OMNISCIENT READER’S VIEWPOINT creators answer fans’ burning questions

A couple of months ago, Ize Press, the manhwa imprint of Yen Press, invited Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint fans to submit their burning questions to creators singNsong in celebration of the novel’s release. Now, 13 questions—out of likely hundreds—have been answered.

Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint follows office worker Kim Dokja, the sole reader of the webnovel Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse for the past ten years. After finishing the final chapter, he receives a message from the author thanking him and announcing that the book will now be “paid content.” Minutes later, on his subway ride home, Dokja’s reality collapses as the fictional world of TWSA becomes real. Armed with his unique knowledge, Dokja must now use the story to survive.

singNsong admitted they had fallen into a creative slump, unsure of what to write. As writers, they began asking, “What kind of story would readers want to see?” but soon remembered that before becoming writers, they were readers first. “It has been a long time since we thought about what a story is to readers,” they said. “Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint started from the thought of accepting stories as readers again […] For us, the existence of readers is a great motivation. ORV is a story that cannot work without ‘readers,’ so its meaning is very great.”

When asked about the inspiration behind ORV’s concept of a reader and his relationship with a story and its characters, the creators explained that everyone is both a writer and a reader, and that “we share each other’s stories.” They added that the story “was like a mirror we had to constantly face, so we wouldn’t turn away from ourselves as people who love stories and seek comfort in them.”

One fan broke the fourth wall by asking how the protagonist Kim Dokja would react if he discovered ORV was a novel in our world. “Dokja should already know about the existence of the Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint. He has lived his life as if it were being read by the stars, and he also understands that the story of someone else’s life can save another’s,” singNsong answered. “If his story can be a meaning to someone living in another timeline, we believe the current Dokja would gladly accept it.”

Almost everyone knows the saying “The pen is mightier than the sword.” People often use it to describe how the written word can drive change more effectively than a weapon—a phrase I personally associate with combat. But in the case of ORV, the pen is mighty, but it’s because of its power to create stories that can potentially save lives.

“We don’t think salvation is something grand,” singNsong said. “However, if there is a story that can help us endure for a moment, we think people can live. We hope everyone has such a story.”

Volume 1 of Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint is available now. Read the full interview on Yen Press’s blog.

Source: Yen Press