What did you think about Volume 26, the Invasion Arc? I hope you enjoyed it.
This time around, it felt like our protagonist, Tatsuya, took more of a supporting role. Although he showed off some heroic battle skills toward the end, he shared the spotlight with Mikihiko and Leo.
The real star of this volume was Minoru, who had some truly fantastic moments—fighting back-to-back battles, getting blocked by formidable enemies, feeling the frustration of defeat, confronting his grandfather only to end in tragedy… Talk about packing on the classic protagonist elements.
From the very beginning, Tatsuya has always been more of a mentor figure or idealized hurdle for other characters to overcome. Perhaps those traits of his are even stronger now.
That said, I still put him through some serious protagonist-esque training. We see him putting in the effort with the help of his friends to claim the day. I think that’s what makes a hero…or maybe I’m wrong. (LOL)
Well, who knows if his efforts will actually lead to success? Will the classic effort + friendship = victory formula actually hold true? You will have to wait and see in the volumes ahead.
But enough with the silly teasing. Let’s talk about the new character in this volume: Officer Karasawa. Unfortunately, he won’t be playing a major role in the main story ahead.
I know what you’re thinking. Why introduce him at all, then? Officer Karasawa was actually a character I scrapped from the Ayako spin-off. Volume 26 needed an extra character with a name, so I pulled him out of the recycle bin.
The Irregular series spin-off ideas started with The Tatsuya Shiba Assassination Plan, starring Fumiya and an original character. I then came up with a mystery spin-off starring Ayako and Karasawa around the same time. Frankly, as I was brainstorming for The Tatsuya Shiba Assassination Plan, I thought if Fumiya got a spin-off, Ayako should, too. But I didn’t officially announce it, so saying Karasawa was “scrapped” isn’t exactly accurate.
The first episode of The Tatsuya Shiba Assassination Plan, however, will be released on the series’s official site at the same time as this volume. I’m planning on making it an eleven-episode spin-off series. You can reach the site at the following web address, so please check it out if you can:
https://tsutomusato.jp/
Dengeki Bunko will also be publishing the story soon.
As for Volume 27 of the main series, it should be out later this year as long as I don’t fall into a slump. It will be called the Sudden Change Arc. As the name suggests, the story will be full of sudden twists.
The series finale is finally in sight. I hope you will stick with me until the very end. Thank you again for reading.
✦ ✦ ✦
Tsutomu Sato