Interest Stacks

Nothing more to say, my absolute favorite of all time. This is the first time I ever feel void when I have to stop reading (you know, I have work to do). Mahiru is no doubt my favorite character, not just in this LN, but also among all LN I read so far. I usually don't call a girl character my waifu, but Mahiru will be my only exception.

On the back of each volume, the author writes "This is a love, sweet, and anxiety-inducing story between the MC and his cute neighbor". (I don't think it is there in the English version; I only read LN in Chinese, so I just translated it myself.) She isn't joking on this; she delivers this promise very well! There is nothing more satisfied than (and anxious about) watching two neighbors slowly developing from complete strangers to the sweetest couple in the history of LN, along with some (I mean, a lot) sweet scenes. You can also see how their feelings to each other change as the story moves forward; the author writes every detail in a very meticulous way imo.

The amount of sugar they throw out is insane, especially after Vol 4. It just pours like a waterfall. Hanekoto's drawing is so cute and wholesome as well, very well-supplementing the story! Since this LN is purely slice of life, you can imagine every scene crystal-clearly as you read it word by word. Now combine this with the sugary scenes, you just can't say no to it, can you?

And oh, don't forget, Saeki-san did say she wants to keep writing until at least Mahiru's wedding dress appears, but I honestly hope the story doesn't just end there.

I was originally drawn into this by its anime, but the light novel has become one of my favorite to read as well.

This one is less well-known, but I like how the author was able to write a good story with 40+ volumes (yep!) and just a handful of characters, and so you won't forget them entirely even if you pick it up very occasionally. (If you have watched the anime, almost all of them are there, with just a handful more being added into the story later.) You can contrast this with other long-lasting LN like the Magical Index, and you will see what I mean. It is a series that requires a lot of time commitment but totally worth it if you have the time.

White cat is one of my favorite character among all LN I read (but still behind Mahiru), but the story of this is surprisingly interesting as well. At the moment of writing, the series is almost at its end.

I don't even know how the author is able to think of such a complicated strategy for each of its high-risk game. Well done.

I don't even know this until it's been animated, but the thing that catch my eye is that the protagonist uses his knowledge of science to transform a world in which science is still lacking behind. I have been think of such a LN in my mind for many years, and seeing one that is closed to what I imagined is quite exciting.

I personally know absolutely nothing about shogi, but I don't think it is a requirement to enjoy it. I personally like to see the character development (and imagining the behavior of the JS's) way more than the actual games. The book also uses tons of algebraic notations for the games (much like chess), which might be enjoyable if you happen to be a shogi fan. The anime adaptation is also some of the best among those produced by (the notorious) P9.

Got interested into this from its anime. It is, in some sense, just NGNL x COTE, and the game designs are not as strong as those appeared in the two series. But I do think it has some potential for a good plot. It is sad that the anime decides to cut out some very important foreshadow of the story (as well as emotional scenes).

The first time I know that detective stories need not have people died at all! Thee last chapter (as of Jan 2023) has an open-ended ending to it, making the story even more mysterious.

I picked this one up because of S1 of the anime, but uh, this is not the genre I personally prefer when picking LN to read and so I kinda just pause after vol 15 (exactly where S2 ends). But nevertheless I still recommend people to check it out.

Interestingly, I picked this up after I got spoiled. There aren't that many LN out there which has a married harem, honey moon, AND also includes their children into the story. However, due to its huge world setting and large amount of characters, I keep forgetting who is whom (other than the main characters) as I come back to this every few months with a brand new vol.

I didn't expect to read this when I watch its anime, but instead someone recommended me to give it a try few years ago. No joke, the anime doesn't even show the true darkness of the story, and it quickly catched my eyeball by the time I read vol 10-ish. (For this, I only start reading right after where the anime ends.)
One thing I can confirm is that, Rinslet is the best girl in the story!

If I recall correctly, this is my first LN ever read.Quite like the ending of this series.

This is probably the oldest entry in this list. It has a decent 6-episode anime adaptation. The majority of the story happens inside the hospital in a suburb/rural area. This is a love story between a high school student and a girl whose life will be doomed in a handful of years. If you are okay with old school LN, then definitely give it a try. (But I find it less enjoyable than The Angel Next Door.) If you are coming here for sweet and wholesome scenes, then you might find it a bit disappointing. In the end, this is a love story from 2003, so don't expect it to be the same as any love LN nowadays.