J-Novel Club Announces 14 Manga and Light Novels, Arifureta Audiobook at Anime Expo

J-Novel Club has announced 7 manga licenses and 7 light novel licenses, along with 2 new audiobooks, at Anime Expo 2023. Additionally, the Kadokawa-owned publishing company also announced the “JNC Original Light Novel Contest.” The contest will select original English-written light novels, with a grand prize of $15,000 (USD), runner-up prizes of $1,000 (USD), and a BookWalker Prize of $2,500 USD. Submissions will open in August with a deadline of January 31, 2024. Grand Prize winners will also receive a manga adaptation by Kadokawa, while all prize winners are guaranteed digital publication by J-Novel Club.

And now for the new light novel and manga announcements! You can jump directly to manga announcements.

Knight’s & Magic by Hisago Amazake-no (Story), Kurogi (Illustrations)

Kurata Tsubasa is not your average citizen. Sure, he’s a genius programmer and software engineer, but as far as he’s concerned, his most important trait is that he’s a hardcore mecha nerd. So, what happens when you take that nerd and reincarnate him into a fantastic world of swords and sorcery?

Well, you’d think he’d be disappointed…but this world has magical giant robots! Obviously, Tsubasa—reborn as Ernesti Echevalier—now wants to devote his life entirely to these wondrous pieces of technology. 

But how exactly can young Ernie achieve his ultimate goal of getting his very own mech? He’ll have to rely on his imagination, uninhibited by the common sense of this new world, as well as his extreme dedication and focus! He also might just find help in the form of a rather interesting quirk… (J-Novel Club)

Back to the Battlefield: The Veteran Heroes Return to the Fray! by Kiraku Kishima (Story), peroshi (Illustrations)

The century-long war with demons was finally brought to a close by seven young heroes who slew the demon lord,routed the demon army, and ultimately led humanity to victory. The heroes then went their separate ways, and the land has been at peace for twenty-five long years…until now.

Alan Granger, a former hero, enjoys a quiet life as a commander in the Royal Knights until the day he receives areport that shakes him to his core: the demon army has returned! He immediately knows what he must do—gather his old compatriots and face the demon army once again.

But Alan and his friends are now all in their forties, while the demons are more powerful than ever. Do these veteran heroes have what it takes to leap back onto the battlefield and save the world a second time? (J-Novel Club)

My Magical Career At Court: Living the Dream After My Nightmare Boss Fired Me from the Mages’ Guild! by Shusui Hazuki (Story), necömi (Illustrations)

Magic is everything to Noelle. She loves it so much that she puts up with her horrible job at the Mages’ Guild to practice it. The hours are long, the pay is rock-bottom, and the boss is a nightmare! But as long as she has magic, she can withstand the hardships. At least, until the day she hears these dreaded words: “You’re fired.”

Noelle’s hometown in the outskirts of the kingdom doesn’t offer many alternatives for a career in magic—especially now that she’s been blacklisted from guild work! Just when it seems like all hope is lost, Noelle’s old friend Luke shows up to give her an opportunity she never could have imagined: a job as a royal court magician.

Now Noelle is living the dream, rubbing shoulders with the kingdom’s greatest magicians and showing off her skills. She has a beautiful new workplace and a generous new boss, but how will she cope with intense entrance exams, her marriage-obsessed mother, and the rules of etiquette? What awaits Noelle in her magical new career? (J-Novel Club)

Fiancée No More: The Forsaken Lady, the Prince, and Their Make-Believe Love by Mari Morikawa (Story), Bodax (Illustrations)

Estelle Flozeth is the sister of a countryside earl, and her newfound ability to see others’ emotions through their mana has brought her nothing but trouble! Her life drastically changes one day when her childhood friend and fiancé is swept away from her by the daughter of a capitalist. 

Heartbroken, Estelle attends a ball and winds up meeting Prince Arcrayne, a wicked man who soon finds out about her special power and decides he must have her for himself! To that end, he proposes to her and begins acting like a veritable Prince Charming, pretending he fell in love with her at first sight—a charade that might fool everyone else, but not Estelle and her perceptive powers. Yet in spite of everything,she gradually finds herself drawn to the prince…

Will their make-believe love blossom into the real thing? Find out in this reluctant Cinderella story fraught with political intrigue! (J-Novel Club)

I Want to Escape from Princess Lessons by Izumi Sawano (Story), Miru Yumesaki (Illustrations)

Duchess Leticia Dorman has been betrothed to Crown Prince Clarke since age seven. She was once a rambunctious and free-spirited child, but the strict education she’s receiving to make her a fit future princess has really put a cramp in her lifestyle. 

