Cast your vote in the "Twilight Frontiers" Writing Contest! 🐝

Top 10 Finalist Novels for the MAL x Honeyfeed Writing Contest 2025 - Twilight Frontiers presented by Frontier Works

Lights, Camera, Action! Let YOUR magic begin now by casting your vote to help MAL and Honeyfeed choose the winners for the 2025 Writing Contest - Twilight Frontiers presented by Frontier Works.
Read the 10 finalist novels below and shine the spotlight on your favorite stories. Your vote decides which author takes home the money prize and which story gets the chance to make its great debut in Japan with an adaptation you helped make happen!

How to Vote

You can now cast your votes using either the official MyAnimeList app or your web browser.
Simply visit the official voting page below.
You can vote for as many novels as you like.
Voting Period: March 23, at 21:00 EDT ? April 22, 2026, at 23:59 EDT

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Urban Fantasy Finalists

✎ Mama Bear, Papa Wolf

Legendary sorceress Magical Girl Sweet Bear and the tokusatsu hero Wolf Knight retired after getting married and having a child. They thought the peace they'd won would last forever.
They were lucky it lasted ten years.
Old enemies long thought dead have been regaining their strength. And when those enemies kidnap Bear and Wolf's child in an operation gone wrong, the two pick up right where they left off with one goal: prove why it's a bad idea to anger a mother bear and a papa wolf...

Genres: Action, Magic, Martial Arts, Supernatural

by AdventFalls


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Reader's Comment

Mama Bear, Papa Wolf is a warm, action-packed love letter to the magical girl and tokusatsu genres, told from the perspective of the heroes who aged out of both. Yasuda Miho and Yasuda Hideo are Sweet Bear and Wolf Knight; they are legendary and underpaid, and now raising a daughter who has no idea her favorite shows are based on her parents' lives.
When that daughter gets kidnapped by a cult tied to the yokai they thought they'd buried years ago, the two come out of retirement with everything on the line. The story's greatest strength is the layered ensemble. Miho and Hideo's marriage feels real; it’s affectionate and a little worn. Kumiko (the daughter) steals every scene she occupies. The supporting cast, a werewolf support group organizer, an old comrade who never stopped fighting, a magician carrying a decade of secret longing, each has real texture. The action sequences are a particular highlight. The world-building earns its ambition. If you enjoy character-driven urban fantasy with a strong emotional core, family dynamics, comedic beats, and action that knows exactly when to go operatic, Mama Bear, Papa Wolf is well worth your time.

✎ mad dog magic

A series of ritualistic murders plagues the city of Fukuoka, leaving disfigured corpses with piles of ashes. Suspected of being a crime perpetrated by a renegade mage, amateur investigator Imamimi Notanobu seeks out to uncover the truth behind it all. That's when he meets a fellow investigator at the scene of the crime. A woman with unkempt hair, handsome features, and a strange sense of barbarism.
When asked why she was here, the woman replied with a serious expression.
"I intend to find this murderer, and show them the supremacy of the Mad Dog Fist.”
Thus, their unlikely partnership follows; the begrudging efforts of a amateur mage, and a martial artist with nothing to lose.
Amazing Art By: jdallian

Genres: Action, Fantasy, Magic, Martial Arts

by Armorien


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Reader's Comment

Mad Dog Magic follows Imamimi Notanobu, a pretty-boy streamer with insect wings who runs an illegal magical consultation business, as he investigates a serial killer. He is pulled into an insane conspiracy involving a Chinese criminal gang, ritual murders, Taoist magic, and teams up with a feral, hilarious martial artist who steals every scene she’s in. The character dynamics are sharp and funny, making the investigation feel lively rather than procedural.
The action is a major highlight: fights are brutal, highly visual, and easy to imagine. If you enjoy character-driven urban fantasy with standout personalities and memorable combat, this one is absolutely worth your time.

✎ The Pale Horseman

Information has been all around us, long before the age of data in the 21st century. It creates consciousness. It enables magic. Moreover, information about disasters and tragedies gave birth to four entities. The four horsemen.
Death is one of them. After staying dormant for 30 years, she found herself in an unrecognizable world, in a Tokyo transformed by information technology, where magic is no longer a secret. And as humans wield the new power of data, they can even conjure magic on their own.
Landing inside the mind of a passionate journalist named Midorikawa Karasuya, Death is confronted with a new world where whoever controls the data can command reality through magic.

