Anime Corner had the chance to get a short run-down with author Yomu Mishima about his novel announced.
Q: What inspired you to write the story of Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games Is Tough for Mobs?
A: I started writing stories for women on a novel submission website that I use, because ‘villainess stories’ were becoming more and more prominent.
I read them and found them interesting, so I thought it might be interesting to write a story for men., so I started to create a plot.
Q: Do you personally play otome games? What other games do you play?
A: I was going to play otome games. However, I gave up when I found out that ‘villainesses don’t often appear in otome games’. In of games, I have recently been playing craft-based games.
Q: If you could pick, would you rather be the protagonist or an NPC?
A: It depends on the work, but I suppose I would be an NPC.
Q: Many people now believe that we are living in a simulation, do you agree or disagree?
A: In the current lack of clear evidence, I would have to take the opposite position.
Q: Your protagonist, Leon, is a rather controversial anti-hero type character in the story. How did you develop him? What do you like the most and the least about him?
A: I want Leon to eventually break free of his anti-hero status and become a hero. To achieve this, I have depicted his spiritual growth in the story. As an author, my favorite part of Leon is that he is full of action when he makes decisions. The part I dislike is that it is difficult to write romantic scenes with the heroines because Leon is not a character suitable for a harem.
Q: If you were in the same school as Leon, would you be his friend or despise him?
A: When I created the character of Leon, my priority was that he would be an interesting guy to have as a friend. So I would like to be friends with him.
Q: If you could reincarnate in another world, what would that world be like?
A: I would be delighted if it was a world similar to the real world, but more peaceful.
Q: What are your favorite anime, manga, or light novels?
A: My recent favorite is the manga Versus, original by ONE.
Q: What determines whether a story is good or bad?
A: It’s whether the reader enjoyed it or not.
Q: Do you think artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT, will influence storytelling in the industry?
Yomu Mishima: I think artificial intelligence will have an impact. However, I also expect that when artificial intelligence starts writing fiction, it will be biased towards generally pleasing works for a large audience. Then our own future work may be to write novels for a small number of readers who are not satisfied with the novels of artificial intelligence.
Q: What advice would you give to new aspiring writers?
A: Write before you learn. Learn while you write, okay?
Yomu Mishima is also known under his pseudonym Wai, which he used in the past. Besides Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs, he is also known for Seventh, I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! and more.
Big thanks to Mishima-san for agreeing to this interview! We can’t wait to see where MobSeka goes in the future. Make sure to follow the author on Twitter/X.
© Yomu Mishima / Micro Magazine
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