Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 17 - Chapter Aft

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Afterword

Long time no see everyone, it’s the author Takehaya. I guess since I wrote a novel as a bonus for the recently released Blu-ray, it may have only been a few days for some of you.

Concerning anime, if everything proceeds smoothly, this volume should be released right around the time the final episode is about to air. As those of you who have been watching might know, the anime is focused on the foundation of the series. Skimping on that would have only undercut important scenes in the future, like Koutarou rejecting Alaia’s invitation.

The time leap was actually one of the things I was the most wary of. For example, if the anime had started at 7.5, Koutarou would’ve had no reason to return to his own world because he only would’ve had demonstrable bonds with the characters in the past. Even if he’d returned because of a forcibly contrived reason, the viewers would probably have felt like something was off. Moreover, with no reason to return, the last scene in 8.5 wouldn’t make much sense. It all would have been much vaguer.

So in the end, I decided to take the long way and start at the beginning. That meant focusing on volumes 1 through 7. The most important part of that was setting up a story where Koutarou would choose to return to his own life, and I’m very satisfied that the anime was able to portray that. All that’s left now is to pray for a second season (ha!).

But I shouldn’t just talk about the anime, should I? I feel like I should touch on the content of volume 17 as well.

This volume was a bunch of mini episodes about the invaders that had Koutarou as their main focus. Koutarou’s father also makes a cameo for the first time in a long time (it’s been since volume 1!). This gives us an opportunity to see what’s going on with the Satomi family. Stuff like this can’t happen when there are major events going down, so it only rolls around when things are nice and peaceful like they are in this volume. But maybe I should do it again? Maybe?

Anyway, I think our peek into the Satomi family also gives us a peek into the future. Please continue watching over Koutarou and the invader girls as they overcome their trials.

Normally the afterword would end around here, but this time it’s twice as long as normal! I’ve got some more room, so I’d like to write a bit about myself since this is the part I usually have to omit for convenience’s sake.

Around the end of August, I visited Sasuke Park, the athletic park where you get to put on some safety gear and play your heart out just like on the show. After giving all of the stages a shot, I’ve come to the conclusion that I can’t laugh at people who fall off the stepping stones or fail the long jump anymore. (Translation Note: Sasuke is the name of the Japanese TV show which was the original version of American Ninja Warrior.)

After experiencing it for myself, I realized that all the areas require you to be able to jump a long distance. Even the stepping stones, which look like they’re not that far apart, are really something. So I now know why people on the show fall in places I couldn’t understand before. Surprisingly, the arm strength obstacles were surprisingly easy.

The impressions I got from watching the show and the impressions I got from trying it myself were completely opposite, and I realized that’s what it’s like to have your preconceptions challenged. Whenever I watch the show from now on, I think I’ll be able to enjoy it in a different way.

I’ve also started on a new hobby! I’m currently working towards getting my motorcycle license. I think I’ll be able to get it before it gets cold out. I’ve already bought a helmet, so I can’t back down now. I don’t intend to be very adventurous in choosing a bike. I’ll leave the special stuff for later and just focus on the basics for now.

Well then, I feel like I’ve filled up the space pretty well, and since this seems like a good spot, I’ll end this here. As always, I’d like to finish things off with my usual round of thanks. I would like to thank the editorial department for helping me with my work and the making of the anime; the animation studio and all the voice actors; Poco-san who always draws me such cute illustrations; and finally, all of my readers who bought this book.