I started reading the second volume today and I would say the difficulty rating is actually deserved. At the very least, it is on par with other things I have read at that level.
That being said, since there’s such a heavy focus on fighting, it’s very easy to plow through (for me at least; the thing that slows me the most when reading is day dreaming about the future developments of character relations… not much of that while fighting)
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Okay; since 2/3 of folks said they didn’t care and 1/3 would like the extra time to order physical copies, we’ll go ahead with this scehdule:
Which means that nominations are officially open for advertisement! There are currently seven slots open for nominations!
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I have one I’d want to nominate, but I dunno if anyone would be interested in it. (Those familiar w me might be unsurprised to learn that it’s 2.43.) It’s sports, which it doesn’t look like anyone else has nominated, and not a particularly popular one besides; the clubs over on WK specifically want more popular books. Also the tankoubon ed is 1 vol but the bunko ed is 2, and I dunno how that’d work with this club
(for some reason I often seem to get more into things that are less popular than things that are more popular, but then I still naturally want to share them…)
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I’d say there’s no better way to gauge interest than to nominate! We don’t really have any real requirements for nominations at the moment, and I at least always appreciate seeing variety in the nominations. As good as I’m sure 本好き is, it’s pretty old hat by this point.
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Heads up
It’s a nomination from @Biblio , first volume 99 yen.
Unsure when the promo ends, but might want to add them just in case.
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I’m a bit surprised that there are more 文庫 volumes; I’m usually familiar with 文庫 combining 2+ 単行本 volumes. Did you flip them accidentally? Earlier in your write-up you say
Nope, the 単行本 have bigger pages so there are fewer of them. The 文庫本 are smaller and thinner but have more pages (just less text on each)
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How are there more 文庫 books then? Is the 単行本 version a reprint with the larger book size?
Edit: wait, maybe my source of confusion is manga. I think I’m used to seeing 単行本 being the “standard” release for a manga, while the 文庫 version is advertised as a collection of multiple 単行本, whereas it’s going to be opposite here, no? I haven’t actually dealt with many LN collection reprints, whatever you want to call them, so I’m guessing it’s a terminology mix-up on my end.
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The 単行本 is the original, published 30 Jul 2013. It was later split into two 文庫 volumes, published 25 Mar 2015 and 25 Apr 2015 respectively
Not all 単行本 get split when they get rereleased as 文庫, but it doesn’t seem to be uncommon (at least, さいとう高校 also did the same with the first novel)
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is basically the equivalent to hardcover with 文庫 being mass market paperback.
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Okay, gotcha, that makes sense. Sorry for the confusion! That opposite 文庫 meaning just threw me there for a minute. 
Yeah; my normal brain is cool with that, but for some reason it tried to insert the manga publishing version of things and just threw me off.
So cough @enbyboiwonder, just to be clear, is your nomination proposing we read the 単行本 or 文庫 version of the book?
Wait, just ignore me. They’re the same. 
Sorry, didn’t realize I was apparently this distracted while reading through your post…
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Reader’s preference, since the content’s the same, though I guess default 文庫 since that’s what the digital version is made from. I have both editions so I’ve got the page numbers for both at hand if it’s necessary. The chapters are each split into multiple numbered and titled subchapters which makes things easier as well
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Okay, I’ve got it listed in the nomination table! Thanks for your patience! 
Man, I wish I had enough space there to list genres or something; we’re slowly getting a nice variety of choices.
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I get the impression most light novels publish straight to 文庫, which would make this one a bit unusual in having a 単行本 also, right?
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I have no idea. I discovered that the anime was adapted from a book series from a post that called them light novels, so I’ve been operating under the assumption that that’s what they are. Probably doesn’t help that I don’t really understand what the difference between light novels and regular novels is…
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I don’t think anyone really does. :\
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The characters are teenagers (in middle school in the beginning, though for most of the story in high school) and it feels pretty similar to a YA in English, so that doesn’t seem to go against what LNs generally are?
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Nah, I would say that’s sounds like a safe bet for an LN. I guess just in general the dividing line can be pretty blurry. There was some discussion on it some time back here, but no satisfactory conclusion iirc.
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Plus it’s a multi-book series (as opposed to standalone or a 上/中/下 split), which I think tends to often feel LN-ish. On the other hand, the publisher didn’t publish this under a specifically “light novel” imprint, so if you follow a hard-line “defined by the publisher” definition it wouldn’t fit (demonstrating why strict rule based genre definitions don’t work). Shueisha do have light novel imprints, and a lot of the author’s other work is under the definitely-LN 電撃文庫 (different publisher, that’s Kadokawa), but presumably Shueisha’s marketing department thought the books merited a release under their main imprint (or there was a particular editor that really liked the author and that’s where they happened to be, maybe).
Idle musings about publisher choices aside, it definitely sounds like an LN to me.
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Yes, I was also looking at info available through the publisher and they are pushing hard the line of “this is not a light novel”, calling it a スポーツ小説 instead.
Literally everyone else on the internet seems to be calling it a light novel, though, so, whatever.
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