What are your favourite Top 5 (2025)

Serah

What are your favourite Top 5 light novels - and maybe share some words about them what makes them great or you that you like them so much, eventually re-read and like to recommend?

I added the 2025 remark as indicator, as favourites can change over time and stuff you like now might be replaced by others years on from now. My top 5 from 2020 hardly matches my top 5 from today with two exceptions.

To start off:
How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom
Invaders of the Rokujouma!?
I Got Caught Up in a Hero Summons, but the Other World Was at Peace!
Pens Down, Swords Up: Throw Your Studies to the Wind
The Great Cleric

How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom
The light novel with which I started reading light novels to begin with. It was the first which caught my attention on my amazon page years ago. At first I was rather put off by the title and the art style of the cover page which is not my taste. And checking reviews I was even less interested due to the harem content. At one point I gave it a try anyroads and got hooked from the first volume on.

The series is especially strong for me due to its great characters and plots which I consider written with great care, fun to read, and especially heartwarming. One of the strong points which makes it easy for me to recommend the series is that it has -in my personal opinion- two great endings already with volume 4 and volume 10, and still the author manages to continue the story in an interesting way. The endings give sort of satisfaction I am missing from other stories.

I can also strongly recommend the manga, whichs quality is way above many typical manga - and I celebrate it every time when I see things from the novel depicted exactly as I have imagined them.

Invaders of the Rokujouma!?
What do you get if you mix ghosts, aliens, magical girls, underworld people all put into a harem setting in a small flat? Absolute chaos!

Yes, 'Rokujouma is another one of those stories I stayed away for quite a long time. Yet I -at first- forced myself to give it a try, since it is the flagship novel of J-Novel Club and I really, really wanted to know why?

I was not fond for the story the first 2-3 volumes - or rather - it was okay to read while there was nothing else, and there is not much to complain about since light novels are quickly read in general.

After the first novels it paid finally off for me and I got hooked because of the Back to the Future setting. I am a fan of time travel stories, and I love Back to the Future. Once the plot thickened I could not stop reading. The characters are lovely too - once you got past the first volumes and you learn more about them.

It was just quite a challenge to get past the initial weird stories and very cliché harem stuff at first - but it developes surprisingly good into a captivating grand story which has a satisfying ending around volume 32.

The series has an anime which I absolutely do not recommend, as the contents focus on the first volumes in a very comedic way. I am more fan of the Back to the Future-alike plots, the heartwarming character developements later on, and the feel good side stories.

I Got Caught Up in a Hero Summons, but the Other World Was at Peace!
Harem, isekai, overpowered protagonist-kinda? Sort of the holy trinity.

I still love that series! To me it is simply a good feel short stories collection which goes on and on with very likable characters, lots of fun and comedy elements, easy to read - but most of all - it just gives a warm feeling when reading it. At first it sounds absolute boring when you think about it, that it comes with almost zero drama, but it is just the sort of fun story which gives you a laugh now and then while making you think "that sort of peace is all you want for your own life".

The manga art style is not bad - but its translation is horrific. Stay away from it!

One of best points of the series is that the author provides almost daily updates. Which seems ridiculous, but is just perfect for me since waiting for the next chapter is always a challenge. Storywise I think it is for most people a clear hit/miss. Comparable with classic sitcoms where you know the story makes no sense and it is all just for the fun.

But it is so heartwarming to me, that I still reread it a few times and recommend it to everyone since it works so great as stress relief.

Pens Down, Swords Up: Throw Your Studies to the Wind
My personal rising star at the moment. Weirdly enough it seems my favourites are those which give me very bad first impressions but turned out as unexpected diamonds... I mean, this one is another where just from checking the initial description I do not feel interested in it at all.

