Stuff worthy of Keiko and friends

While Keiko is def a common name before that cultural grandeur otherwise known as Nihon-koku, surely there's only one Keiko in Kalafina. I still remember saying something to my Blackburn supporting friend that...

Me: My fave Kalafina member is Keiko

Above statement was during a FB chat session where I forgot Tobias' reaction. Sadly, I've disabled my FB chat b/c I can only focus on one thing at a time. Maybe that's why I tend to see myself as 90% useless. Something justified by my past 10 yrs or so lol!

Anyway, this post is NOT really dedicated to Keiko b/c that'd make me into some horny fanboy lusting after her looks (this is NOT to say the other members ain't a bunch of lookers, just that I prefer Keiko's looks ala personal aesthetics). Rather, I suddenly remember this song...

A/N: Apparently Kajiura Yuki was the composer, not the singer. Emily Bindiger, on the other hand, was that *fill in the blanks yourself*...

At the same time, I've also got myself started into Shikata Akiko. Apparently, she's far less famous than her spiritual sisters. But hey, it doesn't prevent me from calling her a friend of Keiko and friends. At the end of the day, can you imagine certain songs which either party (or even both) is able to adapt?

Interestingly tho, that one thing I'm curious abt is how Kalafina and Shikata-san will fare in terms of adapting gaijin culture into their future works. I mean, it's totally wrong in calling Japanese a bunch of yellow racists just b/c the term gaijin means "either you're black, white, brown or just East Asian", no? I'm pretty sure these gaijin composers will have better luck in forming a collaboration or two w/the finest (?) oujo-san tachi ever known in Japanese culture.

So why am I using the b-word? Because I'm pretty sure no sane Japanese would ever contemplating a collaboration w/some unknown S'porean who is either self-delusional or... okay, let's stop at here.

P.S: In case you're wondering whether this blog starting to look like this ang-moh company, be wholly assured that I'm not the kind of Johnny Foreigner capable of punting some poor taxi uncle from that good ol' North East of England.
*this one added 4 teh lulz*

Hence without any further ado, let the show begin!

Then some more got vocal sio....

And lastly, in case you're wondering why I suddenly so kisiao...
...the song below actually made me ask that vital "what if..."

25th Dec 2014 might have came too early (?)

Apparently, my fellow Nasu-nut was a tad off the mark when he mentioned Heaven's Feel being the only one in ufotable's sight. Ofc back then, every purist demanding that ufotable redo has pretty much given up the ghost due to Studio Deen having done both Fate and UBW. Which left only HF since we're talking abt adult rated stuff reserved for adult rated studios. Not so much abt what one might expect otherwise via works like Saya no Uta, but rather stuff like Kara no Kyoukai and Fate/Zero.

Unless ofc ufotable is out to troll me where the actual core of Fate/stay night is concerned...

B/c I got too many free shit to stir, therefore...

Any resemblance of any characters you see is purely an illusion. For example...

1. If you happen to be little kid, be very sure not to call your rich BFF Ilya-chan.

2. You don't assume that girl passing you by to be Sabre.

3. You don't expect Sakura-chan sitting somewhere near you.

4. If you're a guy and happen to have a rich, pretty, and intelligent gf, be very sure NOT to call her Rin.
5. If you happen to be a girl, you don't expect your bf to call himself Emiya Shirou.

B/c I feel the need to be a literal faker rather than some truly badass real deal, I realised the 3rd PV actually came AFTER my UBW rant-alysis. In short, this latest trailer actually popped out at 27 July 2014 whereas my post actually was upped during June 2014. Joel, either you're right or my leap of faith has reaped dividends lol!

Let's see if can break 40K mark w/this...

Realised I should try indulging my fellow male species. Since I'm a J-culture nut, might as well add in a few visual ice-cream. After all, I believe J-girls now lagi ulu in terms of popularity.

Aragaki "Gakky" Yui

Horikita "Homaki" Maki

Fukada "Fukakyon" Kyoko

Toda "Nao-chan" Erika

Nagasawa "Gasawa" Magami

Mizuki "Nana-chan" Nana

Okay, now for a bit of HT break...

Now let's keep on going for a little more...

Kuchiki Rukia

Lucy Heartfilia & Erza Scarlet

And to sign this off...

So tomorrow is...

...Christmas Day Eve. Then come the day after next, Christmas will be officially welcomed. Thinking about this, I suddenly have a surreal feeling because it seems that Jesus has been my only friend for the past 10+ years. Maybe that's why I enjoy commenting/liking/sharing FB posts on Christianity? Well, guess this will continue for the next 5-6 years, at least it's heartening to know that your only faith is the only reason why you only ended up with cracks rather than absolutely shattered.

Erm, so what are you trying to say?

No, I'm not going to evangelise anyone. Rather, I suddenly have the urge to do something on anime/manga. Okay, I'm talking about a particular title, not something too generic. I can't really remember when, but for sure I was in my early twenties when I came across this manga series. Let's just say that it's not just about vampires or even your typical Stoker-esque archetype.

Suffice to say, I was attracted by the plot and characters right from the bang. The characters are 100% realistic (apart from your customary anime/manga tropes being spammed) with the main protagonist so much more than a monster. And speaking of main protagonist, I hereby present you...

ABEL NIGHTROAD

Before I start however, allow me to up this particular clip.

Intro:

On the first glance, Abel seemed like you everyday klutz full of accidents and horny impulses. However, we must understand that this is Japanese creativity we're talking about, many a trope has been pretty much flogged like a dead horse. In fact, I'm not surprised at the presence of fan service and over-the-top situations by the time I hit the legal age of sixteen.

Yet, it seems that the manga adaption is hell bent on minimizing cleavage, side/underboobs, and upskirt angles. This was unlike many of its predecessors where everything portrayed is still subtly synonymous with the current underground culture. So what does Trinity Blood depend on otherwise?

Plot value:

Interestingly, many contemporary manga/gaming/anime works have now gravitated towards plot and characterization. Not that old school series were incapable of that since every fanboy/girl will still surely recall stuff like:

Neon Genesis Evangelion (it took me N ages to finally comprehend what End of Evangelion was truly talking about)

Gundam Wing (Endless Waltz has gotta be the finest part where Heero Yuy's humanity was concerned. Not to mention Zechs Merquise's quest for vengeance and his resultant redemption during the TV series)

Rurouni Kenshin (better known as Samurai X, the manga is the only thing you need. OVA was an epic failure mainly due to Shinomori Aoshi gone MIA).

