Epilogue

Epilogue

In my dream, I just fight. With the pure mind, I lunge toward the target because I just want to do so, without wishing for anything, for no one else. I lose against no one. No one can shoot me down.

I am a special child, and possess the senses that are slightly different from others. Because of that, I have the feelings that are different from normal by that much, and can execute the moves that normal people cannot do. I have tried to escape from the existence that encases me. In other words, it is equivalent to shutting myself in it. I have been contemplating for a long time, and have shown the resistance as well.

Probably, no one can understand what I want to say, through this expression.

I know no one can understand me.

I do not have to be understood.

However, I know only one thing for sure. It is the fact that she was the same as I am. I have come to know that. It is because she also possessed the purity with which she could fight, for no one else.

Even so.

Everyone around us prepares a lot of excuses. There are so many excuses in this world, to the extent that I am just fed up with them. The world is filled with excuses like trash. Since everyone drinks water contaminated with the excuses, even its mind gradually becomes opaque with excuses. The excuses get sedimented continually in their bodies.

So.

At last, they themselves want to become trash.

They are cornered.

For example.

She does not love me.

I do not love her, either.

It is because we do not need the reasons named love.

For example.

She made only one wish.

She wanted me to kill her.

So, I killed her.

It was.

It has become my only hope.

If I did not kill her, then she would have killed herself.

It would have been lonelier than anything else.

Even the solitude, with the excuses like trash.

Can become the concept that would taint the purity ...

But ...

If no one lights a match, trash does not burn.

I killed her.

Before she killed herself.

For her, I killed her.

I guess.

She will come back to life.

I will come back to life as well.

Repeatedly, we will probably keep on living.

Then, again ...

We will fight.

Like human beings.

We will fight forever.

We will kill each other.

Forever.

No reason.

No love.

No solitude.

For no purpose.

Wishing for nothing ...

This book was first published by Chuokoron-Shinsha in Japan in 2001 and translated in 2016 and 2017 for The BBB: Breakthrough Bandwagon Books.

The Interview About The Sky Crawlers with Dr. MORI, Hiroshi

B (Chief Editor of The BBB): Today, to commemorate the completion of the English version of the novel “The Sky Crawlers”, we would like to interview with the author, Dr. MORI, Hiroshi, and approach the profound appeal of this work. Dr. MORI, Hiroshi, is selected as one of the “Fall of Fame Authors” by Amazon.co.jp and we can regard him as one of the most popular novelists in Japan. He has been interviewed in Japanese countless times before, but I think this might be his first interview in English. We hope this interview will be widely read by Dr. MORI’s fans living in English speaking countries. Dr. MORI, thank you so much for sharing your time with us today.

MORI, Hiroshi: You’re welcome. First of all, thank you for translating my works every time. I appreciate it.

B: Before you first published “The Sky Crawlers” in 2001, you had mainly written works which were categorized into the mystery fiction genre. I had an impression back then that you flamboyantly took a step forward into a new field that was discontinuous with your previous works. Had you been developing in your mind the idea of “The Sky Crawlers” for years? Or, did you come up with the idea, after a publishing company or an editor said to you, “You can write any work as you like.” or something of the sort?

MORI: I wrote this work by request from an editor, who wanted me to write a story related to aircrafts. In my case, I hardly write a story that I want to write. I remember, at the time, I was asked to write a story related to aircrafts or doctors, or something like that. After the request, I had planned to write the story for about a year. I had already written a story related to doctors, so I chose a story related to aircrafts that time around.

B: I see. You once wrote, “Authors are manufacturers who provide products that are catered to the requests.” I now understand how this work was born. About your writing novels, you have made the remarks like, “Once the title is decided, I can say half of the work has already been done.” several times. May I ask when and how you came up with this impressive title “The Sky Crawlers”? When you were coming up with the title, were you already imagining much of the whole story that is worth the amount of this full-length novel?

MORI: After deciding to write a story related to aircrafts, I first thought about the title. I think I had spent nearly one year on trying to come up with the title. As I tried to decide the title, the setting and the story were naturally looming up in my mind. At first, I assume the geographic condition like the arrangement of mountains and cities, and then the layouts of the buildings. After that, I decide the names of the characters. What type of characters they are and what kind of story it is. Such matters are always come up with when I am writing the novel. Once I start writing, I can imagine, two or three works ahead into the series.

