『トブルクの魔女』全文掲載

水無月十三さんの絵を古川ヘッツァーさんが彩色した『トブルクの魔女』のイメージイラストです。

少しでも多くの方々に小生の『トブルクの魔女』を楽しんでいただければと思い、小説本編をpixivに公開しました。

飽くまでも小説本編だけですので付随する挿絵や地図は同人誌版をご参照ください。

また、同人誌版ではたくさんの方々が寄稿されていますので、是非ともご購入をご検討ください！

第8装甲連隊C94夏コミ情報と新刊依託販売のお知らせ

どうもです。兼光でございます。夏コミは思った以上に暑くならなくてよかったですね。7月の酷暑で色々心配になっていましたが、比較的落ち着いた気温で何よりでした。

今更ですが、夏コミに無事当選して新刊の発行に漕ぎ着けました。新刊は二つで片方はかなり濃厚な資料本の『ネウロイ大戦のインド陸軍』で、もう片方の『油照』はミニポスター集のようなA4サイズのミニポスター集でした。

詳細についてはpixivをご参照頂けると何よりです。第8装甲連隊夏コミC94のラインアップのお知らせ

『ネウロイ大戦におけるインド陸軍』はとらのあな様から委託販売をお願いしていますから、もしご興味ありましたらどうか宜しくお願い致します！

 

 

8th Panzer Regiment News – Aug, 2018

This past summer Comiket (C94) is the last Comiket during the Heisei period (the Emperor is abdicating in April 2019, so the Heisei will be changed to a new period name), and there was a lot of concern the July heatwave might leave many peope to suffer from heat stroke, but the thankfully, the temperature moderated somewhat. It was hot, but not at all like July. We were worried about a typhoon more than anything else, and even that was steered clear of Tokyo, so we were lucky.

The latest offering at Comic Market 94 were two books: India’s War against the Neuroi and Swelter.

I prepared a lot of notes regarding the Indian Army, especially regarding the cavalry units as I was researching my next installment of the Lionheart Witch and this book is the culmination of those efforts. I tried my best to present a coherent description regarding how India fought against the Neuroi, with a particular emphasis on the period prior to WW1 leading up to the early years of WW2.

The tank witches of WW2 employed land battle striker units (LBSU) is large numbers, but striker units (the mechanical contraptions worn on the legs) were matured into its current form in the late 1930s. However, this does not mean witches were not engaged in combat against the Neuroi prior to this. Witches could be divided into “broom riders” (those with the ability to easily fly in the skies) and “cavalry witches”. The vast majority of witches were land based witches, and cavalry witches were the most organized component of witch military forces. (There where multiple other types of witch formations, but that is something to be covered at a different time.)

This book tries to cover the cavalry witches in detail, with emphasis on how the mounted cavalry witches coordinated activities with other arms of the Indian Army and how the cavalry witches eventually became mechanised witch cavalry and thus evolved into armoured witch regiments.

I also covered the support elements, the Royal Indian Army Service Corps (RIASC) and the Indian Army Ordnance Corps (IAOC), as well as briefly explain how they were incorporated into the Indian Army Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (IEME). I wrote an entire sections of female Indian Army followers that helped the witches as well.

Yes, the entire book is in Japanese, but including both English and Japanese would have made the book far too thick. As it stands it is 74 pages, making it already thicker than the Osprey Elite series.

The book includes guest art by Yaruku, Erica, and Hiroshi Konishi.

You can buy this book via Toranoana from Japan. The book is a B5 size square bound publication with 74 pages including the full color covers and inner black and white pages.

Another book I did was an full color mini poster book. Swelter is a doujinshi marketplace exclusive book, and I plan on selling this publication only at doujinshi events and conventions.

This booklet is printed The publication is center bound so it can be spread out or flipped back to the illustration you want can be displayed prominently. It’s in A4 size, 74 including the full color covers and inner black and white pages.

Artwork by Juzo Minazuki, Ein Lee, oh_you_udon, GodSh0t, Ame Aobashi, Erica, Tokinii, Marukata, deel, Yasushi Abe, and Juzo Ukatsu are included.

I hope you might have a chance to pick up this publication!

