TheOASG: Tell us a little about yourself, and what caught your attention first: anime, manga, novels or video games? What attracted you to any of those genres?
Natsu: When I was a child, it was my parents’ policy that manga, anime, games, and the like were forbidden in our house, so novels were the only choice available at the time. I frequented the library and immersed myself in fantasy worlds such as The Chronicles of Narnia and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I was drawn to the worlds in the stories that were so different from our own, and getting to see a protagonist who wasn’t me actively explore them.
Shoyu: I was most interested in manga. As a child, I had this image that the majority of books were only filled with words and no pictures, so I was shocked when I first found a manga magazine.
Instead of writing or drawing, what did you imagine you would be doing for a living?
Natsu: I believe I would still be working in a field related to books either way.
Shoyu: I used to work for a game company, so I might have gone on to work as a computer graphics artist.
What sparked the idea for writing Obsessions of an Otome Gamer?
Natsu: Seeing how massively popular stories where the main character is reincarnated into an otome game were online made me feel like I wanted to try my hand at writing a similar story, and that was the spark.
I hadn’t come across any stories where the main character was reincarnated into a music-themed game, so I thought it would stand out from the rest. Rather than an idea, the last scene of the entire series came to me first, and I went back to write the story from the beginning with that ending in mind.
What attracted you to doing illustrations for Obsessions of an Otome Gamer?
Shoyu: It felt like fate to accept this job, as I had just left a game company to go freelance, and the theme was otome games. Thank you very much for the opportunity!
Since this is all about otome games, what have some of your favorites been?
Natsu: I love games by Koei such as the Harukanaru Toki no Naka de (Haruka -Beyond the Stream of Time-) series and the Kin`iro no Chord (La Corda d’Oro) otome game series.
Shoyu: To tell you the truth, I’m horrible at otome games! Whether I was debugging a game or playing it for the first time, I was terrible enough to land a bad ending every single time. However, I magically landed a good end on my first play through Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3, so it stands as one of my favorites.
The being “reincarnated into another world” story has been picked up a lot in the past couple years. What makes this one involving the protagonist, Mashiro, different from others?
Natsu: Mashiro appears to be the main character as the narrator of the story, but she actually isn’t—this particular plot device is what I believe separates this story from others.
Since this is otome themed, is there references to otome games you’ve played in the novel?
Natsu: Kin`iro no Chord for sure. However, Kin`iro no Chord is a really well-made, great game, which makes it completely different from the crapshoot game Hear My Heart is supposed to be. Hear My Heart is a crummy game that failed to balance its scenario and difficulty level.
This is also music themed as well. What made you decide to go with that choice?
Natsu: It’s because I’ve played the piano for the longest time myself, and I still have a love for classical music. I also adore otome games, so I had a lot of fun being able to write about two genres dear to me in the same story.
Why do you think this type of storyline where the characters get reincarnated has proven to be popular now?
Natsu: Perhaps it’s because you can fantasize about the current you as the base for an even more upgraded version of yourself? Or maybe it’s because you can cheer on such a character and enjoy the story alongside them? I also like stories without the reincarnation theme, so I would love to know the answer to this question as well.
Shoyu: Maybe it’s because you can experience a fantasy that’s different from ordinary life?
What was some of the challenges of working on Obsessions of an Otome Gamer?
Natsu: The story will fork after the third volume, so I had to be careful not to make one of the romanceable characters more important than the other during the common route volumes. I thought I had balanced them out appropriately, but it was a challenge when a lot of the readers seem to regard Kou as the main guy character. But I believe readers will come to learn how both are equally important to the story when they read Sou’s volume as well.
In working on the art for this title, how did you prepare to work on a title like Otome Gamer?
Shoyu: I thought up heart throbbing poses while reading otome game magazines and looking at different game CGs.
What surprised you the most while working on this?
Shoyu: I would have to say it’s the fact the characters gradually age throughout a single volume. Kou and Sou rapidly become more mature looking.
This was written as a web novel. What’s been great about writing in this fashion as opposed to writing for a publisher?
Natsu: If I had to pick one thing, it’s the ability to write freely. You can write the story you want to write, as you want to write it, at the length you see fit, without having to worry about whether it fits the trends that are currently selling well or about the established genres and trends of the particular light novel brand that will be publishing it.
Another appealing point of web novels is that you get to see responses from readers right from the first chapter you put out.
How do you see the LN industry? There now seems to be more novels arriving in the West than ever before, for example, but how is it in Japan?
Natsu: I think there’s been a decrease in the number of explosive hits compared to before. The readers’ preferences for light novels have diversified, and theories about what kind of stories will be great sellers are on the decline… At the same time, there’s been a sense of overall expansion. Publishers who used to only work with general literature have come out with a category similar to light novels known as “Light Literature”, and many more publishing labels have been established. It might be in an experimental stage, where they’re using trial and error to see what they need to do to get new readers who have never read light novels before.
Finally, what should readers keep in mind when they begin reading Obsessions of an Otome Gamer?
Natsu: There’s nothing in particular for me to point out. Please read and interpret it how you like—is what I’d like to say, but I hope you will read the series till the very end. The scene I wanted to write is the final scene. The Elementary School and Middle School Arcs are the building blocks that make the ending scene all the more profound. Please read until you are able to pick up on all the foreshadowing and subplots.
Shoyu: The original work has a lovely story, so I hope you enjoy it.