Taichi Nanao/A Story I Want You to Hear

Akapoyo-kun's Exciting Picture Book Production

Backstage Stories

Part 1Part 2

Clerk	It seems that the book you are looking for had sold out its last copy just earlier...
Taichi	That’s fine. Thank you for your time!
Clerk	I sincerely apologize.
Taichi	It's not here either, huh...
	I'm home...*sigh*
Kazunari	Welcome home, Tai-chan! Wait, huh? Why do you look so down?
Tsuzuru	What's wrong?
Taichi	Actually... I couldn’t buy the “Akapoyo-kun’s Picture Book” that I wanted because it was sold out.
Kazunari	Akapoyo-kun is Tai-chan’s favorite character, right?
Tsuzuru	I see. Not getting what you wanted does indeed feel depressing.
Kazunari	More like, I didn’t know they do a picture book of Akapoyo-kun!
Taichi	Today’s the release date for it!
	I thought I could get one since it was just released today, so I went around many bookstores.
	But no matter where I went, it was sold out.
Tsuzuru	Was Akapoyo-kun so popular that it sold out on the same day?
Kazunari	No, it could be because he’s a minor character that it only has a small number of products in the first place.
Tsuzuru	Oh, maybe that's it.
Taichi	Waaahhn! I should’ve pre-order it beforehand!
	To be honest, I never thought that I couldn’t get the book at all.
Kazunari	Why don’t you take a look at the online bookstore? You might still be able to buy from the publisher’s homepage!
Taichi	No, I have to get it TODAY or else it would be bad.
Kazunari	Really? Why?
Taichi	I promised my sister and brother that I’d bring back “Akapoyo-kun’s Picture Book” today...
	They said they were looking forward to it, so I can’t just go home empty-handed~!
Tsuzuru	I also have younger brothers, so I know how you feel. If there’s anything I can do, I’ll help you.
Kazunari	Me too, me too! We gotta help each other out if one of us is in trouble ♪
Taichi	Thanks, you guys! But I already went to most of the bookstores here. What should I do...?
Tsuzuru	Hmm... If you can’t get the picture book you’re looking for, how about you prepare something that they’re going to be happy with instead?
Kazunari	But they’re looking forward to “Akapoyo-kun’s Picture Book”, aren’t they? Would they be satisfied with a replacement?
Taichi	Oh! How about making a handmade “Akapoyo-kun’s Picture Book”?!
Kazunari	Tai-chan, nice idea! Then I’ll do the design!
Tsuzuru	Then I guess I’ll think of the story? I don’t know if I can write it well though...
Taichi	Wait, you guys are really okay with this?! That would be so helpful, you guys!
Kazunari	Since you’re the one who knows well about Akapoyo-kun, you okay with drawing him, Tai-chan? I’ll help you with the background and such!
Taichi	OK! Wow, I’m really looking forward to this!
Kazunari	Me too! Let’s make the best picture book ever!
Tsuzuru	Yeah. I want to make it fun if I’m gonna be writing it.
Taichi	Even so, with Tsuzuru-kun writing the story and Kazu-kun as the designer... Isn’t that too amazing for a picture book?!
Kazunari	Ahaha, let’s create a picture book that Mi-chan and Ma-kun will be happy with!
Tsuzuru	Alright then, will you tell me the setting and personality of Akapoyo-kun? I’ll try to think about the story based on that.
Taichi	Got it! I’ll do the preparations, so let’s all watch Akapoyo-kun the Anime!

Taichi	That was Akapoyo-kun!! How was it?!
Tsuzuru	I-it was more surreal than I thought...
	As a storywriter, seems like it’s necessary to show the story just by using stage directions and drawings, since the characters don’t speak in this series.
Taichi	The gap between surrealism and cuteness is what makes Akapoyo-kun popular. I want you to write a really surreal story for him!
Kazunari	The overall design is Pop and Punk style! I think it’ll look great if I put a vivid color or something as the accent color♪
	Making the imageboard’s like this... Look, look, how’s this?! A grassland with pink trees!
Taichi	Woah! Kazu-kun, you’re so fast! Plus, it looks really good!
Kazunari	Thx!
Tsuzuru	Akapoyo-kun and trees...
	How about, the cap that Akapoyo-kun is wearing is suddenly blown away by the wind and caught in a tree?
Taichi	That’s actually good! He takes great care of his cap, so I think he’ll try to get it back desperately!
Tsuzuru	Then that leads to... Akapoyo-kun climbing the tree to retrieve his cap and then falls down, something like that.
Kazunari	If you want it to be more surreal, why don’t you make him rush to a tree and try to shake it off?
Taichi	...No, I feel like he’s going to be even more radical.
	That’s it! Something like he’ll try to cut down the tree with an axe all of a sudden!
Tsuzuru	I see. Then, when he starts cutting the tree with the axe, the bee who was making a beehive in the tree will attack him angrily...
Taichi	Yeah! Seeing Akapoyo-kun being chased by the bee, somehow makes him look pitiful but cute at the same time!
Kazunari	Is he not gonna fight back at such a time? Because of his bursting anger, he goes up to a tree that he couldn’t climb a while ago now!
Taichi	That’s a good development! Then, even though he climbed the tree, he forgot to take his cap because he was distracted by the bee!
Tsuzuru	And then, the beehive is dropped from the top of the tree and Akapoyo-kun is relieved for a moment...
	But another monster that was aiming at the bee suddenly appeared... Is it too abrupt?
Taichi	Not at all! And the monster ate the angry bee along with the beehive. Akapoyo-kun was happy thinking he was saved—
Kazunari	I know! This time he’s going to be attacked by that monster now!
Taichi	Correct!
Tsuzuru	Some time after beating up Akapoyo-kun, the monster is going home, like that.
	After that, Akapoyo-kun looked up at his cap that’s on top of the tree and was at a loss...
Kazunari	We want him to get his cap back for the ending! You think a bird will take it for him?
Tsuzuru	No... Not a bird, but rather a tree that couldn’t stand seeing him like that, breaks its branch that has the cap and hands it over to him, something like that.
Kazunari	The tree itself?!
Taichi	Tsuzuru-kun, nice surreal!
	And Akapoyo-kun with his cap back at hand shows off his dance of joy!
Kazunari	I want the last scene to be a little bit gorgeous tho~. I wonder if it’s possible to write a development that has a lot of flowers come out?
Tsuzuru	If you want that... I guess we could make the flowers appear and fall from the place where the branch of the tree breaks?
Kazunari	That’s so hype! Akapoyo-kun dancing while flowers fluttering around him, so cute~!
Taichi	Then, the flowers don’t stop coming out at all, and if it stays like this, the whole world will be filled with flowers... It’s very Akapoyo-kun-ish if we end the story like that!
Tsuzuru	I see. Then, I’ll write the story like that.
Taichi	We did it, it’s done! I’m sure both of them will definitely be happy with this!
Tsuzuru	It’s a bit too late to say this now but are we sure this story is okay...?
Kazunari	We got Tai-chan’s seal of approval, so I’m sure it’s totes okay! I’m looking forward to Mi-chan and Ma-kun’s reaction!
Taichi	I’ll share the cap scene and their impressions of the book to you guys after I read this picture book to them!
	*shifts to Taichi's house*
	I’m sorry, Mi-chan and Ma-kun. To tell the truth, I couldn’t buy “Akapoyo-kun’s Picture Book” because it was sold out.
Mirai	Eh, is that so?
Taichi	Yeah! So instead, I made my own picture book with the help of Tsuzuru-kun and Kazu-kun!
	Look! How is it?!
Masato	Wow, did Nii-chan make this with your friends? That’s amazing!
Mirai	Waah, the design’s so cute! The tree is pink!
Taichi	The story’s really interesting! Should I read it to you guys now?
Masato	Yeah, read it to us!
Taichi	Then let’s start now! The volume of “Akapoyo-kun Side Story・Retrieve the Hat!”~!

Meena