As for Trinity Blood, let me first say that NEVER in my life have I ever seen vampires in a biological light. Indeed they were victims of their own power. More specifically their power source (which is some kinda blood consuming bacillus). Calling themselves the Methuselah, said term got nothing to do with meth.

[And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.]

Genesis 5:27

I don't have to list who was Methuselah's father because it's pointless. What I want you all to know is understanding why the vampires in Trinity Blood called themselves this name.

Crusnik 02

Better known as Abel himself, this was an absolute monster once labelled "The God of Carnage". [Disclaimer-I can only roughly translate this from the manga, sorry.] What drove Abel once into the abyss of madness is beyond me unless someone managed to bugger Chuangyi/Yasui Kentaro to hurry up. Especially Yasui-sensei since I've long given up on Chuangyi's schedule.

What we do know, however, is that Abel truly hated the human race (known as Terrans) due to their selfish decision to use him and the Methuselah as tools to colonize Mars. We must understand foremost that the Methuselah are technically human beings. Their only problem with the Terrans lies in the need to feed on blood. Not to sustain some evil mojo, but to merely survive. This could very likely be the reason why Abel joined Cain (Crusnik 01) and Seth (Crusnik 03) to declare all out war on the human race, i.e. the first Methuselah who returned to Earth were murdered by the Terrans.

At the same time, we've got one last Crusnik, Lilith (i.e. Crusnik 04). She chose to side with the human race despite her identity. The final end? She wasn't killed by the "ungrateful" Terrans, but Cain himself. So what does this have to do with Abel's character, you might ask?

One undeniable truth about Abel's character is viewing Lilith as a mother figure. More specifically Lilith was the closest thing to a mother while Cain is the closest thing to a brother with Seth being the sister counterpart.

Biblical parallels

In the Bible, Cain murdered Abel and God called him into judgement. In Trinity Blood, it was Lilith being murdered instead. Now it must be said that just like how the Bible recorded Cain, Abel, and Seth as sons of Adam and Eve, Crusnik 01-03 were like children to Crusnik 04. In short, Lilith was the ultimate mother figure with a loving heart. If not for Lilith, I can't be sure how this duo and Seth could ever survived.

One interesting snippet is that there used to be five Methuselah instead of four (i.e. Cain, Abel, Seth, Lilith). These Methuselah were genetically enhanced, yet one of them died. Unnamed and unknown apart from Seth trying to save him/her and Cain, everything started from the Crusnik nanomachines infused into them. Sadly, it was said that Seth's action managed to drive Cain mad due to said nanomachines planted in him.

Abel, Seth, and Lilith actually did the same thing N years later with no apparent ill effects. Yet, why did Lilith chose to help the humans who brutally murdered their own kindred? There were a few flashback scenes from Abel's POV where Lilith was shown as someone with great compassion. Imagine what would happen if either side win the war! Either the Terrans would be butchered or the Methuselah facing absolute genocide. Lilith was trying to stop the war, but she knew it would be pointless to join Abel and co since that would defeat the purpose (read: she never desired mutual enmity and destruction). Unable to handle this truth, Cain at last killed Lilith and cut off her head. This was when Abel decided to kill Cain instead.

And therein comes the mother of all ironies. In the Bible, it was Cain who murdered Abel. This time round, it was Abel killing Cain albeit with Seth helping him out (note that at his strongest, not even Abel or Seth could stand before him one vs one). With Cain the one committing murder in the first place, the irony lies in a combination of that thrice damned Cain-Abel complex and those words stated below:

[Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword]

Matthew 26:52

A lifelong penance

Abel's life was full of sorrow and regret, his only aim being redemption. His power as Crusnik 02 cursed him as a monster, he would remain as so if not for Lilith. If Cain's decision to wage mass bloodshed was guided by hatred, then Abel's path was a miraculous U-turn of sorts. Indeed Abel was different from Cain, that even though he (Abel) hated the world, deep in his heart he still cares. This forms a stark contrast to Cain's imminent moniker "Contra Mundi" (i.e. Enemy of the World). Ironically, Abel's actions during his murderous past indeed proved himself as another "Contra Mundi".

Remember what I've said on Lilith being a mother character? 'Tis merely a figure of speech, for Abel and Lilith were stated as lovers (in the original novels, so this info is 100% authentic). If not for Lilith's love for him and his reciprocation likewise, Abel would have lost himself to a lifetime of mistakes. Perhaps this was why Lilith could dissuade Abel in the first place, that her love for Abel actually showed us how much she understood him and vice versa.

To be cont'd...

Next-the various women in Abel's life

A Game of Trollolol (abbrev: AGoT trollolol East Asia)

Apparently, traditional East Asian values have gotten compromised. Big time. Ofc since Korean cable would never air stuff unsafe for little children, all the impressionable 후배 and serious 선배 decided to do this. Since I'm still an avid manga/anime fan, I hereby decided to do my own A Song of Ice and Fire CV cast. Note that list ain't complete, blame G.R.R Troll for trolling us w/so many characters.*
*Musibot. Orang mati banyak sia... Ned mati lagi, Walder pls mampos cepat.
A/N-All images are taken from Zerochan, I can't draw anything.

Cast & CV

Jon Snow
{The Snow of Winterfell}


CV: 杉山 紀彰

Daenerys Targaryen

{Mother of Dragons}

CV: 川澄 綾子

Arya Stark
{Valar Morghulis}

CV: 植田 佳奈

Cersei Lannister
{Hear Me Roar!}
Jaime Lannister
{Kingslayer}


CV: 桑島 法子
(Cersei)
CV: 諏訪部 順一
(Jaime)

Bran Stark
{The Winged Wolf}


CV: 優希 比呂

Sansa Stark
{Little Bird}


CV: 下屋 則子

Petyr Baelish
{Littlefinger}


CV: 子安 武人

Sandor Clegane
{The Hound}


CV: 置鮎 龍太郎

Margaery Tyrell
{The Little Rose}

CV: 白石 涼子

Euron Greyjoy
{Crow's Eye}


CV: 中田 均志

Eddard Stark
{Lord of Winterfell}
Robert Baratheon
{The Fiercest Warrior of the Realm}


CV: 小山 力也
(Eddard)
CV: 小杉 十郎太
(Robert)

Rhaegar Targaryen
Lyanna Stark
{Star-cross'd}


CV: 緑川 光
(Rhaegar)
CV: 冬馬 由美
(Lyanna)

P.S: ありがとう/감사합니다 to G.R.R Martin-san/저자-님. This is yours truly speaking here even though I'm using that cheat code better known as Google. A Ranger's Tale (浪者の物語/레인저신기) still got a long way to go, 'tis gonna be my greatest challenge for now. :)

Lyrics

Tsukihime (Arc)

Finally, I've saved the best for last. Erm, okay that's only my way of doing things srsly since this will be my last Tsukihime post (that is until I come up with more shit to write. Still have to try kickstarting that Fate/Zero engine). But before that, my customary MO below.

