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Touko Aozaki (蒼崎 橙子, Aozaki Tōko?) is the older sister of Aoko Aozaki. She is a principal character in Kara no Kyoukai, the main antagonist of Mahou Tsukai no Yoru, and a supporting character in Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files.

Profile[]

Background[]

Aoko and Touko's grandfather, the third generation head, raised Touko in the way of the magus in his Workshop on the mountains in Misaki Town, while Aoko and her parents lived separately. When Eiri Fumizuka apprenticed under the Aozaki clan, he was Touko's first love.[7]

Early years[]

When she was 14, she studied in a certain school in London, England. After studying there for 2 years, she returned to Japan and became a student at the Reien Girl's Academy,[8] where she became acquainted with Mother Riesbyfe. Touko happily enjoyed her time as a high school student. She was an honour student and with her bright and cheerful personality, excellent grades, and ability to deftly handle both serious matters with her American jokes has earned her as one of the three shining stars of the dorm.[9] As a student, she caused a hurricane just by winking and she made a pitcher soil himself by standing in the on-deck circle.[10]

However, when her grandfather suddenly changed the position of successor to Aoko, despite Aoko being a formally inferior magus (not counting her ability to "blow things up"), she ran away. Thus, three years after returning to Japan, she fled back to England to join the Mage's Association.[11][8] Because of this Touko does not have a particularly good relationship with her sister. She is an acquaintance of Alice Kuonji.

Entering the Mage's Association[]

Touko araya alba photo

Touko, Araya and Cornelius

As a teenager, she traveled to London and made quite a name for herself.[12] She entered the Clock Tower academy to get her revenge on her sister who stole the rights of the Family Head of Aozaki Clan, and because she calculated that there was nothing else for an amateur mage, who didn't even have the skills or the resources to make a Magical Workshop, to do but go under the wing of a large organisation.[13] She was a student along with Souren Araya and Cornelius Alba, studying under Inorai Valualeta Atroholm. She had a rivalry relationship with Souren, at first they took interest in each other as fellow countrymen and they started off exchanging views as two people with similar ideals.[14] Cornelius wanted to be acknowledged by her so he was always popping in to Touko’s research laboratory just to gossip and brag about himself.[15] She regretted cooking her special homemade food “Pizza Crackers” for him.[16] All three were on good terms until they left for their own research. During their school days, Alba asked Touko and Araya for 100 puppets to get his chocolate factory running to prevent it from going bankrupt.[17] She was also friends with Lev Uvall as a student.[18]

At the Clock Tower, she decided to specialise in Runes. At the time, runes weren't popular, and there were few people studying it. The Association needed a researcher, so stabilizing the rune characters from that side took her two years, and another few years to approach the originals in the Thule Society. She also studied the human body through doll making, aiming to recreate the original human body. She left the research under the belief that modern humans could no longer reach the Root after becoming too diversified genetically.[13]

Touko rose to the rank of Grand, the highest rank in the Clock Tower only given a few times in its entire history, when she was 20 years old. At her graduation, Touko wanted to earn the highest colored title of "Blue" but instead was given title "Red" and had the title of "Blue" stolen by her sister. She then began to be called "Scarred Red."[19]

Leaving the Mage's Association[]

She quickly withdrew from the Association due to being problematic.[12] Apparently, Touko is getting money from Mage's Association using her sister's name.

Two years before Mahoutsukai no Yoru, she bought Lugh Beowulf from a village of werewolves with 20-years' worth of her hair and gave him the name "Beowulf." She does not have a binding magecraft that could possibly restrain him, but he is lured by her "good scent" and her promise to "let him battle the greatest Mystery". They went on a number of exploits across Europe, and he remained undefeated throughout them. Some involved a train that collects Mystic Eyes, an ancient giant octopus living in the North Sea, the Bermuda triangle, which leads to another world, and an Elder Title Dead Apostle Ancestor.[8]

At some point, Touko encountered Francesca, who called her Scarred Red. At the insult, Touko proceeded to kill her thirteen times, destroying her workshop and stealing her magical items every time. Although Francesca succeeded in killing Touko once, this did little to stop Touko's rampage: the demon normally summoned from Touko's sealed box instead burst from her corpse, while Touko herself simply activated a new puppet body. The killing spree was finally put to a stop when Aoko intervened. At this time, Touko killed Francesca one last time and declared she didn't want to see her ever again.[20]

Appearance[]

Touko looks like a woman in her late twenties, even when she is decades older. Lord El-Melloi II comments that this is because she is "fixed into place". Despite hating her name due to the association with the color orange, she has a habit of always wearing one orange-coloured accessory.[21] She is a heavy smoker, smoking the rare brand Dragon Smoke despite their bad taste, so she is stated to always have a cigarette between her lips. She often uses them to write her runes in the air. According to Aoko, Touko "looks like an educated mom with spectacles and a cigarette". The glasses Touko wore are also Mystic Eyes Killers.[22]


Personality[]

Touko originally had a terrible relationship with Aoko because she took her position as the successor to the Fifth Magic.[21] In her later years, however, this relationship appears to be mended. In retaliation for having her prized Mystic Eye Killers stolen from her, she's been making an effort to buy as much stuff as she can under Aoko's name. Even though there's a high chance of her location leaking out if she keeps it up, it seems that revenge against Aoko even takes priority over her own self-preservation.[11]

Touko was originally obsessed with reaching the Swirl of the Root which led her to hate her sister. She was competitive with Araya as they both were trying to reach the Akasha, but eventually she gave up on it. While giving up on it, she enjoys her daily life with people she cares about. She usually cut ties with people and she realized that she stayed too long with Mikiya, Shiki, and Azaka.

Touko is an individual with dual personalities, allowing her to change her personality depending on how she views the situation. When she first spoke to Mikiya on the phone, she had a serious tone to appear important, whereas when she meets Mikiya in person, she seemed nice and friendly. She switches depending on her glasses. When wearing them, her facial expressions are calm and kind and she is objective and ruthless. After taking them off, her facial expressions are very cruel and she is subjective and emotional.[23] It is unknown, even to her, which is the real Touko, but emotional or not, she is fundamentally a romanticist.[21] It is uncertain what personality she has once she put on sunglasses but she'd turn into one of those cute weirdo characters with a nonsensical verbal tic.[24]

Touko believes a certification is not really proof of anything, it's just a scrap of paper. Likewise, as long as you've actually got the skills to back it up, things like licenses or certifications are completely unnecessary. She's qualified in Medical Treatment, Construction, Business, and Information Gathering.[25]

She loves new things, and she will tinker restlessly with things in which she is interested. She can also be called a speed demon.[21] In her underground garage, she has four cars, two motorcycles, and an engine propeller plane.[26] She is also very loose with money, as she buys items with magic properties from "Dark Amazon" on impulse which leads her to being broke months at a time.[27] For example, she brought a Ouija BoardWP because she thought it would look good in her office.[28]

Sometimes she could not provide salary for her staff because of her spending. As compensation for Shiki's work, Touko will usually give her an upgrade to her artificial arm, or maybe a rare knife to stop her sulking.[29]

She hates being called "Scarred Red" (傷んだ赤(スカー・レッド), Itanda aka(Sukā Reddo)?, "Disgraced Scarlet" in the English localization), as it reminds her that although she wanted the colored title of Blue similar to her family name, she instead ended up with the colored title of Red. The nickname implies that her given name of "orange" is merely a tainted color of her title of red, a pure primary color. She made a personal rule that whomever calls her that nickname would end up with a death sentence.[30]

Role[]

Mahou Tsukai no Yoru[]

She later returns to Misaki Town in order to enter through the path to the Root hidden under the land and sealed by her grandfather. After sealing her grandfather with part of her Magic Crests, she proceeds to break down the bounded field around Misaki Town that concentrates the mana of the land to the Kuonji mansion and seals the path to the Root hidden under the land.

After drawing out Aoko Aozaki and Alice Kuonji, she uses Lugh Beowulf to severely injure them, in order to provoke Aoko into using the Fifth Magic. After the two recover, they challenge Touko again, but she reveals her stolen Magic Crests and overwhelms them. Beo then appears in order to defeat both Aoko and Alice, but Soujuurou Shizuki unexpectedly incapacitates him.

Recognizing Soujuurou as a threat, Touko kills Soujuurou and Aoko activates the Fifth in order to revive him. She is one-sidedly defeated by Aoko who brought her "experience" from ten years later, and is cursed to not be able to return to Misaki Town for ten years.

She removes this curse only a year later by killing herself and switching to a spare puppet body.

Kara no Kyoukai[]

Touko is the guide in of Kara no Kyoukai, but she is an outsider at the same time. It would not be a story without her, but she does not constitute the body of the tale.[21] At the events of "Murder Speculation (Part 1)", Touko was traveling all over Japan looking for a comfortable hideout.[31]

In the 90s, she runs Garan no Dou, a contract-based production company. She engages in cases with supernatural or abnormal elements. The jobs she takes mainly involve puppet-making, but she will accept all kinds of jobs, including the production of anime, if she is interested.[32]

It is not exactly known how she met Azaka Kokutou but Touko met Azaka before Shiki woke up from her coma. When Azaka was living with her adoptive parents, a series of strange incidents occurred and Touko was the one that was investigating the case. As the daughter of the house, Azaka got dragged into cooperating with the investigation.[33][34] Nasu hinted that Tobimaru Tsukiji might be involved in how they met.[35] She later took Azaka as her apprentice around June or July 1998 and developed the salamander glove to strengthen and better control her ability.

She is shown to be an artistic puppet maker and as an occasional architect, having designed the Ogawa Apartment Complex.

Chapter 4: The Hollow Shrine[]

In May 1998, Mikiya Kokutou saw her puppets in the museum and was drawn to them; he sought Touko's workshop and was able to find it, regardless of the bounded field. Because of that, she acknowledged his talent for "finding things" and became his employer.

In June 1998, Shiki Ryougi awakens from her coma, and Touko replaces Araya as the new counselor and introduces herself to Shiki as her speech therapist. Touko explains to Shiki that she is confused and frightened due to losing her other personality. She visits Shiki every day, and eventually Shiki realizes she is dependent on their conversations. Before leaving, Touko places a rune Bounded Field to protect Shiki from spirits. When Shiki tries to destroy her own eyes during in the night, Touko stops her claiming it is a waste and explains her new abilities.

When a Wraith possesses a dead corpse and enters Shiki's room to claim her body, Touko tried using her rune spell to burn the dead corpse but it was ineffective. Touko suggested retreating but Shiki refused and successfully killed the Wraith. Touko then offered to teach Shiki how to use her abilities in return for her services as she lost her familiar, to which Shiki agrees. As Shiki collapse, Touko was being sincere to her as she sensed Shiki's unvoiced wish to live a normal life despite being endowed with a power that encroaches on the domain of God. Afterward, she took up molding Shiki as a hobby.[36] On one level, Chapter Four was the story of Shiki's awakening, but at the same time it's also Touko's story. Until now, she was shown as cynical, but here it is discovered that she's a good person at heart, or at least that she's not evil.[37]

« To be hollow means you can be filled without limit, right? »

(Touko speaking to an unconscious Shiki)

Chapter 1: Overlooking the Scenery[]

In September 1998, she and Mikiya were investigating the recent suicide at the Fujou apartment. She warns Mikiya not to go near the building but Mikiya didn't listen to her and was caught in an unconscious state by Kirie Fujou.

She explains to Shiki about the suicide cases and the abnormalities that led Mikiya's unconscious state.

After Shiki loses her artificial arm, Touko repaired and upgraded her Magical Prosthetic.

After Shiki defeats Kirie's spiritual body, Touko visits Kirie's physical body in the hospital. She asked a few questions on her incurable condition and the reason why she killed the other girls. Touko leaves the hospital after questioning her.

In the Epilogue, Touko is walking near the Fujou building with Azaka, where Fujou's corpse has been found. Azaka could not understand why she committed suicide and Touko comments that she just probably could not fly today.

Chapter 5: Paradox Spiral[]

In November 1998, Touko was contacted by a police friend about a strange case involving with the Ogawa apartment complex. She knew something was odd as she was the original designer so she asked Mikiya to accompany her to the apartment. They found many abnormalities and Touko notice Alba spying on them.

She meets Alba in her exhibition. Alba revealed about the apartment plans and the kidnapping of Shiki. Touko took this as an offense towards her. Touko realized even she was involved in this, she wanted to solve this alone to save Shiki and protect her current lifestyle.

She went alone to the Ogawa apartment bringing along with her Projection machine. She meets Alba who challenges her. Touko suggested to bring out Araya as Alba was not capable of facing her. In the original novel she redirects Alba's thousand degree sea-of-flames spell, and nonchalantly uses it to light her cigarette. Alba was swallowed by the cat familiar and knocked out but Araya saved him. She faced and seemingly defeated Araya with her Projection Machine but Touko soon realized the Araya she defeated was a puppet. She was later incapacitated by the real Araya when he pulled out her heart from behind. However she did not die as Araya kept her in a frozen state, he decapitated her head by ripping her head from her body and stored it in a jar.

Araya handed the head to Alba. As Alba was about to leave, he saw Mikiya and, believing him to be her apprentice, attempted to torture him and cursed Touko's head.

The puppet who awakened after Cornelius killed Touko disobeyed her own rule of "begin activity after constructing a puppet" and went straight for Alba bringing along her familiar 'Sealed Box'. Cornelius was devoured by Touko's 'sealed box' after calling her by her nickname, "Scarred Red".

After Alba death, Touko provided first aid for Mikiya. Araya was peeking at Touko, asking if she wants to resume the fight but Touko claims its foolish to fight him again inside the building even if she has chance of winning with her Sealed Box. Touko laughs at Araya, for his mistake to imprison Shiki within a barrier isolated from space rather than locking her physically. She revealed to Araya that Shiki can cut down his barrier to escape which caused him to suffer pain from inside as the Ogawa Apartment is linked to his body.

As the Apartment crumbling down, Touko grabbed Mikiya and evacuated straight away. After Araya's defeat by the hands of Shiki, Touko and Araya had their last conversion together. Touko expresses that his downfall was caused by Enjou Tomoe's love for his family as well as his breaking out of the cycle created by Araya. Touko revealed that his name is the same thing he detest before he died.

In the epilogue, Mikiya revealed that Touko disposed of the corpses found in the ruins in the Ogawa Apartment.

Chapter 6: Oblivion Recorder[]

Touko school photo

Touko's old student photo

In January 1999, Touko asked Azaka and Shiki to investigate the case involving with a magus controlling Fairies in the Reien Girl's Academy.

Shiki and Azaka found an old photo of her when she was a student, much to their amusement.

Chapter 7: Murder Speculation Part 2[]

In February 1999, Touko talks to Mikiya about the recent murders and their connection with Shiki. She allowed Mikiya to take some time off from work to learn the truth.

She called Daisuke Akimi about the recent homicide case; Touko went to investigate the crime scene and agrees with Daisuke that the recent murder and the case 4 years ago are related.

After Lio Shirazumi leaves Mikiya and warns him not to approach him again. Mikiya asked Touko if she will be able to help Lio. She reveals details about origins and that it is impossible to help Lio in his current state. As Mikiya went to search for Shiki, Touko wishes him well and hopes fate allows them to meet again. Azaka barges in complaining about Mikiya's relationship with Shiki and wishes him to cut his ties with her. Touko realized that she stayed too long and she's planning on leaving.

After leaving Mifune City, not much is known but she ends up working as some kind of doctor in an orbiting satellite.[38] Depending on Azaka desire to pursuit Magecraft, Touko most likely sends her homework via mail.[39]

Lord El-Melloi II Case Files[]

case. Twin Towers of Iselma[]

Touko attends to the social gathering for Iselma's Golden and Silver Princesses.

Touko warns Maio Brishisan Clynelles not to touch Trimmau, as touching someone else's Mystic Code would potentially cause someone's death. She introduces herself to Reines El-Melloi Archisorte. Reines was shocked to learn that Touko was the rumored Grand Rank Mage and her Sealing Designation was revoked. Reines learns from Touko, that she was the one who provided puppet parts to Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald in the Fourth Holy Grail War. Touko tried to touch Gray's face until the two princesses arrived. Touko's personality switched as she analyze the Iselma family princesses. She leaves with Maio.

Grace Note Special Episode[]

Touko grace note


case. Grand Roll[]

While Gray, Flat, Svin, and a miniature Lord El-Melloi II are investigating the workshop of Gesell Tolman, one of Heartless' students, they run into Touko, who had already broken into the workshop and invites them in. She tells them that, after having had to leave things unresolved during the case at the Twin Towers of Iselma, she decided to start investigating Heartless on her own out of curiosity, and both sides agree to share information. When looking over their list of Heartless' students, she informs them that three of them have gone missing, including Gesell who disappeared three days ago. She also informs them of their status as Survivors of the Spiritual Tomb of Albion.[40]

After they part from Gesell's workshop, she has one of her crystal damselfly follow the group of Reines, Svin, Flat, and Trimmau back to Slur Street, the campus of the Department of Modern Magecraft, to take her investigation there as the "point of origin" of the case. Since she knew how sensitive Svin's Bestial Magecraft is, she had the familiar keep its distance, but he almost discovered it as it still caused a disruption when it entered the Bounded Field at Slur Street, and Svin's smell is not restricted to regular smell.[41]

After Heartless and Faker attack the Department of Modern Magecraft, Touko joins the fight against them by teaming up with a Trimmau-armored Svin Glascheit and Reines El-Melloi Archisorte. Among other things, Touko rearrange a crystal damselfly Familiar into a gun muzzle that fires a magical bullet. Faker compliments Touko's skill, but Faker's magecraft is fundamentally stronger due to its origins in the Age of Gods. Heartless and Faker eventually have to withdraw through a rift to the Spiritual Tomb of Albion before it closes, but Touko's last attack knocks a golden coin free from their chariot.[42]

Touko later intervenes to help Reines during the Grand Roll, stalling time for Lord El-Melloi II. She is there as a representative of the Neutral faction, doesn't have any real horse in the race but is just having a great time.[43]

The Adventures of Lord El-Melloi II[]

The Man Who Devoured God[]

Touko sends a letter to Mikiya Ryougi. It's a very old envelope, as if it was something she was supposed to have sent years ago and forgot.[44]

The Devil of the Wandering Sea[]

Two weeks ago El-Melloi II sent Touko a letter asking if she knew anything about removing curses, intending to find a cure for Gray. Touko said she knew just the person for the job and arranged a meeting between El-Melloi II and Mikiya. Rin Tohsaka finds it hard to believe that Touko is the Touko Aozaki and not just someone with the same name.

