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For 2022, there are already a number of anime adaptations of light novels in the works. Some of the better shows of 2021, like 86, are also based on light novels. While not every adaptation delivers on its promise, light novels have served as inspiration for some of the greatest anime of all time. Let’s take a look at the best anime adaptations of light novels.
Updated March 3, 2022 by Mark Sammut: Light novels serve as a frequent source of inspiration for anime, the medium only surpassed by manga when it comes to adaptations. By focusing on a light novel, studios can craft a product that already has a following; while this provides the anime with a leg-up over the competition, the adaptation also comes with expectations. As releases like A Certain Magical Index Season 3 show, an anime can attract a lot of criticism for failing to match the quality of the source material. Thankfully, there are many great anime based on light novels out there, and this article has been expanded to include a few more.
12 Overlord
Approximately 85.6% of light novels to anime adaptations are isekai, so they can start to blend together due to the sheer volume of material out there. Overlord has an ingenious twist that permits it to stand out from the crowd: the reincarnated protagonist is reborn as an evil character. This is a power fantasy where the “heroes” are utterly outmatched and play little more than supporting roles.
Overlord follows Ainz Ooal Gown, the titular villain, as he slowly establishes The Great Tomb of Nazarick as a dominant force in a fantasy world that cannot hope to measure up to his broken abilities. The anime is dark, funny, and frequently epic.
11 Rascal Does Not Dream Of Bunny Girl Senpai
Eye-catching title aside, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai is a pure coming-of-age story about young love, teenage insecurity, and supernatural difficulties. One day, Sakuta sees his popular senpai, Mai, walking around in a bunny costume at a library, however, he is the only one who seems to notice her. This is called Puberty Syndrome, and Sakuta decides to help Mai (and other girls) deal with this affliction.
Sakuta and Mai’s relationship serves as the beating heart of this anime. They have great comedic and dramatic chemistry, and the series comes alive whenever the focus is squarely on these two.
10 Violet Evergarden
Following the end of a brutal war, Violet goes from a soldier to an Auto Memories Doll, which sees her tasked with delivering mail. Due to her background as a person who was used as a weapon, Violet struggles with comprehending basic emotions, but her new profession allows her to encounter other facets of human experience.
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A tearjerker, Violet Evergarden follows a mostly episodic format, although the protagonist’s development serves as the backbone for the light novels, anime, and movie.
9 The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya
A light novel and anime classic, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya follows Kyon as he is pressured into joining the SOS Brigade by Haruhi, a strong-willed girl who is far more important than she initially appears. Kyoto Animation’s show incorporates comedy, character growth, and philosophical musings quite well, crafting an experience that has gone on to influence many other shows.
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya is the anime’s crowning achievement as it is one of the best movie sequels of all time. The show is also pretty good, although its second season tends to be rather polarizing.
8 Slayers
An oldie but a goodie, Slayers by Hajime Kanzaka debuted in 1989, and it is still technically ongoing today. The light novel has spawned five anime series, all of which are entertaining. The show was at its best during the ’90s, with 1995’s Slayers delivering a near-perfect mix of parody, action, and world-building.
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Slayers boasts an incredible cast of characters, particularly its leads in the formidable Lina Inverse and the likable Gourry Gabriev. These two rank among anime’s most endearing double acts, and their charm has not declined at all over the last few decades.
7 KonoSuba: God’s Blessing On This Wonderful World!
Ever since Sword Art Online’s massive explosion in popularity, anime has been bleeding the isekai well dry, often using light novels as launching pads. There have been quite a few memorable shows since SAO changed the game, but KonoSuba stands above most of its contemporaries due to its willingness to poke fun at the genre’s tropes and cliches.
Kazuma dies in hilarious fashion, meets a goddess who is anything but divine, and makes a wish that lands both of them in a magical world together. KonoSuba brings together four deeply flawed individuals as they form a party that is just as likely to doom the world as it is to save it.
6 Spice And Wolf
Based on Isuna Hasekura’s light novel, Spice and Wolf follows the travels of Kraft Lawrence, a merchant with aspirations of opening a store, and Holo, a wolf goddess who has been around for a few hundred years. Together, they travel across a Medieval Europe-esque world towards Holo’s homeland, growing closer to each other along the way.
Spice and Wolf is a quiet series centering predominantly around the trade business, at least that serves as the driving force behind most of the arcs covered by the anime. The show’s true selling point is the relationship between Lawrence and Holo, which is nothing short of incredible.
5 Baccano!
Baccano! is overwhelming, too ambitious for its own good, and difficult to follow at the best of times. It is also nail-bitingly suspenseful, gloriously animated, and endlessly rewatchable. Split into three timelines, Baccano! juggles a massive roster of characters who are all big personalities; incredibly, the anime manages to make each of these figures stand out in their own right.
The anime only scratches the surface of what is in Ryogo Narita’s light novel series, but it serves as a great introduction to this world.
4 The Garden Of Sinners
Published by Type-Moon and set in an alternate reality to the Fate franchise, Kinoko Nasu’s The Garden of Sinners follows a detective agency that specializes in supernatural cases. However, this description does not begin to reflect the light novel and anime’s depth, complexity, and creativity.
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Adapted by Ufotable into a series of films and also a TV show, the former is the best way to experience this story. The Garden of Sinners is not an easy sit both thematically or narratively, but the anime comes together beautifully by the end of its seventh movie.
3 Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World
In an eternal river of isekai stories, Re:Zero raises above the waves in a haunting fashion. Subaru randomly finds himself teleported to a fantasy world, and he quickly embraces the opportunity to be a hero. Armed with the ability to reset time following his death, Subaru becomes enamored with Emilia, a half-elf, and picks up something of a harem.
All of this sounds like the typical isekai, however, Re:Zero never makes anything simple for Subaru. This show is not a power fantasy, rather a character study revolving around people suffering from deep identity and psychological issues. The anime adaptation is faithful to the light novel and of very high quality.
2 Fate/Zero
Fate/stay night started out as a visual novel by Type-Moon, and it eventually received a light novel prequel in the form of Fate/Zero. Taking place a decade prior to the visual novel, Fate/Zero revolves around the Fourth Holy Grail War as masters summon Heroic Spirits to engage in a battle royale for the right to earn a wish.
Ufotable’s anime adaptation is a tour-de-force of stellar animation, tight action choreography, and engrossing storytelling stemming from ambiguous characters. Both the anime and light novel are close to perfect, even eclipsing Fate/stay night in some ways.
1 Monogatari
Nisio Isin’s Monogatari light novel series tells Koyomo Araragi’s story, a high school student who gets turned into (almost) a vampire and then finds himself involved with various girls dealing with supernatural complications. The light novel is an eccentric but brilliant work of art, one that went on to inspire perhaps Shaft’s greatest anime series.
Monogatari is slow-paced, uniquely comedic, visuals dense, and extremely dialogue-heavy. The anime will not appeal to everyone, but if it clicks, Monogatari delivers an experience that no other show comes close to replicating.
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