Light novels

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

I seem to remember us having a thread for these a while back when I first joined, but I think it wouldn't be bad to start another one, since I just started Children of the Bottle back up again. blkmage made a pretty excellent thread about this a couple years ago, but I'll rehash it, I guess.

For the people who don't know, light novels are novels written in Japan with an illustration scattered in about every chapter or so. Like manga, they are often serialized in magazines like Dengeki Bunko, so the next time you're watching Durarara!! and Walker and Erica buy 30 copies of it, you'll now know that they are buying a magazine they were originally written in.

Also like manga, they are a pretty common choice for anime. Other anime adapted from light novels include Baccano!, Spice and Wolf, Kure-nai, Bakemonogatari, Kino's Journey, The Haruhi Suzumiya series, Bungaku Shoujo, and the up-and-coming Fate/zero.

So, what light novels have all of you read? I've read the first Baccano! novel, The Rolling Bootlegs, and am currently about halfway through the fifth, Children of the Bottle. I've also read the first Bungaku Shoujo novel, which is also pretty good.

[Atria35]

I've read all the light novels I own- that is, Kieli 1-4, and Chibi Vampier 1-5. I started collecting the Chibi Vampire ones because I loved the series... and at the time, they were only publishing nmbers 1-5. I've since discovered they published more! Kieli because I loved the manga and wanted to see the story continue. I've been buying them as they have come out, so *hopefully* I'll have all 9 eventually.

[blkmage]

Right now I'm reading Fate/Zero and waiting on Bungaku Shoujo.

I've read all of Haruhi and am waiting for the latest two volumes to get translated. Also waiting for Spice and Wolf releases to catch up to where they were when fan translated (which should be next month, with volume 5).

[MasterDias]

I've read most of Toaru Majutsu no Index including the most recent volume. Translations have been moving at a pretty quick pace, so all of the volumes have now been almost completely translated.

This thread reminds me about Baccano!/Durarara!! Should really read some of those soon. I'm a bit surprised The Flying Pussyfoot storyline hasn't been translated. That was the best story for me in the anime.

As far as official translations go, I've been meaning to start Haruhi Suzumiya for a while.

[Kaori]

I’ve only read two Japanese light novels: in English, the first volume of Vampire Hunter D, and in Japanese, the first volume of the 12 Kingdoms novels—that is, the first half of the first story arc. Recently I learned that Legend of the Galactic Heroes and The Heroic Legend of Prince Arislan (*points to avatar*) are both based on novel series by the same person, Tanaka Yoshiki, so now I want to read them both, but it’s unlikely I ever will, because it takes such an enormous amount of time for me to read even one very short novel in Japanese.

Anyways, there are plenty of other anime and manga based on novels that haven’t even been mentioned yet: Scrapped Princess, The Girl Who Leapt through Time, and Memories of Emanon come to mind, and I’m sure there are tons of others that I don’t know about. Also, the Wikipedia page about the novel Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo, The Girl Who Leapt through Time, is a great example of Japan’s astonishingly excessive habit of adapting things into every format imaginable.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Are the Baccano! light novels any good?

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

This thread reminds me about Baccano!/Durarara!! Should really read some of those soon. I'm a bit surprised The Flying Pussyfoot storyline hasn't been translated. That was the best story for me in the anime.

From what I've heard, the reason the fan translations skipped over The Grand Punk Railroad was that it was the most complete story in the anime. While a little bit of The Rolling Bootlegs and quite a bit of The Drugs and the Dominoes were cut out due to time issues, The Grand Punk Railroad was pretty much covered faithfully, so the translators decided they'd rather move on to Children of the Bottle than translate something everyone has already seen.

And yeah, from what I've read, Narita is a pretty great writer, so I'd say the Baccano! novels are definitely worth it.

[MasterDias]

Well, I've now read the first Durarara!! volume. The anime rearranged and expanded on a bunch of stuff, and is overall a very good adaptation.