El-Melloi II explains that, while Touko's Sealing Designation had previously been revoked, she got into trouble and got another one. Touko is the first person to ever get a Sealing Designation twice.[45]

Touko left behind her old agency, the Garan no Dou, several years ago and it has already gone through several owners.[46]

Clock Tower 2015[]

In Clock Tower 2015, Lev Uvall considers Touko to be the only person he sees as a friend. When Ms. Norwich informs Lev about his guest who refers to herself as Miss Aozaki. He was happy purely because a friend with similar thoughts, skills was visiting and he had not heard about her in years. Lev thought he would never see her again. He was restless because he was looking forward to discussing magecraft with her in great length and details. Lev had no experience to comprehend such luxuries as love. When he meets Miss Aozaki, it turns out it was Aoko.[18]

Meanwhile, the real Touko also receives a mysterious letter but she visit the Clock Tower eleventh street Rocks Road in a certain Autumn noon. In order to deceive pursuers from the Clock Tower, she disguised herself with a long-haired wig and a flashy sunglasses.[47]

Fate/EXTRA[]

Touko extra2

Touko enters the Moon Cell sometime before the Moon Cell Holy Grail War of Fate/EXTRA in search of Shiki Ryougi. Aoko also enters for her own reasons, and the two reside in the chapel of Tsukumihara Academy. She has since claimed that her reason for being there is to keep Aoko from accidentally killing someone. They bitterly put up with one another, dealing with the Masters by offering Alteration of the Soul. Differing in status from the Masters, the chapel is an area cut off from the system of SE.RA.PH and the rest of the world.[48]

Upon meeting Hakuno Kishinami, she seems to recognize them, but cannot recall the details. She mentions that she cannot remember the last time she forgot something.[48] While she could greatly help Masters and Servants, she claims to be too busy attending to other tasks and work given to her by Kokutou to help with Alterations even though she is better than Aoko by a factor of ten. She instead only displays interest in watching the various test subjects. After the first round is completed, she mentions that it is good that Hakuno is used to Alterations, and tells them to strengthen their Servant as soon as possible. Touko apparently does not speak with "lowly" Masters often, and Aoko calls that the oddest action in a world of oddities. She blames it on the lack of coffee and tobacco, as she only has "e-cigs" to calm herself. She wishes to leave as soon as possible, claiming only someone insane could enjoy being trapped there.

Chibichuki![]

In Chibichuki!, she is still on bad terms with Aoko but she restrain herself from killing her. When Ryuunosuke Uryuu and Caster work on their art, Touko altered Ryuunosuke's work on a whim. She recreated it into a Saber figure, Caster starts worshipping Touko as a "teacher" and Ryuunosuke calls it cool.

Other appearances[]

She does not appear in Tsukihime. However, she is a key figure in Kara no Kyoukai, which intersects with Tsukihime. The glasses Shiki Tohno wears were originally belonged to her.[11] Her sister Aoko stole them from Touko and made them indestructible. They relieved him of the unbearable sight of Death, and allowed him to live normally again.[22]

Touko was indirectly mentioned in Fate/Zero. After Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald had sustained great physical injuries. He used the El-Melloi clan contacts to call the famous puppet-maker in secret. He exchanged an astonishing sum of money in gratitude to make a deal with Touko.[49]

Touko in Spring Song

Touko's cameo in Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel III. spring song

The Aozaki family is briefly mentioned by Rin Tohsaka in Heaven's Feel as having the best lands in Japan.[50] Touko herself is referenced in the epilogue of the Heaven's Feel route of Fate/stay night.[11] After Shirou Emiya's body was destroyed, they required a puppet body for him after he was partially restored by the Third Magic. They sold the books at the Matou house to obtain a body left by a famous puppet maker, but it has some problems because it was obtained used. It is still the best one out of all those they tried, so they wish to look for her to obtain one that matches him. They note that it will be hard to find the creator because she is marked with a Sealing Designation and on the run from the Mage's Association.[12] Touko can be as such briefly seen in the ending scene of Fate/stay night - Heaven's Feel - III. Spring Song.[51] Rider wears Touko's "Mystic Eye Killer" to disable her Mystic Eyes.[52]

Francesca briefly mentions Touko to Faldeus Dioland in Fate/strange Fake. She ended up in her current body because Touko had previously destroyed her bodies. When the higher-rank Government wanted to hire Touko, Francesca was strongly against it, partly because of Francesca's personal feelings. However Francesca believes Touko would've turned them down, she only takes jobs that suit her tastes. Apparently her family values interest over money. She might have cooperated if they asked her to make a puppet that incarnates Heroic Spirits.[20]

It was hinted that she was the magus who gave a box of Dragon Smoke to Kairi Sisigou in Fate/Apocrypha.[53]

In Melty Blood: Type Lumina, Aoko mentions Touko in her ending, saying that Touko is busy somewhere in the south seas.[54]

She makes a brief cameo appearance in the last episode of Carnival Phantasm where she stares at Aoko.[55]

In Type-Moon's April Fools' Day 2009, moon.cinemas.jp is a fake movie theater site listing a number of parody films. She was featured in Dollswork Orange (人形仕掛けのオレンジ, Ningyō Shikake no Orenji?), a parody film of A Clockwork OrangeWP.

In Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA☆ILLYA 2wei!, when Irisviel von Einzbern talks about the power of a big sister, Touko makes a cameo appearance alongside Stheno, Euryale and Kohaku to illustrate Irisviel's remarks.[56][57]

Abilities[]

Touko is one of the most powerful magi in the world, and while she does not have as many Magic Circuits as Cornelius Alba, she is a genius with talents that are independent of her lineage.[4] Touko has twenty Magic Circuits, and while not an extremely large number, it was a surprise to the Aozaki clan due to the number of Magic Circuits in their line having been dwindling. In terms of quality, her Magic Circuits are among the best in the world.[58] She is the second youngest to earn the highest rank of Grand (冠位?) in the Mage's Association, having done so at the age of 20, and the Mage's Association also dubbed her with the highest primary colored title of Red (赤?). She wished to get the color Blue, but that title was instead given to her sister Aoko.[19] Although her younger sister Aoko is good at nothing but destroying things, Touko is truly a polymath.[12] While powerful by modern standards, she is still incapable of facing a serious Medea.[59] By the time of Kara no Kyoukai, she is weaker than Azaka.[60] However, in Case Files, Touko was able to effortlessly take down both Flat Escardos and Svin Glascheit on her own with just her runes and Projection Machine,[19] likely meaning that Touko being weaker than Azaka was retconned.

Guishen 0420ev100201a1

Touko's stolen Magic Crests.

During the events of Mahou Tsukai no Yoru, it was revealed that she is capable of utilizing the Magic Crests of other mages as compensation for her lack of her family's own crest. She is capable of doing so by kidnapping mages and keeping them within a relatively well-kept facility. Because it is pointless to try to copy a magic crest onto one's own magic circuits, she instead has them float behind her taking on the appearance of golden wings. Because the crests are not physically connected to her body, she does not feel the pain usually associated with crest usage, but an extra step must be taken if she is to cast a spell from her crests. According to Aoko, the original users of the crests must be kept alive for them to work because the only ones who could use Magic Crests are the inheritors themselves. Alice finds this method highly inefficient, arguing that, instead of holding mages hostage to control their crests, Touko would be better served replicating the crests and using them as components in an especially powerful puppet. Regardless of any inefficiencies, however, Touko's usable magic crests were two times the strength of Aoko's.

While she jokes half-seriously about only being able to fly with a broom, she actually patented a new type of flight most commonly called "Touko Travel."[61]

She is an expert on Mystic Eyes. Although she was born with Mystic Eyes of Enchantment, she created a new set of Mystic Eyes of Enchantment inside her eyes so that they reflect off of each other like mirrors. As a result, she has essentially an infinite number of Mystic Eyes of Enchantment to indefinitely bind the opponent.[62] She created glasses called Mystic Eye Killers (魔眼殺し, Magan-goroshi?) that can suppress Mystic Eyes' effects. Touko poured an obscene amount of money into constructing Shiki Ryougi's Mystic Eyes Killers, but Shiki shoved them back saying "Why should I do it to please you?" The reason Shiki declined the Mystic Eyes Killer was the same as when she refused to wear the uniform of Reien Girls' Academy.[22]

Runes[]

Touko casting rune Mahoyo

Touko carving and casting a rune.

She possesses a variety of Runes that can display a variety of effects, but her most notable are the three replicas of Primeval Runes. These runes, indestructible by magecraft, are able to amplify the curses of her other runes by tens of millions of times. All three were destroyed by Aoko using the Fifth Magic.[63]

Despite most of them have been lost to time, she was able to recover and reconstruct a large portion of those lost Runes. Even beyond recovering the 24 Runes of the Futhark alphabet that undergirds the magecraft as a whole, she also managed to parse out a number of Primordial Runes that were supposedly lost back in the Age of Gods. The rights to the former were sold throughout the Clock Tower, while the latter were apparently sealed away for safe keeping in case of her Sealing Designation being fulfilled.[64] Touko's skill in Runes is so great, she can use Rune magecraft to draw the Runes themselves.[19] Her use of runes is not that powerful, instead being secondary to her skills in puppet-crafting and body modification.[65]

Touko's various runes were unable to stop Aoko no matter the quality or quantity, as her outstanding reflexes and prediction act in synergy with the powerful force of the bullets she releases with both hands. Touko is amazed at the simplicity of her magecraft, commenting that even at her peak she is utterly hopeless in only being able to blow things apart. While runes are curses effective against people, Aoko's bullets are powerful projectiles that affect all things without discrimination.[63]

She is able to create a "Runic Protection" that creates a Bounded Field around Shiki's hospital room with the help of a rune stone, which prevents the entry of spirits.[66] One Wraith manages to find his way inside of it by possessing a dead corpse. One of her rune spells, Ansuz can kill a human easily by burning the heart but it's ineffective against dead people.[67] Using the Sowilo Rune, Touko can use its meaning of "Sun" to unleash effects connected to the sun, such as using the Rune's power to rapidly scatter the lingering shadows and darkness of Flat's magecraft, like the morning sun melting the night's frost,[19] or stealing the attribute of Night itself from a particular place to make Alice Kuonji incapable of using her Ploy Kickshaw.[62] By engraving the runes Naudiz, Jera, and Uruz into the ground, Touko used the meaning of "creation" behind this string of Runes to engrave countless Runes through her own great skill in runes at a radius of about ten meters around Svin, then cause the dozens of Runes to explode around him, with the dozens of impacts blowing away both the Phantasmal Wolf and Svin's consciousness.[19] Using the rune Mannaz, Touko is also able to control and manipulate people, even collapsed magi, as if they were her puppets.[19] Once, she blew up a stolen motorcycle with runes.[60]

Puppets[]

Touko is an expert puppet maker. She has even received a Sealing Designation because she was able to create a puppet body identical to her own body.[11] Even a second-hand puppet body that she created that is slightly incompatible with the recipient, Shirou Emiya, is of better quality than anything else Rin Tohsaka can manage to find. This causes her to seek out Touko even with the difficulty of finding her due to the Sealing Designation because she believes only Touko can provide a compatible body.[12] She also crafts a puppet arm for Shiki Ryougi. She's able to reproduce parts of a body that can be used instead of the lost part. While this would be nothing special, she can reproduce the part in such a perfect way that it is indistinguishable from the real one.

Touko Puppets[]

Puppets are normally either greater or lesser than human bodies in some way. While they may have greater strength and move as would a human, some flaw in their creation will expose them at some point. Their speech, actions, or appearance will seem wrong or unnatural, and their parts are only mechanisms animated by magecraft and not truly living. Exposing something like blood and muscle sinew from the loss of a limb should reveal the truth. This has led to the saying "Magecraft cannot create an automaton that contains the spark of humanity." that has been passed down since the Middle Ages. Once simply common knowledge, it eventually became a rule of sorts for magi.

Within her various experiments, Touko has managed to create a perfect puppet imitation of herself despite that rule. It is no more or less than herself, and despite most magi striving to seek higher plateaus in the field, she feels that is the state of the art of magecraft. It has brought her current existence into a state of being that can be likened to Schrödinger's catWP. Upon first witnessing her creation, she thought there may no longer be a need for herself, and that it, even after she is killed, going on to act as she did no longer leaves any hope for puppeteers to achieve ascension in their craft. Even if her body is destroyed and her soul is severed, the next Touko simply awakens without issue.

Due to the exactness of the puppets, the next Touko will awaken after the death of the previous one. It is possible to stall the awakening by keeping her brain active, even if the rest of her body is destroyed. Her soul often remembers everything up until the point of death, even the pain of her head being crushed by Alba. It is possible that her full will and goals will not be inherited to the next puppet depending on how far the original is from the puppet. The closer the proximity, the more likely she will inherit the original's will, and the further away, as they are stored all over the world, the greater a blank in her memory proportional to the distance will be formed. She normally has a rule of "begin activity after constructing a puppet", though her easily roused nature and lack of patience causes her to go after Alba right after waking.[68]

The transition between the original and the puppet is very smooth, likened to napping and acting as if she overslept by a few hours. Everything she knows stays with her, and determinismWP dictates that she should take the same actions as her predecessor. She only knows that she wakes when the previous is dead, so she can no longer tell which version of her is the real Touko, the time when she became like that, or if it even matters at all. She then may create another puppet for the sole reason of convincing herself that she is the real Touko. The previous version may have been real or it may be dead, but with only one of her, there is no way to distinguish between them, likened to a quantum superpositionWP-like state that makes all any version of her "fake" in her own eyes. Alba finds the explanation mostly inconceivable, from the method to Touko's state of mind, so she simply tells him to think of the previous one as fake.

Touko has created an alternate puppet version of herself to stay in the Moon Cell, and she can apparently "ditch it" whenever she wishes after her business there is finished. Normally a magus is trapped inside SE.RA.PH until they obtain the Holy Grail, and only one can normally survive. She is not a Master, so she is trapped there unless she takes drastic measures. The difference between her and her copies are miniscule, and her body is one that will self-destruct once she is ready to leave. Hakuno notes her resolve is beyond their ability to comprehend.

According to Francesca, if these puppets replicate not only Touko's memory but even her soul perfectly, this would mean that she has attained the Third Magic.[20] This, however, remains unlikely.

Aoko Puppet[]

Aoko Puppet (青子人形, Aoko Ningyō?) is a puppet that appeared in Mahou Tsukai no Yoru. Touko crafted it to resemble her little sister, it has 4 arms with a crow mode (鴉形態, karasu keitai?) and a spider mode (蜘蛛形態, kumo keitai?). It has a self-destruct (自爆, jibaku?) function.[69]

Its primary form of offense comes from its ability to extend its limbs like spears to strike its targets, however it does takes some time for it to fully retract its arms. It compensate for this weakness with precise strikes and extra arms. If necessary, the puppet is able to use the retract to its advantage by anchoring the fired arm in place and then ramming its mass into its opponent caught between.[69]

Upon physical contact it is able to shock its target and in doing so, place a Magic Crest interference curse on them, preventing them from using magecraft temporarily. The curse essentially short-circuit the victims own magic circuits via the puppet's circuits. The curse also serves another purpose by providing the puppet with energy, thanks its auto-incant perpetual motion engine, a cursed music box. As victims of curses will inevitably curse their assailant in return; the puppet was made with this concept in mind, allowing it to take advantage of this phenomenon in order to gain unending energy to pursue its target. As the puppet is constantly chanting curses to power itself, this also creates a cursed self-defense field around it. This in turn, stricken any who comes close with sickness making them easy prey.[69]

The puppet is equipped with mystic eyes capable of rapidly firing Gandr/Finn Shots that could ricochet off mirrors. At full strength, the Finn shots could stop a defenseless person's heart in one hit. Beside the Gandr, the puppet could place barriers over entry points to prevent escape.[69]

Familiars[]

Touko's familiars generally act as her trump cards. Even in Kara no Kyoukai, where her runes have weakened, her familiars act as a large part of her battle capability.

Lugh Beowulf[]

Main article: Lugh Beowulf

She has a contract with Lugh Beowulf, which she formed by "offering" her hair. Twenty-years worth of hair is significant to a female magus, and needed to form a contract with a beast of his rank. Hair is a female magus' best possible weapon, ingredient, or item, as it can amplify spells and the like. Its worth is best emphasized in Aoko's fight with the Flat Snark, and as one of the reasons Touko lost to Aoko, as there is no way she can plan a comeback against Aoko because she has exhausted her resources, hair and money alike, already. It should have been worth it due to her contract with Lugh securing her complete success, which allowed them to go up against a Dead Apostle Ancestor, among other escapades, without being defeated once. This changes after his defeat at the hands of Soujuurou Shizuki.[23] Touko says he is not as useful after learning defeat because he is no longer perfect. While more valuable than a novice, he will likely lose sight of what makes him special when faced with magic.

Projection Machine[]

The Projection Machine (幻燈機械, Gentō Kikai?) was created by Touko Aozaki to replace the familiar that was destroyed by her sister. It is stored in her Orange Bag (オレンジの鞄, Orenji no Kaban?), she seems to be very fond of using it. It is not used as a bag, and it is stuffed with a projector-like mechanism. A projection machine that perjures a magical creature of shadow.[70]

It appeared in Kara no Kyoukai: Paradox Spiral. A suitcase with a projector installed inside. It shapes an Ether Clump in the form of a monstrous cat that cannot be destroyed unless the suitcase is destroyed. It also has the ability to heal Touko by enveloping her. Add, which could even cut through the spirits of the dead, caused only a light ripple as it passed through the paper-thin cat. Gray states that the cat's speed was on par with her own or perhaps even higher, with ample proof being the cat's claws taking a few strands of her hair with them as she evaded.

In Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Touko uses a mechanical bird puppet with a projector inside to project the creature, allowing it to venture some distance away from her.

  • Projection Machine - Run (幻燈機械・走る, Gentō Kikai - Hashiru?)
  • Projection Machine - Devour (幻燈機械・食べる, Gentō Kikai - Taberu?)
  • Projection Machine - Spoil (幻燈機械・甘える, Gentō Kikai - Amaeru?)

Sealed Box[]

Touko using the Sealed Box

Touko and her sealed box

Toukobox

Touko's familiar eats Alba alive.

