-Balaggan said in After Isekai / Fantasy, What Genre Do We Want Licensing Companies to Pursue?:

@melting-sky

Both Yume Nikki, and Ao Oni are Horror, I wouldn't classify either as a Physiological Horror, maybe Yume Nikki to an extent, Echo is kinda Horror, and a bit of mystery.

Serious Drama - To an extent Grimgar, but definitely Kokoro Connect should count.

They have sci-fi, cant say if it is hard sci-fi - Beatless, Otherside Picnic (This is also Horror) Last & First Idol, Crest of the Stars, Occultic;Nine

iyashikie - Hard to pin down too much, but Welcome to Japan Miss Elf, Campfire Cooking, Grace of The Gods

Lots of stories with mystery elements but no real mystery series

Thanks for the Other Side Picnic recommendation. I really liked this one and I would definitely put it in the category of Horror. I had been getting discouraged with trying to find solid LNs after 3 or 4 bad ones in a row but this one was a breath of fresh air.

Rahul Balaggan

@Melting-Sky

Happy you are enjoying it, always nice to have another yuri horror fan in the club, it is also funny you mention liking it today because it is was just announced to be getting an anime:

@HarunaChieP said in Otherside Picnic Vol. 3 Discussion!:

While waiting for a new Part to be released

https://twitter.com/shonen_gangan/status/1235490232948027392?s=19

https://twitter.com/OthersidePicnic/status/1235490494353817600?s=19

Otherside Picnic anime has been announced

JRPG Nation

Horror science fiction with a bit of mystery. Like maybe Dead Space first and second game. Alternately like Blue Gender but that unlikely in either case .

Silver Sugar Duchess

I would love to get more historical romance fantasy novels. It would be nice, if there would be a little bit of mystery in the mix too.

Clarys

@Clarabelle
Me too! These are the best. <3

Silver Sugar Duchess

@Clarys Then vote for the historical romance fantasy novels in the 'Licensing Suggestions!' forum. This way, we maybe have a chance to get more such novels.^^ Apparently it's My Fault That My Husband Has The Head of a Beast, Tearmoon Empire, Bibliophile Princess and The Tales of Marielle Clarac are already a good start.

Clarys

@Clarabelle
Where can I vote in the 'Licensing Suggestions!' forum? Do you mean to open a new topic with a suggestion or is there a special voting topic? :)
Yeah, I read all of them except Apparently it's My Fault That My Husband Has The Head of a Beast. But I will definitely try it out if you can recommend it. Actually I am looking for new Light Novels anyway. Do you have any other recommendations?
But although there is not much romance Ascendance of a Bookworm is also really, really great and furthermore I can recommend The Extraordinary, the Ordinary, and SOAP!. At the start, it is a little bit difficult to get in, but it has much potential and gets somehow really sweet and exciting. :D