Kadokawa To Publish Isekai Novels By Abroad Authors In Japan After Successful International Contest

Kadokawa Company has chosen three English-language isekai novels for potential Japanese publication following a record-breaking worldwide writing contest held in collaboration with MyAnimeList and qdopp’s Honeyfeed platform.

The winners emerged from 1,240 submissions within the MyAnimeList x Honeyfeed Writing Contest 2025 – THE ISEKAI.

The competition was co-hosted by Kadokawa, qdopp Inc., and MyAnimeList Co., Ltd., and carried out on Honeyfeed, a web-novel submission platform operated by qdopp.

It marked Kadokawa’s first large-scale English-language writing competitors aimed toward discovering world expertise for Japan’s light-novel market.

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“KADOKAWA’s first English-language novel contest on Honeyfeed acquired 1,240 submissions, the best quantity within the platform’s contest historical past. We’re deeply honored by this response and delighted to see such sturdy curiosity from English-speaking creators in Japan’s mild novel market,” the Editorial Division acknowledged.

After an preliminary spherical of voting by Honeyfeed customers and volunteers, the finalists have been evaluated by a panel led by The Rising of the Protect Hero writer Aneko Yusagi alongside Kadokawa’s editorial crew.

Following this, one Grand Prize winner and two Contest Winners Prize recipients have been chosen. Examine them out beneath:

Grand Prize Winner:

• Isekai’d with my canine, I’m not the hero?! by Frettiko

Synopsis:

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A median man named Mitsuta is reincarnated into one other world alongside along with his pet canine, Toast. Nonetheless, the goddess turns into totally smitten with the cute Toast and grants the entire hero’s bonuses to him as a substitute. For a stage 99 “Hero” Pomeranian, defeating monsters is a stroll within the park. In the meantime, his proprietor Mitsuta stays caught at stage 1…

Continuously dragged alongside by the free-spirited Toast, Mitsuta gathers a bunch of quirky companions and runs an odd-jobs enterprise, regularly carving out a spot for himself on this new world. At this fee, they could even find yourself defeating the Demon King sometime? A fluffy, feel-good comedy a couple of fun-filled isekai life with a beloved pet.

Contest Winners Prize:

• HR in One other World: Constructing the Strongest Events with my Appraisal Ability by Kaorin

Synopsis:

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Hiroyuki, an HR supervisor, is summoned to a different world by a goddess. He has no fight capability in any way, however armed with the Divine Appraisal ability, which reveals hidden potential, he recruits allies and assembles the last word celebration.

As Hiroyuki builds his crew, nevertheless, the shadow of an murderer focusing on him attracts close to… In a world far harsher than anticipated, can this hero’s celebration stand as much as the Demon Lord’s military? A grand journey begins as Hiroyuki makes use of his appraisal abilities to save lots of the world.

• Consuming Buddies: Hangover In One other World! by Literate_Manul

Synopsis:

Marcus and Gus are transported to a different world whereas hungover. Determined to impress an elf princess, they find yourself boasting that they are going to “defeat one of many Demon Lord’s generals.” By sheer probability, Marcus awakens to beer magic and begins blasting beer whereas shouting “Hop Missile!”, whereas Gus’s proper arm, whose energy he can’t consciously management, abruptly awakens… With zero capability and nil planning, however unmatched bravado, these two males launch right into a wildly unpredictable isekai buddy comedy!

The Grand Prize winner Frettiko will obtain USD 5,000, whereas Kaorin and Literate_Manul will every obtain USD 3,000 as Contest Winners Prize recipients.

All three works will likely be assigned Kadokawa editors, with the Grand Prize-winning novel scheduled for translation and publication in Japan, focusing on a 2027 launch, and the 2 different works to be revised with the purpose of potential Japanese publication.

Concerning the Grand Prize-winning novel, Isekai’d with My Canine, I’m Not the Hero?!, KADOKAWA acknowledged that it “stood out for its catchy, approachable premise, making it simple to think about on the cabinets of Japanese bookstores. The novel delivers loads of laugh-out-loud comedic moments, together with charming portrayals of Toast, the cute canine. We have been wanting to learn extra about Toast’s exploits, his bond with the protagonist Mitsuta, and Mitsuta’s progress over the course of the story.“

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Wanting forward, Kadokawa confirmed that it plans to proceed internet hosting related web-novel contests each in Japan and internationally.

Supply: Press Launch