Highlights
- "Ao Oni" is a dark and intense mystery light novel that combines survival and bullying, with a group of students trapped in an abandoned manor by a deadly blue creature.
- "The Pygmalion Is Planting Seeds" twists the experience of romance into an obsessive and psychologically challenging ordeal for the main protagonist, Kuuya Mamesaki.
- "A Lollipop Or A Bullet" tackles dark themes such as abuse and murder, with a story centered around a gruesome murder and the discovery of an underlying dreary home life.
There is certainly no shortage of mystery and detective stories in the light novel community. With such creative stories as No Game No Life and The Apothecary Diaries being two of the most popular series in the genre, it is safe to say that there are several angles from which any mystery series may take in terms of its plot.
8 Best Completed Horror Light Novels You Should Read
These light novels are light only in name, containing tales of dark terror between their pages.
One such angle a mystery or detective light novel may take is by implementing the noir approach to its plot. Noir is described as a particularly dark genre in terms of story themes, setting, and subject, as evidenced by these noir light novels.
6 Blue Demon
Ao Oni
- Author: Kenji Kuroda
- Other Genres: Adventure, Horror
- Release Years: 2013–2017
Known as Blue Demon in English, the main plot of Ao Oni can be described as the most intense game of tag mixed with the worst instance of bullying ever. In this case, this game is actually a survival game when a group of students find themselves trapped in an abandoned manor called the Jailhouse by the school bully.
In Ao Oni, the main character Shun is constantly being tormented by the school bully Takuro, with each instance of bullying being far worse than the last. Eventually, when Takuro traps Shun and a few other students in the Jailhouse, the group suddenly finds themselves under attack by a mysteriously deadly blue creature.
5 The Pygmalion Is Planting Seeds
Pygmalion wa Tane wo Maku
- Author: Tsuchikana Bouki
- Other Genres: Drama, Mystery
- Release Years: 2016
Romance in light novels can be a wonderful experience for both the characters and readers but in The Pygmalion is Planting Seeds, this experience has been twisted into something obsessive. In conjunction with some well-written supernatural and psychological elements, the events of this light novel become quite the ordeal for Kuuya Mamesaki, the main protagonist of the light novel.
7 Underrated Romance Light Novels Worth Reading
There is no shortage of light novels to read, but these ones are rare gems when it comes to the romance genre.
The first part of the story revolves around Kuuya's unrequited love for his high school love interest Misaki Iruse despite her already having a boyfriend. However, when Misaki ends up missing one day, Kuuya takes it upon himself to use his limited resources to find her at the expense of his relationships with his friends and family.
4 A Lollipop Or A Bullet
Satougashi no Dangan wa Uchinukenai: A Lollypop or A Bullet
- Author: Kazuki Sakuraba
- Other Genres: Psychological
- Release Years: 2004
Though the light novel adaptation of A Lollipop or a Bullet boasts cuter artwork than its manga counterpart, that certainly doesn't stop this light novel from tackling dark themes such as abuse, loneliness, and murder. In fact, the very first part of the light novel consists of a news report of the gruesome murder of Mokuzu Umino, one of the central heroines of the story!
Before this development, the story first introduces Nagisa Yamada, a middle school girl who wishes to join the military to escape her idyllic life. However, after meeting Mokuzu, whom she considers a nuisance and a liar at first, Nagisa realizes the true reason why Mokuzu is so attached to her and that her cheery personality is merely a front to cover up her dreary home life.
3 Root Double - Before Crime After Days
- Author: Souki Tsukishima
- Other Genres: Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi
- Release Years: 2012–2013
Nuclear accidents are certainly dark events in any country and the accident featured in the rather short Root Double - Before Crime After Days story is certainly no exception. Whether helping the survivors escape the vicinity or warding away radiation poisoning, this light novel is certainly an example of how hard a nuclear disaster can be for officers and civilians alike.
6 Best Anime About Natural Disasters
These anime shows use chaotic natural disasters to share deep, striking stories most viewers will appreciate.
Upon receiving word of an underground nuclear meltdown, Watase Kasasagi and his squad are sent to contain the mess and rescue any survivors present. However, in addition to dealing with the meltdown aftermath, Kasasagi and his squad find themselves in other creepy events, namely finding the corpses of victims before the meltdown and getting psychologically tormented by mysterious voices deep in the reactor.
2 The Empty Box And Zeroth Maria
Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria
- Author: Eiji Mikage
- Other Genres: Psychological
- Release Years: 2009–2015
Much like Another, The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria is also set in school where the circumstances are anything but ordinary. The novel's titular boxes cause these circumstances. The main character is tormented by his former friends after they receive a box from the unseen force known as O.
Kazuki Hoshino, the light novel's main protagonist, is only focused on living his everyday life to the fullest, rejecting anything that may interfere with his life in the process. However, when the mysterious transfer student Aya Otonashi arrives, better known as the titular Maria, Kazuki finds his life falling apart around him as his friends suddenly turn against him, and he is accused of crimes he did not commit.
1 Another
- Author: Yukito Ayatsuji
- Other Genres: Horror
- Release Years: 2009 (Novel); 2012 (Light Novel)
Already renowned as a successful horror novel, the underlying mystery surrounding the events of Another is more than enough to make it a noir option. Unlike Yami-Hara, however, this light novel focuses on the spiteful actions of a supernatural demon as opposed to the worst behaviors mankind has to offer.
Scariest Psychological Horror Manga
For manga readers looking to get deeply disturbed, these terrifying psychological horror mangas are perfect.
The story of Another revolves around Koichi Sakakibara, a student who was prevented from attending his first day of middle school due to suffering from a collapsed lung. When he does start attending school, however, he soon finds his class at the mercy of a vengeful spirit who kills off students to satiate its grudge, prompting Koichi to investigate this phenomenon and stop it.
Another was initially published as a novel, but it was adapted into a light novel format later on.
Novel: Yami-Hara
- Author: Mizuki Tsujimura
- Other Genres: Horror
- Release Years: 2021
Easily the biggest indicator of Yami-Hara's status as a noir novel is its unsettling title; yami-hara is Japanese for "dark harassment," which refers to inappropriate behavior based on one's inherent malevolent qualities. An even more unsettling part of this light novel is the psychological torment that the victims of the dark harassment undergo, an experience to which many people can unfortunately relate.
With five chapters in all, each chapter is a separate short story about how five separate main characters fall victim to the worst behaviors humanity has to offer. For fans of horror stories and psychological mysteries, this title might be of particular interest. Still, it certainly is not for the faint of heart or those who are unfamiliar with the noir genre.
Yami-Hara is a traditional novel rather than a light novel, but it deserves a mention regardless.