A new way to read light novels has now come to the West. Shogakukan, one of Japan’s biggest publishing houses, has launched its new digital novel service, NOVELOUS. Currently, the service includes over 80 multi-genre titles such as Shouji Gato & Range Murata’s Cop Craft: Dragnet Mirage Reloaded and Yume Mizusawa & Ayumu Kasuga’s Gonna be the Twin-Tail!! and Yomi Hirasaka & Kantoku’s Salad Bowl of Eccentrics. The app and website allow users to rate and give their impressions of the different titles. The vertical scrolling stories also include character bubbles to indicate which character is talking.
How NOVELOUS Works
The app currently grants users ‘short-term’ access via free coins that they can receive as log-in bonuses, view recommended content or third-party advertisements, and receive bonuses for issues with paid coins. Users gain long-term access to titles in their catalog exclusively through paid coins purchased. When viewing content, free coins are used before paid ones. Users cannot transfer paid coins between their Android and iOS accounts. Uninstalling the app will lead to free coins expiring. Of note is that the service uses the Mantra’s AI-assisted translation program.
The Future of NOVELOUS
Shogakukan stated that the service will add additional titles to its roster in the coming months. They also stated that their app welcomes titles from external publishers. NOVELOUS plans to include Western titles in the future. There are current plans for competitions that would allow authors in Canada and the US to have their work featured on the service.
Notable Titles
Some of the current titles on NOVELOUS include:
- Arata Shinbanba’s No More Than Fifteen Light-Years Away
- Kitarou Nijimoto’s I’m a Total Failure After Reincarnating, But I’ve Got a Fluffy Harem
- Joyo Nishi’s Suspense in Summer
- Hirotaka Akagi’s Second Summer, Never See You Again
- Suzume Inuki’s We Killed Santa Claus and Then Kissed
- Yuba Mochizaki’s My Ex-Girlfriend with Benefits
Source: NOVELOUS Website
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