The Japanese portal LN-News conducted an interview with Jougi Shiraishiauthor of light novels Majo no Tabitabi (Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina), in commemoration of the launch of the twentieth volume of the work. The interview was carried out with the aim of celebrating the seventh anniversary of the author's career, as well as to review all of his previous works. However, his most important comment was the one where he explained how much content is missing from the franchise in question.
- It's been a while, but could you tell us about your experience in the anime adaptation of “Majo no Tabitabi”?
- Fortunately, I still get a lot of positive feedback, but the impact of the ninth episode is still present. Briefly, episode 9, “A Deep Sorrow from the Past”, was a story about going back in time to find out what caused a friend to become a psychopath. The dispute ends with the murder of a friend. Although I wrote this episode darkly in the original story, I also blurred some parts.
- But the anime portrayed it as the original idea was planned and as a result, it was a shocking episode that received a lot of comments.. What I think about most when I look back at the anime is the response from readers and viewers who watched this ninth episode. He left a strong impression that still lasts.
- Has the anime adaptation influenced your own interpretation of the work?
- I agree. When “Majo no Tabitabi” was adapted into an anime, there were many questions from the production team such as, “What would this place be like?”, or “What image did you have when you mentioned this town?” There were many times when I myself would just respond, “I honestly have no idea.” Although it was my own work, I remember that it was quite difficult to describe the streets and the background scenery, because there were aspects of the city that I didn't really grasp in depth.
- My writing was a “town-to-town story,” so there were many parts of the story that I just glossed over. Then I had to go from that to an anime series, which made me think again that I had to think about it carefully, and I started to handle the names of the countries and the characters as data to take into account.
- This data is also very useful for my current writings and, as expected, when you reach twenty volumes, the number of characters is enormous. That could even lead to repeating the name, so I write as I review the material. However, I think I'm now starting to do what other writers do as a rule.
- Have you already decided on the ending of “Majo no Tabitabi”?
- Yes, I have already decided the ending of the story to a certain extent. But how long will it take to get there? I think it will really take a long time before we get to that point.
- I see. It seems that Elaina's journey still has a long way to go.
- That's how it is. Elaina is portrayed as a mix of what I consider cute elements, a girl I consider an ideal. From the beginning, I have thought that she is a very cute character with a rather poisonous mouth, and even after twenty volumes it hasn't changed my perception. I would like to continue writing stories about Elaina for a long time to come.
Fountain: LN-News
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