The story is centred around a cute android who initially had a happy life with her master who dearly loved her. But she was then... more>> struck by a series of misfortunes and ended up in a robot-equivalent of concentration camp. Through experiencing and witnessing the sufferings towards herself as well as the people/robots around her, she eventually gained a better appreciation of life. <<less

A semi-serious school action story revolving around the main protagonist, Tomoharu Natsume. He is haunted by his childhood friend, Misao Minakami, who became a ghost... more>> ever since he barely survived an airplane accident three years earlier. Tomoharu Natsume takes the opportunity to live on his own when he enters high school in his new place of residence, Meiou-tei, and starts enjoying a carefree high school life. His life changed when a beautiful girl named Kurosaki Shuri appears with a trunk which she claimed Tomoharu's brother, Naotaka Natsume, asked her to deliver to him. The presence of the trunk causes the appearance of Takatsuki Kanade, a girl dressed like a shrine maiden who is after the trunk. Tomoharu is in possession of the trunk, which reveals secrets about the world they live in. <<less

Asaba Naoyuki is an ordinary junior high school student. As a member of his school's press club, he's just spent the summer camping outside the... more>> local military base, in hopes of seeing the UFOs that are secretly kept there, according to local legend. Returning to school, he meets a strange girl, Iriya Kana, and gradually comes to realize that she is more than merely strange - and that a dark secret lies beneath the world that he knows. <<less

A collection of four short stories and manga from Toaru Majutsu no Index & Toaru Kagaku no Railgun, previously only seen limited release. Because it has manga illustrations, the width and height of the light novel is greater than a regular light novel, using B6 paper instead of the usual A6 paper.... more>>

The light novel marks for the first time that both Haimura Kiyotaka and Fuyukawa Motoi are credited as illustrators on the same light novel.

Stories include:

* Stiyl Magnus - A single mission is given to Stiyl by the Anglican Church's Necessarius. When Stiyl arrives in Academy City once more, his way is blocked by Theodosia Electra, a fellow member of Necessarius. The reason she is fighting with Stiyl lies with a girl named Patricia Birdway. A battle between magicians over the techniques of the Dvergr from Norse mythology begins.

* Mark Space - Mark, a magician from the British magic cabal the Dawn-Colored Sunlight, has been instructed to save his boss' little sister. Mark managed to safely make contact with his boss' sister aboard a survey ship, the Blue Research, but a magician who seems to be from a different cabal attacks. Mark plans to rescue his boss' sister using his personal magic that uses tarot cards.

* Kamijou Touma - While walking through District 21 of Academy City, Kamijou Touma and Index run into a magician named Fleiss. Due to Kamijou's usual misfortune, he somehow ends up on the run from Academy City along with Fleiss. In the process, Kamijou hears of some ridiculous information from Fleiss about an unknown lifeform on Mars.

* Uiharu Kazari - A carjacking occurs in Academy City. A member of Judgment, Uiharu Kazari ends up helping resolve the situation. The ultimate goal of the carjacking is a large scale terrorist attack on Academy City. In order to stop a large special vehicle roaring along at 120kph, Uiharu struggles alongside Yomikawa of Anti-Skill. <<less

The Security System that Seals the Savage Science Smartly by its Supreme Sagacity and Strength... more>>

9S is set in an age of science, but in a too distant future. The Mad Scientist, Mineshima Yujiro, disappeared several years previous to where the story begins. The inheritance he left behind, the technology and objects he had created, were given the codename ‘Legacy’, and are highly sought after by government agencies and terrorists, for reasons both good, and....... not so pleasant. One of these ‘objects’ he left behind was his daughter, imparted with a mental calculating capacity that dwarfs supercomputers, combined with her physical body, which makes for a devastating combination. <<less

Due to various "reasons" having to leave his parents and living alone, is Kirimura Seiji. With his classmates and a very beautiful bishoujo named Fuyuki Youko (a forceful girl which actually wants the Kirimura Seiji for herself), he barely manages to pass through "normally" each day.... more>>

Until one day, falling out of the sky, is a girl wearing gothic attire. This cute little girl is called Yuu, and she claims to be a vampire. Her appearance is due to the fact that she is searching for her thousand year old reincarnated lover.

