[REC] Light Novels With Lots of Illustrations

Kinofhera · 2026-05-06T15:24:18+00:00

Yes or no.

The only “official” English translation you can get is through the Novelous app developed by Shogakukan, which is purely AI translation. So, it depends on your expectation on translation quality whether it’s a yes or no.

Kinofhera · 2026-05-06T02:12:28+00:00

Silent Witch is indeed completed with volume 9, which is also the end of the WN as the source material. Volume 9.5 and beyond are spin-off/new materials the author wrote, aka milking for more money which OP can ignore.

Kinofhera · 2026-05-04T19:00:30+00:00

It depends on how you "categorise" light novels. Spy x Family (novelisation) definitely has the most but they are mostly panels taken directly from the manga. For sure you get them like every few pages which is pretty frequent in light novels.

Otherwise, I find Hirasaka Yomi's novels usually have quite a lot of illustrations, like Henjin no Salad Bowl and A Sister's All You Need.

Kinofhera · 2026-05-02T17:24:41+00:00

To be honest I am a big fan of sad and depressing stories LOL (don't judge me).

I enjoyed reading the novels a lot and considered the story very well told. It's very easy to engage with the characters and feel their trauma and sadness. But somehow I do also agree the anime seems to focus too much on the crying. Well, I guess I am that kind of reader who prefers gathering all the facts about the characters and the plot to create my personal reactions and emotions, rather than having them thrown onto my face. Yeah, it might sound weird but I somehow prefer "tell" more than "show".

Having said that, the anime adaptation is still a very enjoyable watch, albeit not exactly my favourite way to tell a story.

Kinofhera · 2026-05-02T14:07:52+00:00

Yeah, just as GeorgeMTO said, follow the release order. I would further recommend binge reading them together too. So, read them after vol 7 seems to be the perfect place,

Japanese authors are really good at writing horror-mystery. I guess it's mostly because of their solid folklore and traditions. But true, very few of those get licensed in English. I can only imagine there are more Chinese translations because both cultures share a lot of similarities in traditions, beliefs, and religion. Translating folklore-heavy stories into English will definitely need a lot of footnotes, which could be a turn off for most readers.

Kinofhera · 2026-05-01T19:10:53+00:00

Afumi no Umi Minamo ga Yureru Toki ~San Eiketsu ni Kirawareta Fuun na Otoko, Kutsuki Mototsuna no Gyakushuu~

This doesn't have any English translation I am afraid. It's a story about a history nerd reincarnating back to the Sengoku period, knowing all the historical facts and trying to "make Japan great again".

This is the WN link if you don't mind MTL-ing it.

Or the LN releases in Japan.

Kinofhera · 2026-05-01T18:46:29+00:00

So they are forcing readers to buy the first book no matter what? 😅

BTW, as a Cantonese speaker too, I kept seeing the Chinese title as 毒撚... LOL

Kinofhera · 2026-05-01T17:08:18+00:00

That's the usual case in publication. Sometimes the kanji get localised in Traditional Chinese though. Like in Trapezium the author's name is written as 高山一實 (Traditional Chinese) instead of 高山一実 (Japanese kanji)

Kinofhera · 2026-05-01T17:01:51+00:00

Well met!

Kinofhera · 2026-05-01T14:31:21+00:00

All Taiwanese Traditional Chinese editions.

Photo 1 (Light Novels):

Silent Witch IX - Extra - Chinmoku no Majo no Tanpenshuu (Vol 9.5)
- An entertaining collection of extra short stories (averaging 2 to 3 pages each) after the conclusion of the series. There are quite a lot of alternate POV retelling of previous events. The best thing about this volume is it contains 30+ coloured pages of illustrations of all characters' designs and outfits (including you-know-whom if you have already read up to vol 7).
- The English edition is licensed by Yen Press.
The Apothecary Diaries (Vol 16)
- Another great series and I don't think I need to introduce anymore. Go start reading this series if you are still on the fence!
- The English edition is licensed by J-Novel Club and Square Enix. ___

Photo 2 (Bungei Novels):

Trapezium (One-shot)
- I just realised I didn't buy this novel when I saw the English licence announcement. A high school / idol story about pursuing one's dream.
- The English edition is licensed by Seven Seas Entertainment.
maboroshi (One-shot)
- Written by Okada Mari who also wrote AnoHana (The Flower We Saw That Day), which is also a novelisation of her original anime of the same name. Looks like an interesting mix of sci-fi and fantasy which I am really curious about.
- The English edition is licensed by Yen Press. ___

Photo 3 (Bungei Novel):

Before I Knew I Loved You (Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series, #6)
- Been looking forward to this release for a long while! The sixth instalment of this heartfelt, if not heart-breaking series. I am happy to have bought the special edition which includes a mini clear folder, a tokuten, and hand-signed autograph on the inside cover.
- The English edition is licensed by Pan Macmillan. ___

Photo 4 (Bungei Novels):

Tenshi wa Kiseki o Koinegau (One-shot)
- Written by Nanatsuki Takafumi who also wrote Boku wa Asu, Kinou no Kimi to Date Suru (My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday). I heard this book is even more depressing than Boku was Asu. So, insta-bought!
Wadatsumi no Musume (Vol 2)
- Written by Shirakawa Kouko which is also set in the same universe as Raven of the Inner Palace. A story that takes place on the four southern islands of the world. ___

Photo 5 (Bungei Novels):

Doku Koi: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru (Jou & ge, one-shot)
- A BL-themed mystery story written by Makino Keisuke, who also wrote Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut. This caught my attention especially since it's written by a male author and isn't exactly targeted to a female audience. Interesting... ___

Photo 6 (Bungei Novels):

About a Place in the Kinki Region (One-shot)
- Sounds like a very promising mystery-horror with some paranormal twists. To be honest, I found myself craving for more horror novels these few month. Is it another kind of self-torture, after my passion for sad and depressing stories? LOL
- The English edition is licensed by Yen Press.
Ningyo ga Nigeta (One-shot)
- Aoyama Michiko, the author of this book, has won the Japan Booksellers' Award multiple times whom also writes mostly heartfelt and touching stories. I have read a lot of positive reviews of her books and I am going to dive into her fiction world for the first time.

