The degradation of light novels

>I only read translated stuff on BT

I dont see any differences.
and Lotgh was a regular novel

Are the Baka Test novels any good?

They got better.

>>121406555
You forgot Slayers and Banner of the Stars (not a light novel, but since you're counting LoGH might as well mention it), faggot.

But let's be honest, how many lackluster light novels from back then do we know about compared to today where they're readily accessible? I think it's more likely that LNs were always shit aside from a handful of good titles.

>>121406555
It's just a genre reclassification, the so called light novels then are just called light bungaku now.

Honestly, most of the shit LNs don't sell anyway, so nothing changes. On the other hand, WN adapted to bunko format is really killing the entire LN market. The issue mainly lies with readers who are more interested in stories that provide them with the maximum amount of catharsis, which often result in settings with very intelligent and overpowered protagonists.

However, most of writers can't write high intellect characters, nor plots revolving around mind games. What you have left is just bland main characters that maximize self-gratification through pure power, which I often find very unappealing.

>>121407484

>WN adapted to bunko format is really killing the entire LN market.

What why? and will the LN bubble finally burst?

>>121407484
>The issue mainly lies with readers who are more interested in stories that provide them with the maximum amount of catharsis, which often result in settings with very intelligent and overpowered protagonists.

The amount of reincarnation stories is just getting ridiculous.

>>121407753
I kinda liked Tokyo Ravens reincarnation plot to be fair.

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>>121407570
WN adaptations have the most sales for the reasons I explained.

The LN market isn't a bubble, it is a wave that ebbs and flows. 2015 has most number of "LNs" publications to date, so this is the so called golden age right now.

Nonetheless, the megahits that OP listed are only reserved for light bungaku now, which is why labels like Orange and Shincho-nex appear.

>>121407906
Why are so many people reading shit.

They've always been better than manga.

>>121407753
Because they are easy to write, and the feel of your current (useless lifestyle) actually has worth appears to the target readership. This in effect is to make the other characters in the story less intelligent because they lack these knowledge.

In some way, light bungaku also abuse this because a lot of their stories star main characters who are jobless in the beginning, albeit they do find a purpose in life very soon.

>>121406555
>Legend of the Galactic Heroes
It was a REAL novel you retard.
Change it for Slayers

>>121408083
What exactly is the difference between a REAL novel and a light novel? Just length?

>>121407484
>WN
I'm sorry to ask, but what is it?
web novels?

>>121408158
isn't it the public is focus (teenagers) and also is serialized in multiple cheap volumes?

>>121408158
The label that prints it.

>>121406555
That's so biased.
Guin Saga started in 1979 (36 years ago). 4 good novels in a period of 36 years doesn't make a point. I can pick more than 4 novels from 2000 to 2015.

>>121406555
>What happened?
You learned what a light novel was, cherry picked a couple well-known examples, and decided to complain about them in order show everyone what a serious anime fan you are pretending to be, is what happened.

What bothers me more abou the current states of LN's is
>High School MC
>Chuuni Fantasy
>MC is a special snowflake from episode 0
>Harem
>Probably overpowered/broken abilities that mess with reality and physic just becuase author can
Especially the last one.

>>121407822
Tokyo Ravens is basically just Teito Monogatari fanfiction.

>>121408560
The current trend is I WAS SUMMONED/REINCARNATED IN A FANTASY WORLD/VIRTUAL REALITY FANTASY WORLD actually
There are literally hundreds such stories published nowadays

>>121408631
That's a good thing though
I like Tokyo Ravens but I'm biased since I really like Azano.
D-Crackers, his first work, is one of my favorite LN ever

>>121408230
maybe Weight Novel ?

>>121408639
I bet you are assuming this because those are the only kind that being translated or at least discussed in AS forums.

>>121408692
No, I actually know japanese and read LNs (and actual novels) regularly

>>121408679
I wasn't saying it wasn't a good thing. I'm actually almost impressed with it for that reason. It's not as good as Teito Monogatari, but it's probably as good as you can get by "updating" it to modern day Japan and turning it into an urban fantasy battle series.

>>121407484
>>121407906
Can I ask you something ? What is WN ?

Also, I read the announcement about 21st Dengeki Novel Prize before
https://archive.moe/a/thread/120855422/21st-dengeki-novel-prize-award-winning-titles

Are Hitotsu Umi no Pallas Athena, Phi no Houseki and Chotto Ima Kara shigoto Yametekuru considered as WN ?

I watch the promotion video of Hitotsu Umi no Pallas Athena and Phi no Houseki and they didn't feel like LN.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vxWUmg4G5p0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YD1KJeSoyeA

>>121408748
What's the best LN that english only plens never heard of?

>>121407906
Biblia sure strong. Vol 6 sells more than 450k.

