The Ideal Sponger Life
The Ideal Sponger Life (Japanese: 理想のヒモ生活, Hepburn: Risō no Himo Seikatsu) is a Japanese light novel series written by Tsunehiko Watanabe. The series originated on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website in June 2011, before being published in print with illustrations by Jū Ayakura by Shufunotomo beginning in September 2012. A manga adaptation with illustrations by Neko Hinotsuki began serialization in the Young Ace magazine in February 2017.
The Ideal Sponger Life | |
理想のヒモ生活 (Risō no Himo Seikatsu) | |
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Genre | Isekai, romantic comedy[1] |
Novel series | |
Written by | Tsunehiko Watanabe |
Published by | Shōsetsuka ni Narō |
Original run | June 25, 2011 – present |
Light novel | |
Written by | Tsunehiko Watanabe |
Illustrated by | Jū Ayakura |
Published by | Shufunotomo |
English publisher | |
Imprint | Hero Bunko |
Demographic | Male |
Original run | September 28, 2012 – present |
Volumes | 14 |
Manga | |
Written by | Tsunehiko Watanabe |
Illustrated by | Neko Hinotsuki |
Published by | Kadokawa Shoten |
English publisher | |
Magazine | Young Ace |
Demographic | Seinen |
Original run | February 3, 2017 – present |
Volumes | 18 |
Synopsis
Zenjiro Yamai who is your everyday office worker in modern Japan suddenly finds himself summoned to another world. The person who summoned him – Queen Aura – wants him to marry her and leave his old life behind for a life of carefree extravagance as her Husband and Prince Consort. He is told that if he accepts, he only needs to provide her an heir. Other than that, he can laze around all day with no worries, and he will never have to work again as he did in his old life in Japan. After accepting her offer, he finds himself in a world that has Magic, different culture with nobilities who have hidden agendas and ambitious schemes. A world where a simple word or gift carries hidden meanings.
Characters
- Zenjiro Yamai (山井善治郎, Yamai Zenjiro)
- A salaryman from Japan who got summoned to Another World and ended up marrying the Queen of Kingdom of Capua, Aura Capua and became the Prince Consort. After that, his name changed to Zenjiro Capua. He eventually finds out that he is a user of the "Space-Time" Bloodline Magic.
- Aura Capua (アウラ・カープァ, Aura Kāpua)
- She is the Queen and the last surviving Royalty of the Kingdom of Capua and the wife of Zenjiro Yamai. She is a user of the "Space-Time" Bloodline Magic. At first, she married Zenjiro for political reasons, but then she has come to genuinely love him.
- Freya Uppasala (フレア・ウップサーラ, Furea Uppusāra)
- She is the 1st Princess of the Kingdom of Uppasala and the Captain of "Glasir's Leaf", the 8th ship belonging to the Kingdom of Uppasala's Navy. She came to Capua in search of a new trade route.
- Inesl (イネス, Inesu)
- She is Working in the Inner Palace of the Kingdom of Capua, as one of the Head Maid's supervising the Cleaning Staff. She is highly trusted by both Queen Aura and Zenjiro. Whenever Zenjiro takes trips, she is the maid assigned to accompany him as an aide.
- Fabio Deubashe (ファビオ・デウバジェ, Fabio Deubaje)
- He works as the head Secretary for Queen Aura along with working as a consultant. He always speaks candidly and is a person who isn't afraid to give his honest and harsh opinion even to the Queen.
- Victoria Kronkvist (ヴィクトリア・クロンクヴィスト, Vikutoria Kuronkuvisuto) / Skaji
- A highly capable warrior from the Kingdom of Uppasala who is serving as the attendant and bodyguard of Freya Uppasala. She is strong enough that she took down an alpha wyvern single-handedly.
- Pujol Guillén (プジョル・ギジェン, Pujoru Gijen)
- A General in the Army of the Kingdom of Capua and a highly ambitious man with both skills and strength to support his goal. Also a former marriage candidate of Aura Capua.
- Natalio Maldonado (ナタリオ・マルドナド, Natario Marudonado)
- A Palace Knight working in Kingdom of Capua. After Zenjiro gives him a wyvern bow, he swears his loyalty to him and is appointed as his Personal Knight.
- Xavier Gaziel (チャビエル・ガジール, Chabieru Gajīru)
- He is the 3rd and youngest son of Margrave "Miguel Gaziel", the only surviving heir of the Gaziel Family since the death of his two older brothers during the Great War.
