matsuyuki

After the madness of Ariake's route, Shinbanshi's felt surprisingly light and refreshing. Once Oosaki gained a bit of his trust by convincing him he really isn't Daiba Shizuma, everything went quite smoothly (most people died, but still). Shinbashi-san is the most cat-like character ever! Lots of moe, very tsundere, I enjoyed watching him gradually open up.

My respect for Shinbashi also increased a lot. My impression from Ariake's route is that he is smart, but a coward that cannot fire a gun to save his life, uncollaborative and someone you'd rather have on your side instead of having one of his schemes thrown at you. My impressions were confirmed right and without his animosity directed at Oosaki, he proved to be a great ally for him. Observant, a quick thinker, cautious and far-sighted, but also self-preserving and not as naive as Oosaki can be: they are indeed a very good match. However, while his providence and prudence constantly came in clutch, at the end of the day it's nothing but the positive side of the coin of his deep-rooted paranoia, which really was the cherry on top of this delicious cherry-filled cake. Without it, the insanity quota wouldn't have been met.

On the other hand, my boy Oosaki restored some aura points in this route. Without someone actively working to lead him astray (morally, I mean) he proved to be a competent detective after all. All he needs is someone to doubt in the goodness of others for him and he's set (yikes).

Rather than falling in love, it felt like these two tamed each other (Oosaki obeying Shinbashi's signals, Shinbashi trusting Oosaki enough to let him bind him and give his necklace to Hinode). When Oosaki confessed I had "mhm." reaction, because while it was "cute" and I do love their relationship, they never got close enough for me to believe they're in love and after Ariake's route in particular it's a comparatively shallow "romance" (Ariake did touch the depths of Oosaki's heart but he also did whatever he wanted with it, so there's that). And then! My goat! Kurosawa Rinko-sensei! Tied it all with a ribbon in the end! The fact that Oosaki can't trust Shinbashi enough to sleep by his side, how in Shinbashi's profile you unlock at the end is written that because of his grandmother's teaching he blew Oosaki's confession out of proportion in his own mind and the way Oosaki notes in his own mind that Shinbashi killed his brother in rainy day like this one. These pieces put together complete the picture beautifully. Oosaki did say something interesting about it too, but I'm not confident enough in my translation (or trust google translate enough) to report it here (I would be so embarrassed if I got it wrong).

EDIT: It's been a few days since when I wrote this post and I think I was the one being too skeptical when commenting on ooshin's relationship. My interpretation of Redon (see the random thoughts section) was so pessimistic, too. I blame the stress from work and exams as the reason I sounded so negative about it (I feel so doomed that everything else seems just as doomed to me, I'm going through it guys). I actually think they're just a step or two away from love. They chose to trust each other when their life depended on it, Oosaki captivated by Shinbashi to the point he tried to learn as much as possible about him and looked for him and when they finally met he made it clear he chose him even after all he learned, which I'm sure means a lot to Shinbashi. The fact he knows nothing about Oosaki and his paranoia definitely threaten the delicate balance between them, but if they manage to open up to each other and keep building up the trust between them I'm sure they'll be fine. If not, the dangerous "one wrong move and we're doomed" vibe I get from them is very interesting as well, but they already survived together once, so I am also hopeful they will be able to live together as well.

To be honest, I feel a bit insane about the way Shinbashi's behaviour flipped when they finally met again outside the island and then flipped again after Oosaki confessed to him. Even before that, it was really fun to watch Shinbashi dropping his defenses and showing more of his vulnerable side. The fact he ended up being a the clingy type of lover that constantly needs reassurance is very ironic but also kinda makes sense for someone so skeptical. In other words, I love my pathetic cat boy.

I also love the way Oosaki and Ariake's relationship developed this time around, even if it didn't take centre stage. Is this actually gonna be the evil version of Minakami and Tamamori in the sense that their relationship is gonna haunt every single route from now on? Because I'd love that. Oosaki did keep his promise to protect Ariake said they're "each other's beacon of light", while also seeing through his schemes. I loved their last scene together at the pier and that they're still seeing each other after escaping the island. I feel very content in this aspect. Whatever was going on with them during Ariake's route was more interesting, but I'm a soft-hearted gal and I genuinely felt heart-broken for Oosaki during Ariake's ending B. I wasn't unhappy with ending A, but it felt like suddenly receiving candy after being punched repeatedly in the face and that sentiment overtook any positive feeling that ending could have given me.