Genres: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Magic, Philosophical

by Gemini Daydream


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Reader's Comment

Death is one of the four horsemen, forced to hear deaths all around the world, but that doesn’t mean she lets it happen. Possessing the body of a journalist whom she calls Raven, they put a stop to those who use magical artefacts at the expense of others. Combining quasi-omniscience and a journalist’s curiosity, the duo goes on an Indiana Jones-like heist that involves them with terrorists and even other horsemen who have gone mad.
This novel knows how to put a bunch of absolute weirdos in a room and revel in the chaos that ensues. Opinions will clash as these characters seemingly see everything and nothing going on at the same time, simply because humanity and gods can be so out of touch with each other. It makes for a very entertaining read, while still managing to insert quite heavy themes that have led to the crazy decisions some characters make. It’s at this point where the magic artefacts and godlike powers bust out, delivering climactic battles with weight to them. If you fancy a read where you’ll come to love and hate life choices, this is one where mocking Death (or with Death) is a blast.

✎ My Fate-Assigned Annoying Faerie Companion Won't Stop Trying to Make Me a Heroine!

Tama Kimura lived such an average, simple life. Average enough to have no meaning, average enough to go to a normal school, average enough to slack off, and especially average enough to have no magic in it—
"BORING! You're so boring, I can't stand it anymore! Stop showing me every second of your average boring life and DO SOMETHING!!"
...Until Sarine, the faerie companion assigned to Tama by fate, flew into the picture. Now her life is a crazy crackpot of mad magic scientists, socially awkward magical girls, and secret organizations!? What's a girl gotta do to get her superior average slice of life back?

Genres: Action, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Magic

by draviaaris


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Reader's Comment

If you’ve been waiting for Walpurgisnacht for the last 13 years, and a couple more months are too long to bear, then you should give this one a try. The author exchanges the sweet protagonist with someone as indolent as they are snarky, which works incredibly well. Tama and Sarine’s constant bickering adds a much-needed layer of levity to an otherwise serious narrative riddled with a looming threat that comes alive with a metaphorical (and literal) bang at the midpoint. True to what I believe is the author’s inspiration, the story switches gears real quick past that, and the transition is not only seamless, but it also suits this type of story: something that lures you in with the chuckles, only to pull the rug out from under you and send you hurtling towards a pit of despair. Such are the whims of Tama’s (not so) normal life.

✎ Intercity Excursions

Breaking your muzzle is a crime. Surviving a fifty-story fall should be impossible. Pisha managed to do both in a single afternoon.
When Pisha’s attempt to end it all shatters her mask, the A.O.A. discovers a game-changing secret. She’s immortal. The shady organisation makes her an offer she can’t refuse: Submit to a life of grueling experimentation, or join a squad of dangerous “Othered” like herself. But after a revolutionary terrorist catches wind of her existence, Pisha is forced to decide where her loyalties lie. Is the freedom she’s always craved worth sacrificing the only people who’ve ever accepted her?
Content Tags:
Female Protagonist, Gore, Immortal, Modern Fantasy, Past Trauma

Genres: Action, Comedy, Crime, Psychological, Shounen

by ennodaye


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Reader's Comment

This novel feels like a wild, gory mix of My Hero Academia, Gachiakuta, and To Your Eternity—and honestly, that’s what got me hooked.
The story follows Pisha, an immortal 'Othered' who gets pulled into an organization that "pretends" to put order on things, but Pisha isn't buying it. After dying so many times fighting for what others consider justice, she realizes neither side is truly in the right, and, together with her team, she sets out to carve out their own path.
The action is very descriptive and shocking enough to deserve a WARNING. Sometimes the action gets very gory. That’s a plus for some readers, but it may be intense for others. I'd say this is made for horror and cult-favorite fans in the vein of Corpse Party, Another, or Junji Ito-style manga.

Spotlight Romance Finalists

✎ Seashells and Other Broken Things

After a very public, very controversial freak accident, actress, singer, and socialite Fujinomiya Koharu decides to receive treatment not at a high-end hospital in Tokyo, but a tiny medical center at the edge of an aging, seaside village.
However, what should've been a taste of the idyllic country life becomes a nightmare once she realizes just how understaffed, underfunded, and unhinged that place is. Even worse—the man who runs it is a demon in a nurse's uniform.
Still, Koharu refuses to return "home". As she begins to slip out of her chronically online tendencies, she finds a town in crisis, a man on the verge of collapse and, for the first time, a reason to fight for.
Naturally, the internet hates this.

