Howdy, so you may remember a post I made a few days ago over here where I talked about using Visual Novels for learning to read in Japanese. I figured that I'd continue this by making a guide for Light Novels and Web Novels cuz it gives me a good excuse to slack on school work and look for resources for later. These two are eerily similar so I'm grouping them together for the sake of this guide. For the sake of this guide, I shall be referring to both "Web Novels" and "Light Novels" under the umbrella of "LNs/WNs". Any time I specify that I am talking about "Web Novels", it is safe to assume that I am talking about just Web Novels and the same can be assumed for whenever I specify "Light Novels."
Key:
LNs = Light Novels
WNs = Web Novels
VNs = Visual Novels (look at the post linked in the first paragraph)
What are LNs/WNs?
Now, for Light Novels specifically, what constitutes a Light Novel, according to people that I know, is generally somewhat vague, but what differentiates them from regular novels is that novels contain more complete and self-contained stories whereas the stories inside of LNs are split up and serialized into different volumes. A lot of Light Novels contain anime-style illustrations and each volume is usually around 100k characters in length. While there are Light Novels targeted towards all sorts of people, the main target demographic includes teenagers and young adults.
You'll often find a lot of Light Novel stories originating from Web Novels, which are user-submitted stories published on sites like https://syosetu.com/ and https://kakuyomu.jp/ . You can often find the "original versions" of a lot of popular Light Novels on these sites as a lot of Light Novels start out as Web Novels before being officially serialized by a Publisher. You can also find a lot of fanfiction and original stories on these sites as well. I know some people who have read Web Novels and have reported them as being "a bit sloppier with mistakes and language", but this is because these aren't professionally published/checked for mistakes. However, they're still really valuable resources that one can learn from.
時々ボソッとロシア語でデレる隣のアーリャさん volume 9
Reading 時々ボソッとロシア語でデレる隣のアーリャさん volume 9 on Ttsu Reader using Yomitan (dictionary)
Why LNs/WNs?
So, if you have read my previous post regarding VNs, you'll know that I have mentioned that a lot of people agree that reading native materials is a foolproof method for skyrocketing your comprehension. Here is a post of someone recounting their own experiences reading 50 light novels and giving tips. It's worth the read. However, unlike VNs, where you're still provided with visuals to help with visualizing scenes, Light Novels don't have this.
LNs/WNs have a lot of descriptive dialogue and very few images (or even 0 images), practically forcing you to use the descriptive dialogue to visualize what is going on in your mind. This gives you exposure to a lot of advanced grammar structures and vocab, supercharging your Japanese. You're pretty much forced to rely on your own understanding of the material. This elevates the difficulty by a ton when compared to Anime and even Visual Novels.
Also, unlike Visual Novels, LNs and WNs tend to be more portable than VNs as you can read a majority of your LNs on phone using apps like Jidoujisho or with Yomitan using the Edge Canary Browser (which allows you to install Yomitan) if you're on Android and ImmersionReader or Safari with 10ten Japanese Reader if you're on iOS.
Prerequisites for LNs/WNs:
If you've read the VN guide, pretty much the same prerequisites apply here:
– Hiragana + Katakana Knowledge ( https://realkana.com/ )
– Basic Grammar Knowledge (N4+) (Either Read https://sakubi.neocities.org/ or finish Genki I and II)
– At least 1k vocab words ( Use Anki and The Kaishi 1.5k Deck to learn the most common vocab)
– You don't need prior reading experience, but you can always use Manga as a gateway into reading before LNs/WNs.
LNs/WNs Setup:
I mean, the setup for both is pretty straight forward. For Web Novels, it's as simple as going to either https://kakuyomu.jp/ or https://syosetu.com/ , picking something to read, for example:
Then all you would need to do is install Yomitan and then click on a web novel and chapter to read.
For example:
Now, when it comes to Light Novels, the setup is less straightforward but still pretty simple.
- Install Yomitan.