Tsukihime: Blue Blue Glass Moon, Under the Crimson Air

Without any dispute, Arcueid's path was the one starting the motion. We all know there are two aspects of the VN, Near Side of the Moon (i.e. Arc and Ciel) and Far Side of the Moon (Akiha, Hisui, and Kohaku). Both ends explore the meaning of life, but with individual twists. FSotM is all about personal emotions affecting the lives of others around Shiki, NSotM on the other hand is exploring life via the biggest question: What does it mean to live forever?

In this sense, FSotM should be viewed as a gaiden (i.e. side story in Nihon-go). As for NSotM, it's the real deal b/c be it Ciel or Arc, everything is all about eternity and fragility, life and death. For Ciel, eternity had always been a curse, her greatest enemy rather than Roa himself. Life to her is something secondary, death merely means an acceptable end. No, make that the only acceptable end. So what about fragility? I believe this is the only theme common amongst every heroine's path. Fragility of emotions (i.e. FSotM's main focus) and the fragility of life (NSotM's main focus).

Which now comes to... *drum rolls*

No, this ain't the real Arc unless we're talking abt the past...

This is the actual Arc in current timeline

Remake ver. Prefer old school ver tho...
P.S: Nasu Kinoko-san, pls do another F/SN Realta Nua for her...
ONEIGAI??????

Arcueid Brunestud (or informally known as Arc) was anything, but normal. Normal not as in the human sense, but rather as a vampire. We all know Edward Cullen can sparkle, but a True Ancestor he is not. Now before I go anywhere further, let me just warn any and every Twi-hard: THIS IS NOT ABT SPARKLING VAMPIRES DAMMIT B/C ARC CAN'T ****ING SPARKLE!!!!!! GEDDIT????????

Okay, rabiem ex nihilo mode finish liao. iirc I don't have any problems with Twilight, so rest assure. That is so long as no one tells me straight in the face that he/she knows who is Edward Cullen, but not this BA mofo, everyone is safe.*

*Okay, technically that's a lie. I never had the time and $$$ to buy/read any of Anne Rice's books. However, I must also apologize to the great authoress for pulling off my China Dime.

Me=plagiarizer=thieving loser

Not enough, still got some more jerkass proof

Now the True Ancestors were quite obviously OP and imba (yes, me speaking in cool kids jargon cum terminology). However, there's no purpose behind their existence since their main worry was mainly the Demon Lords (i.e. True Ancestors who have gone nutcase irreversible). Granted they're accounted as Beasts of Gaia, yet given how the universe had panned out (most notably after the Age of Gods and during the Age of Man), there's not much usage for them anyway (that is unless any stupid human beings attempt dangerous stunts surpassing stupidity... then it's our grave, bruh).

And therein lies the oxymoron named Arcueid Brunestud. Supposedly the most powerful out of any/every true Ancestors, she was materialized due to one lagi baliao reason: to create the strongest True Apostle ever. Ofc given the batshit crazy spike in Demon Lords, this entire vampiric race actually found a use for her. iirc we all know that they won't give a two hoots shit abt the world, Arc could **** the world and make it a shittier place for you, me, and the entire human race for all they care (okay, first statement was a half-assed hyperbole since the world is technically abt BOTH Gaia and Alaya. My apologies).

So where is the oxymoron factor, you might ask. Firstly, there wasn't any reason behind Arc's existence because there wasn't any reason behind all the other TA's decision. Every action must demand a relevant motivation, but for the TAs there's none at all. Even if you're certified insane, there HAS to be a delusional factor somewhere! As we'll know very soon, said paradox was to be Arc's focal development throughout. 

Oh, and one more thing (aka my self-insurance of truth)-Above statement shouldn't be seen as a disparaging remark towards the mentally ill. I know there's too many media bs demonizing such burdened folks, trust me when I say my classmates used to treat me as siao during secondary school (and even then, I still end up encountering people calling me that at times).

Hence, disaster struck

Originally, the TAs assumed Arc to be impervious against the Vampiric Impulses afflicting them permanently. Yet as one of my superiors enjoyed saying in the past, breaking down "assume" means making an "ass" out of "u" and "me".

Point 1. Arcueid didn't understand that even w/o any Vampiric Impulses, it's still possible to become a Demon Lord via drinking blood.

Point 2. Arcueid indeed went bousou modal due to Roa tricking her to drink his blood.

Point 3. Vast majority of TAs got perm wiped by bousou Arc as a result.

Point 4. Remaining TAs got perm wiped by the Dead Apostles.

Point 5. Roa actually tricked Arc in drinking his blood, hence this ular Michael Jackson=the reason behind Tsukihime's plot legitimacy. No, I'm serious on the MJ part since I'm sure Nasu doesn't listen much to Bieber.

Proof shown as below:

Why then, did Roa desire to be a vampire? The TAs don't need to drink blood in order to survive. Rather it's a matter of temptation brought about by physical flaws. We must understand that like every magus, Roa wanted to reach Akasha. Better known as the Root, Akasha is a primordial force even earlier than Gaia (maybe even all the planets combined as well, who knows?). Those seeking a path to the Root desires total knowledge, yet none could actually understand the price demanded. It's truly a Pandora's Box in every sense of the term (and to showcase my half-assed knowledge gleaned throughout the years, Pandora's Box do exist in the form of Greek mythology). Those who reached Akasha will never return, all managing to do so were quintessentially REMOVED from the living world.

A wee bit on Dead Apostles

Those who got their blood sucked by TAs become Dead Apostles. Even though the DAs are the closest thing to Bram Stoker Dracula, the only reason behind such heinous acts is survival. Just as how we humans require food and water to stay alive, likewise blood is every DA's food and water source both rolled into one.

Oh, and remember point 4? Well, they say irony is the greatest minstrel ever lived.

A/N-In a bid to up this entire ante, let me repeat that True Ancestors do not require blood to stay alive, they only see it as the ultimate temptation.

The cold sad truth about Arcueid Brunestud

Sufficient to say, Arc was born to be forever alone. Not b/c she's some ugly geek, but due to the fact that Arcuied Brunestud is indeed TOO perfect. Every person desires perfection, we all know this is something 100% unattainable, no matter which aspect we chose to see. And therein lies another oxymoron: this flawless femme fatale was created for absolutely no reason at all (rhetorical statement, yes; pointless statement, no).

Before exacting her twisted genocide as a Demon Lord, Arcueid's only reason to exist lies in destroying whatever Demon Lord on the loose. Understanding that eternity means nothing, being the pinnacle of perfection only compounds to her own emptiness. We all know vampires tend to be stereotyped as undead blood sucking monsters, but only Arcueid qualifies as a 100% living dead rather than merely undead. This is also why her only solace lies in infinite slumber within the Millennium Castle Brunestud. Sadly, if any innocuous gesture can be seen as unwitting mockery, it would be the True Apostles treating Arcueid as a member of royalty (note-the kanji for Tsukihime literally means "moon princess").

How an irrelevant commoner's boy changed a princess' life

After constant prattling on Arc's sad lonely life, we now come to Shiki. Obviously the two didn't really hit it off albeit the cause should be seen in a one way traffic light. Shiki ended up going stalker mode upon noticing Arc. Not in a sexual sense, but rather an impulse to mutilate and kill. Before anybody starts playing the judge, we must know the Nanaya blood in him was to blame. Naturally inclined to kill any and all beings not human, the Nanayas possessed an uncontrollable urge to murder once they detected a nearby quarry. In this sense, the Nanayas were more identical to the Tohnos at their irrepressible worst.

Now contrary to what you see in the anime (which is bs anyway), Arcueid wasn't hunted down. Shiki accomplished his dastardly deed via brutal assassination technique, end of story. Which is a no-brainer given the Nanayas being specialized assassins.

Ofc since it would take more than just cutting the lines to kill a True Ancestor of her level, Arcueid got merely sliced in little pieces. After a few days, she popped up in front of a shell shocked Shiki. Granted our heroic boy only discovered what he'd done after the deed, one can easily imagine this greatest wtf horror show.

Suffice to say, escape is not an option, Arcueid could have easily repaid the favour (something which she ended up doing in Shiki's dream in Kagetsu no Tohya). Yet, she chose NOT to. Why? Because she felt curious towards Shiki. No one had ever done to her what Shiki accomplished without breaking a sweat, that's why she saw him as a valuable ally and pawn. Yes, she only saw him as a pawn against Nero Chaos, her immediate nemesis. And 'tis where romance bloomed between the two most unlikely love birds.

Differences in purpose, eternity and perfection finally mocked

Who is Tohno Shiki that the white princess from the moon must have loved him so much? Before meeting Shiki, the only thing she understood was eternity and perfection. She never felt any joy in being some literal goddess, the only legitimate heir to name Brunestud could only shut herself away. Jaime Lannister once famously subscribed the whole "go away inside" mentality, Arc's psychological situation was nowhere better nor different. Ser Kingslayer was forced to escape from himself, Arcueid Brunestud chose not to understand why she desired such an escape.

I believe it's down to Arc feeling that no matter what, the world can never accept her. Yes, everything about the living world is fragile, flawed, and doomed to crumble away while Arcueid was the exact antithesis. 'Tis humane to pursue perfection, yet where will we stand after we reached this goal? Satisfaction? Or maybe just isolation? Mayhap there's a certain truth behind the old Chinese cliche: a hero is doomed to walk alone [英雄永远是孤独的].

What is flawless can never be accepted by the flawed, all which lasts forever cannot exist within limitations.

Tohno Shiki, however, would have nothing of that. To him, Arcueid was never some beautiful freak.

Total perfection will only bring about lack in any real purposes, eternal life without goals is the greatest curse. 

Flaws and limitation beckons motivation, all things with eternal value are considered so because they are meant to be temporary and frail.

This was a notion alien to Arc, 'tis also the only thing bestowing her a purpose apart from hunting down Roa.

Roa and perceived weakness

Arc's image color has always been white, Nasu and Takeuchi both felt this should be her ideal symbol. Anti-stereotypical, yes. However, the color white is anything but daylight. Vampires wear black because they are creatures belonging to the night and darkness, Arcueid's image color is there to highlight her purity in terms of appearance and personality.

Appearance because of her perfection, personality because said perfection prevented her from understanding the world.

It's NOT a good thing, I can assure you that. The former case caused the world to isolate her (passive nature), the latter restraining all she rightfully deserves (active nature).

Roa's answer?

Yes, Roa wasn't amused at what he regarded as aesthetic degeneration. To him, Arcueid's eternal perfection was the reason why he was so besotted with the white princess. But did he truly love Arc? Hell no! If I am to love a girl, I SHOULD be loving her for who she really is! Why must I love someone incapable of being true to herself? To love someone wearing a masque can be tiring, spending your life with a person hiding behind a facade smacks of self-betrayal.

Yes, Roa knows NOTHING. Nothing about Arc's struggles, nothing about her pain. He's merely a selfish bastard who happened to forget who he really is. Michael Roa Valdamjong might have found a way to cheat death indefinitely, but he's already dying without knowing what and where went wrong! So what if you can live forever? Does it matter a shit if you end up living like a dead person?

But Shiki is different from Roa. His given name in kanji literally means "noble will". Put it more accurately however and you'll get "noble conviction" [note: Shiki=志貴]. Shiki showed the first traces of his noble character when he took SHIKI's fatal blow originally intended for Akiha, Aoko-sensei taught him how to be a splendid man worthy to be loved.

Shiki's ability in perceiving the truly superficial actually boils down living a constant life surrounded by death. On the first glance, he's a yolo proponent. However, his brand of yolo is anything, but mainstream. Others believe you only live once, Shiki believes you only love once. If you only live once, it means your youth only lasts this long. If you only love once, however, it means there can only be one focal point in your life. Shiki's focal point is death. Not in terms of the actual dots perceived, but the fact that death comes to all.

Tonight, I'm typing this post. Come few weeks later, who knows?

A fairy tale without happily ever after, the fair princess could only dream forever

I really hate this part. Why? Because unless you want to deceive yourself, Arc's True Ending=/=her Good Ending. No matter what, Roa got offed, that's the only happy part (hey, we all enjoy egging St George on, no?). Unfortunately, Arc got mortally wounded as a result. Even though she's able to revive herself due to Roa's power returning back to her, but it's not enough to suppress her bloodlust. (note-don't have much space time, let's just say Roa deliberately stole a good portion of her powers in order to attain his goal of reaching Akasha. Refer back to what I've said on Arc gone bousou)

Shiki offered to let her drink his blood, but Arc refused because she didn't want to wreck his life. Being a Dead Apostle will only cause Shiki to harm people, this wasn't what Arc had in mind.

