One of my favorite recent reads has been Powerless by Matthew Cody. I haven't gotten to the sequels yet but they're on my list. I also recently got around to watching the X-men movies from the 2010's and I totally loved them, even though I normally find popular superhero stuff (most of the avengers/MCU stuff, for example) to be not really my cup of tea. Days of Future Past reminded me of the anime Charlotte (2015), which would probably be the most similar to the kind of content I am seeking. The first part of the series is kids using their superpowers to cheat on tests, cheat in sports, and stuff like that. I wouldn't mind a whole book simply focused on that concept. I also like the goosebump-inducing sudden memory-reawakening when the MC hears a certain song (Powerless also has compelling memory-loss points that are absolutely heart-breaking). There is also a character who can "time leap" (similar to days of future past), where his eyes glow blue and he rewinds time like 2-3 years (but each time, his eyes darken until eventually he goes blind from using it – it also includes the compelling point of his enemies trying to cover up/damage his eyes so he can't time leap). I really liked this concept (and the similar one from days of future past) for time travel, and while Harry Potter 3 and The Flash movie from last year were good in their own rights, I didn't like the whole "2 versions of the same character" wandering around in the same timeline. Other mentions of related stuff I like would include the movies Jumper (2008), which does the sort of "magical mischief" theme well, The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010), the Incredibles movie series, and Sky High (2005), which plays with the whole "schools for supers" (I wouldn't even mind an entire book/TV show centered around Professor X's school from X-men, if such a thing exists).
TLDR: Looking for teen superhero/"real world but with powers" stuff similar to the book Powerless, and the anime series Charlotte. Time travel OK if done well, goosebump-inducing moments, using powers for mischief (cheating on tests/sports, flirting, stealing, etc). Also, I'm aware of the subgenre "Urban Fantasy" which is similar, but usually has dystopian elements, and unfortunately dystopian is not what I'm looking for here.
As a final note, while I am ultimately asking for book suggestions on a book suggestion subreddit, if there are any movies/TV shows/anime that fit what I am looking for I wouldn't mind a quick DM if it's against the rules to top-level reply with such. But books are best.
by erintermes