Touko's Sealed Box (封印の匣, Fūin no Hako?) contains a Demon from myths.[71] It is a large cube meant for sealing familiars, seeming to have infinite depth. Inside there is an opressive darkness without dimensions altogether, an eternal and infinite hell. A creature without a name, like a monster in a horror movie it was silent, understood by no one and more than anything, immortal. A ceaseless darkness that no magecraft could ever hope to reach.[72]

Upon being opened, it contains a dark mass that remains untouched by the light and peers out with two shining eyes. It has numerous thorn-like tendrils to grab the target and one thousand small mouths to slowly devour them in chunks while dragging them back toward the box. Eating them alive, they are completely dragged inside and devoured. Everything consumed by that maw of hellfire it's the same as if it had never even existed at all in the material world.[73]

It can potentially devour the entirety of the Ogawa Apartment Complex, but Touko refrains from doing so because the Mage's Association would discover her and start chasing her down again.

In the Lord El-Melloi II Case Files, it is revealed that she keeps a similar monster inside of her own body. She states that she does this so that she can never be taken by surprise should she be ambushed.

Other[]

Touko also has familiars in the form of crystal damselflies she collects that fire beams like a certain little sister.[41][42][74] They are mechanical damselflies, with clear and transparent bodies, as if they had been carved from crystal, with a faint, ethereal light emanating from their folded wings. Though they are only the size of a child's hand, the wires, springs, and gears are perfectly balanced inside it. All of this is fixed in place with a combination of chips of crystal, friction, and tiny amounts of Magical Energy. Even a high-ranking mage would be stunned with envy if they were told of how this Mystic Code worked. As a result of magecraft that obstructs the senses, no one else can see or react to it.[41] Touko can rearrange a crystal damselfly Familiar into a gun muzzle that fires a magical bullet.[42]

Development[]

Creation and Conception[]

Touko has went under many design changes over the years.[75] She is shown as a school girl in Character material, where she has long black hair. She had short blue hair and lavender colour eyes in the original illustrations of the Kara no Kyoukai novels, but Takashi Takeuchi changed her character design during the production of the films. He thought of the correct design for her by harmonizing her more with a relatively ordinary living, beautiful big sister-type who's good at her work rather than a magi who gives the impression of separating herself from this transient world.

The reason why her hair was so short in the original design stems from the shorter hairstyle she wears in Mahou Tsukai no Yoru due to her contract with Lugh Beowulf.[23]

The age difference between Aoko and Touko was a two-year difference in Character material.[76] With the release of Mahou Tsukai no Yoru game, it has been modified to a four years difference. In Kara no Kyoukai, she attended Reien Girl's Academy. But it was written in Character Material that she was strictly raised by her grandfather and did not go to school up to when she was 18. Mahou Tsukai no Yoru corrected this, she graduated from Reien Girl's Academy when she was 18.[1]

Kinoko Nasu commented that it was something of a gamble to feature Honda TakakoWP calm voice in the Garden of sinners as Touko since she's famous for dubbing foreign actors, but she was simply amazing. Nasu considers Honda TakakoWP's acting as Touko impeccable every time. Touko is the least realistic of the characters, and yet she played her as a grounded person.[37]

Reception[]

In Chapter 3 Remaining Sense of Pain, the scene with the most unexpected impact for Nasu is when we got to see Touko with her hair down because she didn't think she'd have any more visitors that night.[77]

Maaya SakamotoWP (Voice Actress of Shiki Ryougi) favorite scene in Spiral Paradox is at the end with the conversation between Araya and Touko. Both their acting and their lines were just incredible. She got the feeling that we'd have a really tight ending for this series.[37]

References[]

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11
    [v] Mahou Tsukai no Yoru Privilege - The Magician's Basic Rhythm: Touko Aozaki, p.026-027

    Touko Aozaki

    • Birthday: August 8
    • Height: 165 cm
    • Weight: 52 kg
    • Likes: Creators
    • Dislikes: Destroyers
    • Day of Decisive Battle: Abandoned school building in the snow
    • Magecraft System: Runes, Human Engineering, General Architectural
    • Circuit Quality: EX
    • Circuit Quantity: B-
    • Circuit Composition: Normal


    Nasu's comment: As you may have noticed, Touko-san is the total-participation all-purpose handyman of the type moon fiction. Her legs are erotic. It's the kind of erotic that makes you think "What's up with this person!?". It's the design that best projects Koyama's overflowing pure passion, don't you agree? By the way it was stated in the character material released in 2006 that "Touko is 2 years older than Aoko", but with the release of the game various things were changed. In the most recent edition, the age difference is 4 years. But she is still young. For those who want to see an adult Touko please switch to Kara no Kyoukai. The younger sister powers up as she ages, while the older one upgrades her version and rejuvenates herself. What is it with these sisters ?

    Koyama's comment: When thinking about her circumstances I can't help but sympathise with her. But since she managed to rebuild her life from there, she is such a strong person. I enjoyed drawing her particular glasses on/off modes. I wanted to include more drawings in the game of before she cut her hair. The two sister's severed relationship might be conclusive, but I still want to see more dialogue between them. Her clothes were designed to be far from ordinary with an emphasis on sexiness and style, and seeming usable both indoors and outdoors. They definitely don't look very magus-like do they?

    蒼崎橙子

    • 生日: 8月8日
    • 身長: 165cm
    • 体重: 52kg
    • 好きなもの: 創るひと
    • 嫌いなもの: 壊すひと
    • 決戦の日: 雪の旧校舎
    • 魔術系統: 数秘紋による魔力加工、変換、出力。魔法・青
    • 魔術回路 / 質: EX
    • 魔術回路 / 量: B+
    • 魔術回路 / 編成: 正常


    奈須きのこ
    気が付けば型月伝奇フル出場の万能便利屋・橙子さんです。脚がエロい。もうなんなのこの人というぐらいエロい。こやま氏のたぎるピュアパッショ ンが最も投射されたデザインではないだろうか。また2006年に発表したキャラクターマテリアルの過去設定では『青子より二歳年上」とあった が、ゲーム化にともない色々変更。最新版では四歳年上に。でもまだまだヤングです。アダルトな橙子を見たい人は「空の境界」に移行してほしい。 妹はパワーアップすると年齢を積み、姉はバージョンアップすると若返る。なんだこの姉妹。

    こやまひろかず
    境遇を思うと同情を禁じ得ません。あれから人生立て直すんですから強い人ですね・・・。メガネ on/off の描き分けが楽しいキャラでした。 髪を切る前の絵含め、ゲーム中でもっと描きたかったキャラです。断絶は決定的なのかもしれませんが、姉妹の掛け合いはもっと見てみたいですね。 服は日常からかけ離れたエロかっこよさ重視で、かつ屋内外共用で使えるようデザインしてみました。魔術的なアレで絶対見えませんよ?

  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8
    [v] Lord El-Melloi II Case Files material - CHARACTER Profile: Touko Aozaki, p.066

    Touko Aozaki

    • Birthday: August 8
    • Height: 162cm
    • Weight: 52kg
    • Likes: People who make things
    • Dislikes: People who break things
    • Day of Their Decisive Battle: A snowy school building
    • Magecraft System: Rune, Human Engineering, General Architectural
    • Circuit Quality: EX
    • Circuit Quantity: B+
    • Circuit Composition: Normal


    Comment from Makoto Sanda

    蒼崎橙子

    • 生日: 8月8日
    • 身長: 162cm
    • 体重: 52kg
    • 好きな物: 創るひと
    • 嫌いな物: 壊すひと
    • 決戦の地: 雪の旧校舎
    • 魔術系統: ルーン、人体工学、建築魔術全般
    • 魔術回路 / 質: EX
    • 魔術回路 / 量: B+
    • 魔術回路 / 編成: 正常


    三田誠's Comment

  3. Haru to Tsuki to Sora to p. 96
  4. 4.0 4.1
    [v] Kara no Kyoukai Special Pamphlet - Encyclopedia: Magic Circuits [Others], p.039 [T]

    Magic Circuits [Others]
    The pseudo-nerves existing in the body of a magus.
    They are the paths that convert life force into magical energy, as well as the paths which connect to the foundations underlying Grand Rituals.
    The number of Magic Circuits is determined at birth. Mage lineages will resort to any means to alter themselves in hope of giving their descendants just one more Circuit.
    This is why magi from older lineages are more powerful.
    In terms of the number of Magic Circuits, and the quality of the lineage, Cornelius Alba is undoubtedly a first rate magus.
    In fact, neither Aozaki Touko nor Araya Souren have many Magic Circuits. Touko has about 20, Araya about 30.
    Still, the two are considered geniuses: Touko has talents that are independent of her lineage. Araya's overwhelming power is probably a result of the anguish that he ceaselessly accumulated through the ages.

    魔術回路【まじゅつかいろ】【その他】
    魔術師が体内に持つ擬似《ぎじ》神経。
    生命力を魔力に変換する為の路《みち》であり、基盤となる大魔術式に繋がる路でもある。
    生まれながらに持ち得る数が決まっており、魔術師の家系は自分たちに手を加えて、魔術回路が一本でも多い跡継ぎを誕生させようとする。
    古い家系の魔術師ほど強力なのはこの為。
    魔術回路の多さ、血筋の品質で言うのなら、コルネリウス・アルバは紛《まぎ》れもなく一流の魔術師。
    実は蒼崎橙子も荒耶宗蓮も、魔術回路はそう多くない。橙子が二十、荒耶が三十といったところ。
    天才と思われがちな両者だが、橙子は血筋以外の才能で、荒耶はひたすら積み重ねた苦悩によって、他を圧倒する力を手に入れたのだろう。

  5. [v] Tsukihime Dokuhon PlusPeriod - talk. Glossary: Forte [Name • Colloquial Term], p.200

    Forte [Name • Colloquial Term]
    A magus of the Association.
    A rare magus who experienced gruesome melees such as protecting Seal-Designed Magi and recovering grimoire.
    Forte favoured spells called Aero Strikes, and the sword acted as the magical staff.
    There were three orifices on the body of the sword, thus the sword was not quite fit for slashing. The purpose of the orifices was to generate sound. Slashing the sword generated a resonant effect, producing an invisible impact on the target.
    She looked like a blade-wielding swordsman, but this swordsman performed her swordplay hundreds of meters away from her opponent.
    The oldest daughter of a mage lineage of many generations. It seemed like she encountered Aozaki, who also shared the Wind Element, several times.

    フォルテ【名称·俗称】
    魔術協会に所属する魔術師。
    封印指定を受けた魔術師の保護、魔術書の奪還など、血なまぐさい実戦に生きる珍しい魔術師。
    空気打ち、と呼ばれる魔術を得意とし、その魔杖は剣そのものである。
    剣の刀身には三つの穴が空いており、およそ斬り合いに適した物ではない。穴は音を出すための物であり、剣を振ることによって共鳴を
    起こし、排除対象に不可視の衝撃を与える。
    その様は剣を振るう剣士そのものだが、この剣士は斬り合う相手とは何百メートルも離れた場所で剣を振るう訳である。
    何代も続いた魔術師の家系の長女。同じ風属性である蒼崎とは何度か顔を遭わせた程度らしい。

  6. Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Volume 2: case. Twin Towers of Iselma (Upper) - Chapter 2 Part 2
  7. [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 5: “Paradox Spiral” Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: This is just a sudden thought, but is there anybody that Touko likes? Or maybe, somebody that she liked in the past?

    Q: This is just a sudden thought, but is there anybody that Touko likes? Or maybe, somebody that she liked in the past? <MADLAX>

    Takeuchi: At the very least, Kinoko loves Touko.
    Nasu: Whenever I fall in love it’s always a one-way crush, hahaha. Somebody needs to hurry up and invent the Matrix. Now, to give a real answer, she doesn’t have anything serious going on at the moment. Though it seems that when she was still living in Misaki there was one guy she might have been really interested in.

  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Mahoutsukai no Yoru - Extra Chapter: "A Honeyed Adventure"
  9. [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 6: “Oblivion Recorder” Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: Touko is an academy graduate now, but when she was still a student how were her grades and conduct?

    Q: Touko is an academy graduate now, but when she was still a student how were her grades and conduct?<shen>

    Nasu: With her bright and cheerful personality, excellent grades, and ability to deftly handle both serious matters and American jokes, she was one of the three shining stars of the dorm. …Well, kidding aside, Glasses Touko happily enjoyed her time as a high school student.
    Takeuchi: Now I want to know about the other two stars…

  10. [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 6: “Oblivion Recorder” Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: Please tell me a bit of the legend of Touko's time as a student.

    Q: Please tell me a bit of the legend of Touko's time as a student. < Uzawa Akira >

    Nasu: One time, she caused a hurricane just by winking.
    Takeuchi: One time, she made a pitcher shit himself by standing in the on-deck circle!
    Nasu: At her prime, she even made Mashin Eiichirō drop dead just by putting on her glasses in the morning.

  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4
    [v] Tsukihime Dokuhon PlusPeriod - TSUKIHIME Dictionary: Aozaki Touko [Person's name], p.175

    Touko Aozaki [Person's name]
    Aoko's older sister. She studied sorcery under her grandfather, but murdered him over the shock of having the Aozaki inheritance usurped by her younger sister and fled to the Association. Unlike Aoko, her abilities as a magus are top class. She has even received a sealing designation due to her status as the world's greatest puppet master.
    She does not appear in Tsukihime. However, she is a key figure in Kara no Kyoukai, which intersects with Tsukihime. Tohno Shiki's mystic eye sealing glasses originally belonged to her.
    In retaliation for having her prized mystic eye killers stolen from her, she's been making an effort to buy as much stuff as she can under Aoko's name. Then, even the Association has entered the era of e-commerce?
    …Even though there's a high chance of her location leaking out if she keeps it up, it seems that revenge against Aoko even takes priority over her own self-
    preservation. Geez, Touko, you should try to be a little more mature.
    By the way, her name shows up for just a second in Fate/stay night, too. Is she secretly trying to win the prize for perfect attendance?

    蒼崎橙子【人名】

  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4
    [v] Fate/side material - Encyclopedia: Aozaki [Person's name], p.054 [T]

    Aozaki [Person's name]
    The name that briefly appeared in this story. It was the name of the mage house that managed the greatest "Spiritual Land" in Japan.
    In the mage world, the name had become synonymous with trouble.
    The Aozakis were an ancient house, but were by no means prestigious. Because of the "Path" opened by the previous Heads, the current Head of the Aozakis had a greater chance of becoming a "Magician".
    The current heirs were a pair of sisters whom were thought to be ominous. After a battle for the right of inheritance, the younger sister became heir of the "Magician" title.
    The older sister traveled to London and made quite a name for herself, but quickly withdrew from the Association due to being problematic.
    During the Fifth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City, the older sister was busy hiding her tracks, while the younger sister was roaming around the country.
    Although the younger sister was good at nothing but destroying things, the older sister was truly a polymath. Fate might had a little to do with the older sister.

    アオザキ 【人名】
    蒼崎。本編でちらりと出てくる名称で、日本屈指の『霊地』を管理する魔術師の姓氏である。
    魔術師たちの世界において厄介ごとの代名詞。
    古い家係ではあるが名門ではない。何代か前の当主が開いだ『道』により、蒼崎の当主は高い確率で『魔法使い』を継承する。
    今代の後継者は不吉とされる姉妹で、後継者争いの未、妹が『魔法使い』の座を譲り受けた。
    姉は口ソドソに渡つてー角の人物になるも、水が合わなくてさつさと脱退レたらしい。
    冬木市で五回目の聖杯戦争が起きている頃、姉は行方をくらましている最中で、妹は気ままに全国行脚の真つ最中だとか。
    妹は壊すコ卜しか能か無いが、姉の方はなにかと芸達著な人で、「Fate」でもちよつぴりだけ関わりがあつたりなかつたり。

  13. 13.0 13.1 Kara no Kyoukai Volume 5: "Paradox Spiral - Tomoe Enjou: Paradox Paradigm." - /5
  14. [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 5: “Paradox Spiral” Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: What kind of relationship did Touko and Araya have in the past?

    Q: What kind of relationship did Touko and Araya have in the past? <White Sleep>

    Nasu: They were students under the same master. They took interest in each other as fellow countrymen… or not. Actually, it started off with them exchanging views as two people with similar ideals. Though their paths differed, their relationship was that of rivals aiming toward the same goal.

  15. [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 5: “Paradox Spiral” Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: Did Alba have a thing for Touko?

    Q: Did Alba have a thing for Touko? <Tiny Mustache>

    Takeuchi: Yeah. He’s quite the yandere, that guy.
    Nasu: Before that, though, he probably wanted to be acknowledged. The London-era Alba was always popping in to Touko’s research laboratory just to gossip and brag about himself.
    Takeuchi: What an annoying personality…!

  16. [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 5: “Paradox Spiral” Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: I love love love Alba so much I’m going crazy! What’s his most favorite food in the whole wide world?

    Q: I love love love Alba so much I’m going crazy! What’s his most favorite food in the whole wide world? <Sucocchi>

    Takeuchi: Everybody loves Alba! Of course, his favourite food is chocola- *PUNCHED*
    Nasu: It’s actually the casual homemade food (an Aozaki sisters specialty!) that Touko cooked long, long ago. The dish was “Pizza Crackers”. According to Touko, making them for Alba was the biggest mistake of her life.

  17. The BAMBOO BROOM DIARY - 2009/1/27: Skipping updates is like fire.
  18. 18.0 18.1 Clock Tower 2015 - 02 - The Record of Lev Uvall
  19. 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 19.6 Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Volume 3: case. Twin Towers of Iselma (Lower) - Chapter 2 Part 3
  20. 20.0 20.1 20.2 Fate/strange Fake Volume 3 - Prologue VIII: The Star Performers' Feast (Part 1)
  21. 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4
    [v] Kara no Kyoukai Special Pamphlet - Encyclopedia: Aozaki Touko [Person's name], p.025 [T]

    Touko Aozaki [Person's name]
    She looks like a woman in her late 20s. Touko is the guide in this tale, yet at the same time she is an outsider. The owner of the Workshop, Garen no Dou.
    She is one of the magi that appear in this tale, and makes a living by crafting puppets.
    Touko is an individual with dual personalities, and the switch is made by putting on and taking off her glasses. With her glasses on, Touko is objective and ruthless; yet without her glasses, she is subjective and emotional. Which one is the real Aozaki Touko, even Touko herself does not really know. Emotional or not, Touko is fundamentally a romanticist.
    Touko loves new things, and will tinker restlessly with things that she is interested in. She is also a speed demon.
    Although Kara no Kyoukai will not be a story without Touko, she does not constitute the body of the tale.
    Touko hates her name, yet she has a habit of always wearing one piece of orange-coloured accessory.
    Even though Touko has a younger sister, their relationship is extremely bad.

    蒼崎橙子【あおざき―とうこ】【人名】
    見た目二十代後半の女性。物語の案内役で、部外者。工房・伽藍《が らん》の堂《どう》のオーナー。
    本編に登場する魔術師の一人で、人形作りを生業《なりわい》としている。
    人為的な二重人格者で、メガネをかける・はずすで人格をスウィッチする。
    メガネをかけている時は客観的で酷薄《こくはく》、メガネをはずしていると主観的で人情家。どちらが作為的《さくい てき》でない蒼崎橙子なのか、本人にもよくわからないらしい。情が薄かろうと厚かろうと、根っこの部分はロマンチスト。新しもの好きで、興味を持ったものをいじり回してはしゃいだりする。スピード狂。
    『空の境界』は彼女なくしては語れない話だが、彼女が主体になる事は決してない。
    自分の名前が嫌いなクセに、オレンジ色の装飾品を一品、体のどこかにつける習性がある。
    妹が一人いるらしいが、関係は最悪。

  22. 22.0 22.1 22.2
    [v] Kara no Kyoukai Special Pamphlet - Encyclopedia: Mystic Eyes Killers [Ornaments], p.038 [T]

    Mystic Eyes Killers [Ornaments]
    A magical construct capable of suppressing the power of Mystic Eyes.
    Since Mystic Eyes are a power derived from the oculus, Mystic Eyes Killers are commonly made into glasses. The glasses Touko wore are also Mystic Eyes Kilers.
    The protagonist of Tsukihime, Tohno Shiki, acquired Mystic Eyes Killers crafted by Touko from someone. They relieved him of the unbearable sight of Death, and allowed him to live normally again.
    This also reflected just how self-abusive Ryougi Shiki was, declining the Mystic Eyes Killers. No... it was more an episode that reflected her heart of clear water.
    As a side note, Touko poured an obscene amount of money into constructing Ryougi Shiki's Mystic Eyes Killers, but Shiki shoved them back saying "Why should I do it to please you?"
    The reason Shiki declined the Mystic Eyes Killer was the same as when she refused to wear the uniform of Reien Girls' Academy.

    魔眼殺し【まがんごろし】【装飾】
    魔眼の力を抑える事の出来る魔術品。
    眼、という事もあり、大体はメガネとして作られる。橙子がかけているメガネも魔眼殺し。
    『月姫』の主人公、遠野志貴《とおの し き 》は視えてしまう死に耐えられず、人づてで橙子謹製の魔眼殺しを譲ってもらい、なんとか生活していけるようになった。
    魔眼殺しをつけずに暮らしている式がどれほど捨て鉢《ばち》……じゃなくて、達観した精神かを物語るエピソード。
    ちなみに、橙子が巨額を投じて作った式用の魔眼殺しは、「なんでオレがおまえを喜ばせないといけないんだ」と式に突っ返された。
    式がメガネを突っ返した理由は、礼園の制服の時と同じと思われる。

  23. 23.0 23.1 23.2
    Haru to Tsuki to Sora to - Touko Aozaki [Design Memo]

    [Aozaki Touko (surface)] - Huh? Heey, Kokutou-kuun?

    [Aozaki Touko (undersurface)] - 【Aozaki Touko - Design Notes】
    During the time of producing the Anime-version, I decided to alter the design she had in the Doujin-paper book.
    As a result of thinking again in my own special way of a correct design for Touko, I harmonized more with a relatively ordinary living, beautiful big sister-type who's good at her work, than a magician who gives the impression of separating herself from this transient world.
    By the way, I think you will understand the reason why her hair was short in the doujin version, if you'll be able to see Mahoutsukai no Yoru.
    While wearing her glasses, her facial expression is calm and kind.
    When she's taking them of, her facial expression is very cruel.
    Touko "offered" her long hair to Lugh Beowulf to be able to form a contract with a beast of his rank. This should have secured a complete success until Soujuurou beat the hell out of this werewolf. Also, 20-year-worth of hair is significant. The worth of a female magus' hair was emphasized during Aoko's fight with the Snark. It's a female magus' best possible weapon/ingredient/item as it can amplify spells and such. This is why should Touko lose in her fight with Aoko (in which she did lose), there's no way she can plan a comeback because she has exhausted her resources already. (hair and money alike)

  24. [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 4: “The Hollow Shrine” Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: Touko’s personality changes when she puts on glasses. If she put on sunglasses, what kind of personality would she have?

    Q: Touko’s personality changes when she puts on glasses. If she put on sunglasses, what kind of personality would she have? <Boruboru>

    Nasu: I never thought of that.
    Takeuchi: She’d turn into one of those cute weirdo characters with a nonsensical verbal tic. Here, Shiki, take this! Believe it!
    Nasu: I never thought of that either.

  25. [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 4: “The Hollow Shrine” Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: We saw that Touko is a certified speech therapist, but does she have any other certifications in addition to that?

    Q: We saw that Touko is a certified speech therapist, but does she have any other certifications in addition to that? <Lemon>

    Nasu: Ah, certifications… certifications… haha… (He has a faraway look in his eyes.) Well, it’s like this. Touko said it, too, that a certification isn’t really proof of anything, it’s just a scrap of paper. Likewise, as long as you’ve actually got the skills to back it up, things like licenses or certifications are completely unnecessary…
    Takeuchi: In short, all of her certifications are forgeries.
    Nasu: Right. Though, to answer seriously… if we go by categories, she’s qualified in Medical Treatment, Construction, Business, and Information Gathering.

  26. [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 3: “Remaining Sense of Pain” Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: How many cars does Touko own? And does she really have an ATV…?

    Q: How many cars does Touko own? And does she really have an ATV…?

    Nasu: She’s a speed freak, that one. In her underground garage, she has four cars, two motorcycles, and what looks to be an honest-to-god reciprocating engine propeller plane. Of course, the original ending involved using that plane to escape after defeating the Demon God.
    Takeuchi: Too bad we couldn’t use it. But hey, devils never cry, right?

  27. [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 6: “Oblivion Recorder” Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: Where does Touko go to buy tools related to magecraft?

    Q: Where does Touko go to buy tools related to magecraft? <Yururi>

    Nasu: She orders everything from Dark Amazon, the giant organization seeking a monopoly on distribution in the magic world. Even the bigwigs at the Association are beginning feeling a sense of impending crisis at the way they’re gobbling up markets for magical items one after another.
    Takeuchi: And the way they gather so much personal information on magi that shop with them is pretty nasty, too.
    Nasu: “Look, this Aozaki Touko customer buys everything the Good Smile Company releases! HAHAHAHA, she’s a goddamn lolicon!” …Like that?

  28. [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 3: “Remaining Sense of Pain” Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: So, Touko spent all her money ordering that “Ouija Board” thing, but… what’s a Ouija Board, anyway?

    Q: So, Touko spent all her money ordering that “Ouija Board” thing, but… what’s a Ouija Board, anyway?
     
    Nasu: It’s a tool for communicating with spirits. By using a pendulum with the board, it supposedly allows you to magically converse with the dead. It’s similar in concept to the practice of table-turning. It was created in Victorian England (1848~1886), but you can buy them online even today. Umm… don’t actually do that, though.
    Takeuchi: So did Touko actually intend to have fun trying to talk to spirits?
    Nasu: Nah, she mostly just bought it because she thought it would look good in her office. Or, maybe she intends to use it as one of the 38 instant-kill weapons carried by the Mecha-Mikiya that she’s bound to make sooner or later.
    Takeuchi: Touko’s pretty… unfettered, huh?

  29. [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 3: “Remaining Sense of Pain” Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: What kind of compensation does Shiki receive when she takes on Touko’s requests?

    Q: What kind of compensation does Shiki receive when she takes on Touko’s requests?
     
    Nasu: Basically, Shiki is satisfied as long as she gets to at least temporarily sate her murderous impulse. However, in cases like Fujino’s where the target is captured alive, or where the target to be killed is something formless like a spirit, it seems Shiki is left feeling somewhat unsatisfied. When that happens, Touko will usually give her an upgrade to her artificial arm, or maybe a rare knife to stop her sulking.
    Takeuchi: An artificial arm? 1,000,000 yen. An antique knife? 500,000 yen. The murderous impulse she felt that day? Priceless.

  30. [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 5: “Paradox Spiral” Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: Is there any way to call Touko “Dirty Red” and not get killed? …Ah! I just stepped on a land mine!

    Q: Is there any way to call Touko “Dirty Red” and not get killed? …Ah! I just stepped on a land mine! <Mojio>

    Nasu: If Touko can learn the concept of yandere, you might have a slim chance.
    Takeuchi: Why, you… You called me “Dirty Red”…!! I’ll never forgive you…!! (Event Flag Set)
    Nasu: That’s a death flag.

  31. [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 2: “Murder Speculation (Part 1)” Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: What was Touko doing during “A Study in Murder (Part 1)”?

    Q: What was Touko doing during “A Study in Murder (Part 1)”?

    Nasu: She was traveling all over Japan looking for a comfortable hideout.
    Takeuchi: It was the “Almost Blowing Up a Hot Springs Resort” chapter of Touko’s wanderings.

    Q:「殺人考察(前)」の頃、橙子さんは何をしていたんですか?

    奈:日本横断、津々浦々で居心地のいいアジトを探してました。
    武:橙子ぶらり旅、温泉爆破危機一髪。

  32. [v] Kara no Kyoukai Special Pamphlet - Encyclopedia: Garan no Dou [Place name], p.029 [T]

    Hall of Monastery [Place name]
    A contract-based production company operated by Aozaki Touko. Although the majority of the jobs were puppet-making, if Touko was interested, all sorts of jobs were accepted. It even produced anime.
    Almost no one approached the Garan no Dou because a Boundary Field was deployed over the workshop. People who had no business there avoided it subconsciously.
    It appeared to be an abandoned building, and it really was an abandoned building.
    Touko purchased this building which was abandoned mid-construction and insisted on calling it her office.
    The first floor was just ruins. The second and third floors were where Touko worked. The fourth floor was the office. Mikiya and Shiki had only seen the fourth floor.

    伽藍の堂【がらんのどう】【地名】
    蒼崎橙子が経営するよろず請け負い製作会社。一応人形作りがメインだが、橙子にとって面白ければ何でも安請け合いする。アニメも作るぞ。
    伽藍の堂に用がない人間は無意識に避けて通る、という結界が張られている為、滅多《めった 》に人はやってこない。
    外見はただの廃ビル。実態もただの廃ビル。
    建築途中で放棄されたビルを買い取って事務所と言い張っている。
    一階はただの廃墟。二階と三階は橙子の仕事場で、四階が事務所。幹也と式が出入りしているのは四階だけ。

  33. [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 3: “Remaining Sense of Pain” Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: When did Azaka become Touko’s apprentice?

    Q: When did Azaka become Touko’s apprentice?
     
    Nasu: Since she formally became Touko’s apprentice after Shiki woke up, that would be sometime around June or July of 1998. But, Touko and Azaka had already met before then. While Azaka was still living at her relatives’ house, a series of strange incidents occurred, and Touko was the one that got to the bottom of it. As the daughter of the house, Azaka got dragged cooperating with the investigation. Though at that stage, probably neither of them would have guessed that they would eventually become master and apprentice! By the way, when Kokutō first came to Touko’s office, she had no idea he was Azaka’s older brother. As for why, it’s because——
    Takeuchi: Hey, hey, is it really okay if you go and spoil things like that?
    Nasu: I-Is that bad? It’s bad, isn’t it? Then, someday when you least expect it I’ll go ahead and blab it out…
    Takeuchi: You’re being irresponsible again…

  34. [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 4: “The Hollow Shrine” Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: What was the “Bizarre Incident” that led to Azaka becoming Touko’s apprentice?

    Q: What was the “Bizarre Incident” that led to Azaka becoming Touko’s apprentice? <ID>

    Nasu: I’ll tell you some day, but for now it’s a secret. As far as theme, think Edogawa or Yokomizo.
    Takeuchi: So she found Azaka in a lake, upside down with her legs sticking out of the water.
    Nasu: …Azaka isn’t dead. Though actually, aside from that you’re not far off.
    Takeuchi: Wha… I guessed right!?

  35. [v] TYPE-MOON Fes. Official Pamphlet 10th Anniversary Q & A Booklet:

    Q: Do you have any plans of telling the story of how Azaka and Touko met?

    Q: Do you have any plans of telling the story of how Azaka and Touko met?

    A: Ah, what's with these toxic loaded questions... the HP of Nasu's liver is already at zero!
    To be honest I do have plans to write a short story like Outside of the Universe, when I have the time. However, I just don't have that kind of time. By the way, Tsukiji will appear as well.

    Q:鮮花と橙子さんの出会いの物語は語られる予定はありますか?

    A:どうしてこう、みんなボディーに響く質問ばかり送ってくるのだろう.…..きのこの肝臓のHPはもうゼロよ!
    本音をいうとある。「宙の外」ぐらいの短編で隙を見て書いてみたくもある。でもそんな暇は何処にある。ちなみに鳶丸もでるよ。

  36. [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 4: “The Hollow Shrine” Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: Why was Touko being so sincere toward Shiki at the end, saying things like “To be hollow means you can be filled without limit, right?” and other stuff like that? Did something that happened tug at her heartstrings?

    Q: Why was Touko being so sincere toward Shiki at the end, saying things like “To be hollow means you can be filled without limit, right?” and other stuff like that? Did something that happened tug at her heartstrings? <Sacchin Route Whar?>

    Nasu: It’s because she could feel Shiki’s unvoiced wish to live a normal life despite being endowed with a power that encroaches on the domain of God. Afterward, she took up molding Shiki as a hobby. Oh, and as for the Sacchin Route, please wait a while longer.
    Takeuchi: Sacchin has nothing to do with this!

  37. 37.0 37.1 37.2
    [v] The Garden of Sinners Visual Chronicle English Translation

    the Garden of sinners
    Visual Chronicle
    English Translation

    Please note:
    The page number preceding the English translated text corresponds to the respective page number from the Deluxe Visual Chronicle Book.

    Page 4
    Message from KINOKO NASU / the author
    This is the final boxset for the Garden of sinners, which began as an unprecedented endeavor, a seven-part theatrical series. The original on which it was based, the Garden of sinners, was buried as a "collectors' edition." In a glorious black coffin unbefitting a novel. In my mind, the Garden of sinners had, at that point, gone out of my reach, but years later, thanks to the talent of numerous staff members, it has now come back to life. I hope that you come to see this Blu-ray Disc Box as the same thing as that novel box, and that you continue to love it for many years to come. As someone who could do no more than watch over the stormy and miraculous production process, that's all I can really say to you. That was truly a stimulating three years for me. Now it's already receded into the past, and all I can do is look back on all the excitement and regrets, but I know that that period of my life will live on in my heart, and never fade away.

    My heartfelt thanks to this era that I live in, to all staff members, and to you, who offered me moral support.

    ~ KINOKO NASU

    Please note:
    The following (P26-29) is an interview between the Garden of sinners Co-creators Takashi Takeuchi (Character Concept) and Kinoko Nasu (Original Story) along with Voice Actress Maaya Sakamoto (Shiki Ryougi). The three provide insight and introspection to the novels and the theatrical chapters, as well as reflect back upon their experiences during the movies' various production stages.

    ■The Roots of the Garden of sinners
    Takashi Takeuchi: Around the time that the Garden of sinners was written, Nasu had long been involved in a table-talk RPG with his friends, serving as its game-master. A typical TRPG is like the "Record of Lodoss War" game, where players gather and chat amongst each other during gameplay. He'd been at it practically every week, so I'm sure it was pretty intense. At the time, the Internet was really starting to take off as a medium for releasing new work, and I'd been thinking that I'd like to do something myself. I thought, "Maybe I can do something with Nasu" and asked him to come aboard. That's what started the ball rolling. I think we both really wanted to do something new.

    Kinoko Nasu: Takeuchi was a man of action, but I was pretty timid about the whole thing. Back then, I really had an aversion to the thought of releasing my work on a website. For one thing, I wanted people to read my work on paper, and for another, I didn't like the fact that unlike artwork, there were no clear-cut lines regarding copyright.
    Whatever you wrote could be easily copied and pasted, and there was a risk that your material could show up elsewhere. That really scared me. And so at first I was resistant to the idea, but Takeuchi was so positive about it, telling me, "I hear you, but we've got to do something, or we'll never move forward." So he talked me into it, and I decided to forget about the bottom line and just do what I wanted to do.

    Takeuchi: Back then, we used to show our work among friends. We thought that if we ever wanted the public to see it, our only option would be to go professional. But it's just so hard to get your foot in the door as a professional, and it doesn't always work out. So I thought that by releasing our work on the Internet, we could a find a way to get by without going pro, and without confining ourselves to our circle of friends - sort of the middle ground. And I thought it would give Nasu a brand-new outlet for his creativity.

    Nasu: Well, it did provide me with an opportunity, but my initial motivation was just to do only what I wanted to do, so for me, 50% of it was self-gratification, nothing more. But by the time I'd written the third chapter, my focus had shifted from self-gratification; I found myself in a different mode, that is, I was now conscious that this project could very well be the sum of everything I'd done till that point. And from that moment on, I stopped looking at the project as just something we were uploading to test the waters - I suddenly felt that I had to give it my all, so I started pushing myself to.

    Maaya Sakamoto: So you didn't feel that way until midway through the series?

    Nasu: When I wrote the third chapter, I felt as if I'd achieved a kind of balance. There was still that element of me doing it for my own amusement until the second chapter. But when I got to the third chapter, I thought, "This is something I can probably recommend to others with confidence. If I can keep this up until the very end, then it will probably become meaningful in some way." And so I prepared myself for the task.

    Sakamoto: I see. So Mr. Takcuchi, did you sometimes take on the role of editor for what Mr. Nasu had written? Were there times when you had to ask him, "What's the meaning of this scene?" or "Don't you think we should do it this way?"

    Takeuchi: Before we launched the project, I did make certain suggestions, such as "Since we're having people read it on the web, let's try to release something on a somewhat regular basis." And although in my mind, we were going to go with a detailed, short piece, he told me that he wanted to do a series called the Garden of sinners. Once we'd settled on that, I would say things like, "If the storyline's too heavy, it won't be easy to read, so let's keep it short." Aside from that, I think I may have advised him to keep the title simple, but as for the content itself, I was really just waiting around for what he had written. And the thing is, even though I'd told him to keep it short, what he turned in was of epic proportions, right from Chapter One! (laughs) But of course, I found myself hooked on the storyline from the very start. It was like a one-man show featuring the talents of the novelist Kinoko Nasu.

    Nasu: Still, you can't get around the fact that print media doesn't fare well on the Internet. You can have 10 visitors, but nine of them won't read your story. I know that for Takeuchi, that was a source of frustration. So after the web series ended, he said to me, "If we can't get any accolades after having written something this good, then let's go where we'll get some recognition."

    Takeuchi: It was a lot tougher than we'd thought to get people to read a novel on the Internet, and not being able to overcome those barriers made the whole venture a bitter failure for us. We did end up producing it as a physical book at comic markets and events like Comitia, but I couldn't shrug off the feeling that far more people should be reading it. So I began to think strategically and hit upon the idea of creating a game for TYPE-MOON, a doujin circle for reading what Nasu had written.

    Nasu: There are so many different kinds of talent in this world, but the talent for creating something and the talent for making people appreciate those creations are two different things. And I probably lacked the latter. Or maybe I should say that I wasn't focusing on that aspect. I was just being stubborn, rationalizing that: "As long as you write something exceptional, there's no way that people won't flock to it." I'm still that way today. But then Takeuchi told me, "That's not enough. You've got to make an effort to get the word out about your work." And so we embarked on a project to create a doujin software called Tsukihime. And it actually took off, and this led to our end-users realizing, "Hey, this guy's written a novel, too!" And that's how people came to know about the Garden of Sinners.

    Takeuchi: Unlike my experience with the Garden of sinners, when we were creating the game, I ended up doing a significant amount of editing, to ensure that we'd get a lot of readers. I threw out a lot of suggestions, such as "Let's change the setting to something more easily understandable," or "Let's just get rid of this whole section." In the end, most of them worked out, so I think it was good for the project.

    Sakamoto: You two seem to have such a great rapport. It's like you're in a band! (laughs) I think relationships always work the best when you each have something the other doesn't. But aside from complementing each other, do you also have any similarities? Such as liking the same kind of titles.

    Takeuchi: Well, being that we've known each other since junior high, we've both been pretty much moved and influenced by the same things. Needless to say, we tend to be drawn to the same kind of thing, but I think it's less a matter of sharing the same sensibilities than sharing common perceptions. You know, like when you say, "Hey, that's just like how we felt that day," and the other one says, "Hey, you're right."

    Nasu: Takeuchi's thing is manga, mine is novels; we'd each been working hard in our respective genres. After we created that first game, we discovered how fun and rewarding it could be to work on something together, and we'd decided to just focus on the game, exclusively...but then the Garden of sinners began to draw praise here and there, and then a Kodansha editor Mr. Katsushi Ohta actually pursued us for more than four years (laughs), so we ended up releasing it in book form. The truth is, though, that when we created that game, I'd told myself, "Now that I've claimed my spot in the gaming industry, I'll drop novel-writing and become a game writer."

    Takeuchi: For Nasu, it was a matter of pride. But the reason we created the game in the first place was to encourage people to read the Garden of sinners. It's typical of Nasu to be so stoic about it, but for him to reject his identity as a novelist would be to make the most fundamental part of him, his standing, a precarious one. That's why I want him to go on writing novels.

    Nasu: Out of all the forms of entertainment we have, the novel is unique in that all you need is one author, and everything gets done. And that's why a novelist will get consumed by his own ideas and values, and balk at changing them. As you can probably tell from the nature of my work, I'm the obstinate type myself, but since I have my best friend to tell me to grow up, I think I've been able to balance it all out.

    Sakamoto: That's amazing! It's like Mr. Takeuchi is Mr. Nasu's producer. You make such an incredible team.

    Nasu: Still, I wrote the Garden of sinners at a time when I was really obstinate. Garden of sinners was written by a twenty-something author who felt he only needed his own beliefs. So it may be somewhat heavy, but that's also why I think it's meaningful as a project.

    ■the Garden of sinners (Theatrical Version) is launched
    Nasu: Come to think of it, the internet project you're doing with Mr. Ohta —"Maaya Sakamoto's Full Moon Dramatic Reading Hall"— is recorded at the same studio where we held the Garden of sinners auditions. The other day I saw you, when I stopped by the studio.

    Sakamoto: That's right, that's right. Oh, and I just remembered this now, but for the Garden of sinners, I auditioned not only for Shiki, but for Azaka as well.

    Nasu: Right, right.

    Sakamoto: Looking back, I have no idea what possessed me to audition for Azaka. (laughs) Now that I think about it, all I can say is that it was so not me. But I guess back then, I still had the image of someone who played younger sisters, or vivacious young girls. Actually, Shiki wasn't the kind of role I usually took, being such a cool-headed character. But I did sense that the Shiki type of character was a good fit for me. even before the Garden of sinners. So during my audition, I was able to play Shiki just the way I wanted, the way that I saw her in my mind. So when I heard that I'd gotten the role, I was pretty surprised...it made me happy that my own perception of the character had been so well received.

    Nasu: I thought it would be good to have a newness to Shiki's image. I discussed what we should do with the producers, Mr. Iwakami from Aniplex, and Mr. Kondo from ufotable, and as soon as we heard your voice Mr. Iwakami-san and I both said, "Yes! This is the one, don't you think?" We couldn't praise you enough. It was exactly how we'd imagined Shiki would sound, and also, we all felt that the actress's own expressiveness was coming through. As it turned out, during that meeting we said, "OK, we're going with Ms. Sakamoto. End of discussion." And when I got back to the office and told Takeuchi, he was thrilled. (laughs)

    Takeuchi: Well, of course, since I thought that Maaya Sakamoto was as unattainable as the sun or moon.

    Sakamoto: I appreciate your saying that! (laughs)

    Nasu: At the time, you were voicing the character Aigis in a game called Persona 3. So Takeuchi and I were like, "If Ms. Sakamoto's willing to take on game roles too, then we might as well ask her, right?" And we approached you about auditioning, and you said OK.

    Takeuchi: Come to think of it, the first time Ms. Sakamoto voiced Shiki for us was in the TYPE-MOON drama CD "A Day at Ahnenerbe."

    Sakamoto: That's right... (laughs)

    Nasu: Oh, that was pretty unreasonable of us. Forgive us!

    Sakamoto: Well, it was. (laughs) I was summoned to appear in a drama CD before we'd even started recording the movie itself.

    Nasu: Since we'd gotten the go-ahead to do the movie, we had you appear in the drama CD before the movie. And it wasn't even the Garden of sinners, but a drama featuring a TYPE-MOON all-star cast, so I can only imagine how difficult it must've been for you to nail down your character...

    Sakamoto: I was worried that I might destroy everyone's image of Shiki.

    Takeuchi: Oh, no, that was the point where we knew without a doubt. We were marveling at your performance: "Amazing...She's perfect!"

    Nasu: Since this was well before the theatrical version kicked into high gear, we asked you to do the drama CD so that you could get a feel for your character. So compared to the current Shiki, that earlier one seemed more upbeat. Even so, we were certain that you were on the right track.

    Sakamoto: Shiki was a breath of fresh air for me, a type of character I'd never encountered before. That's precisely why she intrigued me, and why I was so into taking on the challenge of voicing her. When I saw the promotions for the theatrical version, I got a real sense of how much it was being eagerly anticipated by the fans of the original novels, and that in turn became a source of pressure for me: "Wow, I've been given an epic role!" Back then, I'm sure there were a lot of people who couldn't imagine me voicing Shiki, and I remember people being surprised that I was doing it. the Garden of sinners fans have such a profound affection for the original novels, after all, so I think there were a lot of people who were living in dread right up until Chapter One was released. Everyone has their own image of what Shiki's voice should sound like in their minds. There are tens of thousands of "right answers," yet everyone hopes that the actual voice will be at least a little close to what they have in mind. So at first I was pretty apprehensive about how they'd take my performance.

    Nasu: But the opinion of the fans who saw Chapter One - of course, most of them said that the movie itself was very good, but about the same number of fans said that, "Ms. Sakamoto's voice was a better match than I'd imagined." I'm sure everyone had their own image in their head until they actually heard you, but as far as your acting was concerned, I'd say that everyone embraced you: "This is, without question, Shiki."

    Sakamoto: But for some reason, I never had any misgivings about the role. I'm an avid reader, and as far as novels go I always know without a doubt whether a book is for me or not. So normally, a novel would be the most difficult genre for me to take on. But in the case of the Garden of sinners, after passing my audition, I took the time to settle down and read the original novel, and it was amazing how quickly I found myself "immersed" in the storyline. Many of the motifs in the novel are fantasy-oriented, and yet the story never came off as unrealistic. I could totally relate to it and found it very close to my heart. For example, the book discussed the reasons why it's wrong to kill other people, and showed a world in which "boy meets girl" was repeated over and over. So for me, the most basic messages, the simplest messages that anyone would want to infuse their work of art with could all be found in this long novel.

    Nasu: You're embarrassing me, but thank you very much. As I mentioned earlier, I wrote the Garden of sinners based upon my own beliefs; perhaps it was because of my youth, but I made a conscious effort to include a good number of prose poem-like passages. I guess I wanted to describe what was happening as poetically as possible. Maybe that's why it ended up slipping right into your heart like that.

    Sakamoto: Normally, there wouldn't be an outlet for expressing what you want, as much as you want. Because the older you get, and the more you come to understand what your job is, the more you find yourself trying to live up to someone's expectations, or do whatever is most appropriate - that becomes your priority. But I'm sure that you wrote the Garden of sinners just for yourself...and I mean that in a positive way. It may sound egotistical, but I realized that doing something just for yourself actually shows that you have a burning energy that can find its way into people's hearts. I certainly think that this novel has the energy of something that was "created without any restrictions."

    Nasu: Well, you're absolutely right. Even I'm taken aback by my own fervor at that age.

    Sakamoto: It made me think, "So there are books like this in the world; are there any other books out there that make this kind of argument?" Being a performer and singer, as well as someone who writes herself, it's reassuring to know that there are creators like you, and it really struck a chord in me. Even so, I found nothing mysterious about Shiki. There was no reason for me to wonder, "Why did Shiki say that?" That's why even though there was always an interval between each recording session, and I had to return to the role of Shiki after months of hiatus, I never had any misgivings. I may have had some questions about the script, like "What is she feeling right now?" but as soon as I looked at the novel, I'd find my answer: "Oh, right, I see." I could sense that Shiki and I had become one, so much that even if we recorded every single scene one after the other, as Shiki, SHIKI, or the early Shiki, I probably wouldn't have given it a second thought. It's rare to come across such a role as that, and I found it to be a unique experience.

    Nasu: About the recording sessions, I thought that Shiki and Mikiya were spot-on from Chapter Three onward. You would turn in your best performances even without our prodding. In that sense, we could really count on you, as the guest actors for each chapter would come in and adjust to this unwavering world that you two had created.

    Sakamoto: That's why, to be honest, since I'd fallen so completely for the world depicted in the novel, I was totally looking at it from a fan's point of view. I was even thinking, "How are they going to turn this into a movie? Is the movie going to live up to my expectations?" (laughs) So when Chapter One was finished and I saw it for the first time, it couldn't have been more thrilling for me. Like, "I see!" The novel had been sublimated into entertainment and yet, it seemed as though nothing was being compromised; when I saw the film, I thought, "This is what happens when grownups get serious about something!" Or should I say, "They're serious about bringing this world to the big screen!" (laughs)

    Nasu: During the recording sessions, the film wasn't yet complete - there was no color, and so on. So even though we knew what shape the film was going to take, all of us — except for those at ufotable, who had the full picture — were pretty nervous. So I think we were even more surprised at the screening than our viewers. Like, "Hey! Hold on, this is really amazing!" (laughs) I don't think I've ever felt the same kind of excitement as I did that day. I remember that Chapter One was released just when we were recording Chapter Two, and we went up on the stage to speak to the viewers right after we were done recording. After that, there was a toast, but the whole staff was unbelievably pumped up (laughs).

    Sakamoto: Yes, it was crazy.

    Nasu: After seeing the film in its finished form, we were able to relax and enjoy ourselves at the party, knowing that we were set. To put it the other way around, until then we were probably apprehensive, wondering how we were going to make a movie out of that novel.

    ■ Shiki Ryougi as played by Maaya Sakamoto
    Takeuchi: Since Nasu always gives his worldview a strong backbone, I think it's significant that Ms. Sakamoto felt no qualms about the character, as she mentioned earlier. The book really allows you to immerse yourself deeply. Just as Ms. Sakamoto was able to read it while deeply immersed in its world, numerous other readers were able to do the same. And that's probably why everyone had their own respective the Garden of sinners built up inside them. I'm sure there are many kinds of authors, but Nasu is the kind whose readers are able to let their own personal worldviews take root within. In other words, he allows his readers a lot of leeway. Normally, an exceptional script would be clear about how the finished product should be; it should be like a blueprint, for example indicating things like "this character should have this kind of face, and have that actor's voice." But in Nasu's case, readers are invited to add their own take to the finished product, creating their own respective "right answers."

    Sakamoto: I can see that.

    Takeuchi: When I read and think, "This is it!" it makes me feel as though I'm eliciting the answer on my own, and this makes it all the more fun for me to create the visuals. There's no sense that I'm being made to draw - I do it because I want to draw. I really enjoy reading a passage and thinking, "This is how it should be!" and transfer the image in my mind to the page. The same was true for the theatrical version of the Garden of sinners, and when I saw the movie, it occurred to me that we didn't just visualize the book, just the way it was written. For example, if you look at the Fujou Building in Chapter One; although it was just a single building in the novel, we turned it into massive ruins for the movie. That gave me more of a jolt than anything else, but the impression it gave me couldn't have been more in keeping with the Garden of sinners. That was a significant point regarding Chapter One.

    Sakamoto: Yes, you're right.

    Takeuchi: As Gen Urobuchi said, the movie would have fallen short if we'd only visualized Nasu's book as is. In the novel, the Fujou Building was a single building, but I think that the director was well aware that there was much more to our image of the Fujou Building, as readers. It's not so much that making it a cluster of high-rises was the right answer, but probably more along the lines of that being one of the right answers. Either way, the director, Aoki-san, did quite a remarkable job of creating visuals for what Nasu had indicated on the written page. And personally, I'd like to emulate him in that sense when I work on future TYPE-MOON projects. You can't say, "Turning a single high-rise into a cluster of buildings? That's not going to fly." You've got to look at it this way: "What is this passage trying to convey?"

    Nasu: Of all of the novels, Chapter One involved the most snap decisions...or maybe I should say it was a series of trial-and-error, so there was a real need for us to make some fundamental revisions for the movie. I can't thank Mr. Aoki (director of Chapter One) and the ufotable team enough for all that they did to raise it up to such a high level of entertainment. Also, with the novels, the content changes by chapter, so you can't just go out and create the same kind of entertainment for Chapter Two onward as you did with Chapter One. Chapter Two was subdued, but there's no way to change that storyline. I did think it would be boring to just turn it into a movie. So at the meeting we decided that the best thing to do would be to "believe in our viewers for Chapter Two and give them a story with nothing flamboyant, just a quiet, contemplative piece." But I was still worried that our viewers might not understand the ebb and flow of each chapter. In the end, of course, they responded just as I'd hoped.

    Takeuchi: The opening visuals for Chapter Two are gorgeous-looking.

    Nasu: Unlike Chapter One, it starts out with a shot of a beautiful shore. From the start, you can see our intention to create different visuals for all seven chapters.

    Sakamoto: I love it. I like all of the chapters, but the contemplative nature of Chapters Two and Four are especially my favorites. In particular, it really struck me how after all of the sweeping drama and passion of Chapter One, Chapter Two cooled you down in such a seamless fashion. Also for me, the Garden of sinners is Mikiya's and Shiki's story. It seemed as though this incredible world was expanding just for the sake of their story; I really believe that it was because of Chapter Two that we were able to make the transition to the next chapters, Three and Four.

    Nasu: True, this chapter is all about Mikiya's and Shiki's world.

    Sakamoto: It was very rewarding for me as a performer, switching back and forth between Shiki and SHIKI. There was also a lot of dialogue that really resonated with me, and some scenes were like being in a play. Especially that scene where Mikiya and Shiki are talking in the classroom at sunset; it was such an intense scene that I could feel my body and skin tingling throughout the performance. That was quite memorable. Also, I was struck by Shiki's line to Mikiya at the commencement ceremony: "Who are you?" It's a crucial scene, in which Shiki makes her first appearance in the world of the Garden of sinners, so I thought I should be careful with my delivery, but during the recording session, the director never said a word. So the whole time I was thinking, "Are you sure this is what you want?!" (laughs)

    Nasu: Mr. Nonaka (director of Chapter Two) is a very quiet person. Even if you ask him during recording sessions, "What do you think, Mr. Nonaka?" he's like, "Oh, we're good now." (laughs)

    Sakamoto: I was thinking, "Well, this is my take on it, but is everyone else okay with it?" but since we just kept on recording without him saying anything, I thought it must have meant that things were fine, but I was a little nervous.

    Nasu: Well, but you were actually perfect. (laughs)

    Sakamoto: In this series, a character's lines aren't always necessarily the truth. "This isn't what I'm thinking, but that's how I put it into words"; "I haven't said all that I want to say" or "You can't really tell who she's actually talking about." There were a lot of omissions like that.

    Nasu: There are quite a lot of instances of "This is what I'm saying, but I actually mean the opposite." I thought that it wouldn't be very clear to the voice actors, so I decided to attend every recording session. I know it's hard to pick up on subtle nuances, so I thought it would save time to have the writer himself see the recording process, and explain the meanings of certain lines then and there. But at the sessions, I never once pointed out that "You're saying this, but you actually mean the opposite." I found that incredible. It really surprised me.

    Sakamoto: Since it's not as if we just say what's written in the script, it's really hard to find a way to convey those nuances. I think that the Garden of sinners provided me with the most difficult homework ever. I especially found Chapter Two to be the most Japanese in style. It felt like a Japanese film. There was a lot left unsaid, a lot of significant beats, and it left a lot unexplained in the dialogue.

    Nasu: Actually, at the first meeting for Chapter Two, we discussed the fact that, if we were to compare it to a Japanese film, it would be close in atmosphere to the director Kiyoshi Kurosawa's CURE. Simply bringing over that same atmosphere would definitely be too scary, but we did want to convey a convincing sense of fear within the flow of the story itself, while not doing anything too showy, like scaring the audience with loud noises or using threatening camera angles. And we wanted to keep the atmosphere transparent. So we wanted someone with a down-to-earth approach to directing, and we turned to Mr. Nonaka for Chapter Two. We decided on directors for each chapter according to their areas of expertise; for example, for Chapter Five, with its acrobatic structure and frenzied storyline, we turned to the edgier Mr. Hirao.

