One of Yen Press's representatives has just confirmed on the Anime on DVD boards that they not only have the Haruhi Suzumiya manga, which will be coming out in Autumn 2008, but that they have also licensed the light novels.

The novels will be released in partnership with Little Brown's Young Readers imprint, and should start to come out in the Spring of 2009. Little Brown is calling the series of novels 'Hannah Montana Meets Heroes', and has high hopes for the series.

Now come on, put those pitchforks down...

I think that's actually a very good thing, marketing wise. Too many manga/light novel publishers have been selling to the sort of people that read manga, not realizing that they a) don't read novels, and b) don't want to read novels of mangas they've already read. The Hannah Montana line above is pure marketing, and shows to me that Yen and LB are actually planning to market this series to NON-OTAKU. Which is great, and might mean it actually sells something, as opposed to the usual 3-novels-and-then-cancelled Tokyopop approach. (Speaking of which, TP finally confirmed that they lost the rights to Kino no Tabi because of their fuckup of Vol. 1. It's dead, Jim.)

I wish Yen and Little Brown the best of luck, and hope the translation and adaptation of the novels is well done. I'm not expecting honorifics, but unedited and not changing the names to US students will suit me fine. Yen generally doesn't edit its manga, and says the Haruhi manga will be unedited, so there shouldn't be problems.

Damn, pretty nice birthday present, too. :)

It's an interesting question, especially as we know almost nothing about the season. We don't even know how many episodes it will be, or if there will be another anime-original episode. We can guess thought, that it will likely be 14 episodes again, and mostly from the books.

So, what will be adapted?

DEFINITELY:

1) Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody (short story, Book 3). The one early short story they left out of the first series, this is pivotal in explaining both backstory for the entire series, and also setting up the 4th book. Speaking of which...

2-7) The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (novel, Book 4). Like the first novel, this one will probably take 6 episodes. It's exciting, action-packed, reveals a lot about Yuki and Mikuru, and has some of the best Kyon bits ever. It will be a keeper.

8-9) Snow Mountain Syndrome (novella, Book 5). The counterpart to Lone Island Syndrome, this takes place at Tsuruya's winter lodge. The story is intriguing, but not particularly action-packed (this is a story solved with math, after all). However, it does obliquely introduce a new villain, and also has big Tsuruya revelations, so I suspect will need to be animated.

That's 9 episodes out of a possible 13-14. What else might be there?

POSSIBLY:

Endless Eight (short story, Book 5). It's a fun, well-told short story, and could easily be done in one episode. It's also self-contained, so unlike Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody, could be skipped if necessary.

Charmed at First Sight LOVER (short story, Book 6). Has a brief mention of Kyon's middle school days, which will be very important when they animate Books 9 and 10, but they won't be doing that this season. It's also a good Yuki-centric episode, and Yuki is very popular.

Where Did The Cat Go? (short story, Book 6). If they do Snow Mountain Syndrome, this could very easily make it a 3-parter. It takes place right after that story, still at Tsuruya's winter resort. It also features Shamisen, and would give Kyon's sister more to do.

The Melancholy of Asahina Mikuru (short story, Book 6). This would give the show a Mikuru focused ep to go with Charmed At First Sight LOVER's Yuki focus. It also ties in nicely with Book 7, but that can easily be glossed over.

UNLIKELY:

The Sighs of Haruhi Suzumiya (novel, Book 2). The only way I could see this is if the show went a full 24-26. And even then, I suspect they'd use Book 7 instead. This novel is the making of The Adventures of Asahina Mikuru Episode 00, and does explain the weird stuff in the movie, including Shamisen talking. The explanation is fairly obvious, though (hint: it's Haruhi), and the book is the weakest of the novels to date, with Haruhi at her most appalling.

IF THERE ARE 24-26 EPISODES:

The Intrigues of Haruhi Suzumiya (novel, Book 7). The lightest of the novels, this one goes heavy on the time travel, helps to set some stuff up for Books 9 and 10,　and has a very cute ending. They could make this 5 eps probably, it's not as complex as the others, despite the time travel.

Editor in Chief*Straight Ahead (novella, Book 8). Introduces a major character, has a second one return in a surprising new role, and allows for participation from most of the minor cast, as well as the leads. The one drawback is its reliance on written stories.

Wandering Shadow (novella, Book 8). This doesn't really tie into anything, but is cute. Might be cut down to fit a one-episode slot.


I really doubt we'll get any of Book 9, especially as 10's not out yet, and they're a 2-parter.

Eeeee, anticipation. :)