Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Novel Adaptation (And Why a Different Author Is Writing It)
Images courtesy of Yen Press.
Fans of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End have more to look forward to beyond the manga and anime. Frieren is getting a light novel adaptation, a prequel novel that adds new stories to the acclaimed fantasy saga. This novel is written by a different author (Mei Hachimoku) under the supervision of Frieren’s original writer, Kanehito Yamada.
Let’s recap the news and look into why the novel’s author is different, how such publishing decisions are made, and what it means for authorship and intellectual property. If you’ve ever wondered, “Why isn’t the original manga author writing the novel adaptation, and can I write a novel for my favorite manga?”, read on.
Frieren’s Manga Gets a Light Novel Adaptation (News Recap)
The first announcement of Frieren’s novel adaptation came in early 2024. *On April 17, 2024, a prequel light novel titled Shōsetsu Sōsō no Frieren ~Zensō~ (“Frieren…Prelude”) was released in Japan, offering five original short stories set in the Frieren universe. The novel was written by Mei Hachimoku and supervised by Kanehito Yamada, the writer of the Frieren manga. It serves as a prequel, featuring side-story adventures of Frieren and her companions (Fern, Stark, Kanne, Lawine, and even the villain Aura) that were not depicted in the manga. The original manga’s artist, Tsukasa Abe, provided the cover illustration for this novel, maintaining visual consistency with the manga’s style.
This development was exciting for fans, as it expanded the Frieren storyline into a new medium. Fast-forward to 2025, and the news got even better for international readers. At Anime NYC 2025, Yen Press announced it has licensed Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End ~Prelude~ (the English version of the prequel novel) for release in North America. The novel is slated to be published in English in March 2026 under the Yen On imprint, and an audiobook adaptation is also in the works via Yen Audio. In fact, Yen Press revealed that the Frieren: Prelude novel, along with another title, will get English audiobooks in spring 2026. This means Frieren’s prose stories will soon be accessible to a global audience in both print and audio formats.
Frieren’s beloved story is transitioning from manga to prose: first with the Japanese release of a novel in 2024, and now with English translations and audiobooks on the horizon. It’s the first-ever prose spinoff of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, a series known for its poignant exploration of time, mortality, and friendship. The novel’s release not only enriches the Frieren lore but also sheds light on some interesting publishing practices — chiefly, the use of a different writer for the novel adaptation. Let’s explore the people behind this project and why the authorship is handled this way.
Meet the Writers: Kanehito Yamada and Mei Hachimoku
To understand the situation, it helps to know who’s who in the creation of Frieren’s story:
Kanehito Yamada: The original author (story writer) of the Frieren manga. Yamada, in collaboration with illustrator Tsukasa Abe, has been crafting Frieren’s tale since its manga debut in April 2020 in Weekly Shōnen Sunday. Under Yamada’s storytelling, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End became a critically acclaimed fantasy series, even winning major manga awards in Japan. Yamada’s strength lies in manga storytelling: plotting the narrative and scenes that Abe then brings to life through artwork. Frieren is Yamada’s breakout hit.
Mei Hachimoku: He is the author of the Frieren prequel novel and a separate writer with his own pedigree in the light novel industry. Hachimoku is an award-winning Japanese novelist, acclaimed for his original light novels. His debut work, The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes, won grand prizes in the 2019 Shogakukan Light Novel Awards and was later published to great success. (That novel even received a manga adaptation and an anime film, underscoring Hachimoku’s storytelling talent.) He has since written other well-received novels, such as The Mimosa Confessions series. In the context of Frieren, Mei Hachimoku was chosen to write the prose adaptation to bring his expertise in novel-writing to Frieren’s world. The prequel novel’s stories are penned by Hachimoku but planned in collaboration with Yamada, as Yamada supervised the project to ensure continuity and respect for the source material.
Kanehito Yamada is the creator of Frieren’s story and characters, while Mei Hachimoku is the writer tasked with translating that story into a different medium (prose). This dual-author situation might seem unusual at first glance. After all, Frieren’s world sprang from Yamada’s imagination, so why isn’t Yamada writing the novel himself? The answer lies in how publishing works for cross-media adaptations, which we’ll discuss next.
Why Is the Light Novel Written by a Different Author?
