Yomi Takanashi (TV Anime Character)

Yomi Takanashi (小鳥遊 ヨミ, Takanashi Yomi) is the secondary main character of Black★Rock Shooter 2012 anime. Her other self is Dead Master.

Appearance
Yomi has green eyes and wavy dark green hair brought to the front of her shoulders. She wears green-rimmed eyeglasses and a school uniform consisting of a white shirt, a yellow blazer with blue adornments, and blue pleated skirt, along with white socks and brown school shoes. In later episodes, she cuts parts of her hair off to a shorter length and braids her hair with red ribbons after.

Personality
"Yomi is pretty and has a grown-up look, but she stubbornly closes her heart to her surroundings. She belongs to the art club."

- Character description from the official English website. Yomi is typically reserved and polite. She is welcome to the kindness and friendship that Mato Kuroi offers to her, but hesitates to reciprocate so because of her strained relationship with Kagari Izuriha holding her back. Even so, she wanted to be with Mato more than anything, and she became as important to as Yomi was to Mato. However, she slowly became jealous of Yuu Koutari being a much closer friend to Mato than she ever will be. Saya Irino only incited more darker feelings within Yomi by telling her nothing would change if she wasn't around.

Despite how strained their relationship was in the present time, Yomi truly did love Kagari, but she couldn't forgive herself for Kagari getting hurt because of her. As a result, Yomi shut herself off from making another friend until she met Mato. With Mato encouraging her, Yomi was able to stop pitying Kagari and persuaded her to change and come to school with them, maintaining the fact that she would always be friends with Kagari no matter what.

She has an interest in arts and crafts, such as painting and crocheting chain bracelets. Like Mato, she also likes the book The Tiny Bird & The Colors.

History
Yomi has been friends with Kagari since their childhood, with Kagari in particular being very attached to Yomi. At one point in her childhood, Yomi's family had to go overseas for a few years because of her father's job. The young Kagari chased after them, not wanting Yomi to leave, and ended up being hit by a car. The injury did not physically harm Kagari, and the doctors found nothing wrong with her; however, Kagari became convinced that she was crippled, and began to rely on Yomi. Yomi found it easier to give into Kagari's demands than to face what had happened, as she blamed herself for Kagari's injury.

Yomi first appears in the anime when she helps Mato back to her feet after she fell over. Mato comments on her bracelet, which Yomi says is a simple chain stitch. She does not tell Mato her name, thus, Mato misreads it as "little birds playing" (kotori asobi).

She returns home and speaks to Kagari Izuriha through a cup-and-string phone. She tells Kagari about Mato, but Kagari quickly shoots down her hopes of becoming friends with Mato.

The next day, Mato asks her if she wants to join any clubs. Yomi feels awkward and leaves the room.

Yomi sees Mato running after Arata Kohata at basketball club and thinks her beautiful.

As she walks home, Yomi sees Mato with a phone charm of the book The Tiny Bird & The Colors. They bond over their mutual fondness of the book. She takes Mato to her house to look at a first edition of the book.

At her home, Yomi acts paranoid; she quickly closes the curtains in hopes that they don't come across Kagari. Yomi and Mato chat for a while. Yomi gives Mato her red bracelet as a present.

Kagari interrupts the meeting. She shows hostility towards Mato, while Yomi finds herself incapable of speaking up. Mato to quickly excuses herself. Later that night, Yomi sends Mato a text message: "I'm sorry". She speaks to Kagari over the cup phone. Kagari tells her that Yomi is hers and that she must "take responsibility".

Yomi isolates herself in the art room, painting a picture. Mato approaches her to ask her out to the local festival. Yomi declines and claims that Mato will only be hurt. Mato insists regardless. Yomi is moved to tears and accepts the invitation.

However, Yomi ends up not attending the festival, as Kagari forbids her from going anywhere that she herself is unable to go. Yomi is allowed to send Mato three text messages, all of which say "I'm sorry." Kagari tries to feed her macaroons, but Yomi refuses. Kagari takes a needle, orders Yomi to undress, tells her that she will "carve out her pain", and carves a heart-shaped scar on Yomi's chest.

