When Light Novel Titles Started to get so Long

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Link to the article about GenreCodeLover's study on this phenomenon, but as it relates to Japanese titles:
www.otaquest.com/light-novel-...
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#lightnovels #worldendwhatdoyoudoattheendoftheworldareyoubusywillyousaveus

[@RedBardIsCool]

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[@Alyx_Muffinton]

Red Bard have any lightnovel/manga recommendations?

[@z2514]

Alexandermuffinton I do. what kind of genre do you like?

[@RedBardIsCool]

There's recommendations when you click the link! :D

[@Alyx_Muffinton]

Dan Ramirez I prefer to read novels/manga that make fun of basic tropes or just a simple full of fun action manga

[@z2514]

Alexandermuffinton I think of the classic Suzumiya Haruhi and kids are coming in today another world aren't they? that helpful?

[@DAngeloWallace]

you should have named this video "SentenceLength! How Long Are You Making Your LIght Novel Titles, Are They Growing, Will You Change Yours?"

[@IsaUrameshi]

The king was once here😳🙇🏾‍♀️🙇🏾‍♀️

[@masureii]

oh hey look who’s here 👑

[@piercecampbell-casey5718]

Hollywoo Stars and Celebrities: What Do They Know? Do They Know Things? Let's Find Out!

[@kiricappuchin]

THAT ABBREVIATION THINGY FOR “SentenceLength!” IS SO ACCURATE LMAO

[@imjustaguycalledsano]

D'angelo

[@phlaryx7145]

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Light Novel

[@SpinyPuffs]

That NEEDS to be a parody!

[@leninthebeaniesouhacker.2459]

that time i got slaved by my food, gold retriever, SAAAAVE MEEEEE!

[@Bluecho4]

Watch, _someone_ is either going to write that, or is currently pitching the manuscript to publishers.

[@silentkiller2mm]

*in another world.

[@MinhLe-cf5nt]

0/10 not long enough

[@kendradehnert8786]

Should have called the video "I'm So Fascinated with the Length of Light Novel Titles, So I Decided to Make an Entire Video Documenting Their Expanding Length Over Time"

[@scottrauch1261]

The light novel.

[@builder5008]

Manga coming soon

[@frenchfriesfan2005]

@@builder5008 Anime coming out when Part 9 gets animated

[@otaking3582]

Don't worry about KZbin's title length restrictions, it'll be funnier if it's suddenly cut off

[@TecDax]

You forgot to put "in another world" in there somewhere.

[@JeevesAnthrozaurUS]

That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Bee: According To All Known Laws Of Aviation There Is No Way A Bee Should Be Able To Fly. Its Wings Are Too Small To Get Its Fat Little Body Off The Ground. The Bee, Of Course, Flies Anyway Because Bees Don't Care What Humans Think Is Impossible Vol. 7

[@okutann]

2/10, did not copy the entire script

[@AeKos]

Except they don't violate any laws since they fly in a different manner than airplanes. They create mini hurricanes that lift them up by moving their wings back and forth not up and down. Popular misconception...

[@AeKos]

They respect the current laws of aviation...

[@turkicnomad5632]

Jeeves Anthrozaur as good as this is, I was really expecting the full script.

[@claqyagami6914]

@@AeKos it's one of those holdovers from before the laws of physics and aerodynamics were fully understood. The "today i found out" channel had a vid about it.

[@silentkiller2mm]

"The time I accidentally joined the French foreign legion and was airdropped over Afghanistan, subsequently killed and reincarnated as a killer bunny in a Monty Python sketch."

[@AlejandroRodolfoMendez]

funny enough there is a similar one to that but with hamster soldiers

[@man1699]

@@AlejandroRodolfoMendez Name please!

[@AlejandroRodolfoMendez]

@@man1699 I don't remember, I just find the name while I was searching for anime in the batch of anime news network, it is in cg and it is hard-core

[@AlejandroRodolfoMendez]

@@man1699 I think I found it, it is called apocalypse meow, and also called cat shit one. It is an unfinished anime based on a Manga. Maybe are hamsters but looks like rabbits

[@ZonaGreenTea]

ludwig title

[@overlookers]

*_That October 4th When Red Bard Told Me Why The Titles of Japanese Light Novels Have Become So Ridiculously Long:_*_ I Mean Give Me A Break!! What's Going On Here?!!_

[@AlejandroRodolfoMendez]

Sir we are from ufotable, we want to make an Anime of this thing

[@overlookers]

@@AlejandroRodolfoMendez B-bakana?!!

[@AlejandroRodolfoMendez]

@@overlookers i wish it would not be just a joke

[@kyokokirigiri100]

lmfaooooo

[@lrgogo1517]

This one feels the most accurate

[@ceropuntocinco]

"Now, this is a story all about how my life got flipped-turned upside down, and I'd like to take a minute just sit right there I'll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel Air"

[@megahedgehog2039]

ceropuntocinco in West Philadelphia born and raised, on the playground where I spent most of my days, chilling out maxin' relaxin' all cool, when a couple of guys, they were up to no good, started makin trouble in my neighborhood, so I got into one little fight and my mom got scared and she said "you're moving with your uncle and auntie in Bell air"

[@ramsey276]

Okay, titles of first two volumes... WHEN IS THE ANIME COM8NG COMING OUT???