- Find and locate EPUB files for light novels. You can either find them on TheMoeWay discord server (get the 'Student' Role via the quizzes in order to get access to #book-sharing), or through https://annas-archive.org/ where you can type up the Japanese name, file-type, and language of the book you're looking for:
- Go ahead and download an epub file.
Then go to https://reader.ttsu.app/ and you'll find this page:
Drag and drop your epub file in to upload it, or click the "Import File" icon at the top.
Once imported, it should look like this:
Click on the novel and simply start reading!
This is what it looks like with default settings.
You can use Yomitan with your Novels to search words up like this:
If you want my settings for ttsu reader, here they are:
Best LN/WN Recommendations for beginners:
Light Novels:
By far, the two most highly recommended Light Novels that I've seen people recommend are また、同じ夢を見ていた and くまクマ熊ベアー.
また、同じ夢を見ていた is a one-volume story made by Sumino Yoru, which follows Nanoka Koyanagi, an isolated elementary school student assigned to find the meaning of "happiness." Through her interactions with three unique individuals—Abazure-san, Obaa-chan, and Minami—Nanoka embarks on a journey of self-discovery and emotional growth.
くまクマ熊ベアー is a lighthearted isekai story about Yuna, a dedicated gamer and antisocial shut-in, who gets sucked into her favorite fantasy RPG after downloading an update. Reset to level one and equipped with only a cute bear onesie that grants her powerful abilities, Yuna sets out to explore her new world, despite the challenge of being unable to remove the bear suit.
Alternatively, there are quite a few romance stories that are really easy to start with, for example:
娘じゃなくて私〈ママ〉が好きなの!? follows Ayako Katsuragi, a woman raising her niece Miu after her sister’s death. When their neighbor Takumi confesses that he loves Ayako, not Miu, she must navigate her doubts and decide whether to accept his feelings.
経験済みなキミと、 経験ゼロなオレが、 お付き合いする話。 follows Ryuuto Kashima, a shy high schooler who confesses to his popular crush, Runa Shirakawa. To his surprise, she accepts, and despite their differences, they begin an unusual relationship, filled with new experiences for both of them.
There is also:
無職転生 ～異世界行ったら本気だす～ follows Rudeus Greyrat, a 34-year-old NEET reincarnated as a baby in a magical world. Retaining his past life’s knowledge, he vows to live without regrets. Though a magical prodigy, Rudeus still carries his otaku tendencies, using his adult mind to pursue relationships he couldn’t in his previous life.
魔女の旅々 follows Elaina, a young witch inspired by The Adventures of Nike, a book about a traveling witch. After announcing her dream to explore the world, Elaina becomes the youngest to earn the title of Apprentice Witch. Known as the Ashen Witch due to her silver hair, she embarks on a journey, visiting fascinating countries, meeting diverse people, and fulfilling her desire for adventure.
You can find recommendations on these lists here:
https://jpdb.io/novel-difficulty-list?offset=50#a
https://learnnatively.com/search/jpn/books/
Web Novels:
Now, with Web Novels, I can be a bit more personal with the recommendations.
- A lot of popular Light Novels started off as Web Novels, like Ｒｅ：ゼロから始める異世界生活, ログ・ホライズン, 継母の連れ子が元カノだった, 無職転生 - 異世界行ったら本気だす –, etc.
- Here are some easy recommendations for those starting out:
オタクな俺がポンコツ美少女JKを助けたら、お互いの家を行き来するような仲になりました
陰キャの僕に罰ゲームで告白してきたはずのギャルが、どう見ても僕にベタ惚れです
痴漢されそうになっているＳ級美少女を助けたら隣の席の幼馴染だった
You can find recommendations for web novels over here:
https://jpdb.io/web-novel-difficulty-list
If anyone has anymore recs, you're free to link it in the comments below. I hope you enjoyed this. I totally didn't make it just to procrastinate on important schoolwork, which I should get back to now.
by TSComicron