The next day, Mato finds out about the scar. Once again, Yomi asks why Mato is so vehemently insisting that they become friends and questions why Mato isn't angry. Mato tells her that she is not acting like the little bird her name would imply, and is not exercising her potential to take them to different worlds.

Mato shows up at Yomi's door. Yomi rushes to open the door, only to find Kagari at the top of her stairs. Kagari stands from her wheelchair and throws herself down the stairs.

Kagari survives the fall unharmed save for a sprained wrist, but she claims to have lost her hand's full mobility. Mato goes to Kagari's hospital room and tells Yomi that Kagari is only pitiful because Yomi has made her pitiful. Yomi understands, and tells Kagari to abandon the wheelchair, come to school, and make friends alongside her and Mato, where she will never be lonely. Kagari has hysteric fit, rejecting the idea. When in the other world Black★Rock Shooter beheads Chariot, Kagari's fit stops. Yomi opens the door for Mato, a tears coming down her cheeks. Finds a smiling Kagari, who promptly falls asleep.

The next day, Yomi tells Mato that Kagari seems more peaceful and is now undergoing walking exercises. Yuu pulls Mato over to rush to their basketball meeting. Mato quickly says goodbye to Yomi, to which Yomi is dejected. Yomi calls Mato later that day for small talk, but the conversation ends up being all about Yuu and Yomi finds herself disinterested. She excuses herself and ends the call.

While Mato is away at her sports trip, Yomi makes a blue bracelet. When she walks by Saya Irino's Counseling room, Saya invites her in for coffee, but Yomi refuses and runs off.

Mato returns with a box of sweets for Yomi, and Yomi gives Mato the bracelet she made. Mato notices that Yomi is reacting badly to mentions of Yuu and asks if anything is wrong. Yomi mutters that she's not Mato's best friend; Mato does not understand, so Yomi drops the subject.

She and Mato end up witnessing Arata Kohata being publicly shamed when her love letter is posted up publicly. Yomi, Mato, and Yuu mull over the incident. Mato and Yuu start to cry about it while Yomi watches the duo, thinking that they have probably spent their life living and crying together and will continue to do so in the future. In art class, she paints a picture of a crying Mato.

As Yomi is about to head home, Saya invites her in for coffee once again. She obliges and asks for two teaspoons of sugar on her coffee; however, Saya purposefully serves her black.

Yomi witnesses Saya lose her composure when she feels Black Rock Shooter's attack on Arata's hooded other self.

Kagari goes back to school, still heavily reliant on Yomi. However, she quickly becomes popular and quickly makes other friends. Mato and Yomi discuss Kagari's new condition. Yomi notes that Kagari was the one who suggested going to school. Mato believes Yomi's feelings reached Kagari. Yuu intervenes, telling them that Arata has returned to school. Mato quickly takes her leave. Yomi feels like she's always watching from behind.

Kagari tells Yomi that she will join the cooking club. Yomi is shocked and wonders whether Kagari will be fine alone. Other girls, Kagari's newfound friends, take Kagari away. Yomi goes to see Saya and confides her worries. Saya tells her that nobody would have a hard time just because Yomi's not around, indirectly implying that nobody needs Yomi anymore. Saya suddenly snaps to a different attitude, apologizing and telling her not to worry about it. Coincidentally, Yuu comes into the room. Yomi leaves, distressed.

Later, Mato tells Yomi that she has to stay behind after school and she cannot walk home with her. Yomi asks if Yuu is also staying back. Mato answers yes, as they are in the same club.

That night as Kagari and Yomi are playing a board game, Yomi snaps and claims that at this rate, she should simply die. She appears to regain her composure before finishing the sentence and tells Kagari that she is just tired

Yomi gets to school late, distressed that Kagari already left by the time she got to their meeting point. Kagari apologizes, but Yomi becomes increasingly angry; Kagari's new friends separate Yomi from Kagari.

Later, in the art room, Yomi alters the painting of Mato she had made before; the Mato in the picture wears a pained expression and cries blood. The other students comment on how gloomy the painting has become, calling it creepy. Yomi reflects on Saya's words, thinking that no one needs her anymore.

