{"id":67631,"date":"2026-06-03T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=67631"},"modified":"2026-06-03T18:41:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T09:41:45","slug":"saya-no-uta-author-gen-urobuchi-thinks-audiences-no-longer-crave-poison-from-fiction-but-an-antidote-to-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/saya-no-uta-author-gen-urobuchi-thinks-audiences-no-longer-crave-poison-from-fiction-but-an-antidote-to-reality\/","title":{"rendered":"Saya no Uta author Gen Urobuchi thinks audiences no longer crave \u201cpoison\u201d from fiction, but an \u201cantidote\u201d to reality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Japanese media <a href=\"https:\/\/news.denfaminicogamer.jp\/interview\/260529s\/2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Denfaminicogamer<\/a> recently brought together scenario writer Gen Urobuchi and voice actress Koiwai Kotori, who happens to be an avid fan of Urobuchi\u2019s cult classic visual novel <strong>Saya no Uta<\/strong>, for a joint interview. In the article, Urobuchi brings up the dark and dramatic narrative of the game, where \u201cevery ending can be seen as a bad ending,\u201d and talks about its position within Nitroplus\u2019 catalogue. However, he also mentions how the depressing (and sometimes shocking) themes of Saya No Uta and other works by the studio may not be something that modern audiences are looking for, especially considering the current state of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"902\" height=\"532\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 902px) 100vw, 902px\" src=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260603-676310001.jpg\" alt=\"Saya no Uta\" class=\"wp-image-67635\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260603-676310001.jpg 902w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260603-676310001-380x224.jpg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260603-676310001-768x453.jpg 768w\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For context, back in 2013, Urobuchi participated in a special<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nitroplus.co.jp\/game\/totono\/interview\/04.php\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.nitroplus.co.jp\/game\/totono\/interview\/04.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> interview <\/a>with Shimokura Vio to celebrate the release of Nitroplus\u2019 famous fourth wall breaking visual novel You and Me and Her: A Love Story. Discussing the signature style of the studio, he noted that \u201cNitroplus caters to people who prefer excitement over reassurance,\u201d comparing the experience to restaurants that serve spicy and sour food despite \u201cspicy and sour being signs that something is poisonous in nature.\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/You_and_Me_and_Her:_A_Love_Story\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fast forward to the Denfaminicogamer interview, the scenario writer was asked whether he still stands by this stance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat was my opinion at the time. However, I also feel like audiences nowadays aren\u2019t looking for \u2018poison.\u2019 They\u2019re probably craving an \u2018antidote\u2019 within fiction precisely because the real world is so cruel,\u201d Urobuchi explains. \u201cAnd that kind of \u2018comfort\u2019 should be made by younger generations. I\u2019m thinking it would be better if I took a step back for a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"884\" height=\"460\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 884px) 100vw, 884px\" src=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260603-676310002.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-67636\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260603-676310002.jpg 884w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260603-676310002-380x198.jpg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260603-676310002-768x400.jpg 768w\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>On a lighter note, Urobuchi also mentions that he is still very interested in developing games, and that the creative potential of the medium as well as the popularity of digital distribution platforms like Steam is what\u2019s been fueling his motivation. \u201cThe reason why I was finally able to believe that \u2018now is the time when making games is truly worth the struggle,\u2019 is because video games were freed from the constraints of specific hardware thanks to the popularization of platforms like Steam,\u201d Urobuchi says. \u201cBack then, when hardware became obsolete, games would inevitably be forgotten along with it [\u2026] But a big thing for me is that now we have a system that allows us to play games whenever we want, regardless of the era.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Related articles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/saya-no-uta-gets-horrifying-tupperware-merch-ahead-of-stage-play-gen-urobuchi-jokes-whoever-thought-of-this-is-even-more-unhinged-than-me\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Saya no Uta gets\u00a0horrifying\u00a0\u201ctupperware\u201d merch\u00a0ahead of stage play, Gen\u00a0Urobuchi\u00a0jokes \u201cwhoever thought of this is even more unhinged than me\u201d\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gen Urobuchi, Nitroplus&#8217; scriptwriter and the author of Saya no Uta, talks about how visual novel audiences have changed in the past years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":67633,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-67631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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