So, I just looked at the series stats, and 12 of the top 15 are all novels. I'm sure there have been threads about this that I just haven't seen so I'm sorry if this is a common topic, but I'm just curious as to what is going on.
When did this whole progression towards novels start? I've always known that they were a thing, but it seems like more people are translating them and people seem to really like them. Maybe I just haven't been paying great attention but it seems like this whole trend has only really started to blow up over like the last 6 months or so.
How many people are now reading just as many novels as manga? What does this mean for the manga scanlation community in general? Is this just a fad or is this the new normal?
I personally haven't really tried to start reading most of these just because it hasn't really interested me, but if anyone has suggestions as to which ones are particularly good I'm down to give some a try. BTW I'm totally not trying to talk shit or paint this in a negative light.
I really just want to know what other people (who have probably been paying better attention to the scene than me) think about this trend.
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The Rise of Novels
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1:18 pm, Feb 4 2015
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Hi!
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2:18 pm, Feb 4 2015
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It started around the time that the Mangas based on the novels started being made. The common themes are reincarnation, transported to Another World, and virtual reality gamers.
If you want a good reincarnation and transported to another world one try mushoku tensei, if You want a good virtual reality one try ark or legendary moonlight sculptor.
Otherwise just look through the the tags "reincarnation", "transported to another world", and "virtual reality " and then pair them with novel as the book type.
BTW I don't recommend the manga for mushoku tensei it's missing a lot of important plot points and makes the protagonist seem even worse than he already is.
Once you get into this story type feel free to message me at any time to ask for suggestions
Last edited by oGaga at 5:22 pm, Feb 4 2015
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If you want a good reincarnation and transported to another world one try mushoku tensei, if You want a good virtual reality one try ark or legendary moonlight sculptor.
Otherwise just look through the the tags "reincarnation", "transported to another world", and "virtual reality " and then pair them with novel as the book type.
BTW I don't recommend the manga for mushoku tensei it's missing a lot of important plot points and makes the protagonist seem even worse than he already is.
Once you get into this story type feel free to message me at any time to ask for suggestions
Last edited by oGaga at 5:22 pm, Feb 4 2015
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6:50 am, Feb 5 2015
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as for suggestions, I actually get the newest Spice & Wolf (Novel) volume as soon as it comes out and it still is very enjoyable.
like the person above said there are often common themes, and people that enjoy a certain theme will want to look for similar things so it spirals upwards in terms of popularity.
In addition novels tend to have an irregular release schedule, so you will see novels high up in the monthly stats due to sudden influx on site activities, while they tend to fall of over the year.
(though there are also those with a very high release frequency due to short chapters, like tate no yuusha, though I find those are of lesser quality, whether this is because of the original material or rushed translations I can't say)
it should be longer than six months, at least on this site, a lot of things popped up 1-2 years ago, when baka-tsuki became less relevant due to a lot of other groups starting to translate novels.
I think there are not that many people that consume more novels than manga (at least on this site), because manga are just easier to consume. I don't think this has any impact on the manga scanlation community, there are manga scanlation groups and novel scanlation groups, both are relevant and both do their jobs.
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like the person above said there are often common themes, and people that enjoy a certain theme will want to look for similar things so it spirals upwards in terms of popularity.
In addition novels tend to have an irregular release schedule, so you will see novels high up in the monthly stats due to sudden influx on site activities, while they tend to fall of over the year.
(though there are also those with a very high release frequency due to short chapters, like tate no yuusha, though I find those are of lesser quality, whether this is because of the original material or rushed translations I can't say)
it should be longer than six months, at least on this site, a lot of things popped up 1-2 years ago, when baka-tsuki became less relevant due to a lot of other groups starting to translate novels.
I think there are not that many people that consume more novels than manga (at least on this site), because manga are just easier to consume. I don't think this has any impact on the manga scanlation community, there are manga scanlation groups and novel scanlation groups, both are relevant and both do their jobs.
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1:55 pm, Feb 5 2015
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@lorska i agree with you. manga translators and novel translators are usually in different circles. the most determining factor is the translation because compared to manga there are 100 times as many words to translate. your view on manga vs novels ratio is also very good but i'm curious about what you mean by consumption. do you mean that any person can pick up a manga and understand it but novels require visualization and reading comprehension? if that is what you mean then i agree completely.
