J-Novel Club did not come to play this Anime NYC. During their panel, JNC announced 5 new licenses and 11 new stories available now. I love how much new BL is available now as part of their Knight Club, even though it adds so much more to my TBR list! What new titles are you excited about?
New Licenses
Beautiful Daydream!
What do you Want?” Matsuda Akio is your typical high schooler. He loves his little sister and his favorite mobile game. He loves light novels, and wants to try writing his own. And he loves girls. Like, really, really loves girls—he just can’t figure out how to talk to them. So when he goes to his first shrine visit of the New Year, he sees it as the perfect opportunity to make a wish to turn over a new leaf. But following a strange encounter with a mysterious woman at the shrine, Akio suddenly finds himself interacting with all the girls he could never bring himself to talk to: his little sister’s shy best friend, the one at the train station who plays the same game as him, a fellow bookworm from homeroom, a strange blonde who insists they’ve met before-even his favorite pop idol! But despite all the attention, something still doesn’t feel right. Because what Akio really wants is… A First Prize winner in the first-ever J-Novel Club Original Light Novel (OLN) Contest!
Chivalry of a Failed Knight
In a world where people with supernatural powers, called Blazers, manifest their souls as weapons, Kurogane Ikki dreams of becoming a Mage-Knight. It’s too bad he has no natural talent for it. The whole school ridicules him as the worst Blazer, so color everyone surprised when he suddenly defeats Stella Vermillion, a Rank A Blazer, in a duel. And so begins his fight to the top!
Now I’m a Demon Lord! Happily Ever After with Monster Girls in My Dungeon!
Yuki finds himself reincarnated as a demon lord in another world, and he’s been put in charge of a dungeon to boot! Once Yuki accepts that his fate hinges on the dungeon’s survival in a world where powerful monsters roam free and danger lurks at every corner, he begins gathering allies and bolstering his defenses. Within a few days, he takes on a legendary dragon, an adorable pet slime, and a vampire girl, but despite all his precautions, life as a demon lord in a dungeon constantly under threat…is surprisingly mellow? Of course, with such a colorful cast of characters (and possibly more on their way), Yuki’s bound to wind up in some trouble. Will he be able to pull off a reckless rescue mission? And how will he and his monster girls survive an invasion by a hostile human kingdom?! Join him as he juggles daily life, responsibilities as a freshly minted demon lord, and his growing family of monster girls and pets!
Pens Down, Swords Up: Throw Your Studies to the Wind!
The third son of a viscount, Allen Rovene has hated studying since the day he was born. And no wonder—after suddenly regaining the memories of his past life at the age of twelve, he realizes he spent the entirety of his previous life hunched over a desk, studying like a studyholic! Reborn into his dream world of swords and magic, he’s determined to make the most of his second chance by ditching the books and living a carefree, unburdened life—until he realizes the path to freedom has a detour in the form of the most renowned school in the kingdom: the Royal Knight and Mage Academy of Yugria. To become the magic-wielding, sword-swinging adventurer of his dreams, Allen’s going to have to repurpose his well-honed study skills toward one goal—passing the hellish entrance exams and heading to the Royal Academy!
Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter (Manga)
Exams can be life-changing. Failing one just ended Allen’s promising career at the royal court before it began. Now, to make ends meet, the lowborn sorcerer must help one of the kingdom’s highest-born young ladies pass hers. Duke Howard’s daughter Tina has a brilliant mind, but the prestigious Royal Academy demands magic. Try as she might, she can’t cast a single spell, and her impairment has baffled the kingdom’s finest minds for years. With the all-important entrance exams just three months away, Allen and his unorthodox brand of spellcasting seem like her last hope to realize her dream of learning sorcery in the capital. So why does her father, the duke, want the young tutor to dash her dreams instead?
Out Now
Fleet-Footed Dungeon Delver: Tune in for Magical Girls and Motion Blur
On an alternative Earth filled with fantasy dungeons, Nonomura Nodoka dreams of making it as a dungeon streamer. As one of the world’s superpowered delvers, she braves the dungeons’ depths in search of treasure, glory, and internet fame…whenever she can get her streams to stop crashing. Her luck changes when she saves up-and-coming streamer Hachisuka Subaru from a mutant cerberus, and Subaru discovers that Nodoka moves too fast for cameras to capture. With Subaru’s savvy showmanship and Nodoka’s ridiculous speed, the two form an unlikely team. Now these two girls are racing to the big leagues hand in hand—and leaving their competition in the dust!
Being Famous Is NEET! Going Sister-Rank on Livestream
Suzuta Maya is a bright and cheery high school girl who also happens to be a streamer signed with a talent agency. But she’s not the protagonist of this story. That honor belongs to her older brother, Jin—an unemployed loafer who may love his little sister a little too much, but whose heart is always in the right place. So when Maya goes to the dungeon to stream her battles, Jin happily serves as both cameraman and security guard. Everything changes when a trap sends Maya straight into an encounter with a deadly S-rank monster. Jin steps in without a second thought, unaware that his incredible feat has just been broadcast live to the world. Suddenly on the fast track to becoming a streaming sensation, Jin is about to discover what surprises await him in a modern world with a magical twist.
Crybaby Love Song
For high school saxophonist Kodai, music was always his escape. Or it was, until a devastating anxiety attack onstage cost his band a competition. Now forced to confront his mother’s remarriage with no way out, he finds himself with a new family and a new stepbrother, the gloomy and withdrawn Fuyuki. Yet beneath that intimidating exterior lies a gentle, guitar-loving soul. As Fuyuki helps Kodai overcome his fear of performing, gratitude deepens into something far deeper—and far more complicated. But when it comes time for Kodai to help Fuyuki face the trauma that silenced his own music, will their bond strike a powerful new chord or will it collapse beneath the pressure?