However, the author's writing style, humour, adventurous nature of the story and the great characters makes it definitely one of my all time favourites. Qualitywise I feel like complaining, as it seems often very unpolished. I feel like in comparison to the titles I mentioned before this one is more of a 1:1 web novel -> light novel sort of thing, while the titles I have mentioned before are much more polished, or even have a special light novel edition which differ from the web novel (very strongly).

Nonetheless, the story is giving me vibes which remembers me strongly of 'Realist Hero, managing to become my latest favourite which is worth being listed in my personal top 5.

So far there are (almost) three volumes translated by J-Novel Club, and the sixth volume has been released this month in Japan while the web novel has about 12 volumes worth of content. It gets much, much better than the initial two/three volumes storywise, and I cannot wait for the next volumes. By the time of volume 10 or so it even has some "epic" parts.

I think the best point about the series is how the author tries to create a story where they deal with their own life regrets in their own way, creating that way a strong protagonist which sort of acts like a role model, even if it is depicted in a very comedic way as all of his successes are "coincidences" while he just wants to have fun in life.

Currently the story is still building sort of basis for something grander, so it seems, while the pacing is change between action, seriousness, heartwarming fun. I am looking forward to see the translation for the Nova Cup and I need Emily Nelson (the translator) to tell me whether Alice is a boy or a girl.

I hope to see that question of mine being answered in volume 5 of the translation...

For the fifth place in my ranking it is hard... Like, really, really hard...
There are a few titles I like reading and would share the spot, like I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! , I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too , Full Clearing Another World under a Goddess with Zero Believers

I guess I go with The Great Cleric
While it is an isekai story, the protagonist is not overpowered from begin with, but rather developes his skills constantly which makes him a great adventurer. Even the character developements about him and those around him makes it a great adventure story all in all. It does not feel so flashy in comparison to the other titles, but it is also not chaotic like Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash or "on rails" like Goblin Slayer in terms of an adventure story. I am also rather fond that it does not use much of "games gimmicks" like The World’s Strongest Rearguard and alike.

All in all, I would say the story just feels right. It is hard to describe it more in comparison without having read all those other titles as well.

The story, unlike other tropes titles or genres, just still feels fresh. I am really having troubles to describe it more at this point. It just stands out by itself somehow, having earned a special place among the titles I have read and like to read.

It also got an anime recently - which I am unsure whether to recommend or not. At least to me the anime and as well the manga are not my cup of tea. They are no bad adaptions, by all means. I just probably did not imagine Mr. Luck the way it is depicted in those.

So.. if you have made it this far with the reading - thank you for your time! I am looking forward to read what your top 5 are. And mayhaps there are hidden gems which I have avoided and get to know thanks to your recommendation.

What are your favourites?

morfowt

1 - Infinite Dendrogram

VRMMO + Mystery genre. Incredibly rich and detailed worldbuilding, story-planning, and designing of the "game" mechanics. The quotation marks are due to the fact the story soon starts hinting this is far more than just a highly advanced virtual reality game. NPCs can suffer real consequences, and the group of AI overseeing the world have their own agenda. Plenty of other factions throughout the world too, and not all of the skirmishes between them involve our protagonist, but the repercussions do end up reaching him. Lots and lots of characters, and yet they all manage to feel distinct and relevant. It's altogether woven beautifully and realistically.

2 - Date a Live

Harem + Action genre. Follows the basics of a harem genre story, with aesthetics and running gags inspired by otome games, giving it a seemingly lighthearted feel. But the author does an incredible job of turning up the seriousness. All the girls actually have fleshed-out characters, real issues and emotional baggage, and kickass superpowers. Not to mention an enemy organization trying to make use of these girls for their own goals. Thus, every time our protagonist meets a new girl and tries to save her (both from the organization and her own inner turmoil), he's actually putting himself at risk. And every success in the end feels like he really earned it. Every step also brings him (and us readers) closer to the truth about their origins, and how everything is tied together.