Her only hope is that the prince might someday take an interest in someone else—so when Clarke shows up to a royal ball with an unknown woman at his side, Lettie is overcome with delight, presuming her dream has come true and her engagement has been broken off!

She wastes no time retreating to an easygoing countryside life, but her newfound peace is cut short when the prince shows up and claims she’s still his fiancée! 

Clarke is determined to win Lettie over and marry her, while Lettie is determined to resist his charms and escape! Who will emerge victorious in this heart-pounding battle of wills? (J-Novel Club)

The Retired Demon of the Maxed-Out Village by Akinosuke Nishiyama (Story), TAa (Illustrations)

After hearing there’s a demon lurking in a village near the border, Albrea, the kingdom’s strongest knight, sets out to slay the monster. 

When she arrives in town, however, she quickly discovers that all is not as it seems. It turns out the humble town of Montt has a lesser-known nickname—the Maxed-Out Village—and the mighty demon is a retired old man! 

Montt is also inhabited by a stew-loving demonic sword that likes to take the form of a young girl, a money-grubbing witch, and a drunken priest known as the Holy Fist… Just what are so many of the kingdom’s greatest defenders doing in such a remote town? (J-Novel Club)

8th Loop for the Win! With Seven Lives’ Worth of XP and the Third Princess’s Appraisal Skill, My Behemoth and I Are Unstoppable by SkyFarm (Story), teffish (Illustrations)

Master swordsman, sage, dragon knight… Remille can’t believe his ears when the princess lists off his possible futures. 

Born to a lesser noble house, he’s never been anything but a low-level adventurer. In fact, he’s lived that same life seven times—always forming an adventuring party with his friends at age fifteen, and always giving his own life to save theirs three years later. But not this time.

The eighth loop is going to be different.

After his most recent death reveals his friends’ treachery, Remille finally takes a different path that leads him to Princess Ciel, wielder of the powerful Eye of Appraisal that can judge anyone’s true potential. Will her wild claims about Remille’s future come to pass? With her guidance, can he really become a great sage or a rider of dragons?

Is the adorable catlike familiar he’s tamed in past lives really a mighty behemoth, the strongest of the magical beasts? And will he really be able to escape the deadly destiny that’s claimed his life seven times already…? (J-Novel Club)

An Archdemon’s (Friend’s) Dilemma: How to Love a Crybaby Knight (Manga) by Momo Futaba (Art), Fuminori Teshima (Story), Hako Itagaki (Character Designs)

Archdemon Zagan hires his unsavory friend, the sorcerer known as Purgatory Barbatos, to guard Archangel Chastille Lillqvist from the shadows. Barbatos takes to watching over the girl—which really means watching her constantly screw things up, trust people she shouldn’t, and inevitably bawlher eyes out. 

But something about Chastille and her waterworks may just have a special effect on the sourpuss sorcerer…The tale of this odd couple begins after the seventh volume of An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride! (J-Novel Club)

I’ll Never Set Foot in That House Again! (Manga) by Jirou Yuuki (Art), Milli-gram (Story), Yukikana (Character Designs)

Chelsea lives at the abusive hands of her mother and younger twin sister’s daily torment. But on her twelfth birthday, the Appraiser Glen visits her father’s barony and tells her she has a never-before-seen Skill—[Seed Creation]! 

Desiring to study this newfound special ability, Chelsea is whisked away to the Royal Research Institute. Her life then drastically improves, from being treated worse than dirt to being presented with her own living quarters and even personal maids! But her sister Margaret isn’t happy with this sudden change at all… (J-Novel Club)

The Conqueror from a Dying Kingdom (Manga) by Muramasa Sabiku (Art), Fudeorca (Story), toi8 (Character Designs)

After a life seemingly devoid of meaning, a man reincarnates in a new world as Yuri Ho. Immersed in novel experiences and embraced by parents who shower him with unprecedented affection, his will to live grows like never before. 

The future that lies before him is a peaceful existence on his father’s ranch, breeding and raising birds to be ridden by warriors fighting distant wars. His new home, the Shiyalta Kingdom, has enjoyed peace and prosperity for centuries, shielded by friendly nations that, like Shiyalta itself, were established following the collapse of a once-great empire. It seems no threat can compromise this idyllic lifestyle.