    ■The end of the first theatrical phase
    Sakamoto: The first phase of the theatrical release of the Garden of sinners went up to the next episode, Chapter Three. After Chapter Three, we sort of went on hiatus unintentionally. (laughs)

    Nasu: The release was delayed for a month. But let's not talk about that anymore. (laughs) Chapter Three, which was directed by Mr. Obunai, was bursting with spectacular visuals, featured charismatic characters, and had a lot of action scenes. It was emotionally appealing for viewers.

    Takeuchi: It has storyline characteristics similar to those found in shonen manga.

    Nasu: In Chapter Three of the novel, I was able to consolidate the entertainment and mystery elements, along with what I myself wanted to do, so as I said before, it became a good index for the Garden of sinners. I thought it was a story that readers would naturally find themselves drawn into. On the other hand, I didn't think the mystery elements could be visualized, so we cut them all out of the theatrical version. After making those cuts, I realized that we were left with a pretty straightforward story and I thought, "That was a bad move... But oh well!" (laughs)

    Takeuchi: But in the movie, the scene where the bridge collapses was really dynamic. Like the Fujou Building in Chapter One, I was curious as to how it would translate to film and I found myself surprised: "So that's how it turned out."

    Sakamoto: It's like a Hollywood movie, don't you think?

    Takeuchi: In the book, there was really only a rather brief description of the destruction of the bridge. In the film version, it became a spectacle, like "BOOM!" I was really impressed. (laughs) It was just too cool. I couldn't believe how intense that scene was.

    Nasu: What you can depict in just a single line on paper can turn into a visual spectacle. After the Garden of sinners, I was working on a game when I was told, "We can only provide you with 20 backgrounds." At first I thought, "What kind of story do you expect me to come up with if you're only giving me 20 scenes?" But later on, I realized that I was thinking in terms of "film production costs." Since then, I've tried to be vigilant about how much artwork I'm going to need for games, but I had no such perception when I was writing the Garden of sinners.... When they were creating the visuals for the bridge scene in Chapter Three, I thought, "This is harsh, it's really a lot of work adapting a novel to the big screen."

    Sakamoto: Oh, I see!

    Nasu: About the guest character Fujino, as someone who can feel nothing, due to the loss of her sense of pain, she's like a counterpart to Shiki, who has no sense of being alive. Compared to Chapters One and Two, which were more in the "only readers who get it are welcome" vein, Chapter Three should be more accessible, making readers think, "Oh, so that's what that's all about," regarding Shiki's issues. I think it served as a good conclusion to the first half of the seven-chapter series. I also wanted to depict Fujino as a girl who was a good match for Shiki. I'd wanted to explore the issue of insensitivity to pain before I started writing the Garden of sinners, so it was like a last resort, which I had up my sleeve for quite a while.

    Sakamoto: But not just in the case of Mamiko Noto, who played Fujino, all of the voice talent seems to have slid comfortably into their roles; it makes you wonder just how they did the casting for this project. Until the Garden of sinners, I never really had the chance to work with Mamiko, but in the scene where Mamiko and I — as Fujino and Shiki — battled it out verbally, it felt so natural for the two of us to be facing off like that. So when we were done, we found that we'd bonded in a strange way, like we were "comrades." We gripped each other's hands as if to say "Thanks!" - that's how intense that recording session was. I think that in many ways, Shiki felt that Fujino had the upper hand over her. She was completely different from herself, but that difference was precisely why she harbored this inexplicable sense of not being able to recognize her.

    Nasu: Regarding the difference between Shiki and Fujino, when Mr. Kondo said to me, "I don't understand the meaning of what Shiki says to Mikiya after the battle," I answered, "Fujino kills for the sake of killing, but Shiki kills in order to live." Meaning that deep down inside, Shiki does have the desire to live a normal life. To give you a crude metaphor, it's like the dilemma of having to kill and eat animals in order to live. On the other hand, Fujino is nothing like that; she's been going on killing sprees as a way to avoid reality because she has no desire to live a normal life. In the end, Shiki realizes this about Fujino and is relieved; that's why she has the following epiphany: "I thought I was a beast like Fujino, but at the very root of my being, I have the desire (even if it's never fulfilled) to be with Mikiya." After losing SHIKI and regaining consciousness, Shiki has been full of self-loathing, but then she realizes that she still has someone she can lean on, and that's why she smiles here. ...That's what I explained to Mr. Kondo and he said, "Well, I never would've known if you hadn't told me!" (laughs)

    Sakamoto: That's why we were given a glimpse of the Shiki we never got to see in Chapter One or Chapter Two. I think Chapter Three is the one in which Shiki finally shows us the passion she never lets surface. So it was a little different playing her in Chapter Three, and when at the very end there's only Mikiya and Shiki in the scene, you realize that this is how this project is going to end, with these two. I really like the way she smiles in that scene. After waging that violent battle, and giving Mikiya such an adorable smile at the end...well, for a second, I don't think I'd know what to do myself. (laughs) I'd be like, "Is it okay for Shiki to be this sweet?"

    Nasu: Initially, I wasn't going to have Shiki smile like that in the final scene. (laughs) The fact is, a powerful smile like that is quite disarming, but it's a good visual and she looks strong. I thought it was the kind of expression we could only get away with in the theatrical version, so I gave it the go-ahead. But perhaps you'll notice that it's not a refreshing kind of smile. We needed something somewhat ephemeral, and yet it had to be a strong smile to close out the movie, so that's what we ended up with.

    Sakamoto: It turned out to be a good scene, don't you think? I think it was amazing.

    ■ And on to Phase Two
    Nasu: Next up is Chapter Four, the first episode of Phase Two. Chapter Four...was simply magnificent.

    Sakamoto: Yes, it was.

    Takeuchi: Chapter Four really has an exquisite balance to it. At the end, there's Shiki's awakening scene. I think it qualifies as solid entertainment as well. The opening scene in the hospital was pretty intense, too.

    Nasu: If you want to know what a hassle it was to create that scene where Shiki's being carted into the hospital... Every time I ran into Mr. Kondo he'd tell me, "This is where I'm all stiff, this is how much effort it's taking, this is how far we're going to achieve results." (laughs)

    Sakamoto: I really liked the novel for Chapter Four. There were so many memorable lines. But at first, I couldn't imagine how you could make a whole movie out of this one chapter. When I saw the finished film, I could see that it moved at a good pace, and there was intensity, and I was really surprised: "Wow, they've made it into such a spectacular piece of entertainment!" Also, you really start liking Touko. "You're giving up and running away? Go, Touko!"

    Nasu: On one level, Chapter Four was the story of Shiki's awakening, but at the same time it's also Touko's story. Until now, we'd seen her as cynical, but here we discover that she's a good person at heart, or at least that she's not evil.

    Sakamoto: Also, the scene at the end where Shiki awakens and goes into battle was so exciting.

    Nasu: When Takeuchi saw that scene, he said, "Shiki with long hair is too perfect for words!" (laughs)

    Takeuchi: That was pretty amazing. Like when she removed her bandages.

    Sakamoto: The part where she cuts off her hair...that was really cool!

    Nasu: But Takeuchi was like, "Don't cut it off! Leave it long!" (laughs)

    Takeuchi: Actually, the long-haired version of Shiki was a link to the creation of "that" character in "Future Gospel."

    Nasu: What, you mean that was what inspired you? I see! Anyway, Phase Two turned out to be a great two-episode series, with two contrasting chapters - Mr. Takiguchi's Chapter Four and Mr. Hirao's Chapter Five. Because of the timing for their release, Phase Two only contained Chapter Four and Chapter Five, but I'm really fond of Chapter Five. There are a lot of differences with the novel, and actually, out of all seven chapters, it's the only one that I find somewhat strange compared to the novel, or should I say it's the one film that resoundingly emphasizes my ego. So I think there may be some readers who wanted the film to stay faithful to the novel, but I thought it was a film that could stand alone and sparkle, that its strangeness, or perhaps its extremeness was most appropriate for Chapter Five.

    Takeuchi: Normally, you'd think that if we were going to make a theatrical version of the Garden of sinners, we could've gotten by if we just made a film of Chapter Five. That's how much it stood out from the others, from Chapters One through Four; it could definitely stand on its own.

    Nasu: There's a definite philosophical undercurrent throughout the entire film. The opening scene, where Tomoe stabs his mother and is escaping down the hall of the apartment complex, is shown from an extremely objective point of view. Chapter Five is just very surreal overall. But then there's also the director Mr. Hirao's unique solidness, so that you never feel that it's surreal.

    Takeuchi: Chapter Five has that "This is the Garden of sinners" feel to it, in a different way that Chapter One does.

    Nasu: Right, if we were to depict the Garden of sinners seriously, like a romantic novel, this is probably how it would turn out. But doing all seven of the chapters in this style wouldn't have worked. This is what makes it so the Garden of sinners-esque.

    Sakamoto: Having each of the directors bring their respective styles to the table was certainly an interesting idea. But something occurred to me while we were working on Chapter Five. When I received the script for Chapter Five, I had to re-read it over and over just to figure out where the scenes transitioned, and when the timeline shifted. I had no idea how it would be portrayed on film, but when I saw the finished film, I thought, "So he wrote this with this structure in his head! Amazing!" Tomoe was one of my favorite characters, so I was also looking forward to see how he'd be portrayed.

    Takeuchi: When you first see him, the character Tomoe allows viewers to relate to him. I think that's one aspect that sets Chapter Five apart from the others.

    Nasu: Unlike the previous chapters, it's not about Mikiya and Shiki - it's about Tomoe and Souren Araya, so that might have given it a sense of uniqueness.

    Sakamoto: Also, Shiki's battle scene is incredible. Shiki's too powerful to be true! I remember there were no visuals whatsoever when we recorded that scene. (laughs) I had no idea what I was doing, and later when I saw the film, I thought, "Wow, that's amazing! I didn't know Shiki was moving around that much!" (everyone bursts into laughter) But my favorite scene from this movie is at the end - the conversation between Araya and Touko. Both their acting and their lines were just incredible. I got the feeling that we'd have a really tight ending for this series.

    Nasu: For some reason, no one's really brought this up, even though she's appeared in all seven of the chapters, but Takako Honda's acting (as Touko Aozaki) is impeccable every time. Since she's famous for dubbing foreign actors, it was something of a gamble to feature that calm voice in the Garden of sinners, but she was simply amazing. Touko is the least realistic of the characters, and yet she played her as a grounded person.

    Sakamoto: For this chapter, it seemed to me that Tomoe was doing most of the talking. There are a lot of Tomoe/Shiki conversations, but since it's always been Mikiya and Shiki talking in the previous chapters, having Shiki suddenly talk only to Tomoe just shows how out of sync they are, in terms of what Tomoe's saying and what Shiki's saying. (laughs) There's just no conversation where they're on the same page.

    Nasu: That's true. Those two are fundamentally on different wavelengths. (laughs)

    Sakamoto: Really, when Shiki starts talking it has absolutely nothing to do with what Tomoe just said. And there's over an hour's worth of those out-of-sync conversations! (laughs) But after doing those scenes, I realized that Shiki and Mikiya's relationship must be really special. Tomoe's a good guy, but Shiki's off living in an entirely different world. I'm sure this was planned from the start, but at the end, when you see Shiki speaking with Mikiya, you can tell what kind of relationship they have, compared to what she had with Tomoe. But the more you watch, the sadder it gets. Tomoe is really a sort of foreign object. I felt that he was a foreign object that had entered the Garden of sinners world. He's unlike any of the other characters who appeared in previous episodes. That might also be due to the atmosphere given off by Mr. Tetsuya Kakihara (the voice for Tomoe).

    Nasu: Mr. Kakihara's voice is just a bit higher in quality than the rest of the cast. Because of that, we were able to give the impression that Tomoe wasn't like the characters in the other chapters. He was a newcomer who made his first appearance in Chapter Five, or should I say he was a brand-new entity in the Garden of sinners world. You called him a foreign object, Ms. Sakamoto, but actually he's...

    Sakamoto: Yes, he's the opposite. But since I always take Shiki's viewpoint, I can't help but see him as a foreign object.

    Nasu: That's right. It's exactly the way you just described it.

    Sakamoto: Combined with the surrealistic direction of Chapter Five, I thought he was a fresh existence.

    Nasu: At first, Tomoe comes off as the kind of character who you think can't pick up on subtext. But in the scene where he's telling Mikiya goodbye, viewers realize, "Hey, he's just like us, he's a normal person." To put it the other way, as someone who's completely ordinary, yet can converse with Shiki and have a relationship with her...well, Mikiya is actually the strangest of them all. (laughs)

    Sakamoto: I know, that boy is definitely abnormal. (laughs)

    ■Completion of all seven chapters, and on to the future
    Nasu: Chapter Six was another episode with a lot of ebb and flow, and it was something of a breather.

    Sakamoto: Oh, I thought it was another fun chapter.

    Nasu: First and foremost, this chapter shows how cute Azaka is, so we decided to grant extraterritorial rights and carte blanche to the director, and turned to ufotable's No. 1 "cute girl" director, Mr. Miura.

    Sakamoto: Extraterritorial rights! (laughs)

    Nasu: Ayumi Fujimura, who played Azaka, had worked with us on the Garden of sinners web radio show. Since the Garden of sinners ended up being a longer-term project than what we'd originally envisioned, she was a tireless, unsung hero for us, working behind the scenes. She would communicate with our audience over the radio, even when we weren't releasing anything, and drummed up a lot of anticipation, so they could look forward to the release dates. I can't thank her enough.

    Sakamoto: Ms. Fujimura is such a serious actor. When she first set foot in the studio, you could tell that she'd already prepared on her own, extensively, to build the Azaka character on her own. That aspect was really in sync with Azaka herself. She's younger than me, so I really came to see her as a kid sister. When we started recording Chapter Six, in which Azaka was finally featured, you could see that from the start, Ms. Fujimura was totally pumped up about it, so the scene where Azaka's being a straight arrow and Shiki's like "Calm down, now" and they're sitting together at a table...that made me think, "Isn't this what Shiki's feeling?" It's like Shiki's really so fond of Azaka that she can't help herself. Azaka may view Shiki as her rival, but Shiki's probably feeling all big-sisterly. That's the feeling that I got.

    Nasu: From Chapter One, Ms. Fujimura would show up at the studio in the morning, even if she had no lines. She's really diligent.

    Sakamoto: But just when I was thinking that Chapter Six was going to take a different turn from the other chapters, which were all packed with emotion, I found myself surprised at the screening. It might have been just the women, but that last scene, where Azaka's delivering her monologue about her feelings for her big brother, really brought everyone to tears. During the screening, the members of Kalafina were sitting in front of me, but after the film was over we were like, "I actually cried!" "I know, I know!" For girls, there may be something about Azaka that tugs at our hearts, like "Azaka...how painfully sad!" You start to think that maybe Azaka's the one you should pity the most and it makes you tear up. Also, from Chapter Six, I'll never forget Misaya's "Very well!" (laugh)

    Nasu: Yes, that "Very well!" of Ms. (Nana) Mizuki's was beyond anything we'd imagined. (laughs)

    Sakamoto: Really, it was awesome to hear.

    Nasu: I know. We didn't think it would be that manic. So in the studio, we were all gushing about it: "Amazing! Incredible!"

    Takeuchi: There was no "Very well!" in the novel, was there?

    Nasu: No, no. When we were discussing how to establish Misaya's character after abridging the novel for the movie, Mr. Hiramatsu, the screenwriter, asked me, "In your mind, Mr. Nasu, is Misaya a well-bred young lady?" and I answered, "Hmm, well...'Very well!'"

    Everyone: What?! (laughs)

    Nasu: So then we decided to have her say that and when I saw the finished script I said, "Mr. Hiramatsu, you're making her say it too much!" (laughs)

    Sakamoto: I love it when she says, "Very well, Ms. Kokutou!" I just adore hearing that "Ms. Kokutou" after the "Very well." (laughs) And moving on to Chapter Seven, the last chapter, we can't really convey much about it in the short time that we have.

    Nasu: That's a very strong statement. (laughs)

    Sakamoto: Well, it was like a general mobilization by the director...the fact that everyone from the previous chapters had gathered once more to make the final chapter really seemed to fire everyone up. I was really impressed by the whole atmosphere. There was a real sense that it was a team effort, for those of us who were involved in making this film. And even though everyone was a full-fledged, adult professional, it was all so uplifting to be working together, as if it were like a club for college students. And everyone seemed like a "grown-up kid" doing what they wanted. That was true of both the staff and cast, but the thing was, it seemed like one last compilation before graduation - that was what making Chapter Seven was like, and I could see that it was a work of passion.

    Nasu: Based on the quality we'd maintained through Chapter Six, I could feel everyone's enthusiasm for doing everything we possibly could in this genre, since this was going to be our final compilation. And as a result, we ended up with a 2-hour movie - "Huh, what are you talking about?" That's what happened. (laughs) But as for the cast, while watching the recording sessions I could feel the intensity through the glass window. For the previous chapters, the staff was always double-checking scripts or talking during the recording sessions, but in the case of Chapter Seven, everyone was completely silent and tense.

    Sakamoto: The impact of Rio (Shirazumi), played by Soichiro Hoshi, was tremendous during the recording. I was completely blown away. All I could do was sigh in amazement. (laughs)

    Nasu: Before recording started, Hoshi-san wasn't the least bit nervous. I don't remember who it was, but someone said, "Rio is transforming into a beast, but he has to remain a 'pretty boy' till the end." Unlike Souren Araya in Chapter Five, he shouldn't be like a Big Boss, but at the same time he shouldn't seem like a low-level boss, either. "What I liked about Mr. Hoshi's performance was that even as his voice became more beast-like, he never lost that 'pretty boy' quality." When I heard that comment, I thought, "Right, I see." In the novel, Rio was someone I wanted to sympathize with; he was someone I really hated and he was someone I wanted to know more about; he was a very mysterious character. The Rio that Mr. Hoshi portrayed captured the essence of the character at the very end, and so Rio's lines really brought me to tears. The scene where he's confronting Mikiya...You could tell that part of him wanted to cry out, "Help me" while another part of him was warning, "Stay away from me" and it was just unbearable for me to watch him in conflict like that. I wanted to cry over Mikiya's and Shiki's lines at the end, but I wound up crying over Rio's lines in the preceding scenes.