B: You mean, you were already imagining the sequel novels in this series when you were writing “The Sky Crawlers”, the first novel of the series. When you were writing “The Sky Crawlers”, to what extent did you assume this work would be read by the people outside Japan in the future? Do you have anything, such as parts of the contents, with which you were taking the readers outside Japan into account?

MORI: I always consider the cases in which my works are translated outside Japan. That is the way for every work of mine. So was the series of “The Perfect Insider” (*One of the most successful series by Dr. MORI. The series was made into the TV drama and TV animation series in Japan.) I might be able to say I’m not all that conscious of Japanese readers in particular. Since I mainly read works translated from non-Japanese languages into Japanese, I naturally end up being that way. I mean, I don’t have any particular part, with which I take the readers outside Japan into consideration. In other words, I take the readers into consideration with all parts of the story.

B: Surely, I have always been feeling the atmosphere from Dr. MORI’s works that is similar to works translated from non-Japanese languages into Japanese. Speaking of such translated works, at the beginning of each story of “The Sky Crawlers”, the quotes from “Nine Stories” written by J. D. Salinger are introduced. Also, you named your first English story collection “Seven Stories”. Do you have special attachments to “Nine Stories” or to the novelist named J. D. Salinger?

MORI: I do. He is one of my favorite authors, and the work is my favorite. I feel his imagination and perspectives are great and sharp. At any rate, I try not to get close to my favorite authors.

B: Is the method of “not to get close to the favorite authors” based on the possibility that the act of increasing the proximity might destroy beautiful feelings such as admiration and respect within you? You have many enthusiastic readers. So, I am thinking that to tell your fans, “Do not get too close to me in real life.” can be considered a sophisticated technique of keeping them in check. Some of the readers outside Japan would naturally hope they want to meet Dr. MORI, Hiroshi, someday.

MORI: No, that’s not what I mean. “Not getting close” means not to write similar books. I mean, if I have a favorite author, I will try, to the best of my ability, not to write works in his or her home field. It is because there already are the masterpieces in those cultivated domains. If there is a favorite style of mine, then I won’t do the similar thing. It is my basic stance. In order to value the originality, I naturally need the defensive maneuver like this. My favorite tastes and styles naturally ooze out on my works, anyway. So, intentionally avoiding what I like works ideally by ending up maintaining the balance, I think.

B: In “The Sky Crawlers”, the descriptions of aviating aircrafts and their movements are amazingly realistic and overwhelming. I know that building model aircrafts is your hobby, Dr. MORI. But, I wonder if you can write the details to this extent, just by basing them on the knowledge of model aircrafts. Other than model aircrafts, have you seriously studied the dynamics and mechanics of airplanes since a long time ago?

MORI: I don’t make plastic model planes, but radio-controlled model planes that can actually fly. The principals of both actual airplanes and models are completely the same, so the knowledge pertaining to them is also the same. I know almost nothing about the actual airplanes. Especially, since I don’t have any interest in fighter aircrafts, I know nothing about them even today. Everything is based on my imagination. I have never done any research on anything for the sake of writing my novels. I don’t write non-fictions. So, I think my novels need not to be the same as the real world. Rather, I believe that the novels that are different from the reality are better.

B: I see. I now notice there might be no profound descriptions about the functionalities of fighter aircrafts, or weapons and such, which you just mentioned that you don’t have any interest in. Since the descriptions of the aircrafts are overwhelmingly realistic, I didn’t notice your indifference about the weapons. It’s a new discovery to me. Also, your remark, “I don’t write non-fictions. So, I think my novels need not to be the same as the real world.” is very strong, and it defines what you are, Dr. MORI. Let us talk about the topic pertaining to what differs from the reality by how much. Although the readers outside Japan may not be able to notice this, many characters in “The Sky Crawlers” have unusual names that even we, Japanese, have never heard of. (For example, Uroyuki, Mugiro, Koime, Aragi, Saiga, etc.) May I ask if they are the symbols indicating that this story takes place “in the future” or “in a different world”? Or, do they convey any other special meanings?

MORI: No special meaning in particular. I came up with such names that have Japanesque tones. Because I imagine, when authors outside Japan try to write stories that take place in Japan, they might decide that the characters would assume such names.

