Youjo Senki - Volume 10 - Chapter Aft

Afterword

Thank you for waiting for Volume 10 of The Saga of Tanya the Evil.

It’s a cool, early spring right now… Well, maybe not while you’re reading this, but let’s just pretend it is for the sake of afterwords!

For those brave heroes out there who bought all ten volumes at once and read up until the afterword—it’s a pleasure to meet you. Despite it being potentially out of season, I like to pretend it’s the spring because that when I feel Pacific saury (or sanma, as we call them in Japanese) taste the best.

Enough with the casual formalities, though. Let’s get back on topic; I owe you all an apology. I’m very sorry that you had to wait extra long for the tenth volume to come out…and that my delay caused Chika Tojo’s tenth volume to become delayed as well.

For personal, non-health-related reasons, I needed more time to work on this one.

Please let me reiterate that the issues were not health related. Other than the impact on my mental health after getting an earful from Tanya readers about spending time on my other series like Yakitori and Treason Agency on social media, I’m as healthy as a horse.

I feel bad about subjugating my readers to my own personal trifles, so let’s leave it that there were hardships happening behind the scenes.

Now, to get on topic.

Volume 10 is meant to focus on representing the Empire entering its death throes as a nation. I wanted to depict a feeling of there being nowhere to go, a sense of being trapped and helpless. An impulsive thirst for a way out to escape where the country is heading.

I may have spent a wee bit too much time going into detail regarding these depictions… Part of me thinks I made this buildup slightly too long.

That buildup, though, is about to explode from the next volume and onward.

Here’s a different, totally unrelated topic about something I enjoy.

I think it’s so cool when the serious middle management types such as Lieutenant Colonel Drake, Colonel Calandro, and Colonel Lergen endure the many occasions a pain churns their stomachs!

Keep this and the subtitle for Volume 11 (Alea Iacta Est) in mind, and well, this is kind of a spoiler, but look forward to the bright light emitted by the Empire in the next volume.

I’ll finish with something I imagine is already slowly getting out there: Tanya’s up-and-coming movie.

There are a lot of factors that go into these things, but with the help of my friends at NUT studios, I’m thinking the movie, which will depict its own original story, should be out around the time we’re pushing to release Volume 11.

Well, it’s less than I’m thinking and more like my editor in chief is dreaming this will happen.

And for those authors out there who were picked up by an editor and managed to make their debut… When we give predictions for when our next book is set to release, sometimes things like printer mishaps and spelling errors cause setbacks…

Well, this time, my editor saw me through with a brilliant, beautiful smile on his face, so you other writers out there needn’t worry about me.

I’ll finish by saying thanks where it’s due.

The only reason I’ve managed to get this far is thanks to so many people who have supported me. A lot of people collaborated to make this volume happen as well.

I want to thank my designer Next Door Design, the people in charge of the printing press in Tokyo, my editors Fujita and Tamai, as well as my illustrator Shinotsuki.

I’m sorry to always cause you all so much trouble.

And while this may be a bit too much information, and I know it will make my two editors laugh at me, I’ll continue to do my best to give you guys some good news on the marriage front before I hit the grave.

I feel bad that I can never meet the deadlines and have the utmost appreciation for my readers who are willing to wait for me. The movie should be ready at any moment now.

I’ll see you next time.

End of September 2018, Carlo Zen