[@colors__official31]

remember me

[@lukefloor]

@@megahedgehog2039 I begged and pleaded with her day after day But she packed my suit case and sent me on my way She gave me a kiss and then she gave me my ticket. I put my Walkman on and said, 'I might as well kick it'.

[@robin.8868]

“The Hero and his Elf-bride Open a Pizza Parlor in Another World” will never not be funny to me.

[@DiegoRaistlin]

ah, i see you are a man of culture

[@zackrose6261]

Wait, is this an actual thing?

[@DiegoRaistlin]

@@zackrose6261 it is

[@zackrose6261]

@@DiegoRaistlin Welp, time to check it out. :3

[@zackrose6261]

@@DiegoRaistlin Struck and killed by a delivery bike, When will there be a isekai death that tops Kazuma's death by shock. XD

[@MVPerry]

I can't wait to read "Remember that time when all the light novels suddenly got really long titles?" Vol 1.

[@eye_parasite]

Hi MVPerry❤

[@thesandman78]

Oh cool.

[@daychild_]

Oh didn’t expect to see you here lol

[@parkchimmin7913]

Here’s my favorite light novel title: “I’m the Main Character of A Harem Anime, But I’m Gay So Everyday is Hell”. Edit: Never mind, it’s a manga ;u;

[@DecimusYna]

Park ChimMin I thought it was a manga lol.

[@parkchimmin7913]

DecimusYna I had to google it to double check. Yeah, it’s a manga.

[@revival9313]

That title reminds me of, "Why Did I, the MC of Gal Game Jump into a World of Yuri Comic?"

[@parkchimmin7913]

Revival Ooh, I might read that

[@mesousagaby740]

A one-shot, sadly.

[@orbusg8451]

That Time I Looked At My Personal Library Of Books And Most Of Them Were Isekai Light Novels By Coincidence So I Made A Bunch Of Excuses

[@Psychodegu]

if that were a real title it would have like three !!! at the end.

[@normielegion1949]

*In another world*

[@panglima]

Ha ha (;;;・_・)

[@therecruitking1623]

Exactly me lol i own 4 light novel series and all of them are Isekai

[@rodrigo3732]

I always thought it was some weird inside joke between the writers.

[@handsomebrick]

I thought it caught on because people like long titles ironically.

[@strayorion2031]

Just like the lick between jazz musicians

[@phir9255]

I never though anything about it. What's so bad about long titles?

[@ah.neat.408]

@@phir9255 A long title can be good, but compared to shorter titles, can be a lot more difficult to remember. There are instances of them working, but if it's not a memorable one, it won't work and no one will remember the title of your book.

[@starduststriker8792]

@@ah.neat.408 I do think the ironic appeal of just saying "Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander The Dungeon" may actually improve sales because you just know some weird bullshit is going down between those pages

[@soulfur1031]

Everybody knows it REALLY started with the best light novel of them all: Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space (and the Subsequent Assault of the Equally Evil Lunchroom Zombie Nerds)

[@izofdoors4913]

Holy fuck I forgot that the series had those long titles lmao

[@alexanderchapman6529]

Man, that brings back memories.

[@JohnThems]

My favorite light novel title is "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"

[@corvuscorax9028]

that light novel also have good anime adaptation

[@handsomebrick]

"I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream," "The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart Of The World," "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale," "Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance," "A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court," "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations," "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," "And To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street," "Don't Stand Too Close To A Naked Man," "Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Midnight Visitor," "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest," "So Long And Thanks For All The Fish."

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

"Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" "The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain" "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension" "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" "How to Write Ten Different Best Sellers Now in Your Spare Time and Become the First Author on Your Block Unless There's an Author Already Living on Your Block" "Play the Piano Drunk Like a Percussion Instrument Until the Fingers Begin to Bleed a Bit"

[@angela_merkeI]

Is this some joke or does the novel actually have a light novel adaptation?

[@LostInNumbers]

"How to Behave Badly in Elizabethan England: A Guide for Knaves, Fools, Harlots, Cuckolds, Drunkards, Liars, Thieves, and Braggarts"

[@RariettyC]

I think it's because so many light novels have started as web novels rather than being immediately published as books, at least over the past few years (Sword Art Online, Konosuba, Re:Zero, Overlord... the list goes on, all started as web novels). Even if the "title replacing the blurb on the back of a book's cover" theory is incorrect, I would be willing to bet that a flashy stand-out long title does a lot more to convince casual web novel readers who are quickly scrolling down a list of stories to choose a certain web novel over anything else, especially if that web novel is trying to compete with dozens of other free web novels with similar plotlines. Trying a web novel because the title is crazy and you have nothing to lose is a lot different than choosing a book that you'll have to pay out of your wallet for. Long titles may also help draw clicks from search engines without having to crowd a blurb with keywords.

[@bilibiliism]

As a web novel creator, I totally agree. Thats it. When readers scrolling down a list of novels, what they only see are usually title and a picture. So we gotta be little bit clickbaity on those two things.

[@ankhun7553]

This is the main reasoning I see from Japanese sources. I believe the original popular JP webnovel aggregate had a poor tagging system and only showed the summary after click through, so writers would make the summary the title to stand out more. Even after these problems were addressed, the trend of summary-as-titles had already caught on.

[@Statusinator]

Which makes me wonder, why aren't more stories renamed during the transition from web- to light novel?