    Takeuchi: There was no flashy action or crumbling bridges in Chapter Seven, but it still had the greatest visual impact of all of the chapters.

    Nasu: When you get right down to it, Chapter Seven is pretty drab. There are only scenes of the city and the factory. I'm impressed that we were still able to make a film of this scale despite its drabness. The visuals and music for Chapter Seven were all, without exception, dignified and splendid. The music throughout the entire series — by Ms. Yuki Kajiura and Kalafina — was so amazing that I couldn't imagine anyone else taking over. They didn't just make music to be played in the background - I got a strong sense that they were trying to create a kind of synergy between the visuals and the music to maximize the effect of the movie. So as you might expect, each song matches each scene perfectly. Initially, I was surprised that they were going to use seven different theme songs, one apiece for each chapter, but now I'm really glad that they did it that way.

    Sakamoto: When work on Chapter Seven ended. I felt a strange mixture of sadness and a sense of achievement. While I was playing Shiki, even if there was some downtime until the next recording session, I could look forward to receiving the next script and thinking, "I wonder what kind of film they're going to make next?" I really feel as though this project was always close to me, not just during those times. I'm really glad to have been involved in a project that was made with such care, taking so much time. When it was over, I was as moved as if I'd just graduated from school. And then I somehow felt some closure. That's why, when we recorded the Final Chapter, I felt that I was able to overlook the progression of all seven chapters. And that may be why it was easy for me to portray Shiki's new personality, which appeared in the Final Chapter.

    Takeuchi: It's the same for any production site, particularly whenever production drags on longer than planned - the things that sustain your motivation are perseverance and love, and also tension. At first, you're able to move at a certain speed, but as you grow more exhausted, it gets harder and harder to keep moving at the same pace as you'd originally planned, the Garden of sinners ended up taking a lot longer than we'd estimated, but the reason why we were all able to keep up our pace till the end was because we had a staff that had perseverance and love. Not just the production staff, but also everyone from the producers to the cast, to the advertising/PR staff - everyone had love and respect for the project, and nothing was more reassuring to me than that. In that sense, I really think the Garden of sinners production was blessed. It's a shame that such a happy time has to come to an end, but I hope that we can treasure all of the many connections we made throughout the series, and move on to accomplish something new.

    Nasu: When all seven chapters were done, I felt sad too: "So it's over now." Nevertheless, I was happy that the series was finished. It was because I was able to say to myself, "It ended well, I have no regrets," that after some time had gone by, I could think, "Let me look back on that project" and work on the Epilogue. If I'd written the Final Chapter right after Chapter Seven, I don't think I could've achieved the same level of farsightedness. I really think we were blessed with timing and opportunities with the Garden of sinners, right until the very end. It took a long time, but at the same time everything worked out. When I first wrote the novels, I'd already reached a resolution within myself regarding the project, and it was basically over as far as Kinoko Nasu was concerned. I only thought it would become "something I did a long time ago." Now that we're done with the theatrical version, I look upon it as "a project that will remain in my heart forever." For example, when I make something like "A Day at Ahnenerbe," it's reassuring to know that I always have, as a matter of course, the characters from the Garden of sinners inside me. Although it did come to an end once inside my head, as part of the TYPE-MOON project, I can go on adding Shiki Ryougi to future projects. And I think that's the ultimate result for the title, for the staff, and for all of the users who loved the Garden of sinners.

    Page 30
    Message from HIKARU KONDO / president of ufotable
    the Garden of sinners (Theatrical Version) was produced by a studio named ufotable, during a crucial, once-in-a-lifetime period. You could call it the accumulation of time during which a child climbs the stairway to adulthood, chapter by chapter. For that reason, it would be difficult for us to remake it if we were asked to do so. It was only made possible because of that timing. We were able to set aside all production conditions and schedules, and all complexities, to focus solely on making the Garden of sinners an exceptional film. And the pace only got faster with each chapter.
    The air that flows inside these visuals only existed during this time, and it will live on forever inside this Blu-ray Disc Box.
    The conflicting emotions, "I have to grow up" and "I want to stay the way I am" will never go away, no matter how old you are.

    ~ ufotable President Hikaru Kondo

    Page 47
    the Art Works of Takashi TAKEUCHI

    Blu-ray Disc Box Cover Art / finishing: Hirokazu Koyama
    This is the long-awaited Blu-ray Box set release. Not only is the artwork for this box set the last stop of the Garden of sinners movie project, I also wanted it to be a sort of recap for the entire series. It didn't take long to decide on Shiki as the central character, but I took a long time picking who should be positioned behind her and also on the layout. I also agonized over the final look, but when I placed the Spiral of Origin in the center of the illustration, I felt as though everything had come into sharp focus. I take my hat off to the color-setting and finishing by Hirokazu Koyama, who managed to bring out the finalized version from my rough color-setting guidelines.

    Theatrical Announcement Key Art #1 / finishing: Hirokazu Koyama
    An illustration created for the first announcement of the theatrical version. It's a simple design, centering on the characters and it also draws upon the unique images of the story. The image of Shiki thrusting the knife towards the sky was one of the first that came to my mind, and I later created five to six more rough drafts, but this layout turned out to be the most powerful. Those are Death Lines racing across the sky. This is the only drawing featuring the Death Lines. All of the teaser visuals, starting with this announcement, were color-set/ finished by Hirokazu Koyama.

    Theatrical Announcement Key Art #2 / finishing: Hirokazu Koyama
    This was the illustration that introduced Touko's redesign. In the first one, she seemed quite sharp, so this time I decided to draw on the Garden of sinners' youth novel-like qualities and expose that side of her. Since I was clear about the concept, I had no qualms while working on the drafts. The composition is simple, but it's finished with soft hues and I feel that it reflects Shiki's image of melting into the sky. I couldn't have asked for better timing to redesign Touko.

    Theatrical Announcement Key Art #3 / finishing: Hirokazu Koyama
    This is a bona fide "key visual for a movie called the Garden of sinners." The concept is straightforward and romantic, the Garden of sinners brings to mind back alleys and blood, so right away I decided to use that as a base. I think I made about 10 drafts. There were mixed opinions among the staff, so the producer, Mr. Iwakami (producer), chose this one. Personally, I had another one in mind, but now that I look over it again I find it a bit too frenetic, so I think the right choice was made.

    Theatrical Announcement Key Art #4 / finishing: Hirokazu Koyama
    The concept is the same as for No. 3 - a "royal road of occult" concept. But this one is more active. It's also known as "the Garden of sinners - Fierce Battle Version." As for colors, I had them go with red as the main hue, to counter the blue of No. 3. Mr. Kondo of ufotable commanded me to have Alba pose with his finger to his lip, and it matches the scene in the movie where he makes his first appearance. During the draft stages, I contemplated putting Touko and Azaka in there as well, but it ended up being one of the rare illustrations with Shiki as the lone female.

    Theatrical Announcement Key Art #5 / finishing: Hirokazu Koyama
    This was used as the key visual for Phase Three. I hadn't planned to draw something like this, so at first I was quite reluctant, but I did it after Mr. Iwakami talked me into it. The gorgeous, golden location and the white kimono-clad Shiki was a motif that I'd been drawing since the doujin version. Since it depicted my image of the end of the Garden of sinners, I feel quite attached to it. Although it was an unplanned visual, it's become my favorite of all the Garden of sinners illustrations.

    "Thanatos." Limited DVD Art / finishing: MORIYA
    For the DVD artwork, the concept was single characters. Needless to say, the first one depicted Shiki. Before starting work on Volume One, I had a rough idea of the overall image, but what I had in mind at the time was "Volume One: Shiki", "Volume Two: SHIKI", "Volume Three: Fujino", "Volume Four: Mikiya", "Volume Five: Touko", "Volume Six: Azaka", "Volume Seven: Shiki (kimono)." Since we were going to include illustrated postcards, I thought I might as well create slightly different versions. It was a lot of fun to think about, since a lot of the characters have dual personalities. But this would come back to haunt me later on...

    "...and nothing heart." Limited DVD Art / finishing: MORIYA
    This is Shiki as a high school student. The variation was SHIKI, smiling in the rain of blood. I believe I was able to encompass pretty much everything that I had in mind, including the variation with SHIKI. For DVD artwork, I draw the most significant scene of the volume. The bamboo forest background in Chapter Two was beautiful and left a deep impression on me. As a film, I found Chapter Two to have a different tone than that of Chapter One, perhaps because each chapter is helmed by a different director, but in watching the films, I felt that this influenced the diversity of the Garden of sinners.

    "ever cry, never life." Limited DVD Art / finishing: MORIYA
    I remember having a hard time working on the layout for this. If you go by scene, there's no way you can omit Broad Bridge, but in the movie, they didn't really battle it out on the bridge for that long. Also, I agonized a lot over Fujino. My personal concept of Fujino was too strong, and I couldn't stop drawing her the same way every time. The more I drew, the worse it became, which you might be able to tell by looking. (sweat beads forming) The variation was the power activation version. Those eyes, distorted by suffering, and those lips twisting with joy are Fujino staples.

    "garan-no-dou." Limited DVD Art / finishing: MORIYA
    Garan no Dou and Touko. The initial design featured Mikiya, but I thought it would be better to use a female character, and after all, the title of Chapter Four was garan-no-dou... And so it got changed. And that was another thing that later came back to haunt me.... The variation was Touko without her glasses, under a rainy sky. Since this character represents duality, it was a no-brainer. As the rainy scene in the movie left a deep impression on me, I was eager to use the rainy variation. I'm quite attached to the change in atmosphere in the background.

    "Paradox Paradigm." Limited DVD Art / finishing: TYPE-MOON
    Abandoning my initial design, I used Touko in Volume Four, so for this volume I thought I'd look at the visuals and choose the most significant scene... How naive of me. But my eyes kept straying, as I was unable to narrow down the scenes that best represented Chapter Five, and I found myself hopelessly lost. What I drew either looked too similar to something I'd drawn earlier for the paperback version, or was just an attempt to escape it, or was only an attempt to bring out the essence of Chapter Five, so I had trouble with both the line art and the color setting, and even after the color-setting was done I remember having a lot of trouble.

    "Fairy Tale." Limited DVD Art / finishing: Sidzuki Morii
    The peerless Azaka. Unlike Volume Five, I had no problems finishing the line art. Starting with this volume, the painting was handled by another team. Even so... For some reason, every time I draw Azaka, her hair seems to get longer... The variation I used was Azaka playing with the fairies. Some people thought I should use this smiling Azaka as the main illustration, but I decided that I should go with the image of Azaka from the movie. I'm rather fond of the design of Azaka's gloves.

    "...not nothing heart." Limited DVD Art / finishing: TYPE-MOON
    Volume Seven was the hardest of all. This volume... I suffered a lot. Since it was a staple of the final volume to feature "a golden meadow and Shiki clad in a kimono," my first design would've had me set to do just that. But since I'd already used that motif, I had to choose something else from the movie, just as I had with Chapter Five. And also just as I had to do with Chapter Five, I found myself straying off the path. I produced the most rough drafts of my career - 16. But all that suffering won me pretty good reviews, so I patted myself on the back.

    Theatrical Program Book Exclusive Art / finishing: Chihiro Aikura
    For each pamphlet, I had been submitting illustrations and lame writing that was supposed to pass as a column, but we switched gears a bit for Chapter Seven. The concept was a teaser for the Final Chapter. Some people grumbled: "After ending Chapter Seven on such a beautiful note, what's the point of adding a promo for the next chapter?" So I suggested that we do it with the pamphlet instead. I used the "final performance" image, the golden background and white kimono, as my motif. I wish I'd given her a more mysterious expression...

    Page 48
    The Art Works of Tomonori SUDO
    (Comments by Tomonori SUDO / Character Designer & Animation Director)

    "Thanatos." Poster Image / background: Nobutaka Ike / finishing: ufotable
    Regarding the key visuals for the Garden of sinners, I match them to the characteristics of each chapter, rather than the series as a whole. For the first episode, Chapter One, I wanted to include the following: "night"/"moon"/"knife"/"overlooking view of the city". And that's how I ended up with this design. Most of it is hidden behind the characters, but since the background art is so gorgeous, I wouldn't mind showing a version with just the background.

    "...and nothing heart." Poster Image / background: Nobutaka Ike / finishing: ufotable
    For Chapter Two, I wanted to depict "sunset"/"school days"/"atmosphere", which is how I ended up with this layout. I have to say that it took a lot of courage for me to use a long shot as a key visual for animation. I do think it's important to have such gumption at times, but... Again, I have to thank Mr. Ike for his beautiful background art. And I'm also grateful to all those who approved of this layout image. Thank you very much.

    "ever cry, never life." Poster Image / background: Kazuo Ogura / finishing: ufotable
    Switching gears from Chapter Two, I created a key visual heavily featuring the characters. Fujino is a personal favorite of mine. For Chapter Three, I used "rain" as my theme. There are many ways to interpret this, but it seemed to Fujino that the rain, which had been falling steadily for a long time, had stopped for a moment, giving way to sun. But the weather is always changing. That's when I wondered, "What's Fujino going to do?" and I ended up with this illustration. I really enjoyed the thought process that went along with creating this design, even if the content itself wasn't fun.

    "garan-no-dou." Poster Image / background: Kazuo Fbisawa / finishing: ufotable
    For Chapter Four, instead of plucking a key visual from a certain scene, I created a collage-like visual. I found it very difficult to express this chapter in art. I wanted to somehow depict Chapter Four in one sheet, but since I had such a generalized impression of it, it was quite a chore to turn it into art. That's why I really respect the director, Mr. Takiguchi, who was able to bring Chapter Four together as this amazing movie. I hope I'll become a nice middle-ager like him in 10 years (laughs).

    "Paradox Paradigm" Poster Image/ background: Nobutaka Ike/ finishing: ufotable
    I had a lot of trouble coming up with the key visual for Chapter Five. You could call it a difficult birth. In the end, I created a layout with Tomoe running toward Ogawa Mansion in the center, sandwiched between Araya and Shiki. The fact that Araya is slightly twisting something in his hand was not really noticed by many, but is actually quite significant. The finishing exceeded my expectations, and I found myself in awe of Mr. Terao's fantastic work as a director of photography.

    "Fairy Tale." Poster Image / background: Koji Eto / finishing: ufotable
    The theme for Chapter Six was, in terms of TV dramas, a "buddy drama" like "Aibou (Partners)." So while I did have some idea of what I was supposed to do, when I'd actually drawn it I found that the juxtaposition of Shiki and Azaka worked even better than I'd imagined. But the two people in the background are clearly the villains of the story. I don't know about inserting spoilers in a key visual... (laughs)

    "...not nothing heart." Poster Image / background: Koji Eto / finishing: ufotable
    I had trouble with the key visual for Chapter Seven, as it was the last chapter. I didn't know whether or not to include Rio Shirazumi... I like Rio as a character, but I decided to go with just Shiki and Kokutou for Chapter Seven. After all, Rio had so much impact in the movie that I'm sure everyone had enough of him. (laughs) What you're seeing here is the last scene, but now that I look at it I see that Mikiya's wearing his glasses. That's not right... I'm so sorry.

    "Remix" Poster Image / finishing: ufotable
    I thought I'd used a new scene from the film, but somewhere along the way it turned into the key visual for the release of the Remix. You can appreciate the wonders of technology, thanks to the Digital Department.

    "Thanatos." DVD Cover Art / background: Nobutaka Ike / finishing: ufotable
    Unlike the key visual for the theatrical version, the DVD cover art is created after production for the film ends, so sometimes I come up with a new image. In the case of Chapter One, the battle scene with Kirie left a deep impression, so I came up with this illustration. As always, the processing by Mr. Terao is awesome.

    "...and nothing heart." DVD Cover Art / background: Mami Saito / finishing: ufotable
    I thought I'd create such warm-hued cover art, and using this much pink, only for Chapter Two. The cherry blossoms signify "a beginning." In terms of timeline as well, this story is "the beginning." I did struggle over whether or not to include Kokutou, but in the end, I opted to use Shiki and SHIKI as my main images.

    "ever cry, never life." DVD Cover Art / background: Kazuo Ogura / finishing: ufotable
    Here, I drew Fujino in a way that made me want to display her next to Shiki from the cover art for Chapter One. It seems to me that somehow, whenever I draw characters, they always look scarier, but I had a lot of fun drawing this deranged-looking Fujino.

    "garan-no-dou." DVD Cover Art / background: Kazuo Ebisawa / finishing: ufotable
    For Chapter Four, I used a collage-like layout, just as I had with the key visual. To be precise, I made a collage of each situation from the movie. I really wanted to use Touko as my main image, but in that case maybe I should've placed her in the top half? Layouts are really tough.

    "Paradox Paradigm" DVD Cover Art / background: Miho Sugiura / finishing: ufotable
    My themes were "keys" and "doors." It's a complete collage layout. From the start, I thought of using Tomoe as my main image. I believe Tomoe is a beloved character. But now that I look at it, it seems as if Alba's the most dominant of the characters. Even though the rest are cool and collected, it looks like he's the only one all fired up...

    "Fairy Tale." DVD Cover Art / background: Koji Eto / finishing: ufotable
    I thought I'd try to create a layout like a conventional school anime. You can see that I was a bit playful, scattering books around the room, and so on. "Brainwashed Detective" (Hisui?), "Ghost Cat Holmes" (Neko Arc?), etc. And this might be a minor detail, but Shiki and the dog's eyes are on the abandoned fairies, while Azaka's gaze is slightly off. I wonder if you've noticed that?

    "...not nothing heart." DVD Cover Art / background: Koji Eto / finishing: ufotable
    For this one, I tried to focus on the atmosphere. But layouts that turn out well as posters, such as those for live-action films, don't really fare as well when they're converted to illustrations, and so I still have some regrets, such as "I think I left too much dead space..." I was able to incorporate the "Shiki and Mikiya's story" theme, but I also found my own theme, to improve my skills.

    "the Garden of sinners." DVD Cover Art / background: Koji Eto / finishing: ufotable
    The theme for this was "invitation." The mysterious background art is laid out like a Yin-Yang chart. The pattern for Shiki's kimono was transposed by the Digital Department. It's very beautiful and looks incredible. They used this same technique on moving images in the Final Chapter as well, so I have nothing but respect for them. Good job!

    © KINOKO NASU / Kodansha. Aniplex. Notes, ufotable
    ANZX-3921 - 3928 NOT FOR SALE.