3 - 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy

Do-Over (my name for stories where the protagonist goes back to the past with knowledge of the future; not sure if there's an official genre name) + Romance genre. I can't say as much about this one as the others on my list, as currently only 6 volumes have been released. What has been released so far gives you what is probably the most well-rounded, most well-written, most badass female protagonist I've ever read. Her multiple do-overs had given her a vast wealth of knowledge and skills, as well as grit and a can-do attitude. But despite just how capable she is, she doesn't overshadow her male counterpart either. Rather, they complement each other well. He's superior to her in pure strength and fighting technique, but no slouch in tactics and general knowledge either. Both are hardworking and diligent, and together, they're a power couple of force and finesse, able to resolve pretty much any situation.

4 - An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride

Romance + Power Fantasy genre. This is the story for those who want to read about the teeth-rottingly sweet, adorkable couple as they try to figure out what it even means to be a couple. First kiss, first date, first birthday present. And not just them; this series is one of those that pairs up all the supporting cast. Also, the protagonist is one of the strongest sorcerers in the whole world, so you can expect a fair bit of action and flashy spells too.

5 - Lazy Dungeon Master

Slow Life + Dungeon Building genre. The one entry on this list that is a completed series (although Archdemon's Dilemma seems like it's getting close, and Date a Live is complete in Japan). I think the best part of this series is how the main couple has a naturally developing romantic relationship. It neither starts right out of the gate, nor does it fall into the limbo state of "the status quo". Instead, as they grow closer from building up the dungeon they live in, you can notice how they're subtly influencing each other to grow and be better. Plus, it's awesome how he regularly beats his enemies not through some show of great force, but by being a troll who stretches the rules and established common sense.

Honestly, I doubt anything is going to break into this top 5 anytime soon. Because even after this, 6-10 are occupied (in no particular order) by The Misfit of Demon King Academy, Chivalry of a Failed Knight, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, Now I'm a Demon Lord! Happily Ever After with Monster Girls in My Dungeon, and The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary. And all of those are pretty solid too. The Bladesmith's Enchanted Weapons is probably the 2025 release that was closest to breaking in, but even then I'd probably still only rank it somewhere between 16 and 20.

Serah

@morfowt how did you make those separation lines? :3

Since 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy got an anime, I cannot wait to see the church scene animated. ;)

Crey

It is kinda tough to rate series as a whole as at least for me there generally are some volumes I love and others that I don't really care about. Particularly true for longer series. At the moment I'd say my favourites are:

1. Death March To The Parallel World Rhapsody.
I guess you'll always have a soft spot for the first series you read. This was my first foray into the WN scene. Actually read the fan translation of the WN before LN was available. Feels like ultimate power fantasy, considering how OP the MC is from pretty much the start. And though some people would complain about lack of tension and how everything is too easy for him, for me it's a plus. Lots of slice-of-life shenanigans and general fun.

2. D-Genesis: Three Years After the Dungeons Appeared
This is modern dungeon crawling with a couple of dorks who have way too much various esoteric knowledge and rather less common sense. Wish there were more dungeon scenes, but even their "regular" life is quite fun to read about.

3. To Another World... With Land Mines!
Enjoying the group dynamics and the reasonably realistic challenges anybody would face in the fantasy world. The latest volumes have perhaps dragged a little, but slice-of-life is actually one of the things I look for in the novels I read.

4. Restaurant to Another World
Episodic feelgood series. Enjoying the intersection of modern and fantasy world on the backdrop of various dishes served. Of course, since it consists of lots of short episodes, not all of them are as good in my opinion, but overall it's great.

5. A Late-Start Tamer's Laid-Back Life
Low stakes VRMMO story. Would love for that game to actually exist, as it would be just my type. No PvP is just fantastic. All the interactions with the tamed monsters are just heartwarming.