It’s common in the Japanese publishing industry for a popular manga or anime to get novelized by someone other than the original creator. There are a few reasons for this approach:
Different Medium, Different Skillset: Writing a manga and writing a novel are very different crafts. Manga storytelling is done through storyboard-style scripts and relies on visuals and dialogue, whereas a novel is pure text that requires descriptive prose and a different pacing. Not all manga authors may be comfortable writing long-form novels, and they are often busy continuing the manga itself. In Frieren’s case, Kanehito Yamada specializes in manga story writing, while Mei Hachimoku is experienced in prose. By bringing in Hachimoku, the publishers ensured the novel would be written in a high-quality literary style, while Yamada still contributed by supervising the content for consistency. This way, the novel benefits from both writers’ strengths – Hachimoku’s writing and Yamada’s vision.
Scheduling and Workload: Manga creators have intense schedules. Yamada is likely occupied with the ongoing Frieren manga serialization (which, as of 2025, has 14 volumes). Writing a novel is a significant time investment that could distract from the manga. Having a separate author handle the novel frees up the original creator to keep focusing on the manga’s production. Meanwhile, the novel adaptation can progress in parallel. This is a practical division of labor: the manga continues uninterrupted, and fans get new content in novel form simultaneously.
Expanded Content and Perspective: An adaptation or spin-off novel might explore side stories or backstory that the original manga didn’t cover. Sometimes, an outside writer can bring a fresh perspective or ideas to these expansions, under the original author’s guidance. In Frieren: Prelude, for example, we get episodes focusing on supporting characters like Fern or Stark that weren’t main plotlines in the manga. Hachimoku’s role was to flesh out these stories in prose, while Yamada ensured they stay true to the spirit of his world. Publishers often market such novels as “original stories supervised by [the manga author],” assuring fans that the new material respects canon.
How Do Publishers Choose Light Novel Adaptation Authors?
Who decides which author gets to write a manga’s novel adaptation? Typically, this decision is made by the publishing company that owns the rights to the original series, often in consultation with the original creator.
In the case of Frieren, the manga is published by Shogakukan, a major Japanese publisher. Shogakukan also has a light novel imprint (such as Gagaga Bunko) and a pool of novelists. Shogakukan’s editors likely proposed Mei Hachimoku for the job, given that Hachimoku has a track record with their imprint (he debuted through Shogakukan’s novel awards). The process might have looked like this: the editors or producers planning the Frieren novel picked a writer known for quality work and whose style would fit Frieren’s tone. They would then get Kanehito Yamada’s approval and involvement to make sure the new stories align with his vision. Yamada’s supervision suggests he reviewed drafts or provided story input for Hachimoku’s chapters.
Publishers generally look for writers who are fans or at least very familiar with the original work, and who can meet deadlines. Sometimes the original author themselves might suggest or hand-pick a novelist if they know someone suitable. Other times, it’s purely the editorial team’s choice. Since Mei Hachimoku was an established name (with awards and even anime adaptations to his name), choosing him would bring a level of prestige and trust to the project. His style — often heartfelt and introspective, as seen in The Tunnel to Summer — is a good match for Frieren’s reflective fantasy narrative.
It’s worth noting that while an outside writer handles the prose, these projects are authorized and official. This isn’t fan fiction; it’s a commissioned work. The publisher likely enters a contract with the novelist for this adaptation. The original manga author (and often the original publisher) retains a level of creative control, hence the credited “supervision by Kanehito Yamada” on Frieren: Prelude. All of this ensures that the final product feels authentic to readers and fits neatly into the franchise.
Who Owns the Story? (Authorship & Intellectual Property)
When a new author writes a novel based on an existing manga, questions naturally arise about authorship and intellectual property (IP). Who is considered the “author” of the story, and who owns the rights to this new novel? The situation can be understood as follows:
Original Creator’s Ownership: The original manga author (and/or the publisher) owns the underlying story, world, and characters. Kanehito Yamada is the creator of Frieren’s universe; thus, the Frieren intellectual property — the characters like Frieren, Fern, etc., and the core story premise — ultimately belongs to him (and by extension, his publisher Shogakukan, which handles the rights). Yamada’s name remains prominently associated with any derivative works. In fact, the English cover of Frieren: Prelude is expected to credit “Story supervised by Kanehito Yamada” or “Original story by Kanehito Yamada” along with the novelist’s name.
Adaptation Author’s Contribution: Mei Hachimoku, as the novelist, is the author of the adapted work’s text. He wrote the specific words, scenes, and dialogue of the novel, so he holds copyright to the text he wrote, but this is a derivative copyright that exists with the permission of the original IP owner. Hachimoku cannot, for example, take Frieren’s characters and write his own unlicensed sequel – his work is officially licensed for this project. Think of it like this: Yamada provided the sandbox (the world and characters), and Hachimoku built a new sandcastle in it (the novel’s story). Both contributed creatively, but the sandbox still belongs to Yamada/Shogakukan.
