Watari Wataru and Sagara Sou are Collaborating on a New Light Novel Series: “Qualidea of Scum and A Gold Coin”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, I’ll be translating it. Details about the new series below the cut!

Basic info:

The novel is a collaboration between Watari Wataru (Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru) and Sagara Sou (Hentai Ouji to Warawanai Neko). It will be illustrated by Saboten and published by Dash X Bunko. The release date is January 23. You can find the Amazon page here.

Synopsis:

Project Qualidea begins!

Told through two perspectives, this is a tale about a world about to end and a dazzling time of youth–

Kusaoka Haruma, a student from a low-end high school, and the angelic kouhai Chigusa Yu. Two people who should not be in the same year level end up meeting as a result of a fateful incident. Abnormal weather, abnormal phenomena, abnormal actions. An ordinary life that falls off the rails little by little, and a bizarre urban legend.

According to “The Random Crossroad” — at midnight, if you come to the end of the T-juncture and choose the wrong path, you can never come back.

As they chase after a girl whose whereabouts are unknown as a result of these events, could what they find exceed Haruma and Yu’s wildest expectations…?!

The first appearance of two hugely popular authors in Dash X Bunko! The masters who took the doujin world by storm enter the light novel world with a vengeance!!

Don’t miss this revolutionary project!

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The character designs are as follows (translation courtesy of Kyakka):

Click on the image to see it in full view.

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Here are the announcement tweets by Dash X Bunko:

「このライトノベルがすごい！」２年連続第１位の「やはり俺の青春ラブコメはまちがっている。」の渡航先生と、「変態王子と笑わない猫。」でおなじみのさがら総先生の超強力タッグでお届け!!　「クズと金貨のクオリディア」ですん！ pic.twitter.com/VahWeXm4ki

— ダッシュエックス文庫編集部 (@dx_bunko) January 15, 2015

Translation (courtesy of yours truly): Watari Wataru-sensei, two-time winner of “Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!” with Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru,  and Sagara Sou-sensei of Hentai Ouji to Warawanai Neko fame combine their might to present: Kuzu to Kinka no Qualidea (Qualidea of Scum and a Gold Coin).

２人の作家さんが視点を交互に切り替えながら書くという実験的な試みながら、渡さん＆さがらさんそれぞれのカラー全開の異種格闘技戦みたいな本になってます（意味深）。

— ダッシュエックス文庫編集部 (@dx_bunko) January 15, 2015

Translation: In an experimental move, the two authors take it in turns writing the POVs. The book will be like a mixed martial arts contest in full colour. (This is a deep metaphor.)

２人のやり取りが爆笑もので、カバーの著者紹介欄とあとがきも必見！ 執筆中の二人の様子が分かるスペシャルメッセージが爆笑の特設サイトも要チェックです!!　http://t.co/WUYIfApIsQpic.twitter.com/iGBagGwdDI

— ダッシュエックス文庫編集部 (@dx_bunko) January 15, 2015

Translation: Their back-and-forths are side-splitting, so the author introductions on the cover + the afterword are must-sees! The hilarious special messages on the site are also required reading for understanding what the authors were thinking!! http://dash.shueisha.co.jp/qualidea/

And here are the special messages in question:

Side S (Sagara Sou)

It happened on a lazy, drizzling afternoon.

As I left the roar of the city behind me, I figured that if I could just rest up my hips in a quaint hot spring somewhere, my work would take care of itself–

To think I fell for such a delusion.

I have memories of a time when my schedule was so all over the place I can’t even refer to a specific time frame. My manuscript was as white as my future was black. So what did I do? My solution was death in the eyes of society. In my situation, going somewhere far away was seriously retarded.

But since there’s no time like the present and all, I immediately set about calling the first number on my contact list.

Sagara: Watarin, you coming to the hot springs?

Watari: Damn! I’m busy right now, though! What’s a man to do?

S: You coming?

W: Oh, whatever.

S: Awesome. I’ll book us a room then.

W: Mm.

Watari was the same as always.

He’d usually turn me down the first time I asked him out for a bite to eat, but then when I actually did take him out, he’d absolutely refuse to say he’ll go home no matter how sleepy-eyed he got.

He was one of those so-called tsundere. He pretty much got like that when you pushed him.

If he didn’t get like that, you could just push him some more.

And if he still didn’t get like that, why let’s just keep pushing him for the hell of it.

With a grin, I shut down my PC. That was the same thing as ending work for the day.

As a matter of fact, my phone rang shrilly a few days later.

W: Hey, wait a sec. You booked different rooms, right?

S: Huh?

W: Huh?

S: We planned to be together, though. Why?

W: Look here…

S: Yes?

W: …

S: …

W: …oh, whatever.

