Light Novel Exhibition 2025: Viewing and Tasting the Experience

Light novels are an integral part of the otaku fandom both in Japan and abroad. With several popular anime series such as Slayers, Full Metal Panic!, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, The Familiar of Zero, Sword Art Online, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai, among many others, light novels have shaped the anime we watch daily. And as a celebration of KADOKAWA brand light novels, the Japanese publisher opened the Light Novel Exhibition 2025 at the SHIBUYA TSUTAYA. A small gallery of select Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko, MF Bunko, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Dengeki Bunko, and Kadokawa Books imprints, the Exhibition highlights popular light novel franchises. And if that wasn't enough, a collaboration café has opened in conjunction with the Exhibition, making for a wonderful little afternoon excursion.

The Exhibition space for the Light Novel Exhibition 2025 is quite small but managed to feature massive displays for Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Konosuba - God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!, Date A Live, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and Sword Art Online, the main exhibition area gives a fantastic overview of light novel series that recently shaped both the light novel and anime industries.

Occupying the center of the Exhibition area is also the Illustration Circle, a ring of color and black-and-white illustrations from several light novel series. It's a fun, interactive piece that encourages you to examine every artwork on display.

The highlight of the exhibition area of the Light Novel Exhibition 2025 is a new set of promotional videos of KADOKAWA brand light novels. Featuring the songs “Michishirube ~a road home~” by ORANGE RANGE, “Sorairo Days” by Shōko Nakagawa, and “High Free Spirits” by TrySail, the promotional videos highlight 35 KADOKAWA brand light novels.

Light Novel Exhibition 2025 also features an amazing collaboration café. Located on the 7th floor of the SHIBUYA TSUTAYA, the collaboration café exudes a cozy feel. Guests are surrounded by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko, MF Bunko, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Dengeki Bunko, and Kadokawa Books series, videos, artwork, pop-up stands, and messages from light novel illustrators. After opening to the public, the area was bustling with light novel fans enjoying the atmosphere and the café's menu.

Those menu items are on the light side, though, and are primarily drinks. However, the four food items, curry, a sandwich, French fries, and dessert, are enticing. ANN had the opportunity to taste three of the drinks and try the French fries before the grand opening.

Based on Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- character Subaru Natsuki, the fries are a lightly salted corn-flavored dish. The corn flavoring is similar to a corn pottage soup, but is unfortunately overshadowed by the natural potato flavors. However, the more you eat the dish, the more the corn flavoring comes out. If the fries were a bit crisper and more consommé-flavored, they would be a great stand-alone dish. Speaking to the staff, though, the fries will be crisp with a stronger consommé-flavoring following the grand opening. Thus, it makes a great appetizer and a refreshing way to highlight the sweetness in some of the drinks.

Inspired by the Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai heroine Mai Sakurajima, this peach-flavored drink features three layers of color and is garnished with a lemon and a cherry. The drink features a lovely pink, red, and blue gradient that evokes “Springtime of youth”. Each layer of the drink has a distinct peach flavor, despite blue coloring in drinks often denoting tropical flavoring in Japan.

When the layers are mixed, you get a wonderful, deep blue color and develop a sumomo Chinese plum flavor. While not the greatest winter drink, on a hot and humid summer day, Mai Sakurajima's Youthful Peach drink would be excellent.

Based on The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya character, Haruhi Suzumiya, the layered lassi drink features lassi and berry yogurt layers topped with mango purée and garnished with mint. There is a clear separation between the lassi and berry layers, allowing for two distinct ways to enjoy the drink. It's possible to mix the two layers and mango, but the yogurt flavor of the lassi overtakes the entire drink. Surprisingly, if you let the drink sit for a few minutes, the berry flavor comes through. The salt factor I noted with the Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Corn Potato Fries really comes into play with this drink, though. Despite the fries' low salt content, the berry flavor comes through. Ultimately, it's best to leave Haruhi's Berry and Mango lassi unmixed.

A crisp citrus-flavored drink inspired by Konosuba - God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! character Aqua, topped with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream, and garnished with silver flakes and large sprinkles. The drink's blue color can distort your perception, making it seem tropical or even like ramune at first. But when you drink it, you get a citrus flavor similar to lemon, lime, or even grapefruit.

The cream is dense, flavorful, and not overly sweet, making it a great dessert. The vanilla ice cream also has a rich vanilla taste and works well with the whipped cream. Unfortunately, citrus flavors generally don't mix well with whipped cream or ice cream unless overly sweetened. This makes incorporating the creams into the drink inadvisable. However, if you order the Aqua's Cream soda early in your meal and let all the ingredients mix over the course of your meal, you get a decent cream-flavored citrus drink. Just be forewarned, this is not a dessert drink. In all honesty, I almost wanted a non-alcoholic version of the Aqua drink from Konosuba - God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!'s collaboration with Japanese pub chain The Hub.

The collaboration café is the real treat of the Exhibition. With a large selection of drinks and meals and a cozy space, it's the heart of the Exhibition. The Light Novel Exhibition 2025 took place at the Shibuya Tsutaya between December 12 and 28.