Credits and Attribution: In all promotional materials and credits, both creators are acknowledged. For instance, announcements describe the novel as “written by Mei Hachimoku, supervised by Frieren’s author Kanehito Yamada”. The original artist, Tsukasa Abe, is also credited for illustrations. This makes it clear to consumers that the novel is an official part of Frieren’s franchise, created in collaboration with the original team. Yamada remains the originator of the series (often credited as “Original creator” or “Original story” author), while Hachimoku is credited as the novelist or writer of the adaptation. Ownership of the IP stays with the original creator/publisher, but the new author typically would have rights (and receive royalties) for the text of the novel itself as per the contract.
The original author remains the primary IP holder and creative authority, even though another author did the writing for the novel. This dual crediting ensures fans know whom to thank for the new content, and it protects the original creator’s ownership of their work. Legally, any such adaptation is done under a license. If someone tried to novelize a manga without permission, it would be a breach of copyright – the rights to create derivative works (like novels) belong to the original creator or their publisher.
Can Fans Write Official Light Novel Adaptations?
As an aspiring writer and a Frieren fan, you might wonder: “What if I want to author the light novel adaptation of my favorite manga? How can I make that happen?” The idea is exciting. Who wouldn’t want to contribute to the story of a beloved series? However, there are important realities to consider.
1. You need permission (a license): You cannot legally publish a novel adaptation of someone else’s manga without authorization. The manga’s creators or their publishers hold the rights, and creating a public novel based on it would be considered an infringement if done unofficially. In other words, to adapt a manga into prose, you would need a derivative rights license from the IP owner (the manga author/publisher). Major franchises will only grant such licenses to established publishers or authors for official projects. So, the first step is that it has to be an official collaboration. (Of course, writing fan fiction for fun is a different matter – that can be done privately or in fan communities, but not sold or marketed as an official product.)
2. Becoming the chosen writer: How do writers like Mei Hachimoku get these opportunities? Generally, you’d need to build a reputation as a writer first. Hachimoku, for instance, had won awards and published original novels before being tapped to write Frieren’s adaptation. If you aspire to write a light novel adaptation, a feasible path is to become a published author in the industry. This might involve writing your own original light novels or stories, entering contests, and getting noticed by publishers. Once you have a foot in the industry (and perhaps are a known fan of a particular series), you could be considered for adaptation projects.
3. Industry connections and proposals: Sometimes publishers seek out writers for a project; other times writers pitch ideas. If you were an established author and had a great concept for a spin-off novel of a certain manga, you could approach the publisher with a proposal – but again, only with their blessing could it move forward. More commonly, it’s the publisher who will approach a writer they trust when they want an adaptation written. For example, Shogakukan approached Hachimoku for Frieren’s novel. Similarly, Shueisha (Naruto’s publisher) hired Akira Higashiyama to write Naruto novels, and Kodansha brought on Makoto Matsubara to write Bleach novels, rather than those series’ original authors doing it themselves. The key is that publishers pick writers who have proven they can deliver quality writing and handle the responsibility of someone else’s world.
4. Original author’s involvement: Even if a fan-turned-writer gets to work on an adaptation, expect the original author to be involved in a supervisory capacity. This is actually helpful – you get guidance to keep the story on track. It also means you can’t wildly change the lore; you’d be working with the original creator’s vision.
While any passionate fan can write a hypothetical story, only a professional, licensed arrangement will become an official adaptation. If your dream is to write something like a Frieren novel adaptation, focus on honing your writing skills and engaging with the industry. Who knows – you might one day get an opportunity to pitch a story or be contacted for a project. The world of light novels and manga is always looking for new talent, especially those who understand and love the source material.
The case of Frieren’s novel adaptation is a fascinating example of how the publishing world bridges different media. Fans get to enjoy Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End in a new literary form, with Mei Hachimoku’s prose bringing depth to Yamada’s characters. The collaboration shows that a story can evolve beyond its original format while staying true to its roots, thanks to the original author’s oversight and a fresh writer’s touch. For readers, it means more content to explore in a universe they love. For aspiring writers, it’s a glimpse into a career path where you might one day help bring someone else’s creation to a new medium (provided you work within the proper channels).
As Frieren’s prelude novel arrives in English, fans around the world will soon be able to dive into these new adventures. It’s an exciting development for the Frieren franchise and proof of the collaborative nature of storytelling. Whether you’re an anime/manga fan curious about industry workings or a writer aiming to contribute to your favorite series, Frieren’s light novel adaptation offers both a great read and valuable insights into how publishing technicalities play out in real life.