>>121407484
ONII-SAMA

>>121408560
To be fair Chuunibyou fantasy, special snowflake and broken physics are ones I don't mind.
Chuunibyou shit is just a thirst for different fiction and story telling than was present before, perhaps now that crazy shit is in the actual world our stories written need to go past that and I'm fine with that.
Special snowflake mc is why the character is the mc so though there are instances where it is of course tiring I can't be too upset about it.
Broken abilities I'll give you but things like super powers or any other thing can't not break physics in some way or another, and even if there would be an explanation I wouldn't expect an author to be able to cover the sciences fantastically

>>121408966
Miss Fabre, D-Crackers, 9S, Luke and Leila, Vehicle&, Saredo tsumibito wa ryuu to odoru, neko no chikyuugi

Probably missing a tons but I can't be hassed to remember everything I liked.
Also Irya no Natsu is probably well known by EOPs but the LN is about a 100000 times better than the anime adaptation, actually it's probably the best written LN ever

>>121406555

I see no degradation

Nobody reads this garbage right.

>>121408230
Web novels yes. By that I don't mean it's just Narou, Arcadia also used to be a popular source (Overlord and DanMachi originate from Arcadia for example).

>>121408943
Phi no Houseki and Chotto Shigotto Yame are both with Media Works Bunko, so they are not classified as LN, but rather as Light Bungaku as mentioned. However, websites like Ranobe-Mori will still count it as LN.

Hitotsu Umi is definitely a LN by classification though.

The Dengeki award is special in that they are very much anti-web novels; in fact, read book related and they will tell you you shouldn't write like web novel writers (by Miki Kazuma himself). I tried reading this book myself but was bored, so this is only second-handed information from a person who reads more than me.

The reason why Mahouka's published is because Dengeki is in the market for money, they probably won't ever consider it for an award.

I also don't suggest looking too much into these awards in terms of finding recommendations for obvious reasons.

>>121408991
The strength of MW bunko is the market staying power. The book generally sell for a long time even though they might not appear to sell a lot the first week.

>48位　41位　40回　**6,307部　*98,171部　13/12/25　*383日　神様の御用人

Pretty amazing when considering most of the other bunko just dies after the first 2 weeks.

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>>121409558
>book related
Forgot my picture.

>>121406555
With such a small portion of the market it's not like you can talk about the overall direction LNs are going.

To be blunt: there are going to be few good series and a ton of shit ones, just like it has always been. What changes is only the volume of the market.

And again, if you consider only series that either got translated or had an anime/manga adaptation to ease the fruition (it's much more likely for an anime/manga to get subs/scans than for a LN to get translations), then your view is going to be tremendously narrow and filtered by what it's picked to appeal the widest anime/manga population, which hardly means "the good stuff".

>>121409558
The hell is WM? Wani Magazine?

>>121406555
In the west we have Young Adult fiction and smutty fiction, LNs are the Nipponese equivalent of those.
This means a majority are shit and with some decent to good ones being outputted.

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>>121409684
MW, not WM. MW = Media Works Bunko, which is the same parent company as Dengeki Bunko. The Dengeki Award each year is separated by two labels and hence 2 grand awards.

Pic related is another meta LN, kinda talks about how books go from "1 million sales" to "4 million sales" total when it gets animated and other stuff like that. Pretty educational but terrible story written by author of Mayo Chiki.

>>121409821
Porn LN are so terribad but I can't help but read them.

>>121406675
yes

>>121409901
I only read one, the one by the writer of Young Gun Carnaval and Rebis
Basically about huge muscle women and cute futa
It wasn't bad actually

>>121407484
what the fuck is a light bungaku? i've never even heard of that shit. they're light novels. that's what everyone calls them.

secondly, web novels don't sell for shit. all the faggots who read light novels (a niche market, by the way) mock the published web novels for being excessively expensive (~1000+ yen) and because you can read them online for free.

i don't even know of a single web novel that has done exceedingly well, unless you count Mahouka and SAO, which have both completely converted to a published format

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>>121406675
They are fucking golden

So is there any good ones that have been translated with more than first book?

>>121406555
>xD
Get out normie

>>121409558
>Pretty amazing when considering most of the other bunko just dies after the first 2 weeks.
Is it that difficult to even use Google? Biblia has tonshit of stuff and it's fairly popular. It's not only the work of the label but how many things have Biblia gathered within the years.

>>121409821
Pretty much this. LNs were never intended to be serious stuff, nor well written literature masterpieces.

>>121410428
He is a faggot. MW are labeled as books aimed to the general audience. Maybe pocket books suit them well, but for me there are only novels and light novels. Making distinctions is just hipster faggotry.

>>121408158
I think it's just that light novels use furigana for some kanji and an actual novel is just a traditional Japanese style novel. I could be wrong on that.

I always get the impression that LNs are the eastern equivalent to the "young adult novels" demographic.

>>121406555
>Legend of the Galactic Heroes
It is an actual novel.

>Only one sex related answer

>>121406555
>Cherrypicking

>>121408158
They are printed in bunko format (105×148mm) and they use anime styled images on cover and inserted through the novel.

This thread sure is informative.
It kind of makes be feel bad that I don't (and probably never will) know Japanese.
Picking one random series and ending up with something good must be an amazing feeling.

>>121406555
>Legend of the Galactic Heroes
>Guin Saga
These aren't light novels.

Pretty sure LoGH was republished under a light novel label, which just goes to show how meaningless a distinction it is.