As of late, light novels have surged in popularity; not only are they another popular source material from which to adapt an anime, but many fans have found much to enjoy in the novels themselves. In fact, many genres,namely the isekai genre, have been popularized by light novels.
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One particular light novel genre that is popular in its own right is the Girls Love genre, better known as Yuri. Considered the female equivalent of the Boys Love genre, light novels that fall under the Girls Love genre focus mainly on romances between two girls, as these popular titles do to a masterful degree.
7Girls Kingdom
Written by Nayo and illustrated by Shio Sakura,Girls Kingdomrevolves around Misaki Hotaru, a schoolgirl who finds herself enrolled in the Amanotsuka Academy for Girls. But instead of being just a regular school, Misaki discovers that the academy is also meant to train girls to become proper maids, much to her shock.
When Misaki arrives late for her first day she meets Himeko Amanotsuka, the most illustrious girl in the academywho enlists Misaki as her own personal maid. From there, Misaki finds herself being introduced to a slew of new faces within the academy while helping with the relationships between many of the female Seraphs.
6Yuri Tama: From Third Wheel to Trifecta
Much likeother light novels in the Slice of Life genre,Yuri Tama: From Third Wheel toTrifectais not afraid to explore the dynamic of the relationships between its characters. In this case, however, there is a comical undertone to these dynamics due to the love triangle that the heroine sets up for herself.
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InYuri Tama, Yotsuba Hazama manages to befriend Yuna Momose and Rinka Aiba, two girls whom the student body is eager to see become a couple. But when both girls ask Yotsuba out, Yotsuba panics and ends up saying yes to the both of them, putting her social standing in school in jeopardy in the process.
5A Lily Blooms in Another World
Similar toGirls Kingdom,A Lily Blooms in Another World’sillustrations were also provided by Shio Sakura. The novel itself, however, is written by Ameko Kaeruda, who is best known for another Girls Love light novel:Sexiled: My Sexist Party Leader Kicked Me Out, So I Teamed Up With a Mythical Sorceress!
InA Lily Blooms in Another World,the main heroine, Miyako Florence, is reincarnated intothe world of her favorite dating simand sets off to woo the villainess, Fuuka Hamilton, after Miyako’s fiance breaks off their engagement. For her part, Fuuka agrees to be Miyako’s lover, but she gives the latter a fourteen-day time limit to make her happy enough to run away with her.
4Qualia the Purple
One of the more unique Girls Love titles,Qualia the Purpleis a science fiction light novel mainly due to the heroine, Marii Yukari, being able to see others as robots. But outside this premise, the setting itself is very reminiscent of other school life light novels, as much of the cast attends middle school.
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The light novel is told from the perspective of Manabu Hatou, who harbors some affection for her best friend Marii. However, her friendship with Marii unwittingly gets her involved in the darker side of the scientific world, in which a mysterious group wishes to harness Marii’s powers for their own benefit.
3There’s No Freaking Way I’ll Be Your Lover! Unless…
This light novel focuses on the transition between middle school and high school, as experienced by the heroine Amaori Renako. Initially a loner in middle school, Renako dedicates herself to becoming more social and extroverted upon her graduation from middle school to high school.
During her first moments in high school, Oduka Mai, an extroverted bombshell whose personality is at odds with Renako’s in every way; in spite of this, the two manage to become good friends. However, Renako finds herself out of her element when Mai suddenly professes her love for her, with every bit of intent of making Renako hers.
2Side-By-Side Dreamers
Perhaps one of the more unique titles in the Girls Love genre when it comes to its artwork,Side-By-Side Dreamershas quite a unique way of getting its female leads, Saya Hokage and Hitsuji Konparu, acquainted with each other: by having them sleep next to each other and interact in their dreams. Naturally, this sets the stage for some romantic moments between the two.
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In this novel, the insomniac Saya Hokage learns thatHitsuji is able to put her to sleepand pose as her lover in her dream. While initially flustered at having to sleep with Hitsuji to treat her insomnia, Saya is eventually scouted by a friend of Hitsuji’s, who enlists her in the ongoing conflict between the dream-inhabiting Sleepwalkers and the soul-possessing Suijus.
1Roll Over and Die
While many light novels typically have their characters get reincarnated into video games,a phenomenon that is associated with the isekai genre, that doesn’t seem to be the case inRoll Over and Die. In fact, there is no mention of the characters being in a video game, though there are references to other video game elements, such as parties and save points.
The novel stars Flum Apricot, the wielder of the Reversal ability, which completely drops all her stats to zero. After she is booted out of her party and subsequently sold into slavery, Flum discovers how to properly utilize her Reversal abilitywith the help of a mysterious sword.