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Psychological, Romance, Shoujo

by lolitroy


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Reader's Comment

Seashells and Other Broken Things is less of a story and more of a diary. It chronicles the life of a gallery of characters united under a shared helplessness. Koharu is trapped by her idol and acting fame. Soujiro, her assistant, is lagging 8 years behind everyone due to a prison sentence. Nagumo “Toshi” Munetoshi is struggling because of a necessity to keep a professional distance between himself and Koharu, his patient. Whilst the novel carries a quirky and upbeat tone all throughout its runtime, the bittersweetness seeps through at just the right moments, packing an emotional punch that might just make an old man cry. I’d recommend people try it if they, like everyone else living inside those pages, feel captive inside a life with plenty of doors leading to freedom, but no keys to turn in those locks.

✎ Masquerade

Ahmer Qaiser, the son of Aslanistan’s President and Ruqsana Raees, the daughter of Aslanistan’s richest man, are set to tie the knot despite their reluctance. They sneak out in disguise and meet interesting strangers, unaware that they have fallen for each other.

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Slice of Life

by Shayaan Khusro


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Reader's Comment

Masquerade is a charming rom-com setup with a heartfelt story about finding love in unexpected places. Although the antagonists are one-dimensional, the story shines when the two leads support each other to overcome them. Set in a fictional Middle Eastern country, the story also provides a unique perspective on how anime can bring people together across cultures. But what I found most enjoyable was the inspiring message about finding the strength to be open about the things—and people—you love.

✎ When RYO Met Neko-chan

Famous J-pop idol RYO finds a haven from his busy life at a small cat cafe where nobody recognizes him. Soon, he becomes friends with one of the maids, the bubbly and artistic Neko-chan. Then more than friends.
Love. It should be simple, but 'simple' has no place in an Idol's life. Neither has secret love affairs. Especially when they don't remain secret. and the public eye expects him to be dating someone else... or no one at all.
Be prepared for lots of fluff with some pining, and (social) media drama, but with a healthy dash of humor and lots of cute scenes – and cats too, of course.

Genres: Drama, Music, Romance, Shoujo, Slice of Life

by Jen_F


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Reader's Comment

“When RYO Met Neko-chan” is a great example of a spotlight romance done right! Every chapter where the two main characters flirt will have you invested, and nearly screaming at them to stop being awkward with each other and confess. It is a super comfy, fun read that explores the highs and lows of secretly dating a celebrity, with hints of the dark aspects that can come from such a relationship as well.

✎Miss Kagayaki: Won't the Ice Princess of K-Pop's Childhood Friend Deem Her Worthy?!

If Japan had no more K-Pop fans, it is because Riku is dead.
While a purist who worships the genre, he also detests its cutthroat, egomaniacal nature. His new prime example of this corporate meddling? The 'Ice Princess' Miss Kagayaki, COMEDOWN's darling and stunningly beautiful up-and-comer.
Only problem is… Kagayaki is Naomi. His childhood best friend.
So when a viral clip captures Riku confronting her, it’s not with a confession of love... but an accusation of betrayal?!
All eyes and ears are on Miss Kagayaki’s legitimacy as forces around her work to capitalize on the sheer entertainment value of their messy, public 'relationship.'
Yet all Riku wants is to steer Naomi away from Kagayaki by any means necessary. If that meant breaking his 'average guy' persona, then so be it!
Question is… does Naomi even want to be 'saved?' Why can't he see her success—her talent—for what it is?
And why does Riku’s blatant disregard for Kagayaki keep drawing Naomi in?

Genres: Music, Romance, School

by obliviousbushtit

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Reader's Comment

Miss Kagayaki is an energetic read with humor and two love interests that will have you smiling at their hijinks. Every aspect of it, from its characters to its tropes to its plot, is over the top and will have you invested in what will happen next.

✎ We Stay Until the Light Changes

After turning 30, retired idol Hakaze Shinomiya isn’t asking for much anymore: quiet mornings, uneventful days, and not getting yelled at for showing up hungover at her new job as a sound engineer.
She’s definitely not looking to cross paths with Ren, Neonite’s impossibly perfect top idol, who's at times the worst person she's ever had the displeasure of talking to, and a blushing mess in others.
But when Hakaze uncovers a plan to dismantle his group, her lazy life begins to fracture and turns uneasy, pulling her toward Ren and into feelings she’s spent years learning how not to have.

Genres: Drama, Romance, Shoujo, Slice of Life

by serein


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Reader's Comment

We Stay Until the Light Changes is a super interesting read. It offers a fascinating look into the idol industry through the lens of a retired idol, one whose group was destroyed by dating rumors and scandals. Hakaze, the main character, feels like someone who has been chewed up and spit out by the industry and has grown up through it. One thing that really stands out is the more mature take it has. The realistic view it gives on the darker side of the industry reminds me of Oshi no ko, putting its focus on interesting characters and a very engaging romance that hooks you from the first few chapters. Overall, a fantastic read!