Afterword

Afterword

 

THANK YOU ALL for your support! I’m the writer, Yomu Mishima. Every time I have to write an afterword, I agonize over what to say, but this time, I think I’d like to discuss the protagonist of the series.

As you may know, Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs was originally posted on the Let’s Be Novelists website. Those who have read the web version probably already know this, but the course of the story remains largely unchanged. However, the opening is entirely different in the light novel. Also, I’ve revised the scenes where Leon goads the other academy students quite a bit.

In the web version, Miss Deirdre had lines but was never given a name. I gave her one for the second volume of the novel and had her interact more with Leon. I suppose the other big difference is Livia’s hard work. I added a number of scenes to the novel that show her actively participating in events.

At any rate, I could keep listing small differences forever, so I’ll leave it there. Suffice to say, I put a lot of effort into the light novel. It’s not all copy-paste, I promise! It’d be easier to just correct typos and mistakes, then put it up for sale, but that wouldn’t be very enjoyable for those who’ve already read the web version. So I put a lot of effort into polishing this story for you!

I think what I struggled with the most was Leon and how he’s always fanning the flames of people’s anger. I read the comments for the web version and reviews for the light novel on sales sites, and I think one reason I received such high reviews was because of Leon’s ability to agitate people (lol). Therefore, I put a lot of effort into writing a scene where he fires up the other students.

I’m really glad so many of you enjoy the way he gets under people’s skin. I realize Leon is the real protagonist, but I think Luxion is essential as well. I think by having a nasty mouth himself and pointing out all of Leon’s flaws, he makes it easier for people to appreciate Leon’s personality. Leon’s not the type to reflect on what he says, so without Luxion, I think people might just dismiss our protagonist as a jerk.

Luxion also provides Leon with immense power. After all, he’s a cheat item. However, as the writer, I think of Luxion as a necessary element that breathes life into Leon—which is more important (to me) than his functionality as a cheat item.

When I first started writing this story, I just churned out words full blast. But before I started writing, I put a lot of thought into the protagonist. For an otome game world where women are treated favorably and men are treated harshly, I thought someone with a bit of a twisted personality would work best for the protagonist who goes berserk when he reincarnates there.

However, I also thought that readers might not be receptive to Leon if he was by himself. They might not understand him. So I thought it’d be good to insert someone with some more common sense just to point out how crass and shallow the protagonist can be. With Luxion beside him, I felt like Leon could become a popular character.

Actually, when we did a survey where people could vote for their favorite characters, Leon took first place. He actually beat out Angie and Livia. I was shocked!

I’ll do my best to make sure Leon continues pissing people off, so I hope you will continue supporting me in future volumes as well!