[Small Note] The Roots of the Fortune Summoners World

As many of you already know, the world of Fortune Summoners is a rather unique one—

a place where a classic Western fantasy setting, full of danger and ever-present death, coexists with the gentle, everyday lives of children.

Today, I’d like to share a few personal memories that became the foundation of this world.ːfs_archeː

In the early 1980s, when I was in junior high school, I became completely absorbed in something called gamebooks.

I devoured hundreds of them—Fighting Fantasy by Ian Livingstone, Sorcery! by Steve Jackson, and Grailquest by James Herbert Brennan, among many others.

I also managed to get my hands on the Dungeons & Dragons rulebook, which had just been translated into Japanese at the time.

In Japan back then, even the term “RPG” was barely known.

Yet the worlds of swords and sorcery—filled with goblins, orcs, manticores, slime eaters and stranger creatures—captured my imagination completely. ːfs_stellaː

(Photo: a collection of gamebooks reprinted in Japan)

Then, another new world opened up to me.

It was through shōjo manga, which a friend recommended.

While romance is often considered its main theme, what truly captivated me was something else—the careful, heartfelt portrayal of everyday life.

Family, close friends, school days, and the quiet beauty of seasonal flowers.

The way the characters were moved by these small, fleeting moments struck me deeply.

Until then, I had lived mostly within my own inner world, and it was a revelation to realize how much beauty existed in ordinary life. ːfs_sana_sheepishː

(Photo: an image album CD of a shōjo manga I loved at the time)

By now, you may see where this is going.

The deadly, unforgiving fantasy worlds of gamebooks—

and the tender, emotional everyday lives depicted in shōjo manga.

Two things that should never have met.

And yet, through a kind of “fusion,” they came together to form the world of Fortune Summoners.

As a small note, the protagonist’s name, Arche, is pronounced “Ar-che” (like "dolce") in Japanese. ːfs_arche_winkː