[blkmage]

Really, my biggest wish for light novels is for Yen Press to speed up releases. I find six months is a really huge gap and I think four months like Japanese releases tend to be is a pretty reasonable timeframe. In terms of series, I really, really want to read Nisio Isin's *Monogatari novels. I also wouldn't mind Kara no Kyoukai either, but the necessity of a translation probably isn't as high.

I'm kind of curious about Shakugan no Shana. I thought about checking out Gosick when I first heard about it, but now I guess I don't need to. I wonder if anyone's read Nisio Isin's Zaregoto though. I've heard mixed reviews about it and it is commercially available here. I'm also not sure whether it's still being released or if it got the drop like Shana did.

Also found out DRRRx4 through 6 are completely translated, so I will be busy for a while, I guess.

[MangaRocks!]

Well, so far I've read both of NisiOisiN's Death Note novels (the prequel "...Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases" in particular is quite excellent! ), and I'm also following Kieli (another great light novel series ) as each volume is released.

I'm also planning on reading the Haruhi Suzumiya novels eventually, though because of my personality and reading habits (for one, I'm a natural speed-reader; and for another, I tend to prefer to read/watch/etc. things start-to-finish as much as possible ) I do want it to get a bit closer to the end of the story before I start it.

Also, P.S: Thanks to blkmage, I just looked up Zaregoto (even legally read a bit of it online, thanks to Google Books!) and I'm officially intrigued. *adds to list*

[MasterDias]

Zaregoto was Del Rey and they only released two volumes. Light novels just never caught on over here like manga and anime did. Yen Press is the only publisher still releasing them regularly. Well, I think Dark Horse is still releasing Vampire Hunter: D novels...

I'm sort of wondering how well the Bungaku Shoujo books are doing. Those don't have near the exposure that Haruhi and Spice and Wolf have.

[AnimeGirl]

I need to start reading some 'light novels'. Question; I saw a bunch of novels in the manga section of Fullmetal Alchemist, does that also count as a 'light novel'?

[Atria35]

[quote="AnimeGirl (post: 1490380)"]I need to start reading some 'light novels'. Question]

Maybe? If they're in the manga/graphic novels section, then yes, they're probably light novels. The name of the author is also a clue, since if it's Japanese and also in that section, you can also be pretty sure it's a light novel. I get all my light novels from the manga/graphic novels section of the bookstore, so it's a pretty sure bet.

[AnimeGirl]

Yeah, it's in the manga section, WITH the FMA manga as well if I remember correctly. I want to get into reading some, whether manga-based or completely original. It'll also give me ideas on writing light novels, as writing and illustrating is much easier (not to mention faster) than drawing a WHOLE VOLUME of manga >.>

Do you have any recommendations, Atria-san?

[Atria35]

Kieli. So far it's my favorite light novel series. Though I'm pretty sure everyone else on here will nominate Spice and Wolf as being great (regardless of the cover on the first volume it's not racy or anything. They went back to cute drawings on the rest of them).

I haven't read the Drrr! or Baccano! ones, but I think you'd be best off with the Spice and Wolf and Kieli.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

So I just finished Children of the Bottle, which I enjoyed much more than I did The Rolling Bootlegs, which I already thought was totally awesome. I really want to see more Baccano! now even more now that I've read this. Narita is a really fantastic writer and it looks like I'm going to have to read The Slash soon.

Honestly, I'm surprised it hasn't been picked up by Yen Press, since Baccano! seems to have a very dedicated following over here.

[MasterDias]

I'm sort of expecting Yen Press to try out at least one of Narita's works, if they decide to continue with light novels. But it will probably be Durarara!! if anything. It is generally more popular and is not (yet) quite as long, although it's getting up there.

[blkmage]

I finished Fate/zero recently and I'm probably going to finish Durarara and Kara no Kyoukai soon, so I was thinking of getting started with Baccano. Can anyone tell me which volumes the anime has gone through already?

