Phenomeno:Volume 04, Afterword To The Afterword

Afterword To the Afterword

I started "Phenomeno" as a project that would allow me to write many of my favorite ghost stories! However, I had always thought that a ghost story was a "short story" and that "the sharpness of the last line" was what made me realize that I could not write a book just by collecting short stories. I realized after I started writing that simply collecting short stories does not make a book. 　

Even though there’s a limit to how inexperienced you could be, I realized later that it was necessary to not only have an ending, but proper development all the way through for a volume. From there, I spent many days in a constant struggle, wondering why I had started such a project, and sometimes becoming desperate, believing that there was no such thing as ghosts. Then on a certain day, I saw it for the first time since I was born. That’s right, a ghost.

There's a river that runs alongside my house, And as I was cycling along the river late at night, I saw the shadow of person ahead of me, illuminated by the dim light. The shadow came up from the river even though it was late at night, and when it noticed me, it seemed startled, and I could see that it was dismayed, as if it was thinking of going back to the river. What is with that guy? As I quickly drew close, the shadow darted off to the other side of the river. I realized it when I reached the place that shadow had been, in the direction it ran off to, was a cemetery, and the shadow was nowhere to be seen.

It was then that I realized something. The shadow only had the lower half of its body all along. I shuddered at not realizing the unnaturalness at all. However, when I think back on it now, I don't think it was very scary. That might have been due to that ghost’s panicked state. Assuming that it really was a ghost—then having a ghost panic, that fresh surprise must have evoked a sense of camaraderie.

At any rate, everyone. It seems that ghosts get surprised too.

Now then, please allow me to write a word of thanks here.

This volume received endorsement from Masaki Tsuji-sensei. As you all know, Masaki Tsuji-sensei has written countless masterpieces of fiction, and he has written countless screenplay masterpieces. He is a living legend in the world of creative works. The soul of that massive creative energy(to be honest, I even thought it was a pen name shared by several authors up to a point), has on this occasion, despite being very busy, read through the six volumes of ‘Phenomeno’, and given me his impressions full of warmth and humor. I’m the person that gets teary eyed when I recall the final episode of ‘Giant Gorg’, and this time as well, I was moved to tears. I’d like to express my deepest thanks. Thank you very much.

February 2016

Ninomae Hajime