Volume 2 of Dense Main Character-kun is OUT! Just in time for the holidays! Also, the silly origins of this beloved series!
Long time no see, everyone! I missed you all very much! Today is a very special day, here on the Mofu Blog! This is likely the lengthiest blog entry to date, so you might want to grab a cup of hot cocoa or something!
I’m more than pleased to announce that I’m finally finished with my moving arrangements and thankfully, the weather over here is quite lovely! Yup! Well, that’s it for this entry, happy holidays!~
Hmm? What? You had something else in mind? Nope, nothing here!
Pffttt… who am I fooling with this title?
Volume 2 of my Debut Fluffy Weird yet heartwarming Gender Bender Romantic Comedy Light Novel series My Best Friend is Dense Harem Main Character-kun, But Why am I the Heroine?! is out for all readers to enjoy! Aahhhhhh, you have no idea how much I’ve longed to say these words! It’s been far too long, so let’s get right into it!
Quite some time has passed since Volume 1 premiered back in July, right? Before we discuss details about the long-awaited sequel, let’s talk a little about the novel that started it all!
As mentioned in the lengthy afterword from the 1st book: Dense MC-kun was an idea that originally sprouted a few years back during my college days. I remember it quite fondly— I was a bit bummed out, because it was the night before fall semester began, so in order to bring up my spirits, I decided to watch anime! (Doesn’t everyone do that?) As someone who really enjoys cute fluffy rom-coms and slice-of-life shows, I chose to watch something that fit those two genres while still being widely well-received during that season.
That anime turned out to be Izumi Tsubaki’s famed Monthly Girl’s Nozaki-kun , a rom-com about an aspiring artist who finds herself in a manga assisting position with her crush after a series of hilarious misunderstandings. I absolutely adored it and I was so entranced by the lovable characters and over-the-top goofy humor that I marathoned the entirety of it in one sitting. It was quite the memorable experience and it was one of those magical moments that you try to recreate with other shows, but it just doesn’t happen when you force it. ...Yeah, in case you were wondering, I stayed up pretty late that evening, but fortunately, I believe I had classes in the afternoon the following day, therefore, it was not much of an issue.
Now, the reason why I suddenly brought up Nozaki-kun is because it is one of the biggest influences as to why I began writing this fluffy series of mine and started writing novels in general. Well, there’s a lot more reasons for the latter, but as for the former: there were several parts and skits in Nozaki-kun that were so hilarious that they made me literally laugh out loud, but one scene in particular stood out to me more so than the rest. If you’ve seen the show and read this story, then I think you might already know which one I’m thinking of. Of course, the skit that lead to me writing my very own light novel series was when the titular male lead Nozaki decided to play a visual novel game for inspiration after hitting a creative slump with his own in-universe shoujo manga series. Thinking about it, that’s incredibly appropriate considering our discussion right now. Wow, fate sure has a way of bringing things together…
Anyway, he plays this game along with his assistant and after trudging through several button taps and lines of dialogue, they come to a hilarious conclusion. They realize that the person who cares the most about the generic voiceless player character is his selfless best friend who was always by his side through thick and thin. Sympathizing with this thankless but wholesome character, the duo work together to give him his very own happy ending using skills from their manga work. At first, they’re conflicted about who they should match this character up with— who would bring him the most happiness? Of course, after seconds of careful consideration, the answer is as clear as can be. That special someone turns out to be the player character who he was willing to go the distance for!
I thought that this was such a fun bit, but it had me thinking about the concept of what would eventually become my very first light novel series. What if that super caring and considerate best friend of a dense harem protagonist were to find themselves as the main heroine one day? What if the side character who is constantly going out of their way to look after the lead from the sidelines was suddenly brought into the spotlight? How would a rom-com like that play out? How would it shake things up from your standard everyday harem story?
