Read. The OG. This novel is. SO. GOOD. Some of the best characters, character arcs, plot twists, and worldbuilding I've seen in ANYTHING. the start was slow but enjoyable, and for such a long novel, there were very few places where i was bored. everything makes sense, nothing is contrived because the story needs it to be. both the power scaling and character development happen so smoothly that you look back to the beginning and wonder how you came this far. I'm not ashamed to admit that i sobbed like a baby reading the last five chapters of this story. EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER DESERVES HAPPINESS UGH. (klein pls marry me)... more>>

"I won't lose too much, just myself." - Klein Moretti <<less

Read/watched the anime. i'm not necessarily recommending this particular novel adaptation as much as the steins;gate franchise itself. play the visual novel, watch the anime (actually a great adaptation of the VN) - just find SOME way to experience this story and you probably won't be disappointed. it's considered one of the best time travel animanga ever for good reason. awesome and unique protatgonist with great character development, great plot twists, satisfying romance subplot (Kurisu ily <3), and themes of deceiving the world/fighting destiny. ... more>>

"I AM MAD SCIENTIST, IT'S SO COOL! SONUVAB*TCH!" - Hououin Kyouma <<less

Read the manga/some LNs/watched the anime. Again, not necessarily recommending these light novels - they're actually side stories - as I am the series itself. The manga and Brotherhood anime are absolutely TOP TIER and some of my favorite fiction i've ever experienced!!! the world is kinda like 1900s europe, so not quite victorian but definitely adjacent to that. also some nice steampunk vibes. the plot is suuuper tightly written and engaging all the way through, complete with amazing plot twists and ancient conspiracies!! also a truly amazing cast of characters (side characters included) who all have great development, relationships, and their own moments to shine. edward elric is still one of my favorite characters... more>> in all of fiction tbh. themes of sin, atonement, pride/hubris, the dangers of extremity, the smallness of humanity in the universe, and fighting against fate. it IS still a shounen, and you can definitely tell that it is at times, but it handles its topics with a lot of maturity.

if you're wondering about the 2003 anime vs the brotherhood anime: i haven't watched the 2003 version, but apparently it deviates from the manga and goes in a bleaker direction storywise. brotherhood (which i have watched) stays very faithful to the source material and, like the source material, has a more hopeful tone while being bittersweet and dark at times. i've heard good things about both for different reasons, so keep that in mind, i guess? just read it, watch it, whatever. it. is. AMAZING.

"There's no such thing as a painless lesson. They just don't exist." - Edward Elric <<less

Read. i read both the manga and LN for this a few years ago, and while my memories are kinda fuzzy now, i remember really enjoying both!! the story went in some... surprising directions to say the least. i didn't expect them, but i liked them a lot. i don't want to say too much, because i think this is a good one to experience blind - all i'll say is that if you liked steins;gate, you'll probably like this. it has some really interesting vibes and definitely taps into some of the same weirdness that lotm dips into. (the manga adaptation is great btw)... more>>

Warning - the girls' love is kinda heavy in this one, so maybe stay away if that's not your thing!

"Come, let's start again. Once more from the beginning, let's test every path, just like light. All for the sake of that single answer. After all, what other purpose does my existence serve?" - Hatou Manabu <<less

TBR. the reviews seem to suggest that this novel's strengths are its worldbuilding and mystery solving, two things i really love and that lotm also did very well. i've also heard this one has some more psychological elements, which makes me hopeful!!!... more>>

EDIT: Reading. the premise does have a lot more mystery than the synopsis would suggest! the isolation of the tower and the "NPC" actors also being people with their own agendas (not spoilers, this is all established immediately), as well as the streaming system possibly connecting to the outside world, are all interesting ideas. it kind of feels like watching a creepypasta/horror story from the opposite perspective, if that makes sense? like usually the reader would be placed on the outside looking in, ie a viewer of the stream, but here we're placed inside the tower looking out, trying to understand what's going on from our limited perspective. lotm sometimes did similar things with its potion feedback/switches to outsider perspective: explaining the trick behind the magic before showing it in action. for instance, watching and understanding the construction of Utopia, then watching normal people interact with it while missing that context we've built up over 1300 chapters. i'm starting to ramble, but it's a writing device that i enjoy very much. 

anyway, back on topic! the one big glaring issue is the writing/pacing. it's... well... a slog. like, lotm was a slow starter too, but it never felt quite this difficult to get through. i'm not sure if it's the writing style itself or the translation that doesn't work for me - i will say that the translation seems to have a lot of care put into it, though it's not always perfect or easily understandable. again, this may just be vagueness in the original writing. on the plus side, i like the MC so far, and the story has already planted some seeds of those more emotional/darker psychological elements very early on. i'm looking forward to more!