When Yomi goes to get Kagari from the cooking club, her new friends tell her that she has left and accuse her of trying to hog Kagari. Yomi says that taking care of Kagari was hard on her, but she is glad that Kagari is getting along with others. When Kagari and Mato find Yomi, however, she ignores them and quickly leaves. Kagari goes to Yomi's house to give her sweets she had made, but Yomi refuses to see her. Yomi shuts herself in her room the next day, and texts Mato to tell her not to worry and not to check on her.

Yomi remains shut-in. Again, Kagari tries to visit, but Yomi repeatedly sends her away. Yomi thinks that Mato will still worry about her despite Yomi telling her not to do so. She receives a text from Yuu. Although Yuu expresses concern for Yomi, merely knowing that Mato has another friend makes Yomi become hysterical. Yomi hurries to see Kagari, believing that she would miss her if she disappeared.

Kagari tells Yomi that she wants to thank her; she feels like if she doesn't do so, Yomi will be unable to let her go. Kagari says that, although Yomi claims to be happy that she's making friends, Kagari believes it was just an act and doesn't want Yomi to act strong if she's not. However, although she used to think her world would be over if Yomi was gone, she has forgotten actually needing Yomi all that much. Yomi becomes visibly upset. Kagari says that she thinks Yomi did a lot for her, and that at one point, she might have loved her, but she doesn't understand why she felt that way anymore. She asks Yomi to forget about what happened up until now, and to let her go.

In the morning, as Yomi absentmindedly brushes her hair, Mato and Yuu go to the Takanashi residence. Yomi's mother tells them to leave. Yomi herself comes out onto the balcony. She greets Mato and Yuu and thanks them for coming to pick her up. Mato starts to show concern about what her mother had said, but Yomi insists that everything is okay so the three leave.

The walk to school is awkward, with Yomi far in front of them. Yomi notes that Mato is wearing the blue bracelet she made. Yomi turns to Yuu and tells her she also made her a bracelet, which matches Mato's; Yuu accepts the gift. She later discovered that the bracelet has parts of Yomi's hair tied in with it.

During a crafting class, Yomi completely breaks down and begins to cut off her own hair. Yomi's mother ends up taking her home.

After Black★Rock Shooter kills Dead Master, Yomi wakes up peacefully at her home, and puts her glasses on. She finds her hair chopped short, her room's furniture ruined and wonders what happened. Yomi returns to school, with a much more cheerful demeanor and her hair braided with the same threads she used to make the bracelets.

Yomi deletes Mato's mail folder from her phone.

The following day, Yomi says that it feels like something painful has happened but she doesn't know what it is, and believes it is better that way. The teacher asks if anyone has heard from Mato, as her parents called and she never went home the day before. Yomi runs out of the room; Kagari notices, and sees that she left materials for bracelet making behind.

Yomi wonders why, despite having no strong connection with Mato, she feels deeply troubled by the news. Yomi's eyes become gear-shaped, the way they were when Dead Master had affected her, and she clutches herself. She wonders why it hurts so much.

Yomi comes across the painting she made of Mato; her feelings and memories come back. She goes to the roof, not wanting to think about it because it hurts. She yells that Mato is her friend and cries. She then runs down the stairs calling Mato's name, wondering why she was trying so hard to forget Mato.

She remembers that she couldn't stand leaving Kagari behind and that she had no idea how to be friends with someone. She realizes she liked Mato because she wanted to share her pain and sadness with someone else.

Yomi apologizes to Mato after she and Yomi return to their real bodies. Mato claims to her that they should be in pain together. Kagari apologizes to Yomi and they become friends once more. She is last seen along with Yuu, Mato, and Kagari visiting Saya for coffee and hanging out on the roof of the school.

Trivia

 * A potential kanji writing of Yomi (ヨミ), 黄泉, means "underworld".
 * Her surname, "Takanashi", is written with the kanji "小鳥遊" for "little bird play". In the original Japanese version of the anime, Mato, not knowing how to read Yomi's written surname correctly, refers to her as "kotori-asobi" (小鳥遊), which literally means "little birds play". Yomi later explains to her that her last name is read as "Takanashi" (鷹無し), which means "no hawks", and tells her that her surname stems from the saying that "When the hawks are away, little birds play".
 * Her character description on the official English language version of the website mentions that she used to live in Germany, but had returned to Japan, much like the OVA version of the character.

Gallery

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