As you can probably see, my tastes trend to no-drama, low stakes fun. And humour, can't have a good series without that. :) If there was an English translation, then Isekai Nonbiri Nouka would most definitely be in my Top 5. And perhaps Fairy Tale Chronicles, hard to say since I've only read a partial fan translation of the WN.

vilobion

I can do a top two where I can whole-heartily say that the series are entertaining and competently written, and then a bunch of honorable mentions.

Ascendance of a Bookworm is literally the only reason I initially subscribed to J-Novel. After finishing the last of the anime I had to know what happened next. I'd attribute its success to a few factors that help it stand out:

It is brilliantly serialized. Plot threads extend from the first volume to the last, and it's clear it wasn't written by the seat of the pants volume to volume. There are no awkward ass pulls, the entire series is very logically consistent with itself, and for the most part (Wilfried and the Liesegangs do get a bit too much limelight late in P5 if you ask me) the series keeps a healthy pace.
It avoids pretty much every deal breaker element that would prevent me from recommending it to someone. No weird harem ecchi stuff, no 1,000 year old loli dragons.
It's not afraid to delve into some pretty grim subject matter

Cooking With Wild Game was recommended to me during my post-P5V12 Ascendance withdrawals, and it shares the same strength of having excellent serialization. I also appreciate the relatively mature handling of cultural conflicts and friction without being too cynical, and the People of the Forest are easy to empathize with and become attached to.

Honorable mentions:

To Another World with Land Mines: Very competent and the female leads are all well realized characters too. Will probably take my #3 spot up above if it continues with the same level of quality as it has had so far.
The World's Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat: This series is objectively very trashy trash but it's my favorite trash.
DanMachi: I can't help but have a soft spot for Ryu.
JK Haru is a Sex Worker in Another World: The difference between what I thought this novel was going to be and what it actually was was huge, in the best way possible.
Mushoku Tensei: I feel like this series provides the template a lot of series doing the 'reincarnated as a baby with magical aptitude' concept attempt to follow. I personally do think Rudeus' character development over the series does redeem his dirtbag nature at the start of the series, but YMMV.
Dahlia in Bloom/Lucia and the Loom: Probably the coziest series that don't have much plot conflict that still manages to keep me entertained and interested week to week.

Dishonorable Mentions:

The Series Dropped after the Most Volumes Read Award: Record of Wortenia War. Started as a pretty dry series, got significantly worse after ~volume 15 with the increasing frequency of long author tracts. Probably would've benefited from having a more hardass editor to tell the author no from time to time. The Boy Who Ruled the Monsters is a pretty strong contender for usurping this 'award' in the future.

The Series Dropped After its Politics Made me go ICK Award: The Combat Baker and Automaton Waitress which decided around volume 7 that anti-war protestors are all schmucks who are easily brainwashed by terrorist organizations.

yumenokage

Keeping it to JNC Series, my top five are probably

Ascendance of a Bookworm
All-around great series that attracted me to JNC in the first place. Great world-building and character growth. Has a bit of everything genre-wise—action, slice of life, comedy, political intrigue, etc. Consistently entertaining. Fun forum community.

Far Away Paladin
It's a bit rough around the edges in places (shows that it's the author's first work), but I really like the themes and concepts here, especially in the first novel, which is a great coming of age story by itself. Especially interesting to see the blend of eastern and western religious concepts—the series may be built around the concept of the cycle of reincarnation, but the author definitely has some familiarity with judeo-christian theology. I remember at one point the protagonist or his goddess said something I recognized as a quote from Isaiah in the Bible.

Infinite Dendrogram
In many ways a standard shonen but also manages to be consistently entertaining, with a great cast of characters. Good short-term action combined with slow-burn mystery about what this "game" really is.

ATLAS
Very well done; definitely deserved the contest prize. Dialogue and narration is very snappy; some of the best I've ever seen. Interesting worldbuilding. Highly recommend anyone who hasn't already check it out.

