#i really hope she writes that taki pov story someday...

[worldunbent]

chapter notes - taki tooru

a compilation of all of midorikawa's chapter notes concerning taki (as of volume 29)

all are from the official viz releases, translated by lillian olsen.

Chapters 17 - 18 - Do Not Call I had a lot of fun working on this one. Strange how having a girl in the story makes things go so smoothly for me. I was working on this story at the same time as Chapter 19 (which I was submitting for Lala DX) so l had the most work I've ever had at one time. I wished I had had more pages to work things out, but overall, it was a positive experience. The story evolved from the ideas I had of big graffiti, and the concept of being able to see yokai conditionally. Natsume was never able to meet his grandmother, but Taki was good friends with her grandfather. They had different relationships, but sometimes that allows for better perspectives. I also had fun drawing a frightened Nyanko Sensei.

Chapters 42 - 43 - Sealed I’ve always wanted to draw the trio of Natsume, Tanuma and Taki hanging out. Before, Tanuma thought he might be a little crazy, but Natsume affirmed what used to be an unstable world for him. Natsume’s existence was basically his salvation, but he realizes that he can’t be much help to Natsume. It's a dilemma he’ll have to keep facing as his friend. On the other hand, I’ve discovered that Taki, who also can’t see but knows Natsume’s circumstances, is delighted at the things she discovers. It’s difficult but fun to draw these three together. I was also happy drawing Taki’s empty house, images of a white ghost flapping in the darkness, and small yokai hopping and frolicking about.

Volume 14 (Sidebar notes) I really, really want to do a story from Taki's perspective. I once had an opportunity to do it in a side story, but I had to give up trying to make it fit to the number of pages available. I get too greedy when I draw a girl because of the many emotions involved. I want her to be a gentle girl who gets Natsume to smile when she's around, even when he's having a tough time.

Chapters 64 - 65 - Do Not Get Involved I hadn't drawn Taki in a while, so it was a lot of fun. She's a very important character to me, so I keep holding her back until I can use her carefully. When I draw girls, I want to feature their expressions or words even if I have to pause the rhythm of the story. I'm weirdly conflicted that it might make her upstage Natsume, the main character who's a little bit dense. That's the difficulty and fun about drawing Taki, too. Since Natsume has been mostly involved with yokai whose gender isn't very important, he's been desensitized a bit. I hope this was an episode that reminded him that love is a bit more delicate.

Chapter 78 - Tsukihigui I wanted Natsume to have different reactions that usual, so I picked a story not in the past or in the present, but a weird in-between. I debated a lot whether to have little Natsume be taken care of by the Yatsuhara yokai or the humans Tanuma and Taki. But upon further reflection, since Nyanko Sensei is yokai, Tanuma and Taki would have a different approach to the situation and be more fun. It would've been interesting to go to Natori and have all three of them stare at each other with furrowed brows, but I discovered that whereas Natori would have a difficult time adapting to a situation like this, the students would display steadier nerves.

Chapters 85 - 86 - The Front Noren I wanted to use the premise that the front and back of an object can have different meanings. Such a simple but unshakable fact could be very interesting. I wanted Natsume and Sensei to hang out more with Tanuma and Taki, but once yokai get involved, there's the dilemma that only those who can see yokai should be the ones taking action, so I had to carve up the story a lot. I even wondered if I should depict them relaxing in the hot springs, or whether that kind of thing was appropriate for the occasion. I thought I could get through the scenario quickly while I wrote out the plot with prose, but once I started drawing, I wondered if I could get through it without questioning everything. Natsume has started to get nerves of steel against yokai, but I still want him to be careful when it comes to his dear friends having close encounters with yokai.

Chapters 95 - 96 - The Odd Couple I still get nervous when I'm drawing Taki. Yokai don't really have boundaries, but Taki tries to clearly maintain hers. It's surprisingly difficult to show that difference without calling attention to it when Natsume is hanging out with them. It's tricky how it only takes one misstep, then Taki is no longer Taki and Natsume is no longer Natsume. But it's fun once I get working on it, and I'm glad I got to draw her family.

Chapter 112 - The Three Pictures and the Peculiar Afternoon Tea You can have the desire to help people you care about, but I think it takes a lot of courage to take that first step to offer it. I can see Natuma and Natsume fumbling about in this regard, but I feel that Taki would have an easy time confiding in Natsume when she's in trouble. The premise was to have someone appear just as Natsume and friends had a spread of pictures on their table at a cafe. The content changes drastically depending on who shows up, so I simulated a lot of scenarios. It was a good opportunity to think about all sorts of situations.