by Anime! Anime! Conducts a reader survey titled “I want you to make it into an anime” twice a year. We are looking for works from the following genres: games, manga, novels, and light novels that you would like to see made into anime.
In particular, many readers vote for “Which light novel/novel would you like to see made into an anime?” every time, and since the first half of 2024, we have been interviewing the authors of works that ranked highly. We asked the authors about their thoughts on being ranked highly and “animation.”
This time, we will introduce an interview with Mizuki Nagano, author of “The One I Fell in Love With, who said to die in place of my sister. Why did my unrequited love who married my sister come to me now? I thought” (TO Books), which ranked third in the second half of 2024. Interview with Mizuki Nagano: “Which light novel/novel would you like to see made into an anime?” Please tell us your thoughts on being ranked high. Thank you! It’s nice to hear you want to see it as an anime. Thank you very much to everyone who voted.
I think this work is happy because some people said, “This will be animated!” for a long time. It has a strong impact, so please tell us how you decided on it. The current title was originally the title for the prologue. After thinking about how to get more people to read it, I realized that the title of the prologue story might be pretty impactful, so I decided to use it as the main title as well.
As a result, the response was great, so it was a success. People who read it often say, “It was different from what I imagined!” (laughs) How do you organize the complicated intertwining of human relationships as you write? It’s not that complicated when I write it. But when I tried to explain it verbally, I realized for the first time that “Huh… maybe it’s pretty tricky. Many people understand it easily when they read the main story.
As with human relationships, the way information is presented is one thing that shows off a writer’s skills, so I always pay attention to organizing the information. Please tell us about your particular attention to writing. I have a lot of small rules for myself, but I think it’s important to “go in the direction that moves my heart.” I’m especially conscious of that in this work. So when I think about when my heart is moved, many things, like expressions and developments, have been decided.
Also, the story’s content requires an essential element of battle action, so I’m doing my best in that area. Battle action elements don’t go particularly well with light novels for women, so I’m trying to find the right balance while also experimenting. A drama CD will be released in August 2024, but how did you feel when you first heard the voices of the characters? I thought, “Professionals are amazing!!” (laughs). I was reminded of the power of the voice.
“Wow, so cool!!” or “It’s so powerful that it’s limiting my precious maiden heart…!!” or “It’s too cute!!” My inner otaku was so busy that my emotions were going haywire.
The cast is fantastic, so I hope many people will listen to it! Please tell us your thoughts on “animation.” Anime is an excellent medium of expression, one of the big things that determined my creation. I had always admired it, but after becoming a writer and seeing the reality, I vaguely realized that it had nothing to do with me.
But while thinking “it has nothing to do with me,” when I write this story, I wave around a mysterious brain-muscle theory that “If I work hard enough to portray it that I can play the animation in my head, it will essentially be animated!!” (laughs). I say, “I thought it was something that had nothing to do with me” because, thanks to all of you who support me, I can dream again of “maybe.”
I am honored that readers say, “I want to see it in anime.” I want to see this work in Anime! Please tell us your enthusiasm for the first half 2025 and your message to readers. I have been far from these projects for a long time, so I am thrilled to be featured in this way.