Originally he thought that she was raving mad, but never in his farfetched dreams would he have expected to find a Rabbit butler (Sekitoku) and a Steel Maid-en (Koshizu) (a combination android/maid) would appear to retrieve her (Yuu the vampire) home. With these new arrivals, Kirimura Seiji's daily "normal" life is over, and triggers the beginning of his "very abnormal, love life". <<less

Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan (撲殺天使ドクロちゃん, literally Club-To-Death Angel Dokuro-chan) is a novel series written by Masaki Okayu and illustrated by Torishimo. It centers around a young... more>> boy named Kusakabe Sakura and an angel, Dokuro-chan, who comes from the future. She's cute, loving, and frequently kills him violently with a giant spiked club named Excalibolg (only to resurrect him seconds later), but that's how she shows her love for him. <<less

A normal high school boy Ryūji Kisaragi's peaceful life is turned into an adventure by the return of his second cousin, Eriko. Ryūji and Eriko... more>> seize a relic box from a black market broker named FANG. In the box, they find a red dragon girl whom Ryūji names Rose because of her rose like pattern on her left hand. In order to protect Rose from the black organization, Ryūji decides to fight using his power as a breaker. <<less

In the year After Colony 195, with the start of Operation Meteor, the scientists' plan for revenge against the OZ military organization. The operation involves five young boys who have each been chosen and trained by one of the five rogue scientists, then sent to Earth independently in extremely advanced Mobile Suits, one designed by each of the scientists, known as "Gundams". Their Mobile Suits are called Gundams because they are constructed from a rare and astonishingly durable material known as Gundanium alloy, which can only be created in outer space.... more>>

The five Gundam Pilots — Heero Yuy (an alias, not to be confused with the assassinated leader), Duo Maxwell (also an alias), Trowa Barton (another alias, he was previously known as Nanashi (No-Name)), Quatre Raberba Winner, and Chang Wufei — originally have no knowledge of each others' existence. On first meeting any of the other five, each pilot believes the others to be enemy pilots in new OZ mobile suit designs. Once the young pilots realize that they have the same objective of destroying OZ (and in some cases the same mission), they band together to help each other complete their goals. <<less

AI buster, the prequel to .hack//SIGN, is the story of Albireo,a debugger, who used to play ‘Fragments,’ the beta version of ‘The World.’ Albireo encounters... more>> Lycoris, whom he assumes is an event NPC (an AI character) but she’s actually a failed version of Aura. She is blind, deaf, and mute, because Albireo debugged her and broke up important files. The missing files are hidden as items in the World, and when returned to Lycoris, she gets a function back. When she gains them all, she changes into a teenage form with purple hair who looks like Aura. Because of his acquaintance with Lycoris, Albireo cannot log out of the game and exit the World. <<less

.hack//CELL is a novel series written by Ryo Suzukaze, serialized in the magazine .hack//G.U.: The World, and published in paperback format.... more>>

It follows the experiences of a female Edge Punisher, Midori, as she hires herself out to players who want to fight her without resistance <<less

“The World” is a massively multiplayer online game played by more than twelve million people across the globe. Within this virtual world Haseo, a PKK... more>> (Player Killer Killer), continues an endless fight. Everything he does is for the sake of the girl Shino, who back in the real world, is hospitalized by an unexplained coma. However, on finally meeting with his sole lead, a PK called ?Tri-Edge,? Haseo is dropped back to Level 1 by a mysterious power! Can Haseo save Shino now that he has lost all of his abilities? <<less

In a failing time-traveling experiment, a spaceship driver and the Chief Scientist both died and were transferred to a new land. The young driver found... more>> he had become Fowls, the heir of an Eral family called Mediqi, and the scientist became his housekeeper. Under the control of Fowls, the old housekeeper began his study of the rules of this different land, and he became interested in the basic strength source named Magic. Outside their house, on this different ancient land in another parallel space-time, many countries were fighting with each other. Step by step, three empires rose to become the core of all powers. The Alexander Empire, controlled by both the religious and secular forces, was a place where people were mostly a crossbreed of human beings and orcas. The Eastern Sea Union was created by wizards and witches once oppressed by the Alexander Empire until they rebelled by successfully waking up their inner strength of witchcraft. This was a rather free and fair federation. The third was the small city Earendur, founded by Fowl family, a business giant with political and military powers. <<less