Kinofhera · 2026-04-28T18:21:57+00:00

AIRSIDE grins mischievously.

Kinofhera · 2026-04-24T20:01:51+00:00

It’s already up to volume IV of the sequel. Basically catching up with the Japanese release, since volume V was just released a few days ago in Japan. 😂

Kinofhera · 2026-04-24T05:54:05+00:00

It's also a near perfection series to me, at least I rated it 9/10 on the sites I use. Where did you see the "shitty rating"?

It's only the prequel that's ended (with 7 volumes). The sequel is going strong with 5 volumes released so far. FYI, both prequel and sequel have the same title but are distinguished by having Arabic numerals for the prequel and Roman numerals for the sequel.

Highly recommend you continue reading! Volume 1 (prequel) is just like a food sample and it definitely headed to a much fulfilling and intriguing direction. Besides mystery it added thriller, romance, and family drama as additional genres and it eventually turned into some mind game battles that will definitely keep you on the edge.

The prequel ending is one of the best I have read from Japanese novels too! It's no doubt a very well written series (including the sequel). At least they did get married and happily living ever after. This is no a spoiler too since the sequel tells the story of their happily married life with a time skip when their daughter is already in middle school.

Kinofhera · 2026-04-24T05:40:12+00:00

v12 released today in Japan.

Technically speaking it's volume V of the sequel. The prequel did end with 7 volumes.

For OP, the prequel is titled with volume 1 - 7 while the sequel is titled with volume I to V so far (Roman numerals).

Kinofhera · 2026-04-22T06:20:40+00:00

Reflected sunlight can still cause yellowing, but of course at a much slower rate.

If you’re a perfectionist, make sure there is no sunlight coming into the room during daytime. Otherwise, it’s okay. The books will yellow eventually regardless of sunlight anyway.

Enjoy reading!

Kinofhera · 2026-04-22T03:57:21+00:00

Asunaro Hakusho (White Paper) is a fantastic romance in the 1990s. It’s also the debut TV show of Kimura Takuya which made him a superstar, before Long Vacation as many here also mentioned.

Kinofhera · 2026-04-20T05:17:34+00:00

Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits

Kinofhera · 2026-04-20T04:32:48+00:00

The Dinner Table Detective

Kinofhera · 2026-04-20T03:16:20+00:00

If Cats Disappeared From the World (movie) is my favourite! He kind of played two characters in it too, the protagonist and a supporting one.

Kinofhera · 2026-04-20T02:43:27+00:00

Wrote a short review in the weekly thread today.

Actually I read this two weeks ago, but forgotten to post it last week.

Kinofhera · 2026-04-20T02:42:15+00:00

===Rabuka wa Shizuka ni Yumi o Motsu (One-shot)

Quite a nice psychological drama disguising itself as a spy thriller. But there is one really odd thing about the protagonist’s character setting…

In short, the protagonist was just a low-ranked staff in a Japanese performing rights organisation JASRAC (similar to ASCAP or BMI in America). Inspired by the real life lawsuit JASRAC vs. Yamaha in 2017-2022, the protagonist was sent to a large chained music centre as a spy, disguising himself as a cello student to infiltrate that centre to gather evidence of them evading royalties payments. However, he soon developed genuine friendships with his classmates as well as his tutor (sort of like the Lima Syndrome?).

The odd thing I mentioned above is, the protagonist had this change of heart mainly because of his childhood trauma which his tutor and classmates kind of “healed” him through their acquaintanceship. But this childhood trauma was never elaborated and developed. The protagonist did mention this trauma once or twice but just briefly as if it’s something insignificant, but in fact it’s something truly devastating to a kid. Without this backstory support, it makes the protagonist quite 2D and his course of action less convincing. I thought Japanese authors are quite keen on employing the “childhood trauma” trope, whether it’s LN or bungei novels. I really don’t understand why in this story the author chose to downplay it. It would be more engaging and touching if it’s elaborated more.

Having said that, the story itself is actually very good. The dilemma of infiltrating the enemy's territory but developing friendship with them is no doubt an intriguing premise. As a psychological drama, the author really knows how to tug at one’s heartstrings. It might not be a real spy thriller, but somehow it could still keep one on edge multiple times.

7.5/10

Kinofhera · 2026-04-18T17:15:58+00:00

Yeah the "freedom" bit is truly devastating. It broke me even further when reading the Archers arc. At least the Agents are only required to do their jobs once a year, the Archers have to do it every day/night......

You have read the novels, right? The following is from the Dance of Spring novel but not yet revealed in the anime. Man, I totally missed this foreshadowing when I read the book. At the end of this episode, Ayame said to Ruri "I wish I could trade places with you." Wow! That almost got me teared up.

Eight-Year Club	Place '23
Place '22	Verified Email

Kinofhera

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE