#kano refs

“ 2 years ago ”

Ayano [as Japanese 10th grader] initially ‘dies’ / enters the Daze.

Does not happen in Manga Route 2

Instead, the Mekakushi Trio kick her out due to disagreeing with her later revealed motives.

Has not yet had her birthday (Nov 22nd) due to dying August 15th. Chronologically would be 15 years old at death.

Shintaro is in the same school year as her, however, he’s already had his birthday [April 30; Japanese school year begins April 1st] so he would be the older one. He’s still in the same school year as her, which contains the ages of 15~16.

(Ayano would chronologically be closer to 15 when she initially ‘dies’; Shintaro already 16. They’re still close in age.)

Haruka [11th grade] initially ‘dies’.

Konoha is ‘born’ as a separate being. has an ‘immortal body’

Haruka remains trapped in the Daze.

Has not yet had his birthday (December 24) due to dying August 15th. Chronologically between 16 and 17 years old, but still has some 4-5 months left until his birthday, compared to Ayano and Hibiya (both November / earlier).

Konoha: appears created within the Daze.

Likely August 15th.

Unknown if he “chooses” a birthday like Mary does.

As of most major Routes / timelines, does not appear to reach December 24th, much less October.

Takane [11th grade; same as Haruka] initially ‘dies’.

Becomes Ene. ‘immortal spirit’

same personality / memories (for the most part)

Momo is in Junior high school [as an 8th grader.]

Momo met Haruka, Takane, and Ayano [Novels Route] while she’s still a Junior high schooler. [Over the Dimension; Novel 6]

Kano, Kido, and Seto are a grade below Ayano & Shintaro, all three being in the 9th grade

Ayano and Shintaro were in 10th.

Haruka and Takane were in 11th.

“second year of high school”

Kano, Kido, and Seto were in 9th.

all one grade above Momo.

Momo was in 8th. [Junior High school] (bonus):

“ When I got to eighth grade, I didn’t enjoy being in the club anymore, so I decided to quit and spent my time after school aimlessly shopping around town. It was around that time that the number of agencies who scouted me started increasing. I refused them at first, but when the agency that I’m currently working under contacted me, my mom’s work wasn’t going well at the time, so I took up the offer to help a little with the living expenses. ” [Kisaragi Attention; Novels Route - Momo]

Sometime in the future of “ 2 years ago ”, but before present day

Manga Route 2 particularly / notably; various other Routes as well: Ene enters Shintaro’s computer.

Momo is still in Junior high school.

Ene befriends Shintaro and later, Momo. [Manga Route 2]

Ene picks out Momo’s “aun” phrasing pink hoodie.  [Manga Route 2]

The Mekakushi Trio “leave the Tateyama household”

This occurs in pretty much every major Route.

However, it is much more notable during Manga Route 2.

Spring of the present year: Momo enters high school.

Going chronologically, it’s only possible for Momo to be 15 at the start of the series. [conflicting age] “ ——I had just enrolled at this school this spring.” - Momo, Kisaragi Attention chapter [Novels Route]

This is when Momo would have her 15th birthday

February 14th - Momo’s birthday.

“ the year before last year ” - Momo’s high school is remodeled. “ The year before last year, the four-story school was rebuilt and designed in a western style; a uselessly fashionable building.” - Momo, Kisaragi Attention chapter [Novels Route] (i.e. Momo is clarifying she enrolled in the spring, while “the year before last year”, the same school was remodeled before she entered it.)

(about) “ 5 years ago ”

Momo (primary schooler) drowns at the beach, her and Shintaro’s father being the price for her resurrection / initially ‘dies’. “  Strangely enough, no matter what I do, I attract the “eyes” of people around me. ” “ In my later years of elementary school, something I drew just happened to catch the attention of a well-known author. It became the cover of one of their novels, and on top of that, the novel became a huge hit. ” [^ both quotes, Momo, Kisaragi Attention (Novels Route) ]

Around this time, Momo’s snake also leaves Azami (confirmed by Azami herself; later theorized by Shintaro + Ayano while Hibiya is also present, after Hibiya’s seen Azami’s memories.) Shintaro is aware of what’s happening to Momo during elementary. [^ confirmed via Manga Route 2]

“ 10 years ago ”

The Dan’s estimate of when all of these events began [Novels] as well as for how long the timelines have been repeating.

Take note: the Dan might be wrong / might not have all info.

A “monster” speaks to Kano [Yobanashi Deceive pv] [Music Route]

in Novels Route, this “monster” is Clearing Eyes.

Kano confirms later on he won’t listen to Saeru anymore. [^ Novels Route]

Kano also confirms Kenjirou maybe doesn’t remember anything that happens to him while possessed. (as far as he knows) [^ Novels Route]

“ from the very start ”

Manga Route 2: Saeru [Clearing Eyes] possesses Hibiya.

Ayano asked when the snake entered Hibiya’s body

“[ from the very start ].”

“long before” he killed Kido and before Hibiya met Ayano.

“ some hundreds of times ” [ “some hundreds” ]

The speaker of “Imaginary Reload” (presumed Mary) mentions this has repeated some “hundreds of times” now.

“ until October 7, 2200 ″

Sign seen during MCA Route [only].

“Construction of a pedestrian bridge is currently taking place until October 7, 2200″.

Obon / Bon Festival

Mentioned by Kenjirou to Momo in Novels [Kisaragi Attention].

The festival of Obon lasts for three days; however its starting date varies within different regions of Japan. When the lunar calendar was changed to the Gregorian calendar at the beginning of the Meiji era, the localities in Japan reacted differently and this resulted in three different times of Obon. "Shichigatsu Bon" ("Bon in July") is based on the solar calendar and is celebrated around 15 July in eastern Japan (Kantō region such as Tokyo, Yokohama and the Tōhoku region), coinciding with Chūgen. "Hachigatsu Bon" (Bon in August) is based on the lunar calendar, is celebrated around the 15th of August and is the most commonly celebrated time. "Kyū Bon" (Old Bon) is celebrated on the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, and so differs each year. "Kyū Bon" is celebrated in areas like the northern part of the Kantō region, Chūgoku region, Shikoku, and the Okinawa Prefecture. These three days are not listed as public holidays but it is customary that people are given leave.

Mentioned by Hiyori Asahina in Novels Route [Kagerou Daze I]: "Heh, the truth is, my brother-in-law [Kenjirou] is her [Momo]'s school teacher. An idol as a student, like, seriously! A moment ago he called me and said, 'I'll help you get her signature, why don't you come here and have fun during the Obon?' Sooo, I was planning to go there as a trip, but my parents went mad, saying 'you don't even bother to study well, but you're still playing tricks like this~', things like that."

Obon -> (through to?) “ next week ” (mentioned above):

“Took a lot out of you, huh. Anyway, there’s going to be a [school test] retake next week so…… Try as hard as you can.” - Kenjirou to Momo, Kisaragi Attention Chapter (cont. below):

Kenjirou: “Well, take it easy. I’m sure that you’re still not used to this school yet, and don’t you have a concert next week?” 　　 Momo: “Ah……! Yes…… I do……” 　　 ( ..... ) 　　 Kenjirou: “Well, don’t push yourself too hard…… Anyway, you should get going now. Didn’t you say you had a filming for a drama today or something?” 　　Momo: “Yes… Ah, wait! Class is going to start! I still have time!” 　　 Kenjirou: “It’s written here in the schedule for supplementary lessons, isn’t it? Since it’s Obon, 10th graders only go to first period today. You have the next three days off. Why don’t look at the schedule for once…” 　　Momo:  “Ehhh?! Ah, you’re right……” 　　 Looking at the schedule he took out, there really was only one lesson today. 　　 Don’t tell me he found out that I’ve attending my supplementary classes without looking at the schedule like this…… 　　Momo:  “Err…… Well, I’ll see you in three days!” 　　 Kenjirou: “Yeah. It would be bad if you didn’t take a break on Obon. Well, I’m going home, so be careful on your way back.” 　　 Momo: “I’ll be fine! I’ll take my leave for today!”

‘ Otsukimi ’ / Tsukimi (Moon Viewing)

[see: Otsukimi Recital ; mention of “viewing the moon” in “My Funny Weekend” (Mekakucity Reload)]

Tsukimi (月見) or Otsukimi (お月見), literally moon-viewing, also known as Jugoya (十五夜), are Japanese festivals honoring the autumn moon, a variant of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The celebration of the full moon typically takes place on the 15th day of the eighth month of the traditional Japanese calendar; the waxing moon is celebrated on the 13th day of the ninth month. These days normally fall in September and October of the modern solar calendar. The tradition dates to the Heian era, and is now so popular in Japan that some people repeat the activities for several evenings following the appearance of the full moon during the eighth lunisolar month. Date: September or October

“ decades ”

“ This cycle has repeated for decades. I’d realized that a long time ago. ” - Hibiya Amamiya, “Kagerou Daze” songs’ lyrics [Music Route]

“ over ten years ”

“I’ve been stuck in this tiny village for over 10 years.” - Hibiya Amamiya, Kagerou Daze I [The Children Reason] [^ Novels Route] [Note: Hibiya is given an official age of 12 in MCA.] [Hibiya would age to 13 by end of MCA (before everyone else).] [Hiyori was given the exact same age, despite being about 4 months apart from Hibiya. Hiyori’s age is more likely to be conflicting due to her birthday being March, placing her on the younger end of a Japanese school year.] [It is unknown if Jin did this for some intentional reason, but their ages, unlike Momo’s, don’t conflict nearly as much with the rest of the casts’. Again, may be for intentional reason.]

"and my short, 10+ years of life will be a lackluster thing that I won't be able to remember, too." - Hibiya Amamiya, Kagerou Daze I [The Children Reason] [^ Novels Route]

August 18th -> “three days have passed” [since then] [Manga Route 2]

“ The scene changed to Kano in front of the TV, hearing news about the incident. Apparently, three days have passed since then. ”

Extended info from “Kisaragi Attention” chapter and etc. continued! [ *this post may be updated as needed ] [ *bolded and italics in this post are my emphasis]

　 “I’ve got time to spare, huh…… Hm?” 　　 When I looked at my watch, it still showed as 8:15 A.M. I was taken aback for a second, but then I remembered that it had stopped this morning. It was my favorite watch that Mom bought for me last year as a birthday present. Its life was too short. I don’t remember handling it too roughly as to quicken its death, so it’s probably just a dead battery. When I get home, I’ll have my stupid brother look at it. 　　 I took out my touch screen phone that had a gaudy pink case. Even though I had a cell phone, I only really used it for work-related things. 　　 If I used it to talk about a favorite T.V. show or about love with a close friend every night, I’d probably be a professional with this device. But when it comes to T.V. shows, I only really watch historical dramas, and I don’t even have a friend to talk to about that, let alone love…… 　　 Although I could more or less grasp the reason for that, it wasn’t really a bad thing. It’s just that each time my phone is in my hand, I find myself hit with an unexplainable feeling of emptiness. That’s why I didn’t like this device. 　　 “9:30, huh…… The filming is at 2, so I have to be home by 1……” 　　 I tapped the screen of my phone and opened my planner, and the tumultuous business schedule was displayed. Under August 14 was the filming for the drama at 2, a live performance on a radio talk show at 6, and then rehearsal for a concert, all closely written together. 　　 Today, my manager is supposed to come pick me up at my house at 1 o’clock. 　　 Even though I’ve gotten used to it, my extremely packed schedule recently made me really depressed. The latest concert had gotten everyone talking about me again, and the subsequent deluge of job offers was making a huge change in my lifestyle. It looks like next week’s concert that’s supposed to commemorate my single which released today is going to be a one-man show, despite it being so soon after my CD’s release.

　　 While I am happy about it, I’ve got nothing but bad memories about the song. 　　 The main reason is that on the day of the recording, my manager got extremely mad at me because I had gotten a bad cold and couldn’t help but sing in a nasally voice. But the producer loved it and said that it “very well represented the dilemma an adolescent girl would go through facing an unrequited love,” and ended up being on the CD. 　　 At the time, I didn’t feel like it actually happened due to my fever, but sometime later on, my nasally song started to drift into the town, and my meal sizes got halved. For the time being, things were fine since it was still summer break* [*of the previous year], but as I thought about how in the world I would face the people at school next semester, I grew even more depressed. 　　 I felt the energy leave my body with a sigh. The suffocating heat didn’t help, either. 　　 I had been breaking in and out of a busy sweat, but I could slowly feel my forehead starting to sweat again. 　　 “I guess I should go home……” 　　 There was no point in staying here. I put my phone away in my pocket and stood up from my seat. 　　 I felt a slight cooling sensation as I freed my leg that stuck to the chair and tried to look far off into the distance. On the other side of the school you could hear various shouts and cheering echoing on the grounds. 　　 Those voices, which could probably be called “youth,” felt somehow distant from me, and for some reason, made me feel like I was being rushed. 　　 As I began to walk and sighed for the umpteenth time, I found a flyer placed on the table that the schoolgirls were sitting earlier. 　　 It looked like a flyer that came from a new knick-knack shop in front of a train station with characters cluttered together in colorful, round lettering. 　　 The giant “August 13th and 14th” seemed to be jumping out from the paper, which meant that the event was yesterday and today* [*August 14th]. 　　 After looking around carefully, I picked up the flyer. 　　 And at that moment, I couldn’t believe my own eyes.

　　 “……!!!”

　　 In all honesty, I had no interest in a knick-knack shop like this, but this one thing at the very, very bottom, which was probably only there to fill up space on the flyer, was an unbelievably cute charm listed as a “Benisake-chan Strap.” 　　 Since the picture was rather small, I could only get the gist of what it looked like, but just by the silhouette of the legs that were clearly in a place where legs shouldn’t be, I could tell that it held exceptional talent. 　　 I swallowed the drool that was pooling in my mouth, and anxiously checked my surroundings again. 　　 If you looked at the flyer, you could clearly see “Limited time offer!” written, although it wasn’t very clear what the offer was for.

　　 I stood there for a second and stuffed the flyer in my bag.

　　 With my hand on my hip, I drank what was left in my bottle, threw it in the trash can, and quickly left the school. ——

- Momo Kisaragi, Kisaragi Attention chapter “  9:10 A.M., August 14. ” - earlier on;  Momo Kisaragi, Kisaragi Attention chapter

Japanese school system chart, again, for your reference.

Note anyone born between January 1 - April 1 are on the younger end of their years’ class. Kido - January 02nd Momo - February 14th Hiyori - March 3rd Seto - March 28th Shintaro - April 30th Kano - May 10th [series begins: August 14 - 15, exact day varies between different Routes] besides them: Mary - July 21 [”age” 17 at present day chosen by her] Kenjirou - September 11th Hibiya - November 4th Ayano - November 22nd *did not reach her birthday Haruka - December 24th. *did not reach his birthday Takane / Ene - unknown; same grade as Haruka [*dies in her 2nd year of high school - 11th grade, as seen below] [*Takane may not have reached her birthday as well.]

present day: - Shintaro is 18 on August 14-15. - Shintaro’s birthday is April 30th, making him closer to 18. - post-series, Ayano would age to 18, following Hibiya aging first. Everyone born December of present day through to April 30th of next year would not age until after Ayano.

sometime between ““timeframe”” of “2 years ago” [Ayano’s, Takane’s, and Haruka’s deaths] -> present (timeframe wise, not Routes wise!): re: Takane dying in her second year of high school [“2 years ago”]: [*this also includes Haruka initially dying during the exact same grade.] “ When she was in her second year of high school, she lost her life when someone administered her with a drug, entering the Kagerou Daze. She is then possessed by the snake with the “Eye Opening” power, gaining an immortal spirit. ” - “Ene’s ” Introduction (2013) (Kagerou Daze Booklet; from Mekakucity Records album release) This was all also confirmed via novel 2. “  In his second year of high school, he suffers a sudden stroke and loses his life, entering into the Kagerou Daze. He is possessed by the snake of the "Awakening Eyes" ability, acquiring the ability to remake his body into one that he finds to be his "ideal." However, this put a large strain on his mind, causing [Konoha]* to lose part of his memory. ” -  Haruka’s Introduction (2013) (Kagerou Daze Booklet; from Mekakucity Records album release) * confirmed / clarified since then that Konoha is moving his body as if on auto-pilot, while Haruka watches from the Daze. Haruka is not able to see what happens to Hibiya & Hiyori / “the outside world” after Konoha is born. Takane in MCA even comments Konoha is like a completely different person. Also, in Novels Route: - when Haruka is 10 years old, Haruka’s father tells him he has “about six years left to live”. - confirmed via Novel 2 re: Momo’s drowning, about “5 years ago”: “ When she was in elementary school (lower grades), she visited the beach with her father where she got caught by the waves and drowned to death. She comes into contact with the Kagerou Daze and is possessed by the snake with the "Eye Captivating" ability, thus acquiring the power to draw an abnormal amount of attention to her personality, body, and senses. ” - Momo’s Introduction (2013) (Kagerou Daze Booklet; from Mekakucity Records album release) re: Hibiya & Hiyori ..... After being told that she wants to go to summer school to prepare for the middle school entrance exams, he is half-forced into staying for a summer in the city by Hiyori, who he has (unrequited) feelings for. They visit Hiyori's sister Ayaka's home, but because Hiyori falls for a boy they meet there, Konoha, he's hit by intense feelings of jealousy. In the middle of it he gets involved in a traffic accident while shopping with Hiyori and comes into contact with the Kagerou Daze. He is possessed by the snake of the "Eye Focusing"* abilities, and acquires the power to perceive objects and details that are far away from an aerial (bird's eye) view. - Hibiya's Introductions (2013) (Kagerou Daze Booklet; from Mekakucity Records album release) * Obviously (as you can see from this post), this happens very differently in Manga Route 2 and may also be different in future Routes. Of particular note is that as early as of 2013 planning for the series, HIYORI wanted to prepare for the middle school entrance exams. [MCA Route: Hibiya makes up the excuse to his parents of taking special classes for the summer.] + sometime between ““timeframe”” of “2 years ago” [Ayano’s, Takane’s, and Haruka’s deaths] -> present (timeframe wise, not Routes wise!): re: SHINTARO’S INITIAL DEATH [MUSIC ROUTE SPECIFIC:]

08.15. - 2 1. C (Clearing): Kills Takane and Haruka. Brings the ‘Snake of Opening Eyes’ and ‘Snake of Awakening Eyes’ to the real world 1. O (other; paralleled timelines / occuring at the same times): Takane and Haruka dies. Interferes the Kagerou Daze, receives snakes, and revives -Music : Headphone Actor- 2. Ayano commits suicide. Enters the Kagrou Daze and receives the ‘Snake of Favoring Eyes’ -Music : Transparent Answer- 3. S (Shintaro): Shuts himself in his room since Ayano’s suicide 3. D (Dan): Kido, Seto, and Kano leaves the Tateyama household and creates a                     hideout 4. M (Mary): Leaves the house in the forest and joins the Mekakushi Dan 5. S: Ene appears in his (Shintaro’s) PC - Music : Artificial Enemy & Ene’s Cyber Journey- ->... 08.14.00 1. Momo joins the Mekakushi Dan -Music : Kisaragi Attention- -Music : Mekakushi Code- 08.15.00 1. C: Forms in Konoha’s body 1. O: Kenjiro dies from losing the snake 2. S: Kills Ene, and commits suicide 2. D: Ene gets deleted by Shintaro -Music : Konoha’s State of the World & Kagerou Daze-  [^ REMINDER: ALL OF THIS IS MUSIC ROUTE SPECIFIC / ROUTE XX.] “  At 18 years old, he kills Ene. Immediately after, he kills himself by slitting his throat with a pair of scissors. He comes into contact with the Kagerou Daze at this time, but details are unknown. ” - Shintaro’s Introduction (2013) (Kagerou Daze Booklet; from Mekakucity Records album release)

re: Momo’s conflicting age: “  She seems about my age. Maybe a year or two older, at most ” - Momo about Kido [Kisaragi Attention; Novels Route] [Reminder: Chronologically, Momo can only be 15, despite the “script” “error”. Kido can only be 16. “maybe” “a year or two older”] “  The “overly-cheerful” person sitting beside her waved at me with a grin on his face. Although he had a mature air about him, once I looked closer, I noticed that he also seemed pretty close to my age. ” - Momo about Kano [Kisaragi Attention; Novels Route] (right around after the part referencing Kido) [ Reminder: ]

re: all other conflicting ages:

- KANO’S AGE IS CORRECTED TO “17″ IN SIDU’S 2015 ARTBOOK - while Kido’s remained the conflicting “17″ l-lol (she’s 16) - Momo’s “16″ was not seemingly shown in this guidebook, despite the “script”’s previous setting conflicts. - This guidebook is official, canonical information as of 2015. - Please note Kisaragi Attention chapter + MCA were circa 2014 and before. Basically, if Momo is 15, Kido is 16. <---- works for near everyone ! !!! If Momo is 16, Kido can only be 17. If Kido (Jan 02) is 17, Kano (May 10) can only be 18. We know Kano is not 18 because Shintaro is 18, Ayano 17 chronologically. We know Momo’s grades otherwise fit her age range despite the conflicting script re: exact “age” Therefore, one must assume either Momo’s or Kido’s are wrong. Kido’s being wrong does not work with Kano’s, etc.’s being corrected. [ Thanks Jin ] [ please see this tag for any other mentions of ages ]

re: Aug 14th -> Aug 15th Music Route: “  On August 15th, 12:30 in the afternoon, The weather was incredibly nice And amidst the sickening rays of the dazzling sun I spoke with you, for I had nothing else to do ” “  I woke up upon my bed to the sound of a ticking clock What time is it now? On August 14th, sometime past 12 in the morning I recalled the sound of an awfully annoying cricket But, y’know, it’s a little strange. Yesterday, in a dream, I saw us walking in this same exact park ” “ Suddenly, I pushed you aside and jumped into the street; At that moment, the truck slammed into me " “If that praiseful heat haze laughed, “Serves you right!” again Then this would be what you’d call a normal summer day. But all of that ended today. On August 14th, a girl awoke upon her bed And she said, "I failed this time, too..." as she cradled a single cat. ” - ^ Kagerou Daze lyrics [Music Route], Hibiya’s POV

Manga Route 2:

^ Aug 14th, 12:32 Shinaro wakes up just before Hibiya?/Hiyori?’s later deaths [reminder, above: in Music Route, 12:30 PM in the AFTERNOON ]

^ Hibiya?/Hiyori? die 12 hours earlier; at midnight in the AM, Aug. 15th Manga Route translation confirms this early part of Manga Route 2: 08.14.00 1. S: Shintaro wakes up, goes to buy food for his rabbit with Ene and Momo 2. S (Shintaro): Meets Hiyori and Hibiya 08.15.00 1. D (Dan): Engages in solving the mystery of the ‘Kagerou Daze’ 1. O (Other / same or parallel times): Hibiya and Hiyori encounters an accident 2. O: Hiyori disappears after the accident? 3. S: Searches for Hiyori and Hibiya. Meets Kido 3. D: Konoha stops the barricade suspects at the mall 3. O: Hibiya, who was lying down on the street gets found by Konoha and Kano 4. D: Searches for Hibiya and Hiyori for Konoha 4. D: Momo meets Kano and Konoha who were carrying Hibiya. Kano                           invites Momo to the Mekakushi Dan

Music Route [extra/LTM]:

( ^ I don’t see a Kano here, do you? ) [ Seto wasn’t even redesigned until later ?! ] [ and Kido’s face wasn’t even shown (left), yet she was there?! in both?! ] [ .... wait, Kano was created IN BETWEEN these two videos?! ] [ and -- wait, Kano didn’t even exist when Imagination Forest was created ??! ] [ does that mean ... there could, possibly, eventually be a timeline ... where ... ] [ KANO (OR SETO) DOESN’T EXIST WITHIN THE MEKAKUSHI TRIO?!? ]

[ Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes -- and yes?! (....maybe?!) ]

- Souzou Forest (“Imagination Forest”) was released on January 31, 2012. - This was the very first debut of Mary and (young) Seto. - These music videos were created / illustrated by Wannyanpuu. Wannyanpuu is also the character designer for Mary Kozakura. She also designed Momo Kisaragi, created the music video for and illustrated Kisaragi Attention, and contributed to many other factors of Kagepro after (Hiyori Asahina’s potential design concept, the Kagerou Days/Daze storyline and their previous fanmade music video / pv, Konoha’s State of the World music video [with Sidu], Otsukimi Recital.....) - If you compare the two videos you’ll note a handful of differences, including but not limited to the way Seto covers Mary with her cloak/hoodie. - Imagination Forest was also the very first debut of (the preview of) Tsubomi Kido’s redesign, now in more full color. At the time, Kido’s gender was still completely vague. The official website hadn’t yet opened, the Children Record booklet with initial profiles hadn’t yet been released, and Kido’s lower half wasn’t shown in full (redesigned). Misattributions of references to Shintaro Kisaragi in Mekakushi Code’s lyrics (“18 year old hikikomori NEET”, and such)  meant more confusion about Kido’s gender / Kido being assumed to be a boy, even in the Japanese fandom. - Kano wouldn’t later debut until Kisaragi Attention’s music video / pv, now debuting together with the full view of the redesigned Kido. - Around this time is also when the official website was first opened, finally clearing confusions re: things like Kido’s gender, and initial character profiles. - At the time, anything to do with Ayano (pretty much) outside of Toumei Answers’ music video / pv had not yet been revealed / released. Toumei Answer also wouldn’t be released until the Mekakucity Days cd album.

-Seto, in these two music videos, appears very differently. In “Souzou” / Imagination, he is mostly seen while still young, or young-appearing. His full outfit / “taller” redesign hadn’t yet been made. You can barely see Seto’s eyes at all in the entire pv, as they are closed or hidden almost the entire time. - Seto in “Souzou” appeared to hold out what looked like, at the time, a music player or mp3 player, playing actual music. In “Kuusou” it looks a little more obviously like a cell phone. He appeared to still play music for Mary to hear, as opposed to the current Manga Route. - (In the Manga Route, she instead hears text message notifications from a younger Kido, Kano, and Ayano and is startled. From there, almost the entire course of Manga Route changes the dynamics of the Trio.) - (younger Kido, Kano and Ayano hadn’t even been designed yet as of Imagination Forest’s video.) - reminders: when Imagination Forest first debuted, Kano hadn’t existed yet, and neither had Ayano, much less her concept or related storylines concerning the Trio. They literally did not exist at the time. At all. (to the fanbase, anyway.) Why is this important re: timelines?! [THEORY]: Manga Route 1:

ch. 08 - Souzou Forest I ch. 09.5 - Mary’s Imaginary World [ NOT LONG AFTER, INSERT: ROUTE RESET ] [ no thanks, Snake of Clearing Eyes & Mary ] [ no thanks, the entire Mekakushi Dan & Seto dying by Clearing ] Manga Route 2: .... ..... .... [insert in between chapters, until .... ] ch. 24 - Shounen Brave ch. 25 - Shounen Brave II ch. 26 - Kuusou Forest I-1 ch. 27 - Kuusou Forest I-2 ch. 28 - Kuusou Forest II ch. 29 - Kuusou Forest III ch. 30 - Kaien Panzermast I [ ^ there is no further “Souzou Forest” chapters after the “I” in Manga Route 1. ] ..... “oh” ..... ????? Real World Timeline: [2012] - Souzou Forest / Imagination Forest (pv): January 31, 2012 - Konoha’s State of the World: March 30, 2012 [young Kano & Kido’s debut ][*note: Seto’s redesign was shown in silhouette form for the first time, but he was not pictured with the trio at the orphanage. Ayano also debuts here design-wise for the very first time. Most of Ayano’s storyline had barely seemed created yet. ] - Kuusou Forest / Fantasy Forest (pv): May 18, 2012 - Kisaragi Attention (pv): May 27, 2012 [Kano’s debut, design wise] [*apparently, the novel had been written around/by this time] [*the scene where Momo meets the Mekakushi Dan was said to be related in Novel 1, despite this song being a part of Music Route and not Novels Route. ] - after: most other music videos / pvs, debuting in chronological order until/through (and into 2013): - Mekakucity Days (cd album) [w/Toumei Answer]: May 30, 2012 - Kagerou Daze - in a daze - (Novel 1): May 30, 2012 [Japanese] [* Kano’s personality / storyline first begins being unveiled here. ] - Kagerou Daze manga begins - June 15, 2012 [2013] - Souzou Forest I manga chapter - March 27, 2013 - Mary’s Imaginary World manga chapter 9.5 - around May 27, 2013 - Mekakucity Records (cd album) - May 29, 2013 [ * Outer Science and Mary’s Imaginary World premiere audio-wise. ] [ * also included: “Summer Endroll” and “Crying Prologue” instrumentals ] - Outer Science (pv) - August 31, 2013 [ ^ ... MUSIC ROUTE RESET ] - Kagerou Daze I manga chapter - November 15, 2013 [ ^ MANGA ROUTE 1 ENDS by means of Saeru (as “Kuroha”). RESET ] [ ^ MANGA ROUTE 2, the current manga Route, begins. ] - Shounen Brave (pv) - December 25, 2013 [Japan preview] - Mekakucity Actors anime: announced for literally the very first time along with / during Shounen Brave’s pv debut. Hasn’t even aired yet (until much later).

BONUS: - Shounen Brave was ALWAYS listed as “Episode ?” by Kagepro creator Jin.

[ “Are you afraid of [‘hearts’]? “Do you lack the courage to change tomorrow ?” ] ( note: the paralleled younger Seto + older Seto’s. ) ( NOTE: THE 3:35 TIMESTAMP, in the above video ) ( note: only Kido is still seen at the end. no Kano. ) “The crouching girl said, Yesterday, today, and the day before yesterday I had a dream that this wide world was easily crumbled.” Kido & Kano in Konoha’s State of the World [ note the lack of young Seto ]:

[ also note the totally different looking “Ayaka Tateyama”: ] [ (who also hadn’t been redesigned yet, much less had storyline) ] [* Ayano was shown here to the fanbase for only the literal first time]

[ ^ Seto’s full redesign is only previewed in silhouette. ] [ but why isn’t he seen at the orphanage here with the trio ??? ]

[ ^ note young Kido looks very different here as well. ] [ she does not have a “hime-cut” type of hairstyle and wears her hood already. ] [ * (the redesigned young Kido wouldn’t appear until Yobanashi Deceive’s pv.) ] [ she’s even smiling openly! ] [ ( you can barely even tell that’s “Ayaka” ..... ) ]

[ ok, but. if Seto was supposed to exist at the orphanage BEFORE them ... ] [ WHY ISN’T HE SHOWN THERE ?!? ] [ was it just because “spoilers” or ..... “SPOILERS” ?? ]

( + bonus Kisaragi Attention Kido & Kano (+ later Seto) under the read more! ) ( + ... Shounen Brave / Music Route theories ! )

[ ^ the opening! Kano is literally first seen this way (haha). ] [ also including: Seto’s full redesign, Kido’s full redesign ] (reminder: the FOLLOWING SCENE (Momo meeting the Dan) is relating early NOVELS ROUTE [Novel 1] particularly, despite occuring within MUSIC ROUTE pv-wise.) (timelines order: Music [+extra] -> Manga -> Novels and/or MCA) (MCA: ‘closest to the latter’)

[ ^ cancelling out Kano’s power. ]

(later..... [back to Music Route?])

[FULL MUSIC ROUTE TIMELINE (HERE)] (”The events in each time period are ordered in numbers. If there are multiple events with the same number within the same time period, this indicates that the events takes place in the same time”) [ ok but WHAT IF, IN A PARALLELED ? MUSIC ROUTE TIMELINE ..... ]