After Isekai / Fantasy, What Genre Do We Want Licensing Companies to Pursue?
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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.
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@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.
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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.
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@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.
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@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.
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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.
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@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.
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@Rahul-Balaggan said in After Isekai / Fantasy, What Genre Do We Want Licensing Companies to Pursue?:
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.
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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
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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 .
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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.
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@Clarabelle
Me too! These are the best. <3 -
@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.
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@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. :DYou would think learning something from a book would be enough to just do it, right? But think hard about that, and you’ll realize that things really aren’t that simple. - Miya Kazuki
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@Clarys It is a seperate forum. On the forum list look just underneath the Suggestions and Feedback forum, there is a Licensing suggestions forum, which has a thread per suggestion.
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@KBaggy
Yeah, I found that subforum.
But I don't see any voting possibilities. -
@Clarys Just post a reply to the thread for the suggestions you want to support, or possibly up-vote the first post to the thread. To up vote you use the up-arrow that is at the bottom of each post after the reply and quote buttons.
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@KBaggy
Okay, thank you.
I thought there was a thread where you could choose genres like here.
But giving likes is also a possibility, you are right. :) -
@Clarys Since the others already explained it to you, all I can add is to look in the 'Licensing Suggestions!' forum under the tags 'historical', 'romance' and 'fantasy'. You could also look for 'shoujo'. Then you will surely find novels of your taste you might want vote for.^^
And thank you for your recommendations. I'm already reading Ascendance of a Bookworm and like it quite a lot. I've also tried out Extraordinary, the Ordinary and Soap! right after the first part got released, but somehow I don't get warm with it.
Unfortunately I don't have any further recommendations for you, since you probably already know all shoujo novels licensed by JNC. The ones I would especially recommend still aren't licensed, but for some you can read the fan translations of the manga versions you know where (if you want to know what happens). They are called Earl and Fairy, Common Sense of a Duke's Daughter, Fake Cinderella, Kusuriya no Hitorigoto, Musketeer Rouge and Sugar Apple Fairy Tale. -
@Clarabelle
Thank you very much for your recommendations either. I will definitely look through them.
And thanks for the tips. I really did not know that there was such a possibility to vote. :DYou would think learning something from a book would be enough to just do it, right? But think hard about that, and you’ll realize that things really aren’t that simple. - Miya Kazuki
