Knights and Magic is a light novel series written by Hisago Amazake-no and illustrated by Kurogin. The series was first serialized online in 2010 and later published in physical volumes by Shufunotomo starting in 2013. **Shufunotomo** is a Japanese publishing company that specializes in light novels, magazines, and books related to hobbies and recreation. They have published a wide range of popular series, including Knights and Magic, which has gained a dedicated fan base both in Japan and internationally. The novel follows the story of a programmer who reincarnates into a fantasy world and uses his knowledge of modern technology to become a skilled knight. The series combines elements of fantasy, mecha, and magic, creating a unique and exciting story.
The closest inks I could find to Yoi were Vinta Nakar, a shimmering grey ink with underlying pinkish brown and green tones, and Vinta Aegean Armada, which is more bluish-greenish-greyish but has those same subtle pinks. Yoi means something like "early night" or "the beginning of the evening just after dark."
While I was doing the swatching, I also did a simple chromatography test by touching the nib of my pen to a paper towel and allowing a small circle to soak into the paper, then doing a second circle and adding a little water to that one to allow the colors to separate even more. We spent a lot of time down at the zoo, says CG supervisor David Lomax, going to bird sanctuaries to study their movement and what they looked like, as well as taking many pictures of horses and studying horses in fields.
The series combines elements of fantasy, mecha, and magic, creating a unique and exciting story. Knights and Magic has also been adapted into a manga series and an anime television series, further expanding its reach and popularity. **Overall, Knights and Magic is a well-loved light novel series published by Shufunotomo, known for their expertise in the genre.
Sailor Yurameku - These New Inks Are Full of Surprises!
I know, I know, almost every week in the blog I tell you how excited I am to be writing about my latest topic. but this week, I am actually a little bit giddy. I love ink, so I had been looking at the "Ink Bottles" section of our store website to see what new inks were coming soon. When I saw the Sailor Yurameku line listed a couple months ago, I read about it online and was counting the days until it arrived at the store. Not only are the Yurameku inks multichromatic, so they somehow manage to be more than one color at the same time, they look very different depending on your choice of paper, and also change in appearance as they dry and develop on the paper. The Japanese word Yurameku translates to something like "flickering," which I think refers to these inks' mercurial nature. I saw a few writing samples by people in Japan who had tried them already, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on them to experiment!
The prediction on our website originally said we'd get them in mid-February, so I checked almost every day in February, but they didn't arrive until the evening of Tuesday, March 1st. By the time I'd swatched the inks the next morning, we had already sold out of one of the colors, Kangyou, and the others were going fast!
As I write this on March 7th, we have sold out of Kangyou, Itezora, Yurameku, Kyokkou and Seki, and the other colors have only a few bottles still in stock. But, not to worry! We are getting a new shipment next month and will have 30 bottles of each color. They are available for pre-order now. I'm sure the second batch will go quickly, too, but reading this should help you decide which colors you want the most. The complete lineup of Yurameku colors is Kangyou, Seki, Kyokkou, Amamoyoi, Kitsune Biyori, Kyokuya, Yoi, Itezora, and Byakuya.
Why are these inks so hot? Well, they are cousins to the Sailor Ink Studio series that created such a buzz in 2019, and every ink in the line is multichromatic. Examples of other popular dual shading inks include Sailor Ink Studio 123, 130, 162, 150, 173, 224, 252, 273, 280, and 573; Vinta Inks Perya, Maskara, Sirena and Aegean Armada; Troublemaker Milky Ocean and Abalone; and Sailor Manyo Haha and Nekoyanagi. This type of ink is so fascinating and mysterious, people really get excited about experimenting with it on different types of paper and with different pens. It works best with wider nib sizes that can show off the complex colors, and is also beautiful to use like watercolor paint, with a paintbrush.
I own a bottle of Nekoyanagi and quite a few of the Sailor Ink Studio multishaders, plus have sample vials of a lot of other inks that fit this category, so I've played around with them a fair bit. I pulled a bunch of my swatch cards for comparison.
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Reviews for "The Fan Community of Knights and Magic: How the Light Novel has Inspired a Dedicated Following"
1. Sarah - 2/5 - I was really disappointed with the publishing of the "Knights and Magic" light novel. The translation was filled with grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, making it difficult to follow the story. Additionally, there were several pages with missing illustrations, which made it hard to visualize certain scenes. Overall, I felt like the publisher didn't put enough effort into ensuring a high-quality product, and it greatly impacted my reading experience.
2. John - 1/5 - I have to say, the publisher of the "Knights and Magic" light novel did a terrible job. The editing was sloppy, with numerous spelling and punctuation mistakes throughout the book. The formatting was also inconsistent, making it confusing to distinguish between dialogue and narration. It's such a shame because the story itself seemed intriguing, but the poor quality of the publication completely ruined it for me.
3. Emily - 2/5 - As a fan of the "Knights and Magic" series, I was excited to dive into the light novel. However, the publisher's work left much to be desired. The font size was too small, making it straining on the eyes to read for long periods. Moreover, the paper quality was cheap, and the pages started to tear easily. While the story itself was enjoyable, the subpar quality of the physical book made it difficult to fully immerse myself in the world of "Knights and Magic." I hope the publisher improves their standards in future editions.