Good news everyone!
This week’s midweek discussion question is a simple one:
What is your favorite genre?
My favorite are fantasy novels. Bonus points for everything that has a leg in the Slice of Life genre as well. Even more bonus points for everything that has little to no drama. I read to relax I can only read so many books that don’t let me relax at a given time. Reading the current arc of Bookworm is exhilarating and bad for my finger nails, but I really need something comfy in between.
I honestly don’t know, because I’ve read so many different things and enjoyed them. My JNC reading list alone has been:
- Haibara’s Teenage New Game+
- Chillin’ In Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers
- Now I’m A Demon Lord! Happily Ever After With Monster Girls In My Dungeon
- The Frontier Lord Begins With Zero Subjects
- An Introvert’s Hookup Hiccups: This Gyaru Is Head Over Heels For Me
- Peddler In Another World: I Can Go Back To My World Whenever I Want!
- You Like Me, Not My Daughter!?
- Isekai Tensei: Recruited To Another World
Throw in “Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian” and “Chitose Is In The Ramune Bottle,” and, uh…yeah. Also, I fucking love “The Saga of Tanya the Evil”. Honestly, even if it is a (somewhat) hot take, I think the series is pretty underrated and criminally under-read.
And in Japanese, I’m currently reading 田んぼで拾った女騎士、田舎俺の嫁だと思われている and 俺ん家に来た女騎士と田舎暮らしすることになった件, as well as 受付嬢に告白したくてギルドに通い詰めたら英雄になってた。
“The Saga of Tanya the Evil”. Honestly, even if it is a (somewhat) hot take, I think the series is pretty underrated and criminally under-read.
Doesn’t look under-read to me. At least I see it often discussed after the success of the anime. An argument could be made that it is still under-read even after that, but you can bet that I would say the same about Bookworm in that case ;)
But if you are reading in Japanese, do happen to have read Tearmoon Empire in its original language, I would love to know how it compares to the translation. Is it just as witty or less so?
I can’t say I’ve read Tearmoon Empire in any language. But as far as Youjo Senki is concerned, the anime pretty much completely ignores the source material. It’s truly an abominable adaptation…
It’s truly an abominable adaptation…
Ah come on now… Did the lightnovel have a completely unhinged Aoi Yuuki? No, it did not! But you convinced me. I put the first volume eon my plan to read list.
I’m just going by the standard of “how well did the anime put on screen what’s written in the light novel”, and in that regard it did do a rather poor job. But I can’t disagree with loving Yuuki Aoi at her most…dangerous, shall we say. The chemistry between her/Tanya and Hayami Saori as Visha is fucking impeccable.
Fantasy romance hands down.
Something like “The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent” or “Dahlia in Bloom”?
Yup.
Also, in no particular order other than my (lacking) memory:
- Can Someone Please Explain What’s Going On?
- I Refuse to Be Your Enemy
- Bakarina (not really romfan since a black hole is less dense than her)
- The Extraordinary, the Ordinary, and SOAP! (loved this)
- Housekeeping Mage from Another World
- The Sorcerer’s Receptionist
I also read a lot of other stuff, but this is the genre I prefer the most.
Bakarina MC’s density made me want to rage quit reading LNs.
I liked it in this series since it felt like part of the comedy. It was intended and in-line with how the character is painted in general. But characters that are supposed to be intelligent and then become insanely dense whenever the plot needs it drive me up the wall.
The plot itself I would argue almost never needs density. That’s just an excuse to milk a series well beyond it’s natural ending.
The Extraordinary, the Ordinary, and SOAP!
I remember that one. I wouldn’t have minded a couple more volumes, but maybe it’s better to end on a high note.
Is “ridiculous nonsense from ridiculous people” a genre? Konosuba, Combatants will be dispatched, misfit of demon king academy, I’m a guild receptionist, eminence in shadow… None are exactly my favourites but it’s a genre that I gravitate to for sure.
Is “ridiculous nonsense from ridiculous people” a genre?
It is now. If “Cute Girls Doing Cute Things” is a genre then that can be as well.
For Light Novels I would say Adventure so there ware couple of books that went up right my alley:
- There Was No Secret Evil-Fighting Organization (srsly?!), So I Made One MYSELF!
- The Conqueror from a Dying Kingdom
- Ascendance of a Bookworm
For Light Novels I just read whatever I fancy.
I guess it seems like - Fantasy , SoL , Comfy / Wholesome
Things like:
- Ascendance of a Bookworm
- Death March to another world Rhapsody
- Didn’t I say to make my abilities average
- In the land of Leadale
- Making magic
- Invincible Little Lady
If you know any similar please feel free to throw me some suggestions.
Ascendance of a Bookworm -> Cooking With Wild Game
Death March to another world Rhapsody -> Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear
Didn’t I say to make my abilities average -> Everything by FUNA is basically the same. I don’t say this as a bad thing. I just mean that you can pick up every other of FUNA’s series and be sure that you like (or dislike) it just as much as Average Abilities.
Making Magic -> Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina
Nothing directly comes to mind for Leadale since it’s very generic. Maybe if you elaborate on what aspect of it you liked especially.
Thanks for the recommendations.
Cooking with wild game - I tried to read it but wasn’t getting into it at the time. After Bookworm everything had lost its appeal. I think it was because you see a lot about the characters in bookworm but obviously a new book is still setting the scene instead of giving the characters growth (And he wasn’t a little gremlin causing everyone headaches). I will have to try again after a few weeks.
Kuma kuma kuma bear- is on my list to read.
FUNA - Yeah I also read I will survive on potions and watched saving 80000 gold. They are all the same sort of vein.
Wandering witch - I will need to look into. I never really got into the anime.
Leadale - I am not sure why it appealed. It might just be the wholesome character and the comfy story. Basically just fluff.
To be fair, it’s really hard to compare anything to Bookworm. These series keeps blowing my mind. I could come up with some series outside of the lightnovel space but inside, I don’t think anything’s quite on the same level. And no-one is quite a loveable gremlin causing headaches ;)
I recommended Wandering Witch more because of the story structure to be honest. That one distinct arc per volume thing loosely connected by some overarching plot.
For just fluff, I really enjoyed My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World and So You Want to Live the Slow Life? A Guide to Life in the Beastly Wilds. The later one is comfy but worth are feel-good fluff. Can’t go wrong with them.
