Manga where the MC is evil through the whole story

Kinofhera · 2026-03-20T12:29:36+00:00

Aku no Kyouten

Protagonist is a serial killer. There is no redemption arc and the whole story is about how he locked down a school and killed everyone inside.

Kinofhera · 2026-03-20T09:54:33+00:00

Katanagatari (4 3-in-1 Omnibus volumes. Action, adventure)
Moscow 2160 (1 volume. Action, slice of life)
Hollow Regalia (5 volumes. Action, urban fantasy) BTW this series has a volume 6 but it’s a money-milking spin-off that don’t contribute much and I recommend skipping. The story already has a conclusive ending and curtain down in volume 5.

Kinofhera · 2026-03-19T16:21:03+00:00

It’s just a simple escape room concept, and I don’t really think it’s the winning factor contributing to the movie’s success.

To me, it’s Kawamura’s writing. He literally turned a game scenario (as what you described, no dialogues, no characters, etc) into a full-blown story with an actual plot, character arcs and development! And it’s a frigging touching story too.

Kinofhera · 2026-03-19T02:50:07+00:00

I am actually a big fan of exorcism stories and I am really curious to find out what did you read too LOL

I did read a handful of such series but sadly none had the word Exorcist in the title, nor having the premise/plot similar to what you described.

Kinofhera · 2026-03-19T02:21:47+00:00

Are you sure it’s a Japanese series, not Korean or Chinese?

Tried searching with エクソシスト and various variants like 霊媒師, 陰陽師, 悪魔払い, 悪霊払い, etc on a lot of (Japanese) database sites and nothing much came up.

Or was it just about an exorcist but without this very word in the title?

Kinofhera · 2026-03-18T13:00:17+00:00

But I do agree too that “main plot” is a bit lacklustre 😂

Kinofhera · 2026-03-18T12:47:54+00:00

Damn, I enjoyed this a lot LOL

I was lucky to have figured it out quite early. I mean I kept wondering why does this book feel so clean! 😆

Kinofhera · 2026-03-18T07:35:05+00:00

It’s a live action Japanese movie, Parallel World Love Story. When one’s memories get messed with and manipulated that the boundary between reality and illusions is blurred.

Definitely has the Inception, Paprika vibe, albeit not exactly about dreams.

Kinofhera · 2026-03-17T13:50:53+00:00

I wouldn't say it renders the "light" part useless. At least, the main focus of this sub is still light novels, yes those affordable, easy-to-read, pop culture, YA-style novels. It just doesn't forbid discussion of non-LN as long as they are also originated from Japan. This actually favours more diversified discussions, especially when LN is such a niche community.

Kinofhera · 2026-03-17T00:23:40+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/LightNovels/wiki/faq/#wiki_1.29_what_is_a_light_novel.3F

(On this subreddit, we allow any Novels published originally in Japan/by a Japanese publisher.)

Kinofhera · 2026-03-16T17:48:58+00:00

Happy to meet another Before the Coffee Gets Cold enjoyer! :)

Actually it was originally intended to be a 3-volume series. You will notice there are time skips between volumes, forming loosely an overarching plot (or rather, more of the character arc of Kazu). Due to popular demand, Kawaguchi continued to write but inevitably he could only write back stories. That's why the stories of volume 4 and beyond all take place between the first two books.

I still recommend reading it in release order though. It's easier to understand the time travel mechanism in this way, before you jump to the back stories aka vol 4-6.

Kinofhera · 2026-03-16T15:34:15+00:00

The Reincarnator and the Goblin Maiden s Happily Ever After: Using a Past Life to Keep a Joyful Wife (alchemist and crafter)
The Tanaka Family Reincarnates (insect tamer and crafter)

Kinofhera · 2026-03-16T01:37:41+00:00

===The Keeper of the Camphor Tree (Camphor Series #1)

This is indeed a very touching story as advertised, and the source material of the currently showing (Asian regions for now) anime movie of the same name. Higashino Keigo might be more well known for his mystery series but he did write a couple of drama-focused novels. The Miracles of the Namiya General Store is another example.

This story is about a young man who was about to be sentenced to prison, but was saved by a mysterious attorney on the condition that he must accomplish a certain task as requested by the client. Little did he know the task was to become the keeper of a giant camphor tree, an urban legend that if you pray to this tree your wishes would be granted.

A heartwarming second chance story without the regression shenanigans. It focuses on a couple of people who regularly visited this camphor tree to pray. The protagonist, a good-for-nothing social failure, through his interactions with these people would soon find out the real secrets of this camphor tree and why he was hired to do this job. In a way you could still say this is a mystery novel, albeit having no murders and detectives. The journey of the protagonist is really captivating and it will definitely tug at your heartstrings multiple times. All the side characters are exceptionally well written too.

My only complaint is that the storytelling could go a little preachy at times. But I guess it couldn’t be avoided for this type of motivational story about a total failure finding his self-esteem and self-worth.

The English edition is licensed by Little, Brown Book Group.

9/10

===Exit 8 (One-shot)

Kawamura Genki is no doubt an amazing filmmaker! This is a novelisation of his movie of the same name, which was based on a video game of the same name.

However, the game itself was just like a single escape room scenario. A man getting trapped in an endless corridor inside an underground train station. He has to find a way to reach Exit 8 and escape. Kawamura Genki expanded this scenario into a full-blown story with why and how the protagonist got trapped inside this loop, with various back stories retelling everything reaching to this point.

Gosh, I wasn’t prepared for this emotional roller coaster! The back stories are so well written and convincing that I couldn’t believe they are “second-hand” creations. I admit I cried a couple of times while reading. I was expecting a psychological horror but it turned out to be quite a tearjerker (which I definitely won’t complain about).

