Lunar: Eternal Blue, Lucia of the Blue Star - Vol. 2 - Funato's Essay

Summary by Kizyr Translation of Funato's Essay	Lunar 2 Eternal Blue, Lucia of the Blue Star 2 (Aoki Hoshi no Lucia 2) Author: Hiromi Hosoe Illustrations: Akari Funato Publisher: Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko
Translation and Summary is by Kizyr. The translation and summary may not be posted or used anywhere without permission.

Essay - Lunar and Me (by Akari Funato)

Greetings and hello. I'm Akari Funato, the freelance illustrator.

Four years have passed since I donned the sumo robe of the Lunar series. [Translator's note: This is like saying 'take up the mantle', implying taking up something arduous so suddenly and completely, at one's own possible detriment. But, I really liked the original idiom.]

In that time, both Shigema [Kei ~, the scenario writer] and Kubooka [Toshiyuki ~, the main character designer] had the nerve to go and get married, and I... I... I'm spending my precious mid-20s wrapped up in Lunar. I wonder why... Perhaps it's because it has the power to lift me from even the depths of hell and give me unlimited and complete happiness. There doesn't seem to be guys like Hiro around... guys who always do things their own way, but are big-hearted, great cooks, and self-reliant.

Anyway, four years ago, I was working for a magazine that suddenly got canc--went on hiatus, and wondering what I was going to do next. That's when I got a call from an acquaintance who was working for the makers of Lunar.

"There's a Lunar 2 coming out, you know."

When Lunar 1 came out for the Sega CD, I had the urge to buy it the day it came out. So, I was ecstatic when I was asked to be involved in two more projects for its sequel.

The first work I did for Lunar was a manga section to introduce all the characters, in a magazine publication. And then, while I was creating the Lunar manga, Lunar 1 was remade for the Sega Saturn, and then there was my beloved Lunar 2.

[Translator's Note: The comics that introduce the characters was printed in the official Japanese guide. Funato then worked on the Tale of the Vane Airship manga--much later, she also worked on the Childhood's End manga, not referred to here.]

Welcome home, Hiro. I'm happy to be able to draw you again. I didn't know your finer points back then, but now I'll aim to understand them all. For four years you've been like a brother to me. And as your [older] sister, I'll make it so that anyone who runs into you can't help but fall in love.