Rough translation:
[Re: Zero] Commemorating the announcement of a new OVA! Series author Tappei Nagatsuki tells the secrets of it's creation. "Re: Zero began from wanting to write Emilia" [Interview]
A one-on-one long interview with Tappei Nagatsuki-sensei, the man who brought Re: Zero into the world! What led to the birth of this popular story?
In 2012, it started being serialized at the novel posting website "Let's become novelists", began being published in 2014, became an anime in 2016, and in 2018 the new episode OVA "Re: Starting Life in Another World from Zero, Memory Snow" began showing in theaters; it's "Re: Starting Life in Another World from Zero" (Re: Zero hereafter).
Furthermore! The creation of the second new episode OVA "Re: Starting Life in Another World from Zero, Bonds of Ice" has been decided on.
In the story, the main character Subaru Natsuki suddenly is summoned to another world, and gains the power of "Return by Death" that rewinds time when he dies. It's a story about how Subaru uses the ability Return by Death, saves Emilia and the other friends he meets in the other world, and grows himself, too.
The one who created this story that is gathering attention at an incredible pace is the author, Tappei Nagatsuki-sensei.
Now we've got a one-on-one interview with Nagatsuki-sensei. He'll tell us about this view of the world overflowing with charm, and how he creates his characters.
** If you watch the new episode OVA, you'll enjoy the anime version even more!
-- Can you tell us how you felt when it was decided that "Re: Starting Life in Another World from Zero, Memory Snow" would play in theaters?
I started posting the web version, it changed to the printed version, then following after the anime version is the film version. The dreams I'd somehow been able to depict had been realized one after another, and while I was very happy, I also worried that "This is going too well, isn't it? The bottom's going to drop out sometime, isn't it?" (laughter). But, it's also fun to wonder which dream will be granted next.
-- Do you have any concrete thoughts about your next dream?
My dreams have been granted one after another over the last five or six years, but up to now I've also been quite flustered, and there's no doubt it's been the busiest time of my life. Hence, I'm in the state of having no dreams in stock (laughter). I'd like to think calmly about it after taking a breather.
-- What were your impressions after seeing the completed film?
Amongst those who write novels, there are those who see images of it in their minds, and those who don't, and I'm one of those who doesn't see anything at all. As a result, when I see my own creation made into an anime, I made the discoveries of "Ah, is that how that was?" "Other people saw my novel that way, then.".
-- Does that kind of discovery then reflect in your novel writing?
It does. In a good sense, it's made me feel like I want to write something that's easy to make into anime.
-- Oh, is that different from the text you've written up until now?
More than before, I try to keep in mind that I want to write something that's easy to understand. Thanks to the anime, the number of people reading has increased, I try to avoid using difficult words or seldom-used vocabulary, and such. That sort of thing is just self-satisfaction for the one writing, after all (laughter).
And so, after the anime was made, I try to be aware and write something that's easy to read, and that clearly conveys my intentions, so it should be quite different.
-- What might be the highlights to see?
Well of course because it's Re: Zero, among the people who have seen the anime I think there will be many looking forward to "death" or "heavy". But, this time around none of that occurs. It's a story full of humor.
It's the fun days that we really weren't able to depict in the anime, you see. The main character Subaru Natsuki is fighting in order to get these days back, to protect them. I'd really like people who saw the anime and wondered "Why does Subaru try so hard?" to see this.
Also, the girls are just simply cute (laughter).
-- The production of the second new episode OVA has been announced
At a fairly early stage it was decided there would be two made. We decided that the first would be fun, and the second would be made as a serious story.
This time around, it's the reason for "Why does Subaru try so hard?". The next production will explain "Why is she so determined?" about the heroine Emilia. Both of them complement the TV anime, so if you watch the anime after seeing the OVA, I think you'll be able to enjoy it more.
** Re: Zero started with the heroine Emilia!?
-- If you were to chose your favorite character out of Re: Zero, who is it?
There's no doubt it's Emilia. Emilia is first place, everyone else is second place. This is unshakeable. After all, Re: Zero started because I wanted to write about Emilia.
-- Oh! Is that so?
It started with wanting to write about a main character helping a silver-haired beautiful girl. I just thought up the rest as I went along.
-- You have a thing for silver hair, then.
I simply like it, the silver hair. The heroines in all the stories I've written so far have been silver-haired or red-haired. Even in Re: Zero, the heroine Emilia has silver hair, and I gave Reinhard the strongest character in the story, red hair.
-- I see! By the way, the ability "Return by Death" that Subaru holds has become something of a representative element of Re: Zero, but how did this detail of the story come to be?
At first, I thought I'd make the main character stronger bit by bit. But when I tried writing it, it wasn't interesting.
Turning things around a bit, upon thinking that I'd like to make it into a story where the main character has terrible struggles, I thought that I'd give the main characters great trials to make him grow. Thinking further about what the greatest trial would be, the answer "Death" came to me.
-- Subaru dies each time in many different ways, indeed.
From my view on it, I feel that there's nothing that's worth as much as life. Taking back that life is the role of the main character. In order to take back the life of the heroine or the life of other people he's involved with, he offers his own life. Only a life is worth as much as a life, after all.
It's just that, I didn't want him using lives one after another to take things back, and the thing I most wanted to avoid was having the readers think "It would be fine if he'd just die, wouldn't it?". As a result, I've tried to keep Subaru from even once having an easy death.
Each time, he's given painful thoughts, and he'll never get used to dying. I have to make him think "I never want to see this view again.", you see. So, I kill him properly.
-- To Nagatsuki-sensei, is there one death that left the greatest impression on you?
As the one writing it, I'm basically linked with the protagonist Subaru, so the deaths that he hated remain with me.
Out of those, being eaten by animals is frightening. That's probably the worst, indeed. I feel that being eaten alive by animals is very fearsome, so the that impression has stayed with me.
** The trials of having started as a web author?
-- In turning something that was written on the web into printed form, what kind of troubles were there?
The nice thing about the web is that there's no limit on the word count. You can write as much as you like about what you want to write. But, that doesn't work with novels. In one volume, you have to have a beginning and an end, after all.
Also, you can read the web version for free, but you have to pay for the printed version, so while going through the content of the web version, the printed version has to be more polished, so that creates pressure, as you'd expect.
At the start of things, I was told by the editor "Please cut down on the word count, and add more events." and I thought "Is this guy crazy?" (laughter). But, thanks to that, I think the content of the printed release is richer, I was able to add more events, and the work is more complete. Perhaps this is a trouble that only occurs for web authors.
-- Are there any novels or manga that have had an influence on you?
To me, there are three light novels that got me started. "Ragnarok", that gave me the chance to start writing light novels. "Dances with the Dragons" that has had an influence on some parts of the story. As for writing style, it's "The Ending Chronicle".
I'm not sure if you'd say I'm imitating "Dances with the Dragons" and "The Ending Chronicle", or if it feels like I'm being pulled along by them.
As for manga, "Dai's Big Adventure" is my favorite manga in the world. The magic user Pop gets beaten down by various trials, and standing up again, is exactly the same pattern as Re: Zero's Subaru, isn't it (laughter). I like that context, indeed. So, Pop is my favorite character in the world.
-- For sure! Pop and Subaru have a lot in common. With that, please give us a last message for the readers.
The anime exist thanks to the people who create anime. What I can do is write text, so I'll leave the web version as-is, and continue to write the printed version, and do my best to give back to everyone who has helped. I hope you'll continue to enjoy Re: Zero. With that, if you enjoy it, I'd be pleased if you'd let me know (laughter).