責任ある夢想 / Responsible Dreamers

日本は表現の自由がかなり尊重されている国です。同じ考え方の人で集まり、色々盛り上がるのは楽しいですが、ネットの上では私的空間はないと考えましょう。
Japan is country where the freedom of speech is quite wide. It’s fun for like-minded people to gather and get excited about certain subjects, but it’s important to think of online forums as places where there is little private spaces.

ネットには小声と大声がないと思った方が良いと思います。電車の中で大声で言えないことを世界発信出来る神経はわたしにはありません。
It’s probably better to think that you have no means of “whispering” something online–Everything gets amplified very quickly. I personally try to only say things to the entire world that I would not mind sharing with people when I am riding the train.

これまで日本語で発言すれば、同じ日本人にしかこの声は届かないと考えられていました。しかし現在、日本のアニメ・マンガの影響力のお陰で日本語を勉強する人はものすごく増えています。日本語から外国語へと翻訳できる人も毎年増えています。ネット上で活用できる機械翻訳も日常会話や記事などの定型文だとそれなりの活用できるまでに進化しました。あなたが発言している内容はどこの人の誰にでも届くと身構えてください。意図して私的なやりとりを個人間で、ネットは公共の場であり、誰でもあなたの発言を検証することが可能です。
In the past, it used to be thought speech conduced in Japanese could only be heard by other Japanese people. But now, thanks to the popularity of Japanese manga and anime, there are huge numbers of people who study Japanese that are not from Japan. The number of people who can translate material from Japanese to other languages are increasing as well. Machine translation tools easily available through the Internet have evolved to the point where they can easily translate ordinary conversations and more structured forms of text, such as news articles. You must remain vigilant that anything you say can be reach anyone out in the world. Unless you intentionally direct your speech to only specific individuals through private channels, the Internet is a public forum where your speech can be examined by all.

創作の領域においては極力自由で想像しましょう。その自由は日本の最大の強みであり、武器です。色々な思考実験は人類の進歩の礎です。
within the realm of fiction, you should exercise your imagination with the least amount of restriction. Freedom is one of Japan’s greatest strengths, and it is a tool that allows you to go on the offensive. Experimentation within our minds is one of the cornerstones of how humanity progressed through the ages.

でも言葉や文章にした段階で他人に向けた「暴力」になり得ます。送り手にとって冗談や創作であっても、受け手によってはそのように理解されない場合があります。送り手が受け手を意識して言葉を紡ぐことで誤解を減らすことが可能です。
But words and text can become violence directed at others. If if the speaker meant to engage in humor or fiction, the listener may not accept it as such. But, if the speaker chooses his or her words wisely, it can be possible to reduce incidences of misunderstanding from taking place.

同じ人間同士ですから創作と想像の素晴らしさを評価できるでしょう。表現において許容されるべき範囲について異論はあっても人の想像力が開拓する新しい展望と個人の人生を豊かにさせる意義については相互理解できます。生み出した作品が想像上の創作物であるならばその旨をはっきりさせましょう。そしてその作品に対して説明を求められたらしっかり説明できるようにしましょう。もし説明責任が果たせないのであれば、それは大きな問題です。あなた自身の作品やあなた自身の創作姿勢を再評価しましょう。
As we are all human beings, I am confident we can appreciate the wonders of creativity and imagination. There might be room for disagreement regarding what is permissible for what should be accepted as free speech, but we can mutually understand the importance of how human imagination can open up new vantage points and enrich the lives of individuals. If the work you created is a piece of fiction, then you should make that really clear to the audience. And if you are asked to explain aspects of your work, you should not be afraid to explain it. If you feel you cannot fulfill the responsibility as a creator to explain your own creations, then you have big problem. You need to reevaluate your own work and / or the position you are taking as a creator.

「まわりが同じような発言をしているから大丈夫」とか「似た作品がたくさんあるセーフ」とか安易に考えるのは危険です。なぜこの表現は問題がないのか、本当に問題はないのだろうか、どんな人がその表現を受け入れているのか、入れていないのか。考えることが大事です。
Thinking unassumingly along the lines of “this is fine because other people are making similar statements” and “there are other works that are just like this, so I am in the clear” are very dangerous. How do some works become problematic? How are some works accepted? Who would appreciate a particular work? Who wound’t appreciate a particular work? These are important questions to keep in mind.