However, when the effects of a neighboring kingdom’s war throw Yuri’s family into crisis, he finds himself unable to stand by and watch. (J-Novel Club)

Hell Mode: The Hardcore Gamer Dominates in Another World with Garbage Balancing (Manga) by Tetta Enji (Art), Hamuo (Story), Mo (Character Designs)

Kenichi Yamada, a single, 35-year-old businessman, has spent the majority of his adult life playing every MMORPG to hit the market. 

Tired of the constant cycle of repetitive, newbie-centric gameplay, he is immediately drawn in by the promise of a new game that, on top of being never-ending, offers up a “Hell Mode”—a difficulty level that makes it nigh impossible to level up but also promises uncapped growth potential.

Upon selecting the newly released Summoner class, Kenichi finds himself reborn as Allen, an infant in a serf family, with nothing but his wits and old memories to guide him.

Allen works diligently to level himself up despite Hell Mode requiring vast amounts of experience between levels. In doing so, he hopes to uncover the secrets the Summoner class holds. All the while, he dedicates himself to freeing his new family from serfdom. (J-Novel Club)

My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer (Manga) by Kyu Urushibara (Art), MOJIKAKIYA (Story), toi8 (Character Designs)

Retired adventurer Belgrieve thought he was done with excitement…but his peaceful life is upended when he discovers a baby abandoned in the nearby woods. 

As her adoptive father, he teaches his new daughter Angeline everything he knows about the adventuring life—a past he had thought long forgotten after he lost his leg in battle.

Angeline idolizes her father and wants to follow in his footsteps, so she leaves home for the big city. As the years pass, she ascends the ranks, eventually becoming renowned as an S-Rank adventurer: the Black-Haired Valkyrie. 

But it turns out that being the best comes with its own struggles, and she can barely catch her breath between battling fiends. With everyone turning to her for rescue, can Ange get out ahead of each new disaster and finally reunite with her beloved dad? (J-Novel Club)

This Art Club Has a Problem! by Imigimuru

Hi, my name is Usami Mizuki. I’m a second year member of the art club at Tsukumori Junior High, and I need to vent: this club has a problem! Why the heck isn’t anyone besides me taking this seriously?! The club president doesn’t do anything but sleep all the time, Cole-chan never even shows up, and Uchimaki-kun—oh, don’t get me started on him. All he does is draw and obsess over his “2D waifus.” What is this, the manga club?! Hmph, whatever. Not like I care. Sigh. He’s talented enough to win awards with a little effort—but uhm, don’t…don’t tell him I said that, though… Agh! Just how am I supposed to keep this club going?! Help me! (J-Novel Club)

The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects: Tales of Blue Dias and the Beastkin Alna (Manga) by Yumbo (Art), Fuurou (Story), Kinta (Character Designs)

After decades of war, Dias returns home as a hero and is rewarded with his own domain. When he arrives at his new lands, however, they turn out to be little more than endless grassy plains without even a single subject.

Literally put out to pasture, Dias is stumped as to how to live any life other than a soldier’s. But when a horned girl named Alna crosses his path, Dias takes his first steps to being the lord of a not-so-empty frontier. (J-Novel Club)

Ascendance of a Bookworm (Audiobook)

A certain college girl who’s loved books ever since she was a little girl dies in an accident and is reborn in another world she knows nothing about. 

She is now Myne, the sickly five-year-old daughter of a poor soldier. To make things worse, the world she’s been reborn in has a very low literacy rate and books mostly don’t exist. She’d have to pay an enormous amount of money to buy one. 

Produced by J-Novel Club with recording done by Sound Cadence Studios! Narrated by Reba Buhr, the English VA of Myne!

Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest (Audiobook)

Seventeen-year-old Hajime Nagumo is your average, everyday otaku. However, his simple life of pulling all-nighters and sleeping in school is suddenly turned upside down when he, along with the rest of his class, is summoned to a fantasy world! They’re treated like heroes and tasked with the duty of saving the human race from utter extinction.

But what should have been any otaku’s wet dream quickly turns into Hajime’s nightmare. While the rest of his class are blessed with godlike powers, Hajime’s job, Synergist, only has a single transmutation skill. Ridiculed and bullied by his classmates for being weak, he soon finds himself in despair.

Will he be able to survive in this dangerous world of monsters and demons with only a glorified blacksmith’s level of strength?
Produced by J-Novel Club with recording being done by Sound Cadence Studios.

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Source: Anime Expo 2023