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2:47 pm, Feb 5 2015
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yes that's part of it. in addition chapters are generally short enough to fit in your schedule anytime but having a lot more text requires more time(management) etc.
also the majority of people has a better image based memory so forgetting something becomes less of a problem
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also the majority of people has a better image based memory so forgetting something becomes less of a problem
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4:48 pm, Feb 5 2015
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4:48 pm, Feb 5 2015
Posts: 41
Well, I can't really answer your question easily. As to why there would be more novels translated now... well, assuming you can get the source text in a .txt document or something, it takes one or two people- someone to translate and someone to edit. Manga scanlations require typesetters, editors, cleaners for the raws, translators, scanners for the raws, QC and proofreaders. It's a big project.
I personally read Boogiepop [aka the OG light novel] when they were being published. I have three, and just got Boogiepop at Dawn [dunno where it is at the moment though]. Other light novels I haven't gotten into yet, but it looks like Hataraku Maou-sama is worth a look-see if you like fantasy and comedy. I enjoyed what little I consumed via the anime anyway.
I personally read Boogiepop [aka the OG light novel] when they were being published. I have three, and just got Boogiepop at Dawn [dunno where it is at the moment though]. Other light novels I haven't gotten into yet, but it looks like Hataraku Maou-sama is worth a look-see if you like fantasy and comedy. I enjoyed what little I consumed via the anime anyway.
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10:21 pm, Feb 5 2015
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true.
is that so? i think i rely on visual memory even when i read text. by that i mean that i visualize everything i read anyways so its like i watched a movie. funnily enough my sound based memory is total crap.
something i've been curious about is do you like the types of themes i listed or are you mostly into slice of life stories?
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is that so? i think i rely on visual memory even when i read text. by that i mean that i visualize everything i read anyways so its like i watched a movie. funnily enough my sound based memory is total crap.
something i've been curious about is do you like the types of themes i listed or are you mostly into slice of life stories?
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5:56 am, Feb 6 2015
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visual memory was the term I was looking for 
yeah, it helps using that part of your memory for written text, but the point is that manga are image based so we can save and access information about characters (looks, personality) faster and more reliable, so when we come back we have most of that information ready again. this doesn't work as well with written text, where you would need to repeat things textually while sometimes even the cover picture or one page of a manga would be enough to refresh your memory.
I am very open in case of novels. I prefer stuff like LMS, S&W, SAO, Gekkou, that long named Maria one but the most important stuff is that it is volume length. I tried Tate no Yuusha and the translation were just not bearable... I just doubt that a short episodic format is something that works well for novels, but preferences...
in most cases I'm a sucker for heart-shaped things though
I also doubt that slice of life works so well with those novels. Basically you could call some of those I listed as such but that would be a bit too much...
manga is just something that is like it was created for episodic stuff, while novels seem to work better with actual things happening.
I also need good translations, that's why I ignore a certain scanlation group that I won't name right here and it becomes even more important with purely text-based novels. I know that each S&W novel so far has at least 1-3 errors that I know of (I remember one instance where they used the wrong name, probably because it wasn't specified in japanese, but because of that the sentence didn't make any sense). BUT the rest is on such a high level that I can deal with it, because it does not break the flow.
So I would say, the requirements for novels are higher for me than for manga.
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yeah, it helps using that part of your memory for written text, but the point is that manga are image based so we can save and access information about characters (looks, personality) faster and more reliable, so when we come back we have most of that information ready again. this doesn't work as well with written text, where you would need to repeat things textually while sometimes even the cover picture or one page of a manga would be enough to refresh your memory.
I am very open in case of novels. I prefer stuff like LMS, S&W, SAO, Gekkou, that long named Maria one but the most important stuff is that it is volume length. I tried Tate no Yuusha and the translation were just not bearable... I just doubt that a short episodic format is something that works well for novels, but preferences...
in most cases I'm a sucker for heart-shaped things though
I also doubt that slice of life works so well with those novels. Basically you could call some of those I listed as such but that would be a bit too much...
manga is just something that is like it was created for episodic stuff, while novels seem to work better with actual things happening.
I also need good translations, that's why I ignore a certain scanlation group that I won't name right here and it becomes even more important with purely text-based novels. I know that each S&W novel so far has at least 1-3 errors that I know of (I remember one instance where they used the wrong name, probably because it wasn't specified in japanese, but because of that the sentence didn't make any sense). BUT the rest is on such a high level that I can deal with it, because it does not break the flow.
So I would say, the requirements for novels are higher for me than for manga.
