Baccano! - Volume 8 - Chapter Aft

AFTERWORD

To those of you I haven’t met before, it’s nice to meet you. To those of you (probably the vast majority) for whom it’s been a while, it’s been a while. Also, apologies for the wait!

This is the first Baccano! in nearly two years. Although there was a mid-length novel project for a CD drama in the middle, it really is the first Baccano! in a long time, and I’m a bit nervous about it myself.

Well, in this volume, the prison arc ends, and the scene shifts to the outside world.

I think the composition will end up being a bit different from the 1931 Local and Express volumes, so although it’s going to be a long sequence, I hope you’ll stick with me until the end.

That aside, this really was the first Baccano! in a very long time.

Even I’ve forgotten some of the details about past stories, and it’s freaking me out—although I do remember things that completely don’t matter, like the whiskered pig’s lines.

So this is the first Baccano! in two years, and…

…I’ve got an announcement for the readers.

Let’s see. Those of you who read the book band and Dengeki Kanzume probably already know about this, but—they’re turning Baccano! into a manga in the magazine Dengeki Comic Gao!

Heh-heh-heh… Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

It’s been over half a year since they first told me about the manga project. Every time I saw opinions online like It’s just not possible to turn Narita’s stories into manga and I bet it won’t happen unless his sales numbers go up, I thought, Heh-heh-heh… You people have misread the era! I had the urge to release the information on my own website, but for reasons of confidentiality, I couldn’t do it. Actually, now that I think about it, that would have been way too immature, so I suppose I should probably be grateful for that obligation to keep quiet.

So the serial starts in the issue of Gao! that goes on sale in late December, but I have yet to meet Ginyuu Shijin, who’s drawing the manga. In exchange, the other day, I did meet Mr. Ogino, the manga’s editor.

This is the first time I’ve had a project turned into a manga, after all. If I said I wasn’t worried about what they were going to do to my story, I’d be lying. For the sake of the fans of the original as well, I marched into Media Works, fully intending to let them have it—“If you don’t stay faithful to the spirit of the original work, we’re going to have problems… Phooo.”—while puffing on a cigar or something.

It was our first meeting, and these were the first words out of Mr. Ogino’s mouth.

Ogino: “With Baccano!, do you mind if we ‘break’ the original work, change its vibe?”

Me: See?! I knew it! There it is! No, we can’t have that, gweh-heh-heh… “Ha-ha-ha, break it? Uh, in what way exactly?”

Ogino: “The Weekly Shonen Champion way.”

Me: “……”

Ogino: “A bit like turning Norio Nanjo’s The Bout Before an August Audience at Suruga Castle into Shigurui: Death Frenzy.”

Me: “……”

Ogino: “We’ve already given Ginyuu Shijin, who’s drawing the manga, other books and told him to try for that sort of tone. We sent him all of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, all of Shigurui, and all of Hellsing.”

Me: “…Bueno!”

I shook Ogino’s hand firmly, and then we talked for ages about how fascinating Champion is, until Mr. Wada, the novels’ editor, got disgusted with us and said, “Excuse me, I can’t follow this at all…”

…The problem is that I feel kind of bad for getting all excited by myself when I haven’t met the manga artist yet. I also think that having to read all the volumes in those three series at once might result in some pretty serious brainwashing! I’m incredibly worried about a manga artist I haven’t even met; what’s up with this situation?! Ginyuu Shijin, please do your best not to get taken out by Ogino’s raged attack!!

So I’m looking forward to the new serial, which will be running in Gao!, and I hope you’ll look forward to it as well!

Well, the next book is about the “outside world,” so I’m planning to keep the mood free and easy. I’d like to write in a supercool way that takes the dark, heavy prison atmosphere in this volume and flips it 180 degrees. As I write this afterword, I’m still working on it, so I can’t say anything about how it’s going to turn out yet, but…

…in any case, the Baccano! series is still ongoing, and I hope you’ll continue to support it!

*The usual thank-yous begin here.

To my editor, Wada-san (Papio), for whom I’m constantly making trouble, and to Chief Editor Suzuki and the rest of the editorial department. To the copy editors, for whom I’m always causing problems by being late, every single time. To the designers, who make my books look good. To the people of the publicity department, the printing department, the marketing department, and Media Works as a whole.

To my family, friends, and acquaintances, who always take care of me in all sorts of ways, and particularly to everyone in S City.

To Katsumi Enami, who colored the world of Baccano! with superb quality, even though I forced an insane schedule onto him.

And to all the readers…

Thank you very much!

August 2006

I bought a new car and am raring to go, but it’s crunch time at work, so I can’t go anywhere.

Ryohgo Narita