B: About the terminology of “Kildren” indicating “children living forever”. Does it include the meanings of both “kill” and “dorei” (meaning ‘slave’ in English), aside from the fact that it is created from combining the words “kill” and “children”? Does it happen to be similar to the sound of “dorei (slave)” by chance?

MORI: I just named it “Kildren”, based on “children”. I didn’t intend to let it carry the meaning of “kill”. I chose the name just from the phonetics, not from the meaning.

B: You did not let it convey the meaning of “to kill”. I am surprised by the fact that the persuasive echo of the term “Kildren” had managed to still be borne out. With regard to the “Kildren”, I understand that the laws in “The Sky Crawlers” differ from those in our world because it is the story in the future or in a different world. Even so, the Kildren, who are supposed to be children, smoke cigarettes and drive drunk on a daily basis. Are those behaviors the intentional symbols to indicate that they are not afraid of dying?

MORI: I imagine that the characters are probably about 20 years old, so I wrote the stories as those characters in the age group would behave naturally. We know that, back in the old era, even those who are in late teenage years would do such reckless things rather casually.

B: Surely, you’re correct. The Kildren have the appearances as children forever. Still, I get the impression from them that they somewhat seem to take philosophical views after they have matured inside them as much as they have lived. According to the several lines of sentences described at the beginning of “The Sky Crawlers”, the reader can comprehend that the author Dr. MORI values the importance and wonderfulness of “being children forever”. A Japanese novelist named Mr. Takafumi Takada once described Dr. MORI as “a perpetual handicraft wunderkind”. I think many Japanese readers admit that Dr. MORI still has the purity like children have. Is it that Dr. MORI’s inborn nature has continued since your childhood? Or, do you try to be conscious of the issue, by thinking “I have to be like a child as much as possible.” to a certain extent?

MORI: First, about the Kildren, I imagine their appearances to be those of the people in their 20s. I mean, they just recognize themselves as children. Or, from the perspective of elderly people, 20-year-old people should still be regarded as children, correct? Moreover, whether Kildren really exist or not isn’t explicitly written in the book. They might be their own illusions. Then, as for myself, being a child is still one of my wishes. About the only advantage of becoming an adult is to be respected by others.

B: About “The Sky Crawlers”, the animation movie version directed by Mamoru Oshii, a world-class film director, became a big topic of conversation. Dr. MORI, what impression did you have on the movie version?

MORI: I feel that it’s a really wonderful movie. I still think it must be THE masterpiece of the Mamoru Oshii’s movies.

B: The Japanese version of “The Sky Crawlers” series was concluded in five novel volumes and one story collection volume. Dr. MORI, you tell us that “The Sky Crawlers” is your masterpiece, or the mágnum ópus. May I ask if it is the evaluation of just one volume of a novel titled “The Sky Crawlers” itself? Or, is it the evaluation for the entire series, consisting of five volumes and one story compilation volume?

MORI: Back then, I thought the first novel was the best. During the first decade of my activities as a novelist, I thought it was the best novel. However, that is not quite the case anymore, because I managed to write the better piece during the decade in the later half of my career as a novelist. But, I admit that the volume titled “The Sky Crawlers” is still one of my masterpieces. I guess many readers might not think so. As a series, for the stories which I have managed to develop all the way to the end as planned, it would be difficult for me in the future to write anything that surpass “The Sky Crawlers” series.

B: I understand that not only the first novel of “The Sky Crawlers” but also its whole series are the masterpieces of Dr. MORI’s works. When I heard just a moment ago that there is actually a work that is superior to “The Sky Crawlers” during the decade spanning the second half of your career as a novelist, I felt compelled to lean forward more extremely than at any part of the day so far. May I ask what work it is? If you would like to keep it secret, I will accept it, of course.

MORI: I have never announced it to the public. But, exclusively in my fan club, I mentioned it in my lecture and wrote it. “Lady Scarlet Eyes and Her Deliquescence” is the best work during the decade spanning the second half of my career. Also, I think “The Blood Scooper” and “The Lost Cat” are ranked next to that.

B: Among the numerous works of Dr. MORI’s, I surely think “The Sky Crawlers” is a vertex of a polygon. At the same time, Dr. MORI, even though you have many other masterpieces, you regard “The Sky Crawlers” as THE masterpiece. Is it because of the balance of various factors comprising the novels? Or, is there any other particular reason?