I'll say something about Fate/zero and Durarara soon. But for now, just know that both are really good.

[GeneD]

I've only read some of the Baccano light novels. Finished Children of the Bottle a while back and need to get on with reading The Slash.

Can anyone tell me which volumes the anime has gone through already?

The Baccano anime covers mostly volumes 1 to 4:
1930: The Rolling Bootlegs
1931: The Grand Punk Railroad - Local Chapter
1931: The Grand Punk Railroad - Express Chapter
1932: Drugs & The Dominos

A lot from Drugs isn't covered though and those parts definitely make it worth the read. I think there are small bits and pieces of the other novels too, like some (or all) of the Advenna Avis episode comes from CotB.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Yeah, from what I can tell, you really need to read The Drugs and The Dominoes to understand any of the books after Children of the Bottle, which is the first non-anime covered novel, because while the anime covers the story, it cuts out Claire's involvement and Maria, who I think is important in later stuff. I haven't read it yet, but I think I need to before I start on The Slash.

Edit: So should this become the general What Light Novel Are You Reading and Light Novel recommendations thread?

[blkmage]

All right, I've been on a light novel kick, so here we go.

Kizumonogatari is the third volume of the *monogatari series (after Bakemonogatari 上 and 下). It's the prequel to Bakemonogatari which talks about how Koyomi meets Meme, Shinobu, and Tsubasa. You'll have seen glimpses of it in the opening episode of Bakemonogatari. I'm not sure what else to say about it other than that it's very Bakemonogatari in how it reads, progresses, and concludes. I'm pretty excited to see it animated.

Fate/Zero is the light novel prequel to Fate/stay night. As I've alluded to before, the Holy Grail War in Fate/stay night is a game compared to the one that's depicted in Fate/Zero. Fate/Zero at the very least has much better fights than Fate/stay night. One of the central themes of Fate/stay night is ideals and there will be as much discussion and exploration of ideals and how they motivate and cause conflict among characters as there was in Fate/stay night. And I'm also a much bigger fan of Zero's characters than stay night's. If you thought Urobuchi Gen was piling on the despair in Madoka, you haven't seen anything.

Since it's getting an anime in October and everyone loves Madoka, the question is probably whether or not you should read/watch Fate/Zero without having read Fate/stay night (yes, read, and no, watching Fate/stay night and Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works is not going to cut it, because arguably the most important part of Fate/stay night is the Heaven's Feel route). The answer is maybe.

I think that there is some benefit to having read Fate/stay night, since it will affect your reading of Fate/Zero in how to take what characters say or do. There are parts where why something might be important doesn't register because it's assumed that you already know. On the other hand, it might not matter that much in the long run, since you're not really missing anything if you don't catch those things. If you do go on to read Fate/stay night, you may even be surprised by how things turn out.

I've said it before, but it's worth repeating that Durarara!!x4-6 has been a great reminder of Narita Ryohgo's skill in launching a thousand plot threads and tying them together by the end of a whole bunch of a shenanigans. It's pretty clear after reading 4-6 that the stories from 1-3 haven't been resolved in the slightest.

Durarara!!x4 is another volume that is mostly for introducing characters and doesn't do much with the main trio from the first three volumes, which, after the intense focus on them, is a nice break. Durarara!!x5 and 6 are actually one large story and I'd consider the "main" character of these volumes to be Shizuo. I don't think much more needs to be said. However, there is some major development for the trio and an especially huge development for Mikado.

I know a lot of people were unimpressed by the anime version of Durarara!!x2 and 3. I think a Durarara!!x4-6 anime can win them over.

[Song_of_Storms]

[font="Garamond"][SIZE="2"]I prefer reading to anything else, to I adore light novels! While I had been reading the Trinity Blood novels, I sort of fell out when my local bookstore stopped carrying them.