Often in harem series, it’s quite common for the protagonist to have a caring best friend like the one from that scene. For example: Clannad’s Sunohara, Nisekoi’s Shu, and Highschool DXD’s Kiba. (in this case, he considers him and Issei to be bff’s and author Ishibumi actually did genderbend him a few times into a cute girl for the giggles!) There are others out there, but you get the gist of it. I always felt like these types of characters got the short end of the stick despite how helpful they can be and just as Nozaki and Mikorin, I wanted to give one the happy ending they deserved! Thus, this novel series was conceived in my head, but only recently did it become a real story that could be read for everyone to enjoy. One night, I was bored more so than usual, so I randomly decided to try my hand at writing a synopsis for this interesting idea I had. Although it was rough, I was so enamored with the concept and brimming with inspiration that I somehow ended up with a complete manuscript after a few months of work, which would later be polished into the first volume… I can’t say for sure what spurred this on back then, however I couldn’t be any happier that I did it. Writing has been challenging and it takes frustratingly long to reach that back-matter page, but the satisfaction of having done it is truly fulfilling.
Here's a YT link of the scene if you're interested!
Now that you understand the humble beginnings of this series, let’s talk about the future of it, particularly, the sequel whose ebook officially went live on Amazon just a few days ago! I was surprised at how quickly the page went up on this very website! I’ve mentioned it in the past, but this direct sequel primarily focuses on the daily school life between Hiro (the dense MC-kun) and Tomo, who is now a cute girl. Hence the reason why it is subtitled: “Doki Doki School Days” which was actually suggested by the official artist by the way! Speaking of Miss Alice Vu, how about this incredible cover art, huh?! In this arc, some of the characters that were mentioned in Tomo’s briefing (from chapter 1) finally make their debut here! Sakura High’s super number one ultra-popular bubbly idol senpai Rumi-Rumi-chan and Shota Himegami, an idol hopeful have been masterfully brought to life by a true artisan of “moe kyun kyun~” and digital ink! Rumi certainly gives off that smug senpai vibe, wouldn’t you say? And with that glistening ice silver hair and gorgeously rendered dress and accessories, it’s not all that surprising to see why she’s so popular. As for the character who took the cover spotlight this time, Hime really does evoke the impression of someone trying their absolute hardest. I absolutely adore the cute outfit that Alice conjured up for him and those cute fangs are way too precious! You just can’t help but want to root for him! Ganbatte, Hime! You’ll get there one day, I’m sure of it! Honestly, it still amazes me how incredibly talented Alice is, to be able to create amazing original character designs from my words alone is no easy feat, but I’d say she really outdid herself this time! I’m beyond honored to be working with her on this series and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with for the next one!
Yeah, it’s just as jaw-droppingly impressive as the first time I saw it. I think she really outdid herself this time! You absolutely nailed it, Alice!
After a few unfortunate delays, My Best Friend is Dense Harem Main Character-kun, But Why am I the Heroine?! Volume 2: Doki Doki School Days is finally here and I couldn’t be any happier to tell you folks this highly anticipated annoucement! I apologize for the long wait, but writing can be difficult and that’s on top of life’s own problematic hurdles. But even so, it really was quite the wait if you read it on Day One, so I’m really sorry about that T_T. On the bright side, I can say that Volume 3 is already in development! That’s right! The sequel to this sequel that just got announced today is being worked on as of this posting! It’s still too early to talk about the details of that one without going into spoiler territory, so look forward to a future post to hear more about it!
As always, this is the part where I tell you how grateful I am that you readers enjoy this crazy idea of mine. You wonderful and supportive people are why I can continue writing and feel motivated to do so. Thank you so much for all of the encouragement! I promise that the wait for the 3rd volume won’t be as glacially agonizing as it was for this one!
Please enjoy the latest installment of this cute, fluffy and heartwarming rom-com when you can get around to reading it and may you and your loved ones have a truly special and happy holiday! Happy New Year as well in case I don’t see ya!
-Until our next meeting in 2019!~
I’m more than pleased to announce that I’m finally finished with my moving arrangements and thankfully, the weather over here is quite lovely! Yup! Well, that’s it for this entry, happy holidays!~
Hmm? What? You had something else in mind? Nope, nothing here!
Pffttt… who am I fooling with this title?