Good for you, Ariake. Good for you.

Now, time for some random thoughts!

There was barely a mystery about who there murderers were. Info from the previous route helped and Oosaki and Shinbashi were constantly exchanging information (which helped a lot, especially thanks to the cat boy's precautions), but even then no one pulled any big brain schemes this time around. The overarching mystery of who the client is is still the most interesting one and we did get some big hints and some answers as well!

My impression of Aomi turned out to be wrong! What is going on with him? I thought he might be a "detective" type of character, but he was the evil mastermind of this route! Despite being so sharp, he ended up dead again and this time by his own end... It reminded me of the stereotypical ending scene at the top of the cliff you see in Japanese detective dramas, where the villan ends up swallowed by the sea, leaving only questions and regrets behind. Looking forward to his route more than ever before! I cannot imagine how that might go at all honestly (especially since it's Kurosawa-sensei we're talking about)!

I expected Takeshiba to be a more cowardly killer and instead he really went for it! In front of everyone no less! And so violently! He did seem the kind to be impulsive and resentful, so I'm not surprised he was driven by anger when suddenly cornered. I just thought it would be something more underhanded, but there was probably no need since they were ready to dispose of everyone anyway.

About that... that's a terrifying way to die. I't might appear in my nightmares from now on. If Aomi had been meticulous enough to tie Shinbashi again or had taken notice of their alliance, they might have been done for. Oosaki trying to break free after realizing Shinkiba would have found his body after dying this way did make my eyes a bit moist.

My opinion on Toyosu and Shijomae did not change and neither did my suspicions about Hinode. Why did he not grab Oosaki at the end? It might have been the fact that it was all too much to bear and he'd rather die at this point, but I'm not convinced. He disappeared in both endings and I'm convinced it's on purpose.

Shinbashi telling Ariake "you're not acting, you simply can't control your emotion, huh?" was objectively a bit funny. Personally, I found it hilarious.

Shinagawa calling Shinbashi timid, lonely and with an inflated sense of pride based on vibes was also funny.

I hate any type of sheep-and-wolves puzzle because no matter how many times I encounter it I never remember the way to properly solve it without trial and error. Not that there was any puzzle to solve (and it's only 4 people so it's way easier), but the boat shenanigans at the end reminded me of it and I wanted to complain.

More 自分 shenanigans in this route, but this time I think it's way easier to localize.

Man, do I even like Ariake? I honestly don't know at this point. I feel I still don't understand him and the fact I can't read his profile despite completing two of his endings validates my feelings. I just know this motherfucker is going to haunt the following routes (and my braincells along with it).

Because of his design I expected Oosaki to be the cold, distant and rational type of detective and, while I was proved wrong from the start, he turned out to be way more emotional and fragile than he seemed by the end of the journey. Untangling the amount of trauma, self-loathing, suicidal behavior and many other feelings inside him is something that would be more appropriate to do in a serious character analysis rather than in this quick, thoughtless rant, so I'm not going to delve deep into his characterization or backstory at all, but I do have A LOT of thoughts about him. Seeing him struggle to be a good person no matter what (which is a slippery slope and recipe for disaster) and the guilt that goes along with that wish broke my heart as I was reading. Which is why it was so terrifying to watch Ariake purposely and gradually tangle Oosaki's feelings even further, how Oosaki continuously —both unconsciously and consciously— ignored any suspicions towards him, Oosaki's selective mutism being triggered more and more often, how Oosaki ended up disregarding or twisting his morals and principles for that little shit.

At some point I expected some kind of "moral redemption" for Ariake in the eyes of the reader, but that never really happened and my view of him as bad person was never challenged. I respect it, honestly. The worst thing is that beyond all the terrible, manipulative stuff he has done, there are many moments you can tell he's acting and talking genuinely and to me those are the moments that actually doomed our boy Oosaki and it's also what creeps me out most about him. He's not a straight-foward kind of evil, there's nuance to it (and by that I don't mean "oh, but he has trauma :(", we're at the mentally ill convention, everyone has trauma). I said I don't know if I like him, but I've been thinking about him the most.

At some point everyone saw through him and realized what he was scheming and he still got what he wanted, so props to him for that. Well played.

This is where I'm stuck. I don't know how to put down my full thoughts on him or his feelings for Oosaki. I'm missing something and that bothers me so much I don't know how to write about him. What I can tell you for sure is that I cheered when Oosaki said he was going to kill Ariake and then kill himself (I was surprised of my own feelings) and I was then disappointed when Ariake played him like a fiddle once again. I just felt like it would be a good ending for them, but what we got was a more coherent one. Still, remaining stuck in the limbo of their relationship is way scarier and more miserable than death to me so I considered a form of mercy for both of them. I wonder if there are epilogues like the ones that have been written for Hashihime. What could their future possibly look like?

Some other random thoughts:

Daiba Shizuma acts so obviously evil and malicious, my reasoning looped around and I started to think he cannot possibly be too bad. I was surprised that motherfucker did lie and actually sent Oosaki to die in his stead (or did he trust Oosaki to pull through?).

I love Shinkiba and Shinagawa!! The fact Oosaki trusts Shinkiba to come for him the whole time, the fact he doesn't want to make them sad by dying, how relieved he is to see them when he awakens, the blood transfusion and Shinkiba saying they now also share the same blood... It really warms my heart after all the horrors Oosaki went through. Also! Shinkiba is the parent of the year for doing all he can to protect Oosaki from coming into contact with Daiba and Ariake after he comes back. Didn't work, but still.

Shinbashi's arrogance makes me want to see him humbled. I also think that, while he seems to be smart, he has some clear weak points. I want to put him on a leash.

I want to learn more about Aomi. He didn't speak much but he was clearly observing everyone and he was shown to have great intuition. When Oosaki was thinking about "And Then There Were None" and asking himself which would be his role, my my instinct pointed to Aomi as the actual detective of the story, but I wouldn't bet any money on this theory.

Shiodome is so disturbing, I am NOT looking forward to his route AT ALL!! That thing CANNOT be a love interest!! LOOK AT HIM!!

Toyosu is soooo suspicious and for some reason he has creepy demon eyes. He might be the client, but I think he is a tool and acts on the client's behalf instead. Definitely not trustworthy.

Hinode is my main candidate as the client at the moment based on vibes only. Ok, not vibes only, but it's an option that requires you to suspend your disbelief quite a bit. It's just that he's in a position that allows him to pulls the strings relatively easily as long as he has an accomplice. I also don't think he just died in the fire. But tbh idk. I will be watching him closely.

Shijomae is a piece of shit and a coward. I will be surprised if he actually turns out to have any major role beyond that.

I wonder if war and the military is a major motif/theme/I-don't-know-what-to-call-it in other Adelta/Kurosawa works as well. It's inevitable to some extent because of the time period Ooe and Hashihime are set in, but it definitely feels like that's not all there is to it.

The soundtrack is on the minimalist side this time. The music that is there is good, but most of the time it's either silence, the sound of the rain or the waves. During the sex scenes you can hear the bed cracking or them going plap plap plap. Nice.

The art is beautiful! I love the red, green, black and white color scheme. I'm under the impression that CGs for scenes not strictly related to the events of the islands are slightly more colorful, but I didn't go back to actually check if it's true. Everyone having dark hair, red eyes, paper white skin and mourning clothes works very well. I like the CGs where you can see a lot of character together, they look great. They look cohesive but very different from each other at the same time. Not to mention the atmosphere the whole thing has. Unironically, these CGs have insane aura.

Everyone seems to be associated to an animal and at first I thought they had to be the animals from the Chinese Zodiac, but now I'm not sure. Some have already been mentioned by the narration already (Ariake-rabbit, Shinbashi-cat, Aomi-snake, Shijomae-tiger).

With so many Buddhist elements present, I am once again reminded to lock in for my History of Japanese Religion and Philosophy exam that is coming up very soon instead of reading blvns...

Man, I should read "And Then There Were None"! A lot of things I love are heavily inspired by it and it feels like mandatory reading for any mystery fun, but at this point there's an aria of mystique and sanctity around it in my mind and reading it will dissipate it (it's silly, I know).

Since the localization has been announced, I wonder what they're gonna do about the way Oosaki refers to himself? I thought it was peculiar how Oosaka referred to himself as 自分 the whole time, but it turned out it was important characterization and foreshadowing. What will happen to that scene in the English version? I'm very curious and looking forward to it.