(Originally posted to Let's Play Sacntuary)
#1, originally posted Feb 12 2016, 10:06 AM
A science fiction visual novel from Regista, written and directed by Takumi Nakazawa, who also worked on the Infinity trilogy (Never7, Ever17, and Remember11) for Kindle Imagine Develop (KID). (Working with Nakazawa on Infinity was Kotaro Uchikoshi, who is probably more famous for writing the Zero Escape series—999 and Virtue's Last Reward—and there is much similarity in style.)
From the Visual Novel Database:
Quote:April 26th, 2032 A.D. - Megalopolis Tokyo - 00:12 in the morning
A total lunar eclipse occurs for the first time in 3 years. Even though it's supposed to be a simple astronomical phenomenon, it soon sets off a series of unexpected events. Unexplainable mysteries, terrorist incidents, and network crime surge as if in unison. The truth mixes with lies, as if the world is awake but still sleeping.
Something has begun. Somewhere no one can see. Something no one knows about.
This is a story of the chance meeting and tragic parting of the young men and women living in this world. Players get to play the game from 4 different points of view:
Route A - Hinata, a youth who has lost his sister and himself.
Route B - Ishtar, a freelance programmer and leader of a hacker team.
Route C - Ishtar, but seems a bit different from the Ishtar in Route B....
Route D - He, a man completely shrouded in mystery.
And thus..
"The beginning is the end, and the end is the beginning"
I/O has an extensive built-in glossary, similar to what some VNs often call "TIPS" (although TIPS aren't always a glossary), but here called "Keywords". Not all entries are necessarily very interesting. Some just give facts seemingly for the sake of educating readers about things. Others are probably explaining English loanwords that appear in the original Japanese text.
I will try to read all of the entries, because I'm just that way. However, in an effort to avoid boring people too much, I'm going to be posting two series of videos in parallel: one will be the full videos where I read everything I can, while the other will cut out all of the entries that have no obvious direct importance to the story. I will be releasing the abridged version of each session first, divided into videos no longer than about 30 minutes, followed by the whole full session as a single video.
I'm also including notes with extra thoughts about Keywords and things in the story. Note that I wrote some of them before I started this LP. I'll include them inside spoiler tags, both because they may be minorly spoilery, and because it's quite a bit of text.
PLAYLISTS: full and abridged.
Route A—Session 01, part 1: Dream Stairs
Prologue and starting route A. Our first protagonist has a nightmare involving the moon and the city. What could it mean?
I have a LOT to say about all of this. So here are my notes:
Spoiler: click to toggle
Biblical quote right off the bat. So it's going to be one of those. Okay, then. So, is this something to do with growing up and understanding things better, or about gradually learning the truth about something (as will no doubt happen with this story)?
And, just as with Remember11, we get a built-in glossary. This time, they're calling it "Keywords". The interface feels more like a web browser, what with the words being clickable. In R11, you had to bring up the menu, go to "TIPS", and then scroll down to find the word you were looking for; this is a lot nicer. And even when you just want to look up a word on your own initiative, they've made it easier by dividing it into alphabetical sections.
I'm liking this system, and at the same time, I'm a bit dismayed, as it looks like I'll be wanting to read these explanations frequently in the middle of the story. And there are a lot of them even this early. With R11, I always thought at times, it felt a bit like Wikipedia, especially during a certain infodump chapter. I take that back now; *this* is truly like Wikipedia, and for that reason, I both like and dislike it. Well, it's not as if I don't know most of these terms. Computing is my main area of interest, after all. But I like to see how well and how accurately they're explained, and I'll probably be critiquing the explanations at times.
Tachymeter: "Tachproductmeter"?? That's weird. I had to look this up carefully. I guess it's a brand (タキ・プロダクトメーター or "taki-purodakutomeetaa", in katakana), Tacho-Productometer from Omega Speedmaster. Ah, I see. The Omega Speedmaster was the first watch worn by an astronaut on the Moon, Neil Armstrong. Appropriate, given the theme of the Moon in this story.
Moon's age: Another term I've never heard of before. Is "Alpha Company" a play on the name "Omega"? Also, exactly what moment is defined as 0?
So, it's a full moon. And a lunar eclipse to boot. Just one problem with the CG shown here: that looks more like a solar eclipse to me, aside from the black sky!
inspecting the moon
"Shining darkness" reminds me of the phrases
And, just as with Remember11, we get a built-in glossary. This time, they're calling it "Keywords". The interface feels more like a web browser, what with the words being clickable. In R11, you had to bring up the menu, go to "TIPS", and then scroll down to find the word you were looking for; this is a lot nicer. And even when you just want to look up a word on your own initiative, they've made it easier by dividing it into alphabetical sections.
I'm liking this system, and at the same time, I'm a bit dismayed, as it looks like I'll be wanting to read these explanations frequently in the middle of the story. And there are a lot of them even this early. With R11, I always thought at times, it felt a bit like Wikipedia, especially during a certain infodump chapter. I take that back now; *this* is truly like Wikipedia, and for that reason, I both like and dislike it. Well, it's not as if I don't know most of these terms. Computing is my main area of interest, after all. But I like to see how well and how accurately they're explained, and I'll probably be critiquing the explanations at times.
Tachymeter: "Tachproductmeter"?? That's weird. I had to look this up carefully. I guess it's a brand (タキ・プロダクトメーター or "taki-purodakutomeetaa", in katakana), Tacho-Productometer from Omega Speedmaster. Ah, I see. The Omega Speedmaster was the first watch worn by an astronaut on the Moon, Neil Armstrong. Appropriate, given the theme of the Moon in this story.
Moon's age: Another term I've never heard of before. Is "Alpha Company" a play on the name "Omega"? Also, exactly what moment is defined as 0?