Shiki loves Arcueid, it's because he couldn't accept, let alone understand, why Arc must live like a doll (hauntingly reminiscent of Kohaku).

Arcueid loves Shiki, that's why more oft than not, letting go is the best evidence of love.

Surely Shiki had given Arc a reason to live, definitely Arc's courage belongs to Shiki.

END OF A JOURNEY

A DREAM REMAINING TRUE

Tsukihime (Ciel)

3 down, 2 more to go. After this one, left only 1 more. Apparently, I'm doing this in reverse order (those familiar with the order of character routes will understand). This time round, Far Side of the Moon is alrdy over. It's time to unveil Near Side of the Moon. Before that, here's a song.

So who is Ciel?

Ciel

French for sky/heaven.

Firstly, fans will find this nostalgic. Secondly, she's quite a paradoxical character. In short, Ciel-sensei is nothing like her in-game self. Secondly, she's of Eurasian birth. Her father was a French while her mother was Oriental (i.e. either Chinese, Japanese or Korean). Lastly, she's Roa no.17. This is most likely the one character where Roa's presence took centre stage. Even Arcueid's route doesn't come anywhere close. This is due to the fact that if Roa doesn't die, Ciel can never die.

The Endless Cycle of Death and Rebirth

If Roa is an existence representing total anomaly, then Ciel would represent his alter-ego. Throughout the years of reincarnation, Roa had grown to forget who he is. Ciel, on the other hand, never forgot her own self. While it's a no-contest between Roa and Ciel in the manga, it still remains to be seen on whether the actual Roa was really that powerful (note: in the manga, Roa could easily use Magecraft. In the original VN, 'tis 100% opposite).

After Roa getting killed for the 17th time, said host body Ciel merely ended up in a coma. However, she gained the power of immortality, that no matter how hard she/others tried, Ciel could never perish. Sounds cool, right? NO! To Ciel, immortality was a painful reminder on everything she lost. Worst of all though, would be immortality tantamount to her sins committed.

The nature of being different

One interesting subtlety behind her lineage is this: as an Eurasian, she wasn't shunned or ostracized. As Roa no.17, she became literally different. In short, this has to be the biggest irony. That someone who was accepted despite being different actually became a mass murdering monster of a different nature. Sounds confusing? Well, there's a difference between a different human being and a different being, yet key word=different.

Now that I've talked enough crap, let's get onto Ciel's actual identity. You see, her life had all the while been an oxymoron. She wasn't born to harm others, but she ended up doing so gleefully. She wasn't responsible for another entity's sins, but she ended being that entity. She's a human being, but at the same time not humane. The cause of this paradox?

Nature of Roa

So long as Roa still exists, Ciel will never die. However, it must also be noted that the only thing Ciel wanted is an end to her immortality. Simply put, her life was devoid of meaning until she met Shiki. In fact, this phenomena was considered a paradox. Why?

To me, the answer is this: Roa himself IS a paradox. No life can return back to the living world once it reaches Akasha, aka the Root. Akasha is the source of every existence, it's also the only place where everything returns back to void so as to speak (the only exception being the Heroic Spirits/Servants due to the Throne of Heroes considered a special part of Akasha).

Therefore, a paradox parent will surely beget a paradox child.

In a major part, this was due to Ciel's immense magic potential. Indeed even Roa praised this new host body of his. The only thing he failed to notice? Ciel's immense fortitude. Note that unlike SHIKI, she wasn't doomed to be crazy right from the bat. I won't be surprised if this contributed greatly to her paradox child status since all the other reincarnations before her got offed for good (including SHIKI in her route).

In this sense, you can say that she's more powerful than SHIKI in spite of the latter considered half-Demon and her 100% human. Is this considered another form of oxymoron? Well, I think I did say Ciel's existence IS an oxymoron.

Meeting with Shiki

The start of her route was rather quirky to say the least. Supposed Arcueid's route only ended at Roa getting offed by Shiki, this will be where Ciel's route begins. Unlike the other routes, Ciel's path actually demoted Roa to the back burner. You can virtually say this=most character-driven route.

Above stated logic is not just about Ciel, but Shiki also. This is the path where two identical people met each other. By identical, I mean both having a murderer hidden within. Ciel's murderer was already a thing of the past, Shiki's murderer is perspective of his current state, something he couldn't escape totally. You can say the whole plot is not about self-discovery, but self-redemption. Quite similar to Kohaku's path, but I would call Kohaku a symbol of forgiveness, i.e. when you forgive another person, it doesn't mean you redeemed him/her.

How some in-plot similarity defines everyone...

Shiki killing Roa wasn't an oxymoron. Shiki becoming Roa's next host was the real deal. The Nanayas could only survive and thrive under killing Demons. To them, if it ain't humane, it's fair game. Roa would def fall under their hit list. Yet, the last of Nanaya clan ended up as a legitimate quarry's host. I suspect if Nanaya Kiri is still alive, he'd butcher his only son with no questions asked.

As for Ciel, nothing can be more ironic than her original name-Elysia.

Just a little linguistic history here:

France as we know it now is considered exotic by Western European standard. This is down to heavy Latin influences throughout the Middle Ages. Back then, Latin language formed an integral part of the Vatican authority where only the clergy were privileged to preach the Bible. Why? Because prior to the King James version (which is quintessentially the first English Bible), the Bible was written in Latin. Other Western European nations had broke free from the Roman influence, but not the French. This is why even up till now, we can still see visible traces of Latin culture in France. From language to arts, from architecture to romantic ideals (in fact, Latin=byword for passionate love), you can see them all in France (whether this contributes directly to the whole "jeunes filles en France=vous êtes belle" stereotype remains to be verified).

The only problem with above mentioned analysis? 'tis my own flawed opinion, so please take it with a grain of salt.

So what does Elysia means? Elysia is a Latin originated name meaning "blissful sweetness". Given Ciel was born in a baker's family, such name could only be seen as 100% apt. Sadly, Ciel, being a French originated name, is a mockery unto Ciel herself. While Ciel and Elysia as names can be easily linked together, Ciel as a human only possesses Elysia's regrets and pain. As part of the Burial Agency, the name Ciel only serves to further this oxymoron.

So there we have it, main protagonist is a living oxymoron, ditto for the heroine as well. Not to mention that seeing Shiki this way really reminds me of Elysia before she's officially Ciel.

Character dynamics

Ciel is a character wearing a mask. Just like the 3 heroines, i.e. Akiha, Hisui, Kohaku, before her. Said mask was nothing more than a self-defense mechanism against two things: external enemies and inner demons. The former is quite easy to understand, but the latter is the real problem behind her character. If she couldn't exorcise her inner demons, she wouldn't be able to execute her tasks perfectly. Such was her life as a lone killer, a life nowhere different from the actual Roa if we're talking abt methodology alone.