Even in the future, all the advances and innovation in the world can’t change the dynamics of the school playground. And for Haruyuki Arita, a... more>> fat kid in junior high, that means he’s destined to always be at the bottom of the food chain, prime pickings for the school bullies. But when he encounters the beautiful Kuroyukihime, an avatar in the virtual world where he relaxes, Haruyuki’s life is turned on its head as he dives into Brain Burst, a mysterious computer program, and the Accelerated World with her help. And it’s in the Accel World that Haruyuki casts off his depressing reality and takes hold of the chance to become a Burst Linker, a knight to protect his princess! <<less

Ling Xiaowen showed great courage on his way home from school and stood up for justice by giving three misbehaving children who were bullying a "dwarf" a good lesson. To repay Ling Xiaowen's kindness, the "dwarf" secretly followed him and gave him a "Universal God Ball" as a gift.... more>>

As it turned out, this "dwarf" was the grandson of the renowned inventor Tesla, who lived a hundred years ago. When Tesla passed away, extraterrestrials stole his brain cells and used advanced technology to resurrect him to serve them, strictly forbidding him from leaving. However, he still cared deeply for Earth and instructed his grandson to secretly come to the "human world" and give his treasure to a "good person" on Earth, hoping that this person would comprehend the true meaning while "playing" and contribute to the advancement of human technology.

This "God Ball," known as the Electric Light Fireball to humans, is a mysterious natural phenomenon. Apart from Tesla, no one has succeeded in creating it.

From then on, Ling Xiaowen and the God Ball were inseparable, and they "played" together, experiencing the joy of youth. Throughout his growth process, they encountered countless extraordinary and mind-boggling stories. <<less

In 9012, the world became a high-temperature melting furnace, animals and plants died, urban infrastructure was paralyzed, water and electricity were cut off, the world became a large-scale hunger arena.... more>>

Su Mian was reborn three months before the end of the world, and accidentally got a scarlet jade gourd, which opened the planting space.

She resolutely ended her college course, returned to her hometown to farm, and built up high walls to resist the famine era.

After the end of the world, the major hidden families had come out of the mountain.

Luo Hansheng, the first person who came out, was ruthless and unkind. No one knew that he had been having the same dream for years, in that dream, he spoiled a woman almost insanely, and then the woman stabbed him and ran away.

The man sneered. When he found this woman, he would definitely cramp her and make her feel ashamed.

Later, the man found Su Mian in the cliff hole of Xiaoshan Village and coaxed her, “Follow me, I can give you everything you want ~” <<less

Jiang Mo, the big shot of Xuanqing world, failed to pass the tribulation and was forcibly bound by the unscrupulous system. After crossing ninety nine worlds become cannon fodder in different worlds, Jiang Mo, who finally killed the system, became the master of his fate again.... more>>

Therefore, all kinds of cannon fodder that sent experience and wealth to the protagonist in the small world changed into a person who can control the life and death of the protagonist.

Jiang Mo: I’m delicate and pure, gentle and really gullible. I’m just a fated cannon fodder. I was bullied by the protagonists in all kinds of ways

Protagonists:… I’m not, I don’t have it. Don’t put this pot on my shoulder.

Love acting will make you feel white and black shou x Always spoiled shou, love at first sight gong. <<less

The end of the world came, the land was barren and food was scarce. The nightmare beasts destroyed the earth and hunted the living. Living had become the luxury of all things. And when the world fell into the abyss of despair, a miracle suddenly appeared.... more>>

The messenger generously rescued the living creatures, hunted the nightmare beasts, and established the last pure land in the last days.

Humans called it - the city of hope. -- The socially anxious He Fang had been in his house for three years, and his daily business was to eat, sleep and play games.

One day He Fang suddenly went out and found that there were very few people on the street, and all were handsome men and women.

Suddenly a ragged beggar rushed out, hugged his leg and cried: "Lord, please let me stay."

Socially Anxious He Fang didn't know what to do, and hastily pulled up the kneeling beggar and fled the scene of the crime. Behind him, the beggar looked at He Fang's departing back, he was touched by the Creator, it was like getting purified. The crowd looked at the beggar with envy and jealousy. "Lucky guy, to have gotten the Creator's mercy!"