[@ElectronicSiliviy]

@@Statusinator likely for brand recognition, I'd guess. If a web title is popular enough to get a published version, the publisher almost certainly wants to use that built-in fanbase from the web version to boost sales. If you change the title, you'd lose a fair amount of those fans because they don't realize the series is the same as the one online. (In fact, they might be turned off by the title change because they assume this "new" thing is just a rip off, or if they connect the dots and hate it just because of taste/"they changed it now it sucks" attitudes.) But that's just a theory.

[@Argentocoxos]

This hypothesis makes a lot of sense to me.

[@FF3LockeZ]

I Still Don't Know The Entire Name Of The Light Novel I Read That Day

[@FarukAFeres]

The Novel Itself Is Shorter Than The Title

[@hyakki5287]

ngl i’d read that light novel

[@whawhawhawhaaaa]

Don't disrespect Anohana like that

[@D_YellowMadness]

I'm Her, She's Me, & We Don't Each Other's Name or Location But We Don't Ask Because It Would Spoil the Twist

[@basedturu2320]

why i feel this the title

[@savagex378]

That time an old man sent me back in time where I met my parents and now I have to make sure they don't break up or I'll disappear forever while also trying to figure out how to get back to the future!

[@DerKork]

You mean "That one time when an old man showed me his fabulous time machine with an experiment involving his beloved dog Einstein and got murdered by lybian terrorist while escaped into the past where I met my parents and my mom fell in love with me instead of my dad and now I have to make certain they get their romantic relationship going or I will disappear while also figuring out a way to return to my original time" or are you talking of a different time travel story?

[@TheShuckmeister]

Had to squeeze JoJo into the intro some how

[@seacatdefunky]

the god of jojo memes

[@RedBardIsCool]

I do what I can lol

[@DecimusYna]

Of course lol.

[@raikoedgymoto]

@@seacatdefunky that would be ScrubForHire

[@Azrielfiend]

And that 4 mista

[@ElPsychoDog]

The Isekai genre has become noticeably over-saturated especially the past year alone in terms of anime adaptations. To the point where people might become burnt out and cause the genre to crash.

[@kpopfan246]

You are correct. Why is it always an RPG world? It's getting too old, and the little quirks writers put in to make their story stand out ain't helping.

[@Mochitachi70]

Most of the Isekai anime adaptations announced for 2020 are second (or third) seasons of very successful series (Re:Zero, Shield Hero...), so I'm sure the trend will eventually die in this new decade, just like any other YA literature trend does (anyone still remembers the countless Twilight or Hunger Games rip-offs?).

[@raisingwings2913]

The mecha genre had that problem too, so did the magical genre

[@silentkiller2mm]

@@raisingwings2913 It might take some (long) while until Isekai crashes (though it will probably be popular for years after that), yet I already wonder what might come next? It probably won't just pop up as a new genre but rather already exists right now and isn't necessarily that small.

[@BygoneT]

@@Mochitachi70 Anime is promotional. The purpose of a LN or Manga isn't to get an anime. Anime exists to boost sales of the original, but every now and then you get anime good enough people WANT the anime more than the text. Re:Zero is one of those. Shield hero smashed here because of the relatively fresh execution (despite being almost in the first pioneers of the genre!), and revenge plot. It actually degrades over time, people don't know it yet. The Japanese don't think it's that good if you research a bit. Here in the west we're sometimes more sensitive to repetitive models. I'm gonna have to disagree, entertainment doesn't work like fashion and trends. Since the very inception of magical girls, Japan hasn't stopped demanding more. Madoka Magica is literally the No. 1 anime in Japan, and there are still countless Mahou Shoujo flavoured shows out there. You're just not noticing. When something is not mainstream anymore, it doesn't die in entertainment. It becomes a niche and keeps living because niche genre fans are die hard compared to mainstream followers.

[@Troublethecat]

This is reminding me of Homestuck and the joke about Alternian Troll movie titles basically consisting of a summary of the entire movie.

[@kirstenc6221]

Troublethecat It wasn’t a joke, it was a prophecy

[@Xamitra]

I was just thinking the same hahaha

[@DecimusYna]

Xamitra A man of culture, I see.

[@jaskiran3434]

Dude I *just* finished Homestuck and that was one of the first things I thought of afterwards

[@theermac6024]

I want a light novel with this title: "Y'all want a long title? Here is a godddamn long title! There you have it! Are you satisfied? Great! There you have it. By the way, this is a comedy."

[@Psychodegu]

I would read that if it was like set in the writing club at Cromartie High.

[@handsomebrick]

@@theepicpeguin good idea for a song parody of "let's spend the night together"

[@LutraLovegood]

@@Psychodegu If it's as funny as the original I'd read anything set in Cromartie High

[@jessemartin7718]

I'm tired, so tired of being reincarnated. Let this nerd rest in piece please.

[@Statusinator]

That's a good title. Is that novel any good?

[@jessemartin7718]

@@Statusinator derivative but charming. worth a read if you like old school dating sims and don't need an interesting protag

[@rehnhuang1529]

"A Tired Isekai Protagonist Realizes His True Path Should Have Been Pursuing Nirvana All Along" vol. 1

[@littleoreo7717]

Hey you should make one. I'm feeling a sense of satire on isekai genre.

[@AlejandroRodolfoMendez]

Is this a zombie?

