During J-Novel Club’s November livestream, the publisher announced five new light novel series and two new manga series, including The Apothecary Diaries, The Ideal Sponger Life, In My Friend’s Little Sister Has It In for Me!, Are You Okay With a Slightly Older Girlfriend?, She’s the Cutest… But We’re Just Friends!, Der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight ~Origins~! (manga), and Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! (manga)! The first two parts of The Apothecary Diaries and The Ideal Sponger Life have launched today on J-Novel Club’s website, and the first chapter of Der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight ~Origins~! and Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! will launch next week. J-Novel Club has provided further details below:

(SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – November 13, 2020)J-Novel Club LLC is excited to announce the acquisition of five new light novel titles and two new manga titles following their latest announcement livestream held on November 13, 2020, on Twitch. Two brand-new light novel series were announced to have digital launches immediately, and the two manga series will debut the following week.

Maomao lives happily with her apothecary father—until she’s kidnapped and sold into service in the palace. Can she find a quiet life, or will her powers of deduction and insatiable curiosity bring her ever more adventures, and ever more dangers? The period mystery series The Apothecary Diaries by Natsu Hyuuga will be launching today on J-Novel Club with two parts to read.

When an office worker finds himself in a tropical world where dinosaurs roam, the last thing he expects is a marriage proposal from a beautiful queen. Her offer? A life of carefree luxury in exchange for an heir. But is everything really as it seems? Tsunehiko Watanabe’s The Ideal Sponger Life magical and political light novel series will be starting today with two parts at launch!

In My Friend’s Little Sister Has It In for Me!, Akiteru thinks that “teasing equals love” is all nonsense. Doesn’t it make more sense to be nice? Unfortunately for Akiteru, if he’s right, it just means every girl he interacts with absolutely hates him. And if he’s wrong…? This high school romantic comedy series by Ghost Mikawa will be coming to J-Novel Club!

15-year-old Momota Kaoru falls in love at first sight when he meets a girl in a high school uniform on the train. They start dating, but it turns out she’s actually 27! Can Momota navigate the 12-year age gap and date the girl who captured his heart? We’re ecstatic to bring Kota Nozomi’s Are You Okay With a Slightly Older Girlfriend? to J-Novel Club readers!

High schooler Kai Nakamura gives his all to otaku hobbies, and his best friend in the whole world is his super-hot classmate, Jun Miyakawa. Love is fleeting, but friendship is forever in this “just friends” rom-com filled with flirty fun! She’s the Cutest… But We’re Just Friends! by Akamitsu Awamura will be joining J-Novel Club’s catalog!

Another popular manga adaptation comes to J-Novel Club with Der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight ~Origins~! Veight was reincarnated as a werewolf mage, and is now the Vice-Commander of the Demon Lord’s third regiment. His task to capture and hold a remote commercial city causes him endless hardship as he tries to keep the peace between human and demonkind! Chapter 1 will be ready to read on J-Novel Club next week!

Our final new series is a familiar one! We’re elated to announce that the manga adaptation of Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! will be heading to J-Novel Club! On an evening like any other, Kazuhiro dreams that he is exploring an ancient ruin with an elf friend of his. Except their investigation comes to a halt with a dragon’s fiery breath! Waking up from his dream, he finds those dreams may not be as imaginary as he thought! Join Kazuhiro and his elf friend on new adventures, this time in Japan! Readers can enjoy the series next week when Chapter 1 is released.

J-Novel Club Membership is only $4.50 a month for an annual membership and gives you a new chapter a week from more than 50 ongoing series, including Invaders of the Rokujouma!?, Ascendance of a Bookworm, Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles, In Another World With My Smartphone, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, and many more!

Announced New Series:


The Apothecary Diaries by Natsu Hyuuga with Illustrations by Touko Shino

薬屋のひとりごと

In the East is a land ruled by an emperor, whose consorts and serving women live in a sprawling complex known as the hougong, the rear palace. Maomao, an unassuming girl raised in an unassuming town by her apothecary father, never imagined the rear palace would have anything to do with her—until she was kidnapped and sold into service there.

Though she looks ordinary, Maomao has a quick wit, a sharp mind, and an extensive knowledge of medicine. That’s her secret, until she encounters a resident of the palace at least as perceptive as she is: the head eunuch, Jinshi. He sees through Maomao’s façade and makes her a lady-in-waiting to none other than the Emperor’s favorite consort… so she can taste the lady’s food for poison!

Launching today with Parts 1 and 2!