自分自身で責任取れる発言や創作活動を心掛けましょう。決して軽い責任ではありませんが、その責任を全うしている人は尊敬を集めます。またこの責任を果たせるのであればどれだけ不人気な発言も作品も保護されるべきです。「批難が集中する」「人気がない」「くだらないと感じる」は作品を保護しない理由になりません。表現の自由は尊敬される、人気ある表現を守るためにあるのではなく、人が眉をひそめるような表現を守るために存在する基礎的な権利です。しかしその権利は発言者に表現を生み出した時に発生した説明責任の放棄を免責するものではないと思っています。
You should strive to say works and create works that you can take responsibility for. This is not a slight responsibility, but those who responsibility fulfill that duty will gain the respect of others. Furthermore, if you are willing to accept responsibility for engaging in speech, then that speech, no matter how unpopular, must be protected. Heavy criticism, lack of popularity, and/or the perception of worthlessness are not enough to revoke the protected status awarded to a particular work or statements by the principle of free speech. Free speech does not exist to protect works that are respected and/or popular, but instead is a fundamental right that aims to protect the very speech many find disagreeable. But I believe that right not does not absolve the responsibility of the creator from explaining himself/herself regarding the speech that the person engaged in.

「そのときそのときの面白さ」は瞬く間に変わりますが、「しっかりとした姿勢で創作し、自らの責任を果たすこと」は色あせない立派な生き様です。他人だけではなく自分自身も大事にして発言し創作しましょう。あなたがその発言や作品に自信あるのであればわたしはその作品を否定しません。応援しないかもしれません。その作品が批難されるのも致し方ないと感じることもあるでしょう。しかし作者が責任を持って発表する発言や作品、それらを表現する権利は尊重されなければなりません。
What captivates people in the heat of the moment will change in a blink of an eye, but assuming a firm position in creative endeavors and fulfilling your responsibility as a creator is an approach in life that will never go out of fashion. Try to be not only thoughtful of others, but respect yourself in how you engage in free speech and create works. If you have firm conviction in your statement and your works, then I will not reject what you are placing on the table. I may not endorse what you have created. I may feel criticism about your work is warranted. But if the author takes full responsibility for his or her work, then both the work and his or her right to share it with the world must be respected.

自分も他人も大事にして下さい。創作においてどちらかを選ぶ必要は普通ありません。人権と表現の自由は両立するというのはわたしの長年の信念であり、それが日本だけではなくて世界中で受け入れるようになることをこれからも機会あれば働きかけたいと思っています。
Strive to take care of both yourself and others. In most circumstances involving the creation of fiction, you do not have to prioritize one over the other. It is my firm belief throughout my life that human rights and freedom of expression are fully compatible with each other, and I hope many more people on this Earth will share this belief with me, and whenever the opportunity presents itself, I hope to encourage others to embrace this belief.

8th Panzer Regiment at Doujima Singapore 2018

8th Panzer Regiment will be participating in Doujima (Doujin Market) taking place on May 5th and 6th, 2018 at Hall 406 on Level 4 of Suntec City in Singapore.

The IOEA will be giving out free copies of Tokyo Pop Guide mini volume 2 so please drop by.

Doujin Market 2018 is held on 5-6 May (Sat & Sun) 2018. It’s opening hours are 12 am to 7 pm on Saturday and 11 am to 6 pm on Sunday.

Admission to Doujin Market is absolutely FREE, so there’s no reason not to drop by if you are available in the area.

The 8th Panzer Regiment will have multiple doujinshis and pin-ups available for sale. I will be there, so please feel free to drop by!

8th Panzer Regiment News – April, 2018

Comic 1 * 13 took place on April 30th and I was able to publish two books.

Seaside Safari Witches is a revised reprint of a book published in 2013. It is essentially a swimsuit special featuring characters from The Lionheart Witch series.

With over 40 pages, the book featured manga and illustrations where 4 pages are in full color. Over half the book is new content! Seaside Safari Witches showcases the talent of Hetzer Furukawa, oh_you_udon, Dan Kanemitsu, Acea4, Tokinii, Nenchi, R-Ex, Hiroshi Konishi, Erica, Kiyoshi Shimizu, Takemitsu Hasegawa, ge-b, Junichi Inoue, Shin Kyogoku, Bunshichirou Ouma, Yasuhiro Makino, Mozu, Terepin Uona, Taku Koide, Jyuzou Minazuki, Ruen Rouga, Takenoko Seijin, Yoshitoh Asari, Kouhei Takanaga, and Ohirune Card.