[@Screwy]

Summertime High School: A Young Man’s Notes-How a New Exchange Student Like Myself Ran Into His Childhood Friend On The School Tour, Then For Some Reason Became Super-Popular With The Girls For His Daily Scoops On The School Photography Club Even Though He Only Takes Panty Shots, And What He Thinks As He Goes On Dates During His Summer Of Island School Life.

[@Diwasho]

Somewhere out there a highly dedicated geek can recite this title by heart. Wherever you are, I salute you.

[@megahedgehog2039]

Screwy isn't that an absurdly long PS4 game title

[@cyanryann64]

Yep this is real

[@Tirocoa]

Sounds like Danganronpa 2

[@bepisthescienceman4202]

You know a title is to long when I give up on reading it

[@ViviSectia]

The theory I've seen that seems the most plausible is that it's due to most of those light novels starting as web novels first. Having your title be a synopsis means people instantly know what your novel is about so they're more likely to click. A standard title would mean the title and the cover art has to be eye catching enough for people to want to click and find out what your novel is about whereas synopsis titles skip that step.

[@phoenixfritzinger9185]

They’re not titles they’re headlines And clickbait ones at that

[@LutraLovegood]

And I wish some writers took note because dear lord some people don't know how to write a blurb or a title and "Daniel's trip to the grocery store" does nothing to interest me when I'm looking at a dozen other stories that also want my attention and are also tagged with "grocery store"

[@Aqua_Xenossia]

I’m rather thankful this trend hasn’t really spread to games, because “That Time I Entered The World Warrior Tournament With My Non-Mastered Ansatsuken Skills and Made My Way Up the Ranks to the God of Muay Thai and Almost Lost Until I Rose Up and Performed the Metsu Shoryuken and Scarred Him Heavily” would really be....yeah. Isekai LNs are basically a blight, since they’ve been the biggest offenders.

[@Shadeius]

But "I Woke Up on a Cart Heading to My Execution but I Was Rescued by a Big World-Ending Dragon Which Led to Freedom to Choose My Adventure as I Wanted in This Fantasy World, and I Mastered Shouting Really Hard Along the Way" was one of the better games in 2011.

[@manuelredgrave8348]

@@Shadeius "That time i woke up in a blocky world and created/enslaved several cities in the name of progress and self satisfaction" is my favorite game from 2009 onwards

[@verbulent_flow6229]

I think the best game of all time definitely is "In 1960, I end up going to a terrible underwater city and fight mutants and an Ayn Rand wannabe".

[@Andy-hz2ef]

Rena Lanford Still more tolerable then half the unoriginal bogus Shounen anime pull off.

[@davidallendominden4948]

"I'm gonna control a whole tribe of eye people by using drums in order to defeat monsters to save the world"

[@sockpuppett9300]

Behold my light novel : According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way a bee should be able to fly. Its wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground. The bee, of course, flies anyway because bees don't care what humans think is impossible. Yellow, black. Yellow, black. Yellow, black. Yellow, black. Ooh, black and yellow! Let's shake it up a little. Barry! Breakfast is ready! Ooming! Hang on a second. Hello? - Barry? - Adam? - Oan you believe this is happening? - I can't. I'll pick you up. Looking sharp. Use the stairs. Your father paid good money for those. Sorry. I'm excited. Here's the graduate. We're very proud of you, son. A perfect report card, all B's. Very proud. Ma! I got a thing going here. - You got lint on your fuzz. - Ow! That's me! - Wave to us! We'll be in row 118,000. - Bye! Barry, I told you, stop flying in the house! - Hey, Adam. - Hey, Barry. - Is that fuzz gel? - A little. Special day, graduation. Never thought I'd make it. Three days grade school, three days high school.

[@ruikirisame1744]

... you win this time

[@refraggedbean]

0/10 not enough of the script

[@mrcat4508]

Its too short

[@sockpuppett9300]

Like ya d* ck lol יוסף סטרימלינג

[@sockpuppett9300]

Kat Holloway alas 😭

[@BewbsOP]

"Do you love your mom and her two hit multi-target attacks?" Uh... Excuse me? Are we sure that's not some kind of creepy hentai?

[@alessandrocavicchioli7557]

Technically no It is nicknamed milfsekai, tho.

[@atlasdgen]

@@alessandrocavicchioli7557 the plots amazing though

[@Fillyourdarksoilwithlight]

@@alessandrocavicchioli7557 I've also heard it be called Okaa-san online

[@AlejandroRodolfoMendez]

Oka-san online has to get some secret plot like a mother trying to get the son away from online gaming, but yes even that sounds creepy is a good Anime. A weird one

[@useraccount333]

10:38 "Bird That Carries You Over A Disproportionately Small Gap" sounds like a light novel itself.

[@samuelgarza2466]

“Can You Really Call This A Hotel, I Didn't Receive A Mint On My Pillow Or Anything” would be a much better light novel title.

[@Torakosama]

at that point, that's a 2000s Fall Out Boy song.

[@ACBlackJ0ck]

Should have titled this: An Essay In Audio And Visual Form For The Online Audience From The Whole Entire World To Watch Describing The Incredibly Long Length Of Literary Title Lengths By Authors From That Certain Country In East Asia And Giving A Numerical Number To The Amount Of English Words To Them.

