Summary
It’s important not to understate the influence of light novels on the anime fandom. While most anime largely descends from manga, some of the biggest anime franchiseshave emerged from light novels, such asSlayers,Sword Art Online, andA Certain Magical Index.
Light novels can cover a wide variety of stories, ranging from fantasy, romance, comedy, and science fiction. While there are plenty of great light novel series that stay strictly in one genre, there are many more that blend the genres to make a more interesting premise. Here are some great light novels that blend genres.
1Full Metal Panic!
Military Mecha + Romantic Comedy
Kaname Chidori has a weird problem. Her school has just received a new transfer student by the name of Sosuke Sagara, a strange young man who acts as if he is in the military. He is overprotective of Chidori and his hair-trigger temper causes her problems every day. However, she soon learns that Sosuke’s antics are not an act and that there are indeed people trying to capture her.
Full Metal Panic!starts off feeling like a romantic comedy with an eccentric male lead and an exasperated female lead. However, it soonmorphs into a militaristic mecha action seriesonce the plot starts to progress. Even so, fans of the romance won’t have to worry about the dramatic tension between the two characters disappearing, as their relationship plays a role throughout the story.
2Date A Live
Sci-Fi Action + Harem Romance
Shido Itsuka is a normal high school boy living in a world where spatial quakes plague the world, causing chaos wherever one occurs. One day, he learns that the quakes are caused by the appearance of Spirits, beautiful girls with incredible powers. Shido can seal these Spirits' powers, but only by making them fall in love with him.
Date A Liveis a science fiction story that features super-powered battles between beautiful heroines. At the same time, it also has a big focus on romance as Shidoslowly builds a haremof the many girls he is made to romance throughout the series.
3Rokka: Braves Of The Six Flowers
Fantasy Epic + Mystery-Thriller
As the Demon King begins to rage across the land, the Braves of the Six Flowers are compelled to gather to defeat him. Adlet Meyer appears ready to fight with them, but when seven Braves appear the group becomes suspicious that an impostor is afoot. Unfortunately for Adlet, suspicion ends up falling on him.
Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowersis a fantasy epic with a mystery-laden hook. The question of who is the impostor becomes a big part of the story and gives what would be a simple hero’s story a complex twist.
4Baccano!
Time-Spanning Mystery + Treasure Hunting Adventure
In the 18th century, alchemists summon a demon and receive the elixir of immortality, allowing them to become immortal. As time passes, the formula to create the elixir crops up from place to place, with a variety of people learning about its existence and going after it.
Baccano!is a story that spansmultiple characters and time periods, with the elixir of immortality being the one thing that ties them all together. Fans of long-reaching mysteries of world-spanning adventures will surely enjoy this ambitious light novel series.
5KonoSuba
Isekai Adventure + Parodic Comedy
Kazuma Sato dies an embarrassing death after stepping outside for the first time in months. Greeted by the goddess Aqua, Kazuma is given the chance to reincarnate in a fantasy world as he is, where he can have the adventure of his dreams. However, when the goddess starts getting on his nerves, Kazuma ends up dragging her to his new reality with him.
KonoSubais an isekai story with all the regular tropes of adventuring parties, demon kings, and monster-slaying usually present in that genre. However, it is also an outlandish parody of that genre, with characters like Aqua, Darkness, and Megumin all having absurd and unreasonable personalities.
686
Mecha Warfare + Political Drama
The Republic of San Magnolia has been stuck in an endless war between the Empire’s automated Legion army, though they have had recent success with their own automated Juggernauts. What the Republic’s citizens don’t know is that the Juggernauts are manned by the 86, an oppressed minority within the Republic who have had their rights stripped away.
86is a mecha seriesfocusing on the events of a never-ending warbetween two major factions. At the same time, it also focuses on the plight of the oppressed 86, who are not considered human and are sent to their deaths in an unwinnable war.
7Spice And Wolf
Fantasy Adventure + Economic Slice Of Life
Kraft Lawrence is a young merchant who dreams of one day opening his own shop. While traveling the country trading his wares, he encounters a girl named Holo, who claims to be a goddess of harvest. Feeling that her people have forsaken her protection, Holo asks Lawrence to take her to her home of Yoitsu and accompanies him on his travels across the land.
Spice and Wolfis a fantasy story that follows the main characters as they travel from town to town. While the duo gets into various kinds of troubles, the series focuses less on action andmore on economic know-how and slice-of-life adventures.
8Monogatari Series
Supernatural Mystery + Idiosyncratic Love Comedy
Koyomi Araragi used to be a normal high school student, but over spring break, he was turned into a vampire. He manages to regain his humanity, but as a result, he finds himself drawn to other supernatural phenomena, as well as the various girls who come with them.
TheMonogatariseries isone of the most well-known light novel series, with each part focusing on a variety of bizarre supernatural mysteries. At the same time, the series also imbues a bunch of goofy rom-com elements, often switching between the two tones wildly.
