On last week’s April Fools’ Day, with a bit of playful intent to “blur the line between truth and fiction,” we announced The Last Poem “story-within-a-story” extra DLC collection project! That said, the sheer star power of the specially invited writers must have come as quite an unbelievable surprise to everyone.
At present, the team of 20 writers has already begun working on the extra DLC, and several of them have even completed their scripts. Starting this week, we will be sharing each writer’s thoughts on the project, as well as their own memories of the “end of the century.”
For our first feature, let us begin with Setoguchi Renya, often jokingly referred to as “a novelist who wandered into the eroge industry”——
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Setoguchi Renya is a Japanese game scenario writer and novelist, born on February 3, 1978, in Japan. In the literary world, he writes under the pen name 唐辺葉介（からべ ようすけ）. His notable works include the visual novels CARNIVAL, SWAN SONG, and KIRA☆KIRA, as well as the novels CARNIVAL, PSYCHE, and Electric Circus.
His writing style is often compared to that of Romeo Tanaka and Fumiaki Maruto, and he is humorously nicknamed “a novelist who wandered into the eroge industry.” In 2023, he contributed to the scenario of BLACK SHEEP TOWN and also released his new work Hira Hira Hihiru.
Hira Hira Hihiru / SWAN SONG
“I feel like I was drifting around without a place to live. Spending an entire day nibbling on a baguette while reading was my small joy.”
“住む場所がなくなってフラフラしていたような気がします。フランスパンを一日かけて囓りながら本を読むのが楽しみでした。”
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A little insider note: Setoguchi-sensei’s short story has already been completed. From a personal standpoint, it’s arguably the strongest short piece he has written in recent years, with a powerful emotional aftertaste. Definitely something to look forward to! ~