"Let him work for me, with him, maybe I'll have a chance to get the Creator's gaze."

Back in the house He Fang cried and ordered a milk tea to comfort his wounded heart.

The Main Lord had mercy on the world, accepting the humble to worship and harvest faith. However, the perfect Main Lord wore a yellow takeaway uniform when no one was around, and his fierce beast became a small tram. The takeaway car with two small wheels ran fast to deliver to the creator.

The Main Lord looked in the rearview mirror, combing his long blonde hair, as he worriedly asked the beast: do I look good today? Can I attract the Creator and start a delivery boy love story?

A few moments later he returned, filled with disappointment: he didn't see me, he asked me to put the take-out outside again ooooooooooooooo.

-- He Fang opened the infrastructure game he had been playing for three years -- the doomsday city-building.

The statue of the main lord within the game was crying.

He Fang: "Is this some kind of quest? Is there another disaster somewhere? Or did the nightmare beasts attack the humans again?"

Mandatory quest: comfort the weeping Lord (please offer your precious kiss to soothe the Main Lord).

He Fang climbed up to the huge statue, stood on its shoulder, put his hands on its cheeks and kissed the corners of its eyes. <<less

What was originally an ordinary day, suddenly became a historical turning point. Enormous, mysterious Cubes appeared all over the world without warning and as if Judgement Day’s spears, inserted themselves into the blue planet.... more>>

From inside the enormous Cubes, endless streams of monsters gushed out alike raging tides, utterly defeating the unguarded armies of each state in the blink of an eye.

In order for humanity to preserve its final embers, the heads of states issued orders of retreat, to no longer attack the Cubes but rather to cling to remote cities, which they turned into self-sufficient survivor bases and around which they built 100-meter-tall Walls of Life!

Many years later, while bearing the heavy weight of history, the first expeditionary force brought back a world changing piece of information. The Cubes possessed exceedingly high intelligence and they regularly transmitted mission instructions to humans nearby. The mission rewards were incredible.

Since then, humans rushed out of the confines of the walls and once more set foot on the wasteland! <<less

On the outskirts of the Pleasure City of Midas lies the Ceres special autonomous area, commonly known as the slums. Gang leader Riki, looking for an easy pocket to pick in the nightlife districts, gets caught red-handed…by none other than one of the highest-ranking, golden-haired android elites ruling from the capital Tanagura: the “Blondy” Iason Mink!
By all rights, a Blondy standing at the pinnacle of aristocracy and a slummer should have never crossed paths—their chance encounter marks the beginning of a love twisted by obsession, soon spiraling into a karmic chain of events...... more>>

⬇️ //// About the Japanese novel and anime adaptations ////
⬇️ //// About the English translation ////
⬇️ //// Current translation status ////
⬇️ //// Drama CDs, prequel and side stories ////

//// About the Japanese novel and anime adaptations ////

Originally serialized in the bimonthly magazine Shosetsu June (小説ジュネ) spanning six chapters from December 1986 to October 1987, the novel was released with minor revisions into a hardcover edition in 1990.
This first version of the story received a two-episode/OVA anime adaptation in 1992 and 1994.

Between the years 2001 and 2007, the original story was greatly expanded upon and released in six paperback volumes. After a change of Japanese publisher, two more volumes were released between 2009 and 2010, completing the series (the six aforementioned volumes were released as volumes 1-4 in the newest Japanese edition).
This second version of the story was meant to be adapted into a twelve-episode OVA anime—initially planned to release in 2010—but was postponed to 2012, only to be discontinued after the fourth episode’s release.

//// About the English translation ////

The English paperback expanded edition is made up of eight volumes: the six first volumes (Seibido/Crystal edition) + the two later volumes (#7 and #8 in English, but #5 and #6 in the newest Tokuma/Chara edition).
The change in Japanese publisher led to a change in translator for the English edition between vol1 to 6 and vol7 to 8: it is highly recommended to read the fan translations of #7 and #8 as opposed to reading the licensed edition, due to the massive loss in translation (expect a 50% word count difference between the two).