EDIT: Read. i binged this in about a week, half out of investment and half because i wanted to get it over with. sad to say that the pacing did NOT improve one bit, dear god. i had to skim in places because they felt the need to repeat everything over and over when i'd either understood the thing ages ago or i was just confused to the point where no explanation was helping. things did get very very tough to follow at times and i just kinda gave up on deep thinking lmao. 

i don't mean to sound overly negative though - i did enjoy this book! i liked the main character, i liked the side characters a lot, and the male lead... grew on me despite being the personification of a trope i hate ("everyone else is tr*sh except the one person i like"). the streaming system and the romantic subplot were welcome comedic relief and cuteness, and a good palette cleanser for the actual plot's bleakness. the identity shenanigans with everybody thinking the MC was some mastermind behind the scenes gave me very strong mr. fool vibes in a good way. there were also some genuinely good plot twists! this novel's strengths definitely lie in worldbuilding and mysteries. the ending was also pretty satisfying, though i would have liked to see more of the side cast - plus the romantic couple DID end up falling into the pitfall of yet another trope i hate: "if i have you, i don't need literally any other relationships". like tHATS NOT HOW HUMANS WORK??? there are different types of connection besides romantic that can be just as important???? i get what it's going for but c'mon now. 

ahem. anyway. you might wanna stay away if that's not your thing, or if you don't enjoy boys' love in general.

still! at the end of the day, i got emotionally invested in the story, and i think that's what counts. now, would i put this anywhere near LOTM's level? definitely not. but it has its own merits, if you're willing to overlook its flaws. i recommend at least giving it a try!

"I do believe that there's nothing more important than freedom." - Xu Beijin <<less

Reading. The name is generic, but it's actually a hidden gem!! it doesn't have much in common with lotm setting or premise-wise, but i think anyone who enjoyed the bittersweet hopefulness of lotm will love this novel! it addresses humanity and tragedy with the same kind of respect and, well, HUMANITY, that lotm does. kim gongja and klein moretti are also kind of similar as characters: both very gentle people at heart. great use of time travel/looping that doesn't totally ignore its psychological effects, which makes for some emotional moments. plus the manhua adaptation is GORGEOUS. I've teared up over this one or twice. #livelaughlovekimgongja... more>>

PS: get up to around chapter 18 before giving up on it - that's where i really got into the story.

"When I return, nothing will be solved. But I'll be a bit stronger." - Kim Gongja <<less

Reading/watched the anime OVA. this one... it's weird. i hesitate to even put it on here, because it has veeeery few similarities to lotm - but i think anyone who enjoyed the eldritch or plain BIZARRE aspects of lotm could find something here. worth noting that it has a markedly different tone, though - this is no grand adventure into the human experience. it's more cynical, hollow, not so much bittersweet as it is plain bitter. after finishing the 8-episode anime OVA, i just sat back and asked myself, "what was the point?" because it felt like there was none, and that WAS the point. hell, "zaregoto" translated into english literally means "nonsense". that's the... more>> kind of story this is: nonsensical, unfulfilling, but it's meant to be that way, and it's very good at doing what it's meant to do. anyone who likes mystery solving/locked room mysteries/creative mu*der methods, as well as unreliable narrators, should check this one out. (as far as i've gotten, the harem tag hasn't become too egregious, but i'm only up to where the OVA left off and not sure if i'll keep going.)