The Ideal Sponger Life by Tsunehiko Watanabe with Illustrations by Jyuu Ayakura

理想のヒモ生活

Yamai Zenjirou is your everyday office worker in modern Japan. One morning, he suddenly finds himself summoned to a tropical world where dinosaurs roam the land. He is told that this is the kingdom of Capua and the person who summoned him – its monarch, Queen Aura – wants him to marry her and leave his old life behind for a life of carefree extravagance as her prince consort. The reasons for her offer are many and varied, but she needs an heir, and she wants him to be the one to provide it!

If he accepts, he’ll never have to work again, lazing around in luxury with no worries other than securing the kingdom its next monarch. Certainly, sleeping with the buxom beauty is far from a hardship, but is everything really as it seems? He’ll also need to give up everything he knows on Earth. Is he ready to drop it all at a moment’s notice for her sake? And how well will he be able to navigate the politics, people and culture of this new world if he does?

Launching today with Parts 1 and 2!

My Friend’s Little Sister Has It In for Me! by Ghost Mikawa with Illustrations by tomari

友達の妹が俺にだけウザい

If a girl teases you, that means she likes you!

Unfortunately, Akiteru knows from experience that isn’t the case. Because every girl he interacts with shows him nothing but scorn, and he’s not scored a single date from it! Luckily, he’s more concerned with securing a spot for him and his game-development buddies at his uncle’s business. But when his uncle throws him a condition that involves playing the part of his daughter’s boyfriend, Akiteru has no choice but to take it.

What will his best friend’s sister Iroha, who bullies him relentlessly, think of the news? Find out in My Friend’s Little Sister Has It in for Me!

Are You Okay With a Slightly Older Girlfriend? by Kota Nozomi with Illustrations by Meruchi Nanase

ちょっぴり年上でも彼女にしてくれますか?

First-year highschool student Momota Kaoru just saved a beautiful highschool girl, Orihara Hime, from a train molester. One thing leads to another, and they end up going on a date! They have a lot in common: they both love video games, they both jam to their favorite songs on mixtapes, they were even both born in the Year of the Snake.

Except… Orihara’s first game console used cartridges… and her old mixtapes are all on MiniDisc… and, oh, her birthday is actually 12 years before Momota’s!

When her secret comes out, she thinks it must all be over… but will Momota really let something like a little age gap get in the way of his love for Orihara? Find out if love really can transcend generations in this sugar-sweet romantic comedy!

She’s the Cutest… But We’re Just Friends! by Akamitsu Awamura with Illustrations by mmu

俺の女友達が最高に可愛い。

Kai Nakamura has the average range of otaku hobbies for a high school boy, but the buddy he shares them with is far from ordinary… Kai’s best friend in the whole world is Jun Miyakawa, his classmate known as a super hottie.

Though Kai and Jun just met when they enrolled in high school, they hit it off with passion for all the same hobbies! When they’re together, the pair never have enough hours in the day. Kai and Jun can’t get enough of each other’s company as they chat about video games and manga or sing anime songs at karaoke.

Love is fleeting, but friendship is forever in this “just friends” rom-com filled with flirty fun!

Der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight ~Origins~ (Manga) by Yuuchi Kosumi

Original Novel by Hyougetsu

人狼への転生、魔王の副官 ~はじまりの章~

Veight was reincarnated as a werewolf mage, and is now the Vice-Commander of the Demon Lord’s third regiment. His task seemed simple: capture and hold a remote commercial city. But the tension caused by mankind and demonfolk coexisting is the source of endless conflict. As a former human himself, he’ll need to leverage his ability to understand both sides in order to work with the human viceroy and maintain order!

Launching next week!

Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! (Manga) by Shimo Aono Original Novel by Makishima Suzuki

日本へようこそエルフさん。

Kazuhiro has one hobby, sleeping. His career and social life come second. Since his youth, he’s spent his nights dreaming of adventures in a wondrous world. On an evening like any other, he heads out to explore an ancient ruin with an elf friend of his. Their investigations soon get put to an end when they are doused with a dragon’s fiery breath. Waking up from his dream, he finds those dreams may not be as imaginary as he thought! Join Kazuhiro and his elf friend on new adventures, this time in Japan!

Launching next week!


ABOUT J-NOVEL CLUB

J-Novel Club is a digital publishing company started by translators and fans like you! By focusing on digital releases and providing a membership service to let people read our books as they are being translated, our goal is to build a growing community of light novel and manga readers so that more and more releases can be officially licensed and translated. J-Novel Club has published over 500 volumes of light novels and manga since 2016.

About The Author Varun Gupta

Varun Gupta is a BI Engineer that works in the entertainment industry. Throughout his entire life, Varun has had an immense love of animation and comics. An obsessive manga collector, he spends his free time attempting to read through his massive backlog of series, hoping to one day finish them all. Will he succeed in his perilous quest? Probably not, but at least he’s having fun doing it!

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