As for Shiki, he's a character having to fight against his Nanaya alter-ego. Granted he never had Ciel's extent of trauma, but the fact still remains that the Nanayas had became more akin to bloodthirsty Demons when it comes to killing their prey, i.e. those not considered humane.

And what about Roa? Well, I can say his antagonistic status lies in Ciel and Shiki's inner battles. He's more of a figment than something real, a figment of what-has-been (for Ciel) and what-if (Shiki).

In short, Nasu was actually using Roa as the plot catalyst rather than plot villain. Everything characterizing-wise goes through Roa, 'nuff said.

So if Roa is the catalyst, does that mean he's the catalyst behind Shiki's romance with Ciel? Yes, quite obviously so. Knowledge of Roa possessing Shik became Ciel's sole motivation, Shiki's struggle awakened the Elysia in Ciel. In short, Elysia was never dead, she's still perfectly alive. Why? Because Elysia=Ciel, Ciel=Elysia. It's just like me saying 1+1=2, 2=1+1.

The empathy named Elysia was finally roused, yet how did Shiki attract Ciel in the first place? To me, it's down to how Shiki views life. Ciel might have experienced death as Elysia, emotionally and less so physically. But Shiki actually went through something much worse. He was forced to accept death, not just in himself but also the entire world. It's one thing to see yourself as fragile and quite another to see the whole world in the exact light. Simply put, Shiki never went through Elysia's physical death, but emotionally he was effectively dead while Ciel was merely heavily wounded. Therefore, spending life one day at a time became a necessity rather than sheer laziness. Shiki KNOWS the reality behind death, that's why he can see life as a blessing. Aoko's stinging lecture indeed worked wonders, I suddenly have an urge to be Aozaki-sensei's bf.

Enough digressing here, let's do a summary. Ciel thought herself to be dead, Shiki denied her self-deception via his own way of life. Ciel believed Shiki must be terminated, Shiki ended up being her lover. Ciel only had a goal in mind, Shiki changed the way she approached said goal. No longer did Ciel need to end her immortality for the sake of ending it, end of everlasting life would only herald the beginning of newborn life. Come to think of it, this really sounds like how spring will always come after winter.

Ending (plus an idiot vamp)

Ciel's True Ending and Good Ending are basically the same, concept wise. In both Endings, Shiki managed to end Roa's existence once and for all. In both Endings, nobody died. In the Good Ending, the last few moments became a harem comedy. In the True Ending, it's literally happily ever after (which to Akiha fans, is unhappily ever after). Either way, I believe everything is all about Ciel finally making peace with herself because that's what she wants the most. Ending this vicious paradoxical cycle was merely the only mean to this certain end. If Ciel was able to destroy her own immortality, yet unable to make peace with her past, then she'd still be a living dead.

Oh, and herein comes Arc's portion. Here, we saw a jealous Arc. Needless to say, Ciel and Arc don't like each other (actually, "hate" may be a more accurate term). Her jealousy amounting to murderous impulse was the first and only such situation. Ciel's interaction with Arc also played heavily in her route since Arc was also after Roa. The only catch? If Arc busted Roa first, it means Ciel must bust Arc in order to end her suffering. More than just nigh impossible given Arc's status as the "perfect being" amongst the imperfect True Ancestors.

To be cont'd...

Sorry, but I needed to kick start my stalling engine. Guoxiang was right when he said before that "if you don't train your skills, you'll end up backsliding".

Tsukihime (Akiha)

Before I kick this off (no pun intended), all ow me to say that my heavy is feeling heavy atm due to the fluctuating climate, therefore forgive me if this post really seems substandard. But before that, I realised there's a song hidden unknown in my hard drive. Until just now that is... [portion dated 2nd Nov]

Why I decided to up such a sad song is down to two reasons:

1. I really like this BGM.

2. Even though this is part of the Fate/stay night OST, I discovered this is the one song quite apt for this post.

Tohno Akiha

Firstly, it's a no-brainer to see her as a tsundere. This is down to Japan boasting an insane range of creativity, which is both good and bad. We all know that sassy Korean gf archetype made famous by a certain Gianna Jun, but let's just face it: the tsundere trope is what made fierce little girls famous. In fact, a lot of ppl actually pointed out that Tohsaka Rin of FSN is, well, an Akiha clone. Which is a another no-brainer given we all know who bosses TM.

Yet, one must also understand that out of all the heroines (excluding Yumizuka Satsuki since we all are still looking forward to the remake), Akiha is, without a doubt, the most protective of them all. Not even Ciel can match her up to it, which basically says something (although Ciel's situation is much more complicated than being mere overprotective).

On the first glance, she's really your stereotypical ojousan. Yet, more than even the most ordinary plain Jane, she's fearful of losing those around her. For one, she had never approved what her father, Makihisa, did to Kohaku. Second, she actually tried making amends by using Kohaku as a normal servant rather than for abnormal purposes (and even then, Akiha sucking Kohaku's blood was down to mutual self-volition). Lastly, which is key to knowing her character, she loved her nii-san.

But wait! That's incest!

Above meme implies correctly what is actual incest, but not when it comes to Tohno family politics. After all, Shiki=/=Túrin Turambar. Now we all know there's a 2nd SHIKI [遠野 四季] and that's Roa. At the same time, SHIKI was also the REAL son of Makihisa. In short, the other Tohno Shiki is actually Nanaya Shiki. I believe this is not just Nasu's way of creating coincidence, but above all creating a legitimate source of conflict between Shiki and SHIKI.

Therefore, Akiha's love for Tohno Shiki [遠野 志貴] is not incest, but legitimate BGR (learnt this term in secondary school, this is the term harming my life for 10+ years till now). But for SHIKI, it's really incest since Akiha is, after all, his legitimate younger sister. However, we must also understand that the reason why SHIKI developed this warped sense of lust/love was down to his Inversion Impulse deemed irreversible. Ironically, Akiha could have stayed free from her demonic blood had she chose not to save Shiki.

Tsundere factor

At the beginning of Akiha's route, Shiki had a first hand taste of what he's gonna get. Obsessive interest in where he goes? Check. Obsessive tendency to shackle his freedom? Check. Obsessive jealousy whenever Shik is in company of other girls? You got it, bro.

