My name is Yoru Michio. Thank you very much for picking up Hell Is Dark with No Flowers. I wrote this series to be a retro suspense detective story packed with lots of yokai, murders, and laughter; however, I think my fundamental motive for writing it was that people frightened me.
People are scary. They’re absolutely terrifying. The more I found out about them, the more I wanted to stay in bed shivering with the covers over my head. However, on the other hand, people were also what I was dying to know more about. As a result, I decided to learn instead of staying scared. I studied crime, social pathology, psychology, folklore… And in the course of my studies, I fell head over heels for yokai.
Cases, detectives, humans, and yokai. When I wrote Hell Is Dark with No Flowers, I packed it with things I really wanted to write about. It feels like a genuine miracle that I’ve been able to take something I wrote because I wanted to and send it out to people who will read it because they want to. During the three years I worked on this series, I gained so much happiness that no matter when my life may end, I’ll be able to state categorically that it was a happy one. Thank you so much.
Sharp-eyed readers will have picked up on this, but when I submitted my proposal for Hell Is Dark with No Flowers, I’d planned it as a four-book series that would cycle through spring, summer, autumn, winter, and back to spring. Even though there are all sorts of things I’d do differently now, having brought the story safely to a stopping point is a relief.
In addition, as far as I’m concerned, each one of Maiko Aoji’s cover illustrations was my motive for releasing this series into the world as printed books. I really can’t thank her enough.
Not only that, but there’s going to be a manga version. Characters, backgrounds, motion, dialogue—every single panel is just the way I imagined it. But more than that, it’s been fashioned into something entertaining as a manga. I really think I’m the luckiest person in the world. If you have the opportunity, I hope you’ll give the manga a look as well.
While the story may have reached a stopping point, I’m happy to report that I’ve been asked to continue the series. If fate allows, I’ll be very glad if you spend a little while longer with Seiji, Shiroshi, Odoro, and Ibara.
Your experience in Hell depends on the oni you’re with.
In that case, your experience in this world also depends on the people you meet, and so…
I pray that, just as when someone lonely has someone else to nestle close to them, happiness takes its place beside everyone who reads this.
PS
I made a website for myself when Volume 3 was released, but it’s very inconspicuous and easy to miss. Please do check it out if you’d like.
https://www.michio-yoru.com/ (Japanese only)