The smartphone RPG of “Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?” (abbreviated as DanMachi) called “Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Memoria Freese” is collaborating with “Strike the Blood IV” (abbreviated as StriBlo) from March 25 to April 29, 2021.

“DanMachi” is an otherworldly fantasy, and “StriBlo” is a modern school fantasy, so it could be said that the worlds are far apart, but “we have a lot in common,” says “DanMachi” author Oomori Fujino.
The scenario written jointly by Oomori-sensei and Mikumo-sensei, the original author of “StriBlo,” is a valuable story that makes full use of these “common points.

I interviewed both authors directly to find out what they have in common, how the collaboration came about, and their impressions of each other’s works. This is the first part of a two-part series.

In this first part, which is “spoiler-free”, we asked both authors about their impressions of each other and how the collaboration came about, without getting into the heart of the story.
[Interview and text by Yoneda Kaori].

■What is it like to mingle at a barbecue with other authors of light novels? Talking about their impressions of each other’s works.
–Before we talk about the collaboration, how did you two get to know each other in the first place?

Mikumo: There was a time when light novel authors would get together for a barbecue once or twice a year, and I got to talk with Omori-sensei a few times. Actually, the barbecue was held in Omori-sensei’s hometown.

Oomori: When I first heard about it from the senior writers, I exclaimed, “Oh, it’s five minutes from my parents’ house! I exclaimed. They said, “Well, you should come! That’s how I came to participate.

Mikumo: Omori-sensei always brings us good meat and alcohol. I really appreciate it!

Oomori: My father said, “Take it! He was so happy… (lol)

–Did you originally meet each other after knowing each other’s works? What did you talk about when you first met?

Mikumo: Omori-sensei has been very popular since his debut, so of course I was familiar with his works.
I’ve also enjoyed reading “DanMachi”, so as a reader, I was honored to meet him! I remember how nervous I was. (lol)

Oomori: Thank you very much…! Mikumo-sensei was kind and friendly from the first time I met him. His stories were unique and made me laugh, and I remember being impressed by how nice he was.

–So what were your impressions of each other’s work?

Oomori: I had the impression that Mikumo-sensei’s works had a solid setting and worldview, with foreshadowing from the very first volume, and the more I read, the more I became involved.
Also, the characters are very cute.

–Mikumo-sensei, you said that you enjoyed reading “DanMachi”, what do you find attractive about it?

Mikumo: The way the writing attracts the reader and the careful way the characters are developed. I’m impressed every time I read a volume.

Oomori: Thank you very much. It’s not often that we get the chance to talk about our impressions of each other’s work, so it’s embarrassing (lol)

■”The collaboration was realized through “a common point.”
–How did this collaboration come about?

Oomori: I was approached by the production staff of “DanMemo”. After reading all of the original novels, I thought, “Yes, we do have a lot in common.
I had also met Mikumo-sensei at a barbecue, so I told him that I would love to work with him.

–Mikumo-sensei, how did you feel when you were approached about the collaboration?

Mikumo: Omori-sensei told me directly that he was working on a project like this, and at the time I thought, “No, you’ve got to be kidding!

Oomori: It was while we were eating meat at a barbecue (lol)

Mikumo: Yes, that’s right. So I had already heard about it halfway through, and when I was officially told about it, I was surprised to hear that the project was going to be realized!

–One of the things that we have in common is the voice actors. Some of them are the voice actors who appeared in the game. Hosoya Yoshimasa (Welf Crozzo in “DanMachi” and Akatsuki Kojyou in “StriBlo”), Hayama Ikumi (Naaza Erisuis in “DanMachi” and Kirasaka Sayaka in “StriBlo”), and others.

Oomori: I’ve used voice actors in my previous collaborations, but this time I used more voice actors, probably more than ever before. I thought I was being too naughty when I wrote it, but I couldn’t wait to hear it read with voices.

■Did it all start with Mikumo-sensei’s love for Lefiya? The Secret Story of the Scenario’s Creation
–How did you go about creating the scenario?

Oomori: Since we were collaborating together, I prepared a plot and rough story in advance and submitted it to Mikumo-sensei. We both worked on the adjustments and fleshing out of the story.

–Mikumo-sensei, how did you feel when you read the plot written by Omori-sensei?

Mikumo: It’s no exaggeration to say that the plot was already complete at the plot stage, and Omori-sensei did a great job of creating it, and I read it with a grin from a user’s perspective. I only reworked some of the characters’ tone of voice.

–I see. What were some of the difficulties and things you had to worry about?

Mikumo: It probably took me a long time to decide which characters to introduce.

Oomori: I had a lot of trouble with that. There are so many characters I like in “StriBlo” that at first I asked myself, “Why don’t we include all the true ancestors except for Kojyou? but that was rejected because it would be too much to handle. (lol)

–By the way, who is your favorite character?

Oomori: I have a tendency to fall in love with the main character, and I really like Kojyou.
On the other hand, I tend to be uncomfortable with twisted characters, and I actually had the impression that Sayaka was difficult to get to know at first. But as I continued reading, I came to love her.

I also like La Folia. …… There are so many fascinating characters that I had a real problem deciding.

–I’m also curious about Mikumo-sensei’s favorite character in “DanMachi”.

Mikumo: I like Lefiya. We discussed the characters that would appear in the capsule toy this time, and during the meeting, I asked him, “How about Lefiya?”

Oomori: We immediately said, “Let’s go with Lefiya! (lol)

–So that’s how it happened (lol). Didn’t the interplay between your favorite characters get your writing juices flowing when you were writing the scenario?

Oomori: Hosoya Yoshimasa is the voice actor for Kojyou and Welf, and I really wanted to see them interact. It was the biggest motivation for me when I was working on this scenario.
When I saw the collaboration illustration of Kojyou, Yukina, and Welf together, I remember thinking, “This is the symbol of this collaboration!”

–On the other hand, were there any characters that were difficult to get involved with?

Oomori: There may not have been. When Kojyou tore up Lefiya’s clothes at the beginning of the scenario, I felt like all the restrictions had disappeared. (lol)
We had a lot of candidates for which characters we wanted to involve, but that scene really brought the characters closer together.

It’s all thanks to Mikumo-sensei’s work on the “catching a glimpse of Lefiya”!　Thank you very much!

Mikumo: I didn’t realize that that line of sight had that much of an effect. (lol)

–If there are people who haven’t played the first half of the scenario yet, I’m sure your interest has been piqued at once by the comment you just made. (lol) Finally, do you have a message for those who will be playing the game?

Oomori: I think this is a scenario that can be enjoyed not only by “DanMachi” fans, but also by “StriBlo” fans. After all, the interplay between the characters is the main point of interest.
The entire story is full of terrible …… and wonderful dialogue, so please enjoy it until the end!

Mikumo: I hope you’ll enjoy the cast’s passionate performances as well.

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The second part of the interview, “Spoiler Alert”, will be released at a later date, and it will be a spoiler-filled interview about specific scenes, character descriptions, and other production secrets, so please look forward to it!