Authors to see in Champion in 2020.

2020 has began and I have written various articles recently, mainly because I really want to write something everyday to practice and improve my writing.

So here is another post going back to champion after leaving it for a few posts.

Haitani Otoya -

Does it make sense for an author with a cancelled series to return within a year? It does, in fact he returned to the magazine in the space of a few weeks with a one-shot and a few weeks later with a short series. It is not too far off to expect him to return in 2020 again with something new.

He is a talented author, through Junior there was improvement in the panelling which made it easier to read and it also took quite a while for an actual match which might have hampered its chances. His other one-shots showcased different ways he could develop in his stories next. His first Ninja one-shot had a darker ambience and a a slight change in style fit well in a story with a dark undertone.

His short story, Jinx, also showed a lot more promise as it again a sport story of martial arts fight but it with a darker story. Not only was the action so much better in terms of panelling but the story just had more to it than Junior but it ended somewhat unsatisfactory because it did feel like it did not close out the whole but a part of it, it was of course tough to do this in just 3 chapters but this might just ambition in the face of the possibility of this becoming a proper series. It is this sign of improvement and his quick return from cancellation that leads to me that it he will appear in the pages of champion sometime in 2020.

Takumi Watanuki -

A two time winner in Next Champion with a clear development in his art being shown in his latest one-shot that won the grand prize this time. Story wise, it is hard to judge since they both had rather basic stories. Basic does not mean bad after all its a one-shot and usually being easy to understand and focusing on a single theme to built on. In series, this is not necessarily always the case but I do think most series that fail in my experience try to do too many things at once and end up doing everything poorly. I do not know if he will get a series in 2020 but I do believe he might pop up with a one-shot or a short series, it is his goal to get a series after the last one-shot and thats what he is gunning for and I wish him good luck.

Isekai effects on the LN market and its spill over into Anime and Manga

Just to clarify by Isekai, i refer to series with any sort of character that is taken to another world be it by dying or being transported or any other method. I do know that other world is not necessarily a new setting as it has featured in classics like Alice in Wonderland but I am referring specifically to the Japanese web novel phenomenon of Isekai. This phenomenon had in particular clear repercussions on the light novels but also the manga and the anime market.

This phenomenon initially started from various small sites like Shousetsuka ni Narou where people published their own stories but soon Isekai stories stood out and became the most read works. More stories in the genre started appearing and they became basically the main genre of the site. Publishers noticed the potential market for this genre and decided to publish in print these once free available web novels, usually the story was had a few changes or another but it was still the same story most of the time.

The light novel market being essentially being like any other market of entertainment it follows trends. At the time it was the trend for school battle harem series like Infinite Stratos and many series authors and publishers obviously pumped out stories within that genre, bearing in mind that the Light Novel market is not as big as manga or anime but it tends to try an appeal anime otaku. The smaller size means that target audience has to a certain extent similar tastes and at the same time it does not allow for a broad variation of the market in particular niches. In manga, you see various niche apart from the general mainstream in the form of magazines like Comic Beam that deal with subject matter and shows things would not necessarily be in the main stream. I am not saying there are not any niche light novels in the market, there are an Novels 0 a label for more adult centric stories is an expansion of exactly that but it fits the scale of light novel market.

This is important because the light novel version of web novels became hits and other publishers followed along to a level that some of the smaller publisher have under their labels mostly Isekai works. Of course, after it would often have various chapters of the story online already and after the publishing deal was complete, the story would be taken down. But since the story often had large parts of it written already, volumes could be published at a faster pace. So not only was it was showing results in sales but a story that was was a popular web novel was also a lot safer investment because it already had an audience, than an original story, so the publishers drifted to it in droves.

In particular, for me this had downgraded the quality of light novels, after all the large amount of interests drove publishers to get deal even for not the top popular stuff. These web novels can also range from good to very poor and I must say a lot of poor stuff has been published. Good stuff has too but there is only a so much and the problem this caused was that it hampered original novels. This is why I believe the LN market has degraded in quality after all it was not only in past that there many classics light novel series from various genres though similar in visual novel, anime like story but there was more variation in terms of what the story was. Isekai has largely destroyed even if it is a broad enough genre to allow for wriggle room in the way the story goes but in the end, the vast majority develops in similarly.

