Date A Live
Looking back at the series.
Tachibana Koshi x Tsunako
──Well then, please let us start with volume 1.
Tachibana: Regarding the volume 1……first of all, I have a lot of memories being excited to see if it would sell. After all, the first volume in a new series is always nerve-wrecking. Unlike the award-winning Sokyu no Karma, this is the first time I made a commercial work from scratch. In the previous submission, I used the breathtaking tactic of asking, “how to stab the judges with surprises?” In ‘Date’, I wrote while thinking let’s dig into the content without worrying too much about such a strategy. Before writing the first volume, I made it while discussing plot points with the editor. So, in that sense, it became a work with a lot of first-time experiences as well.
──How careful were you when writing the first volume?
Tachibana: The first thing I was cautious of was not to overfill the page with words. I paid particular attention to the introduction. If you keep moving your hands, the number of line breaks will be reduced, so try to increase the number of line breaks as much as possible.
Tsunako: Really, you were conscious of that!
Tachibana: I was conscious of volume 1. The later the volume, the less I cared! Really, everyone should have got used to it by that point (lol).
Tsunako: (lol)
Tachibana: By volume 10 it’s fine, but if you open the first volume and there are too many characters, it might become a ‘reason for not reading’. Also, at the stage of volume 1, I thought about not only the story of volume 1, but also the huge story of the whole series. That’s the reason for choosing the Sephirot Tree motif……by the way, did you ever state the motif is the Sephirot Tree?
Tsunako: I don’t think I made a clear statement.
Tachibana: …… First public release in ‘Material 2’. The name of each Spirit contains a number character!
Tsunako: Wow, glad to know that! (lol)
Tachibana: I think a few readers who have read to Material 2 are unaware (lol). Actually, the extra Spirits also have numbers. Rinne contains the Chinese pronunciation of zero (リン) and when spoken in Cantonese it is Ren. Maria is 2 (アル). Also, Westcott has the middle name of 0 (Ray). However, this wasn’t expected from the beginning, so when Westcott got <Beelzebub>, I thought I should have named him Albert (アルバート) instead of Isaac. I didn’t but in 2 (アル), but well he became a Spirit of Origin near the end, so the end result is fine.
Tsunako: By the way, does Nibelcole also have 2?
Tachibana: There’s a woman named Nicole Aubrey. There’s a story about her and Beelzebub’s children being Nibelcole……they say a story like that exists. From there, I quoted Nibelcole’s name as the daughter of Beelzebub. Coincidentally, the two is also in her name.
Tsunako: Like Nia, she even sounds like having the character for 2 (ni).
Tachibana: The motif of the Sephirot Tree was kept hidden until the end of the series for some reason (lol).
Tsunako: Finally released for the first time (lol).
Tachibana: If you think about it now, 10 people is still a drastic number.
Tsunako: Speaking of which, I was looking over the character roughs for volume 1, and Tohka became Toko.
Tachibana: It was Toko! Initially! Sephira’s 10 is a symbol of earth, so I wondered if the first heroine should be ten. At that time, I just gave her the tentative name ‘Toko’, but the person in charge said “That’s not cute at all!” lol. So, I thought for a while and changed it to Tohka, and got a “that’s fine” reply. Was it a consonant problem?
Tsunako: It may be the influence of the name. Tohka in the days of ‘Toko’ would have an old-fashioned appearance. She would have a Japanese doll hairstyle.
──Incidentally, the development of Reine Murasame as the boss character was decided around volume 1?
Tachibana: I had already decided. It is said that when Reine Murasame is written vertically, the character for 0 appears. An unexpected truth!
Tsunako: Reine-san also had a different name at the beginning. Certainly, it was Tomoka (知佳)……
Tachibana: That’s because the first motif was the hidden Sephira Knowledge (Da’at). In the end, this became Ain and we decided to put in a zero……but a zero in the name would be too suspicious, so I decided to break it up between ‘雨’ and ‘令’. However, it seems that the intuitive readers have noticed this at a very early stage. I think people who noticed the rule that numbers are included in names would have gone saying, “oh my, oh my, oh my”.
──What was the scene you struggled with in volume 1?
Tachibana: Basically, there are corrections to the date part each time. Not so much for the battle scene, but I had a hard time with the date in volume 1. After that, the training part was also difficult! In all……I think I rewrote the whole volume about twice. After all, at first, I wrote from a state where I didn't know what it was, so I had no choice but to grope around while writing. While I was writing that way, I entered the selection of an illustrator and met Tsunako-san…... I’m really sorry for making Tsunako-san create nearly ten rough designs for Tohka.
Tsunako: No, no, it’s fine because I always put out a lot of rough drafts when starting the work! It was my first time working on a light novel (lol). Was it 2010 when we first met face-to-face? At the time, I asked for content going up to ten volumes, saying “I wish I could do up to ten volumes”.
Tachibana: There were 10 Spirits, so I also wished I could do up to about ten volumes.
Tsunako: At that time, I didn’t even know about light novel’s 3 volume wall. To think, I said “I’ll do up to 10 volumes’ (lol). I’m glad you crossed it.
Tachibana: No, thank you for your support!
Tsunako: Likewise! But looking back at volume 1, I think I’m glad I got this job. I’m really happy I took action because of my youth!
Tachibana: When you think about it, ‘Date’ was a “I’ll do my best for the first-time experience”. It was Tsunako-san’s first time illustrating for a light novel and it was the first time for me working with an editor to create a commercial work from scratch.
Tsunako: I think it was a rare experience to make a game at the company I worked for later.
Tachibana: The character for Rinne Utopia was also great. There is no childhood friend in ‘Date’……ah, no actually, there was one in the manuscript before rewriting.
Tsunako: Huh!? In the direction of the original draft!?
Tachibana: Yes. Origami is the combination of the girl who belongs to the AST-like organization and the childhood friend setting. So, the existence of a childhood friend was devoured by Origami.
Tsunako: This may be my first-time hearing this!
Tachibana: So, in that regard, Origami is half-childhood friend material!
Tsunako: And Origami had a long-haired version in the rough draft of volume 1 at the time.
Tachibana: There is also a braided version. Certainty, when thinking about allocating characters, I assigned three patterns of height, bust size, and hair length. I wanted to try every pattern, so when I realized there wasn’t a short-haired character, I decided to allocate that to Origami. However, it did become longer near the end (lol).
──Continuing on, how about volume 2?
Tachibana: Volume 2’s cover, including the design and layout, I think is quite the tall accomplishment. I also like the placement of the logo. It’s L-shaped and fits neatly.
Tsunako: It’s quite beautiful, isn’t it? The pink color of the logo matches the color of the character. And there is a rainbow over Tachibana-san’s name!
Tachibana: ‘Rainbow Tachibana’ (lol)
Tsunako: With Yoshino, I think we had a meeting around volume 1 about ‘future-appearing Spirits’.
Tachibana: Right, I did put a preliminary announcement for volume 2. But Yoshinon had a cat pattern back then, right?
