I’ve got a lot of names running around on the internet —pen names, real names, old names, nicknames. There’s a lot. You can call me Ren, my old college nickname and the namesake of this blog. I picked up my first projects as a Japanese translator this year with Harmless Monsters and Pink Litchi Scans, but this is my first venture into novel translation. ❤

Lotus in the Mire is a concept I’ve seen several times in recent years, and it’s really representative of the belief that adversity builds character. The lotus flower blooms in muddy swamps; out of the nasty and dirty, something of undeniable beauty is born.

Life is hard. We struggle, and we strive. Overcoming is one of the hardest things humans have to do, but the triumph of succeeding is blinding in its brightness. Everyone wants to succeed. Lotus in the Mire was named with this in mind, as I try to overcome my weakness with reading Japanese. I hope you’ll all join me on this journey, and enjoy it along the way.