  38. [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 7: "A Study in Murder (Part 2)" Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: What will Touko do after she leaves Mifune?

    Q: What will Touko do after she leaves Mifune? <Naked Eyes of Death Perception>

    Takeuchi: This was probably the most-asked question this time around. As expected, people are curious.
    Nasu: I don't know what she'll do next, but way, way down the line she ends up working as some kind of doctor in an orbiting satellite.
    Takeuchi: She's practically immortal since she can change bodies, right? Is it possible for her to make a baby?
    Nasu: You mean, like, a Touko Mark VII?

  39. [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 7: "A Study in Murder (Part 2)" Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: After Touko leaves, who will teach Azaka magecraft?

    Q: After Touko leaves, who will teach Azaka magecraft? <its>

    Nasu: She'll get homework in the mail from Touko. If she takes an interest in it, I think she'll be able to be dispatched as Touko's head apprentice someday. But then again, Azaka doesn't have a reason to study magecraft anymore, right…?
    Takeuchi: When she becomes an adult, she'll be able to say things like "You know, as a girl I was able to use magic." There's a certain amount of elegance in that.

  40. Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files Volume 8: case. Grand Roll (Upper) - Chapter 2 Part 2
  41. 41.0 41.1 41.2 Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Volume 8: case. Grand Roll (Upper) - Chapter 5 Part 5
  42. 42.0 42.1 42.2 Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files Volume 9: case. Grand Roll (Middle) - Chapter 1 Part 3
  43. Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Volume 10: case. Grand Resolution (Lower)
  44. The Adventures of Lord El-Melloi II Volume 1: The Man Who Devoured God - Epilogue
  45. The Adventures of Lord El-Melloi II Volume 2: The Devil of the Wandering Sea (Upper) - Chapter 1
  46. The Adventures of Lord El-Melloi II Volume 2: The Devil of the Wandering Sea (Upper) - Chapter 4
  47. Clock Tower 2015 - 03 Autumn - Suburb of London - Clock Tower Eleventh District
  48. 48.0 48.1 Fate/EXTRA- Week 1.awakening/binary heaven Day 4
  49. Fate/Zero Volume 3: The Scattered Ones - Act 11 Part 2 -82:09:51, p.174
  50. Fate/stay night - Heaven's Feel route - Day 15: limited. - Truth - Antihero Angra Manyu
  51. Fate/stay night - Heaven's Feel - III. Spring Song
  52. [v] Fate/complete material III: World material - FAQ with Nasu: Servants, p.133

    Q: Who arranged to get Rider’s "Mystic Eye Killer" contact lenses at the end of Sakura’s route?

    Q: Who arranged to get Rider’s "Mystic Eye Killer" contact lenses at the end of Sakura’s route? And was the creator of those glasses Aozaki Touko?

    A: Touko-san seems to pop up everywhere... "Ah, for inquiries about Mystic Eyes, haunting ghosts, or troubles with ungrateful little sisters, please- please call Garan no Dou~"

    Q:桜ルートエンドでライダーがかける”魔眼殺しの眼鏡”は、誰が用意したものなのでしょうか?あと、この眼鏡の製作者は蒼崎橙子さんでしょうか?

    A:橙子さんはどこでも出没する......。「えー、魔眼、霊障、生意気の妹でお悩みのほうは伽藍の堂、伽藍の堂までお電話ください~」

  53. Fate/Apocrypha Volume 1: Apocrypha: Great Holy Grail War - Chapter 1
  54. Melty Blood: Type Lumina - Aoko's Arcade Route - Ending
  55. Carnival Phantasm Episode 12: "Badump! Date Super Plan - Answer"
  56. Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA☆ILLYA 2wei! - Chapter 11: "Flexible onee-chan"
  57. Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya 2wei! - Episode 7: "Clash! Cooking Sisters"
  58. 4Gamer Interview with Mahoutsukai no Yoru Staff

    Even though Touko's magic circuit is one of the best in the world, Aozaki's fifth magic does not require that kind of thing

  59. [v] TYPE-MOON Fes. Official Pamphlet 10th Anniversary Q & A Booklet:
    Q: It has been said that a certain Aozaki cannot even defeat a serious Caster, is this "certain Aozaki" Aoko Aozaki? Is this an assessment based on Aoko using True Magic?

    Q: It has been said that a certain Aozaki cannot even defeat a serious Caster, is this "certain Aozaki" Aoko Aozaki? Is this an assessment based on Aoko using True Magic?

    A: "A certain Aozaki" includes both Aoko and Touko. In a magecraft battle by modern standards, a "magus" who is capable of defeating a serious Caster does not exist.

    Q:某蒼崎でも本気キャス子に敵わないそうですが、その某蒼崎とは青子の方ですか?その場合、それは魔法 込みでの評価でしょうか?

    A:青子、橙子、どっちらも該当します。現代の魔術勝負で、本気キャス子に勝てる"魔術師”はいないですよ。

  60. 60.0 60.1
    [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 5: “Paradox Spiral” Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: Even though Touko said she has no interest in aggressive acts, how would you rank her simply in terms of combat strength?

    Q: Even though Touko said she has no interest in aggressive acts, how would you rank her simply in terms of combat strength? <R1>

    Takeuchi: You know, a long time ago she was actually quite the little hell-raiser. Once, she even blew up a stolen motorcycle with runes.
    Nasu: Setting the past aside, at the time of Rakkyo she’s weaker than Azaka. But hey, this person—or should I say, mass-produced robot… she might have a battle-ready Super Touko Unit stashed away somewhere, yeah…?

  61. [v] TYPE-MOON Fes. Official Pamphlet 10th Anniversary Q & A Booklet:

    Q: In Overlooking View, Touko mentioned "even I can't fly without a broom", please tell us about the details of the magecraft involved in flying with a broom.

    Q: In Overlooking View, Touko mentioned "even I can't fly without a broom", please tell us about the details of the magecraft involved in flying with a broom.

    A: Basically it is a transportation method involving using magical energy as fuel. Within it, there is the Jet Method, which achieves maximum air speed transiently. There is also the low-cost Ether Sail method. The current new method of transportation involves planting a magical anchor at the destination, and the magus will be pulled toward it, like being pulled by a retracting elastic band. This is the Anchor Attraction Ascension method designed by Touko Aozaki (Patented, commonly referred to as "Touko Travel").
    ... Although Touko was only half-serious there, broom is still a Mystery that is supported by "Magic Foundation - Black Magic" over the entire world. Female magi can easily achieve magical properties such as "foot not making contact with the ground" and "repelled by the earth" when employing a broom. Furthermore, gravity can be reduced to about 1/6 of normal by using an ointment of witchs' which enhances the effect of "repelled by the earth" mentioned previously.
    In other words, a broom is an item that enables "hovering". The source of propulsion varies depending on the magi. Nowadays there is a trend among female magi to research new methods of flight. However, in recent years, there has not been any new innovation that could trump Touko's ridiculously sophisticated method of travel.

    Q:俯瞰風景で橙子さんが「私だって箒がなければ飛べない」と発言していますが、箒を使って空を飛ぶ魔術について詳しく教えてください。

    A:基本は燃料:魔力で行われる移動法。瞬間最大風速的なジェット飛行法、ローコストでのんびり空を行くエーテルセイル帆船法、まさかの新発想・目的地にくさびをうって魔術アンカーで引っ張ってもらう、それゴムを引っ張って縮む時にそっくりですよね、という蒼崎橙子立案のアンカーアトラクションアセンション(著作権あり。通称・トーコトラベル)がある。
    ......というのを半分本当にしても、箒は「魔術基盤・黒魔術」で全世界に神秘設定がなされており、女性魔術師がこれを使用すると「地に足がつかなくなる」「大地から追放される」等の魔術特性が発露しやすい。これに、さらに「大地から追放される」効果を高める魔女の軟膏を併用するこてで引力が六分の一になる、とも言われている。
    つまり箒は「ふわふわ浮く」ためのアイテムであり、その後の推進力は魔術師ごと異なるものとする。今日も女性魔術師の中ではまったく新しい飛行法を発表することがトレンドであるが、ここ数年はトーコトラベルを越える”おいおい、それもう意味わかんねーよ”クラスの新発明がでてきていない。

  62. 62.0 62.1 Mahoutsukai no Yoru - Chapter 10: "Howling at the Moon"
  63. 63.0 63.1 Mahoutsukai no Yoru - Chapter 12: "Witch on the holy night"
  64. Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Volume 2: case. Twin Towers of Iselma (Upper) - Chapter 4 Part 2
  65. [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 4: “The Hollow Shrine” Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: How strong is Touko’s rune magecraft?

    Q: How strong is Touko’s rune magecraft? <Dawn>

    Takeuchi: Whoa, this person has a super-suspicious look in their eyes. Shhh! She’s just some good-for-nothing? I can’t say that!
    Nasu: Touko’s rune magecraft… hmm, honestly it’s not very strong. Her real talents lie in doll-making, and to a lesser extent biological modification.

    Q. 橙子さんのルーン魔術はどのくらい強いんですか?

    武:やべえ、この人、超疑惑の眼差し。しぃーっ!
    奈:橙子のルーン魔術は……んー、実はあんまり強くない。 彼女の本領は人形造りと、ちょっとして生体改造なのですから。

  66. [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 4: “The Hollow Shrine” Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: What was the “Runic Protection” that Touko talked about?

    Q: What was the “Runic Protection” that Touko talked about? <Yellow>

    Nasu: It kept spiritual bodies from invading. As long as the rune stone was present, the stray worldly desires drifting around the hospital were unable to enter Shiki’s room.

  67. [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 4: “The Hollow Shrine” Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: After Touko cast her spell on the corpse, she mentioned something about the “ᚨ (Ansuz)” being too weak. What’s an Ansuz?

    Q: After Touko cast her spell on the corpse, she mentioned something about the “ᚨ (Ansuz)” being too weak. What’s an Ansuz? <Dango>

    Takeuchi: Oh, that. Just Google it!
    Nasu: Though the precise meaning of each rune varies depending on the magus, Ansuz is generally used for “Combustion”. …Well, that’s the rule in Kara no Kyōkai, anyway. The maximum effect of Ansuz is actually “to make known”. Aside from that, according to Miwa Kiyomune-sensei, Dagaz and Ehwaz are also very popular choices as fire-type runes!
    Takeuchi: You should Google Miwa Kiyomune-sensei, too!

  68. [v] TYPE-MOON Fes. Official Pamphlet 10th Anniversary Q & A Booklet:
    Q: Why did Touko not have any memories when she switched to her puppet body?

    Q: Why did Touko not have any memories when she switched to her puppet body?

    A: I think it is because the transition is too smooth.

    Touko #1: "I am a bit tired. Time for a nap ~★"
    Puppet Touko: "Oops, I dozed off for six hours instead of three ~★"

    As smooth as that. Touko's puppets are stored all over the world. After one dies, the active, next-in-line Touko (puppet) will awaken. Touko (puppet) will first construct a puppet of herself, and then go outside to start her hunt for bishoujo. However, whether she inherits the will and goals of the original will depend on her location. The closer the puppet is to the original, the more likely she will inherit the original's will. If the puppet is activated from a site that is too distant, a blank in her memory proportional to the distance will form.
    By the way, the puppet who awakened after Alba killed Touko disobeyed her own rule of "begin activity after constructing a puppet" and went straight for Alba. That is Touko for you, easily roused and lacks patience.

    Q:橙子さんが自分で人形と入れ替わった時を記憶していないのは何故ですか?

    A:あまりにもスムーズな移行だからと思われ

    一人目橙子「ちょっと疲れた。ちょっと仮眠とるか☆」
    人形橙子「しまった、三時間のつもりが六時間寝ちゃった☆」

    ぐらい自然。橙子人形は世界各地に保管されており、起動中のものが死亡すると次の橙子(人形)が目を覚ます。隠れ家で目覚めた橙子(人形)はまず自分の人形を作ってから外に出て美少女捜しを始めるが、前作が壊れた経緯を引き継ぐか引き継がないかは位置関係による。近ければ近いほど経緯を引き継ぐが、あまりにも遠い場所で起動すると、その距離分の記憶のブランクができてしまう。
    ちなみにアルバに殺されたあとの橙子は、「自分の人形を作ってから活動する」ルールを破り、ソッコーでアルバをシメに行っている。ああ見えて怒りっぽく我慢しない人。それが蒼崎橙子。

  69. 69.0 69.1 69.2 69.3 Mahoutsukai no Yoru - Chapter 5-I: "Night of the Witches I"
  70. [v] Kara no Kyoukai Special Pamphlet - Encyclopedia: Orange Bag [Others], p.028 [T]

    Orange Bag [Others]
    Aozaki Touko's bag. She seems to be very fond of using it.
    It is not used as a bag, and is stuffed with a projector-like mechanism.
    A projection machine that perjures a magical creature of shadow.

    才レンジの鞄【おれんじのかばん】【その他】
    蒼崎燈子の鞄。わりと愛用しているらしい。
    鞄として使われる事はなく、中は映写じみた機構で埋まっている。
    影の魔物を偽証する幻灯機械。

  71. Type Moon 4th Popularity Poll - The 3-gauge skill "Sealed Box", just as the word "Box(匣)" implies, contains a "demon(魔)"
  72. Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Volume 2: case. Twin Towers of Iselma (Lower) - Chapter 3 Part 5
  73. Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Volume 2: case. Twin Towers of Iselma (Lower) - Chapter 3 Part 6
  74. [v] Lord El-Melloi II Case Files material - Encyclopedia: Aozaki Touko [Person], p.096

    Aozaki Touko [Person]
    The Grand-class doll maker that has appeared in some form or other in a multitude of Type Moon works.
    In the Case Files timeline, her Sealing Designation was removed when she made her appearance. However, since a certain ending in Fate/stay night has her described as “Sealing Designated,” that will probably only last for a few more years…
    Between things like the special “box” she keeps inside for special occasions, to the crystal familiars she collects that fire beams like a certain little sister, in a story like Case Files where magi are the main attraction, her abilities become even more impressive.
    After being given entirely free reign in the Iselma incident, she began to follow the Heartless case entirely out of a sense of curiosity. In the middle of the incident, however, the Neutralist faction commissioned her for a formal investigation. In normal circumstances she would have simply refused the assignment, but at that time the compensation she was supposed to receive from Iselma had been reduced to ash (by her own hands). Oh, what a travesty, doll maker!
    Furthermore, due to circumstances, she already had experience visiting the Spiritual Tomb of Albion.
    From the start, though only for a short time, the reason for the removal of her Sealing Designation was because Millieune Carillon, head of Sealing Designations and the one responsible for removing her Designation, and her were…

    アッド【礼装/そのほか】
    グレイの持つ宝具・最果てにて輝ける槍に付与された封印礼装。
    魔女モルガンによって加工され、彼女の知る中で最もアーサー王に心酔していない円卓の騎士が、人工人格の基礎となった。『アトラスの契約』の事件を考えれば、その細工はむしろあのタイミングで「アーサー王の復活をとどめる」ために仕組まれた形跡がある。まるで、「復活に協力するが復活してほしくない」とでもいうような、奇妙な仕掛けであった。
    加工される以前の正体は、ロゴスリアクト・レプリカ。かのアトラス院の七大兵器から引き継いだ超演算機能こそが、内側の最果てにて輝ける槍を封印しつづけている。限定解除の鎌はもちろん、ハンマーや盾や鉤槍、果てはブーメランにまで変形するのも、この演算機能の応用によって、ロンゴミニアドの能力の一部を表出させたものだ。『アトラスの契約』で顕現した騎士も理論的には同様。その性格は過去の騎士と現在のアッドが複雑にまじりあった、厳密にはどちらでもないものだったが、だからこそ最後の疑似宝具を展開できたのだろう。
    グレイにとっては、本当に長い間唯一の友達だった。
    なお、アッドの名前は、加えるのアッドと、ロンゴミニアドのアドから。

  75. [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 5: “Paradox Spiral” Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: So, about the photo that appeared near the middle of the movie. I recognized Souren and Alba, but who was that person standing in the middle?

    Q: So, about the photo that appeared near the middle of the movie. I recognized Souren and Alba, but who was that person standing in the middle? <ARIA>

    Takeuchi: T-Toukooo!! They're saying you look so different they can't recognize you!!
    Nasu: I guess she went through too many minor model changes over the years, huh?

  76. [v] Character Material - Aozaki Touko, p.024-025

    Introduction - Touko Aozaki

    Explanation - Touko Aozaki's Circumstances

    Explanation 02 - After

    Source: Kara no Kyoukai, Mahoutsukai no Yoru (Unpublished)

    Introduction - 蒼崎橙子

    Explanation - 蒼崎橙子の事情

    Explanation 02 - この後

    出典/空の境界、魔法使いの夜〔未発表〕

  77. [v] Kara no Kyoukai - Chapter 3: “Remaining Sense of Pain” Movies Q & A Pamphlets
    Q: What was your favorite scene in Chapter 3?

    Q: What was your favorite scene in Chapter 3?
     
    Nasu: To put it bluntly, I loved the scene where Shiki poses dramatically and says the "Even if it's God…" line. As for the scene with the most unexpected impact, it was when we got to see Touko with her hair down because she didn't think she'd have any more visitors that night.
    Takeuchi: Yeah, the faceoff on the bridge was the best. A super royal road of romance. You can't help but get fired up!
    Nasu: And just purely by animation quality, the bridge collapse scene was awesome. Though it was so well done I couldn't help but think it looked more dangerous than impressive. *laugh*

Main characters: Aoko AozakiAlice KuonjiSoujuurou Shizuki

Secondary characters: Touko AozakiLugh BeowulfTobimaru TsukijiKojika KumariHousuke KinomiYuika SuseRitsuka SuseEiri FumizukaKazuki YamashiroYurihiko TokitsuMay Riddell Archelot

Main characters: Shiki RyougiMikiya KokutouTouko AozakiAzaka Kokutou

Secondary characters: Cornelius AlbaDaisuke AkimiFujino AsagamiKirie FujouLio ShirazumiMana RyougiMisaya OujiMitsuru KamekuraSatsuki KurogiriShizune SeoSouren ArayaTomoe Enjou
Minor characters: Akitaka SuzurigiGakutoHideo HayamaKaede EnjouKaname RyougiKaori TachibanaKeita MinatoMother of MifuneOtoko HotaruzukaRisu MiyazukiTakayuki EnjouYuuko Andou
Terms: AkashaCounter ForceDemon Hunter OrganizationDragon SmokePsychicMystic EyesMystic Eyes of Death PerceptionUnified Language