Heart is incredibly important to me 30↑, Any/All nb, @hakonaka.bsky.social 💕 Anime & manga enjoyer, Girls Band Cry, MyGO, Umamusume, NISIOISIN addict: Zaregoto, Monogatari, Hanekawa Tsubasa, & Aikawa Jun lover 💖 https://ko-fi.com/freusan
![Response from Maora, Community Mod:
Kodansha Novels is a general label. Look through their catalogue and see how many fit the usual light novel vibe. Half at most in some pages. Definitely not the majority. Kodansha Box also contained manga, which is why it was considered a "mixed label."
I'm sorry if we have failed you on that second point. Ideally, we shouldn't ban the whole series if we could find enough evidence for at least the first volume.
I can admit it's the media we're least interested in and we purposely restricted what is allowed due to it. We've just never realized these popular series would be affected by it and were dreading for that day to come. As for now, we will be allowing the Zaregoto Series to remain as it has won an award and ranked in a notable LN list (which is covered by point b).
[Image containing Light Novels criteria reads:
Light Novels Database Criteria
Light novels can be added to the website if they meet all the following criteria:
1. The light novel must be of Japanese origin.
2. The light novel must be professionally published through a reputable publisher from companies such as Kadokawa, Kodansha, Alphapolis, and Hobby Japan.
3. Fulfill one of the following:
a. The light novel is specified as being such by the original publisher or the majority of major Japanese retailers.
b. The work either won or was nominated for a light novel related award or ranked within the top 10 of a notable light novel ranking such as Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!
c. or published under one of our approved light novel labels.]
We're still in discussion on how we could improve our criteria in the future. There are some suggestions that we've ruled out, but hopefully we can help the community find a solution to keep popular entries first before taking the final action.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:fodmamacogkr32p7xvrolsly/bafkreicaooqmo76xzxqp4ebbmq2uykncji3epkn6xk2ilbc5hoqizghji4)
![NISIOISIN wikipedia page screenshot that reads: Most of Nisio's works are published by Kodansha Novels, a general literature imprint, but are sometimes classified as light novels. In a conversation with Tow Ubukata, Otsuichi said of Nisio, "I think he falls into the light novel category in a broad sense."[25] The January 2005 issue of Nikkei Characters! introduces Nisio as "a new generation of writers who are breaking down the barriers between general literature and light novels."[26] The Nisio Isin Chronicle describes his Zaregoto series as "often regarded as a light novel".[27] Kiyoshi Kasai talking about light novels in the 2004 special edition of Eureka,[28] commented that, although having the Zaregoto series ranked in a guide for light novels could be out of place, the influences Nisio had in his writing are easy to see, such as Kimi to Boku no Kowareta Sekai's academy romance, fighting pretty girls, moe characters, and Sekaikei-like settings, so it is not strange to see his works through the lenses of light novels.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:fodmamacogkr32p7xvrolsly/bafkreic36xszls3qptamyiioshfnvjf2bjf6djkgffcmvjwim5cosu7c6e)
Heart is incredibly important to me 30↑, Any/All nb, @hakonaka.bsky.social 💕 Anime & manga enjoyer, Girls Band Cry, MyGO, Umamusume, NISIOISIN addict: Zaregoto, Monogatari, Hanekawa Tsubasa, & Aikawa Jun lover 💖 https://ko-fi.com/freusan