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3:09 pm, Feb 6 2015
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3:09 pm, Feb 6 2015
Posts: 86
I have mixed feelings about the rise in novels myself. On the one hand I really enjoy reincarnation/fantasy type stories, so its nice to see so many new ones. However, my searches are becoming flooded with mostly novels now. I decided to make a custom list just to put all the novels on that I'm not reading so that I can filter them out of my searches.
Despite the stylistic differences Manga, Manhwa, Manhua, and even English comics are all basically the same type of art form. It would be nice to be able to naturally filter out Novels since, depending on my mood, I may not want them. I also have a filter on my Series Stats page(its a userscript), so I use that to remove Novels (and other things like Yaoi/Yuri) from there.
Has anyone else noticed that a large percentage of them are Harems? I guess that goes along with the wish fulfillment aspect you see in a lot of them? Most of them tend to fit the same basic outline(like oGaga said): average person(usually male) is reincarnated or transported to a fantasy world and now is over powered (even compared to others in the fantasy world). I've also noticed a lot of them seem to be antiheroes. Not necessarily wicked, but certainly not the typical hero. I have included a list of what I am reading below to give you an idea of what my opinions are based off of.
Light novels that I am currently I'm reading:
Divine Protection of Many Gods (Novel)
Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang (Novel)
Isekai Mahou wa Okureteru! (Novel)
Jashin ni Tensei Shitara Haika no Maou-gun ga Sassoku Metsubou Shisou Nandaga, Dousureba Indaro ka (Novel)
Kyuuketsuki ni Natta Kimi wa Eien no Ai wo Hajimeru (Novel)
Sayonara Ryuusei Konnichiwa Jinsei (Novel)
Yomigaeri no Maou (Novel)
Yuusha Party no Kawaii Ko ga Ita no de, Kokuhaku Shite. (Novel)
Manga that I'm reading that are adapted from light novels:
Mushoku Tensei - Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu
Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari
Overlord
Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darou ka
1/2 Prince
Douluo Dalu
E? Heibon Desu yo??
Konjiki no Moji Tsukai - Yuusha Yonin ni Makikomareta Unique Cheat
Log Horizon
Re:Monster
Tsuyokute New Saga
Zhan Long
Kuangshen
Jiang Ye
I have a problem with reading or watching different versions of the same story (same characters/world). I usually don't do it. This is true with anime also. If I read the manga, I don't watch the anime and vice versa. Though I may switch to the novel version of Mushoku Tensei (Novel) since so many people have suggested it.
I highly recommend all of those listed above, though you will find that most of them are variations of the same type of thing.
Last edited by sithkazar at 3:19 pm, Feb 6 2015
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"As through this world you travel, you'll meet some funny men; Some will rob you with a six-gun, and some with a fountain pen." - Woody Guthrie
No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness. - Mary Shelly
Everything happens for a reason and that reason is usually Physics. - Anonymous
Despite the stylistic differences Manga, Manhwa, Manhua, and even English comics are all basically the same type of art form. It would be nice to be able to naturally filter out Novels since, depending on my mood, I may not want them. I also have a filter on my Series Stats page(its a userscript), so I use that to remove Novels (and other things like Yaoi/Yuri) from there.
Has anyone else noticed that a large percentage of them are Harems? I guess that goes along with the wish fulfillment aspect you see in a lot of them? Most of them tend to fit the same basic outline(like oGaga said): average person(usually male) is reincarnated or transported to a fantasy world and now is over powered (even compared to others in the fantasy world). I've also noticed a lot of them seem to be antiheroes. Not necessarily wicked, but certainly not the typical hero. I have included a list of what I am reading below to give you an idea of what my opinions are based off of.
Light novels that I am currently I'm reading:
Divine Protection of Many Gods (Novel)
Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang (Novel)
Isekai Mahou wa Okureteru! (Novel)
Jashin ni Tensei Shitara Haika no Maou-gun ga Sassoku Metsubou Shisou Nandaga, Dousureba Indaro ka (Novel)
Kyuuketsuki ni Natta Kimi wa Eien no Ai wo Hajimeru (Novel)
Sayonara Ryuusei Konnichiwa Jinsei (Novel)
Yomigaeri no Maou (Novel)
Yuusha Party no Kawaii Ko ga Ita no de, Kokuhaku Shite. (Novel)
Manga that I'm reading that are adapted from light novels:
Mushoku Tensei - Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu
Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari
Overlord
Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darou ka
1/2 Prince
Douluo Dalu
E? Heibon Desu yo??