Middle-Aged and Mid No More: Rising in Ranks over Drinks with an Elite Priest
At thirty-two, veteran tank Rondo Glass is known as Forever Silver, a worn-down adventurer with a tarnished badge, patched-up gear, and no party left to call his own. But after one night of drunken misery leads him to Lydia Claystia, a legendary Adamantite Rank priest buckling under impossible expectations, Rondo finds himself dragged back toward the dream he’d all but abandoned. Between monster hordes and assassins, new friends and old, and the Guild’s dreams of dragon slaying, Rondo will have every lesson from his fifteen years in the field put to the test. He may not be the strongest adventurer around, but he knows one thing better than anyone: how to protect the people who count on him. Silver Rank or not, Rondo’s second chance starts now!
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
Former child actor turned struggling idol Eiri is on the verge of being fired from his agency when he’s handpicked by Shoui, a perfectionist photographer whose model is treated as nothing less—and nothing more—than his muse. As this generation’s muse, Eiri knows that Shoui will sleep with him if he asks, but that won’t melt the icy walls around the notoriously distant genius’s heart. Determined not to fall too deeply in love, Eiri suppresses his feelings for over a decade…until the day a new muse appears. Now Eiri must choose which fear he’s willing to face: potentially being rejected, or losing his only shot before he even has a chance.
Déjà Vute: Betrayal Begets New Beginnings
“Did you really think he loved you?” On the verge of death, Freesia learns the soul-crushing truth: her fiancé, Vute, has betrayed her. Her beloved younger sister, Kalmia, has yet again taken something precious from her. Then Freesia opens her eyes and finds herself two years in the past. With a second chance at life, she resolves to cast aside everything Kalmia once stole from her—her engagement, the people who abandoned her, and the life that led to her ruin. This time, she’ll live on her own terms. There is just one problem. For some reason, Vute refuses to let go of their betrothal, and little by little, Freesia finds herself backed into a corner…
Elegance in Exile: From Alchemy to Luxury with My Ardent Knight
Raised to be the perfect consort to the crown prince, Anrietta Augustia’s careful plans for the future come crashing down when her fiancé publicly breaks off their engagement, calling her a foul witch and exiling her from the kingdom. For a sheltered daughter of a duke like Anrietta, it’s essentially a death sentence…but fate has one more twist in store. The crown prince’s dramatics awaken something buried deep within her: memories of her past life as a mighty sorceress, along with a powerful gift waiting to be used. With her newfound knowledge and power, Anrietta decides to set out and start anew. First, though, she’ll need a servant—one who will never betray her the way those she trusted did in this life…or the last.
Fraudulent Fiancés
Twenty-year-old Ebato Aoi has hit rock bottom. Out of school since his early teens, unable to keep a job or a girlfriend, and scraping by on crash-for-cash scams, he’s headed nowhere fast. Then he picks the wrong mark: the absurdly handsome CEO riding in an absurdly expensive car, Inami Takane. Given the choice between jail time and becoming Inami’s fake boyfriend, Aoi takes the obvious option. But he soon realizes that serving time might have been easier to handle than playing boyfriend to a prickly, arrogant CEO…
Keep Me Close: Finding My Home in You
When Claudia’s father passes away, she’s convinced she’ll never find happiness again. Forced to work as a servant in her own home rather than inherit the family business, she’s ridiculed and tormented by her stepmother and sister day in and day out. To make matters worse, she’s falsely accused of a crime she didn’t commit, stripped of her noble status, and banished to the farthest reaches of the kingdom. There, she’s prepared for a life of hardship living with Duke Julius Graz—a man so cruel that it earned him the moniker of the “unmelting ice sculpture.” But the cold and heartless man Claudia expected to meet is nowhere to be found. Instead, he welcomes her with warmth in food, new clothes, and kindness she thought she’d never again receive. With Julius on her side, Claudia works to overcome the wounds of her past and find the confidence to clear her name. And maybe, just maybe, find a new home where she can truly belong.
Grinding My Way to a Happy Ending: If Only My OP Big Bro Didn’t Make Things So (Sister) Complex!
Former office worker Reine is delighted to be reincarnated into an otome game as the beautiful protagonist Renee Wainwright. Or she was, until she realizes the game was notorious for hiding its romance routes behind a grueling grind. Worse still, she’s at the very bottom of the academy’s social ladder and on the verge of expulsion, all while she doesn’t even have the protagonist’s memories as aid. Fortunately, Renee’s tough previous life has sharpened her resolve. Armed with an iron will, she’s determined to climb the ranks, win over one of the love interests, and rewrite her fate. If only her elite and estranged older brother would stop inserting himself into every corner of his “amnesiac” sister’s life! Can Renee beat the odds and claw her way to the top? And what is that her brother seems to be hiding?
An Otaku Prince Finds Love in Akiba
A love story that crosses nations and status between the otaku prince and the game developer who stole his heart. Charmed by the poignant simplicity of an indie game called Hanabi, Alphonse Eklund, fifth prince of Edihara, knows he has to meet the Japanese developer behind his favorite game. It has no quests or battles, only a small sparkler that burns down to nothing. Against his father’s better judgment, he moves to Japan to do exactly that. But Akito, the game’s sole creator, turns out to be an anxious university student who has no faith in his work. Bewildered at first, Alphonse soon becomes determined to make Akito see his creations’ true worth. Concealing his royal identity, Alphonse starts visiting the café where Akito works, closing the distance between them little by little. The closer they grow, the harder it is to keep his heart—and his hands—to himself.
Source: J-Novel Club Anime NYC Industry Panel