In fact, this tsundere factor actually extended all the way to Akiha's standard where Shiki's way of living is concerned. To her, the firstborn son should be everything, the rest doesn't matter. And that includes herself. In fact, while it's easy to say Akiha is actually a sweet girl kind at heart, we must know that everyone in the Tohno family (apart from Shiki, that is) was guilty of hiding behind a facade. Kohaku's facade is that of "darkness", Hisui's facade is named "fortitude". The Tohno family is all about "secrets which cannot be revealed", Akiha had always been wearing a frigid mask of "love". Out of every individual/entity, I believe only Akiha would have the strength to change anything or everything about this dysfunctional clan. Because let's just face it: the Tohnos are quite obviously ****ed up together with those associated with them. Not that the Nanayas were anywhere better though.

When we used to be young and innocent...

If there's a common focus in the Far Side, I would use the phrase "innocence lost". Kohaku lost her innocence, that's why she could only watch from afar the happiness unattainable. Hisui lost her innocence because she chose to forsake everything in order to protect whatever left of her life, i.e. Kohaku. As for Akiha, she lost her innocence during that fateful moment where Shiki laid dying from his wound.

So how did above mentioned incident happen? I'd call this an accident waiting to happen. Not due to anybody's fault, but rather the truth behind the Tohno family. You see, this is a family afflicted by Demonic blood. In short, they're certified half humane, half-Demons. There are those with a thinner percentage of such blood, these people are able to live a normal life. Then we have those having a stronger concentration of Demonic blood, these are the ones who can and will never be sane once they hit an Inversion Impulse.

The latter case would include Makihisa, SHIKI, and Kishima Kouma (note that Kishima is a branch family of Tohno). Former case includes Akiha. In fact, Makihisa actually noted that Akiha could choose to live a normal life, a life where she can interact freely with other girls her age and sharing similar/identical hobbies. Why then, did Akiha choose to throw this right of hers away? Because she wanted to save Shiki!

This is NOT a "doh!" statement, this is the only thing defining Akiha's life and her future to come. Before we reach that point, let's ask ourselves this question-Is SHIKI's Inversion Impulse and accident or incident. Incident would imply either unforeseen circumstances or deliberate planning. Accident, on the other hand, means shit happens, shit outta luck.

Indeed SHIKI's Inversion was an accident. Before that, he and Shiki were very close. Either person viewed the other as a brother he wanted the most, 'tis a shame that everything just had to go terribly wrong. It's nobody's mistake, only the cruelty of fate turning destiny's wheel. Note that I'm NOT talking about Roa hidden in SHIKI because we shouldn't blame that asshole for the Tohno lineage.

Sadly, Akiha was forced between a rock and hard place. She never wanted this to happen, that both SHIKI and Shiki should deserve good things in life.

How the correct Shiki changed everything

Akiha's childhood was basically nil. In short, her hours were spent in lessons every ojou-sama should be learning. Never once did she have a chance to enjoy simple things every kid deserves. If not for Shiki, Akiha would be nothing more than a living dead. Interestingly enough, Akiha had always been fearful of SHIKI due to her knowing instinctively that "something's not right with him". This was also why she disliked Shiki at first (since they both shared the same first name). However, it seems that Shiki never minded this at all. Quite on the contrary, he actually took the initiative to invite Akiha out to play (note that Hisui was the one making this indirectly possible due to her being the only individual willing to approach Shiki).

With Hisui and SHIKI (not to mention the usual Shiki also), Akiha managed to have a decent childhood. Sadly, good things will never last long as SHIKI suddenly underwent Inversion out of nowhere. Akiha's fears were finally justified, she became SHIKI's first target. It was then where she realised Shiki took the blow for her. The fact that Makihisa managed to stop the worst possible scenario didn't matter to Akiha because she blamed herself for Shiki's predicament.

If only Shiki stayed put...

If only I'm the one killed...

Then everything wouldn't have turned out like this...

If I am to see things via Akiha's POV back then, this would be the most likely scenario. imo this is the reason why Akiha chose to give half her life force to save Shiki from death. Yet, this is also the reason why Akiha had to live a life nowhere different from SHIKI with a strong willpower being the only obstacle to her Inversion Impulse.

Fast forward to the present

Due to this convoluted past, one can't help but feel sympathy for Akiha. What turned out to be something unresolved ended up being something so much more. In fact, not only did Shiki's near-death sacrifice saved Akiha's life, but her soul was also salvaged as a result. That's why she could soldier on despite whatever hardship, this is also why she ended up being a control freak. As for her tsundere character, it's basically Akiha's frailty. Add everything together and you'll get Akiha popping up in Shiki's school on a permanent basis.

Fragility and promise

Ain't it sad, Sacchin? She loved Shiki because he saved her life, it's exactly the same for Akiha. In the end, Shiki chose Akiha over Satsuki. Why? Because he remembered what he promised to Akiha. Sadly for Sacchin, Shiki never made any promise to "come back home safely". To him, the Tohno mansion will always be his home and Akiha his only family left.

One important thing to note is this-Satsuki had already been turned into a vampire by then, the culprit none other than SHIKI.

How an Ending justifies the idealism tag

I'm not gonna say anything on any other ending apart from the True Ending. But before I get started, allow me to say this: SHIKI never played any major role for the early half of Akiha's route. It's only during post-Satsuki that he started making himself known. It's basically Nasu's plot device srsly.

With that being said, it's important to note that no matter how you make your choices (as Shiki ofc!), Akiha would always get kidnapped by SHIKI, Akiha would always be controlled by SHIKI, Akiha would always do the same thing as SHIKI. The last part is esp important because it highlights Akiha being the monster she detests the most. Said monster was never SHIKI nor herself, but everything wrong with the Tohno family and the associated clans. Needless to say, this was also why the Nanayas perished, be it literally (Makihisa's plotting) or figuratively (the fact that they could only live as Demon killers and nothing more).

What justifies Shiki's final choice-Akiha ended up ripping SHIKI's heart out, SHIKI died. I'd like to invoke that certain Trey Parker humour, but that would steal Lancer's thunder. Suffice to say, Akiha was no longer sane.

True Ending-No point for me writing up Normal Ending. Period. So there we have it, Shiki killing himself in order to release the remaining half of Akiha's life force in him. This is the only way to save Akiha via transferring whatever belonging to her in the first place. Symbolically, it also means Akiha regaining her freedom once and for all. Free from the malaise of her family, but at what cost? Shiki's sacrifice wasn't only noble, but ironic as well. Never before had I ever seen irony and idealism complimenting each other so finely, but this should be what Nasu wanted all the while. To tell us what is the true meaning of ideals finally attained. Without the relevant price, one can never obtain anything. Later on, we would end up seeing this concept being the plot focus in Fate/stay night where Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven's Feel are concerned (Ufotable gonna do HF? Hell yeah if so).