Volume 2 of my Debut Fluffy Weird yet heartwarming Gender Bender Romantic Comedy Light Novel series My Best Friend is Dense Harem Main Character-kun, But Why am I the Heroine?! is out for all readers to enjoy! Aahhhhhh, you have no idea how much I’ve longed to say these words! It’s been far too long, so let’s get right into it!
Quite some time has passed since Volume 1 premiered back in July, right? Before we discuss details about the long-awaited sequel, let’s talk a little about the novel that started it all!
As mentioned in the lengthy afterword from the 1st book: Dense MC-kun was an idea that originally sprouted a few years back during my college days. I remember it quite fondly— I was a bit bummed out, because it was the night before fall semester began, so in order to bring up my spirits, I decided to watch anime! (Doesn’t everyone do that?) As someone who really enjoys cute fluffy rom-coms and slice-of-life shows, I chose to watch something that fit those two genres while still being widely well-received during that season.
That anime turned out to be Izumi Tsubaki’s famed Monthly Girl’s Nozaki-kun , a rom-com about an aspiring artist who finds herself in a manga assisting position with her crush after a series of hilarious misunderstandings. I absolutely adored it and I was so entranced by the lovable characters and over-the-top goofy humor that I marathoned the entirety of it in one sitting. It was quite the memorable experience and it was one of those magical moments that you try to recreate with other shows, but it just doesn’t happen when you force it. ...Yeah, in case you were wondering, I stayed up pretty late that evening, but fortunately, I believe I had classes in the afternoon the following day, therefore, it was not much of an issue.
Now, the reason why I suddenly brought up Nozaki-kun is because it is one of the biggest influences as to why I began writing this fluffy series of mine and started writing novels in general. Well, there’s a lot more reasons for the latter, but as for the former: there were several parts and skits in Nozaki-kun that were so hilarious that they made me literally laugh out loud, but one scene in particular stood out to me more so than the rest. If you’ve seen the show and read this story, then I think you might already know which one I’m thinking of. Of course, the skit that lead to me writing my very own light novel series was when the titular male lead Nozaki decided to play a visual novel game for inspiration after hitting a creative slump with his own in-universe shoujo manga series. Thinking about it, that’s incredibly appropriate considering our discussion right now. Wow, fate sure has a way of bringing things together…
Anyway, he plays this game along with his assistant and after trudging through several button taps and lines of dialogue, they come to a hilarious conclusion. They realize that the person who cares the most about the generic voiceless player character is his selfless best friend who was always by his side through thick and thin. Sympathizing with this thankless but wholesome character, the duo work together to give him his very own happy ending using skills from their manga work. At first, they’re conflicted about who they should match this character up with— who would bring him the most happiness? Of course, after seconds of careful consideration, the answer is as clear as can be. That special someone turns out to be the player character who he was willing to go the distance for!
I thought that this was such a fun bit, but it had me thinking about the concept of what would eventually become my very first light novel series. What if that super caring and considerate best friend of a dense harem protagonist were to find themselves as the main heroine one day? What if the side character who is constantly going out of their way to look after the lead from the sidelines was suddenly brought into the spotlight? How would a rom-com like that play out? How would it shake things up from your standard everyday harem story?
Often in harem series, it’s quite common for the protagonist to have a caring best friend like the one from that scene. For example: Clannad’s Sunohara, Nisekoi’s Shu, and Highschool DXD’s Kiba. (in this case, he considers him and Issei to be bff’s and author Ishibumi actually did genderbend him a few times into a cute girl for the giggles!) There are others out there, but you get the gist of it. I always felt like these types of characters got the short end of the stick despite how helpful they can be and just as Nozaki and Mikorin, I wanted to give one the happy ending they deserved! Thus, this novel series was conceived in my head, but only recently did it become a real story that could be read for everyone to enjoy. One night, I was bored more so than usual, so I randomly decided to try my hand at writing a synopsis for this interesting idea I had. Although it was rough, I was so enamored with the concept and brimming with inspiration that I somehow ended up with a complete manuscript after a few months of work, which would later be polished into the first volume… I can’t say for sure what spurred this on back then, however I couldn’t be any happier that I did it. Writing has been challenging and it takes frustratingly long to reach that back-matter page, but the satisfaction of having done it is truly fulfilling.
