Date A Live - Volume 14 - Chapter Aft

Afterword 
 
 
Long time no see, I'm Tachibana Koushi. 
 
 
This time, I present to you 「Date A Live Volume 14 Mukuro Planet」, what do you think? I'd be extremely honoured if you liked it. 
 
As mentioned, 六喰 is read as むくろ (ｍｕ-ｋｕ-ｒｏ). Succeeding Kurumi’s indecipherable name (時崎狂三) and Natsumi’s fallaciously mistakable name (七罪) there is another infuriating name. Why is she named that? It’s because much more elegant that way. When I gave this name to my editor, Editor-san excitedly said that 喰 is way cooler compared to 食. 
 
Moving on, this volume is mainly comprised of the space chapters and the fairy tale chapters. From the storyline's perspective, it's analogous to merging the latter half of Nia’s volume with the former half of Mukuro's volume. 
 
Anyway, the fairy tale versions of the Spirits are so lovely! It really makes me want to let the other characters experience that fantasy world. Allow me to imagine: 
 
《Sleeping Beauty Reine》 (In truth she can't sleep because of insomnia.) 1 
 
 
《Kaguya-hime Tama-chan》 (Can't get married because her standards are too high.) 2 
 
 
《The Wolf and the Seven Little Kurumis》 (I can only see the wolf being bullied instead.) 3 
 
《Ali Baba and the 40 Kurumis》 (Not even a slice of flesh would be left of the poor guy.) 4 
 
《101 Kurumis》 (Only despair.) 5 
 
It's rather complicated even though they're quite fascinating. I wonder if I can write them into an encore chapter or a short story. It was under the pooled efforts of many people that this volume could be published successfully. 
 
I'd like to thank my illustrator Tsunako-sensei for having drawn such flawless novel illustrations beyond any of my expectations. Mukuro's character is so cute too! 
 
I'm very grateful to Arranger-san, Designer-san, everybody in the editorial department and selling my book in their bookstores, along with those of you holding my book in your hands right now. 
 
Well then, next is Volume 15. Will Shidou be able to unlock Mukuro’s sealed heart? See you next time. 
 
February 2016, Tachibana Koushi. 

Translation and References 
 
Chapter 1: 
 
1. A saisen-box (賽銭箱) is a small wooden container used to hold money offered to the gods or bodhisattvas. It is a common item at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in Japan.

2. Japanese coins include denominations of ¥ 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500. ¥5 or ご円 is read as “go-en” whereas fate/destiny or ご縁 is also read as “go-en”. These words are known as homophones. With six(六) being read as “roku”, offering six ¥5 coins is hence read as “roku na goen ga nai”, which is homophonous to an unsatisfying fate/destiny.
 
3. “Ema” consists of two Kanji: 絵馬; the one for “picture” and the one for “horse”. Horses were seen as the “vehicles of gods” (神の乗り物) and during the Nara period (奈良時代) people donated horses to the shrines so that the gods would be more likely to listen to their prayers and fulfill wishes. However, horses were expensive and thus people who couldn’t afford it used horse figures made of wood, clay or paper instead. Finally, the wooden wishing plaques with a picture of a horse on them were born.
4. A mangaka (漫画家) is a pro who draws manga.
 
5. ‘Natsumi’ and ‘nut’ are pronounced similarly.
6. Tsukkomi is the straight man in a Japanese comedy gag.
 
Chapter 2 
 
1. In Japan, school years are divided into three terms, April to July (first), September to December (second), and January to February (third).
 
 
Chapter 4 
 
1. Momotarō is a popular hero of Japanese folklore originating from Okayama Prefecture. His name translates as Peach Tarō, a common Japanese boy's name, and is often translated as Peach Boy. Momotarō is the title of various books, films and other works that portray the tale of this hero.

 
2. Monogatari refers to an epic narrative, generally one of Japanese literary form.
3. The Little Match Girl is a short story by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen. The story is about a dying child's dreams and hope.
4. Schwarzwald is German for black forest, the main setting where Hansel and Gretel takes place. 

 
Chapter 5 
 
1. In Japan, the Little Mermaid is also known as Ningyo Hime (人魚姫), which translates to English as Mermaid Princess.
2. Issun-bōshi ("One-Inch Boy"; sometimes translated into English as "Little One Inch" or "The Inch-High Samurai") is the subject of a fairy tale from Japan. This story can be found in old Japanese illustrated book, Otogizōshi. In the story, the Uchide no kozuchi is a magic hammer that can grant wishes. The story is similar to the tradition of Tom Thumb in English folklore.

 
 
Afterword 
 
1. Sleeping Beauty, a classic fairy tale written by Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm, which involves a beautiful princess, a sleeping enchantment, and a handsome prince. 
 
 
2. The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (竹取物語), arguably the oldest Japanese folklore story. Also known as The Tale of Princess Kaguya (かぐや姫の物語). It primarily details the life of a mysterious girl called Kaguya-hime, who was discovered as a baby inside the stalk of a glowing bamboo plant.
 
3. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, one of the most famous stories told in Arabian Nights. 
 
4. The Wolf and the Seven Young Goats. An old Brother Grim fairy tale that is a combination of The Three Little Pigs and Little Red Ridding Hood.

 
5. 101 Dalmatians, a 1956 children's novel by Dodie Smith about the robbery of the titular family of 101 Dalmatian dogs.