[@copperfield42]

sadly youtube have a limit for how long the tittle can be

[@billybob9495]

Ah, yes. "I wrote a light novel in like a day, it sucks and I hate it" is my favourite light novel.

[@Witleneko]

Ah, lovely 𝓲𝓽'𝓼 𝓬𝓾𝓻𝓼𝓮𝓭.

[@shrekatemyonions]

My favorite title, “When I was a child my parents and I were in a carriage accident where my mother died and my father was saved by a man who was trying to loot his corpse, and my father adopted that man’s son when he died. My adopted brother became a vampire, so I now must go on a *Bizarre Adventure* to defeat him, a trend that will soon encompass the lives of all of my descendants”

[@handsomebrick]

Would it be spoilery to add the certain thing that happens in Stone Ocean to the end of that title?

[@Mnemoniforma9.00]

New Award Winning LN: "I Wasn't Creative Enough For Meaningful Brevity So I Crammed In As Much Crap From My Major Plot Points As Outlandishly As I Could To Make You Go WTF"

[@Lh0000]

I honestly would read a light novel named that solely Out of respect for the self awareness.

[@handsomebrick]

@@Lh0000 Now that's a good title!

[@sirbedivere5670]

WTF

[@GetInTheRobot]

YO! We literally just touched upon something similar in a video we filmed today! Also, that hashtag is gold. ^_^

[@darks_arts]

i always thought it was a copy right problem? like theres so many light novels that an original name is hard to think of ? had never considered the "no one is reading the back blurb" theory

[@lenkagamine4145]

if it was a copyright problem, then every form of media would have the same problem, not just light novels.

[@darks_arts]

@@lenkagamine4145 dang u right

[@FtureCh]

my friend told me about this a few years back, apparently because most of these writers begin their career as web novel writer they have to like catch the attention of people with a synopsis-long title, that might be it? I don't know probably some are just their editor's decision, could be both

[@phoenixfritzinger9185]

@@FtureCh they’re more like headlines in the news than typical novel titles And the popular web novel sites in Japan do have tagging systems that leave a lot to be desired so the title also has to contain whatever keywords the author wants people to search for But it makes me wonder why they keep the absurdly long titles instead of giving it a shorter one when it gets published in print

[@PenguinLord10]

@@phoenixfritzinger9185 I'd assume that if the web novel is successful enough for a LN publication the publisher would want people to recognize the adaptation when they see it. You want people to be familiar with the brand and, in this case, that's the title.

[@Maid_of_Spiders]

Since you showed it so prominently in the video I wanted to give a fun fact about "Is it wrong to try to pick up girls in a dungeon?" or shortened to Danmachi. The author Fujino Omori actually wanted the title to be Familia Myth originally, however his editor convinced him to change the title to something more akin to the modern run on sentence light novel titles. I vaguely recall an interview I read somewhere that he kind of regrets it but by the time he realized he did it was too late. It's a shame since I think the short and sweet title would have done wonders for marketing going against the influx of massive title light novels. Thankfully despite it's generic sounding name It has gained a sizable following, due in no small part to the quality of Omori's writing. As I avid light novel fan I am very happy to hear that Danmachi was confirmed for a season three even before season two ended. Nothing quite like seeing people take a liking to a series you followed from day one due to an anime adaptation.

[@priestesslucy3299]

@randomguy8196 I mean, while that IS a silly long title it's a simple sentence at least, unlike the crazy runon garbage we often see in titles being adapted into anime now. "Do you love your mom And her two hit multitarget attacks?" Being sort of a current era middle ground, STILL not approaching the peak of title length.

[@lrgogo1517]

Didn't they name a phone game that?

[@EpsilonLovesSharks]

"I trained so hard I became the strongest man on earth and everyone else thinks im low class"

[@akirakilluar]

Funny enough, there are few LN also share familiar description you did for OnePunch Man here. "I've Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level!" Or "Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious".

[@AlexDimLight]

We're going to become the homestuck movie titles where they literally spoil the entire movie

[@moonfusion9964]

Yes!! Our society is slowly becoming the Troll one. Soon enough, someone will assume control of the whole world. We will be segregated into groups depending on when we were born. We will be killed for even _slightly_ stepping out of line. *I can't wait.*

[@sokkvabekkr5973]

and here i was thinking 'the devil is a part-timer' was kind of a long title..

[@unitedstatesofamericareal]

Nowadays it would be "the devil fled to our world and took a job flipping burgers"

[@sokkvabekkr5973]

@@unitedstatesofamericareal "the devil fled to our world and took a job flipping burgers while living in an apartment that's way to small for him together with his servant that fled to our world as well"

[@angel_of_rust]

"Satan is a Wagie"

[@TBoneTony]

Goblin Slayer Two words. Explains all you need to know about the story.

[@no6035]

This

[@LAngel2REAL]

I never saw the appeal of the long titled series but then I got into a manga adaptation of an Isekai light novel called "I reincarnated into an otome as the villianess with only destruction flags"/"My next life as a villianess all roads lead to doom!" Its normally referred to as "Destruction Flag Otome" or "Bakarina" tho.

[@Lh0000]

I remember that! I didn’t get all that far, mostly because The app I read it on kinda shut down...

[@ManaMercii]

Same!!! It kinda disappointed me though... Feel like it shouldn't have started from when the Villainess was a kid ;-;

[@Tirocoa]

@@ManaMercii Me too, I was also expecting her to keep acting the part as being the villainess or something.