Konjiki no Moji Tsukai - Yuusha Yonin ni Makikomareta Unique Cheat
Log Horizon
Re:Monster
Tsuyokute New Saga
Zhan Long
Kuangshen
Jiang Ye
I have a problem with reading or watching different versions of the same story (same characters/world). I usually don't do it. This is true with anime also. If I read the manga, I don't watch the anime and vice versa. Though I may switch to the novel version of Mushoku Tensei (Novel) since so many people have suggested it.
I highly recommend all of those listed above, though you will find that most of them are variations of the same type of thing.
Last edited by sithkazar at 3:19 pm, Feb 6 2015
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How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." -Winnie The Pooh
"As through this world you travel, you'll meet some funny men; Some will rob you with a six-gun, and some with a fountain pen." - Woody Guthrie
No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness. - Mary Shelly
Everything happens for a reason and that reason is usually Physics. - Anonymous
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8:28 am, Feb 7 2015
Posts: 402
I didn't realize novels were getting so popular in relation to manga, but now that you mention it, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Many manga translators I know are moving into novels. I would guess the reason is that the manga ecosystem is only getting worse (for well known reasons), while the translators are getting better. If I weren't so lazy, I'd do novels too.
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Posts: 6221
The anime for Sword Art Online is probably one of the main contributors to it.
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Member12:19 am, Feb 9 2015
Posts: 1205
I agree with sithkazar to differentiate manga and novel because it's different form of art. I understand that it will take a lot of work to do. This is just my two cents that It would be better to have separate sections for novels, like in series stats where you can have two stats there, one for manga/hwa/hua/eol and the other one is for novels.
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whenever an anime gets made that is based on a novel becomes really popular
ppl go read the novels
when Haruhi exploded into popularity ever1 started reading that messy awful dragged out shit
publishing companies saw the excelent potential in Light novels thanks to haruhi
you just have to have a semi-talented writer
a "good" artist
pay them almost nothing[until they get famous]
success
light novels is the ... that is killing japanese popculture lol
light novels are basically manga that cost less than 10% to produce
and it is way easier to look for writers
oh it was worse 3-4years ago
way worse
it feels like the light novel fase is begining to turn around
IMO
Oreimo is an ok read...i like the art and it is kind of a taboo subject lol
[full metal panic] is an good read ... alot better than the manga and anime adaptations
Maria-sama ga Miteru is a very good series[everyone should read this masterpiece]
ppl go read the novels
when Haruhi exploded into popularity ever1 started reading that messy awful dragged out shit
publishing companies saw the excelent potential in Light novels thanks to haruhi
you just have to have a semi-talented writer
a "good" artist
pay them almost nothing[until they get famous]
success
light novels is the ... that is killing japanese popculture lol
light novels are basically manga that cost less than 10% to produce
and it is way easier to look for writers
oh it was worse 3-4years ago
way worse
it feels like the light novel fase is begining to turn around
IMO
Oreimo is an ok read...i like the art and it is kind of a taboo subject lol
[full metal panic] is an good read ... alot better than the manga and anime adaptations
Maria-sama ga Miteru is a very good series[everyone should read this masterpiece]
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8:54 am, Feb 9 2015
Posts: 112
@Lorska ohh ok. i understand what you mean now 
have you tried Ark (novel)? (sorry I'm just so so in love with this story that i can't sing it praises any more than i already am)
Volume length? sorry if this is a dumb question but do you mean the writing style? as in its written in a style of an actual book rather then a diary or a log of recent events? if so i agree that the daily journal types are exhausting and i myself prefer linear continuous story flow.
i have no idea what group you're referring to but tbh i don't mind not knowing. I've recently noticed that I'm extremely influenced by biased opinions sometimes so I'm trying to avoid absorbing them(not that I'm saying your opinion is biased because i obviously don't know who you're referring to but I'm avoiding almost all strong opinions atm until i can draw my own opinions). please know that i mean no malice when i say this.
I'm rarely disappointed with translation/scanlation groups but when i am its because they've done something that they should be ashamed of. I'm not a selfish person, but sometimes i can't help but to look at some groups' work and wonder how they think it's acceptable. i will not name names but I'm sure you've seen this before.
@sithkazar
yeah we definitely need a update to our search page. we need more options.
yeah wish fulfillment is a huge role in the recent stories. i wouldn't be surprised if half of these new authors woke up in the middle of the night and wrote down what they dreamt about only to modify it and turn it into a story. though i happen to love these new types of stories and the antihero theme is something I've always loved.
