Alot of great/well known anime have been based on a light novel. Series such as Toradora, To Aru Majutsu no Index, Bakemonogatari, Baccano all started as a light novel. Translations for the original novels are available for some series at Baka-tsuki but most of them have little to no progress. Still, it gives hope that someday I’ll be able to read the original stories. Even if I didn’t like the anime for some series such as Kaze no Stigma or Shakugan no Shana maybe the source was a lot better. Some of the best anime have also come from light novels. Baccano, Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi, Kino’s Adventure and Trapeze were all light novels. All I need now is a Fate/Zero anime and I can probably die happy.