“To accept the world as boring or accept oneself as boring? Which is really more agreeable? There's bound to be some amount of ambiguity and uncertainty.” - Ii-chan <<less

TBR. Haven't read this one yet - might wait for more chapters - but the summary and cover art seem cool as hell! Very hopeful.... more>>

EDIT: Reading. The ideas are interesting, but while I can appreciate the victorian-era writing style (great mood setter), i think it goes a bit too far sometimes. I'm not sure if it's actually hard to get through or if I'm just dumb?? at least it's better in some places than others. overall, the vibes are vibing. <<less

TBR. The summary is kinda unclear, but the reviews are super positive, and I've always wanted to try an infinite flow novel. Horror elements.... more>>

EDIT: Reading. i'm veeeery early in, like chapter 5, but my initial impression has been positive!! i'm a sucker for the style of comedy it uses w/ the supernatural type stuff, and the (suspected?) male lead and mc are both pretty cool, lin yi (the mc) especially so. he kinda reminds me of ayanokoji from early COTE? but he's also a moneygrubber just like klein lmao. at the same time, there's already a sense of dread and some underlying mysteries - what's lin yi's deal? why did he apply to this shady-ass university? what the HELL is up with his home life? KNIVES???? it kind of reminded me of lotm's first chapters, with a bunch of weird stuff being thrown at you all at once but in an intriguing way. (chapter one of LOTM was ICONIC btw. like it was cool and intriguing on a first read but looking back i have so much more appreciation for the foreshadowing and vibes!) 

an unrelated plus for me is that this series is translated by chrysanthemum garden, which is a GREAT translation group. they leave lot of translator's notes explaining chinese phrases/memes/cultural stuff and also leave little comments of their own at the end, which is something i personally enjoy. i think they only translate BL novels, but if you're okay with that, definitely check 'em out! ("dont pick up boyfriends for the tr*sh" ftwwwww)

anyway, hoping for some nice lotm-esque mystery solving; i already see the beginnings of some nice horror-style tension! things are looking good!

"We regret to inform you that you are admitted to the Unnatural Engineering University!" - Admission Letter <<less

TBR. I've heard good things about this one, and i love love LOVE a good time loop.

TBR. This one continuously gets recommended to LOTM fans, and the premise does seem pretty cool. Excited to try it!

TBR. There's a ghost ship. Need I say more?

TBR. Same author as lotm, which is an immediate green flag.

TBR. This one also gets recommended a lot. I'll admit, I read like 30 chapters of it and got bored, but lotm also had a... more>> slower start - I'd really like to come back to it. <<less

TBR. Seems to have similar occult/hidden identity elements, although maybe less... purposeful on the MC's part than with klein lmao.

TBR. Another short summary, but good reviews. Curious to see how horror heavy this one is!

TBR. magic world, alchemy, protag searching for eternal life? what's not to like?? the idea of a transmigrator being seriously affected by their own death to the point of it being a driving motivation is super interesting to me. the novel seems like it'll explore the "danger of knowledge" that lotm also addressed, though probably with less focus on eldritch horror and more on human greed - frankenstein style. excited to try it! nothing could go wrong, right? ... more>>

*eyeing s*xual assault and stockholm syndrome tags nervously* 

r-right? <<less

TBR. there's also an anime for this, but i haven't watched it. anyway, horror/fantasy-like elements, vampires (not sanguines this time, unfortunately), and creepy isolated village... more>> horror! if you enjoyed cordu village's vibes in Circle of Inevability, you might like this. <<less

TBR. Not gonna lie, this one feels like it might be a lotm ripoff by the name and summary alone, but i don't want to... more>> be too cynical yet. very very similar setting and elements to lotm: victorian, steampunk, mysticism and gods, etc. actual plotline remains to be seen, but DANG do i want this one to be good. <<less

TBR. Apparently this is straight up lotm fanfiction?? so that's pretty cool. I generally dislike OC main characters in fanfic, but the idea of a... more>> lotm time travel fix-it is also kind of tempting (god knows there's plenty of tragedy there to fix). definitely curious about this one. <<less

TBR. looks super promising. post apocalyptic-ish setting and possibly unreliable narrator?? i know very little about this one and want to go in as blind... more>> as possible, honestly. <<less

TBR. not sure how similar this one will be to lotm, but it has supernatural detectives and a traumatized mc, so that's always fun! i'm... more>> hoping to see some nice characters and friendships/family dynamics based on the summary this book.  <<less

TBR. time loop. on a bus. TIME LOOP ON A BUS.

TBR. TIME LOOP. TIME LOOP. TIME LOOP. but in all seriousness, this looks SO COOL and i've been wanting to read it for ages. the... more>> summary sooorta gives me madoka magica vibes?? no idea how similar this will be to lotm, but i think i'll enjoy it regardless. <<less

TBR. i don't know much about this one, but the idea seems interesting, and i just have a hunch it'll be good.