It’s me, Hiyoko Sumeragi. There you have it, Volume 3!
And this time I don’t have much room for the afterword! A compact afterword for a compact book. Let me get straight to the acknowledgments!
Mika Pikazo, thank you as always for the fantastic illustrations. The frontispiece illustrations in particular were AhhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHh!! …AhhHhHhHhHhHh!! …AHH!
I’m sorry, the illustrations were just so good that I completely forget how to speak like a human beAhhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHh!!
Tetta, I was very impressed by the background illustrations this time. Even though I only gave vague specifications, you did a fantastic job of grasping the setting of The World Bows Down and elaborating on the design of the church. I guess that’s just part of being such a great creator. I’m so grateful for what you did. Truly exquisite work…!
Having two such talented illustrators on my side makes me want to work harder every day to become a better writer so I can be worthy to stand in the company of such giants. Who knows if I’ll ever get there, but I can at least try!
By the way, the comic adaptation has already been released! Thank you, Koyuki. This goes without saying, since the media are so different, but with a manga, unlike with a novel, every last scene has to be drawn, including the details. For instance, the facial expressions. Even when not specifically described in the novel, expressions need to be drawn in the manga (except when the angle prevents faces from being seen, of course). But manga artists know how to pick up on the implied nuances in the original and reflect that in their drawings.
Perhaps some authors picture the worlds in their books in perfect detail, but that was never me. Somehow, the smaller details always slip my mind. Making a comic adaptation means picking up on these details that slip through the cracks and reconstructing them in manga form.
My worlds are still fuzzy around the edges, so I guess I’ve still got a ways to go. There is truly so much for me to learn from all the professionals who are involved in creating this series.
Daily dedication. Day in and day out, my growth as a writer fights with the growth of the bald spot on the back of my head. Right now, I think the bald spot is winning. But only by a hair.
On to the contents of the book!
Volume 3 showed Galdorssia in crisis. And of course, we learned more about Psycho’s past. It was Psycho’s experiences as a child, the ideas her father shared, and the unusual interests of her mother that went into forming who Psycho is today. Psycho may be the biggest realist of the five, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t hold a lot of passion in her heart. In fact, her drive might be the one that burns brightest among the five.
That was the side of Psycho that I wanted to show off this time around.
By the way, I know I’m the one who’s writing this, but the Japan depicted in this book is pretty scary. I sure wouldn’t want to live there.
Here’s an interesting bit of trivia, by the way. The names of the new trio that appear in this volume were based on some of the spells cast in the original Japanese Magical DoReMi, as were their color schemes. I love to sneak in little tidbits like that.
And it looks like I’m out of space, so farewell for now! Until we meet again in Volume 4! There are some big developments on the horizon, so stay tuned!