So, it's a full moon. And a lunar eclipse to boot. Just one problem with the CG shown here: that looks more like a solar eclipse to me, aside from the black sky!
inspecting the moon
"Shining darkness" reminds me of the phrases
Spoiler: click to toggle
"pure white darkness" and "dark light"
from the true route of Ever17. Nakazawa seems to like oxymorons that suggest a reversal from the norm.#2, originally posted Feb 13 2016, 04:00 AM
Route A—Session 01, part 2: Scary Moon
Hinata wakes from his nightmare, and gets ready to go to school. He barely speaks to his dad, and he gets an intense headache when he sees a picture of the lunar eclipse on TV. On the way to school, he has a typical meeting with his childhood friend Sakuya. And once again, the moon is a touchy subject.
Here are more notes for this part:
Spoiler: click to toggle
raven black
It's 2032. Can't help noticing that 32 is a power of 2. Any significance? Also, I checked, and there will indeed be a total lunar eclipse on April 25/26, 2032 (right ascension 14.24, declination -13.8). From a point in Tokyo, it will last from about 22:27 to 01:59, culminating at 00:13, all times in JST. It's also the first of a tetrad (four consecutive lunar eclipses that are total), for what that's worth. Much more information here. You might want to set the observation coordinates to somewhere in Japan in order for all the information to be relevant (not to mention getting info about the eclipse itself). Also, note that CalSky limits sessions to 30 minutes.
the darkness does not clear with the morning
I like that Nakazawa is trying to promote a distinction between "hacker" and "cracker". When one hacks, one is generally not breaking any laws, but the same is much less true of cracking. This was also discussed in Ever17.
Well, this doesn't look good at all. It's inconvenient these days to be without Internet access (which actually happened to me in the last full week of November 2015: there was a crazy wind storm that blew gale-force winds through the Inland Northwest all afternoon and evening, felling lots of trees, severing power lines and such; I was without power for less than 12 hours (many were less fortunate), but then several days later I lost Internet for some reason, and that lasted for over 3 days!). Having critical infrastructure depend on network facilities is just asking for trouble.
Hmm, is addiction to something possible when it's already ubiquitous?
Wow, I never thought of a blood moon as a scary thing, but this might make me reconsider.
childhood friend
Retro architecture in style, so the buildings look just like they do now: very convenient for I/O's artists. ;)
"And not even the proposals for implementing maglev trains are looking too good." Oops, looks like the Chūō Shinkansen is proving your prediction wrong. Service is supposed to begin in 2027 (though we'll see whether they stick to that schedule).
Talking about computers in cellphones. This is related to a complaint of mine. Some people are saying that PCs are on their way out, but the problem with mobile hardware and software is that the user experience sucks compared to what you can do on a PC. Just try doing anything complex, like serious programming, or watching a video while doing something else (or multiple videos), or even just typing! Most apps are crippled compared to PC applications, as is web browsing. Please solve these problems before taking away all the platforms that lack them.
And here we encounter our first main character other than the protagonist: Kawahara Sakuya (just so you know, I'm going to be using Eastern name order—surname first—to match with the translation). Why do VN protagonists so often find their childhood friend annoying? Is it because they feel like a sibling or something? Anyway, I happen to agree somewhat with Hinata on this one. She is annoying in some ways (her habit of pulling his ear, and being unreasonably jealous, though I suspect there is some serious reason for this). I don't hate her, but for me to say she's annoying probably means a lot. In spite of this, I do ship them.
(BTW, I noticed something about her name, "Sakuya". As stated in the note on "new moon", a Japanese word for that is "saku". Having noticed this, I'm sure that's the (hidden) meaning here. I don't know what the "ya" part is supposed to mean. It could be the number 8, as in "yattsu"?? But there are other candidates, like "arrow" or "field".)
Apparently street signs now use electronic paper technology (think Amazon Kindle). I wonder if they have the same "ghost image" problem as some current systems do and have to flash the entire display black and white to work around it when they need to change the contents.
It's 2032. Can't help noticing that 32 is a power of 2. Any significance? Also, I checked, and there will indeed be a total lunar eclipse on April 25/26, 2032 (right ascension 14.24, declination -13.8). From a point in Tokyo, it will last from about 22:27 to 01:59, culminating at 00:13, all times in JST. It's also the first of a tetrad (four consecutive lunar eclipses that are total), for what that's worth. Much more information here. You might want to set the observation coordinates to somewhere in Japan in order for all the information to be relevant (not to mention getting info about the eclipse itself). Also, note that CalSky limits sessions to 30 minutes.
the darkness does not clear with the morning
I like that Nakazawa is trying to promote a distinction between "hacker" and "cracker". When one hacks, one is generally not breaking any laws, but the same is much less true of cracking. This was also discussed in Ever17.
Well, this doesn't look good at all. It's inconvenient these days to be without Internet access (which actually happened to me in the last full week of November 2015: there was a crazy wind storm that blew gale-force winds through the Inland Northwest all afternoon and evening, felling lots of trees, severing power lines and such; I was without power for less than 12 hours (many were less fortunate), but then several days later I lost Internet for some reason, and that lasted for over 3 days!). Having critical infrastructure depend on network facilities is just asking for trouble.
Hmm, is addiction to something possible when it's already ubiquitous?
Wow, I never thought of a blood moon as a scary thing, but this might make me reconsider.
childhood friend
Retro architecture in style, so the buildings look just like they do now: very convenient for I/O's artists. ;)
"And not even the proposals for implementing maglev trains are looking too good." Oops, looks like the Chūō Shinkansen is proving your prediction wrong. Service is supposed to begin in 2027 (though we'll see whether they stick to that schedule).
Talking about computers in cellphones. This is related to a complaint of mine. Some people are saying that PCs are on their way out, but the problem with mobile hardware and software is that the user experience sucks compared to what you can do on a PC. Just try doing anything complex, like serious programming, or watching a video while doing something else (or multiple videos), or even just typing! Most apps are crippled compared to PC applications, as is web browsing. Please solve these problems before taking away all the platforms that lack them.
And here we encounter our first main character other than the protagonist: Kawahara Sakuya (just so you know, I'm going to be using Eastern name order—surname first—to match with the translation). Why do VN protagonists so often find their childhood friend annoying? Is it because they feel like a sibling or something? Anyway, I happen to agree somewhat with Hinata on this one. She is annoying in some ways (her habit of pulling his ear, and being unreasonably jealous, though I suspect there is some serious reason for this). I don't hate her, but for me to say she's annoying probably means a lot. In spite of this, I do ship them.
(BTW, I noticed something about her name, "Sakuya". As stated in the note on "new moon", a Japanese word for that is "saku". Having noticed this, I'm sure that's the (hidden) meaning here. I don't know what the "ya" part is supposed to mean. It could be the number 8, as in "yattsu"?? But there are other candidates, like "arrow" or "field".)
Apparently street signs now use electronic paper technology (think Amazon Kindle). I wonder if they have the same "ghost image" problem as some current systems do and have to flash the entire display black and white to work around it when they need to change the contents.
#3, originally posted Feb 14 2016, 05:52 AM
Route A—Session 01, part 3: Kyouka Academy
Some slightly odd things happen, such as a girl who misses the bus and yet seemingly still shows up on time. Sakuya has a habit of pulling Hinata's ears, it seems. He shows how smart he is in math class, then starts working on a crossword puzzle in said class. People are talking about some strange goings-on. His headache returns, so he decides to head to the infirmary.
And once again, the notes:
Spoiler: click to toggle
intersecting words
So one's avatar continues to act in this Babylon while one is absent? I don't know about you, but I'd be concerned about it doing something I wouldn't want it to do.
Horoscope: "Good luck to come. You will soon cross paths with one of your usual companions. The tiniest bit of support will become the key to bringing you good luck. Your lucky color is green. Watch out for water." Having recently gone through this route, I can't remember anything that is relevant to this. So either (1) it's of no significance whatsoever, (2) it's quite significant but it's not obvious how yet, or (3) I just missed the obvious. Knowing Nakazawa's style as I do, it's probably not (1). Knowing myself as I do, (3) is quite likely. Anyway, I'll try to remember to look out for it.
I like this music track: "kernel". (It's the one that plays when Hinata looks at the mysterious email.) I want to take a moment to point out that all of the titles (or at least almost all) are computing jargon. Maybe I'll make a list with definitions at some point.
And the arc words appear! "are you there? i am here!" (Or at least, one set of arc words?)
Hinata is a little stubborn, insisting on going to the infirmary by himself. Well, I guess it's normal not to want to trouble someone like that. But somehow, I feel like he should have had Sakuya go with him.
So one's avatar continues to act in this Babylon while one is absent? I don't know about you, but I'd be concerned about it doing something I wouldn't want it to do.
Horoscope: "Good luck to come. You will soon cross paths with one of your usual companions. The tiniest bit of support will become the key to bringing you good luck. Your lucky color is green. Watch out for water." Having recently gone through this route, I can't remember anything that is relevant to this. So either (1) it's of no significance whatsoever, (2) it's quite significant but it's not obvious how yet, or (3) I just missed the obvious. Knowing Nakazawa's style as I do, it's probably not (1). Knowing myself as I do, (3) is quite likely. Anyway, I'll try to remember to look out for it.
I like this music track: "kernel". (It's the one that plays when Hinata looks at the mysterious email.) I want to take a moment to point out that all of the titles (or at least almost all) are computing jargon. Maybe I'll make a list with definitions at some point.
And the arc words appear! "are you there? i am here!" (Or at least, one set of arc words?)
Hinata is a little stubborn, insisting on going to the infirmary by himself. Well, I guess it's normal not to want to trouble someone like that. But somehow, I feel like he should have had Sakuya go with him.
And that's it for the first session. Here is the full session with all the Keyword readings:
Route A—Session 01 (full)
Another note for something that didn't appear in the abridged version:
Spoiler: click to toggle
another
Re immortality: If you ask me, creating a simulation of yourself is a rather lousy way to achieve immortality. Also, that aside, I wouldn't trust myself to a computer system until I knew for damn sure there was no way for the data to be corrupted or cracked, not to mention that the system could somehow keep running come hell or high water (literally).
Re immortality: If you ask me, creating a simulation of yourself is a rather lousy way to achieve immortality. Also, that aside, I wouldn't trust myself to a computer system until I knew for damn sure there was no way for the data to be corrupted or cracked, not to mention that the system could somehow keep running come hell or high water (literally).
#4, originally posted Feb 16 2016, 07:03 AM
Route A—Session 02, part 1: Creepy Nightmare
The school doctor is not in, and apparently this is normal. Hinata wanders off and has a nightmare, which looks like it's about him, symbolically of course. Then he finally gets to talk to her, and gets his daily pseudoscience lesson. He also has an encounter with someone who would probably have few qualms about killing him.
Notes for this part:
Spoiler: click to toggle
sky and wind
And something about the infirmary doesn't agree with Hinata. I'm starting to get the feeling that there's something traumatic in his past (and I'm not talking about the obvious thing that's covered in this version of the route).
"When the sun and moon meet"? Since I've read this route already, I know how significant that idea is.
Creepy laugh is CREEPY! That's one SCARY dream, dude. And WHY does that doll have Hinata's face?! Is that just representative of his subconscious trying to tell him something?
Hinata, I don't think you need to feel guilty about skipping classes. You have some serious issues you need to sort out.
Saying mean things to your childhood friend. How many times have I seen that in a visual novel? (At least he realizes what he's doing.) Though I can understand somewhat how he feels. She reminds me of my older sister in some ways, specifically how she can be annoying in the way she talks to people.
And the school nurse who doesn't act very professionally. Another cliché. (But wait. Is she a nurse or a doctor? The narration refers to her as both.)
Something's up if an unusual number of people are feeling bad enough to want to go home. And the eclipse is mentioned again, naturally. But what is it about this particular eclipse that's so bad? Did something happen that we don't know about? (Assuming so, I'm sure it wasn't revealed in this route.)
This biotide theory sounds like pseudoscience to me. I mean, sure, everything will experience tidal forces. But the magnitude depends on the difference in the gravity field between parts of a body. Earth experiences noticeable tides both because it is large, and because the moon is close. A human body, by contrast, is very small, meaning that the gravity field is very nearly the same at all points within it. The tidal tension from the moon over 2 meters (at Earth's surface) is ~11 ppb, and that of the sun ~27 ppt. That of Earth, by contrast, is ~628 ppb. All of these should be lost in the noise of the forces one's body experiences from more direct, terrestrial interactions. Seemingly to try to avoid this, the explanation first suggests visual observation of moonlight or some such, and then says it works even when the moon is not visible. But this raises some questions: What about light pollution? What if you rarely look at the moon or the night sky? Wouldn't people who live in major, brightly-lit cities be less affected than those who live in, say, remote mountain areas?
So, they're suggesting that maybe Hinata's headaches have something to do with the full moon? But Hinata then relates them to tidal forces. Not really the same thing. Yayoi was talking about full vs. new moon; both of those cases result in a spring tide (higher than average), but Yayoi's theory is that the full moon is stressful while the new moon is... not stressful. I could understand if it were something like, "New and full moons cause stress, while half moons are okay", because then it would match with spring vs. neap tides.
After the encounter with the man in the Diabolos, Yayoi's words about the full moon just a little while ago come to Hinata's mind. If you ask me, though, that's probably just that guy's normal personality.
Right after that, the second email, with the same arc words.
And something about the infirmary doesn't agree with Hinata. I'm starting to get the feeling that there's something traumatic in his past (and I'm not talking about the obvious thing that's covered in this version of the route).
"When the sun and moon meet"? Since I've read this route already, I know how significant that idea is.
Creepy laugh is CREEPY! That's one SCARY dream, dude. And WHY does that doll have Hinata's face?! Is that just representative of his subconscious trying to tell him something?
Hinata, I don't think you need to feel guilty about skipping classes. You have some serious issues you need to sort out.
Saying mean things to your childhood friend. How many times have I seen that in a visual novel? (At least he realizes what he's doing.) Though I can understand somewhat how he feels. She reminds me of my older sister in some ways, specifically how she can be annoying in the way she talks to people.
And the school nurse who doesn't act very professionally. Another cliché. (But wait. Is she a nurse or a doctor? The narration refers to her as both.)
Something's up if an unusual number of people are feeling bad enough to want to go home. And the eclipse is mentioned again, naturally. But what is it about this particular eclipse that's so bad? Did something happen that we don't know about? (Assuming so, I'm sure it wasn't revealed in this route.)
This biotide theory sounds like pseudoscience to me. I mean, sure, everything will experience tidal forces. But the magnitude depends on the difference in the gravity field between parts of a body. Earth experiences noticeable tides both because it is large, and because the moon is close. A human body, by contrast, is very small, meaning that the gravity field is very nearly the same at all points within it. The tidal tension from the moon over 2 meters (at Earth's surface) is ~11 ppb, and that of the sun ~27 ppt. That of Earth, by contrast, is ~628 ppb. All of these should be lost in the noise of the forces one's body experiences from more direct, terrestrial interactions. Seemingly to try to avoid this, the explanation first suggests visual observation of moonlight or some such, and then says it works even when the moon is not visible. But this raises some questions: What about light pollution? What if you rarely look at the moon or the night sky? Wouldn't people who live in major, brightly-lit cities be less affected than those who live in, say, remote mountain areas?
So, they're suggesting that maybe Hinata's headaches have something to do with the full moon? But Hinata then relates them to tidal forces. Not really the same thing. Yayoi was talking about full vs. new moon; both of those cases result in a spring tide (higher than average), but Yayoi's theory is that the full moon is stressful while the new moon is... not stressful. I could understand if it were something like, "New and full moons cause stress, while half moons are okay", because then it would match with spring vs. neap tides.
After the encounter with the man in the Diabolos, Yayoi's words about the full moon just a little while ago come to Hinata's mind. If you ask me, though, that's probably just that guy's normal personality.
Right after that, the second email, with the same arc words.
#5, originally posted Feb 17 2016, 08:01 AM
Route A—Session 02, part 2: False Awakening
Hinata waxes philosophical about the soul and loneliness. Sakuya is worried about his health. He has another nightmare, and then wakes up (or does he?). Their past is brought up more and more, leading to more guilt on Hinata's part. He bumps into someone.
Notes for this part:
Spoiler: click to toggle
where is my soul?
Hinata seems to feel something like depersonalization. He wonders if "she" felt that way too.
A good look at Hinata, and his looks are about as androgynous as that other guy's. I have a feeling all the characters will be like this.
cannot catch
Another nightmare. Once again, Hinata is scared ****less by the blood moon. Why? He wakes up immediately.
...But no, it was a false awakening. This is starting to get confusing.
rabbit's wish
Not eating for 24 hours? That further proves how out of it you are, Hinata. But Sakuya is nice enough to share her lunch.
surprise meeting
It seems that email was sent to quite a few people, so it was probably just an ordinary bit of spam whose sender address was coincidentally the same as "hers". (Plausible, since it's not too hard to spoof the "From:" header of an email, at least in the present. You'd think, though, that by 2032, these kinds of problems would be more under control.) Well, not so ordinary if it didn't open an "infinite" number of windows. But, you know what I mean.
Upon leaving the classroom, Hinata literally bumps into a girl, knocking her down. She looks like the one from the previous day, the one who was chasing the bus and fell on her face and then seemed to mysteriously appear in front of the school even though she missed the bus. She berates him for being a dumba**; in this case, I tend to agree. Where did he learn manners?
That aside, we have a very interesting choice. Is she the girl who missed the bus? Is she the girl who was in front of the school? We thought they were one and the same, but that might not be the case. And what exactly are the consequences of this choice? Even though I already got the first ending on this route, I don't know, but maybe it has something to do with information you can get. More on this later, when we learn (in-story, that is) the role she plays.
One other thing: I've only recently noticed, there are several places where the narration says things like, "That's why I...", and then things just go on. From reading the Infinity series, I know this turn of phrase as a way of leading into a choice. Only, no choice is presented here. However, another thing I know from those other VNs is that in certain cases Nakazawa writes the text in such a way that it makes sense if there is a choice. Examples include loops where one must make every choice from a list, but gets to choose the order; at the end, such a phrase often still shows up, even though there are no choices left. Another example is where new choices appear upon rereading a route under certain conditions (I'm thinking especially of the new things that can happen every time one gets a new good ending in Never7, for those who have seen it). I have a feeling the latter may be the case here. I might be wrong, but if so, then what else could it be?
Hinata seems to feel something like depersonalization. He wonders if "she" felt that way too.
A good look at Hinata, and his looks are about as androgynous as that other guy's. I have a feeling all the characters will be like this.
cannot catch
Another nightmare. Once again, Hinata is scared ****less by the blood moon. Why? He wakes up immediately.
...But no, it was a false awakening. This is starting to get confusing.
rabbit's wish
Not eating for 24 hours? That further proves how out of it you are, Hinata. But Sakuya is nice enough to share her lunch.
surprise meeting
It seems that email was sent to quite a few people, so it was probably just an ordinary bit of spam whose sender address was coincidentally the same as "hers". (Plausible, since it's not too hard to spoof the "From:" header of an email, at least in the present. You'd think, though, that by 2032, these kinds of problems would be more under control.) Well, not so ordinary if it didn't open an "infinite" number of windows. But, you know what I mean.
Upon leaving the classroom, Hinata literally bumps into a girl, knocking her down. She looks like the one from the previous day, the one who was chasing the bus and fell on her face and then seemed to mysteriously appear in front of the school even though she missed the bus. She berates him for being a dumba**; in this case, I tend to agree. Where did he learn manners?
That aside, we have a very interesting choice. Is she the girl who missed the bus? Is she the girl who was in front of the school? We thought they were one and the same, but that might not be the case. And what exactly are the consequences of this choice? Even though I already got the first ending on this route, I don't know, but maybe it has something to do with information you can get. More on this later, when we learn (in-story, that is) the role she plays.
One other thing: I've only recently noticed, there are several places where the narration says things like, "That's why I...", and then things just go on. From reading the Infinity series, I know this turn of phrase as a way of leading into a choice. Only, no choice is presented here. However, another thing I know from those other VNs is that in certain cases Nakazawa writes the text in such a way that it makes sense if there is a choice. Examples include loops where one must make every choice from a list, but gets to choose the order; at the end, such a phrase often still shows up, even though there are no choices left. Another example is where new choices appear upon rereading a route under certain conditions (I'm thinking especially of the new things that can happen every time one gets a new good ending in Never7, for those who have seen it). I have a feeling the latter may be the case here. I might be wrong, but if so, then what else could it be?
#6, originally posted Feb 18 2016, 01:20 PM
Route A—Session 02, part 3: All My Fault
Yayoi makes Hinata do something that is... not at all indecent, but probably inappropriate, while lecturing about sleep and brain function. Sakuya gets a bit pissed off because she wanted him to herself. Mitsuhiko hints at something strange going on. Another dream, and now we find out who "she" is (was?). The guilt gets much worse. More classroom chatter, about Hinata and Sakuya, and about Babylon (not the ancient city).
More notes:
Spoiler: click to toggle
something secretive and fun
I think I've heard of people who don't sleep much. They may compensate in various ways. For instance, I've read that monks who meditate a lot don't need REM sleep, and sleep as little as 5 hours per day. Some especially busy businesspeople have also claimed only sleeping for that long. If there are any humans who rarely sleep at all, though, it might be like the case of dolphins.
How interesting. "They dream while they're awake." What would that be like, I wonder? If Yayoi really is like this, what does she experience while one half of her brain is asleep? BTW, apparently REM sleep cannot occur in this way, so any dreams one experiences would be the NREM type, which are very different and probably much less vivid.
blood does not dispute
Hmm. What is going on with Hinata's mother? Mitsuhiko is definitely keeping something from his son. It's possible she really is just very sick and requires intensive care, and Mitsuhiko is keeping this from Hinata for some jerkish reason. But, I still have to wonder: Is she really being treated for some illness? Maybe she isn't even sick, but is off doing something that Mitsuhiko doesn't want to—or can't—reveal. Maybe if that "That's why I..." really does lead to a choice later on, then we can get more information about this.
And for that matter, Mitsuhiko acts as if he himself is involved in something behind the scenes. I don't know what side he's on, though. Forget about "whose side"; it's too early to even say which sides are good and which are bad, if there are good and bad sides, or even what they are in the first place. But his seeming concern does give me some hope that he's working to a good cause.
flowing grief
I listened to the very faint voice here with the BGM off, and I could make out the following:
"Mutsuki". Another name related to the moon ("tsuki"). The name is actually explained later, so I won't say any more right now.
This is a bit odd. I don't know if the Mutsuki he's hearing here is just a figment of his imagination or not. (If this weren't the kind of story I know it is, I would more easily say it is a figment.) But when he is blaming himself, saying, "It's all my fault", Mutsuki says, "That's not it." Yet, when he asks if it's his fault, the voice sounds like it's saying the English word "yes", although the text shows nothing. What the heck could this mean?? I'll have to wait for more information about this.
while gently falling
A rather strange name, "DlroW". Obviously, it's the word "world" backwards. I can't help recalling the tagline from the end of the opening: "Thus begins the revision of 'the world'." Is this anything like what this group could be trying to do, I wonder, even though they're supposedly just an unofficial fanclub for some character? Barely more than wild speculation, really. And I don't even know what "the world" and "revision" actually mean. But it's another thing to keep in mind.
The Japanese conflation of "REM" and "LEM" leads to some interesting connections. REM is connected to dreams, a big theme of this story. Meanwhile, another meaning of LEM not covered in the glossary is "Lunar Excursion Module", what the Lunar Module of the Apollo spacecraft was originally called. The moon, of course, is another huge theme; plus, one of the keywords is "Lunar excusrion".
I think I've heard of people who don't sleep much. They may compensate in various ways. For instance, I've read that monks who meditate a lot don't need REM sleep, and sleep as little as 5 hours per day. Some especially busy businesspeople have also claimed only sleeping for that long. If there are any humans who rarely sleep at all, though, it might be like the case of dolphins.
How interesting. "They dream while they're awake." What would that be like, I wonder? If Yayoi really is like this, what does she experience while one half of her brain is asleep? BTW, apparently REM sleep cannot occur in this way, so any dreams one experiences would be the NREM type, which are very different and probably much less vivid.
blood does not dispute
Hmm. What is going on with Hinata's mother? Mitsuhiko is definitely keeping something from his son. It's possible she really is just very sick and requires intensive care, and Mitsuhiko is keeping this from Hinata for some jerkish reason. But, I still have to wonder: Is she really being treated for some illness? Maybe she isn't even sick, but is off doing something that Mitsuhiko doesn't want to—or can't—reveal. Maybe if that "That's why I..." really does lead to a choice later on, then we can get more information about this.
And for that matter, Mitsuhiko acts as if he himself is involved in something behind the scenes. I don't know what side he's on, though. Forget about "whose side"; it's too early to even say which sides are good and which are bad, if there are good and bad sides, or even what they are in the first place. But his seeming concern does give me some hope that he's working to a good cause.
flowing grief
I listened to the very faint voice here with the BGM off, and I could make out the following:
Spoiler: click to toggle
"Onii-chan!": "Brother!"
"Onii-chan 'tteba!": "Hey, brother!"
"Watashi wa koko ni iru yo.": "I am here."
"Dōshite kizu e de kurenai no?": "Why wound (something) crimson (something)?" (sorry, my knowledge of Japanese is pretty limited)
"Onii-chan...": "Brother..."
"Onii-chan 'tteba!": "Hey, brother!"
"Watashi wa koko ni iru yo.": "I am here."
"Dōshite kizu e de kurenai no?": "Why wound (something) crimson (something)?" (sorry, my knowledge of Japanese is pretty limited)
"Onii-chan...": "Brother..."
"Mutsuki". Another name related to the moon ("tsuki"). The name is actually explained later, so I won't say any more right now.
This is a bit odd. I don't know if the Mutsuki he's hearing here is just a figment of his imagination or not. (If this weren't the kind of story I know it is, I would more easily say it is a figment.) But when he is blaming himself, saying, "It's all my fault", Mutsuki says, "That's not it." Yet, when he asks if it's his fault, the voice sounds like it's saying the English word "yes", although the text shows nothing. What the heck could this mean?? I'll have to wait for more information about this.
while gently falling
A rather strange name, "DlroW". Obviously, it's the word "world" backwards. I can't help recalling the tagline from the end of the opening: "Thus begins the revision of 'the world'." Is this anything like what this group could be trying to do, I wonder, even though they're supposedly just an unofficial fanclub for some character? Barely more than wild speculation, really. And I don't even know what "the world" and "revision" actually mean. But it's another thing to keep in mind.
The Japanese conflation of "REM" and "LEM" leads to some interesting connections. REM is connected to dreams, a big theme of this story. Meanwhile, another meaning of LEM not covered in the glossary is "Lunar Excursion Module", what the Lunar Module of the Apollo spacecraft was originally called. The moon, of course, is another huge theme; plus, one of the keywords is "Lunar excusrion".
#7, originally posted Feb 19 2016, 08:27 AM
Route A—Session 02, part 4: White Rabbit
Bumping into someone again. And a certain someone else is showing a deeper interest in Hinata. Yet another dream, in the middle of lunch, no less. The guilt reaches a peak, and Yayoi helps Hinata to accept his feelings so he can start to heal. Finally, a fun encounter in the park pushes things in a positive direction (maybe?).
The notes:
Spoiler: click to toggle
while gently falling
Why does Hinata pocket Yumi's ID card, instead of turning it in to the proper authority like he should?
power to live
Sakuya is really starting to show her feelings here, in both good and bad ways. And then she brings up Mutsuki, as if he's betraying his sister's memory or something. But I wonder if that's just an excuse for her jealousy.
Things are really coming to a head in Hinata's...uh...head.
taken by sin
For some strange reason, Yayoi uses the same words that Sakuya did just a little while ago, referring to herself as an idol. What are the chances of that?
And here we see that Mutsuki's name is apparently "夢月", the characters meaning "dream" and "moon". Now recall that Keyword entry about REM/LEM. That one had the same simultaneous connections to the moon and dreams. (Incidentally, I checked in the original Japanese, and it seems her name is spelled that way before this point. So this reveal is a little late in the translation.)
the door separated from time
Yet another story that references Alice in Wonderland, I see. It must be rather popular in Japan.
Why does Hinata pocket Yumi's ID card, instead of turning it in to the proper authority like he should?
power to live
Sakuya is really starting to show her feelings here, in both good and bad ways. And then she brings up Mutsuki, as if he's betraying his sister's memory or something. But I wonder if that's just an excuse for her jealousy.
Things are really coming to a head in Hinata's...uh...head.
taken by sin
For some strange reason, Yayoi uses the same words that Sakuya did just a little while ago, referring to herself as an idol. What are the chances of that?
And here we see that Mutsuki's name is apparently "夢月", the characters meaning "dream" and "moon". Now recall that Keyword entry about REM/LEM. That one had the same simultaneous connections to the moon and dreams. (Incidentally, I checked in the original Japanese, and it seems her name is spelled that way before this point. So this reveal is a little late in the translation.)
the door separated from time
Yet another story that references Alice in Wonderland, I see. It must be rather popular in Japan.
End of session 02. Now time for the full session:
Route A—Session 02 (full)
#8, originally posted Feb 24 2016, 07:52 AM
Sorry, it's been a few days. I had some things going on that were distracting me. But now I'm back. This will be a shorter session (I started hungry, and it got too much for me to continue :D ), but I plan to follow it up quickly with something longer.
Route A—Session 03, part 1: Loneliness
Hinata plays heavy metal to plants, returns Yumi's ID card (with a little surprise), dreams of a strange place where a mysterious person resides, and gets a call from Sakuya.
Notes:
Spoiler: click to toggle
to a smiling girl
I can't help wondering how Hinata didn't notice there were two people standing in front of his door. Was Yumi standing directly behind her sister or something? Or was he just that distracted by his irritation?
Yumi seems rather perceptive when she notices Hinata's loneliness.
manipulative evidence
I'm a little surprised there's no Keyword entry for "lucid dream", given how many other terms are given them. Maybe the concept is more widely known in Japan?
Since I've gone through this route before, I recognize this place in Hinata's dream.
Also, even "I" is in curly braces. Does this mean to suggest that this isn't really Hinata or something? Will all of these special terms get their own Keyword entries eventually, or will they be revealed by some other means?
And then, a (literally) shadowy figure appears, just before Hinata wakes up. That figure looks vaguely familiar.
I can't help wondering how Hinata didn't notice there were two people standing in front of his door. Was Yumi standing directly behind her sister or something? Or was he just that distracted by his irritation?
Yumi seems rather perceptive when she notices Hinata's loneliness.
manipulative evidence
I'm a little surprised there's no Keyword entry for "lucid dream", given how many other terms are given them. Maybe the concept is more widely known in Japan?
Since I've gone through this route before, I recognize this place in Hinata's dream.
Also, even "I" is in curly braces. Does this mean to suggest that this isn't really Hinata or something? Will all of these special terms get their own Keyword entries eventually, or will they be revealed by some other means?
And then, a (literally) shadowy figure appears, just before Hinata wakes up. That figure looks vaguely familiar.
#9, originally posted Feb 25 2016, 09:21 AM
Route A—Session 03, part 2: Awaken!
Sakuya visits, and then drags Hinata out into town (I suppose you could call it an improvised date). He remembers a scene from childhood, then inadvertently makes her cry. The strange man (?) shows up and rebukes him for some reason. He finally reads Mitsuhiko's letter, and has another dream about Mutsuki.
Notes:
Spoiler: click to toggle
crybaby and hothead
Hinata thinks Sakuya is different in some way. Well, as she says, people change, so that may well be all there is to it. However, considering the message a little later on, this seems like something to at least pay attention to.
More questionable advances in technology. Hologram chat means the participants don't have to meet face-to-face to be... well, "face-to-face", so to speak. It has its good points, like having a level of intimacy that normally only comes from being physically present with someone. But on the other hand, I can't help thinking that it's troubling. The fact that the imagery can be fabricated means you can't truly know if what you're looking at is the truth.
So Sakuya forgot not only Hinata but herself as well, when they were younger?? (BTW, given that they were in elementary school already, they couldn't have been any younger than 6 at that point, though they might have been somewhat older.) What the heck happened to her? It's pretty strange when you think about it. I suppose it could have just been due to some trauma, but again, in light of something that comes up a little later, it's a little suspicious.
Who is this man(?) driving the Diabolos, what reason does he have to get in the middle of someone else's affairs? Just because he's making a girl cry isn't nearly enough reason. Why did he choose that moment to show up, and how did he know? Also, how does he know Hinata? He's a really mysterious person.
idly writing away
A four-leaf clover. Any significance, beyond the background laid out in the story? In any case, Mitsuhiko seems to think it's extremely important. I can't imagine just how, though. The only clues seem to be the fact that it was grown in a certain place familiar to both Hinata and Mutsuki, and that Mitsuhiko is a molecular biologist. This makes me wonder if some biological property of the leaves is important. But beyond that, I don't know.
And then, he brings up the mother as if her condition is related to Mutsuki's disappearance. Why would that be? Did she just get sick with worry? Or is it something else? In any case, it's troubling.
And then the most troubling part: "a somewhat unnatural part about her very existence itself." What in the world could that mean?
Finally, he signs some sort of handle along with his name. The name of another Babylonian god. One can't help but realize that Babylon will be significant in this story. There will of course be more about Shamash later, so I'll refrain from saying any more for the time being.
And a creepy other-worldly being decides to make its own comment. Hey, you! I'm already doing that job! :D But seriously, why is not seeing his father vs. not talking to his father important? Maybe it relates to what I felt about those "That's why I..." things, that eventually we'll be able to make choices to change the direction of the story.
who abandoned that?
The moon and rabbits. This theme just doesn't stop. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I've always liked that association.
Hinata thinks Sakuya is different in some way. Well, as she says, people change, so that may well be all there is to it. However, considering the message a little later on, this seems like something to at least pay attention to.
More questionable advances in technology. Hologram chat means the participants don't have to meet face-to-face to be... well, "face-to-face", so to speak. It has its good points, like having a level of intimacy that normally only comes from being physically present with someone. But on the other hand, I can't help thinking that it's troubling. The fact that the imagery can be fabricated means you can't truly know if what you're looking at is the truth.
So Sakuya forgot not only Hinata but herself as well, when they were younger?? (BTW, given that they were in elementary school already, they couldn't have been any younger than 6 at that point, though they might have been somewhat older.) What the heck happened to her? It's pretty strange when you think about it. I suppose it could have just been due to some trauma, but again, in light of something that comes up a little later, it's a little suspicious.
Who is this man(?) driving the Diabolos, what reason does he have to get in the middle of someone else's affairs? Just because he's making a girl cry isn't nearly enough reason. Why did he choose that moment to show up, and how did he know? Also, how does he know Hinata? He's a really mysterious person.
idly writing away
A four-leaf clover. Any significance, beyond the background laid out in the story? In any case, Mitsuhiko seems to think it's extremely important. I can't imagine just how, though. The only clues seem to be the fact that it was grown in a certain place familiar to both Hinata and Mutsuki, and that Mitsuhiko is a molecular biologist. This makes me wonder if some biological property of the leaves is important. But beyond that, I don't know.
And then, he brings up the mother as if her condition is related to Mutsuki's disappearance. Why would that be? Did she just get sick with worry? Or is it something else? In any case, it's troubling.
And then the most troubling part: "a somewhat unnatural part about her very existence itself." What in the world could that mean?
Finally, he signs some sort of handle along with his name. The name of another Babylonian god. One can't help but realize that Babylon will be significant in this story. There will of course be more about Shamash later, so I'll refrain from saying any more for the time being.
And a creepy other-worldly being decides to make its own comment. Hey, you! I'm already doing that job! :D But seriously, why is not seeing his father vs. not talking to his father important? Maybe it relates to what I felt about those "That's why I..." things, that eventually we'll be able to make choices to change the direction of the story.
who abandoned that?
The moon and rabbits. This theme just doesn't stop. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I've always liked that association.
End of session 03. Here's the full session video:
Route A—Session 03 (full)
And a few extra notes for the full session only:
Spoiler: click to toggle
to a smiling girl
Just a quibble, but they should try to be consistent about the spelling of "doppelgänger". It has the umlaut in German, but when taken into English, that umlaut may disappear. I don't really care either way, but it should at least be consistent.
Biocomputer: It'd be pretty cool to be able to interface one's brain to networks. This reminds me of Ghost in the Shell (any incarnation). But just as in GitS, wouldn't that open up the possibility of having one's brain cracked? Also, they're being realistic here about the biological reality, with regard to immune response. I'm not sure I'd want to rely on drugs for the rest of my life to stay alive, just to have cool enhanced abilities.
Cyborg: This confirms the existence of cyborgs in this world, as well as supporting my suspicion that Diabolos driver has at least a cyborg left arm.
crybaby and hothead
And even video chat seems to have this reality problem. I guess it spells the end of video being usable as evidence, at least.
Just a quibble, but they should try to be consistent about the spelling of "doppelgänger". It has the umlaut in German, but when taken into English, that umlaut may disappear. I don't really care either way, but it should at least be consistent.
Biocomputer: It'd be pretty cool to be able to interface one's brain to networks. This reminds me of Ghost in the Shell (any incarnation). But just as in GitS, wouldn't that open up the possibility of having one's brain cracked? Also, they're being realistic here about the biological reality, with regard to immune response. I'm not sure I'd want to rely on drugs for the rest of my life to stay alive, just to have cool enhanced abilities.
Cyborg: This confirms the existence of cyborgs in this world, as well as supporting my suspicion that Diabolos driver has at least a cyborg left arm.
crybaby and hothead
And even video chat seems to have this reality problem. I guess it spells the end of video being usable as evidence, at least.
#10, originally posted Feb 26 2016, 11:52 AM
Route A—Session 04, part 1: Moon Bunny
Hinata looks in Mutsuki's room and remembers another childhood memory. Tragic news strikes, while his classmates talk more about Babylon and LEM. He goes to talk to Yayoi one last time before Golden Week. Then he and Sakuya have a conversation about their childhood, interrupted by a voice mail from a familiar address.
Notes:
Spoiler: click to toggle
who abandoned that?
I don't really know what young Hinata means when he says there was something "off" about the name "Moon Bunny". But I myself feel there is something off about the whole thing. He says she should think of it as him. But here's the thing: Mutsuki is the one whose name refers to the moon. The name "Hinata", on the other hand, refers to the sun. So why associate him with the moon like that? The same goes for the rabbit he gave to Sakuya, as "Saku" can mean "new moon". Of course, to the Japanese, it's natural to associate rabbits and the moon.
So, there seems to be a connection between Mutsuki and Sakuya, beyond them just being childhood friends. But I don't understand it very well right now. Just another thing to file away for later.
know the unknown
If you listen to the announcer's voice, you can hear the word "sakuya". In this case, it means "last night". Probably just a coincidence, but interesting nonetheless.
Five days sure is a long time to stay awake. I've occasionally stayed up for a couple of days, but five days is hard to imagine doing.
Reiterating what I said in the video, "mutsuki@anu&ki.com" is an invalid email address, because of the "&" in the hostname part. The sub-domains (separated by dots) can only contain letters, numbers, and hyphens. (There are so-called internationalized domain names that can have non-ASCII characters in them, but that's another matter entirely and doesn't seem to address forbidden ASCII characters.) In addition, a sub-domain cannot begin or end with a hyphen. BTW, I forgot about hyphens when I was speaking, so my commentary is slightly incorrect.
I had a thought, though. Maybe the "&" is a stand-in for the hiragana character な (na), as in: anuなki. There is a vague similarity between them. I don't know if it was written with the "&" in the original Japanese text, or if the translation introduced it. I'll have to check on that. (EDIT: it's the same in the original.)
I don't really know what young Hinata means when he says there was something "off" about the name "Moon Bunny". But I myself feel there is something off about the whole thing. He says she should think of it as him. But here's the thing: Mutsuki is the one whose name refers to the moon. The name "Hinata", on the other hand, refers to the sun. So why associate him with the moon like that? The same goes for the rabbit he gave to Sakuya, as "Saku" can mean "new moon". Of course, to the Japanese, it's natural to associate rabbits and the moon.
So, there seems to be a connection between Mutsuki and Sakuya, beyond them just being childhood friends. But I don't understand it very well right now. Just another thing to file away for later.
know the unknown
If you listen to the announcer's voice, you can hear the word "sakuya". In this case, it means "last night". Probably just a coincidence, but interesting nonetheless.
Five days sure is a long time to stay awake. I've occasionally stayed up for a couple of days, but five days is hard to imagine doing.
Reiterating what I said in the video, "mutsuki@anu&ki.com" is an invalid email address, because of the "&" in the hostname part. The sub-domains (separated by dots) can only contain letters, numbers, and hyphens. (There are so-called internationalized domain names that can have non-ASCII characters in them, but that's another matter entirely and doesn't seem to address forbidden ASCII characters.) In addition, a sub-domain cannot begin or end with a hyphen. BTW, I forgot about hyphens when I was speaking, so my commentary is slightly incorrect.
I had a thought, though. Maybe the "&" is a stand-in for the hiragana character な (na), as in: anuなki. There is a vague similarity between them. I don't know if it was written with the "&" in the original Japanese text, or if the translation introduced it. I'll have to check on that. (EDIT: it's the same in the original.)
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