After a long silence and a short sigh, he finally mustered the words, sounding rather hoarse for some reason.

I got to thinking.

Ah, this guy would put up with any crap you deal him.

～ＨＡＰＰＹ☆ＥＮＤ～

And thus, during our hot spring vacation, Qualidea was born.

Sagara Sou

Side W (Watari Wataru)

At this point in time, I have no idea when all this happened either.

All I can remember, though, is that I was stuck on my work. Of that I am certain. I mean, I’m never not stuck on my work! What a conundrum!

In these situations, my working style was pretty much determined for me.

When you don’t have the motivation, wait for the motivation to come.

Alternatively, get someone else to do it.

This was the supremely simple yet equally slavish thinking of a man chained to his job.

For a company employee, being inflexible spells danger. A corporate slave is normally a well-oiled, mass-produced cog in the machine. Now then, what choice must you take if you are to produce something the light novel company way, unable to reach your deadline on time?

There is only one answer.

While you negotiate to extend your deadline as far as humanly possible, you get someone with the motivation and ability to do the job and you deal with it.

Now as for the environment and people that could satisfy those conditions…

As I was getting my thoughts together without getting a new plan together, my private phone that seldom made a noise let out a ring.

Sagara: Watarin, you coming to the hot springs?

Watari: The hell’s this guy saying? Are you a moron or something? I’m kinda busy right now.

S: You coming?

Listen to what I’m saying, damn it!

The guy on the other end of the receiver showed no sign of relenting, almost as if he was at his absolute wits’ end.

Although I felt scared and queasy, I was struck by an ingenious plan.

By that, I mean this conversation was a watari ni fune – a godsend.  I’m Watari and he’s the fune.  In other words, you could say I was Namihei from Sazae-san. Er, not really.

As I was rubbing my scalp forlornly, I gave him an answer.

W: …oh, whatever.

S: Awesome. I’ll book us a room then.

W: Mm.

…JUST AS PLANNED. That pretty much took care of my work.

There was a time when I thought that, too.

A few days later, I got the schedule from Sagara Sou.

–How strange.

No matter how I looked at it, only one room had been booked. I wondered if Sagara Sou was going to sleep in the mountains… the nights in Hakone are pretty cold-ish, so wouldn’t he freeze to death?

He might be a bit kooky and all that, but oh no, I just knew he was an invertebrate, insusceptible to the cold! (Like the Barentsia discreta, for instance.)

Thus, I probably ought to confirm he was a Barentsia discreta, just in case.

W: Hey, wait a sec. You booked different rooms, right?

S: Huh?

W: Huh?

S: We planned to be together, though. Why?

Why, you ask? It sure ain’t good for two young guys to be under one roof. This guy had no inhibitions…

Plus, I’m the kind of guy who can’t concentrate when other people are around.

While I’m at it, let me just say there were plenty of times when Sagara Sou made me eat out with him till morning. No matter how many times I yawned, plainly showing my desire to go home, he would just look at me with watery eyes for some reason. Scary.

That guy is dense as hell. I think he’s got the characteristics of a light novel protagonist. I bet his favourite phrase was something along the lines of, “Oh gee, what did I do this time…? Give me a break…”

If I was spending time in the same room as that Sagara Sou, then it was guaranteed I wouldn’t get any work done.

W: Look here…

S: Yes?

W: …

S: …

W: …oh, whatever.

I should’ve given him a piece of my mind, seeing as we were in the same room and we’d end up stuck together in the futons they laid out after dinner.

I should’ve told him straight… argh. Screw this LN protagonist guy!

And the result of all of this was Qualidea.

With the END far from sight, let alone the ～ＨＡＰＰＹ☆ＥＮＤ～, the curtain rises over a never-ending work hell.

Watari Wataru

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Thoughts: As I’ve announced on the Oregairu translation project page, I’ll be working on Qualidea once I’ve finished Oregairu volume 4. As usual, the translation will be published on Nano Desu. In all likelihood, I’ll begin posting the translation in March, although the novel itself is coming out next Friday. For now, it seems there will only be one volume, although there is certainly a possibility that subsequent volumes will be announced further down the track.

From the looks of it, Watari Wataru will be writing the POV of one protagonist (most likely the Hachiman clone), while Sagara Sou will be doing the other. I’ve translated one volume of Henneko and two volumes of Oregairu, so I’m reasonably familiar with the writing styles of these two authors. Hopefully, I can do this novel justice.

To pre-empt the question – no, I will not be collaborating with Spyro (or any other translator, for that matter). Unlike the novel, the translation will be done solo. Spyro said he’ll be reading the novel and may post some summaries, so keep up with his blog for all the deets.

If you have any more questions/comments about the novel or the translation, feel free to leave them in the comments!