Media
Light novel
Written by Tsunehiko Watanabe, the series began publication on the novel posting website Shōsetsuka ni Narō on June 25, 2011.[2] The series was later acquired by Shufunotomo, who began publishing the series in print with illustrations by Jū Ayakura on September 28, 2012.[3] It was one of the first batch of works published by Hero Bunko imprint.[4] As of September 2021, fourteen volumes have been released.[5]
In November 2020, J-Novel Club announced that they licensed the series for English publication.[6]
Volume list
No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN | ||
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1 | September 28, 2012[3] | 978-4-07-284078-8 | January 27, 2021[7] | 978-1-71-836402-8 | ||
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2 | November 30, 2012[8] | 978-4-07-284084-9 | July 2, 2021[9] | 978-1-71-836404-2 | ||
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3 | March 29, 2013[10] | 978-4-07-288700-4 | June 18, 2021[11] | 978-1-71-836406-6 | ||
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4 | August 31, 2013[12] | 978-4-07-292190-6 | August 24, 2021[13] | 978-1-71-836408-0 | ||
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5 | April 28, 2014[14] | 978-4-07-296354-8 | November 11, 2021[15] | 978-1-71-836410-3 | ||
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6 | November 29, 2014[16] | 978-4-07-410241-9 | February 7, 2022[17] | 978-1-71-836412-7 | ||
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7 | September 30, 2015[18] | 978-4-07-403086-6 | July 28, 2022[19] | 978-1-71-836414-1 | ||
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8 | June 30, 2016[20] | 978-4-07-417935-0 | September 29, 2022[21] | 978-1-71-836416-5 | ||
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9 | May 31, 2017[22] | 978-4-07-424639-7 | December 2, 2022[23] | 978-1-71-836418-9 | ||
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10 | December 28, 2017[24] | 978-4-07-429074-1 | February 3, 2023[25] | 978-1-71-836420-2 | ||
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11 | July 31, 2018[26] | 978-4-07-433868-9 | April 6, 2023[27] | 978-1-71-836422-6 | ||
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12 | April 30, 2019[28] | 978-4-07-437228-7 | June 8, 2023[29] | 978-1-71-836424-0 | ||
13 | March 30, 2020[30] | 978-4-07-442815-1 | August 17, 2023[31] | 978-1-71-836426-4 | ||
14 | September 30, 2021[5] | 978-4-07-447913-9 | — | — |
Manga
A manga adaptation, illustrated by Neko Hinotsuki, began serialization in Kadokawa Shoten's Young Ace magazine on February 3, 2017.[32] As of September 2023, the series' individual chapters have been collected into eighteen tankōbon volumes.[33]
In March 2018, Seven Seas Entertainment announced that they licensed the series for English publication.[34]
Volume list
No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN | ||
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1 | July 25, 2017[35] | 978-4-04-106001-8 | March 12, 2019[36] | 978-1-64-275043-0 | ||
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2 | December 4, 2017[37] | 978-4-04-106393-4 | June 25, 2019[38] | 978-1-64-275128-4 | ||
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3 | June 4, 2018[39] | 978-4-04-106841-0 | September 17, 2019[40] | 978-1-64-275696-8 | ||
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4 | November 2, 2018[41] | 978-4-04-107482-4 | December 10, 2019[42] | 978-1-64-275742-2 | ||
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5 | February 4, 2019[43] | 978-4-04-107829-7 | April 20, 2020[44] | 978-1-64-505236-4 | ||
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6 | June 4, 2019[45] | 978-4-04-108233-1 | September 8, 2020[46] | 978-1-64-505742-0 | ||
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7 | October 4, 2019[47] | 978-4-04-108704-6 | December 8, 2020[48] | 978-1-64-505816-8 | ||
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8 | February 4, 2020[49] | 978-4-04-108705-3 | March 9, 2021[50] | 978-1-64-827083-3 | ||
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9 | June 4, 2020[51] | 978-4-04-109476-1 | September 14, 2021[52] | 978-1-64-827310-0 | ||
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10 | November 4, 2020[53] | 978-4-04-109463-1 | January 18, 2022[54] | 978-1-64-827480-0 | ||
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11 | March 4, 2021[55] | 978-4-04-109464-8 | June 21, 2022[56] | 978-1-63-858215-1 | ||
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12 | July 2, 2021[57] | 978-4-04-111461-2 | November 22, 2022[58] | 978-1-63-858621-0 | ||
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13 | December 3, 2021[59] | 978-4-04-111462-9 | April 11, 2023[60] | 978-1-63858-845-0 | ||
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14 | April 4, 2022[61] | 978-4-04-112486-4 | August 22, 2023[62] | 978-1-68579-507-8 | ||
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15 | September 2, 2022[63] | 978-4-04-112628-8 | Junuary 30, 2024[64] | 979-8-88843-132-0 | ||
16 | December 28, 2022[65] | 978-4-04-113261-6 | June 4, 2024[66] | 979-8-88843-596-0 | ||
17 | June 2, 2023[67] | 978-4-04-113620-1 | — | — | ||
18 | September 4, 2023[33] | 978-4-04-114032-1 | — | — |
Reception
Theron Martin from Anime News Network praised the treatment of the series' sensitive subject matter, though he also criticized the world building.[68]
The series has 2.7 million copies in circulation.[69]
References
- "The Ideal Sponger Life". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- 理想のヒモ生活 (in Japanese). Shōsetsuka ni Narō. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- 理想のヒモ生活 1 (in Japanese). Shufunotomo. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- ヒーロー文庫:“なろう系”ブームで躍進 注目の新鋭ラノベレーベルの裏側. Mantan-web (in Japanese). November 15, 2014. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
