Black & White-English Version

36-Acknowledgements + Bonus

*Alexa play Shadow of the Day by Linkin Park* (Relax and play it all!)

So where do I start?

Maybe I should start by thanking this tv series that I never imagined would involve me so much and make me want to write a book about it. Thanks to Shinsuke Sato for the splendid direction and screenplay, co-written with Yoshiki Watabe and Yasuko Kuramitsu. Brilliant Writing! And thanks also to Haro Aso, for having created Borderland with his Manga (even if my story is almost entirely based on the live action), but without his idea there would have been neither the series, nor this story, so thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Special thanks to all the actors, who couldn't be more perfect for those parts, (below I mention only those who have been indispensable for my story, but my thanks extend to all those who participated in the tv series, of course, and that they were simply too many to mention). They made me feel a thousand emotions and this is the most beautiful thing of all, as well as the true purpose of movies/tv series (and as a filmmaking graduate, it's something I fully appreciate!).

So, thanks to Kento Yamazaki for helping us find the strength to carry on like Arisu, to Tao Tsuchiya for her incredible willpower and for the love she feels for the protagonist, to Yuki Morinaga and Keita Machida, for being the best friends, respectively Chota and Karube, that we'd all like to have and for making me shed a river of tears in that episode that we all know, to Sho Aoyagi for showing us that even a tough guy like Aguni gave great importance to his friendship with the one and only that could have played Hatter, Nobuaki Kaneko, thanks to Yutaro Watanabe for Tatta's kindness and loyalty, to Ayaka Miyoshi, for Ann's brilliant intelligence, to Dori Sakurada for making us hate Niragi so much, and to Aya Asahina for Kuina's fortitude and combativeness, as well as for being a best friend to Jen.

And thanks to my hero, Nijiro Murakami, for the undisturbed genius of Chishiya who pretends not to feel emotions, but underneath, he did feel them! In my story, I wanted to explore this side of him a little more and that was very interesting, as he would say hahaha, and thanks to... wait a sec, who should I thank for Jen? Okay, I know; and this thank you will be one of a kind and different from the usual (but I never do the things that other people do, so it's totally appropriate LOL). Thanks to me! To my creative mind, which always thinks outside of the box, for creating a protagonist who is different from me in some ways, but exactly alike in others.

Last but not least, thanks to my READERS, you are fucking amazing!!! Heartfelt thanks for your presence, for the stars, for the funny and encouraging comments, thank you for staying with me on this adventure, for making the story climb up some of the lists leaving me absolutely amazed, thank you for moving me and made me feel invincible whenever I received a new notification. Thank you with all my heart! Indeed thanks a 7 of Hearts ;)

Thanks also to our friend Alexa who gave that something extra to this story, making us even more involved in some scenes.

This story showed me that if you really want something and believe in it, NOTHING is impossible. And now I know that writing is really a part of me, of who I am and my life (yes, Black & White is just the beginning...a fantasy series is already underway, but I can't share it yet at the moment...)

So, I leave you (for now) with this message: never stop believing in your dreams, big or small! It doesn't matter if they tell you they are impossible or that it will take you forever. No dream is ever too big for a dreamer and as my soul brother, Peter Pan, said "Only those who dream can fly." So spread your wings or use some fairy dust, whatever you like, fly high and conquer the world!