Here's a YT link of the scene if you're interested!
Now that you understand the humble beginnings of this series, let’s talk about the future of it, particularly, the sequel whose ebook officially went live on Amazon just a few days ago! I was surprised at how quickly the page went up on this very website! I’ve mentioned it in the past, but this direct sequel primarily focuses on the daily school life between Hiro (the dense MC-kun) and Tomo, who is now a cute girl. Hence the reason why it is subtitled: “Doki Doki School Days” which was actually suggested by the official artist by the way! Speaking of Miss Alice Vu, how about this incredible cover art, huh?! In this arc, some of the characters that were mentioned in Tomo’s briefing (from chapter 1) finally make their debut here! Sakura High’s super number one ultra-popular bubbly idol senpai Rumi-Rumi-chan and Shota Himegami, an idol hopeful have been masterfully brought to life by a true artisan of “moe kyun kyun~” and digital ink! Rumi certainly gives off that smug senpai vibe, wouldn’t you say? And with that glistening ice silver hair and gorgeously rendered dress and accessories, it’s not all that surprising to see why she’s so popular. As for the character who took the cover spotlight this time, Hime really does evoke the impression of someone trying their absolute hardest. I absolutely adore the cute outfit that Alice conjured up for him and those cute fangs are way too precious! You just can’t help but want to root for him! Ganbatte, Hime! You’ll get there one day, I’m sure of it! Honestly, it still amazes me how incredibly talented Alice is, to be able to create amazing original character designs from my words alone is no easy feat, but I’d say she really outdid herself this time! I’m beyond honored to be working with her on this series and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with for the next one!
Yeah, it’s just as jaw-droppingly impressive as the first time I saw it. I think she really outdid herself this time! You absolutely nailed it, Alice!
After a few unfortunate delays, My Best Friend is Dense Harem Main Character-kun, But Why am I the Heroine?! Volume 2: Doki Doki School Days is finally here and I couldn’t be any happier to tell you folks this highly anticipated annoucement! I apologize for the long wait, but writing can be difficult and that’s on top of life’s own problematic hurdles. But even so, it really was quite the wait if you read it on Day One, so I’m really sorry about that T_T. On the bright side, I can say that Volume 3 is already in development! That’s right! The sequel to this sequel that just got announced today is being worked on as of this posting! It’s still too early to talk about the details of that one without going into spoiler territory, so look forward to a future post to hear more about it!
As always, this is the part where I tell you how grateful I am that you readers enjoy this crazy idea of mine. You wonderful and supportive people are why I can continue writing and feel motivated to do so. Thank you so much for all of the encouragement! I promise that the wait for the 3rd volume won’t be as glacially agonizing as it was for this one!
Please enjoy the latest installment of this cute, fluffy and heartwarming rom-com when you can get around to reading it and may you and your loved ones have a truly special and happy holiday! Happy New Year as well in case I don’t see ya!
-Until our next meeting in 2019!~
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Daniel wrote: "Congrats on volume 2.Just remember; a story can only go a certain length of time before the reader feels as though there is no progress. My advice too is to keep it at 4 volumes so that you don't ..."
Thank you so much for stopping by here, (and for buying the books, of course) Daniel! Sometimes it gets lonely here... I will take your feedback seriously! However, this series does have a set length that I'm pretty fixed on, there are characters and scenes that I'm rarin' to get writing and I can't wait to show them to you wonderful folks! Your readership means a ton to me and I hope that you'll stick around for the journey! Feel reassured that the next volume is definitely more plot-heavy and doesn't focus on any side characters! Also, have no fears about burnout, I love this series a ton, so it's actually kind of stress relieving for me, haha!
Just remember; a story can only go a certain length of time before the reader feels as though there is no progress. My advice too is to keep it at 4 volumes so that you don't get burned out before completing your work, and to remember what the core story is. It may be tempting to keep a certain sub plot going such as her trying to be the cupid of love, but you've introduced enough concepts that you will also have to tie those ends up as well. Especially as it relates to the minor plot points introduced.
Good luck with volume 3. I went ahead and bought the other 2 volumes for some light reading.