We’ve reached the end of Volume 1.
This volume mostly covers a part of the original manga that was never fully explored.
We only saw bits and pieces of these events through Eiken’s video camera, so I was able to expand on what happened before the survivors split into separate groups.
There were also many details the original author never explained.
One thing I always wondered about was how a flight carrying over 300 passengers appeared to have only four cabin crew members.
I didn’t change much in this part of the story.
I simply introduced Asami, an original flight attendant, and gave Eiji a proper ending.
In the manga, Eiji simply disappeared without any explanation.
I also changed the events after the attack so that Towa remains with Yarai’s group, while Asami leaves with the others. Find the original chapter at g.com.
The biggest change I made was giving Yarai knowledge of paleontology.
Although he was a delinquent, the manga never showed him as unintelligent.
In fact, I always felt he was one of the smartest characters after Mariya.
The author often showed Yarai’s sharp observation skills and his ability to stay calm under pressure, even if he wasn’t always the main focus.
He already had a strong desire to explore and understand the unknown, so giving him this knowledge felt like a natural way to make the story even more interesting.
Unlike Mariya, Yarai is not a walking database.
If he doesn’t recognize an animal, he’ll study its body, behavior, and habitat before reaching a conclusion.
As for how he gained that knowledge… you’ll have to wait.
The answer won’t be revealed for quite some time.
Instead of middle school students, they’re now high school students.
There are also many characters in this novel, but I’ve only highlighted on a few so far.
The others will appear as the story moves into their own arcs.
I also had a surprisingly difficult time writing character interactions, since it was something I had never really done before.
Finally, starting with the next few chapters, the story will shift to Akira, Mariya, and Oomori.
This is where the manga’s story truly begins.
I hope you enjoy Volume 2!