If you’re into manga and anime, chances are you’ve already run into discussions about light novels. It’s hard not to get sucked into this Japanese format as many of your favorite comics and shows are based on these.
As interest in manga and anime continues to grow, more and more people also become acquainted with light novels. But what exactly is a light novel?
What Is a Light Novel?
A light novel is a short Japanese-style novella. A lot of them contain manga illustrations but are still considered prose. Alternative names include ranobe or LN.
They contain many of the elements that manga and anime fans love. Slapstick comedy, distinct art style, cute characters, idealized concepts, and over-the-top actions and reactions.
They mostly target younger audiences, with their content written in a simpler, more approachable style. As such, they often overlap with stories that you might consider children’s literature, middle-grade, or young adult.
Light novels are usually, but not always, shorter than full-length novels. One book can average between 40,000 to 50,000 words. They are published as bunkobon, a small paperback format designed to be compact and affordable.
Being so manga-adjacent, some light novels even begin as serials in literary magazines before being compiled into books—similar to how manga series often start.
Because of this connection with other popular media, light novels are attracting a lot of attention. This has created a chicken-and-egg sort of situation where light novels are adapted into manga and anime and vice versa.
Start with These Popular Light Novels
There’s a mountain load of light novels to choose from. If you’re new to this format, it can be difficult to find where you want to start with. Here’s a list of popular light novels that you might like.
1. Toradora! by YuYuko Takemiya
Takasu Ryuuji is a kindhearted soul with the face of a thug. Aisaka Taiga is his short classmate with a deceptively scary personality.
When both learn of their crushes with each other’s best friends, they decide to help one another get closer to their puppy loves. Things won’t work as easily as they think though.
2. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime by Fuse
37-year-old Satoru Mikami is almost content with the monotony of his dead-end corporate job. That is until he hears a mysterious voice while succumbing to injuries from a robber.
After regaining consciousness, he finds himself in a world extremely different from the one he left behind. Faced with a fresh start, he must find ways to survive…as a slime.
3. Sword Art Online by Reki Kawahara
In 2022, thousands of gamers eagerly await the release of Sword Art Online, a virtual reality massively multiplayer online role-playing game. But when the game goes live, 10,000 players soon discover they can no longer log out.
Held hostage by their virtual reality gear, they must beat all 100 floors of the game in order to escape. But the dangers are countless, and a game over means dying here and in real life.
4. Bakemonogatari by NISIOISIN
Third-year high school student, Koyomi Araragi’s life is forever changed when he survives a vampire attack. Cured of vampirism, he prepares for a normal life only to rescue a classmate who weighs almost nothing.
Now he can’t seem to stop helping girls inflicted with all sorts of supernatural phenomena. But whatever it may be, he’ll be there to extend a helping hand.
5. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya by Nagaru Tanigawa
Kyon has long given up on his dream to encounter anything fantastical or supernatural. But a chance conversation with his eccentric classmate, Haruhi Suzumiya, leads to the creation of the SOS Brigade.
The SOS Brigade’s sole mission is to investigate mysterious events and meet extraordinary beings. What they don’t know is that those they seek may be closer than they think.
You can find a more extensive list of light novel recommendations here.
Why Light Novels Have Long Titles
If you take a quick look at light novels, you’ll find that most of them have long titles. Some of them you’ll think of as ridiculous, having almost paragraph-length titles.
Authors have begun naming their works as such because of two reasons: the sheer amount of light novels being put out and laziness.
Light novels have a reputation for being mass-produced and disposable. There’s a high turnover of writers who keep on churning out stories one after the other. This results in a huge amount of books that can be daunting for readers to choose from.
Because of the high volume, a light novel runs the risk of being ignored or seen as generic. A more descriptive title makes a better impact while also conveying the plot to the readers. For example, people will likely scroll over “The Dark Knight” compared to “The Dark Knight Who Protects the City from an Insane Clown and his Posse of the Criminally Inclined.”
And of course, since there are so many novels to choose from, people don’t have the time to look at each book’s blurb (the short descriptions at the back). So the long titles serve that purpose instead.
Many of these titles have shortened forms though. Rest assured, you don’t need to memorize the whole thing, just the monicker that a light novel is known by.
Have you tried reading a light novel? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!