Tsunako: That’s true! The first rough draft was a cat. But when I look at it now, it has a strong crackling feeling that makes me feel a little uncomfortable (lol)
Tachibana: I was thinking of creating a character that wasn’t in volume 1, so there was the intention of making her feel a little more docile. And……this was my mistake. And I’ll tell you now that it’s complete. At the end of volume 1, there was a notice with a line like, “how did it feel to touch Yoshinon in the various places~”. Well, when I wrote that, I didn’t have a two-part manuscript, so actually the puppet calls Yoshino by her nickname. The puppet was supposed to have a different name. Yoshino and Yoshinon, it may seem confusing but Yoshinon was supposed to be Yoshino’s nickname. Really.
Tsunako: What kind of name did you have planned?
Tachibana: At that time, I was thinking about <Zadkiel>, so it was something like ‘Za-kun’. But kun is too masculine, so I think it was changed again.
Tsunako: I see. Za-san……that’s a little difficult to say. (lol)
Tachibana: But after writing the story of volume 21, I think it was good to say ‘Yoshinon’.
Tsunako: In the cover picture, I drew Yoshino and Yoshinon having opposite eyes hidden……I drew it with an image like the two are one person or if either one is missing, it’s no good. However, the main story has grown considerably and I’m glad it’s no longer like that. The back hair is flowing forward because of the hood. There’s that reason, but this image also makes me feel like I’m pulling myself back……I drew it in the sense of a defensive or escape posture. However, after I started to see independent in Yoshino, I actually drew all of her hair flowing back.
Tachibana: I see! This is first publicly release information!
Tsunako: I think its volume 21. In the illustration of page 234 of volume 21, she has her hair completely flowing behind her. From this point onward, her uniforms from Encore should all be letting her hair hang over her back.
Tachibana: No way, a method of showing a change in mental state like this……!
──Next is volume 3……
Tachibana: There are many stories of Kurumi having been born from a black history. When thinking, “who should be the next Spirit in volume 3?”, volume 1 and 2 were a gentle world, so I wanted to create a character who would break this situation. So, from the black history notebook, we asked Kurumi-san to appear (lol). The character of Kurumi was in the black history notebook, but the establishment of abilities was given later. The giant clock <Zafkiel> was made just before writing volume 3. The left eye being a clock was originally set, but that’s because the source for Kurumi was pulled from a story where ‘an artificial magician who transplanted a clock onto her body’. All people of talent had clocks on their bodies.
──So why was <Zafkiel> decided in the image of a clock?
Tachibana: From the setting of eating people in the initial plan, I feel it was a knife and fork type of Angel. The plan was to strongly emphasize her eating.
Tsunako: The settings I received from the beginning was gunner, so this my first-time hearing this!
Tachibana: It was at a fairly early stage. However, that would be too explicit…… With two abilities, the eating factor became entrusted to ‘shadow’, the direction of the main body was strengthened through ‘time’ and ‘clock’. Then I thought, “wouldn’t it be super cool that the minute and second hand are guns!?”, which led us to arrive at the present (lol).
Tsunako: Did you decided from the ‘kihihi’ laugh from the very beginning?
Tachibana: I think it was from the very beginning, and didn’t have any doubts about this manner of laughter. When asked, ‘isn’t this manner of laughter scary?”, I thought for the first time “huh, is that right?”
Tsunako: No, but it’s already synonymous with Kurumi.
Tachibana: Spirit names all include a number. Similarly, hair color is based on Sephira motif color. Additionally, each Sephira has a corresponding jewel. That motif is in the eyes. The jewel for 3 is a pearl, but in the case of Kurumi, her eye has a clock. I really wanted a red eye to match the golden clock, so only for Kurumi there is a pearly skin description rather than the eyes.
Tsunako: In Volume 3, Kurumi appeared and the anime was decided……I think that was the turning point. When looking at the rough designs for Kurumi, it feels a little more docile than it is now. The design balance of the anime was great. By referring to the anime quite a bit, there’s the impression of it all coming together. She’s a character whose sex appeal is easy to understand. Not a coincidence, but rather the impression of “deliberately showing you” (lol). I really like the line of ‘woman displaying panties’ in Encore.
Tachibana: It’s on display every time she appears (lol)!
Tsunako: It took me a long time to grasp sex appeal in light novels, but I feel Kurumi has helped me a lot. Even now, the monochrome image of Kurumi capturing Origami is fun. Honestly, I may like it because its offensively fun (lol).
Tachibana: And so, the following volume 4 is the first two-part composition. Picking off from volume 3, Kotori is the main focus. I wasn’t particularly conscious of it, but it felt natural to split it there. What’s with Kotori……she quite the mysterious character, isn’t she? Actually, I can hardly remember the process of making the ‘little sister is a commander’ setting. Suddenly, it was decided before I knew it. I feel like I said, ‘the commander will be the little sister!’ (lol).
Tsunako: Kotori’s Astral Dress had already been designed for volume 3. Probably because the appearance of the Astral Dress is depicted on the last scene of volume 3. Kotori’s Astral Dress is easy to draw and I really like it. Even for a child character, the adult-like appearance is nice. Come to think of it, Kotori has a lot of costumes.
Tachibana: That’s right. Her uniform, commander version, Astral Dress……even the Limited Astral Dress has a transformation.
──How about volume 5?
Tachibana: Volume 5……was a difficult time. It took a long time for the Yamai sisters to emerge. After it was decided, this time was with twins, it was somehow decided to change the number to 8. It was for a simple reason. The kanji for ‘八’ is divided into two strokes, so it looks like twins. The circles used in ordinary numbers also look like a pair of twins. Also, since Raphael has the image of wind, the attribute became wind. It was easy to decide up to that point, but there were a lot of twists and turns before arriving at the what it looks like in the present.
Tsunako: Her hairstyle was immediately decided with a tornado motif, but what about the setting?
Tachibana: First of all, there’s the names. I said somewhere that it was Yamai and Yayoi before it became its current form. To tell you the truth, the family name discarded first was Yagarasu. If I’m not mistaken, it was Yagarasu Tenma and Chikage.
Tsunako: So cool!
Tachibana: However, it became the current Yamai because it was too pretentious. No, what am I saying? I mean it was too cool (lol). Although, I’m glad it was Yamai. I think it’s a good name. Singing one’s praises at its finest!
Tsunako: It fits the image of wind very well. Which name did you come up with first, Kaguya or Yuzuru?
Tachibana: I think it was Kaguya. ‘矢’ and ‘弦’, I remember Kaguya hangs the arrow, and Yuzuru provides the bowstring. But, in all honestly, I wanted Kaguya to have a name with two kanji if possible. Teruya (輝矢) would have been nice, but……like that it would have become a character for a different work entirely. The Astral Dress theme was decided with bondage, but various patterns were considered. Thief type and sylph type.
Tsunako: The bondage designation for the Astral Dress was delivered to me from the beginning. There was also a pattern where the characters themselves had different heights. Kaguya was tiny.
Tachibana: There you have it! That’s that, because I like it for being cute. By the way, its from this volume that Ellen made an appearance. ……I’ll say it now, actually the detailed settings of DEM were made in volume 5. ‘The mastermind of everything from the very beginning’, it served to give that impression.
Tsunako: Is that right!?
Tachibana: To be precise, the name itself comes from volume 3, but characters like Westcott and Ellen, and the setting of being involved in the birth of Spirits was made during volume 5.
Tsunako: I was completely under the impression she was planned from the beginning. This gives the feeling of a new flavor being added to a secret formula (lol).
Tachibana: Up till volume 4, I only had to talk about ‘capturing the Spirits’. But the longer it gets, the more you want another story. And so, with AST they couldn’t compete with the Spirits in the first place, so I want another third force. When thinking of what to do from there, “where are the AST equipment made? Would a wholesale company be strong?”, so I thought up of a private enterprise. DEM was born from trying to be very strong.
──Next please tell us about volume 6 and 7 where Miku appeared for the first time.
Tachibana: ……. This is because it is complete now, but the title ‘Miku Lily’ was tentative. I was told from the person in charge, “the special edition with benefits must be registered early. You can change it later, so please give me a tentative title”. I was going to make a yuri kid next time, ‘well then, lily’. Without any changes, it made its way to the net (lol).
Tsunako: But it feels like it fits perfectly.
Tachibana: Right, so I decided to go with that. Volume 6 to 7 serve like a mid-stage turning point……not unlike Origami in volume 1……and Miku is the first enemy in a while. I thought about the concept of making a Spirit with an impression like this. At around volume 6, Miku had an impression that the readers hated. However, her popularity increased when she came out in volume 7. But I think the Miku from Volumes 6-7 and the one from volume 8 onwards are different creatures (lol).
Tsunako: She’s treated like a youkai (lol).
Tachibana: That’s right (lol). Certainly, it was firmly established that Natsumi later describes her as “a youkai that would approach a sound asleep child at night”. Personally, Miku may be a character that is different from the first assumption. Indeed, it grew to be like that……and speaking of volume 6, there is Itsuka Shiori!
Tsunako: Shiori-chan!
Tachibana: Shiori-chan has become surprisingly popular. I think the main character’s gender bent version is no-fail joke material, but this volume is an abnormal situation……it’s quite unusual to have the hero be on all the color spread pages. Of the four, three are dressed as a woman (lol).
Tsunako: Usually, only the back of the head makes it to the illustrations (lol). Did you decide the name in one go?
Tachibana: I think the name was in one go. When I was thinking of using the ‘士’ character in Shido, I thought “as expected, it’s Shiori.”
Tsunako: It’s a very heroine-like name, isn’t it?
Tachibana: The ‘士’ character has a samurai-like feel (lol).
Tsunako: Like Shiori’s design, Miku’s design hasn’t changed much from the rough draft. The Astral Dress is more like a Showa idol rather than the current idol image. Also, I think I personally had a voice actress idol for reference.
Tachibana: I see. In any case, it’s a single idol rather than a group idol. It’s difficult to put out the Spirits as a group. Ah, but doesn’t the story of someone in a Spirit-like group seem interesting? If there’s only one Spirit in……I wonder if it will be Natsumi? (lol)
Tsunako: (lol)
Tachibana: However, on the other hand, Miku is a character whose Angel design is rather fluffy. She has a microphone and keyboard, but there is a huge pipe organ behind her. There was a fair bit of planning in the early stages for an absurdly huge Angel appearing. At first, I thought it would be interesting to have a fortress-type Angel and have an exciting battleship conflict……. but after consulting, the idea faded and I remember settling behind a huge pipe organ as a substitute.
And so, speaking of volume 7 next……it’s the Inverse Form! I think I mentioned this somewhere, but at first there was no setup called inversion, it became one after volume 7. I wanted to make ‘Date’ a long-term series, so I needed a new positive development. Also, because the motif is Sephirot, I also thought about using the inverted Qliphoth as a motif. It was a little undecided if the Spirits would flip or if a new enemy with a Qliphoth motif would appear. However, in this volume, just right meant inversion was established and be continued later. Still, there are many Spirits whose inverse forms haven’t appeared after volume 22, even if you include Yoshino in the artbook. After 7 volumes…...you can rely on Kurumi-san!
Tsunako: A temporary comrade is amazingly intense!
Tachibana: Having companions stolen by Miku, I thought that the development of Kurumi, who should have been an enemy, lending a hand would be very intense. It’s amazing how much you can rely on Kurumi after she’s become a comrade. Also, the SSS clothes that Origami is wearing during the double-page color spread was reimported from Date A Strike. This is a shocking design, isn’t it? What is Britain thinking (lol)! Also, I think this is the first time Westcott’s face appeared. Westcott’s design is also very nice.
Tsunako: Right, right. But Westcott is difficult to draw…… He’s a character of an unknown age. The second half is fairly based on the anime.
Tachibana: Westcott is great as expected. Especially that mysterious pose on the color page (lol).
Tsunako: The ruler pose (lol).
Tachibana: By the way, for the line, “Kingdom has inverted. Now, prepare yourselves humanity. For the Demon King’s triumphant return.”, even I who wrote it still don’t understand the meaning well (lol). It was just something cool to say…… Since ‘Kingdom’ was said, I thought “will this be picked up soon?” I didn’t pick it up at all at the end. As a result, I became an old man that tried to say something cool.
Later, there is the color page in the middle of the text. That was wonderful. I was surprised I could do this.
Tsunako: It was refreshing to colorize the monochrome image I drew with a brush. Because the main focus of volume 7 is the inversion and DEM, the illustration is a little dark, but I remember thinking that, “this with this is fine”.
Tachibana: As expected, the illustration of Shido is super cool! Miku is like a heroine!
Tsunako: She’s a heroine (lol)!?
Tachibana: It was amazing. Thanks to the illustration, the conviction that Miku will be defeated had increased. She will definitely say, “I’ll fall in love with you!”
Tsunako: It seems that the number of illustrations with Shido as the main character also started to gradually increase from around here.
Tachibana: After all, he has a different look from being able to use an Angel. It’s the face of a person with armed might. By the way, did you have any troubles designing Inverse Tohka?
Tsunako: No, I remember Inverse Tohka was very easy. Was it because the theme of darkening the original appearance was clear? Before long, it came out smoothly.
Tachibana: The degree of perfection was high from the very beginning. By the way, was there any idea of “because its inverted, let’s make it white” in the initial plan?
Tsunako: There was. The very first rough design had white armor, but it immediately soon became black.
Tachibana: It’s not a bad descent, but I feel being darker is easier to convey the image from the word ‘inversion’. The concept of turning white when inverted was inherited by the White Queen of ‘Date A Bullet’.
Tsunako: Certainty! The design of the White Queen is really the best!
──Next, I’d like to ask about Volume 8 and 9.
Tachibana: By chance, volume 4 was the period for the 1st season of anime, and volume 7 is where the 2nd season stopped. I didn’t expect this in the beginning. As I thought, the story will temporarily settle down when going from one volume to the next. It is a huge story. So, it’s a new development, but starting around the next story……it happened around this time. I started using two books for one Spirit. To be precise, this started with Miku.
Tsunako: I think Natsumi was the first time that the same Spirit was on the cover two times in a row.
Tachibana: From around here, using one volume will not be enough to describe the characters so far. So, in the first book, the face and story of the new heroine is presented. The strategy is in the next volume……there’s the impression of a format like this taking root. In terms of content, I talked about wanting to do something a little different. A criminal guessing game……I decided to do something like werewolf. Even for werewolf, it’s a bit irregular since it’s a story of searching for the opposing side after she has presented the rules. During the beginning, there was the idea that Natsumi had turned into Yuzuru. But wasn’t it pointed out in story that Yuzuru was the first to disappear? Then that really would be the correct answer……but I remember it becoming Yoshinon because I wanted another twist. After that……it’s said that a beautiful older sister finally appeared to the Spirits.
Tsunako: However, she is an illusion (lol). The older sister character’s novelty is so extensive, I thought it was an illusion.
Tachibana: I was quite surprised by the design of adult Natsumi. The design is quite erotic even though the skin was not exposed.
Tsunako: She was initially put in a casual witch-like outfit. Certainly, there was a purpose for full-body tights.
Tachibana: I think so. When the person in charge suddenly said, “full-body tights!”, I thought, “has their head finally hit the ceiling!?” (lol) After all, at first could you even imagine full-body tights for the current Natsumi!? But the reckless self-confidence caused me to leave it to someone else, so when Natsumi came up, I said “Indeed, full-body tights!”
Tsunako: Somehow, this is conviction breaking through when it disappears!
Tachibana: So, next is volume 9. I thought what should I do to the emerald-green heroine that will become unpopular (lol). But when writing……no, I really like Natsumi!
Tsunako: Me too! I don’t think it’s someone else (lol).
Tachibana: When asked in an interview, ‘who is your favorite character’, the reply would be with ‘everyone’. But recently, as I wrote a Natsumi short story for the first time in a while, I thought to myself, “it’s really fun to write about this person……”
Tsunako: We may like Natsumi the most in the depths of our hearts (lol).
Tachibana: The brush kept moving. I think it’s okay for Natsumi to be the main character. No, that’s not good (lol)! Also, there’s Origami’s appearance at the end. What a shocking surprise. The prototype that only the best DEM Wizards can wear, the sister model to Ellen’s machine. Some readers may notice that the Ellen’s <Pendragon>’s sister model is <Medlaut>……or <Mordred> if you change the character reading. A mentality brimming with betrayal. Well, Artemisia’s CR-Unit <Lancelot> also has the same betrayal motif. The Knights of the Round Table often go traitor……(lol).
──Next is volume 10, which is the turning point.
Tsunako: At last, we’ve arrived here!
Tachibana: The turning point of the Angel volume. The cover page that was said to be spoilers (lol). Even though she was wearing DEM equipment the last volume, this is volume 10’s cover! But Volume 10 has many color pages that I love.
Tsunako: Volume 10 seems to be a decisive battle, so it looks flashy overall.
Tachibana: I like the illustration of Origami floating in the sky and Tohka on the ground so much that it ranks high among all the illustrations.
Tsunako: Thank you very much.
Tachibana: This is the mid-stage of Origami’s turning point. I personally like it too. The story also moved a lot.
Tsunako: I’m personally really pleased with Origami’s Astral Dress design. Certainly, I got a rough draft from Tachibana-san……
Tachibana: That’s right. I remember drawing it. I think it was simple enough to be just recognized as a silhouette.
Tsunako: I just drew the rough draft as it was!
Tachibana: I see……the pose on the cover looks a lot like that…… (lol)!
Tsunako: No, no (lol)! It’s just as it is. A crown and a nice skirt……
Tachibana: But I feel the crown I drew was smoother. No, the spikes on the crown are as stylish as expected.
Tsunako: Origami seems to intentionally follow Tohka’s Astral Dress design as a whole.
Tachibana: No, the cover is wonderful! Absolutely divine!
Tsunako: I really like the burning background when taking off the paper sash! Origami-san is burning it (lol). By the way, volume 10 was drawn in a hurry as a whole……
Tachibana: Is that so?
Tsunako: It collided with game work, so I’m glad you say you like it. Tohka and Origami’s illustrations were a great hurry to hit it with screening and overlaying. Hitting……that may only be transmitted to those who draw digital illustrations. It’s a method of drawing where you keep hitting it with effects that emit light (lol).
Tachibana: But, once in a while that happens. The scene I wrote in a hurry without any time was surprisingly good.
Tsunako: Then, I’ll continue to actively keep hitting it with light emitting layers (lol).
Tachibana: If you bring up volume 10, the “Aaaaaaaaaaaaa’ scene comes to mind. To be honest, I was wondering whether or not to make it so long, but I just heard the illustration would come here and adjusted the number of lines accordingly. I think its an expression that really works because it’s a light novel. And for volume 11, the cover is also wonderful. The fashion motif is mourning. Is there a widow like yours (lol)!
Tsunako: At first, the degree was exposure was lower. It was more mourning-like than this (lol).
Tachibana: No, I think its magnificent. I don’t mind if the exposure is low. I can’t think of anything else for Devil anymore. And the rule that the spread of the text becomes the color of when the Inverse Form appears was demonstrated this time as well. Rather than an Angel scene, its detestable unraveling scene. That is wonderful!
As expected, Kurumi appears during the climax. Called ‘Manami-chan’ recently, the Kurumi from five years ago also appeared for the first time. It was quite shocking. Super cool (lol)! This is certainly not what I was expecting from the beginning, but I think it’s a by-product of making a going back in time gimmick. There must be a Kurumi in this era, so after deciding to borrow her power, I remember talking something about, “5 years ago, she must have been more complicated that she is now”.
Tsunako: The Elite Four were born from here.
Tachibana: “Did she wear an eyepatch five years ago!?” ……I remember being in high spirits. However, the gimmick of ‘Origami and Shido had met’ was worrisome on how it could be told. I’m glad that I was finally able to tell it here. It was a lengthy story! Moreover, the date with this world’s Origami is probably my favorite date scene throughout the series.
Tsunako: Origami with long hair looks like a heroine and the depiction of two people inside Origami fighting is too amusing (lol). Rather than personally talking, she scrambling for the initiative! Also, it was great to be able to draw a cover page with the same composition as volume 1.
Tachibana: Since the world line has changed once in volume 11, the story gets a little confusing. Looking back, I think I did something bold. Because the world keeps moving.
I have difficult time for each next volume when the story is over……but starting volume 12 was perhaps the hardest. From ‘what should I do next volume?”, I remember it was decided to be Shido’s story. Including the cover, it feels like a different volume altogether. I like Shido on the cover because it’s cool, but now that I think about it, that might have been Shiori’s only chance to decorate the cover (lol). And the color trap for this volume may be the most dangerous one alongside Origami.
Tsunako: Aah, volume 10 received the most damage reports, but this one was also the case……(lol).
Tachibana: Personally, I like Ellen in the color page of this volume. She wore a mokomoko hat.
Tsunako: That hat looks great on characters with light pigments.
Tachibana: She’s supposed to be British, but there’s a bit of a Russian feel to her. Also in this volume, Natsumi’s shop special privilege twin tails swimsuit is a personal favorite. To Natsumi who said, “I don’t want to look like a fool wearing a swimsuit with twin tails……” a similar twin tail swimsuit Kotori would reply with, “Huh, you looking for a fight!?” (lol).
Tsunako: Volume 12 is also the reappearance of the Roaring Flash Blast Wave (lol)!
Tachibana: It’s hard to say that Roaring Flash Blast Wave will work here. And there’s a big success waiting for the final stage……I still wonder if that was the way to defeat Westcott (lol). Although, for ‘Date’ it is a unique method to win. Roaring Flash Blast Wave……I never thought I would use it again, even though it was a name I had to properly think up!
Tsunako: There’s a firm buildup in the voice when saying it.
Tachibana: Well, that’s true (lol). Also, now that I think about it, Material A could have been Material N.
Tsunako: But I like that way of calling it. I even used it in the 4-koma manga bonus for the novel version of the game.
Tachibana: She came out! Material A that still doesn’t have a voice attached to her yet.
Tsunako: I drew it with the assumption of not being able to speak for the rest of my lifetime. Speaking of which, the background for the cover of volume 12 is actually the front of the company I was working at the time.
Tachibana: Oh, that’s right!
Tsunako: I tend to collect background data from nearby places (lol). Volume 12 has Shido’s eccentricity. I don’t know how to phrase it……but it was really interesting to do it seriously. I’m glad the main character was on a cover before it was completed!
Tachibana: Thinking about it now, having them all kiss one by one at the end, I wonder if that’s the ‘Ushio and Tora’ in me……I think. A story of combing everyone’s messy hair together. Perhaps it was influenced by that.
──Next up is volume 13
Tachibana: ……Tsunako-san mentioned earlier of being in crunch time during volume 10, but actually that was the same for me during volume 13 (lol).
Tsunako: Wow……!
Tachibana: Just a lot of work overlapped, the main story writing, the movie version work, even including Qualidea Code and the game work. ……There were times I thought it was a little dangerous because various things overlapped. Under such circumstances, it is said that everyone loves Nia.
Tsunako: Nia-san is very interesting, right? She can engage with anyone.
Tachibana: I wonder why she’s such an interesting character (lol). By the way, the little Natsumi of sloth introduced in volume 22 actually appears in the author profile here.
Tsunako: True. There is also Natsumi of greed!
Tachibana: Her name literally means seven deadly sins. No, but Nia has become a very great character. The background for the cover is also wonderful.
Tsunako: The person in charge allowed me to draw characters from other Tachibana-sensei series without permission (lol).
Tachibana: When it came to putting out a type of heroine I hadn’t done before, the attributes ‘otaku’ and ‘manga artist’ came out. Ah, my hobbies of making middle-aged content. I wanted a character that felt kind of easy. Also, it’s not a return to the one volume format here. There’s already a volume that contains the story in one volume, so I thought it would be okay to have it once here. But in the end, everything I wanted to done didn’t fit, so the fairy tale world actually doubles as the second part of Nia’s story. So, with volumes 13-15, there’s the image of it being split in half between Nia and Mukuro.
Tsunako: I thought the appearance of volume 13’s Comiket was really fun to read. I had never attended a major comic convention at the time. Since becoming a member of society, I haven’t had much chances to see it through the general participation. I drew while thinking, “is this correct?” It feels like I was drawing the memory of a local event I participated when I was a kid. I googled the photos, but there was the impression of not fully understanding it. Also……the picture of drawing manga together is something I used to do as a student with 5-6 friends. The fun memories have been revived.
──And for volume 14, it’s Mukuro’s story
Tachibana: I’ve always had a habit of bringing 6 at the end when making a number theme. Maybe because I was born in June……I guess I like the number 6. However, as a result, I had to make the abilities and attributes mostly reflect the current circumstances. The hurdle had risen (lol). But when you think about it, it’s strange there wasn’t a blonde main character in the story yet.
Tsunako: Certainly, she is a blonde heroine character! It is strange that it tends to be like that.
Tachibana: There is Ellen, Artemisia, Mily……all that’s left is Kannazuki (lol). Mukuro is last, so I thought it would be okay to set the ability a little stronger. The battle in this volume! Battle!! Battle once more!! It became that kind of thought process. I wanted it to prosper a little. Besides, Michael is the archangel chief, it was decided to be strong! And.
For ‘Date’ as a concept, the Spirits were like anthropomorphic disasters.
Tsunako: I’ve heard about this for several characters in the early days. For instance, Tohka is……
Tachibana: The first image is earthquakes. Yoshino is cold-weather damage. Kurumi is a peculiar mysterious disappearance. Kotori is conflagration and Yamai is typhon. Miku would be noise pollution (lol).
Tsunako: And yet, she’s a diva (lol)! What type of disaster is Natsumi?
Tachibana: Natsumi is……online flaming (lol).
Tsunako: There is a disaster in her mentality!
Tachibana: Nia is leaked personal information and Mukuro is meteorite. Origami is difficult to place. I would say meteorite, but that’s already covered.
Tsunako: In terms of method of attack, it’s like the light from God.
Tachibana: There is a close placement in thunder, but that is covered by Mayuri. Maybe divine punishment if you force it? That drifts away a little from just a disaster.
But to go to space, the new Fraxinus and MARIA also appeared. The rest of the fairy tale world is in the second half huh. That was always a story I wanted to try someday.
Tsunako: It was really hard to draw Mukuro’s hair! However, the feeling of floating hair that keeps growing in space is just right. Also, the body shape is……young in years, but becoming a little voluptuous, yeah. How surprising, hear, hear! (lol). I thought I liked characters that are children, what is with this change in taste?
Tachibana: From now on, there is no doubt Mukuro has something that can make someone go crazy.
Tsunako: A child that opens a new door……!
Tachibana: To tell the truth, the age assumption for Mukuro was about one year younger than Shido at first. I was thinking of aiming for a junior character that wasn’t in the same age group of Spirits until now. Only one there would be Mayuri, who is a movie version character. But when she talks, I wondered if it could be a little lower. If Kotori or Yoshino had Mukuro as a classmate……could you guys endure the mayhem!? Also, another simple reason is that when writing the everyday life scenes, it feels a little lonely for her to be alone in another grade. That’s why it feels like her current form has some minor adjustments. Yes, I really enjoy the scene of wearing Kotori’s clothes in volume 15!
Tsunako: That is to say, “why did they have her wear it once!?” (lol).
Tachibana: Was the outfit reimported from the anime?
Tsunako: That’s right, that’s right. Since Kotori’s causal clothes from the anime were so cute.
Tachibana: It’s a sight to behold. Also, Tenka──the scene where Shido is sandwiched between Inverse Tohka and Mukuro. As expected, there is also great as well. But having the same person with the same appearance on the cover……was Inverse Tohka the first time?
Tsunako: That’s right. The only other one is Kurumi.
Tachibana: In this volume, there was a part where the gimmick that Origami had a different personality was utilized. While everyone has lost their memories, it seems if Inverse Tohka can be used, so can Inverse Origami.
Tsunako: That’s true love! In volume 15, I have a worrisome memory of “what should I do for Origami’s new equipment”.
Tachibana: <Brunhild> is it? It is super cool. Also, the pose on the cover of volume 15 is very impressive. I can’t believe Inverse Tohka is going Moe Moe Kyun. At the beginning, it was shocking because there were so many mature poses.
Tsunako: Even on volume 14, there was some movement, but since it was the weightless space, the character’s movement wasn’t huge. In volume 15, there’s a clear pose, so it’s a little different when including the background.
Tachibana: In volume 16, on the cover is Kurumi Refrain! It’s said that a figure will be made from this!
Tsunako: That’s right. A second half illustration was approved for a 3D model…… Moreover, the quality is extremely high.
Tachibana: The protagonist volume of Kurumi was finally brought to fullness. I always wanted to tell this story. However, there are quite a few details that were decided on the last minute. As is always the case, I make rough decisions about huge stories, but I try to decide the details on the spot. If you decide everything from the very beginning, it becomes a little difficult. I think a flexible approach is important.
And when it comes to Kurumi’s capture, I have to go back in time. You’d think, “this author loves to go back in time” (lol). Together with volume 17, it was great to write about Kurumi’s past. At first, it was a bit more unclear, but while writing the real image became visible. Sawa-san’s name was decided on the spot though (lol).
Tsunako: Is that so!? Sawa-san has been around for a long time. She has become a super important character. Even so, it feels like you’ve arrived at the true Kurumi.
Tachibana: It was long! After all, since her first appearance in volume 3, it’s volume 16 that leads to the recapture. For a long time, it was unclear if she was an ally or enemy.
Tsunako: At first, Kurumi came out as a bad guy, but as I thought, she’s an absurdly good kid that won over everyone’s hearts.
Tachibana: If I recall, was it around this time? ‘Date A Bullet’ started. It seems that Volume 16, ‘Bullet’, and an artbook were released at the same time.
Tsunako: Right, the artbook was at this timing! At that moment, there was all sorts of ‘3’.
Tachibana: It’s a complete coincidence, but in fact volume 16 was my 33rd volume...…. (lol).
Tsunako: Amazing!
Tachibana: I think it’s just a coincidence.
Tsunako: I feel that the Kurumi’s pose in this volume was decided quickly. Really, by this time around, you’ll be able to understand this character’s individual quirks.
Tachibana: Occasionally, the title of the chapters has something in common, but this volume and volume 17 have the theme of being connected by “of”.
Tsunako: Speaking of which, in this volume’s monochrome pictures, the Nibelcole made their debut. The color itself was certainly decided around this time. It was decided that the grey color would be closer to black, being modeled after the game’s Arusu Marina. ‘
Tachibana: In “Date’, characters from the game are reimported. To be exact, Nibelcole and Marina are different people. I remember worrying about who should be on the cover of volume 17. Something like, “should it be Kurumi again?” I ordered the cover before the manuscript was completely written, so if it had been finished……it may have been eyepatch Kurumi. But because of who Shido has to kiss, the Nibelcole was also good in the end? I imagine both would have worked.
Tsunako: They were counted as a heroine (lol).
Tachibana: Well, the title is ‘Kurumi Ragnarök’. Up until now, there have been times where the character on the cover and title have been different.
Tsunako: That’s true. Volume 7 was also ‘Miku Truth’.
Tachibana: I suddenly thought, there are heroines like Kurumi, Nibelcole, MARIA, who will appear as many (lol). It was just inevitable, but I’m not particularly fixated on this……I do say I like the mayhem in numbers though (lol). During the endgame, I started to worry about the thinness in numbers of the DEM side. I remembered adding Nibelcole and Artemisia thinking they were always fighting Ellen. The Nibelcole and Bandersnatch were especially convenient because there were so many of them. I thought it wouldn’t be good to increase the numbers too much, so I gave up trying to make a 10 person DEM team (lol).
Tsunako: There was the possibility there was another enemy.
Tachibana: I thought I had to reinforce the DEM threat. And from there, finally a mastermind…… The flow of the entire story can now be seen. I think this volume is also a turning point.
At the end, after talking about Mio and Shinji’s past, Mio emerges from out of Kurumi. Yes, I wanted to write that scene for so many years, I wrote up to 17 volumes! The person in charge said, “Isn’t it grotesque to come out from the stomach?” and to that I remember saying, “Please let me do it here!”
──Next is volume 18 and 19, where Mio appears.
Tachibana: I like the volume 18 cover the most out of all the volumes. It is really splendid.
Tsunako: After all, the color of the logo is amazing!
Tachibana: It’s amazing even if looked upon numerous times. It was a little shocking that Mio’s Astral Dress has a maternity dress motif. I thought that was an idea that would never come out of me.
Tsunako: The image of a plant motif was also in the early stages.
Tachibana: Certainly, it may be unusual for the last boss to be plant-based.
Tsunako: She’s a grass-type boss, isn’t she?
Tachibana: The subtitle was ‘Mio Gamer Over’, but ‘Game Over’ was actually going to be used for volume 3. But that would mean being dead, so I though I would want to use it somewhere else someday. I was thinking of using it in a truly desperate situation. So, ‘only here’.
Tsunako: In terms of story, it was probably around here……even though I got to read the manuscript the earliest, I couldn’t wait for the next volume because I wanted to read the continuation as soon as possible!
As expected, Mio’s design is amazing and it was very memorable in terms of work. I wanted to reduce her humanity, so the clothes are more mythical than the other characters. The leaves and flowers on her head are like little cherry blossoms. I’m glad this was connected a little to Tohka in the final volume. Also, I wanted to install the stuffed bear somewhere, but if it was near the face, it would have been too comical, so I placed it on her clothes. It became something like the veil from Ruler in the game.
Tachibana: I think it’s pitch-perfect physical condition! ……If you were to chose your favorite volume in ‘Date’, you might choose volume 18. I think its probably here that all the elements such as story development, illustration, and design all reach their peak.
Tsunako: It’s amazing how it shows the greatest excitement for the next volume.
Tachibana: As a result……how to phrase it. I’m really glad that the place I wanted to write first was the most exciting. Mio’s despair is also amazing.
Tsunako: She’s an impossible game. If you get closer, you’ll die (lol)!
Tachibana: You won’t be able to win (lol). And with Volume 19……I also like the color page of the Itsuka siblings!
