Hi all! I\u2019m thrilled to tell you that we recently interviewed Kakeru Kobashiri-sensei, the author of the light novel <\/span>The Dawn of\u00a0the\u00a0Witch<\/span><\/i> (<\/span>Mahoutsukai Reimeiki<\/em>)!<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n She revealed to us several fascinating things about the story, her involvement in the manga and anime, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Also, I\u2019ve got a special surprise after the article, so make sure to read until the end!<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Note<\/strong>: This interview has been edited for clarity.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Kobashiri-sensei<\/strong>:\u00a0 I started writing for a magazine when I was 22. I loved video games, so I\u2019d often write articles for that publication.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n K<\/strong>: My work involved writing articles about new releases, game walkthroughs, and the like.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n K<\/strong>: Yeah, it\u2019s like you get to play games all day!<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n K<\/strong>: It was, <\/span>but I also had to play games I wasn\u2019t very good at, and beat the game or clear a certain stage, no matter what. Otherwise, I couldn\u2019t write the walkthrough.<\/span>\u00a0 In that sense, it could be tough, but it was fun too.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n K<\/strong>:\u00a0 It was always my dream to be a writer, ever since I was in elementary school. I guess what started it all was a story-writing assignment for class. <\/span>Since then, I aimed to become a novelist, but I wasn\u2019t able to debut while I was a student. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n At the time, I thought the quality of my writing wasn\u2019t up to par. <\/span>So, once I graduated, I decided to work for this magazine, figuring that the editing department would help me polish my technique.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n K<\/strong>: Oh, absolutely. I\u2019ve been influenced by a lot of overseas works. <\/span>I really liked this series called <\/span>The Saga of Darren Shan. <\/span><\/i>[And] <\/span>Lord of the Rings<\/i> was also a major influence. I loved reading the translated version for younger readers as well. <\/span>A lot of fantasy novels will be translated for younger audiences here in Japan.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n K<\/strong>: It\u2019s hard to say, honestly. Those books are such a core part of who I am today and even shaped my personality. At this point, it\u2019s impossible to say which book influenced me in such-and-such a way.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n K<\/strong>: My routine has pretty much been the same since I debuted 8 years ago: I sleep, play video games and write.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n K<\/strong>: It depends on the day, but I\u2019m usually writing from 12 midnight to 7 A.M. I prefer to work during the night.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n K:<\/strong> Yeah. I\u2019ll either read manga or books, play games or sleep.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n K<\/strong>: That\u2019s right. I\u2019ve got a few bookshelves as well.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n NOTE<\/strong>: Kakeru Kobashiri-sensei is the author of the light novels <\/span>The Dawn of\u00a0the\u00a0Witch<\/span><\/em> (Mahoutsukai Reimeiki)<\/em> and <\/span>Grimoire of Zero<\/strong> (Zero kara Hajimeru Mahou no Sho). <\/span>Grimoire of Zero<\/span><\/em>, takes place in the same world as The <\/em><\/span>Dawn of the\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Witch, but<\/i>\u00a0is set hundreds of years before. You can read this interview (and of course watch the anime) even if you\u2019re not familiar with the story of <\/span>Grimoire of Zero<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n K<\/strong>:\u00a0 I had already written a rough draft of the initial manuscript, so I sent it to Shoij-san, who\u2019s my editor. So he read through it and asked if I\u2019d be okay with publishing it, and I was like \u201cYes! Of course!\u201d [laughs]<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Satoshi Shoji, Kobashiri-sensei\u2019s editor<\/strong>: That\u2019s right, you already had the manuscript, didn\u2019t you?<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n K<\/strong>: Yeah, I was well-prepared.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n S:<\/strong> Oh, yes. The manuscript was really good, so I immediately decided it should be published.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n K<\/strong>: Nobody, actually. I only create characters who\u2019re easy to write! [laughs]<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n K<\/strong>: I decided to write <\/span>The Dawn of the Witch<\/span><\/i> around the time I was finishing the last volume of <\/span>Grimoire of Zero<\/span><\/i>. <\/span>I wanted to write from the viewpoint of a different group of characters than Zero and her friends, because while it is meant to be a continuation of the story, I wanted new readers to feel comfortable picking it up from there. <\/span>I pitched the idea to [my publisher] Kodansha, and they gave it the go-ahead.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n K:\u00a0 Oh yes, I have lots. I keep telling myself: \u201cOne of these days I\u2019ll start on ___!\u201d but never get around to them. Some ideas still haven\u2019t been put on paper for over 3 years [laughs]. <\/span>But if I start to write one story, I concentrate entirely on that, and the other ideas get shelved. So right now, I\u2019m just focusing on writing <\/span>The<\/span><\/i> Dawn of the Witch<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n K<\/strong>: I had most of it planned out by the time I started, aside from making Saybilredacted<\/span><\/strong> the child of Thirteen<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/img.mipon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/15045628\/dawn-witch-723x1024.jpeg\")
Mipon: When did you first begin working as a professional writer?<\/b><\/h3>\n
M: What kind of articles did you write?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
M: That sounds like my idea of a dream job when I was a kid.<\/span><\/h3>\n
M: That must have been fun!<\/span><\/h3>\n
M: Was your job writing for a magazine what inspired you to write fiction?<\/b><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nM: When you\u2019re writing, are you inspired by any overseas media like books or films?<\/b><\/h3>\n
M: Do you still draw inspiration from those books today?<\/span><\/h3>\n
M: How would you describe a typical day\/routine of working on <\/b>The<\/i><\/b> Dawn of the Witch<\/i><\/b>?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
M: How much on a typical day do you spend writing?<\/span><\/h3>\n
M: Do you have free time afterwards? If so, what do you do?<\/span><\/h3>\n
M: And your workspace is the room you\u2019re in right now?<\/span><\/h3>\n
M: How did <\/b>The<\/i><\/b> Dawn of the Witch<\/i><\/b> come to be published as a light novel? For example, was it your idea to write a continuation of <\/b>Grimoire of Zero<\/i><\/b>, or was it suggested by your publisher?<\/b><\/h3>\n
M: So, it was approved very quickly, then?<\/b><\/h3>\n
M: Who was the most difficult character to write\/create?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
M: When did you get the idea to write <\/b>The Dawn of the Witch<\/i><\/b>? Were you still writing <\/b>Grimoire of Zero<\/i><\/b>?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
M: Did you have any story ideas besides <\/b>The Dawn of the Witch?<\/i><\/b><\/h3>\n
M: How much of the plot for <\/b>The Dawn of the Witch <\/i><\/b>did you have planned out when you started writing?<\/b><\/h3>\n
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