Interest

New Haruhi Novel Ships in Several Countries Tonight (Updated)

513,000 limited first-edition sets of Nagaru Tanigawa's next Haruhi Suzumiya light novel, Suzumiya Haruhi no Kyōgaku (The Surprise of Haruhi Suzumiya), will officially go on sale at midnight on Wednesday in Japan (11:00 a.m. on Tuesday EDT). The two-volume novel will also go on sale in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea. However, since some retailers shipped earlier than others, some readers have reported receiving their copies already.

Five Animate stores and three Gamers! stores will open at midnight in Japan to sell the novel as early as possible. Staff members in some Animate stores will be cosplaying in the light novels' high school uniforms, complete with SOS Brigade armband, and customers will receive one of five random SOS Brigade Supporters Cards with every 1,000 yen (about US$12) they spend on Haruhi Suzumiya items. The Animate and Wawabooks stores in Taipei, as well as two more stores in Taichung and Kaohsiung, will also open at midnight in Taiwan.

Thanks to dormcat for the news tip.

[Via Niji ni Kubittake!, Comic Natalie]

Images © Nagaru Tanigawa, Noizi Ito/Kadokawa Shoten

Update: Moe Ota-News Sokuhō and Yaraon! have aggregated reports and photographs from the midnight sales. Thanks, ultimatemegax.