From the connoisseur’s site: https://lightnovel.jp/blog/archives/2015/0301.html
The "origin of light novels and the formation after that" that I wrote a long time ago has been published in 2008, so I'd like to reorganize it a little. Roughly speaking, it is said that light novels were born in the 1970s under the influence of easy to read science fiction paperbacks, and then became what they are now under the influence of anime, RPGs, and bishoujo games.
It seems that middle grade novels for primary school boys (and later on, young adult novels for teenaged boys) had been popular in magazines such as "Shonen Sekai (created in 1895)" and "Shonen Club (created in 1914)" before world war 2. However, it declined in the 1950s, largely to be replaced by the mangas, mostly represented by Osamu Tezuka. So, although these pre-war/interwar/early post-war novels are one of the origins of light novels, they seem to be a little different if they are direct ancestors.
Rather, the direct ancestors of light novels are likely to be short, easy to read science fiction paperbacks, which have formed a boom since the 1960s. In the early 1960s, science fiction writers such as Sakyo Komatsu, Yasutaka Tsutsui, Taku Mayumura, Kazumasa Hirai, and Ryu Mitsuse appeared one after another, and it seems that easy to read science fiction paperbacks in Japan will have a big boom in the latter half of the 1960s. A then-new breed of Japanese science fiction writers (who appeal to teens and young adults) would appear as the first writers who supported the birth of Light Novels in the 1970s.
Yasutaka Tsutsui's "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" has a big impact on the eve of the birth of light novels, and was serialized in two Kadokawa Shoten Magazines for youths, Chugaku Sannen Course and Ko-Ichi Course in 1965-66 and made into a drama in the NHK Shonen Drama Series in 1972. Also, in 1965, Taku Mayumura's "Mysterious Transfer Student" was also serialized in the Chuunibyo Course. This was also made into a drama in the NHK Shonen Drama Series in 1975, and then recorded in Akimoto Bunko and Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko. Even if you look at the publication, it is for boys/girls, and it is truly a pioneering work of light novels.
In the 1970s, the number of novels for boys/girls increased, and finally, a paperback label for boys/girls appeared. In many cases, the birth of light novels was marked by the launch of Akimoto Bunko, Cobalt Bunko, and Sonorama Bunko, or just before that. In the early days, Kazumasa Hirai, Taku Mayumura, Ryu Mitsuse and others were active, and eventually Motoko Arai, Saeko Himuro, Haruka Takachiho, Baku Yumemakura, Hideyuki Kikuchi, Yuichi Sasamoto have all appeared, and these writers led the light novels of the 1980s.
Since the birth of Sonorama Bunko, there have been novelizations of anime shows and films, but it was during this period that light novels became an otaku's reading material. The movie adaptation of "Space Battleship Yamato" in 1978 produced a large number of anime fans, and the novelization of anime shows+movies and the animations of light novels would be actively carried out targeting those anime fans. However, the anime boom rapidly diminished in the late 1980s.
In the late 1980s, RPG culture swept light novels. Introducing "Record of Lodoss War" and "Slayers". Until then, light novels, which were filled with erotica and violence, became all about Isekai fantasies at one point. At that time, aiming at an area of otaku content that was blank after the anime boom ended, I felt that Kadokawa and Fujimi created the boom, by pushing hard on the still new tabletop RPG and computer RPG. Until then, Sonorama Bunko and Cobalt Bunko took several years to establish the direction of the Bunkobons, while Fujimi Fantasia Bunko was aimed at fantasy for otaku from the beginning.
Since the peak sales of "Slayers!" was in 1996 and the animated adaptation of "Sorcerous Stabber Orphen", another masterpiece of different world fantasy, was made in 1999, it can be said that light novels somewhat erroneously equal Isekai until at least the latter half of the 1990s. I think it was a middling situation. Also, I think it's probably because of the time that the light novels had a "lighthearted" image due to the influence of "Slayers!" and the work was itself created by Satoru Akahori.
In 1998, "Boogiepop", "Full Metal", "Marimite", and other works that led the next era would appear. Even in the era of Isekai, there were masterpieces of that genre such as "St. Elsa", "The Irresponsible Captain Tylor" and "Yamamoto Yoko", but to change the image of light novel equalling Isekai, I had to wait for them to appear and gain popularity.
In addition, since 2000, the influence of bishoujo games, mostly centering on Leaf and Key's works, would also come out. "I don't need tears in heaven" based on "Moe" was released in 2001, and "Infinity Zero" was released in 2002, where the influence of Key can be seen. In 2004, Noboru Yamaguchi's "Zero no Tsukaima", based on a bishojo Game, appeared. Yuyuko Takemiya, also from another bishoujo game "Our Tamura-kun", was also made in 2004. Since "Zero no Tsukaima" first appeared, the number of writers from bishojo games has increased, and the moe anthropomorphism of light novels has become remarkably uncomfortable for some readers.
Light novels, which weren't really talked about until the 1990s, became the focus of public attention in the mid-2000s critique book boom, resulting in an animated rush like the light novel bubble. Well, I've been blogging since 1995, but in the 1990s there was no light novel community on the internet. In the first place, the name "light novel" had not been established, and no one was paying attention to light novels so much that it didn't bother me.
It would change around 2000. The number of works that are talked about around Dengeki Bunko, such as "Boogiepop", is increasing, and it is difficult to talk about novels around here without a name, so "Light Novel" was originally used in Nifty Serve Local of PC communication. It is a format that came to be called by the name. Maybe it was like that.
The name "light novel" attracted attention, and in 2004, light novel critique books were released one after another, and from around 2005, a large number of animated adaptations would be made. Looking at "Ranobe TV Animation-Matsu Diary", except for the second term, there were 2 in 2004 → 6 in 2005 → 17 in 2006. The number of animated adaptations has increased dramatically. Among these massy animated adaptations are "Shakugan No Shana" in 2005, "Haruhi Suzumiya" and "Zero Man" in 2006, and due to their success, light novels are still being animated in large numbers. Really, "Haruhi Suzumiya" was a terrifyingly massive box office hit.
And there are two major recent trends in light novels. It will be the influx of online novels represented by Narō-kei and the penetration and spread of light novels represented by Media Works Bunko and Shincho Bunko Nex. In the olden days, there was "The Irregular at Magic" as a book of online novels, but "Sword Art Online", "Maoyu Maoyu Hero", and "The Irregular at Magic High School" have attracted attention. Is it from around 2010 when it comes out? Since the first issue of Hero Bunko in 2012, the number of so-called "Narō-kei labels" has increased, and it seems that it has become quite noticeable recently. Also, maybe there is an influence of Narō-kei, compared to the 2000s, it seems that fantasy has regained some rights and "moe" has become more modest once again.
Regarding the spread of light novels, as a result of the general recognition of light novels in the previous critique book boom, writers such as Honobu Yonezawa and Hiro Arikawa crossed the border of light novels from around 2005, and Kazuki Sakuraba in 2008. Kazuki's Naoki Prize was a big event. However, although Media Works Bunko was launched in 2009, the following labels did not appear immediately, yet "Biblia Koshodou no Jiken Techo" and "Coffee Shop Taleran no Jikenbo" became big hits, and finally Fujimi L Bunko and Shincho Bunko Nex would follow in 2014.
