The anime "Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear", which aired in 2020, will return as a new series in 2023. It is a so-called "Narou" work in which a girl who is reincarnated in another world becomes invincible with the power of a bear costume, and the original novel is so popular that it has sold over 2.6 million copies. Aren't you curious about how such a hit work was created and the author's commitment to his work? In this article, I would like to explain how the work was created!
First: What kind of story is it?
The main character, Yuna, has been living a reclusive life for some reason. Although he is a recluse, he has a talent for stock trading and makes a lot of money by using his talent. One day, when he logs into his favorite game, he is sent to another world, whether by God's prank or not. Yuna is sent there equipped with a rare "bear set". While wandering the other world without understanding the situation, he finds a girl who is about to be attacked by a monster and rescues her. After that, the girl takes him to the city and he lives as an adventurer.
Author: Kumanano
Before explaining the circumstances of the creation and the style of the work, I would like to introduce the author. The author of "Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear" is a person named "Kumano". There are many mysteries surrounding Kumanano, such as his age, gender, and place of origin, and little is known about him other than that he is a novelist. However, in an interview article, there was an article that talked about how the work was created and his style of writing. Based on that article, I would like to explain it!
Was it actually a spontaneous idea?
According to Kumanano, the work was born from a spontaneous idea, and he had always wanted to write fantasy. He had also thought of a setting in which girls fight with puppets, and wondered what would happen if he brought that setting to an alternate world. However, he began to think that it would be more interesting if the protagonist wore a costume rather than using puppets, and so the work was born. In addition, in the alternate world genre, there are two types of characters: those who dislike the alternate world and those who find it enjoyable. Kumanano himself thinks the latter is better, and he said that he deliberately made the real world before reincarnation an environment where the protagonist would find it difficult to live.
About the protagonist Yuna
Kumano said that he wanted to create the character of Yuna without thinking too deeply about it, and to give the impression that she was enjoying the alternate world. In fact, Yuna has a positive personality and does not say or do anything that would make her want to return to reality. Since she liked games, she initially enjoyed the other world as if it were a game, but as she gradually became closer to the people around her, she began to feel a strong desire to work hard for them. Although she has a lazy side, she is also a character who can do things when she needs to. Kumanano also named Yuna as the character he is most attached to. After all, she is the main character, so she has been with the author for the longest time, so she will surely grow attached to him.
What do you think about the story?
Kumano says that since there is no particular purpose or goal in the work, he creates it with the feeling of thinking up each quest one by one each time. He says that the most important thing is "place," and that he values the excitement of knowing that something new will happen when he goes to a new place. As for the skills in the story, he doesn't have ideas in advance, but thinks about the specifics when he determines that a certain skill will be needed in the next few episodes.
Summary of the background to the creation and explanation of the style
Kumano himself is shrouded in mystery, but his thoughts and feelings about the work are very strong. If you read the work after knowing the author's intentions, you will definitely enjoy it even more! I'm also looking forward to the new anime series! That's all for now. Thank you for reading.
