Taako's Back Story - A TAZ Animatic 

OH NO I THOUGHT THAT STATIC BLUR WAS LIKE HIM BEING NAKED OR SOMETHING BUT ITS UFCKING LUP GOD DAMN IT I'M CRYING

"the mongoose has specialized acetylcholine receptors that make it impervious to venom"

I just realized that Sazed sounds quite a bit like "Sazon" which is a seasoning mix that is good in tacos but isn't necessary to make a good meal and is very easy to overuse with all the salt in it. Sazed could've enhanced the show but instead led to it's destruction.

Here's what cracks me up about this moment: it's supposed to be June going "here's this terrible thing from your past, I'm giving you the opportunity to fix it", but instead Taako's reaction is relief that what happened at Glamour Springs wasn't his fault. So when June gives him the choice, he straight up declines.

I hate how people always say that it was somewhat Taako's fault that this happened. I dont even think it was that selfish tbh. Sazed came on as a roadie/ groupie. Taako never promised to cohost with him. It wasn't even like he led him on by saying "maybe one day." He said no. And Sazed, instead of deciding to either accept that or leave, decided to try and kill Taako and 40 innocent people. In my opinion, taako wasn't in the wrong at all

Just Holy Damn Fucking Heck!!! This was absolutely fucking brilliant!!! Labour of love?!! LABOUR OF GOD DAMN PHENOMENAL TIME AND PERSEVERANCE AND SKILL AND JUST ALL ROUND AMAZINGNESS!!! This entire scene killed me but this entire animatic?? Eradicated! I have been officially voided from this realm of existence and cast into obscurity! I am projecting this messaging through the fabric of time and space itself. This is sensational!!! Cannot give enough thanks and well dones for this entire thing!

Someone probably already said this, but it's worth repeating: the whole thing is great, but the pixelated memories of Lup are such a beautiful touch.

i love the fact you used the theme from howl's moving castle really made the moment for me

the howls moving castle song was so UNNECESSARILY PAINFUL, like damn this thing is already so sad but go ahead and reallly make it burn

Man i had no idea before this animation as to how to imagine Taako's setup, but omg this makes so much sense. Great work!!!

The moment Howl's Moving Castle started playing I knew I was screwed

holy fuck this was the best taz animatic i've ever seen. fucking hell that part where taako folds his hat over his face and curls up oh my lord, my heart. you captured the emotions so well the shot at 6:58 is so artistic

I love the idea of Taako having dated Sayzed (or however you spell his name). Dumb me didn't even think ab that possibility when I first heard this.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE ANIMATION BY FAR FOR TAZ!!!

WELL I GUESS I DIDN'T NEED MY HEART for real tho great job

wow

This hurts me so much and I love it how dare you thanks

Taako's backstory isn't as "dramatic" as Magnus', but honestly, the fact that those 40 deaths weren't caused by an insane governor, but a close friend (and maybe even more), and that the motive was something as simple as jealousy, honestly makes it just as horrifying.

1:10 "There were forty..." I wish that part had been emphasized and maybe drawn out more! I know in the podcast it was just Justin answering a question. But Taako just stating the fact in that moment says so much...

6:10, 6:24, 6:58, I love the way Taako miserably grabs his hat, it breaks my heart?? Also this whole thing was so amazingly well made I swear I am so emotional, for real like shit I've been thinking of this all evening haha

I want that "gay elf cookin" shirt.

Taako was being selfish, but that was no excuse for Sazed killing 40 people. An audience consisting of men, women, teenagers, and children. I loved the reaction shots you peppered in of Taako during this flashback. The amount of time and work you put into this is incredible!

I love both of your Taako designs, and I *love* that you implied that Taako and Sazed were a lil' more than coworkers. "He was a combination of body guard, and uh...." *insert flirty interaction.* This video is chilling, brings out another level to the heartbreaking audio scene.

This. This part of the episode legitimately broke me. And this animation captures how I imagine how Taako felt so well.