However, how does all this spills over to manga, well Light novels usually receive manga adaptions, a movement probably started by manga publisher and light novel publishers like Kadokawa. Likewise, the popular isekai novels usually also became popular manga and it spread and even smaller publishers that dealt mainly with Light novels are now publishing manga through online services and release tankoubons. It has not effect negatively the manga scene in particular but it is just really a phenomenon that caught on and spread to other mediums albeit similar, manga adaptations of light novels are not necessarily new after all but they seem to me to have reached a new level. One case in particular is the manga adaptation of That Time I got reincarnated as a Slime which was so successful and with the help of the anime managed to figure in top 10 best selling manga series of 2019. This leads to the repercussion this movement had in the anime industry.

Of course, the popularity of these works led to interests in animating them and in natural course of action many isekai anime started popping up recently and with many more still upcoming. Not all of them are successful but there were big hits like Konosuba, Overlord, That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime and of course this gave a push for other adaptions some of which failed and some that are still yet to air but one thing is for sure the journey these series had from web novels freely available in the internet to light novel, manga and anime is incredible even if it had a negative impact on the light novel industry. 

Favourite Series of 2019 -

I have written about various series here and I will try to avoid listing them again here even if they might be one of my favourites for the year. I thought about only including series that actually began in 2019 but my range of manga reading is only so far and I could not think of many. Therefore, this will include various series that I enjoyed reading in 2019 regardless of the year they began or their status.

Neko ga Nishi Mukya - 

Yuki Urushibara, the mind behind Mushishi, latest work which is currently appearing in the pages of Afternoon. Its manga with all the creative of Mushishi with the comfort of Hitoshi Ashinano works. It is similarly to Mushishi for most of the time episodic but unlike Mushishi it has a goal which is for the main female character to return to normal but that will eventually happen when she feels in herself like it. 

What is mesmerising from this series is the way it makes you feel comfortable in a way that mirrors series from Hitoshi Ashinano like Kotonoba Drive and many others. In a way that is more Urushibara's like there is an episodic story in each chapter that usually does not involve the main characters but they are called in to sort out but at times the solution is reached by themselves in order they are more involved and handle it in various ways. 

I personally enjoy this series because it provides me this comfortable atmosphere as well as episodic stories that deal with real human troubles, like the crossroads we face or how we might feel a pity disguises as arrogance or  how we need to let things ago as everything is transient. These are embedded into the stories not in an obvious way but in a way that the reader can understand without being told and reflect, but this has always been the case for Urushibara works.  She excels at this and I recommend any of her works if this is something you are interested in. 

The series is not officially translated yet, but there are unofficial translations available on mangadex by the group Hi wa Mata Noboru. 

Ao no Shima to Neko Ippiki - 

One of the various fascinating traits of Japan is large array of islands. In this series, the main characters moves to one of those islands outside the main 4 largest islands. It is a slice of life as the mc moves back to this place that he left and it is rather soothing this series. The main character has been hinted to returned possibly to take his mind of some personal issue and the series is most focused on his daily life with the daughter of his senpai, who is absent, and her cat. It is yet another mystery but the series does not delve too much into these but instead gives hints that the reader can build upon on.  The art is not sensational but it beautifully illustrates the landscape of the island whilst the story provides the reader with what life would be like in this island. 

Hakumei to Mikochi - 

The little life in the woods in incredibly fascinating to follow. It is a manga of their daily life obviously displaying exciting events rather than just their day to day life. It is not neccesarily a manga that has a goal or any plot that it is building up. In fact, I would say the story is largely aimless and for me that is fine after all if is a series focused on the life of these two in this tiny world then I could not see anything more aimless then life itself. After all, we just seek self preservation with comfort until death, there is no plot or fantastical story in life. It this why i find this the perfect slice of life series because not only it really shows life but a comfortable yet exciting life in the tiny world of Hakumei and Mikochi that I am always looking to see expanded. 