Tsunako: Quite hot-blooded, isn’t it! The first color picture of Kotori and Mana was them in conflict, but now they’ve become encouraging friends.
Tachibana: I really like it. By the way, they’ve never fought together until now. Kotori’s limited Astral Dress is quite cool as well, isn’t it? It rarely appears though. Also, the scene of the four of them walking by the ocean. My first image was a more distant view. But the one that the reader wants is definitely the current version.
Tsunako: Perhaps the emotion is in the composition of the camera being pulled away as much as possible. When it comes to video, I think that would probably be better.
Tachibana: I said I wanted a picture of them walking into the distance. But after all everyone wants to firmly see the characters. Incidentally, the date concept in this volume is……an adulterous date (lol).
Tsunako: Reine-san even said so within the story. Moreover, for the time being, she’s a teacher at the school he attends, so it’s double the danger (lol)!’
Tachibana: Like usual, I was at a loss about the date concept, then the person in charge said, “it’s an affair!” I thought, “I’m going to have to omit the weird things again”, but certainly that wasn’t the case. Paradise lost. Its paradise lost. Reine-san is a character from volume 1, so I’m glad to be able to properly tell her story. Personally, I really like the series of lines before and after Mio and Westcott trade off blows at the end. When Mio lets Shido escape, “I love you. But next to Shin, right?” is a huge favorite. Also, when she confronts Westcott and says “you weren’t my type”. After that, Woodman and Westcott’s line of being “comrades turned down by the same woman”.
Tsunako: The conversation around here is nice...... But then again, this was a world that became amazing through revolving around Mio alone.
Tachibana: I also like Kotori’s line to Shido, saying “he couldn’t compete with a pure love couple”. It felt based around that concept. After that……as I thought, I had to agree. The voice of Shinji echoing as Mio disappeared……it was tricky but I definitely wanted to do it.
Tsunako: In volume 19 somehow……including Mio, I’m glad I was able to draw a heroine-like Reine. However, when reading it at the time, I yelled “What!?” I was wondering if it was going to be a happy ending!
Tachibana: At first, there was a plan to finish it in 19 volumes. Since Mio is the last boss, it would end when Mio disappears. However, in the process of discussion, it was said that “isn’t Tohka the main heroine?” (lol). In that current form, I felt like I had to say, “Is it okay if I do it with Tohka again?”
Tsunako: Hey, I’m glad to see the continuation!
Tachibana: All the stories I had expected were over, but it was decided that “Tohka would disappear”. If the volume ends, Tohka will disappear, there was the image of doing everything in volume 19 until she came back. That seemed to be a bit too massive. However, when trying to tell Tohka’s story properly, there was the extorting image of “I will get this.” To be honest, there was the intent of more to be extorted from that spot (lol).
──And finally, it’s the climax.
Tsunako: Volume 20 should have a two-colored logo.
Tachibana: That is very interesting. ‘Date’ has a simple logo, so its easy to fill it with various colors. When it comes to volume 20, the color page of battle royale is the best! Yoshino is so cool! <Rasiel> Kurumi is colored and <Shiryon> Yoshino heading to the Kurumi……is just a bit too cool. Likely it’s the first time I’ve seen it in an illustration.
Tsunako: That’s right. It was supposed to appear in the anime first and I had a design, so I’m glad I could draw it myself!
Tachibana: And then, union Tohka’s <Yezelhlev>. Oh, that reminds me, there is also <Halvanhelev>. That is a word related to the Sephira, so I made the ruby look like Hebrew. However, at that time, I didn’t have much Hebrew material. ‘最後の剣’, which the English translation is final sword (ハルヴァンヘレヴ). The etymology of <Halvanhelev> is that those characters are replaced with Hebrew letters one by one and read by force. That’s why it’s a Hebrew word that only I can understand (lol).
Tsunako: You created a language (lol).
Tachibana: Later, in the distant future where I got the data and looked it up……the Hebrew word for ‘sword’ really was ‘Helev”. I thought to myself, ‘thank goodness!”.
To summarize briefly, Tohka is shooting her special move while yelling “Final Swoooooord!” (lol).
Tsunako: Tohka on the cover, it feels like adding normal Tohka and Inverse Tohka’s equipment and splitting it in half. The spot of the neck where the gem is, above that half is Tohka and the bottom portion is Inverse Tohka.
Tachibana: That’s true! It became something like chocolate.
Tsunako: Also, a surprising number of people noticed that the jewels attached to the garter belt on the cover have the same mismatched color as her eyes.
Tachibana: Well, cats with mismatched eyes are great. Above all, Perfect Tohka is cool, isn’t she? It was quickly decided with the first design. Tsunako-san had a worried, “are you sure?” look (lol).
Tsunako: The first proposal I made passed through as it was……I wonder if that was really okay. It’s a cover character after all.
Tachibana: Certainly, there’s always that feeling somehow. If I put out a short story without any revisions, rather than “is this good!?” ……I would feel uneasy.
Tsunako: Also……the battle royale scenes were intense! Everyone’s growth was seen!
Tachibana: As the person who wrote it, I have to agreed. Actually, it wasn’t decided who the winner would be in the end. If all goes well, strength wise it’s Mukuro or Kurumi……Origami and Kotori are good picks too, but what to do? However, I wanted to do something unexpected, so how about Yoshino? Although it is surprising, she has the deepest connection with Tohka. Kotori and Origami have been known longer, but as the first younger sister that appeared in the second volume, only she could set off the explosion in Tohka……I think it was a good scene in that sense as well. Even if I think it over now, it feels like it could only be Yoshino’s victory. The end of volume 20……I still remember being at the back of a family restaurant, writing while crying. 19, 20, and 22 were done crying. 21 was okay because the overall story wasn’t done yet. Well, honestly, they must have considered me a suspicious person.
Actually, it was planned to end it with 20 volumes. No, I said something similar for volume 19. However, I remember talking a long time ago that it would be interesting to write an ending for each character in a what if route. I believe there will be a trade-off with that, but in the main story, “isn’t it interesting to write epilogues for everyone?” Coincidentally! There’s a number in the name of each heroine! 10 people……well 11 people to be exact, but since there are exactly 10 characters, why not make up 10 chapters? Well even so, I planned to put it all in one book at first. But in that case, only 25 to 30 pages can be used per person!
Tsunako: Certainly, that really is few……
Tachibana: Then I was asked if I would like to thicken one volume or split it into two……I was told if I split it, “the number of illustrations will double!”, so I said, “I’ll split it!” (lol). So, for the first subtitle it was ‘上’ and then followed by ‘下’. I wonder if it being the ending gives it a special feeling. I think the fact that it ends with ‘Tohka Good End’ wasn’t a mistaken.
Tsunako: It wasn’t a mistake!
Tachibana: The design for <Beast> is……I loved it so much that I thought, “Did Tsunako-san still put something in reserve in her drawer even after the 21st volume!?”
Tsunako: It’s really nice to have a character with white hair that looks somewhat evil.
