Haruhi novels offically coming to the USA… in 2009

17 April 2008 at 22:26 | In Light Novels, News Tidbits |
Tags: suzumiya haruhi no yuuutsu

Hooray for fan translations.

The manga is on its way… About time the novels got licensed for release.

Little, Brown Gets Haruhi Light Novels in English
posted on 2008-04-17 18:59 EDT

The Publishers Weekly trade periodical reports that Little, Brown Books for Young Readers will publish Nagaru Tanigawa’s Haruhi Suzumiya light novels in English starting in April of 2009. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is the first of the nine volumes, and the main inspiration for anime series of the same name. Little, Brown Books acquired the series from Kadokawa Shoten in a joint venture with Yen Press, who also revealed today that it will be publishing the manga version of the novels in North America. (Both companies are imprints of Hachette Book Group USA.) The first novel volume will be released in a US$8.99 trade paperback version and a US$16.99 hardcover version. 4.5 million novel copies and 1.5 million manga copies have been sold in Japan.

The story revolves around a weird but beautiful girl named Haruhi Suzumiya who convinces (or drags) several of her high school mates into joining a club that explores extraordinary phenomena and other hi-jinks.

I am surprised it took this damn long to get those licensed over here. Shakugan no Shana, Full Metal Panic, Scrapped Princess, Welcome to the NHK, and other light novels have been out for some time now, yet the well-greased machine that is Haruhi only gets announced now. A bit surprising considering that the series first aired in Japan 2 years ago and was first released on DVD here in the USA almost 1 year ago. What surprises me the most is that volume 1 will not be out until April 2009. Was there licensing troubles? Do Americans just not like to read? Was Haruhi not popular enough here to get those novels over sooner? I am excited they are coming over (hardbound editions no less), but my Haruhi level of interest is nowhere near what it was in 2006 or even a year ago.

I guess in the meantime I can go back and read all the novels again. Well, anyone can. Translations have been floating around for a long time. I would recommend that instead, considering how long light novels take to get released here. The Dissociation of Suzumiya Haruhi (Volume 9) probably won’t be seen officially bound in English until 2015–if we are lucky. By then we should have hoverboards and the Cubs will be beaten by Miami in the World Series.

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I imagine the length of time it took to license the novels, much like with the anime, was the fierce war fought over licensing rights.

Many fell. Yen Press apparently stands victorious.

Comment by ShadowRift — 17 April 2008 #
I wonder if my interest for anything haruhi will still exist by then. by then i might think as highly of Haruhi as i do EVA, Bleach or Death Note (which isn’t a lot anymore…

Comment by Dancing Queen — 17 April 2008 #
No point in this I guess. I’ll be in Japan most likely by this time. :/

Comment by Koji Oe — 18 April 2008 #
Did they ever finish Scrapped Princess? Because I’m still waiting so I can buy the whole thing at once….

Comment by Hei — 21 April 2008 #
I can’t wait to read them! I hear the books are even better than the anime.

Comment by NPC — 04 May 2008 #
well, I’m happy to see this and hopefully the second season will have started so I can at least see myself still being interested in the series. I just wish they where already out. I have a long summer of work ahead and nothing really to read right now.

Comment by emoninja — 06 May 2008 #
@emoninja: Translations for all 9 novels have been available for a long time now. I went through them last year during some boring summer days.

Comment by deftoned — 06 May 2008 #