[@panglima]

Similar to danmachi and konosuba.

[@RISSO-yq9lf]

This one is getting an anime in 2020

[@mikec1222]

One Punch Man: I Beat My Enemies With One Blow, And Long For Difficult Battles

[@priestesslucy3299]

And to go even further behind this title trend: That One Time I Was Hit By A Crazy Genius Bitch On A Motorcycle, Learned About Girls, Made My First Friends and Gathered The Seven Wishing Balls.

[@Pigen_]

Im actually planing on writing a short story and The cover will be just whole page containing about 400 words... inside There will be a single sheet of paper with big streched words on Both of The sides... about 50 words

[@user-dk5ne2nd7c]

"I died and reincarnated in 2014 to stop light novel names from being that long it needs two different analysis"

[@monkey0889]

I think my best guess as to why light novel titles originally started becoming so long is because they're trying to be "high concept", which refers to a work (usually in the fantasy, sci-fi or horror genre), that has a concept that can be summed up in a sentence, as opposed to realistic/slice-of-life works which might be more focused on characters & would therefore be "low concept". "Snakes on a Plane" is as high concept as it gets, for example, and its title tells you everything you need to know about it. If you're competing in a crowded market with lots of other works & want to demonstrate that your novel has a fun, interesting, "high concept" idea, you're going to want to describe it as clearly as possible. This kinda happened with horror films (mostly slashers) as well, just to a far lesser extent -- since the market was so oversaturated with virtually identical slasher movies, you're going to stand out more if you call your film something very literal (eg "An American Werewolf in London", though that's obviously not a slasher) than something catchier but more vague & abstract (there were 2 separate horror movies called "Body Count" released in 1987 alone). So I'm guessing that for a lot of light novels, like "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime", the title length is mostly just a way to convey the high concept nature of the plot in a way that's memorable & piques people's interest. Now, though, it has to be a title-length arms race for light novels -- create a title so ridiculous it gets shared around & memed on (like how Chuck Tingle books get shared), & it'll increase book sales. I've also wondered if part of it might be a translation issue -- maybe the title sounds better or is shorter to write in the original -- but I don't speak Japanese so I have no idea if that's true

[@gussparrchua1441]

I feel like Oreimo started this trend.

[@johnangelotenorio]

The first anime adaptation to have such title in my memory.

[@sylvierose2799]

@@featherinescat bruh, thats a just a regular title m8, there is nothing "too big" about it

[@superchatoalien4905]

I don't know Oreimo actually is the first LN started this trend. But I remember when Oreimo came out, we were like WTF is this title!? lol

[@MetroAndroid]

It was 100% Oreimo. Ever since that, and the handful of anime/manga/LNs it spawned jokingly referencing it with a similar naming format, there's been a series of one-upsmanship going on to see who can get the longest title in their moe isekai LNs.

[@zackrose6261]

@@MetroAndroid Sadly, this isn't true, it's more to just stand out in the long sea of Webnovels, which is where most light novels start.

[@LemonMoon]

You know this really started in 1719 with Robinson Crusoe who’s full title (according to Wikipedia) was: The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, Of York, Mariner: Who lived Eight and Twenty Years, all alone in an un-inhabited Island on the Coast of America, near the Mouth of the Great River of Oroonoque; Having been cast on Shore by Shipwreck, wherein all the Men perished but himself. With An Account how he was at last as strangely deliver'd by Pyrates.

[@priestesslucy3299]

Except that's not a trend lol

[@serenitii3557]

if english novels were like this: 'I found out that my father is Poseidon and that I am being accused of stealing a sacred weapon, so i decided to go directly to the heavens to return it and clear my name'

[@anarchistauthor5475]

Let me guess: Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

[@AdamChan318]

I'm waiting for a light novel with the entire plot in the title

[@priestesslucy3299]

I guarantee you some of these exist that spoil the entire first volume's plot

[@Belgand]

Can we also cover the older trend of titles that make almost no sense unless someone explains the metaphor, plot point, or allusion being made? We have shows like Cowboy Bebop, Banana Fish, Bubblegum Crisis, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and plenty more where the nonsensical, sometimes even goofy titles can often be a barrier to connecting with the audience.

[@priestesslucy3299]

Can't speak for the audience as a whole but those titles intrigue me and get me looking closer at the story to see how the title is going to become meaningful

[@sk4p3g04t]

Cowboy Bebop makes perfect sense though, it's a jazzy space western.

[@Belgand]

@@sk4p3g04t Yes, it makes sense once that's explained. Before then it sounds nonsensical.

[@Limacinablues]

I like that kind of title

[@graphite7898]

That's just how normal titles work lmao! That has been standard since the conception of movies, take for example Charlie Chaplin's Shoulder Arms, or Alfred Hithcock's 39 Steps, or the countless noir films such as Double Indemnity or Maltese Falcon.

[@halkeye20]

This reminds me of one of my favorite movies. Dr. Strangelove or how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb

[@josephjagusah8668]

That's just a secondary title: those have been around for 400 years.

[@CaptainGriffin]

right in time before starting work on my visual novel: "I go out to the street feeling like a champ, start playing some music in my cellphone, the police actually tells me to tone it down. Didn't help the fact that I slipped on a banana peel and my pants fell off. All of this the day after I got married".