Tachibana: This might be personal preference, but I also really like the cover of volume 21……I really love it. If asked to chose the next volume after volume 18, it might be this volume. Although, in terms of completeness of the entire cover, Volume 2’s Yoshino is also wonderful. Including the cracked logo is great as well.
Tsunako: It’s also special that the background is pitch black.
Tachibana: The layout of the logo collapsed in a manner that arouses anxiety. It’s nothing but a good end (lol)! As for color pages, there’s the one with the junior high gang going to school. Natsumi sprouting cardigan sleeves and tights, Mukuro’s hair being cut, Mana holding a bamboo sword bag, and Yoshino and Yoshinon wearing matching uniforms and school bags. I think the change in details were great.
Tsunako: However, if you look at that picture now, how does Yoshinon have that bag (lol). Is it magic tape or something?
Tachibana: And Chapter 0. I asked if I could make a zero chapter instead of an introductory chapter to fit the number theme. Also, since the table of contents was seen at the time of the trial reading, the name Himekawa Yoshino was like lifting a ban at first. I like the name Himekawa Yoshino. It has six kanji characters and is long (lol).
Tsunako: It was fresh to have a new surname. You almost hit one letter per sound with Himekawa Yoshino!
Tachibana: Yeah, something like ‘Bucchigiri Yoroshiku (lol). I’m really grateful, there aren’t many stories where I could write epilogues for all the heroines. Also, at the time of the trial reading, it stopped at just page 55 of the main text. Origami says, “I’m getting married, to be precise I’ve already enrolled.” “With who?” and she points at Shido. I thought I was aiming for just that (lol)!
Tsunako: I wonder if she really did it!? It left me thinking.
Tachibana: Everyone knows it’s a joke. It would be understood like, “Is that okay!? Oh, Origami?” There’s a mysterious sense of trust.
For volumes 21 to 22, I was told if there were separate volumes, “I want a new Spirit after all”. When it came to who to choose, Tohka from a parallel world came out. I thought it was a bit absurd for an epilogue, but it came out in good shape.
Tsunako: Volume 21 has many pictures that follow the composition from volume 1……no I was feeling nostalgic while drawing. The picture of Shido and <Beast> confronting each other, the crater around the text, I drew it side by side with the old illustrations. At first, I wondered if the weapons in the background of the cover could be used in the atmosphere, but in the middle of drawing, the shapes lost meaning and I couldn’t move forward. Thinking that I needed to properly come up with the design of each sword, I remember sending the rough draft in a hurry around midnight.
Tachibana: ……Now, let’s finally talk about volume 22! There’s are various things, but what comes first in mind is Kazamachi Yamai!
Tsunako: She’s finally here! The mystery was solved just before it was completed.
Tachibana: That’s true, no, why is that muffler so cool? Kazamachi Yamai is the hero inside me. Speaking of heroes, they have the image of a muffler fluttering against the wind. The data is also published in this book and as expected it’s a variety of being big and strong. The status of ordinary Spirits has the basic 255 set to MAX. Kazamachi Yamai, being a fused form of Kaguya and Yuzuru who have both grown since then, has partially exceeded that limit.
That’s also the case for the <Beast> version of Tohka. For the first time, I learned that <Sandalphon > has the power to transcend dimensions (lol)!
Tsunako: W-What’s with that (lol)!
Tachibana: The details there are because I wrote it with a live feeling! Still, I never assumed that the parallel world Tohka would follow into this world and become the ending. I was wondering if I should do that. But just like that would make you bastards happy! Those that read from Sokyu no Karma will recall this, but I'm the type who thinks it's possible for a hand to come out from under the grave.
“No! You can’t finish it there! Go, Kurumi!”
I’m obsessed with putting everything in a circle.
Tsunako: It was a lot of fun to draw widow Kurumi as an illustration.
Tachibana: And until now, chapter ten was written as ‘一〇章’, but in volume 22 its ‘十章’. This is proof that it’s Tohka’s chapter. Also, there’s no final chapter in the final volume. It doesn’t end. ……I wonder if there was such an intention……. Maybe (lol)! Also, the last scene was also accompanied by a wonderful illustration. I considering it a blessing to be able to write this conclusion. With the last lines, I truly wanted to do this for years.
Tsunako: Volume 22 has an illustration of <Beast> Tohka and Shido sitting on the rooftop. It was a little worrying if the two of them had a good sense of distance or not. When putting out the rough drafts, I underwent detailed communications with the person in charge. I wonder if it wouldn’t come out as good if it looked too flirty. It’s Tohka story, but with another woman! ……It’s like. It’s like Tohka, but more or less with a different person. I was told, “they only see each other’s dead lovers”, so the above interpretation was correct. I didn’t have them looking at each other, but made them feel like they were thinking about someone that wasn’t there. That last thing in the order of work was the illustration of the Spirits from the first half lined up as a group before they departed. I thought this was the last illustration, so I drew it set to the 1st anime season’s BGM!
Tachibana: When I wrote about Tohka’s return in the last part of chapter 10, I was already in tears!
──Thank you for looking back on it for a long time. Finally, do you have a message for your fans?
Tachibana: 22 volumes……it was long!
Tsunako: It’s a mysterious feeling of being both long and short.
Tachibana: No……I worked to run through it for 10 years. My only regret is……I want to see the Inverse Forms of each Spirit and the sight of Astral Dresses being exchanged (lol).
Tsunako: I really want to someday draw a character that hasn’t appeared in Inverse yet. Also, changing costumes is a romance!
Tachibana: I remember writing something like that in SS (lol). Anyway……the main story was completed last year, but fortunately the anime is still in progress, and “Encore” and “Bullet” are still going on. No, it should have been 10 years, but looking back, I think it was early. As Tsunako-san said, it's a strange feeling. For 10 years, I didn't really shake my eyes and only looked forward, so I wondered if I felt it as early.
The main story is 22 volumes, the short story is 10 volumes, the spinoff is currently 7 volumes, the anime is done for 3 seasons, there is a movie version, the 4th season is coming up, and the anime of “Bullet” is also done. There are 5 games including the HD version, and even a smartphone game was made. There are 2 main manga, 1 gaiden, 1 comedy, 4-koma... We had you make a lot of figures and goods. There are lots of game collaborations……I wonder why it is like that. I’m really grateful. Thanks to all the readers who supported me. Thank you so much for 10 years! Fortunately, there are people who want us to continue, so I hope you can enjoy it with the anime. We look forward to working with you in the future!
Tsunako: No, really……in a blink of an eye. It feels like it's been 10 years since I realized it. Sometimes I feel that the flow of time since I became an adult is unusually fast (lol). As Tachibana-san said, I've been able to develop various things, and I’m always wondering if this is really reality. I feel like it started recently, but I can’t think of a situation in my life where I don't have ‘Date’. I really feel like I’m living with the characters. I would be very happy if all the readers did so as well. Even after the completion, I feel that I am really blessed with the many thoughts I receive from SNS and events. Anime and short stories are still going on, but I would like to do my best for new works as well, so I would appreciate your support!
──Thank you very much.