It was finally going premium! To be honest, the success Hero had achieved so far had far exceeded my expectations. Of course, I owed it all to the support of my dear readers and the editors' recognition.
Honestly, I was really happy to get this chance to go premium. And before I knew it, I'd already written four volumes of Hero.
Starting with the third volume, I began trying to make some changes. I wonder if any of you noticed. The main reason, of course, was to move away from One-Punch Man's style.
A lot of readers have commented that my novel is a lot like One-Punch Man. Here's what I have to say about that.
It really is quite similar, I admit. I also make plenty of bald jokes in my novel.
But there's one thing I'd like to tell my dear readers... I've been wronged!!!
Because One-Punch Man wasn't the only thing that inspired me when I first started writing this book!!!
Actually, when I first decided to write this novel, what inspired me was American comics and Superman Fantasy. The Superhero Registration Act was the background I borrowed most heavily from Marvel Comics.
Marvel, DC, One-Punch Man, Superman Fantasy, My Hero Academia, and Stephen Chow. All of them inspired me enormously. I admit it: Hero, as I'm writing it now, is a tribute to these works.
In a sense, Hero also incorporates some of my own ideas about superheroes.
At the same time, I'm trying little by little to break away from the feel of those works, even though it's hard. Still, I'll keep trying. After all, an author who doesn't want to write something original isn't a good author.
During these two-plus months of serialization, what made me happiest was that most of my readers were genuinely kind and good-natured. I want to thank you all for that. You've even put up with my typos...
And then there's my writing.
"Someone like me going premium alongside all those big-name authors... I'm so sorry, everyone!!" (The author prostrates himself in apology.)
But I won't give up. I admit my writing really is like an elementary school student's, but I believe I'll improve after honing my skills with Hero. I'll keep working at it.
Next, I have to mention the typos.
"The author prostrates himself before you all once again."
To everyone who's managed to keep reading despite those painfully awkward sentences, I'm truly grateful.
I'll check every chapter I upload from now on, but if you spot anything, feel free to leave a comment and let me know. I'll also gradually fix the typos in the earlier chapters after the book goes premium. I had to travel a while back, and not long after I left, I found out I needed to stockpile chapters for the launch.
I got back on the twenty-third and had to write three chapters a day while also stockpiling more. Now I feel like I've been completely drained... I'm terribly sorry I haven't had the energy to fix the earlier typos, but believe me, I'll correct them all sooner or later!!!
Those are the words of a man.
Lastly, I want to thank you all for your support during this time. Hero probably wouldn't have made it to its premium launch without your encouragement and support.
I'll do my best to write this book well and make sure it has more substance than the usual disposable novels. Though, to be honest, my own head isn't exactly full of substance.
That's all for my thoughts on going premium.
Anyway, thank you all for your continued support, and I hope you'll keep supporting Hero.
One last spoiler: after going premium, I'm planning to write a prequel to Hero.
If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you can find it again next time.