Cell Phone Novels

Cell phone novels. You might not have heard of them in America but they are a very popular writing form that was created in Japan.

Cell phone novels are just that, novels disrupted via text message. They consist segments about 70 to 100 words due to the character limitation of cell phones. They are released in increments giving parts of the story at weekly or monthly scheduled times. The novels are usually about romantic relationship and the themes include lovers, rape, love triangles, and pregnancy to name a few. These novels are the perfect size to be read on a commutes seeing is how most people in Japan take a form of public transportation whether it be the bus or the most popular train. This compact fiction was made to be distributed by phone but had not stayed stated in that media.

Many Japanese cell phone novels have been adapted to other forms. The popular cell phone novel "Love Sky" by Mika. It originally had 20 million subscribers in its digital form. Its popularity pushed it to become a printed novel. It has also been adapted to manga (Japanese comic), a theatrical film, and a TV drama. The cellphone novel "Deep Love" by Yoshi was later made into a print work. It has also been adapted into five manga adaptations, two dramas, and one live action film.

Japanese cellphone novels are innovative and practical form of fiction for the life style of on the go modern Japanese citizen. I think it is a form we could utilize more here in America seeing is how we to are a fast paced on the go society as well.