You can buy the revised edition of Seaside Safari Witches at Toranoana.

The book was a Comic 1 * 13 exclusive title.

The Lionheart Witch Series Swimwear Guidebook is a 8 page pamphlet that speculates the history and culture revolving around swimwear in the world of The Lionheart Witch series.

The cover is by Jyuzou Minazuki, the rear cover is by Ashigaoreta, and the text is by Dan Kanemitsu and manga by Ogawa Kamiya with an additional illustration by Yasuhiro Makino.

 

8th Panzer Regiment News – Dec, 2017

I realize that this is quite old news but please forgive me as I’ve been quite busy. I’m still way over my head with on-going projects.

At Comic Market 93, I was able to publish the latest installment of the Lionheart Witch series. The Lionheart Witch Volume 6 featured Beda Fomm – The Desert Hunting Ground, a story that covers the Battle for Beda Fomm, where Britannian tank witches and regular forces fight desperately to keep open an evacuation corridor south of Benghazi.

I placed particular emphasis on showcasing the efforts of regular forces–The cruiser tanks of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, the 25-pounder guns of the 4th Royal Horse Artillery, the armoured cars of the 11th Hussars, the fighting men of the 2nd Battalion, Rifles Brigade are all featured in the story along with the land battle combat witches of the 1st Royal Tank Regiment. In fact, the main protagonist of  Beda Fomm – The Desert Hunting Ground is not Lea Leakey of the 1RTR, but Norman Plough of the 2RTR commanding a A13 Mk.IIA tank.

For course, the tank witches are active as always. Beda Fomm – The Desert Hunting Ground not only features Lea Leakey, Joanna Doyle, Halley Adams, Milly Milligan (who were all featured in The Witches of Tobruk) but also introduces Edith Leakey and Robin Macgregor. Beda Fomm – The Desert Hunting Ground is written by Dan Kanemitsu and illustrated by Hetzer Furukawa.

The story is featured in Japanese, but there is plenty of artwork that anyone interested in the world of Lionheart Witches should be able to enjoy.

The Lionheart Witch Volume 6 includes contributions by Hiroshi Konishi, ILMA Express, Tokinii, Sankuma, Acea4, Kamiya Ogawa, Ruen Rouga, Hajime Yoshida, Bunshichiro Ouma, Yasuhiro Makino, Kazuhiro Oota, R-Ex, TYPE.90, Takeshi Oota, Erica, Takemitsu Hasegawa. The book is over 100 pages thick, with 4 pages of color illustration added on.

If you buy the book in Japan, you can also get a 20 page full color booklet, titled The Blossoming Land’s End. This booklet included contributions by Mikoyan, Sankuma, Erica, Marukata, Junkpuyo, ge-b, EU03, Ein Lee Kotetsu Yamanaka, Tokinii, Nenchi, Hetzer Furukawa, TC, and oh_you_udon.

You can buy The Lionheart Witches Volume 6 via mail order through Toranoana.

At Comic Market 93, two more books were published.

Safari Witches in Repose is a book where the witches let their hair down. It featured witches having fun as opposed to fighting Neuroi, so if you are interested in a book where there more skin exposed than in other books, this book is just right for you.

The book is 28 pages long and features artwork and manga by Dan Kanemitsu, Hetzer Furukawa, Jyuzou Ukatsu, Jyuzou Minazuki, Bunshichirou Ouma, Ame Aobashi, Takeshi Oota, Sugisaki, Hisahiko, Yasuhiro Makino, VT, Taku Koide, Erica, Mozu, Hekiu, Kiyoshi Shimizu, Terepin Uona, Ogawa Kamiya, R-Ex, Kouhei Takanaga, Yoshitoh Asari.

You can buy Safari Witches in Repose via mail order through Toranoana.

The last book,  The Blessing of the Magi, was a Comiket 93 exclusive publication.

The Blessings of the Magi was a 16 page short story featuring Kümmel, Becker, Newton, Scammel, Miles, Dickens, Singh, and Kahn. This was the first time I had characters from Australis and Karlsland featured together. The story also introduced Jensen and Hynes, both regular Australis female soldiers invovled providing amenities as part of the Australis Defense Force Canteen services. I hope to do other stories like this in the future.

Eventually, I’d like to have this book available as a regular story with illustrations included.