Introducing Light Novels

A Comparatively New Form of Literature

With so much of the world and our daily lives being changed by the coronavirus pandemic, many people are looking for new ways to fill that time they usually spend going out with friends, watching live sports or attending social events. Reading has quickly become one of the most effective means of escape and enjoyment these days, so what better time for anime and manga fans to dive into the world of light novels?

In Japan, a light novel is a novella-type story printed in conjunction with illustrations. The novels are mostly geared towards young adult readers of both sexes though females gravitate towards the medium most often. As the name suggests, a light novel is just that; Typically around 100 pages, Light novels are quick, easy reads with short paragraphs and a vocabulary easily grasped by teenagers and young adults. A novel, on the other hand, encompasses a vast diversity of fictional literature somewhere over the 50,000-word range (roughly 150 or more pages).

So, A light novel (or Ranobe) is a style of Japanese novel typically not more than 40–50,000 words long, usually published in small-format paperback size, and are often illustrated with a few, stunning digital arts.

The typical distinguishing traits of light novels are that they are short (usually around 300 pages per volume) and contain manga-style illustrations. However, many regular novels have manga-style illustrations, while some light novels don’t have…