Anime is a great form of media packed with tons of thrill and fun, ranging from intense shonen stories to likable shoujo characters to entertaining yet full-of-lessons slice of life series. But manga, light novels, and web novels can provide the same vibes, too!
There are lots of them—both on the web and in physical form—and all you have to do is pick one to start reading. They come in a variety of art styles and content types, making them all worth exploring.
From fantasy and isekai to life-changing slice of life stories, here are some of the best manga and light novels to read if you love anime.
6. The Remarried Empress
The Remarried Empress is a light novel written by Alpha Tart and one of the most anticipated novels of the past few years (along with its webtoon adaptation). It has a total of five books.
The Remarried Empress is a story of the most-awaited divorce between the Northern Empress (Navier) and her emperor (Sovieshu). Navier is a perfect Empress and puts her subjects first before her emotions.
The only problem is that the emperor wanted a true wife, not just a companion to fulfill their duties. Afraid that she might lose her purpose for living, Navier accepts the proposal of the Western Kingdom, which launches the intriguing and interesting plot.
5. Solo Leveling
The light novel Solo Leveling is just like many isekai anime series (like That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime) where the main character dies and becomes reincarnated in an unknown dimension.
This is a story about a hunter named Sung Jin-woo, who faces a near-death situation. He's given a chance to live and escape death by accepting an identity as a player—and as he levels up, he learns the truth about the purpose of being a player.
Solo Leveling is a Korean light novel written by Chu-gong (the title of its English translation is Only I Level Up). It currently has 14 volumes and a webtoon adaptation.
4. Eleceed
If you enjoyed the Korean manhwa Noblesse written by Son Je-ho, then there's another fantasy-comedy manhwa from the same author that'll have you addicted for more: Eleceed. It's illustrated by ZHENA and published on Naver Webtoon (and Webtoon for its English translation).
It's a story of Seo Ji-woo, who has superhuman reflexes and speed. He's grown into a fine young man all while hiding his ability—then he finds Kayden, who's on the run while in the form of a fluffy fat cat.
Seo Ji-woo is introduced to a dangerous society filled with human beings who have different abilities, and Kayden passes down his knowledge of body control to Ji-woo. The fight scenes are very well illustrated, as well as the small details of each character's humor.
3. Delicious in Dungeon
Delicious in Dungeon is a cooking-based fantasy-comedy manga written by Ryoko Kui, published in Enterbrain's Harta magazine. It was then published with English translations by Yen Press.
The story begins with a group of six adventurers raiding a dungeon. After losing a friend to a dragon and having two other members leave the group, the remaining members want to continue raiding dungeons with the thought that they could save their friend.
But they have limited resources, which is where their rescue mission and food hunting journey begins—all mixed with Laios' secret desire to know what dungeon monsters taste like.
2. Three Days of Happiness
Three Days of Happiness is a fantasy light novel (with a touch of slice of life) from 2013 and one of the works of author Sugaru Miaki. It was given a three-volume manga adaptation in 2016.
The story is about a 19-year-old college student named Kusonoki, who decides to sell his books and CDs to make some money. As he's selling his books, the owner of the bookshop says that there's a shop that will buy a person's remaining lifespan for cash.
With no motivations or dreams, Kusonoki gives the place a try. He ends up selling most of his lifespan, keeping only a bit left for himself to enjoy what he earned. Now, as he starts to enjoy his life before his inevitable death, he finds things that make life and time valuable.
Is it too late for him to continue living? Or is the handful of time left enough for him to enjoy the beauty of whatever time remains? You'll find out the answer in this well-crafted novel.
1. Kaiju No. 8
Kaiju No. 8 is a story written and illustrated by Naoya Matsumoto, with the manga's first English volume published by Viz Media with 204 pages.
It has one of the most amazing anime story tropes that centers on the idea of "being something that you hate" (like Tokyo Ghoul and Attack on Titan). Kafka Hibino wants to kill monsters, but becomes a monster himself, codenamed Kaiju Number 8.
The plot involves Kafka joining the Japanese Defense Force in a bid to kill monsters called Kaiju, but ends up becoming one of the cleaning corps. He accidentally swallows a small Kaiju and becomes one himself, which causes him to fall under scrutiny and suspicion.