Apothethecary Diaries
Very well-written political intrigue and characters. But I would be careful about recommending it because the MC's relationship with the male lead is...complicated and problematic at times. I don't think the series necessarily endorses the male lead's at times very bad behavior; the series is excellent in dealing with (no reference intended) shades of grey in relationships and morals. A lot of real-world relationships are messy too; people usually aren't wholly good or wholly evil in all circumstances. But because the series doesn't expressly say "this isn't great" when a character is behaving badly, and how I've seen some people in the forums apparently miss the hints and undertones to that effect, I'd be worried about recommending the series to someone, especially someone younger, who might miss the nuance and think certain things are acceptable in their own relationships when they're not.

Some JNC honorable mentions:

Tearmoon Empire—recently got back into this. Not fully caught up yet. A lot of fun, but some parts have better momentum than others imo.
Grimgar—a bit inconsistent in quality, but at its better points I like the contemplative style
Crest/Banner of the Stars—I like the characters and worldbuilding. Plus I feel we should give a little more love to our older and sci-fi series.
Otome Heroine's Fight for Survival—not high literature, but I do find the lil'est murder hobo amusing.
Dahlia in Bloom—picked it back up recently on catchup. Something about it is comforting. Everyone is supportive and protective without being too controlling and stifling. (Imo; I know opinions differ on this. But as a single professional woman who often hasn't had a ton of support I feel it usually strikes a good balance. The male lead may scare other guys off, but only when MC is actively trying to turn them away herself or the guys are being rude/crude to her, and I have no doubt based on how he's written that if she really wanted to pursue another relationship he would let her. And although at first favors to her late father play a role, others ultimately support the MC because she's creative and is actively making everyone's lives better, and rather than take advantage of her social awkwardness or lack of social standing they'd rather fill in and complement and/or help her shore up those gaps.).
Zilbagias—Good if you want something very edgy and or like terrible dilemmas like trolley problems. Not sure yet if I will follow to the end.

For non-JNC series, I enjoyed SukaSuka (WorldEnd: What Do You Do at the End of the World? Are You Busy? Will You Save Us?), but will acknowledge it's rough around the edges. I haven't finished it yet but I am also enjoying Zeroth Maria and Wandering Witch: the Journey of Elaina. I am very slowly trying to read Kino's Journey in Japanese, but that effort's on pause right now due to life circumstances.

Serah

@yumenokage said in What are your favourite Top 5 (2025):

Keeping it to JNC Series, my top five are probably

No need to keep it to JNC series only. ^.^
Otherwise I would have put the thread here: https://forums.j-novel.club/category/5/j-novel-club-series

yumenokage

@Serah easier to recall JNC series because I can see what I'm following. And most of what I've read and not dropped yet is JNC tbh. I did list a few non-JNC ones that come to mind at the bottom.

morfowt

@Serah said in What are your favourite Top 5 (2025):

@morfowt how did you make those separation lines? :3

three hyphens in a row

Oh if we want to talk about dishonorable mentions:

Fastest Dropped Series - My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's.
Dropped in the middle of vol 1. I really didn't like the female lead in that one. Her personality was kind of all over the place.

I Liked the Manga/Anime so I Thought I'd Like the LN too, but Nope - Chillin' in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers.
The writing style felt kind of simple or juvenile.

Logically I Shouldn't Like this Series but Somehow I do - In Another World with my Smartphone.
I'm not sure I need to explain this one.

Travis Butler

@yumenokage said in What are your favourite Top 5 (2025):

@Serah easier to recall JNC series because I can see what I'm following. And most of what I've read and not dropped yet is JNC tbh.

Heh. Same here.