[@IconicBoar097]

ABSOLUTELY AWESOME VIDEO it was very interesting to see the rise of light novel titles length and boy some of those names are wack i also really loved your use of those pointer things kennedy lol thank you for the video!

[@rohan68842]

Seriously every video you make is something I've wondered about but never actually looked up, keep up the good work!!

[@luissantiago5163]

Awesome to see another upload. This vid speaks to me. Keep up the great work

[@BronzeDwarf]

Don’t know if ‘never judge a book by it’s cover’ applies here.

[@sabis6111]

This whole thing reminds me of that game show title in bojack horseman

[@PhileasLiebmann]

Interestingly enough I have actually been asking myself this question for quite some time now. Thanks, Red!

[@elenatheweeweeb7771]

This channel gives me the answers I didn't know I needed. Sooooo satisfying.

[@Pimpeaux]

As good of an excuse as any to remind everyone here that WorldEnd is a fantastic Light Novel/Anime series, and everyone should experience it.

[@n0ame1u1]

The last book of the official English translations is coming out in a month, so now’s a great time to get into it

[@derrilazkia1002]

No

[@Nightmare88ish]

2014 appears to be, as field experts tend to agree anecdotally, a mistake. Go back! We have to save the future by ending the isekai boom of 2014, which later inspired the isekai wars in several major countries and caused millions of deaths due to lack of population growth! SAVE US ABE!

[@pedros43ful]

are we going back to 2014 by isekaing ourselves in?

[@Nightmare88ish]

@@pedros43ful . . . I guess so. It all comes full circle.

[@t.n.patronis4098]

I'm so excited you addressed this trend because it is the sort of thing that nags at the back of one's mind. I think the longer titles can be comedic and eye catching but I always liked reading the summaries on the backs of books.

[@Aaron-mj9ie]

Light Novels and various media chose to use long titles because they grab your attention. It's sort of a reverse effect on making you remember them, too. While you'll obviously remember a title like "Overlord", a title that's a sentence long may also stick with you.

[@scarecrow7421]

Ahem. “Overlord” Simple sweet and to the point.

[@Psychodegu]

What you don't like the alternate title "That time I stayed up to late with my guild's NPCs, and now I have to conquer the world!!!"?

[@oomar4597]

just the time i saved my grandfather from chocking on a carrot

[@Kodeb8]

I never thought I needed to know this.

[@gabrielmanzanal6316]

Amazing work as always.

[@Rognik]

Ironically, our perhaps appropriately, "when light novel titles started to get long" could itself be a light novel title.

[@MyLordChaosYT]

I would love your take on Boogiepop Phantom franchise they covers not only the light novels but the two anime series, whether it be a retrospective look or a constructive take. Love your videos, please keep doing these wonderful videos. Always a pleasant surprise during my day with these videos in my KZbin notifications popping up with new content from your channel.

[@sakurasam420]

Love your channel and was so excited to see this video show up on my twitter tl

[@ferociousmaliciousghost]

What makes a novel memorable. Something unique. Something cultured. Something like Shimoneta: A Boring World Where The Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist. Why does it have to be so damn long though?

[@roojackaroo8517]

Ah, I see you watch MetiNotTheBadGuy

[@ferociousmaliciousghost]

@@roojackaroo8517 I found Shimoneta before I found MetiNotTheBadGuy.

[@Ceradeez]

When can we get back to titles actually being pronouncable with only one breath of air

[@TheGelatinousSnake]

"My gf.. Shut in..fashion coordinator...." I can fix this.. Getting her Dressed Get Dressed & Get Out Something to Wear, Somewhere to Go

[@leonardomapache]

Holywoo! Stars and Celebrities: What do they know? Do they know things?: Let's find out!

[@FengLengshun]

IMO it's because there's a huge spike in the adaptation of narou/syosetsu web novel into Light Novel, Manga, and Anime. It's advantageous to have summary-title for those because it just presents what kind of story you're writing much better than I any kind of summary could. As someone who read a lot of fanfics (FFN, AO3, fiction live, and forums), having a clear title is just really good practice if you want to get people into your doors - especially notable is that ranking page doesn't even show summaries. And then a lot of those adaptations become successful, and thus a trend was born.

[@JuanGomez-ke5py]

0:31 and Knuckles featuring Dante from Devil May Cry

[@mattybrunolucaszeneresalas9072]

?

[@faidou9954]

"That time my BF dropped kicked me into another world on Ice because I didn't play a real SMT game like Nocturne or Strange Journey" ...sounds like a title that would sell to me.

[@ApexGale]

2012: Mushoku Tensei comes out, and is a surprisingly solid isekai story about a parasitic NEET who strives to become a better person, realizing along the way that he pushed his family and friends away. He turns over a new leaf by becoming the guiding hand for his new family, that his old family tried to be for him. Moreover, his strength comes from his ability to make strong connections and relationships, he trains very hard every day to become a stronger magician, and the downside is that he is not good at direct combat. While there are definitely some downsides to the novel, overall it conveys a positive message about the social need that every human has, and how we should always strive to be better than ourselves. The MC being reborn into a new world holds weight, as he is constantly reflecting on his past and trying to be a better person than he was before. The world is surprisingly well crafted, and it feels like the author actually spent a lot of time fleshing it out. 2019: lmao bro just throw a dart at a dartboard full of random words, mix it with isekai, hire a hentai artist and come up with a stupid title and it's ready to be printed in 1 month

[@tulip5210]

Are you making a joke about how the light novel is actually very good and meaningful but the anime makes it into hentai and doesn't get the point across clearly?