I'm in love with Book Girl ~ (Literature Girl/Bungaku Shoujo) I enjoy how the author uses a real book as centerpiece for her entire story. I'm waiting the arrival of Book Girl and the Captive Fool as we speak! (I have to purchase the series online as I very seldom see them in stores) One reason I enjoy the series so much (besides the fact I love the entire premise) is that the wording itself does not insult my intellect. Sure, there will be hits and misses, but for the most part the words chosen are pleasing to me. (if that makes any sense at all...) -and, like most mystery series from Japan, the endings tend to be questionable.

I deeply regret not getting my hands on any books from the Gosick series, especially since now an $ 1 1 paperback has turned into a $ 5 8 one! DX Also, Volks released two limited dolls from the series and I'm obsessed with their Kazuya Kujo! *3*

I always have a hard time finding light novels, though... It was purely by chance that I happened upon Book Girl >o< I don't suppose anyone has any suggestions on how to find out what light novels are being published in English? ~ <3[/SIZE][/font]

[Atria35]

Unfortunately, the only way I've found them is by going through the various publishers' catalogues and keeping up with their blogs/news on what they're publishing. There are also blogs that keep up with those things and will mention when they're being published (it'll be mixed in with the manga announcements they have).

[blkmage]

How I've found out is I'd usually be reading a fan translation and one day it'd disappear because it got licensed and C&D'd by the publisher.

[blkmage]

Finished reading The Surprise of Haruhi Suzumiya, volumes 10 and 11. In case you aren't up to speed on the wonderful history of the series, The Dissociation of Haruhi Suzumiya, volume 9, was released in April 2007. Volumes 10 and 11 were released in May 2011. Yes, there is a four year gap in between 9 and 10 and what's great is that the author admits there's no particular reason for it in the afterword. What's even better is that 9, 10, and 11 are all one story.

So for the story itself, it's classic Haruhi. I wondered how long the author plans stories out in advance, because once again, I'm struck by how events unfold from minutiae and offhand remarks from volumes before. Also, as before, the way that the supernatural twist occurs works out very well. I'm not sure how I feel about there being more, since there are still a bunch of things for the main characters to do. And really, the long delays are becoming a huge problem.

[blkmage]

Finished Bungaku Shoujo vol. 3. But first, a story.

I'd been visiting local comic book shops recently. These ones have a very wide selection of manga and artbooks and even some light novels (among your regular old comics and foreign comics and stuff) and so I'd been hoping to pick up the new Bungaku Shoujo while I was visiting. One of them had Bungaku Shoujo but didn't have the newest one.

At the other one, I had a conversation with the guy about light novels. It turns out, like we probably suspected, that light novels don't tend to do very well here. In fact, they hadn't stocked Bungaku Shoujo because I was the first person to ask about it. They did have the more popular stuff like Haruhi and Spice and Wolf that also had accompanying anime or manga. Funnily enough, when I got home, I realized that this was the same store where I picked up my Bungaku Shoujo artbook ("文学少女" Fantasy Art Book).

I don't think I've written that much about Bungaku Shoujo, but really it's first three volumes are fairly similar. I don't think much changes in the way of the overarching plot until the volume that's covered by the movie. Anyhow, each Bungaku Shoujo volume has the Literature Club doing some shenanigans and getting involved in some dark mystery that manages have parallels or ties into a real book.

You might think that's what distinguishes Bungaku Shoujo from other light novel series, but I don't think it is. Personally, I feel like the tie-ins are kind of gimmicky and really heavy handed and for the most part, it connects thematically but doesn't really play out in the plot. Nope, for me, the thing that sets Bungaku Shoujo apart is the crippling emotional problems and immense self-loathing that every single important character except Touko seems to be afflicted with.

And when I say important, I don't mean just the main characters. The characters that show up for a volume who are part of that story are the same. Characters who are introduced earlier and seem normal might show up in a later volume and have it revealed that they've been suffering internally. It turns out that the root of every problem in every volume is self-destructive behaviour of every character that's involved.