MORI: Although it is difficult to express it with words, if I dare to say so, it is based on sensitivity. It also means that I cannot create the same work twice. I guess one of the reasons is that I was being selfless for this novel. I could focus on writing the series because, in the beginning, it was not popular and was not selling well.

B: About “The Sky Crawlers” series, you publicly admitted, “It sells well, thanks to the movie.” Surely, it sold well, partly thanks to the public attention it was getting from being made into a movie by the world-class film director Mamoru Oshii. For the sake of argument, let us define the sales of the whole series, before the movie project was revealed, as 100 percent. By what percentage has the sales figure swollen seemingly?

MORI: Six years had passed from the publishing of the first novel of the series to the announcement of the movie. The sales figure after that was approximately 200 percent of the sales that preceded the announcement. In other words, thanks to the movie version, the total sales had tripled.

B: “The Sky Crawlers” is the first novel to be published in the series, and, at the same time, the last story in the timeline of the whole series. The second novel “None But Air” is the oldest story in the timeline. Did you come up with the idea because you wanted to conduct an experiment to test which work would sell more, “the first novel of the series to be published” or “chronologically the earliest in the storyline of the series”?

MORI: I thought the story was too difficult to easily understand and hard to be serialized, so I wrote the final episode of the series first. Because the movie project started after that, I was given the chance to write the sequel novels. In the initial phase, it didn’t sell at all, as expected. Additionally, readers in general read serialized novels in particular orders, and tend to recommend others to read books in that same order as well. Many of them even declare, “You should read this first, before reading that.” I thought I would intentionally publish the works in the unconventional order, to go against such a cultural trend. The reason is that, after all, I think the order in which readers experience the series of books should not matter at all. If I wanted the readers to experience in the certain fixed order, I would have put the numbers on the volumes.

B: Surely, your series usually don’t have the numbers of the volume and you often say, “Readers can read any work in any order.” You said earlier that you wrote the first novel according to the editor’s request. You also said you could get the chance to write the sequels thanks to the movie project. Which means that there is no request for writing in multiple volumes from the beginning. In your work, you once wrote, “The number of times ‘The End’ is written becomes the career of the author.” On what phase did you decide to conclude “The Sky Crawlers” series with five volumes of novels and one volume of a story collection?

MORI: While I was writing the series, I gradually came to know to some extent how many works I needed to conclude the series. Even though I may decide the number of volumes I plan to write to conclude the series, it would not be easy to make things go as planned. The more I describe the inner being of the main character, the more thoroughly I write everything to the level that there is nothing more for me to write anymore. That makes it difficult for me to continue the series. About this series, when I was writing the third volume, I felt I would need two or three more volumes to complete.

B: Dr. MORI, you have many popular series. I have the impression that you seriously analyzed what percentage of the readers of the first novel can follow the storyline in the series until the conclusion. Are the percentages of the readers following the series, all the way to the fifth volume, also known as the final novel titled “Cradle the Sky”, and reaching the story collection “The Sky Eclipse”, satisfactory for you?

MORI: For any series, the percentage of the readers starting from the first volume surviving to the final volume would be less than 50 percent. There is nothing that I can do about it. I am neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with it. Everyone continues to read what he or she likes. Conversely speaking, those who continue to read the series are good customers. So, the deeper the series goes, the more the readers are willing to accept anything. They would get the special pleasure from the series. Compared to my other series, the gap between the sales of the first and the last volumes for “The Sky Crawlers” is small. In other words, I can say it is the series in which the percentage of the readers who have read all the books in the series is high. Also, another unique feature of the “The Sky Crawlers” series is that its hard cover versions have sold more than the pocketbook versions.

B: Oh, really? That’s interesting. While I’m listening to various episodes regarding the “The Sky Crawlers” series, I can now more clearly understand that “The Sky Crawlers” is the series which has the special meaning for the author himself. The first volume “The Sky Crawlers” itself is Dr. MORI’s masterpiece, of course. But, at the same time, the novel is also the prologue of this magnificent series and the final chapter. I hope the series, which is now taking off to the sky of the whole world, will be loved by the readers all around the world, in the days to come. Dr. MORI, we would like to express our gratitude for sharing this time today.

MORI: It is I who should thank you. I appreciate it.

This interview was conducted in December 2016, exclusively for The BBB: Breakthrough Bandwagon Books.