[@ApexGale]

@@tulip5210 i was making a joke about how the modern isekai light novels pulled all the bad shit out of Mushoku Tensei and left the actually good story and writing elements out. MT has its fair share of portions where Rudeus just gets to be a pervert and it gets tiring very quickly at least to me. But on the flipside it also had really endearing character interactions and moments that made me appreciate the cast a lot Plus it commits to its worldbuilding and doesn't half ass it, the world existed before Rudeus and isn't shaped purely around him it's like all the modern writers pulled from it was "protagonist gets a harem, protagonist is strong, everything goes well for the protagonist." even though rudeus is objectively nowhere near as powerful as many of the other introduced characters, he lacks the physical qualities to become a swordsman and so loses in CQC, and he has to actively work and struggle to succeed

[@alexbenavidez4500]

I actually had this exact question the other day and I'm so glad I just found this lmao It was just really bugging me every time I was watching anime list videos, and the adaptations kept coming from insanely lengthy titles

[@Code7Unltd]

That time that my life got reincarnated as a book that sports an overly long name without any reason outside of selling just by cover art alone

[@ZeldaDD]

"Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?" will never stop being hilarious to me as a name for something.

[@cleverman383]

happy mothers day

[@3ur0maticz3ro4]

Reminds me of the book in absurdly long song titles at a certain time like "You Might Think He Loves You For Your Money But I Know What He Really Loves You For It's Your Brand New Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat"

[@YTzhelos]

Did I just see an Italian version of Jojo's Golden Heart, Golden Ring?

[@neonrelmsproductions4224]

"Hi I'm a highschool student but now I've been transported to a fantasy world where I'm in a massive fucking harem and I'm also GOD!" A new novel

[@boletarianbread7349]

Hollywoo Stars and Celebrities: What Do They Know? Do They Know Things?? Let's Find Out!

[@chingshunyung8796]

I'd say it's not about how many words in the title, it's about the format of the title. Before Oreimo in 2008, LN titles use word phrase as titles, like "XX of YY" (YYのXX) or "The tale/story of XYZ" (XYZ物語/記) Oreimo is the first light novel to use a COMPLETE SENTENCE as a title and it also happened to be a huge commercial success. 1-2 years later (for production cycle reason), we start seeing sentense titles for LN and anime as they thinking that it's the key to success. I wonder when they would start using paragraph title

[@drndn]

This is great stuff!

[@Sakanero]

Omg. I actually have been shitposting my own light novel titles on twitter because I wanted to make fun of this very weird trend. I’m glad this video exists.

[@connorbeith3232]

Please link your twitter, I need to see those.

[@Sakanero]

Just look for Neverwill Publishing. @NeverwillO. The word “official” was supposed to be part of that but the rest was inexplicably cut off. I need to make more.

[@connorbeith3232]

@@Sakanero I found them, omg they're hilarious. My favorite is, "My Penpal was Secretly 14 Werewolves in a Turtleneck".

[@Sakanero]

I'll make an effort to write more.

[@Kin_anti07]

Oh my god WorldEnd What do you do at the end of the world? Are you busy? Will you'd save us is one of my favourite light novel and anime 😭

[@milfhunter3412]

I'm so glad someone brought this up

[@rako1294]

okay, this is the sort of video only a historian would be able to make and that's exactly why I'm subscribed

[@velstadt_royal_aegis6700]

When you think someone is having a full blown conversation with you, but it’s actually the name of a light novel

[@samsunguser]

Me: the title of this book seems pretty broad, seems interesting SukaSuka: ok hol up

[@EpicB]

"That One Time I Decided To Watch a Video About a Medium I Have Little Interest In and How Subtitles Have Gotten Increasingly Verbose Over the Years Volume 3 & Knuckles"

[@maegamisama]

I think to really pursue the sales theory, we would need to look at several other factors. For instance, I'd be curious to see the sales for first volumes rather than sales of series. My gut says that the title is mostly advantageous for the very first volume and they don't care much about the rank it falls to as long as the subsequent volumes can pull enough of a percentage of that initial audience (which probably isn't that high considering how cheap it probably is to publish them)

[@MrBobwatman]

"When Light Novel Titles Started to get so Long" or, a study of a stupid trend that I hate.

[@Theyungcity23]

It's brilliant. More traditional novels should do it too. Its giving an advertising hook with just the spine of the book. Most books are just trying to be artsy and mysterious with the title. It's more important that people read your book.

[@justbny9278]

No it isn't because it makes it harder to remember People are always shortening those names

[@Theyungcity23]

@@justbny9278 I think a fascinating premise is easier to remember than some cryptic word or sentence that only makes sense to people who have already read the novel.

[@D_YellowMadness]

Gotta admit I Saved Too Many Girls and Caused the Apocalypse is a really funny title. It's like the title of an It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia episode but long.

[@ladyhaha7548]

*I GOT REINCARNATED AS A MICROPACHICEPALOSAURUS IN AN ACADEMY FULL OF MYSTICAL, WONDERFUL, BEAUTIFUL AND MAGICAL DINOSAURS WITH A TYRANNOSAURUS REX HAREM!*