How involved is Toboso Yana in the making of Twisted Wonderland?

Inside the Twisted Wonderland app Toboso Yana is credited as the creator of the game’s concept, the main scenario creator, the character designer and the creative director for everything overall.

In a 2020 interview Yana explained,:

“I create the scenarios and I write the main story. I am also in charge of drafting, writing, and directing the events and vignettes. On the graphics side I do all of the character design including designing the chibis, all the card illustrations and designs for the props and backgrounds.”

Yana also explains how she went into her initial meeting with Disney expecting to only do the character designs, but in the end was made responsible for the basis of the entire game.

Main Story

Yan provides regular updates on her involvement via Twitter: Starting with the release of part 1 of Book 3 on JP server, Yana explains that she did the scenario, original artwork for the SSR cards, directed the vignettes and was in charge of character design.

For Book 7 she says she created the scenario and original character art/character designs, while some prop designs and background visuals were done by her studio, but as of Book 7 she is still in charge of the main story.

Card Art

For Ortho’s dorm uniform design Yana explains that both she and her studio did the original art from start to finish (she did the original concept and story for the vignette), while she alone was in charge of the before/after groovy art from start to finish for Idia’s dorm uniform card.

Yana did the art for Leona and Riddle’s tsumsted cards and direction for the other cards in the series, Sebek’s dorm uniform art from start to finish and and did art direction for the cards in the 2022 New Year’s set, while costume design was done by her studio.

Rook’s Clubwear, Ortho’s Cerberus Gear, Lilia’s General card, Rollo’s card and Grim’s D100 card are all credited to both Yana and her studio.

R Cards

We do not know too many details about the team that is helping Yana with card illustrations but we know they have been there from the beginning, with the English-version of the first visual book (called “The official art book” in English) providing translations of Yana’s notes to the colorists for the ceremonial robes and labwear art.

(Above: hand-written notes seen on Kalim’s labwear and ceremonial robes base art)

Yana also references a graphic artist in her 2020 interview for the Magical Archives:

“As for the illustrations, this was my first time having my original drawings cleaned up by a graphic artist. I am a very rough draftsman by nature, and I make overall corrections before a piece is complete. No matter how careful I am in my original drawings, sometimes details get confused, so whenever I receive a draft back from the graphic artist, I become a useless original artist who is constantly going back to say, ‘I am so sorry, but can you please make these corrections?’”

– Toboso Yana (Magical Archives game guide)

But the gym clothes and school uniforms (the original batch of R cards) were different: Yana says she did them all by herself from start to finish, as they were going to be most people’s first introductions to the characters.

Voice Acting and Sound Direction (uncredited)

During the August 2024 installment of Twisted Radio Station (episode #24) Idia’s VA Uchiyama Kouki commented on how he receives scripts after they have been covered in notes explaining what is going on in each scene.

In a follow-up tweet Yana explains she is the culprit: she gives written directions to voice actors and to the sound director:

Birthdays

Yana was credited with direction for the Birthday Boy series, while Ortho’s design and direction was credited to her studio.

Yana credited her studio with the Birthday Jacket designs and scenario creation, saying that she was in charge of direction for the series (with Ortho’s gear design, direction and room design all credited to her studio).

For the Broom/Bloom series Yana says that she participated in concept/costume design and was in charge of direction, with D-6th credited with the art direction and gear design for Ortho.

Events

Yana explains she did all the original art for all of the cards, the scenarios and direction for Beanfest, Fairy Gala and Phantom Bride, and she also created the scenarios for all the vignettes).

Yana also created the story and did all of the card art and direction for Terror is Trending and Spectral Soiree.

For Port Fest she specified that she did the original art for Jack’s SSR and did direction for the remaining cards, crediting her studio with costume/background designs.

Halloween

Nightmare Before Christmas 2024, Attributed to D-6th
・Character design
・Event scenario creation
・Costume design
・SSR art production & SR/R art
・Background art

Music Videos (uncredited)

In a special Creator’s Talk installment of Twisted Radio Station (episode #33 and episode #34), music composer Ozawa Takumi and lyricist Aozora Ichika revealed that Yana provided them with instructions, feedback and advice for the dorm and character songs, rejecting drafts and providing them with ideas for lyrics.

“I went in kind of a cute direction with it, and Toboso-sensei told me, ‘No, it’s not like that. I want you to put more playing-card soldier feeling into it, to make it cooler.’ So I changed it to adapt to those instructions, turning it into the ‘Obedience’ that it became.” – Ozawa

“Once I had a draft of the lyrics I had it “Idia-ized” with help from Toboso-sensei. I got tons of suggestions for expressions and ideas, and that’s how it all came together. I never could have written lyrics like this on my own. Toboso-sensei’s word sense is seriously amazing.” – Ozawa

“I struggled with how to put the flaws at the root of Leona’s character into the lyrics and consulted with Toboso-sensei a lot.” – Aozora

Novels

Yana says she was in charge of the concept, the in-novel art, cover and fold-out art in the novels, while Hioki Jun (a Twst vignette/event scenario writer) is the author. 

Manga

Yana says that her role is overall collaboration, character design and character creation. Yana says that in addition to creating the basis for Trey’s parents she also designed Riddle’s mother, including her face, but they ultimately left her in silhouette.

It is difficult to tell what Yana means by “overall collaboration” but she has shared a tweet about drawing the characters out herself for the illustrator to base their drawings on, so Yana seems fairly involved. As the artists for Heartslabyul and Octavinelle are her own employees, and she is likely responsible for the quality of their work.

This might not apply to the artists of the Savanaclaw and Scarabia arcs, who are not members of Yana’s personal studio, D-6th.

Anime