WSC decade

At the turn of the last decade, WSC had just commemorated its 40th anniversary with various projects and had found what would be its biggest hit of the century - Yowamushi Pedal. It was a decent end to the last decade which put the hurdle at a rather high level for the start of the following decade.

In highschools there was the football in Angel Voice, Samejima in his path to the world of sumo in Bachi Bachi as well as the heated road racing in Yowamushi Pedal. At the same time in Clover, it was time for fishing and punching, Nanba DeadEnd was equally about punching but also gags. In Mitsudomoe, the three sisters were at heart of crazy middle school hijinks and Squid Girl attempt to take over the world went less than smoothly. In 2010, there would be more fighting added to the magazine with Sugarless but also the guardian of hell Cerberis would make an appearance.

In 2011, it was the time for jail time with Prisoner Riku, Soon, the one dose of Saint Seiya was not enough and the arrival of The Lost Canvas would cover the frequent absent of Next Dimension. 2011 would also be the end of Nanba's fight. And the sky went grey with Sora ga Haiiro Daikara as Cerberis was also put to bed.

Zombies would awaken in 2012 in Bio Hazard manga adaption. Dokaben and Bachi Bachi said goodbye and left and but returned before they were missed with Dokaben Dream Tournament and Bachi Bachi Burst respectively. Versus Earth brought aliens and a fight for survival whilst Meitantei Mani bought about various different eccentric cases.

Lies and cute supernatural monsters showed up in Jitsu wa Watashi wa in 2013. In Shin Garouden, there was martial arts galore in contrast to the show of stupidity in Ikkinkonbo Z The weather went mad in Utten Kekkou and the artists of tinplate showed up to play baseball.

Baki decided to take a path his own in Baki Dou, at the same moment Utten Kekkou fizzled out   whilst volley balls were pumped in Harigane Service but the ones in Angel Voice were put back in the closet. Instead of fists it was time for swords to be lifted in Kurotora as Shin Garouden was put to rest. Bachi Bachi Burst rebranded to Samejima, Saigo no Juugonichi in its last instalment whilst Meitantei Mani retired. However, a new group of girls detective emerged to replaced her in Kyodai - Shoujo Tantei to Yuurei Keikan no Kaiki Jikenbo, whilst the stupidity in Ikkinbonzo Z migrated to Gmen.

The judo club was shut down in Uchikomi because the zombies had returned in Bio Hazard.  The swords returned to the sheaths in Kurotora and instead the racket was picked up by the boys over at Shonen Racket. The vampire appeared but died in no time, and the robots and humans met in AI no Idenshi to sort out their problems.

The bad girls were let out in Rokudou no Onnatachi, and the animals became humans in Beastars. In addition the mystery club avoided disbandment in Atsumare! Fushigi Kenkyuubu.

In Biohazard, the zombie apocalypse had ended as well as the trouble of AI and humans in Ai no Idenshi. The boys gathered the balls ands put down the racket down in Shonen Racket. In Himawari the delinquents became idols and the girls become magical girls in Magical Girl Site.

He had a dream to become a mangaka in Weekly Shonen Hachi. Finally, Prisoner Riku was no longer a prisoner. Urayasu became quieter with the end of Maido! Urayasu Tekkin Kazoku but there was not enough time to rest as Kotetsu and his troupe returned in Appare! Urayasu Tekkin Kazoku. The ball and boots were let out and the swords were unsheathed in Junior and Akatora. Baki Dou cahnged to Baki Dou and the girls revived the Judo club in 'Ippon' Again.  The Serve in Harigane Service was not enough and it returned with an Ace in Harigane Service Ace. The ink ran out for Hachi and the dream was over in 2018.

It was Ashigei that took one step to start  of the 50th anniversary celebration. Guriko did his worst in Worst Gaiden Guriko by fighting and Junior retired early and Akatora lost its edge.  Dragon, fox and many other goddesses of all types as well as tits showed up in Dorakon, whilst the criminal was let loose in Toubousha Elio. It was up to Shy to capture and fight the criminals as well as the heart.