Some thoughts of my own, off the top of my head (meaning I might change them tomorrow):

Apothecary Diaries - Not always consistent and it's had its ups and downs, but the downs have been more tedious than 'oh Ghu make it stop', so I power through them.
Frontier Lord - I'm a sucker for nation-building stories - there's something about watching a group of people come together and make something greater than any of them that really hits a sweet spot for me.
D-Genesis - I'm also a sucker for anti-power-fantasy stories - novels that take a typical power-fantasy trope and subvert it with more of a 'did you really think there would be no consequences?' angle. Also, love to see curiousity-killed-the-cat nerds at work, and I can very much relate to their mindset. :) Land Mines is another anti-power-fantasy story I like, though I think the later volumes lost sight of that to a degree.
Min-Maxing my TRPG Build - I've never been into it the way some of my friends are, but I do enjoy tabletop RPGs and the MC's mindset reminds me very much of my friends. :) Also generally very well-written.
Late-Start Tamer - This almost slipped into the Honorable Mention category, because I think it's lost some of the joy as the original concept gets stretched out over more and more volumes, but it's still one of the series I look forward to the most. It's a little like D-Genesis by combining a clever person who likes poking at the unexplored with being a generally decent human being.

And a couple of (Dis)Honorable Mentions that would have made this list at an earlier point:

Realist Hero - I loved the early volumes for the nation-building aspects, as with Frontier Hero, also with the clever problem-solving and competence porn. But it started losing sight of that, having to drag in a big nemesis character to provide Souma with a new challenge to overcome; it didn't help that a lot of the late reveals took away too much of the sensawonder for me.
Infinite Dendrogram - I love the series when it's about Ray finding clever ways to exploit the situation or be willing to put himself on the line for things that would leave a bad taste in his mouth. I don't think it works very well when it gets political, like the peace talks volume. And I really hate the series when it gets into big grind-y boss battles that are more bash-your-head-into-the-wall-until-it-falls-down instead of thinking outside the box. And as the series has gone on, the latter has shown up more and more often.
Lazy Dungeon Master - As with several of the other entries, I love it when Keima gets clever, especially in dungeon battles; I also enjoyed the nation-building aspects around the inn and Goren Town. I didn't like it when the author was shoving his fetishes in our face, because it's boring. Worse, it's too often lazy writing - dropping in a fetish joke is easier than coming up with something clever.
Dahlia in Bloom/Lucia and the Loom - As I said, I love competence porn. I love seeing Dahlia and Lucia being creative, and watching them grow into being independent businesspeople with power of their own. I'm not so fond of the romantic elements, especially because Volf came across to me as overly controlling at first. And again, really not fond of the noble politics; it's murky and distracting from the competence porn I enjoy the series for.

And perhaps most of all, Rokujouma. I really hate to type this; it's the series that really drew me into JNC, and I absolutely loved the way it took a relatively shallow antics-based story and developed it into a lovely nakama, and then went beyond that and added so much depth with the time travel background. But it was already starting to run out of steam a little by the final battle with Vanderion; the resolution of the Goddess plot put Koutarou through hell. It still would have been a great series if it had ended there; but instead the author decided to reboot the conflict. Sometimes an aftermath story can be really good, showing everything's not Happily Ever After; but it can't be dragged out too long. And if the author then goes back and retreads the earlier plot... well, I dropped out for good when they brought Maxfern back. That was the last straw.

Serah

@yumenokage said in What are your favourite Top 5 (2025):

@Serah easier to recall JNC series because I can see what I'm following. And most of what I've read and not dropped yet is JNC tbh. I did list a few non-JNC ones that come to mind at the bottom.

You are right about that. I just think the top five memorable things should also stick more in one's memories. But for me it is the same: the great ones with some exception JNC has them covered - thank goodness.

I myself read many from other publishers and translators as well, but not that many I follow strictly. Currently I think its mostly FUNA, I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship! and back then Konosuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! / Combatants Will Be Dispatched!

On another note: anyone else here using syosetu.com because they cannot wait for the next chapter to be released?

Also I am somewhat relieved/surprised to see how diverse and interesting the likings of fellow LN readers are.

I was worried that most would reply with the same That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, The Rising of the Shield Hero and Solo Leveling or whatever is currently/recently running as anime.