"This is the worst thing that ever happened, Taako. In your life." Hm Well I don't know about tHAT-

Oh man, the music intensifying and the screen shaking more and more violently before time freezes was really something. It really put into perspective how otherwise normal the circumstances were, and yet, how much horror Taako must feel looking back on it, like remembering the moments before you got in a car accident. Real good, A+

In the episode after she says "you can fix it all" at the end Justin just lets out this shuddering exhale and I won't lie that is what drove me over the edge, that's what made me bawl like a tiny child

hey remember when THIS was Taako’s backstory???? Member when this was the only part of Taako’s story that hurt so fucken bad

I've always found it really interesting that Griffin says Sazed "made the trains run on time" because the expression "Mussolini made the trains run on time" has- not so great connotations. I always wonder if he did that on purpose or not. If so, sly, sly boy.

I love how Justin incorporates the fantasy bullshit into his cooking, with the elderberries and the nightshade. It's sooo good.

THE FUCKING HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE MUSIC KILLED ME! Holy shit this animatic is good but also sad as hell. I wonder if Griffin has plans for Taako to ever encounter Sazed again.

Love the combined chef's/wizard's hat!

This was so awesome! I love how you put a static effect on some of the memories too, the perfect touch!

This backstory is killer. Like it literally kills me. I'm dead.

Thanks backstory always gets me, but the added animation made it even harder. Bravo. Taako left his bowl of onions next to me.

This was truly amazing. The viewer can tell you really spent time on it and it paid off. Congratulations on one of the best TAZ animations, in my opinion at least.

Honestly, had The Chalice not shown Taako that Sazed was the one responsible for all those deaths, Taako might have been tempted to take it. But thanks to the cup he got relief. This one horrible thing he thought he was responsible for, was suddenly not his fault, and no longer his weight to carry. He was set free.

I had never considered taako and sazed to be anything more than coworkers before this, but now I'm thinking about it. Someone else already pointed out that this was the first time that taako was truly alone (though he can't remember the details) so he would gravitate to the first person he was somewhat close to naturally, but like... Imagine that sazed was the first person that taako really liked in that way. Imagine him figuring out his sexuality from being around sazed (yeah he could've during the stolen century but, again, that's not really a thing in his mind at that point). He'd be filling this hole from these events with a single person, who he felt cared for him so much, and he cared for in turn. When that final episode happens, and he abandons him, imagine how heartbroken he would be. This person, the first to actually have some form of connection like that, was gone now, and he wouldn't see him again. Outside of the flashback, he responds with amazement that he didn't kill all those people, but to be fair, he's had a long time to get over what exactly this person did in leaving. Insert this into the choice of the cup itself (I always thought that taako's choice was the easiest. This would make it a little harder) and this newformed relationship with Kravitz and we have a real good headcannon right there.

Okay but the tiny detail at 2:48 of when Sazed picks Taako up, and Taako is smiling, but his ears are pointed down like he secretly hates it/is uncomfortable KILLS me. That's an amazing detail, thank you!

GOD THIS IS SO GOOD.... the layouts and changes in perspective?? the expressions?? the bit where Taako pulls down his hat and turns asiDE??? Just,, EVERYTHING. THIS IS SO GOOD GOOD JOB

Wow I absolutely love this!!! I love the way you showed Taako reacting by pulling his hat over his face, sinking to the ground, trying not to watch. It just really drives home the guilt and the horror and the pain of this moment!!

Woah, this is incredible, I'm super happy I stumbled upon this! You obviously worked really hard to make such a long and detailed animation, it's just, wonderful? All the characters are super expressive, the transitions are great, and you even went so far as to edit the audio. It's like 4 in the morning and you made me really think about Taako's emotions in that scene thanks for making me cry my dude wow

I always think about how June said “this is the most horrible thing that happened to you.” But it wasn’t. Not by far. Losing Lup was. Losing his other half. Losing the one person who had been there with him every step of the way. That was the most horrible thing.

what in the gotdamn. thats amazing. TEN MINUTES LONG holy heck. i love it so much thank you taako is my fave

you could hear how somber justin sounded and my heart just broke and fell on the floor when i was listening to this episode ;-;

I'm hearing some Howl's Moving Castle music (or maybe I, a huge fan of the novel and the film's music too much, am just hallucinating it) and it adds to the PURE MAGIC THAT THIS ANIMATIC IS, BLESS

i like the "

I am imagining something so sad right now. I think that Lucretia might have first hired Sazed for Taako. She set him up with that stagecoach after all. Now, here's the scenario, (minor cussing ahead) Lucretia wasn't at the show personally. She had a lot to do, no matter how much she wanted to be at every single one of her dear friend's performances. That is why it broke her heart to hear the news. That damn news. Famous chef Taako missing after mass homicide of forty in a nearby town. Lucretia knew that Taako wouldn't have done it. No, he is too prideful to poison someone and ruin his career on purpose, and too smart to do it on accident. There must have been something else. Something that killed those people. Then she remembered something. When Taako is one hundred percent sure of a recipe, he does not taste it when he cooks. If that is so, someone could have poisoned the food to make it seem like Taako did it. Someone like--. Oh no. Sazed. Sazed was the Stagecoach driver that she hired for her dear friend. She met him when he was down on his luck and wanted to find a long term gig. He seemed helpful, Showing Taako how to run a show on the road. Sazed himself was not good at cooking, and he himself knew that but, what if he thought he was good enough and Taako knew differently. What if he was trying to kill Taako. Lucretia was in a frantic search for months after that and a less frantic one for years later, but she could find no sign of her once dear friend. No sign until one month before he contacted Merle and Magnus, She finally found him, but it looks months after that to find a way to bring them to her, not because there wasn't a way, but because she was still blaming herself for all of their incidents, and she couldn't bring herself to see them, especially Taako, the one that she hurt by just not watching the person she chose for him herself.

Holy shit, this is so good. This has got to be one of the longest TAZ animations out there, if not the longest (and if not, yoooo hit me up with some links), and the art is incredibly gorgeous too with such fantastic expressions. I love that you added the censored memories too.

this is absolutely incredible! Not only the sheer scope of the whole thing but like?? Taako with short hair in the past: very good. The water coming of the chalice and the STATIC WHERE LUP WOULD BE: stunting and heartbreaking. Seyzed's design and all the different people in the town: very very good. the added little musical bits: so good!!!!! Taako's little tears when Seyzed books it: AGGHHHHH!!!!!!!! Over all this is just wonderful and incredible and thank you so much for sharing this!!!!

i love how griffin's default for all npcs is they/them so between him and justin, sazed basically ended up with he/they pronouns

There's something about the casual way Justin talks while still in character that give this the vibe of an interview, like from a documentary or something.

SPOILERS!!! I really like the detail of blurring out lup in the bubbles

the amount of times Griffin uses "they/them" pronouns for Sazed makes me happy, hahah.

10 minutes long, holy heck. Also

Not only did everything that went down in the town happen, but then Taako found himself alone, abandoned by his 'friend', in his eyes, because of his mistakes. It was his worst fear being realized.

i'd listen to "fantasy Iron Maiden" aslo those 'missing' memories and the memory bubbles, nice touch.

"There were forty" at 1:11 is so chilling. Amazing animation, absolutely stunning and heartbreaking.

There were forty.

I love how the entire point of this was to get takko to take the chalice but instead it helped takko realize that what had happened wasn’t entirely his fault.

One of my favorite things about Taako is that his reaction to finding out about what truly happened wasn't "Sazed, that lying bastard." or "... It's my fault Sazed snapped" it's "HAHAHAHAHA NO MORE DEATHS ON MY CONSCIENCE YOU BITCH OF A CUP. I'M HOME FREE. TAAKO OUT." and then just peaces. The entire scene of his flashback is so emotional but the MOMENT he's no longer liable it's like "well, like, 40 people are dead but it's not DIRECTLY my fault so you can eat shit." Seriously, if he wasn't played by one of the McElroys, there's no doubt he'd be one of the lunatic villains trying to get the Relics. Selfish bastard.

WOW this is incredible. Your style and the designs of the THB, the attention to detail, the fact that you animated THE WHOLE THING (!!!) ... the story, told and animated like this, is so much more visceral than just the audio. I can't imagine how much work this must have been and I hope you're really proud of it bc it's amazing!!!

Spoilers for TAZ Balance: I like how Sayzed turned himself in after Story and Song. I'd like to imagine that day was always in the back of his mind similarly to how it was always in Taako's mind, and he tried so hard to repress it and then when the Voidfish's song echoed out he recognized Taako in that and accepted what he had done and taken responsibility. It obviously doesn't excuse the fact that he murdered 40 people but it's SOMETHING.

every time i see taako crying my heart hurts

"I've got all these T-shirts that already senses love with taco" "since a lit up with Paco" Oh my dog the subtitles

jesus, this is amazing. The expressions and the body language and the music, all just, perfect. I got chills!

this is the longest most detailed and well-expressed animation. i love the angles, exlressions and movements. it just feels so real and perfect.

I really think this episode is just feel but whenever Takko talks I just start laughing because the voice they chose for him is just amazing XD.

I don’t know if anyone noticed, but I really appreciated the small statics that happen in the memory bubbles when she asks him to claim her.

wow like; listening to this part in the podcast made me really sad, but watching this actually made me cry. well done

Fun fact this is the only balance episode to not be marked as explicit.

This is so…so good, my dude Ever thought of doing any of the other backstories?

This might be my favorite animatic yet. Thank you for your hours upon hours of work on this incredible piece of art. Keep it up dude. I'm inspired.

10 seconds later taako says: "nah I'm good"

Amazing! Loved the use of the track from Howl's Moving castle!

6:53 Wait a second, is that Steven Universe?! TAAKO, DID YOU KILL STEVEN?!?

this is brilliant! Im so glad i got to see an animatic of this! your art style is so cute! live this whole thing!

I'm a simple man. I hear Merry-Go-Round-of-Life, I like and subscribe.

Fuck me man... Ive listened to this part several times but it never got to me, with this visualisation im- I'm literally crying..

CAN WE JUST AGREE THAT TAKKO WAS FUCKING SAZED CAUSE THAT'S THE ONLY WAY I CAN IMAGINE HIM BEING THAT BITTER

Amazing job on this. Really. Thank you for your hard work! I know it's tough to animate a minute long video and you did ten times that! And it came out great!! :D

"

Everyone agrees, right? Everyone agrees that Sazed was THE WORST.

So amazing! Also love the detail of the static in some of his memories. And his face when Sazed left was really heart shattering. :'(

I love this. And I LOVED the choice to make the chalice flow when time is frozen.

the howl's moving castle theme in the background when taako is talking about sazed, oof, my, my heart

Ok but imagine with me: Lup:hey taako where are the elderberries? Lup: taako? Taako: I...don't really stock those anymore Lup: but your elderberry garnish is your go to? What happened Taako: you know my tv show? Sizzle it up? Lup:....Yes? Taako: lets just say the last episode... Taako:it went bad. People died. I know.... it's not my fault.... it was sazeds jealousy but... I... Lup: what actually happened? Taako: sazed poisoned 40 people- Lup: WHAT Taako: -because I didn't let him become a co host Lup: Taako.... are you ok? And why no elderberries? Taako: yeah, I guess I just thought it was those transmuted wrong that did it and....they never tasted right again

I thought I was ready, but then the Howl’s Moving Castle music kicked in.

I like how taako was like “THANK GOD I thought I killed someone turns out it was my best friend who killed 40 people”

oh gods, how dare you hit me with studio ghibli piano like that? im in my feelings now

Did you use a howls moving castle theme for this? I love it so much??

taako's backstory has always been the saddest, someone he cared about kill all those people and left him thinking it was his own fault

Taako’s lil chef-wizard hat is so dumb and so Taako and I love it

I don't think Taako was being self centered, like that was HIS cooking show, that he made from scratch, that he worked and worked and worked on to get it to where it was. He even let Sazed like help him out with the ingredients!! Sazed was the selfish one and his actions where definitely not proportional to not getting on Taako's show!! Like wtf

Wow, that was amazing and heartbreaking and i dont even listen to these podcasts!

i love the howl’s moving castle background music! gives it such a nostalgic vibe :)

Wow. God damn. That made me really fuckin emotional. Oh jeepers.

this is so good!! the last show part was done perfectly, the music + the way you framed the shots + taako’s expressions leading up to the tasting and after the reveal...chilling!

Out of all the relics, the chalace's thrall is a lot nicer than the rest, it actualy make sense cause ###### created it.