The Familiar of Zero
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The Familiar of Zero (Zero no Tsukaima)
Publisher: MF Bunko J/Media Factory
Novel: Complete at 22 volumes
Manga: Licensed by Seven Seas as Zero's Familiar
Anime: Licensed by Sentai FilmworksSynopsis:
Louise is a noble girl who is terrible at magic, as her attempts usually result in an explosion. She is nicknamed "Louise the Zero" by her classmates, due to the inability to use any of the four magic elements. Early in the school year at the Tristain Academy of Magic, the second year students perform a special ritual where they summon their familiar, which serves as their eternal protector and partner, and is usually some sort of magical creature. But Louise summons Saito Hiraga, an ordinary teenage boy from Japan, leaving her totally humiliated.Due to the sacredness of the ritual, Louise reluctantly accepts Saito as her familiar, but proceeds to treat Saito as any other familiar, only worse, making him wash her clothes, sleep on a bed of hay, and whipping him with a riding crop for little or no reason. The Familiar of Zero follows the adventures of Louise and Saito as they help their classmates and friends, while occasionally blundering into situations where they risk their lives to save one another. Saito tries to find a way to get back to Japan, but he also has a mysterious power that allows him to wield swords and other weapons to perform heroic feats. They also eventually learn the truth behind Louise's magic inabilities.
Why I Want It:
The Familiar of Zero is a classic isekai light novel (Japan started publishing it in 2004) before the genre became really popular. The author passed away from cancer, yet left notes for a ghost writer to finish the last 2 volumes. I've watched all four seasons of the anime and I loved the relationship between Saito and Louise. Though Louise could be an overbearing tsundere and Saito a horny teenage boy, they (admittedly very slowly) change and realize how much they love each other.I would like the novels to be licensed because it was a fun series with all the harem antics and ecchi moments you could want, and because I heard the anime changed/skipped/rushed through things from the books, so I'd like to read the whole story. I know it's unlikely to be licensed because it's a long series and the anime is old, but I'll keep wishing and hoping. Sometimes I wish Yen On had a digital-only line of light novels to pick some of these up.
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I feel a Yen digital only could happen. That article about LNs had a Yen exec say the novels are selling better than some manga now. Yen does digital only manga too, so it’s not outside their wheelhouse.
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@the-green-death Could you please give a link to that article?
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@eternal-wanderer it was posted on the new series speculations thread: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2018/06/24/general/can-japanese-light-novels-remain-publishing-heavyweights/#.WzMaX4plCf2
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@the-green-death
I know Kodansha has some digital-only manga, but what series’ have YP done digital only? -
Honestly, I'd love to see this series get an official translation. I remember back in like, 2008, Seven Seas had the licence, only they didn't really do anything with it in terms of Light Novels, due to the lack of a market for them at the time. It's one of the few isekai stories that grab me, so it has that going for it I guess? I realize the words of some rando don't mean much lmao
Despite the anime's flaws, I still cried at the end of the final episode of Season 4, so... hey, if the novel's ending is anywhere near that level of quality, sign me the heck up!
Also, I believe that in the Seven Seas forums at some point back in the day, one of the mods said that in terms of Kadokawa related books that Yen Press/Yen On gets first dibs, but otherwise it's pretty fair game. I mean, Seven Seas has the Railgun manga, which is a Kadokawa license, so i don't see why those rules wouldn't apply to Familiar of Zero/Zero no Tsukaima. Besides, they already have the manga license for that too, and previously had the light novel one, so anything is possible (though I am aware that their acquisition of Familiar of Zero back in the day was before Yen become majority owned by Kadokawa, and before Kadokawa owned Media Factory, but still).
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Whoa! I just realised this and Smartphone have the same illustrator...
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one of the first LN translations I read on my path into fandom. I had assumed it was licensed somewhere - surprised it's not. I'd buy it
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Thats actually one of those I always submit on Light Novel surveys. Don't know why I didn't vote for this until now so take my vote ;)
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@DoubleMangekyo
Yeah, it's nice that they continue to get work, since their ZnT art is really good stuff!@Jon-Mitchell
I would also buy it! The unofficial translation is solid, though I'd prefer to be able to support it in some official capacity personally. -
one of the first series of its genre that I watched back when I was getting back into anime in 2012/13, I'd happily buy the LN if they were translated. (tho given how seven sea's has the manga rights it probably isn't possible/ likely).
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Another novel that go well with spotlight themes of "rescue" and "classic series". Now completed (even though last volume is more of a draft)!
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Apparently this series was licensed by Seven Seas way back but then they dropped it without even publishing a single volume(?). What a waste...
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@terabyte said in The Familiar of Zero:
Apparently this series was licensed by Seven Seas way back but then they dropped it without even publishing a single volume(?). What a waste...
That's weird. Would it be possible for someone else to buy the license off them?
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@yumenokage As I understand it their license should be already expired. So anyone can get it really. But the publisher might be a bit more wary about it considering how it went the first time.
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@terabyte said in The Familiar of Zero:
Apparently this series was licensed by Seven Seas way back but then they dropped it without even publishing a single volume(?). What a waste...
Was that when they had series like Ballad of a shinigami out in print? They had quite few books they wanted to publish before the bubble burst. I think they had plans to publish the light novels of Kanokon, Gun princess and Vamp as well.
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@artistofmanga Not sure, the license was mention in Discord a few days ago but I don't think a date/period was mentioned.
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@Terabyte
From wikipedia:Seven Seas Entertainment licensed the series in 2007 under the title Zero's Familiar,[9] but later cancelled the release of the novels.
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a gentle BUMP on this series -
Volume 22 (the end of the series) was published a few months ago (vol 21 and 22 published/written from original author's notes after his death)The Anime is a classic, IIRC Seven Seas licensed the Manga. I'd love to see this in print/official/legal
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@jon-mitchell said in The Familiar of Zero:
Volume 22 (the end of the series) was published a few months ago
More like 2 years and a half ago? Volume 22 was published on February 25, 2017... 🙄
