If you watch a lot of anime, you may have noticed that many popular titles are based off light novels these days. Sword Art Online, Re:ZERO, No Game No Life, Durarara—all of these are based off light novels. But just watching the anime won’t give you the full picture of what the light novel medium can offer. With more and more light novels being released in English than ever before, now’s as good a time as any to see what the fuss is all about.
Still not convinced that light novels are for you? Here are five reasons why you should read light novels instead of just settling for the anime adaptation:
1. They contain more details than the anime adaptations do
You might notice sometimes that an anime based on a light novel may rush through events really quickly or not explain what’s going on in the characters’ heads. Chances are that the light novel explains things more thoroughly. An example of this is Occultic;Nine. Most anime adaptations cover a light novel volume in around four episodes, but Occultic;Nine’s first episode blitzed through an entire volume in twenty minutes. Everything happens so fast that there’s no time to catch your breath. In this case, you might need to read the light novel just to understand what’s going on and who all the characters are.
From Occultic;Nine Vol. 1 – Illustration: pako
In other cases, the anime may not remove anything essential, but the extra details in the light novel breathe some extra life into the story. For example, Ichika in Infinite Stratos is a terribly boring character in the anime, but he has more wit and personality in the light novels, even if it does come down to him being an impulsive person with a savior complex. You get to see his thoughts on events and about the other characters, and you also learn more about the sci-fi setting. Infinite Stratos (the light novel, at least) is more than just a milquetoast harem series.
2. Light novels tell the whole story
This is related to the first point. Anime adaptations often don’t cover every novel in the series. In most cases, they just cover the first few volumes, and then end on an open-ended note. It can be really infuriating if you’re an anime-only viewer and you’ve gotten invested in the plot.
A recent example of this for me was Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash. The anime adapts the first two volumes and tells a really interesting story about realistic problems people may face living in a fantasy world. While the characters do come to terms with some of their personal relationships, there are still so many loose ends by the end of the anime. You don’t learn how the characters ended up in the fantasy world or why they have amnesia. A bunch of characters that appeared in the first episode end up not doing much in the anime, despite being set up as important to the overall plot. With no second season of the anime forthcoming, you have to read the light novel in order to find out what happens next in the story.
From: Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash Vol. 1, Illustration: Eiri Shirai
3) Some of the most interesting light novels don’t have anime adaptations
However, light novels aren’t just supplements to an anime series. The vast majority of light novels don’t actually have anime adaptations. If you only focus on the novels with anime adaptations, you’ll miss out on a bunch of interesting titles.
Take My Little Sister Can Read Kanji, for instance. It’s the weirdest thing ever. It’s set in a dystopian future where moe anime has taken over the world, and kanji is obsolete. Everyone has turned into, ahem, moe-loving pigs, and only the hero’s little sister can read kanji. You wouldn’t find this kind of story outside the world of light novels.
From: My Little Sister Can Read Kanji Vol. 1, Illustration: Halki Minamura
Also, if you follow the rankings in Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!, you’ll find that a number of the top titles don’t have anime adaptations. These titles are usually identified by critics and industry insiders as the most interesting titles to keep an eye on, and which may get an anime in the future. Although many of these titles aren’t licensed in English, some are, such as Goblin Slayer and The Faraway Paladin. If you’re looking for something a little different, try checking out a light novel that doesn’t have an anime.
4) Light novels cover any number of genres and styles
Contrary to popular conception, there’s no distinct light novel “style.” In the Japanese publishing industry, the term “light novel” really just refers to anything published under a light novel imprint, and is a loose category. While a high proportion of them do tend to be pitched at young adult audiences, light novels can cover any genre, be of any length, and they don’t even necessarily have to be easier to read than regular novels. Because of that, you can find a considerable amount of variety from light novels.
If you’re looking for variety in light novels, look no further than Dengeki Bunko, the largest light novel label currently in existence. You’ll find a lot of well-known series from them, like Sword Art Online and A Certain Magical Index, but they also publish more obscure offerings. Most of the novels that win the yearly Dengeki Novel Prize aren’t well-known among anime fans, but they cover a whole range of genres: action, fantasy, drama, romance, comedy, historical fiction, mystery, and so on. Other labels specialize in unusual stories that wouldn’t ordinarily get published anywhere else, such as GAGAGA Bunko (which publishes Oregairu) or Overlap (which publishes Grimgar). Look around and see what you can find!
5) You can read them cheaply on mobile devices
“That’s all well and good,” you might say, “but where can I read or buy them?”
It’s getting easier and easier these days to buy light novels in English. The majority of new releases get e-book versions, making them easily accessible even when you can’t find them in your local bookstore. The downside, however, is that you have to buy each volume separately and wait several months before each new installment is released.
J-Novel Club does things a little differently from other English publishers by releasing new material every week. You can also read the latest chapters as they are translated for a cheap monthly subscription fee, as well as purchase the completed ebooks. Going forward, this may be the best way to do things as the time gap between Japanese and English publication dates lessen.
One thing’s for certain: Light novels have never been more accessible or affordable. If you’re planning to get into light novels, now’s the best time to do so. Happy reading!
J-Novel Club is a great place to start!
