Afterword
This book consists of rewrites of short stories that ran in Dragon Magazine’s June and November 2000 issues, its June 2001 issue, and its October 2000 extra edition, plus a little bonus track.
So, um... well... the next book out was supposed to be another novel, but I kept having to put it off, and this is the result. Plus, it’s completely lacking an original story... I’m really sorry about that. It’s all the result of my own lack of discipline and experience. I truly am sorry (kowtows).
I’d like to use this opportunity to talk about the state of the FMP! series as of June 2002. The novel series will, starting at the end of last month (May 2002) be serialized in Monthly Dragon Magazine. After it’s published in portions for about six months, I’ll go back to publishing the school comedy stuff for a period of time (for those who love the short stories, the comedy will continue, so don’t worry.)
I’ve been so slow in my releases, people have begun to speculate that I’m sick of FMP!, but that’s not the case at all. On the contrary, I’ve been killing myself trying to figure out how to conclude the series in a way I’m satisfied with. It leaves me feeling like I’m trapped in a maze of my thoughts. (As I said earlier, the novel I’m currently working on will have a fairly light feel, of course, but...) Lately, though, I’ve finally started working things out. I’ve more or less made up my mind about how the main characters will end up, and I’ve thought up about ten scenes I’m really confident in. I hope that if I can focus on how best to execute them, I can finish up a really good story.
Of course, that’s all far in the future. For now, let’s do our usual commenting on each story.
“Uncooperative Blue Bird”
When I reread the version of this published in the magazine, I was so taken aback by the shoddiness of the writing that I screamed, ran away from my computer, and remained trembling in bed for a while. So I basically did a whole lot of rewriting here. Incidentally, I don’t have any experience with picking up girls. I did go out for a good time with a girl I met at an izakaya once long ago, but I’m just really bad at that kind of thing.
“Off-Target Emotion”
When I reread the version of this published in the magazine, I was so surprised by the shoddiness of the plotting that I (you get it.) This is another major rewrite. Tsubaki is such a manga-style character, not the kind I write about very often at all. As the series gets longer, characters like this become more necessary, and I consciously force myself to include them. Fortunately, this means that lately I’m getting used to them.
“An Error-Ridden Sentence”
This is a story that basically only works in written form. It was fun writing imitations of various styles. Incidentally, Mizuhoshi-sensei’s complex phrases are picked at random from Hakuyosha’s book Gödel, Escher, Bach. It’s a really heavy read, but the contents are pretty fun, so I recommend challenging yourself with it some time.
“A Past-Deadline Romance”
I was part of the movie club in college. We never made anything but silly, hopeless movies, so it was a lot of fun. (If I tell you we made movies with titles like The Miracle Monkey-Man or Fart Person Poo, you’ll probably get the idea.) But recently, Tsukiji-san, writer of Maburaho, told me that I was in a film showing at an independent screened film with “dog” in the title and asked if it was true. I know nothing about it. I’ve never run around wielding a shotgun or danced half-naked while wearing a bow tie.
“The Fifth Period Hot Spot”
I wrote this right after concluding the extremely serious part 2 of DBD. I really wanted to come back from that with a totally over-the-top silly story. If I took one wrong step, it could enter the territory of Harenchi Gakuen. Risky business. It could be the end of the series itself... Still, I didn’t rewrite this story at all. And I like it quite a bit.
“The Goddess Comes to Japan (Suffering Chapter)”
It feels wrong not to have an original story, but I did a rework of one of those rare special chapters appearing in a magazine’s extra issue. It’s a follow up to ITB, and it’s a bit over the top, but that can be nice now and then. I’m preparing follow-ups to this story, by the way. “Part-time Job Chapter” and “Braintrust Conference Chapter.” Lots of stuff between short story and novel characters who don’t get to meet each other often.
“Excerpts from the Author’s Classified Notes”
I felt a little bad about not including an original story, so I included some excerpts from my setting notes. I was hoping to keep it brief, but... I know a lot of people aren’t interested in that sort of thing. Please don’t hold it against me.
Last time around, I asked readers to submit titles for this short story collection, and (in Japanese) we settled on Unreliable Six Legal Codes?. It was a pretty makeshift contest, so I assumed I’d be lucky to get just ten entries, but the response was really something else. I got several hundred submissions, and I was so incredibly grateful.
A lot of people submitted the title I ended up using, so they’re all receiving a free book with an original telephone card. A lot of people also requested the second-place finisher, Useless Six Legal Codes?. It was a very close call, so I’ll send a prize to people who submitted that title too as a consolation prize.
And sorry to those whose titles weren’t accepted. Thank you so much. I read them all.
Incidentally, for volume 7... There’s a lot to choose from (in Japanese), so I’ll probably figure it out by myself. The next tough one is... 9? I feel like I can make 8 work.
Sorry this afterword got so long. Once again, I appreciate everybody’s patience. To my editor and everyone involved, and Shikidouji-sensei, thank you as always. And Ryo Mizuno-sensei, who warmly encouraged me when I was feeling low, and Takuzo Suganuma, thank you so much.
Until next time, when Kaname’s fan will roar again.
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