Web novel
While living overseas, author Katarina (writer) read The Irregular at Magic High School on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website, which inspired him to begin writing novels. Although reincarnation-type fantasy stories were popular on the site at the time, he was particularly impressed by virtual reality narratives and the distinctive appeal of VR games, which eventually led to the creation of Shangri-La Frontier.[16] For the title, Katarina chose "frontier" to evoke a sense of pioneering exploration. He paired it with "Shangri-La" after considering terms for a paradise or "Garden of Eden", as the game's world represented such a place. He also contemplated "Eldorado", but selected "Shangri-La" after learning its origin in a novel by James Hilton, where it refers to a lamasery housing the world's wisdom. This aligned with his concept of a game world where players uncover knowledge from a lost advanced civilization.
Katarina developed the series' worldbuilding first, focusing on its cultures and settings before creating its player characters.[17] He maintains a fan-made, Wikipedia-like resource to track story details, characters, and events when his own memory is unclear.[18] While the major story arcs and ending were planned early, minor adventures are developed during the writing process.
Katarina cited the light novel series Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? as a major influence, alongside the novel series Deltora Quest, whose world he imagines while writing.[16][18] Video game inspirations include Final Fantasy XI, Monster Hunter, Dark Souls, and Xenoblade Chronicles.[19][20][17]
Sunraku was conceived as a character who enjoys the unpredictable challenge of "trash games". His distinctive bird mask (modeled after a shoebill)[21][22] and minimal attire were inspired by players in games like Dark Souls who defeat bosses while wearing only headgear.[17] Unlike series such as Sword Art Online or .hack, where characters are trapped in-game, Sunraku moves between the game and reality. Katarina emphasized that a life-threatening stake is unnecessary for tension, drawing parallels to real-world gamers who persistently attempt challenging segments for enjoyment. The narrative is deliberately presented from Sunraku's perspective as a novice player to enhance reader identification.
The dynamic between Sunraku, Arthur, and Oikatzo was inspired by the banter in Hollywood films, characterized by teasing that reflects underlying friendship and mutual understanding.[17]
Manga
Katarina was approached via a private message on Twitter by an editor proposing a manga adaptation. Ryosuke Fuji, known for illustrating the Attack on Titan: Lost Girls manga and having worked as a manga assistant, was selected as the artist. Unfamiliar with the novel initially, Fuji accepted due to his personal interest as a gamer. The series was originally planned for Magazine Pocket but was later serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine.[16]
Fuji creates drafts based on Katarina's detailed descriptions for world and character designs, which Katarina then reviews and approves.[17] Visually, Fuji drew inspiration from the European Middle Ages and the video game Horizon Zero Dawn for creature and world design.[19][17] For action sequences, he employs techniques to ensure clarity, such as wide shots influenced by Dragon Ball.[18]
Anime
The anime adaptation was proposed in February 2020, prior to the manga's serialization.[23] A promotional video combining animated footage and manga panels, narrated by Azumi Waki and featuring Yuma Uchida as Sunraku, was released on July 7, 2021, to mark the manga's first anniversary;[24] Uchida later reprised the role in the anime series.[25]
Katarina participated in anime production meetings, providing supervision and additional worldbuilding details. Fuji, trusting the adaptation team, was less involved but provided reference materials from the manga when consulted on visual elements like colors and environments.