- 理想のヒモ生活 14 (in Japanese). Shufunotomo. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- Hodgkins, Crystalyn (November 14, 2020). "J-Novel Club Adds 5 Light Novels, 2 Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life: Volume 1 (Light Novel)". Rakuten Kobo. J-Novel Club. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- 理想のヒモ生活 2 (in Japanese). Shufunotomo. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life: Volume 2 (Light Novel)". Rakuten Kobo. J-Novel Club. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- 理想のヒモ生活 3 (in Japanese). Shufunotomo. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life: Volume 3 (Light Novel)". Rakuten Kobo. J-Novel Club. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- 理想のヒモ生活 4 (in Japanese). Shufunotomo. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life: Volume 4 (Light Novel)". Rakuten Kobo. J-Novel Club. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- 理想のヒモ生活 5 (in Japanese). Shufunotomo. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life: Volume 5 (Light Novel)". Rakuten Kobo. J-Novel Club. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- 理想のヒモ生活 6 (in Japanese). Shufunotomo. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life: Volume 6 (Light Novel)". Rakuten Kobo. J-Novel Club. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- 理想のヒモ生活 7 (in Japanese). Shufunotomo. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life: Volume 7 (Light Novel)". Rakuten Kobo. J-Novel Club. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- 理想のヒモ生活 8 (in Japanese). Shufunotomo. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life: Volume 8 (Light Novel)". Rakuten Kobo. J-Novel Club. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- 理想のヒモ生活 9 (in Japanese). Shufunotomo. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life: Volume 9 (Light Novel)". Rakuten Kobo. J-Novel Club. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- 理想のヒモ生活 10 (in Japanese). Shufunotomo. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life: Volume 10 (Light Novel)". Rakuten Kobo. J-Novel Club. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- 理想のヒモ生活 11 (in Japanese). Shufunotomo. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life: Volume 11 (Light Novel)". Rakuten Kobo. J-Novel Club. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- 理想のヒモ生活 12 (in Japanese). Shufunotomo. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life: Volume 12 (Light Novel)". Rakuten Kobo. J-Novel Club. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- 理想のヒモ生活 13 (in Japanese). Shufunotomo. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life: Volume 13 (Light Novel)". Rakuten Kobo. J-Novel Club. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- CLAMPキャラ原案「カブキブ!」コミカライズなど、ヤングエースで新連載3本. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. February 3, 2017. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- 理想のヒモ生活 (18) (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- Mateo, Alex (March 14, 2018). "Seven Seas Licenses The Ideal Sponger Life Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- 理想のヒモ生活 (1) (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life Vol. 1". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- 理想のヒモ生活 (2) (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life Vol. 2". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- 理想のヒモ生活 (3) (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life Vol. 3". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- 理想のヒモ生活 (4) (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life Vol. 4". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- 理想のヒモ生活 (5) (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life Vol. 5". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- 理想のヒモ生活 (6) (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life Vol. 6". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- 理想のヒモ生活 (7) (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life Vol. 7". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- 理想のヒモ生活 (8) (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life Vol. 8". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- 理想のヒモ生活 (9) (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life Vol. 9". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- 理想のヒモ生活 (10) (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life Vol. 10". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- 理想のヒモ生活 (11) (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life Vol. 11". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- 理想のヒモ生活 (12) (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life Vol. 12". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- 理想のヒモ生活 (13) (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life Vol. 13". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
- 理想のヒモ生活 (14) (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life Vol. 14". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- 理想のヒモ生活 (15) (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life Vol. 15". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- 理想のヒモ生活 (16) (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
- "The Ideal Sponger Life Vol. 16". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- 理想のヒモ生活 (17) (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- Martin, Theron (May 4, 2019). "Review: The Ideal Sponger Life GN 1". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
- 『理想のヒモ生活』がシリーズ累計270万部を突破. LN News (in Japanese). October 7, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
External links
- Official website at Shōsetsuka ni Narō (in Japanese)
- Light novel official website (in Japanese)
- Manga official website (in Japanese)
- The Ideal Sponger Life (light novel) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia