Long titles are often associated with light novels, but some stand out as more ridiculous than most. Here’s a look at some leading examples.
Straddling the line between young adult novels and manga, light novels include many of anime’s most successful storytelling tropes, from exaggerated reactions and slapstick comedy to over-the-top violence. Light novels draw from the best of literature and manga alike, so it’s little wonder they appeal to readers throughout the world.
There’s one trend that separates light novels from most YA novels and manga: extremely long titles. It’s one thing for a title to be a few words, but some titles include entire sentences or more, giving readers the story’s entire plot before they ever turn a page. Why authors choose such lengthy titles is an open question. Here are some of the most ridiculously lengthy titles in the genre.
Updated on May 10, 2023, by David Heath: Overly verbose titles are now as part of light novels as isekai settings, otome games, and villainesses. It’s said to be so readers can pick up the synopsis in the title while quickly browsing, but it means they’ll have to come up with a shorthand for it if they want to recommend it. Like how Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! became KonoSuba, and Ore no Imoto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai got shortened to Oreimo.
However, some titles have gotten so long that even the shorthand would consist of a full sentence. The trend is so commonplace that fans have taken philosophical questions and spoofed them as light novel titles (“Is It Really True That the World is An Illusion Made By My Own Personal Demon?!”). But the reality is much stranger than the fiction. So, here are more light novels with ridiculously long titles.
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15 Arya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian
Language, communication, and translation are something that many readers don’t think about, even if they regularly read English translations of Japanese light novels. These things are at the heart of Arya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings In Russian, however, giving weight to some of its better characters arcs.
The story is about Masachika Kuze, a student who sits beside Alisa Kujo, a classmate who sometimes speaks in Russian, unaware that Masachika also speaks the language and can understand her. It’s a funny and sometimes sweet light novel, and while its title isn’t as over-the-top as some of the genre’s other examples, it doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue either.
14 My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected
Clubs are a popular topic in light novels and Japanese fiction in general. In My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected, Hachiman Hikigaya’s teacher forces him to join his school’s service club. Hachiman’s negative worldview and close-mindedness lead to plenty of clashes with the two girls he shares the club with, leading to interesting drama.
The focus here is on typical challenges that high schoolers face, and the main draw is seeing how the protagonist grapples with these issues. Hachiman is a surprisingly deep and compelling protagonist thanks to his atypical worldview, leading the story in much more interesting directions than it may have otherwise gone. My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected is well worth a read for those that don’t mind mundane situations and a multi-clause title.
13 Is It Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
Here’s a popular one, as season 4 of its anime adaptation concluded in March 2023. Fujino Omori and Suzuhito Yamada’s Is It Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? is about rookie adventurer Bell Cranel, his crush on swordswoman Ais Wallenstein, and the horde of women, gods, and monsters who wish he noticed them instead. It’s still running via GA Bunko today, as is the manga version by Kunieda through Young Gangan.
The title seems like a quaint mouthful compared to the others here, despite being 10 words long. While its prototype title Familia Myth is practically bite-size, the spin-offs add meatier subtitles. There’s IIWTPUGIAD: Days of Goddess, IIWTPUGIAD On the Side: Sword Oratoria, the IIWTPUGIAD: Arrow of the Orion movie, and the two video games Infinite Combate and Memoria Freese.
12 Do You Love Your Mom And Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?
There are many things that can make a title good. A title can be good because it paints an evocative picture, poses a compelling question, or just sounds pleasant. Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks? does a combination of these things. What kind of mom has two-hit multi-target attacks? It begs to be read.
Mamako is the titular mother, aggravating her teenage son Masato with her doting nature, leading to some fun and awkward moments.Do You Love Your Mom is an isekai light novel, so when the two find themselves in an online fantasy game, Masato’s aggravation only grows. His mother, it turns out, has far better stats than he does and routinely decimates opponents that Masato can’t beat. A funny, cheeky twist on typical isekai tropes, Do You Love Your Mom is as good as its title.
11 I’ve Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years And Maxed Out My Level
There are plenty of good ways to approach backstory, introducing readers to a character and their history at just the right pace so they know everything they need to when they need to. For those that want to speed up that process a bit, there’s I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level. The one who has been doing all the slime killing in this light novel and underrated isekai anime is Azusa, a Witch of the Highlands who possesses inconceivable power thanks to her centuries of grinding.
Titling the light novel this way wasn’t even a bad decision, since it keeps Azusa’s power at the front of readers’ minds. Given that the witch is immortal, strong, fast, can fly, teleport, and turn invisible, among a host of other magical effects, it’s appropriate to remind readers just how overpowered the character is and how she got that way.
10 Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious
Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious is ridiculous in two ways. Not only is the title too long, but it’s also redundant, which makes it just about as ridiculous as a title can get. If it weren’t for that redundancy, fans might not have noticed how long and awkward the whole thing sounds.
Thankfully, this light novel has satire in its blood, and “ridiculous” is exactly what it’s going for. Seiya is the perfect main character for the plot, with his over-the-top commitment to training and preparation for battle. If Seiya or the light novel took themselves seriously, the entire project would be ruined, but instead, Seiya’s absurd devotion to caution is played for laughs, and the book is great as a result.
9 Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases
Death Note is one of the most famous anime around, with manga, anime, light novels, and even a live-action adaptation. This story of Light Yagami, L, and a notebook that kills anyone whose name is written within is an unforgettable suspense story, and it’s no wonder that fans want more of it.
Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases is narrated by Mellow, who refused to work with Near as a substitute for L in the original Death Note. The plot describes one of L’s earlier cases, in which he helped the FBI track down a serial killer in the United States. L is one of the most interesting detectives in anime, featuring in some extraordinary episodes, and it’s always enjoyable to see more of his personality and background, but this light novel can’t match the extraordinary pacing or characterization of the original manga.
8 An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How To Love Your Elf Bride
Fantasy stories wrestle with the darker elements of the past, and not always that well. Like Fuminori Teshimi and COMTA’s An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride. It’s a comfier translation than the Japanese one, which pointed out that the Elf Bride was originally a slave. The story doesn’t shy away from that nor why the fantasy world relies upon slavery. Zagan the Demon Lord isn’t defying the system either. Not at first anyway.
When he thought he’d get some powerful items at an auction of the late Archdemon Marchosias’ possessions, he ends up bidding all his cash on a white-haired elf called Nephilia. For him, it’s love at first sight, but he doesn’t know how to express these feelings to her. Not without a bunch of misunderstandings along the way. So, the story does get lighter and less worrying as it goes on, despite its concerning suggestions.
7 Trapped In A Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games Is Tough For Mobs
After office worker Leon Fou Bartfort dies he is reincarnated in an Otome game in which women reign supreme. Despite only being a background character in the game, Leon is determined to live a normal life. Fortunately for Leon, his sister forced him to play the game prior to his death, so he can use his knowledge to metagame his way to success.
Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games Is Tough for Mobs doesn’t do anything spectacular to shake up the genre. It’s a more or less conventional isekai story that just happens to be blessed with one of the longest and most ridiculous titles around. Like other light novels of its kind, Trapped in a Dating Sim at least saves readers time by giving them the entire plot in its title.
6 Suppose A Kid From The Last Dungeon Boonies Moved To A Starter Town
Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town is about Lloyd, a teenager who left his hometown of Kunlun to join the kingdom’s army. In Kunlun, Lloyd is considered a weakling with abilities far below those of the average citizen. This is a light novel and anime with an excellent plot twist. Because Kunlun has absurdly high standards, and while Lloyd may not be powerful compared to others in his town, he is incredibly strong compared to anyone else.
Thankfully, Lloyd is a classic good guy, compassionate and generous to others, always helping, whether that’s by cooking a good meal or protecting his friends in battle. Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town has just enough of a twist to keep readers hooked after they’ve finished reading its mouthful of a title.
5 WorldEnd: What Do You Do At The End Of The World? Are You Busy? Will You Save Us?
WorldEnd: What Do You Do at the End of the World? Are You Busy? Will You Save Us? takes place in a world in which monsters all but wiped out humanity five centuries ago. The survivors live on floating islands under the protection of the Leprechauns, girls with powers that allow them to ward off the monsters.
WorldEnd is about Willem and his friendship with the Leprechauns. More than that, however, it’s about the ravages of war, not only upon people’s bodies but upon their spirits. A deceptively deep story given its absurd and unnecessary title, WorldEnd may be one of the best light novels to tackle the difficult subject of war, giving readers more than one reason to pick it up.
4 I’m A Behemoth, An S-Ranked Monster, But Mistaken For A Cat, I Live As An Elf Girl’s Pet
I’m a Behemoth, an S-Ranked Monster, but Mistaken for a Cat, I Live as an Elf Girl’s Pet should win a prize for “most ham-fisted plot summary.” A heroic knight dies only to be reincarnated, not as another hero, but as a monster. Unfortunately, baby Behemoths look like cats, which is what leads to the last part of the title.
Somehow, this light novel’s title ends up making more sense than its actual plot.I’m a Behemoth makes little to no effort to justify the variety of absurd things that are going on within. Ultimately, that’s fine, since it provides readers with a fun, off-the-wall tale.
3 I’m A High School Boy And A Best-Selling Light Novel Author Strangled By My Female Junior Who’s A Voice Actress
Light novel titles can be long, but it doesn’t guarantee they’ll last. When he wasn’t working on Kino no Tabi, Keiichi Sigsawa worked with Kouhaku Kuroboshi on a light novel called I’m a High School Boy and a Best-Selling Light Novel Author Strangled by my Female Junior Who’s a Voice Actress. As the title says, its nameless protagonist is a high schooler who just happens to be behind Dengeki Bunko’s top light novel Vice-Versa.
He discovers one of his classmates, Eri Nitadori, is a rookie voice actress who’s been cast in Vice-Versa‘s anime adaptation. They don’t really interact until they head to the studio together, but when he’s talking her through her character’s motivations, he almost gets strangled to death. How did that happen and why? No one knows, as the novel went on hiatus in June 2014 after having just 3 volumes.
2 The Results From When I Time Leaped To My Second Year Of High School And Confessed To The Teacher I Liked At The Time
Kennoji and Yasuyuki’s own story managed to last longer, starting in 2018 and ending in 2019 with a complete story. It hasn’t been officially licensed into English yet, so there’s a chance The Results From When I Time Leaped to My Second Year of High School and Confessed to the Teacher I Liked at the Time could get shortened or made longer when Yen Press, Seven Seas or another company catches wind of it.
As the title suggests, it’s about a 30-something salaryman called Seiji who looks back on his high school days and regrets not confessing to Hiiragi, a teacher he had a crush on. Then, for some reason, he wakes up the next day as a teen during his second year at high school. He takes his chance to confess to her, and she surprisingly accepts. Though he finds out the hard way that just because the grass looks greener on the other side doesn’t mean it is.
1 Sew For Her! Strip Her? Change Her Clothes!! She Screwed Up Her High School Debut And Became A Shut-In, So I’ve Ended Up Coordinating Her Youth (Fashion)
When it comes to ridiculous titles, few light novels can compete with Sew for Her! Strip Her? Change Her Clothes!! She Screwed Up Her High School Debut and Became a Shut-In, so I’ve Ended Up Coordinating Her Youth (Fashion).
This ecchi light novel is about Tomonaga Ono and his desire to help others through fashion. Sort of. Sew for Her! borders on fashion and friendship but is mostly about how awesome its title is. There’s something admirable about a light novel that proudly adopts a tongue twister for a title. Everything else in this story is beside the point.
Fuente: successacademy.edu.vn
Categorías: Anime
