Yatagarasu Series
Volume 9:
The Raven's Loyalty
Author: Abe Chisato
Commentary
When I encountered the Yatagarasu series, I was not in charge of the sales floor; I was in a department that had little to do with new publications and couldn’t easily get involved with new products. At that time, a colleague who worked on the sales floor recommended the series to me.
“If you like fantasy, you will definitely like this,” they said, and offered me a copy of Ravens Shouldn’t Wear Kimono.
It was truly fascinating. I was completely taken in by Duchess Asebi’s adorableness, I was on edge over Shiratama’s plight, and I thought that Hamayū was so cool! I couldn’t figure Masuho no Susuki out at all. Chisato Abe had me eating out of the palm of her hand.
I was captivated by Yamauchi, and I remember being astonished by the ending. I enjoyed The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master just as much and was convinced that I’d stumbled across a masterpiece. I have rarely experienced so much joy from reading books.
In the spring of 2018, a fateful personnel transfer was announced, and I became responsible for the sales floor! When I first took up the post, a highly skilled literature buyer was running the floor, so I tried not to be too forward and quietly kept a low profile (I hope I managed to keep it low).
I could no longer hold back my opinions or my excitement when I finished reading The Raven’s Paradise. I received a galley proof copy to read. I read it straight through at home on the same day I got it. I became so excited that I grabbed my copy and ran straight to the bookstore. I couldn’t bear to be the only one in the world who’d read this book and knew what happened!
A fellow fan and colleague told me later that they were quite surprised when I showed up like that, but they agreed to read the copy I had and were soon just as excited as me.
At the time, we were in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under normal circumstances, we readers would want to convey our impressions directly to Ms. Abe at a signing or another event, but there were no events planned for the publication of this novel.
I wanted to make sure the book was publicized to a wider audience; I also wanted to provide opportunities for fans to share their feedback with the author. So my colleague and I thought about it, and we decided to hold an event in the store where spoilers were allowed and there could be open discussion of the book.
After consulting with the editor in charge at Bungeishunjū, we created the online event called, “Spoilers Welcome! A Deep Dive into The Raven’s Paradise.”
The event was made possible by Ms. Abe’s skill as a speaker and the facilities provided by Bungeishunju. I hope we were able to convey the readers’ feedback and excitement to Ms. Abe, just as I hope I’m conveying at least some of the appeal of this series to the readers of this commentary.
The world of Yamauchi exists in Ms. Abe’s mind in such vivid detail. I’m always so amazed when I get to speak to her about it. Even small, seemingly insignificant details have relevance later. Readers—not just me—appreciate the solidity of the structure and world-building of these stories.
I was stunned by The Raven’s Paradise, which was so different compared to the first series, and I was shocked again by The Raven’s Reminiscence. I was feeling a little uneasy about what came next after that. The Raven’s Loyalty, which has a lighter tone and touch throughout, makes me want the next book as soon as possible.
The Raven’s Loyalty is about Prince Natsuka and his attendants, including Rokon and Suikan. Rokon has been a fixture since the second book in the series; Suikan became important as Yukiya’s rival in The Raven of the Empty Coffin.
Natsuka, Rokon, and Suikan have such strong personalities! I never knew that Suikan came from such a hard-luck background, and some of young Instructor Seiken’s actions are pretty wild. Am I the only one who thought Seiken and Suikan were kind of weird?
And poor Natsuka! The theme song of Old Enough kept running through my head during his sections. I feel like I now understand why so many readers add “-sama” to Natsuka’s name.
I completely agreed with the handwritten autograph board that Ms. Abe made. She wrote, “The adolescence of monsters!” on it.
We also get to see what Natsuka and several other characters were thinking and doing during the final chapters of The Raven’s Reminiscence. How will Natsuka’s choices intersect with Yukiya’s? I’m so curious about what happens next.
I feel like I understand Rokon better after reading The Raven’s Loyalty, but really, he was terrifying before and he’s even more terrifying to me now. Violence is absolutely not okay.
As I mentioned earlier, bookstore staff are sometimes allowed to read the galley proofs before the release date. For the Yatagarasu series, these galley proofs are especially important. Staff at each bookstore use the galley proof content as the basis for preparing in-store displays. The Yatagarasu series has a solidly established image of Yamauchi, and Natsuki’s beautiful illustrations are eye-catching by themselves.
Arranging decorations so that they enhance the work without rigidly interpreting it is where bookstore staff can really show their skill. Some even hand-make miniature Yamauchis or create cut-paper decorations; seeing those wonderful displays at other bookstores is something I look forward to, and I still go back and look at the pictures from in-store display contests now and then. If you have never seen them, search for them online! You deserve to see all those beautiful decorations.
Unfortunately, I have almost no artistic sense, but I really did try to express what I thought based on reading the galley proofs. Luckily for me, the 100-yen shops are well stocked with everything needed for decorations. I prepared artificial flowers for each season, cotton to represent snow, various kinds of green masking tape and poster board, and then I asked a staff member who could draw to make a picture of a Yatagarasu. I decided that I wanted hydrangeas, too, so several of us folded them as origami flowers. At our store, my clumsiness is overcome through sheer manpower! (Many thanks to my colleagues who helped without even knowing why.)
Decorations are set up on the day of or slightly before the new release so that we can both announce a book’s publication and shout out our love for it from the sales floor.
One of the quirky characteristics of the Yatagarasu series is the feedback we receive from customers. They aren’t shy about telling us how much they enjoy the books, and lots of people eagerly await signed copies. Thank you, everyone! I hear people recommending the series to friends and have to hold myself back from joining the conversation. I don’t want to talk too much and put people off the series altogether. But if anyone wants to talk about the series, please feel free to talk to me!
The Yatagarasu series stirs up strong feelings in those who read it. I’m delighted to be a bookstore clerk so that I can help share such stories with readers.
I imagine many people have mixed feelings about this volume: you didn’t want it to end, yet you cannot wait to read the next volume. Let’s all wait together to see what will happen next in Yamauchi.
Ms. Abe, we look forward to more stories!
Yamaguchi Namiko
Bookstore Clerk, Sales Floor Staff, Sanseido Bookstore Yurakucho Branch
Pictures shown are bookstore decorations at the time of the hardcover publication of The Raven’s Loyalty in 2022.
Translator's Notes
Bungeishunjū is a Japanese publishing company known for its leading monthly magazine of the same name.
Old Enough is a long-running Japanese reality TV series where toddlers perform errands for their parents or older siblings for the first time.
-sama is an honorific ending in Japanese that is more exalted and respectful than -san.
Natsuki is the artist name of an illustrator who has won many awards in Japan, including BCBF 2016 Japan Illustrator Mail. They illustrate the covers of the Yatagarasu series.
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