Light novels are a particular brand of short-ish fiction that’s pretty popular in Japan. It’s not nearly as popular or universal as manga, but then neither is anime! Light novels have turned into a prime source of material for anime adaptation. Some of the freshest and most interesting anime in recent years started life as a light novel. While light novels have a length similar to Western novellas and bear some resemblance to young adult fiction (think Maze Runner or Hunger Games), there’s a unique character to them and a different pace to the stories.
In the West, we only get a fraction of the light novels in the Japanese market in translated form. Not even all of the most popular novels in Japan get translated. That’s mainly because translating a novel is a LOT more work than subtitling a TV show. However, when the West goes crazy for the next great anime phenomenon, you can bet your bottom dollar some money will be thrown at translating the source material.
If you loved these anime and want a deeper, more detailed take on their stories, these are a great place to start.
Overlord
In Overlord, a fanatical player of a once-popular MMO decides to stay plugged in to the game until the very last second, when the servers are switched off for good. Except when the time comes, he finds that his monstrous character body has become his real body and the NPCs of his guild are now ready to serve him as fully-conscious real people. Venturing outside the crypt that serves as their guild base, Momonga discovers that they are in an entirely different fantasy realm. Where is this place? What’s out there? Why not just rule it all?
I’ve already waxed lyrical about my love for the Overlord anime, but while I was waiting for season two the only way to get my fix was by turning to the source material, which had been translated. They actually sell a hardcover version, but since I live in a country that Amazon ships almost nothing to, I just bought them all on Kindle.
Honestly, I wanted to know what happened next in this story. It would be years before (or if) the anime finally made it to the end. I was dreading having to re-visit the parts I had already seen on screen, but it turns out my fears were for nothing. In book form this already brilliant story is even better.
The main reason for this is that we get to hear much more internal dialogue when it comes to both the main character and the rest of the cast. This completely changes one’s perspective on Momonga and makes him (ironically) a bit more human. There’s also way more detail about the world and the events we first saw in the show. Overlord definitely stands on its own as a light novel; if you like the show you must give the novels a try.
Sekai No Senki
This is a story that’s hard to summarize, but in the far future mankind has spread to space, settling on various planets. Alien life has never been found, but in order to make it to space humans created a race of genetically-engineered people known as the “Abh”, who eventually broke free and started their own civilization. The Abh are beautiful, do not show signs of aging, and live for 200 years. Yes, they are literally space elves.
Into this weird empire comes one Jinto Linn, the son of the president of his world. When the Abh invade and conquer the solar system that his world, Martine, occupies, his dad brokers a deal. They will surrender to the Abh if they make Jinto’s dad a count and leave the system in his hands. The Abh don’t actually care about what happens on the planets. They just want the sun to make antimatter. So they agree, which means when the dad is no longer in the picture, Jinto inherits the title. Jinto is now legally an Abh and must complete military service by law. It is here where he meets another cadet, Lafiel, who turns out to be next in line for the throne of the Abh. From here things get much more interesting.
If you’ve read my personal top 5 anime article you’ll know that my second most favorite show is a series known as Sekai no Senki, or “Banner of the Stars”. It’s a deep sci-fi story with elements of high fantasy wrapped up in space opera. The author, Hiroyuki Morioka, is one lightweight of modern Japanese literature. Like Tolkien, he has an affinity for constructed languages and deep world building. His humor translated well, and despite the genre he writes in there aren’t many cliches to point out.
The translations of his Sekai books were done by Tokyopop more than a decade ago, and it seems only three volumes were ever released. Morioka is still actively writing the series and there are plenty of books to come. The anime also isn’t up to date with his writing, and at this point it doesn’t seem like anyone is going to adapt the rest of the material. You can, however, find fan-translations of his later works with a bit of Google cunning. The quality doesn’t measure up to the standards of the official translations, but it’s better than nothing.
Log Horizon
In Log Horizon, thirty thousand MMO players find themselves transported to their game world. The NPCs are now real people and the players embody their game avatars. For players, death is not permanent but suffering is still possible.
What makes Log Horizon stand out from other “the game becomes real” shows is that it looks at interesting questions that flow from the central premise. For example, how will the economics work? What forms of government are correct in a world like this? What can players do with the knowledge they’ve brought back with them? There is also, of course, the central mystery of why this happened and how people can make it back to where they came from. At the center of the storyline is our hero, Shiroe. He’s not your typical blustery hero. Instead he’s a calm and quiet strategist; a thinker along the line of Gandalf. It’s the intelligence and insight of Shiroe that helps the players of the new Akihabara rebuild their lives.
The anime is absolutely fantastic, but the light novel is worth reading in its own right. Its tone and content is a little darker and more serious than the anime. There are more details, of course, and in general the translation is well done. If you love Log Horizon, this is a no-brainer.
Sword Art Online
Sword Art Online is an absolute phenomenon. It has joined the ranks of shows like Naruto and Attack on Titan when it comes to popularity. Rather than being a story of a video game that becomes real, SWO takes a different and interesting tack.
The creator of one of the most popular neural VR video games in the world traps logged-in players on purpose. If they die in the game they will die in real life. If anyone tries to remove the gear from them, they will also die. The only thing anyone can do is to put the bodies on life support while the players try to figure out a way to escape. The creator has set an incredibly difficult task that can only be accomplished if everyone works together. Our hero Kirito must survive long enough to facilitate that escape.
This is one light novel that differs significantly from the anime in terms of how the story is told. Volume 1 was meant to be a self-contained narrative without any intention of expanding on the story. The original was actually a self-published web novel! This edited copy is much improved, according to the author, but it’s not the polished commercial product the anime is. That being said, the series does rise to its potential, and Volume 1 is essential reading.
Your Name
Your Name is one of the first bona fide anime blockbusters. The film grossed 358 million USD worldwide. In Japan it made 190 million, nearly as much as Spirited Away. It is in the top four of the highest grossing films in Japanese history.
Here we have a light novel retelling of that story, but funnily enough the film was not based on this light novel. Instead, the director actually wrote the novel WHILE producing the film. Your Name is essential viewing for anyone who loves animation and fantastic human tales. The book is great on its own, but also acts as a marvelous companion to the film. It provided a way for the director to share new details and expand on what we saw on screen. There is no long series to buy into – just this one volume – and that’s perfectly OK.