Let's talk about Light Novel Love Triangles

Paul Nebeling

While far less common than harems, these can be considerably more intense than harems. I will toss out the titles that I consider to have triangles and let's see where this goes. Yes, I am aware that a triangle is only one person away from a harem, but for now...

Faraway Paladin
Outbreak Company
How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord
Paying to Win in a VRMMO (Maybe)
Infinite Dendrogram (You know it's coming)

Any others? Please be respectful and use the Spoiler tag appropriately.

Rahul Balaggan

I am really into the love triangle, however my favorite love triangles consist of when a man loves a women and that women loves that man, but she also loves his best friend, so she has him tied up sitting in a corner as the best friend makes her a women...although I don’t think I am talking light novels anymore.

Well none that are published on this site at least.

Truthfully speaking my favorite love triangle is from the manga series Love at Fourteen, without giving any direct spoilers, there is a boy you loves a girl but there is also a girl who loves that same girl, and the story just spirals with several other romances throughout school.

Paul Nebeling

@rahul-balaggan Something tells me you would enjoy School Days.

Terrence

It's not out in America in any form besides the anime, but I really want this one.

White Album 2 light novel version
alt text
https://bookwalker.jp/de743588e4-a5b7-4f7d-8f56-cf8738752c03/?acode=WpfPW3yk

This story is about a high schooler named Haruki who is looking desperately for new members for his music group at school. While playing the title song "White Album" on his guitar (which was recorded by a character from the first White Album) he is soon accompanied by a beautiful singing voice and a lovely piano playing from somewhere in the school. He goes to seek them out and convince them to join the band.

I've been recording the visual novel version since there are English translations out there for that. It is a lot better than the anime so far from what I can tell, some scenes / dialogue not in the anime that are in this one. The anime has a nice presentation of the "triangle" though.

I love triangles, and the more drama and surprises, the better. There's basically nothing in fiction that I like more than a good love triangle. I've skipped battle sections of anime just to get to the romance. xD

Steelblaidd

Sorry to tell you but How NOT to Summon is not a triangle.

Paul Nebeling

@steelblaidd Diablo, Shera, Rem. They might have started with arguing about who summoned him, but now they've pretty well got him wrapped around their fingers.

Or try

spoiler

That one's going to get interesting.

myskaros

@paul-nebeling I think @Steelblaidd is trying to tell you that the love polygon is going to gain more sides :v

Rahul Balaggan

@myskaros in my opinion he has already gained more love followers, Alicia definitely was in a daze (more then just finding out the demon lords true objective is to eat all biscuits m) after seeing Diablo fight owl Ossan

Paul Nebeling

@rahul-balaggan Quite possible. It's not a big jump from a triangle to a harem.

spoiler

YMMV

As for Diablo and Alicia, I'm putting a little more bank on the spoiler triangle, but that could all wind up lumped together in a big rom-com mess.

smashman42

@paul-nebeling said in Let's talk about Light Novel Love Triangles:

While far less common than harems, these can be considerably more intense than harems.

Generally agree with that. Much easier to flesh out characters if you're focusing on less of them.

Then all the same arguments on harem definitions can be made for triangles - true triangles, unwanted triangles, one sided from one point of the triangle's POV, etc

Edit: Couldn't New Life+ be added to the J-NC list, at least in the most open definition of a triangle. Unless it is known that Renya gets more women dumped on him each volume or something to make it a harem instead?

Hyferzftw

@terrence saw the anime without reading the LN I really like it.
@Paul-Nebeling I totally agree with your perspective of a love triangle. I sometimes like seeing the underdog win aswell as sometimes they truly try their hardest to get noticed and at the end they manage to win. Those kind of endings for the most are rare. At least that’s the way I’ve seen it play out like.

Paul Nebeling

@smashman42 Yeah, the main three of New Life + did remind me of How NOT to Summon's main three excerpt that Shion hasn't shown the interest/dependence on Renya that Shera has with Diablo. But yeah, that's a triangle that I missed completely.

Also,

spoiler

jampodevral

@paul-nebeling

spoiler

I just like well written romantic plots. Preferably without the 'You were kind to me one time when we were 5 and we didn't meet again for ten years' trope.
Way overplayed imho.

Steelblaidd

@paul-nebeling
I've seen through Volume 5. Lots more sides.

Steelblaidd

@paul-nebeling
Between the two series they map better to the girl with the other initial. I.e. Rem to Shion.

smashman42

@steelblaidd said in Let's talk about Light Novel Love Triangles:

@paul-nebeling
Between the two series they map better to the girl with the other initial. I.e. Rem to Shion.

But Shion and Shera are the ditzy two, where Rem & Rona are more serious. Unless you mean purely physically (blond & stacked vs brunette & not stacked)

Paul Nebeling

@steelblaidd The more the merrier. This should be fun since Diablo has like zero social skills.

Paul Nebeling

@steelblaidd I agree with @smashman42. The physical appearances are swapped between the girls. Rona and Rem are somewhat different in both role and personality, although the both were hiding something.

paulnamida

@paul-nebeling It IS extremely fun, specially certain scene at the start of volume... 6 I think??I was laughing so hard at that part xD. I'd say his social skills have recently hit zero. They were negative at the start of the series.

Steelblaidd

@paulnamida said in Let's talk about Light Novel Love Triangles:

@paul-nebeling It IS extremely fun, specially certain scene at the start of volume... 6 I think??I was laughing so hard at that part xD. I'd say his social skills have recently hit zero. They were negative at the start of the series.

At some point he's going to have to expand his response repertoire. Probably about the same time he realizes that he is now that guy in a relationship that he really hates.😈