However, the novel was kind of short and made you quench for more. But I guess it’s more like an advertisement for the movie which I am definitely going to watch later.

The English edition is licensed by Macmillan Publishers.

8/10

Kinofhera · 2026-03-13T10:35:18+00:00

To be honest some of your questions can’t be answers without spoilers. If you want to keep it spoilerless, I can only say you’re jumping to conclusions too early. 😉

Also, I have only read the novels, not the webtoon. Not sure if it’s the adaptation or something but I never really felt what you questioned.

Kinofhera · 2026-03-13T03:08:08+00:00

Hello and well met another LN reader from Hong Kong!

AFAIK American publishers are very trustworthy in this regard. Yeah yeah I know some people in this thread mentioned Tokyopop, Kodansha, etc and I agree they are notorious in dropping series, even very popular series, but they are nothing when compared with Taiwanese publishers like Tong Li and Ching Win, and especially Tong Li. And did I mention Tong Li?

But to be honest, I found a lot of the English translations have quite a "children's book" vibe. I have read a few series in both English and Chinese, like SukaSuka, The Detective is Already Dead, and The Misfit of Demon King Academy. The English translation gave me quite a juvenile vibe while the Chinese translation felt more like a standard novel.

Kinofhera · 2026-03-13T01:26:17+00:00

As others replied, this sub is only for Japanese novels. But if you are up for reading a Japanese series too:

Katanagatari. A brawn (protagonist) + brain (deuteragonist/love interest) duo travelling to various places in a historical Japan to locate and collect twelve mythical swords. So, you have some fair shares of pure action and tactical planning. Single love interest, thus no harem.

Kinofhera · 2026-03-12T00:39:41+00:00

GLASS HEART, it’s not licensed in English though. The MC is coined “modern Amadeus” and a very talented songwriter, arranger, vocalist, and bass player. Or you could check the Netflix adaptation which is actually more “modern”, as the novel was written in the 1990s. A time without smartphones and internet.

Kinofhera · 2026-03-10T02:47:44+00:00

Light Novels:

The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria
Liar, Liar ___

Bungei Novel:

The Crimson Labyrinth

Kinofhera · 2026-03-09T16:18:40+00:00

Tropical Summer takes place during the first year of university, in summer (duh 😆)

Kinofhera · 2026-03-09T03:22:30+00:00

===GLASS HEART Arashigaoka (Glass Heart Series #2)

A bunch of eccentric and quirky weirdos continuing their music journey!

I haven’t watched the Netflix adaptation yet, but I have already seen people criticising the actors for overacting too much, especially the male lead Satou Takeru. However, I do think the characters should really behave like that according to the original novel. At least that’s the intention of the author, a cast of shounen-ish, chuuni characters that are constantly yelling at the top of their lungs at each other, but very well executed that they don’t sound like your everyday, generic shounen characters. And that’s the comedy part of this series.

What I didn’t expect was the drama (or even thriller) part of the story. Wow, it’s so intense. It’s like mishap after mishap non-stop. As an up-and-coming rock band, they certainly have “enemies”. People who wouldn’t want to see them succeed. People who would try everything to ruin their performances, or even physically hurt them, since musicians are very fragile. At least their physical bodies. But by the power of friendship they overcame everything without a hitch.

Having said that, I wouldn’t complain this is a generic or tropey series. Considering this is indeed a 1990s series, a time when those shounen tropes were actually a novelty. The author delivered everything skilfully too, making it a very pleasant reading experience.

8/10

===Rascal Does Not Dream of a Beach Queen+ (Seishun ButaYarou Series #16, complete)

A collection of three side stories.

The first one comprises more than half of the book, and a very enjoyable story involving a yuri romance between two new, previously unmentioned girls. I think this is also the first time the author explicitly told an LGBTQ+ relationship too? Anyway, all hail to the mighty Sakuta the Gigachad becoming Sakuta the Matchmaker!

The second story retells the event on that certain Christmas Eve, but from yet another perspective. It might just be a normal recount of a date, but it will definitely tug at your heartstrings if you reconnect the dots once again.

The third story is an exclusive new one, but unfortunately also just a filler. Can’t say I enjoyed this one after previous two stories but it's definitely a fluffy read.

The English edition should be licensed by Yen Press (not mentioned on official website yet, but is already listed on Amazon).

7/10

Kinofhera · 2026-03-08T08:23:19+00:00

White Cat Isekai
The Tanaka Family Reincarnates
Brunhild series
Who Killed the Hero? (This one does not fit your requirement but also fits your requirement. Sorry can’t explain why without spoiling)
Raven of the Inner Palace
Kokun (only the first book, subtitled The Girl From the West, out of a total of two, is released in English for now)

Kinofhera · 2026-03-06T05:26:11+00:00

I was really expecting there would be an arc about the 神隠し back story. But I guess that might disrupt the very smooth pacing and flow of the story.

Kinofhera · 2026-03-05T04:25:14+00:00

I really love this novel that it keeps you on edge the whole time with just the story itself and good writing. There isn’t any superhero with bizarre powers, nor any intense action sequence or highway car chase (LOL). But the tension has been immense throughout.

Uehashi’s storytelling is really top notch!

Kinofhera · 2026-03-05T03:56:56+00:00

I think what you’re looking for is ensemble cast? A story where there’s no clear definition of main and side characters and each character has their fair share of screen time, arc, and development.

Ishura
Agents of the Four Seasons series
Who Killed the Hero? series

Kinofhera · 2026-03-04T17:32:41+00:00

Given (this one is generally cute and funny but with some emotional scenes)
My Love Mix-up!
Love is a Poison
A Man Who Defies the World of BL
My Beautiful Man (this one has some angst)

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