I'm reading about 1/3rd of the stories you listed but in the titles you listed that were manga I'm mostly reading their novel counterparts.
i feel the same way about reading/watching different versions of the same story also. only after i got into the anime tokyo ghoul(I'm still only at like episode 7 or 8) did i find out it was based on a manga and oh boy... i felt so weird reading it and comparing it that I'm now sick of it to the point i can't even read it or watch it anymore. that might sound extreme but think of it like this: the stories are sorta like split timelines. i gathered info on the anime and viewed it as the true timeline only to find out it was the split one. i then read the main timeline only to find myself unable to not compare it to the anime and now that I'm at a point where i haven't seen what happened in the anime i feel very lost and I've lost all motivation to continue it.
this i just how i feel on these types of things but i don't think that it'll be bad if you transfer to the novel for mushoku tensei right now. there are only 7 chapters of the manga out atm so if anything just view the manga as a dj group's work to make a summary of some of the events that happened in the first few volumes of the novel. that isn't what it is but using that as a mindset i think that the transition will be a whole lot smoother.
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have you tried Ark (novel)? (sorry I'm just so so in love with this story that i can't sing it praises any more than i already am)
Volume length? sorry if this is a dumb question but do you mean the writing style? as in its written in a style of an actual book rather then a diary or a log of recent events? if so i agree that the daily journal types are exhausting and i myself prefer linear continuous story flow.
i have no idea what group you're referring to but tbh i don't mind not knowing. I've recently noticed that I'm extremely influenced by biased opinions sometimes so I'm trying to avoid absorbing them(not that I'm saying your opinion is biased because i obviously don't know who you're referring to but I'm avoiding almost all strong opinions atm until i can draw my own opinions). please know that i mean no malice when i say this.
I'm rarely disappointed with translation/scanlation groups but when i am its because they've done something that they should be ashamed of. I'm not a selfish person, but sometimes i can't help but to look at some groups' work and wonder how they think it's acceptable. i will not name names but I'm sure you've seen this before.
@sithkazar
yeah we definitely need a update to our search page. we need more options.
yeah wish fulfillment is a huge role in the recent stories. i wouldn't be surprised if half of these new authors woke up in the middle of the night and wrote down what they dreamt about only to modify it and turn it into a story. though i happen to love these new types of stories and the antihero theme is something I've always loved.
I'm reading about 1/3rd of the stories you listed but in the titles you listed that were manga I'm mostly reading their novel counterparts.
i feel the same way about reading/watching different versions of the same story also. only after i got into the anime tokyo ghoul(I'm still only at like episode 7 or 8) did i find out it was based on a manga and oh boy... i felt so weird reading it and comparing it that I'm now sick of it to the point i can't even read it or watch it anymore. that might sound extreme but think of it like this: the stories are sorta like split timelines. i gathered info on the anime and viewed it as the true timeline only to find out it was the split one. i then read the main timeline only to find myself unable to not compare it to the anime and now that I'm at a point where i haven't seen what happened in the anime i feel very lost and I've lost all motivation to continue it.
this i just how i feel on these types of things but i don't think that it'll be bad if you transfer to the novel for mushoku tensei right now. there are only 7 chapters of the manga out atm so if anything just view the manga as a dj group's work to make a summary of some of the events that happened in the first few volumes of the novel. that isn't what it is but using that as a mindset i think that the transition will be a whole lot smoother.
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12:29 pm, Feb 9 2015
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nope, didn't try that yet.
well there are two release options: the first would be releasing a volume (take S&W for example) mostly physical volumes or secondly web releases as short chapters (Tate no Yuusha did this, you can see a lot of chapters there with almost weekly releases). I fail to see the reason for this release format, because longer times between releases and longer releases benefit more coherent plot and style.
haha don't worry no offense taken
yeah I know exactly what you are talking about, there was this scanlation group affiliated with mangafox
I think it was called dragonfly scans(?). their releases were notoriously bad.
@blakraven: funnily enough the whole SAO (novel) readership seems to agree that the anime was shit (at least the first season)
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well there are two release options: the first would be releasing a volume (take S&W for example) mostly physical volumes or secondly web releases as short chapters (Tate no Yuusha did this, you can see a lot of chapters there with almost weekly releases). I fail to see the reason for this release format, because longer times between releases and longer releases benefit more coherent plot and style.
haha don't worry no offense taken
yeah I know exactly what you are talking about, there was this scanlation group affiliated with mangafox
I think it was called dragonfly scans(?). their releases were notoriously bad.
@blakraven: funnily enough the whole SAO (novel) readership seems to agree that the anime was shit (at least the first season)
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