#twstguide2020

[yuurei20]

"(Malleus) has long lower eyelashes but his facial features are a little softer than Vil’s and Leona's.

He doesn’t get excited easily but he’s rather cold-blooded when he gets angry.

He is unfamiliar with the world, so he often goes ‘oh!’.

Sometimes he sulks childishly. His horns angle a bit behind his head.

Either he can’t sleep lying on his back, or he has a special pillow (laughs)."

- Twisted Wonderland Magical Archives Game Guide

(There is a rumor that Malleus does have a special pillow shaped like a "t" that can be seen on his bed.)

[yuurei20]

“The flames of his hair become weaker when he loses interest in something.

The bags under his eyes and the blue of his lips are not make up, but entirely natural.

His eyebrows always make him look troubled.

His hair is flames so it is always moving, and the ends are translucent.

His eyes are always shaded.

He has a well-defined face, but he is not aware of it."

-Twisted Wonderland Magical Archives Game Guide (2020)

[yuurei20]

Three years ago today the Magical Archives Game Guide was released!

Containing a detailed interview with Yana, various sketches, early-stage development illustrations, character details and more, the game guide is truly excellent 🏰

[yuurei20]

From the game guide interview with Toboso Yana:

"I didn't want the main story to be a tale of evil triumphing over justice. This is just my personal interpretation, but isn't a villain only considered evil after they fail? In a story where a villain triumphs, wouldn’t that be considered justice? So, what is a 'correct villain'? What exactly is the villain in a Disney film? That’s what I started thinking about.

Disney villains are often so obsessed with their own desires that they become an evil that threatens the main character. There are very few villains who just vaguely want to enjoy making the main character suffer for no reason at all. They are selfish, but they also have their own non-negotiable wishes, beliefs, and evils. The queen in "Snow White," for example, is obsessed with being the most beautiful woman in the world. But was she out for Snow White from the beginning? No, she wasn’t. She tries to take the life of the princess to regain her place after being told by the Magic Mirror that Snow White is the most beautiful.

Disney’s villains become so determined, so dead-set against giving up that they end up going on a rampage that defies all sense of ethics and reason. Their uncontrollable emotional outbursts are what make them villains. That is where the idea of "overblotting" came from.

When they overblot, they forget who they are and try to eliminate those around them. They also turn into the villain from their story. However, in Twisted Wonderland it is not the righteous heroes who confront the villains, but the selfish students who are, themselves, basically villains in reserve.

This results in what became the main story: clashes of personal gain and loss, or rather, a big fight in which the two sides pluck at each other's scales. None of the over-blotting characters are willing to concede, so they are left with no choice but to punch each other.

But it opens up their world a little, makes them reflect a little, and makes them more self-aware. I wrote this story with the intention of developing mutual understandings through such clashes.

So no matter where this story goes, it will never be about forgiveness or saving someone."

[yuurei20]

"Like Jamil, he has prominent lines around his eyes. His expressions are similar to Ace’s, but 30% more exaggerated and he doesn’t try to look cool. He doesn’t look down that much. He’s easygoing.

"His 'mean' face is more like a prankster. The look he makes when he’s being controlled by Jamil looks a lot like Jamil himself."

-From the Twisted Wonderland Magical Archives Game Guide

[yuurei20]

"(Vil’s) disappointed look can be a complete change from his usual expression.

Just a well-groomed face. Heavy eyelashes, both top and bottom. Eyebrows are masculine and thick. His face is also slightly long in a masculine way.

The placement of his eyes and nose are balanced in the same way as Leona’s and those of the other older students.

It would be great if his gestures could be graceful, similar to the Evil Queen."

- From the Twisted Wonderland Magical Archives Game Guide (2020)

[yuurei20]

Toboso Yana on designing Riddle:

"Riddle's personality was originally the opposite of what it finally became. At first he was a character who had been spoiled growing up, disliked studying, was selfish and always broke promises and rules. But because of his strong magic, he could not be denied…"

"In the end, I was not satisfied with my own scenario and rewrote it, resulting in the current Book 1 story. The development team was surprised to see the 180-degree difference between the setting we had already submitted and Riddle's new personality.

But they accepted it and even said it was an improvement, and the character became what he is today. The fact that he has styled his own uniform for a cuter look is a remnant of how he was in the early stages of the project.

Also, Deuce had long hair, Cater was a beastman, there was a character based on a white rabbit motif, and so on…the Heartslabyul dorm experienced many twists and turns in terms of both design and content."

"One of the earlier designs of Heartslabyul's five students. Drawn on November 29th, 2017, it portrays Riddle with his original, backwards personality and a long-haired Deuce. By this point I had almost decided on the final design for the dorm uniforms.” (upper left)

(The picture above is a screenshot from a video released on the official Disney Games YouTube Channel where Crewel and Jade's VAs introduce the Twst Exhibition, it is not a secret photo from the "no photography" section taken illicitly by a visitor :> )

[yuurei20]

Toboso Yana on the characters that are easier and more difficult to draw:

"Characters with over-the-top facial expressions like Ace, Kalim, and Lilia are easier to draw.

"Difficult characters are those who are tall and need to look down, such as Leona, Jade, and Malleus.

If I am not careful I will accidentally draw them older than they are, so I spend a lot of time staring at my original drawings."

-From the Twisted Wonderland Magical Archives Game Guide (2020)

[yuurei20]

"(Trey) smiles when he is uncomfortable.

His facial expressions are gentle, but his eyes are angled upward and his face itself isn’t built in a gentle way.

He has a dark side, so his smile may hold a deeper meaning.

It might be good to have him smile without showing his teeth.

It might also be good to have his glasses completely misaligned for gags.

He is the type who, once his smile disappears, it stays gone for a while."

- From the Twisted Wonderland Magical Archives Game Guide (2020)

[yuurei20]

"(Lilia's) expressions are less so cute than they are calm.

He opens his mouth wider than Riddle does and makes improper expressions, carelessly picking his nose, etc.

He generally doesn’t get very angry.

Even when he is angry, he’s never overly expressive.

He gets angry about trivial things. Like someone eating the ice cream he’d been saving…"

-Twisted Wonderland Magical Archives Game Guide (2020)

[yuurei20]

Toboso Yana on being approached for Twisted Wonderland:

"I think it was around the spring of 2016 when I was approached by Aniplex. I received a call from my editor on 'Black Butler,' a manga that is currently being published by Square Enix, and he said, “A great project just turned up. I already know what you’re going to say. You are definitely in.'

He knows that I like Disney movies.

When I saw the word 'Disney' printed on the first page of the official proposal, I was so surprised and delighted that I floated about 30 centimeters off of my chair (laughs).

At the same time, it took a lot of courage to bring myself to join the project because I love Disney so much.

I knew that it would be quite a challenge, as Twisted Wonderland is a little different from the general consensus of what constitutes a Disney property in Japan."

[yuurei20]

"(Riddle) seems younger than his real age both visually and mentally. He has a surprisingly innocent smile.

Like Spade, he seems to be easily startled by the unexpected.

When provoked, his face becomes red with anger like the Queen of Hearts.

"Generally has his head slightly tilted back to look down on others (in a pompous way)"

-From the Twisted Wonderland Magical Archives Game Guide 2020

[yuurei20]

"(Leona) has vertical slit pupils that become round in dark places. Round ears that face forward, as he is a carnivore. His hair reaches down to about his shoulder blades."

-Twisted Wonderland Magical Archives Game Guide (2020)

[yuurei20]

"(Sebek) is not as well muscled as Jack but he is rather sturdy.

He has a refined face, with facial features that are similar to those of Azul.

He has an older-looking face for a first-year student, but on the inside he is more like a puppy, and if you get to know him he laughs a lot.

In front of Malleus he acts like a cool and composed follower, but he actually has a wide range of facial expressions.

His bangs and eyebrows are shaped like lightning bolts.

He is growing his hair out to style it all back.”

-Twisted Wonderland Magical Archives Game Guide (2020)

[yuurei20]

"(Jamil) is a character with more common sense than the others. Even without makeup his eyes have dark, distinctive lines around them.

He generally doesn’t open his mouth very wide when he laughs.

His gold accessories ring like bells.

He has four cornrows decorated with bells and coins where they begin. Decorations can also be found here and there in the unbraided parts of his hair as well.”

- From the Twisted Wonderland Magical Archives Game Guide (2020)

[yuurei20]

From the Twisted Wonderland Magical Archives Game Guide (2020):

"Cheka Kingscholar (5 years old)" "A loose-fitting shirt (similar to a dashiki)" "Black fur on the edges of his ears (based on the motif of a young simba)" "A charm that his butler makes him wear (GPS)" "The butler is meant to be based on Zazu (Although he doesn't appear...)" "A choker and a charm of woven grass"