Rakuin no Monshou

Volume 8, Afterword

Volume 8, Afterword

With this, Rakuin no Monshou has reached eight volumes.

When he finished writing the first novel in the series, the author himself tilted his head and thought “This! ...How will it do (sales-wise)?” yet before I noticed it, we’re on the eighth volume.

I’m amazed.

At the same time, I can only feel grateful to my respected editor, who tirelessly puts in great effort to make this work even somewhat decent, to “3”, who gives depth to the novel’s world, and of course to all you readers who continue to support the work by buying it.

Please continue to stick with Orba’s heroic tales a little while longer.

Well then.

Various things occurred between the previous volume and the release of this novel.

To tell you the truth, I’m revising this afterword three months after I had first finished writing it.

A shock struck the whole of Japan[1]. My family and I did not suffer any harm but every time I learned of the situation in the disaster area through the news, I felt as though my chest was being constricted. To those of you who did suffer harm, I offer my heartfelt concern.

Although it isn’t real, I can’t help but wish that this tale, which hopefully follows a realistic narrative, might help soothe your hearts.

If you can empathize with the characters, rejoice with them, get angry and sad with them, excitedly wait for the next development... these escapes from reality can never be a bad thing. Because I believe that if one can hold in one’s heart another (or more) world(s) that differ from reality, that can become a “power” than can change that self-same reality.

That, at least for the time it took to read this novel, your hearts were able to take pleasure in another world, that you forgot your sorrows even if only for an hour, and that it was able to give you a renewed energy,

– I can only pray for that.

-- Tomonori Sugihara

References and Translation Notes

1. ? This novel was first released in the month following the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of March 2011.