//// Current translation status of the different editions of the novel (as of April 20th, 2024) ////

. Shosetsu June edition, unlicensed: 2/6 chapters, ongoing fan translation.
. 1990 hardcover edition, unlicensed: 2/6 chapters, ongoing fan translation. An older fan translation had 4/6 chapters translated but the project was dropped.
. 2000’s expanded edition, English licensed: fully translated, complete.

//// Drama CDs, prequel and side stories ////

– The Shosetsu June story was adapted into a drama cassette and a drama CD (Dark Erogenous).
– The expanded story was adapted into three drama CDs (Destiny, Nightmare, Resonance)
– A prequel called Midnight Illusion was serialized in Shosetsu June between December 1992 and April 1993, and released as a hardcover in 1996. 3/6 chapters have been fan-translated into English.
– The 5 side stories have all been fan-translated into English (Kizu/Wound, File-0, Cal’s Sighs, Musk, Illusion Night) and are based on the expanded version of the novel.

Look up online “Ai no Kusabi Master List LiveJournal” to find the links to all the material listed above and more.

[This page was updated as per an anon’s request, all credit goes to the AnK community where credit is due.] <<less

When the alien Mimics invade, Keiji Kiriya is just one of many recruits shoved into a suit of battle armor called a Jacket and sent... more>> out to kill. Keiji dies on the battlefield, only to be reborn each morning to fight and die again and again. On his 158th iteration, he gets a message from a mysterious ally--the female soldier known as the Full Metal b*tch. Is she the key to Keiji's escape or his final death? <<less

Hit by a car, he transmigrated to the future. But it seemed that he was about to die again. After rebirth, he became a man with a miserable childhood who had no money or superpower. What’s more, he secretly had a crush for another man! Fine. He accepted his fate. However, there was more than that.... more>>

“Yuan, let’s make a baby together.”

Excuse me? Two men? No, Wait!

“I don’t have that function!”

“Yes, you do.”

With that, the man pounced on top of him with a wicked smile.

Two months later, a doctor smiled at him and said, “Congratulations. You’re now five weeks pregnant…” <<less

A boy who kills nightmares and a girl who lives them.... more>>

In the modern age, communication technology has developed that uses dreams as a medium instead of electrons.
In the world of “shared dreams,” people are engaged in economic activities even when they are asleep.

A malignant factor that invades artificial dreams and destroys the mind, “Nightmares (Noise)” ……
There are those who make a living out of suppressing them with force.
They were called “tapirs” by the people, who likened them to dream-eating beasts.

One day, Touya Rumaki, a high school student who carries out his duties as a “tapir,” finds himself in a situation where he is unable to find a way out. He meets a “witch” in a wheelchair.

The girl, who called herself “Meia”, stretched out her body, which was not free in any way, to Touya and whispered to him like a spell.
“I’ve been betrayed by everything in this world.

And when the wishes of a boy hunting nightmares and a fragile girl intersect
The nightmare that has been called a disaster, “The Beast’s Dream,” awakens.

This is the beginning of a dark battle of science fiction and otherworldly powers that will distort the world!

With “Gahou”! <<less

Amidst a disaster, an orphan contracts a sickness.... more>>

In his waking hours, he is tormented by his ailment, but when he slumbers, there is infinite darkness.

One day, when he was five years old, a strange Fate Trickster appeared in his dreams. Ten years later, he dreams of becoming a lord. To do so, he takes a chance to trade his fate!

That day, Wang Zhong once again stood at the gates of the Tianjing Heroic Soul Academy. He was about to start a brand new life. <<less

Kawamura Hideo, a typical ordinary guy with no job, came to Tokyo searching for jobs. He sent a total of 34 job applications only to fail at the first hurdle (the companies didn’t even ask him for an interview). Feeling rejected he became a hardcore hikikomori and shut the world around him, his parents also won’t send him money since then. When he was starving to death without any money, losing hope and deciding to die, he found a computer on the street (containing Will.CO21 virus) and took it home.... more>>

He found a way to participate in a martial arts tournament “Holy Devil Cup” from that computer. Where the winner could get the power to rule the world, martial artists, soldiers, vampires, Majin – all 3024 participants gather there. Now what Hideo would do to win this mad tournament. . . <<less