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The Sneaker Light Novel Magazine's Special Issue Includes Haruhi Short Story

Kadokawa's Sneaker Bunko label revealed on Tuesday that The Sneaker Legend, a special one-time revival issue of its The Sneaker light novel magazine, will include an all-new short story in Nagaru Tanigawa's Haruhi Suzumiya series. The draft of "Nana Fushigi Overtime" (Seven Mystery Overtime) is relatively long for a short story at 120 Japanese manuscript pages.

The special issue will also include an extended interview and new short story by Ryo Mizuno for Record of Lodoss War, and a new short story by Natsume Akatsuki and a short manga (with interview) for Konosuba - God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!.

The label also revealed the issue's front cover art (seen below) by Konosuba - God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! artist Kurone Mishima and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya artist Noizi Ito. The magazine's release date has been moved a day earlier to October 31.

The new issue will contain short stories from the following authors and their respective series:

• Tomoaki Hayashi's The Emerging Story of Mismarca
• Kyohei Iwai's Mushi-Uta
• Ao Jūmonji's Bara no Maria
• Takeru Kasukabe's NouCome
• Satoshi Hase's Circlet Girl
• Tarō Tatsunoko's Problem children are coming from another world, aren't they?
• Akira Kareno's WorldEnd:What Do You Do at the End of the World? Are You Busy? Will You Save Us?
• Masamune Kuji's Hybrid x Heart Magias Academy Ataraxia

In addition Yutaka Kōno's Sagrada Reset, Makoto Sanda's Rental Magica, and Sunao Yoshida's Trinity Blood will get special illustrations and features.

In addition, it will publish contributions by Satoru Akahori (Abenobashi: Magical Shopping Arcade, Knights of Ramune & 40, Maze), Yoshiyuki Tomino (Gundam), Shō Tomono (The Damned Stalkers), Usagi Nakamura (Bokura wa Reinō Tanteidan!), Kō Hiura (Guldeen the Future Wanderer), and Misio Fukazawa (Fortune Quest Gaiden) on Sneaker Bunko's 30th anniversary.

The magazine launched in April of 1993, and it published every other month for most of its run. It launched several popular light novel titles such as The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Rental Magica. Later, it carried Dantalian no Shoka, R-15, and other titles that would inspire anime.

The magazine ceased publication in its April 2011 issue (pictured right) on February 28, 2011. According to the Japanese Magazine Publishers Association, the magazine had a circulation run of about 20,000 copies in its final year. At the time, The Sneaker Editor-in-Chief Kōichi Sakamoto said that his company will expand its bunko (pocket-sized paperback book) lineup even more, as well as broaden its use of the web and electronic books in response to its readers' needs.

Sources: Sneaker Bunko website, Animate Times via Nijimen

Update: Title corrected. Thanks, Joa