Most idealistic route of all? Limpeh's take-Okay, so Shiki never died post-suicide attempt. Kagetsu Tohya confirmed this via Ciel's statement(it should be stated that chances are, KT=fan disc=only pseudo fanwork). With Akiha still waiting for her nii-san to return home, I'll have to say that open ended endings never felt this good. Given the dark and sombre nature of Tsukihime, Akiha's past could only be construed as "how a living doll finally became a living human", nothing else. Shiki's sacrifice was merely a plot device to deceive us in believing happy endings=sasquatch myth. Out of all 6 heroines' route, half of them were accounted as happy endings (if we're talking abt True Endings ONLY). Kohaku is one, Akiha the other. As for the 3rd happy ending, I'll cover this asap next. However, we must understand that Akiha's back story was arguably the least cynical and the most romantic of all (srsly, don't lie to yourselves, girls. You'd def want to be Akiha and your bf Shiki himself). If Hisui's route is all about enduring and letting go, then Kohaku is all about revenge and forgiveness. Akiha's situation, on the other hand, is telling us "only the greatest sacrifice can bring about the greatest love". Full stop.

To be cont'd...

Tsukihime (H&K)

We all know the remake will be coming anytime soon, but for now, this will be about Shiki and his chicks *cough*cough*.

Far Side of the Moon

I'm going by ascending order this time round. Firstly, this is the gaiden portion of the plot where the side story's focus is on the family politics surrounding the Tohno family. In spite of being the so-called main antagonist, Roa/SHIKI bore no relevance to any FSotM route. Yet, it must also be said that SHIKI was the catalyst behind every family tragedy made possible...
Note-Far Side actually covers the Tohno aspect of the plot, therefore the theme of eternity vs living is quintessentially non-existent.

Hisui & Kohaku

The reason why I put the twin maids together is down both having a mutual antithesis kinship. Why did I say so? Very simple, for Hisui was never the abused one while Kohaku was never the cheerful one. Quite the other way round, for Shiki ended up confusing Hisui for Kohaku and vice-versa.

This has to be the darkest route in-game (note that I'm talking about Hisui+Kohaku, not individually). In particularly, Kohaku's half was especially cynical given the fact that she's that rape victim, not Hisui. As a 3rd party observer, I believe what truly defines my opinion was how Nasu utilized two different POVs with exact nature. Sounds cheem? Well, let's put things this way: It's all about common identity and symbolism vs both being two different characters. Hisui was wearing mask, ditto for Kohaku. In short, 'tis a story defined by self-deception. Nowhere in Tsukihime had we seen anything like this, even the Heaven's Feel route (arguably the darkest plot Nasu ever did so far) in Fate/stay night is all about being true to oneself.

We all know Hisui's decision to maintain a cold exterior was down to protecting the older Kohaku, we all know which sibling got raped by the previous family head of Tohno, Makihisa. Ironically, the only reason justifying Hisui protecting Kohaku was the latter making the same decision pertaining to whatever sexual abuse suffered under Makihisa.

Kohaku's life mirrors Shiki's, this is why only Shiki could unlock her heart. Hisui could never do it because her role is a guardian, not someone walking the same path. To prove what I'm saying might not be a long shot, try understanding why Kohaku was the one giving him the ribbon before he left for the Arima family. I'm NOT talking about Shiki being the only one noticing her existence behind a room window, but rather HOW on earth did he manage to do so, something others failed to do.

One interesting plot play is a switch in identity, that Hisui was wearing Kohaku's actual self as her mask while Kohaku also did the same where Hisui is concerned. While Hisui was doing it to protect her sister, I believe Kohaku's mask was proof of her weakness, that she could never live like the real Hisui. This is why she called herself a doll. A doll to Tohno Makihisa, a doll to the Tohno family, and most importantly, a doll to herself. In this respect, Kohaku has got to be the most ironic heroine in-game. This is also why she's the reason why shit has to happen due to her deliberate schemes to destroy the Tohno clan. She loathed the fact that she's the only one suffering, she couldn't bring herself to hate Hisui because shit happened out of self-volition. It was also this conflicting mindset which defines Kohaku's journey from slavery to freedom. And I believe this is why Kohaku's True Ending is also considered her deserved Ending.

As for Hisui, she's wearing a mask of weakness hiding her strength. Yet, we mustn't forget that Hisui, like your everyday girl on the streets, deserves a shot at actual happiness. I do find it interesting that despite having no actual powers (apart from that... erm...(*ﾟｪﾟ*)... ), that girl is actually emotionally the strongest. When Tohno Shiki first arrived in the family, he didn't want to venture beyond his shell due to his real family slaughtered by Makihisa's machination. Hisui was the only person around brave and kind enough to offer him friendship, this particular chapter in Shiki's life managed to go a long way in defining his view on life. Lest we forget, Shiki has to carry the burden of seeing death, not to mention the absolute power to kill just about anything. If Aoko's presence gave him a definite path to tread, then Hisui's gesture would be the source. Without Hisui, we can be very sure Shiki would have gone insane.

Come to think of it, aren't we the same as well? We all have our worries and sorrows, sufferings which we do not want our loved ones to know. Why? Because we fear hurting them? Or maybe we feel they won't be able to help? There are two types of trust: Either you trust those willing to listen or you end up trusting those who suffered in similar ways. This is what Nasu is trying to bring across, I believe. That there will be more than one way to happiness, fortune will always favor the bold. Yet, such boldness can never be obtained in the classroom or living room. This is something which only the other person can give, that empathy is the only route to true love.

Respective Endings

Hisui-Two Endings, one True and one Good. First, the Good Ending. Kohaku attempted suicide, Shiki managed to save her in time. True Ending is quintessentially a tragic conclusion to a tragic family drama. I used to read a bit of Shakespeare (not even good enough to consider myself as a novice though) despite my apparent failure in formal education, that was during my teenage years. If Hamlet is all about revenge, then Kohaku is your Rule 63 Hamlet. They tend to say karma is a bitch, Hisui's True Ending highlights the answer why. In a bid to end her bitterness, Kohaku discovered there's already no place left for her, that only death can liberate herself and even more importantly, Hisui's future with Shiki. This has to be the most cynical ending Tsukihime has to offer since this is indeed a story of vengeance where death is the only mercy available at the end.

Kohaku-Only one Ending, which is considered both True and Good. In particular, the Nanaya forest now being a backdrop of hope is what I'll call the best "happily ever after" technique. You see, Shiki's actual family was Nanaya, a clan of Demon hunters prone to brutality in hunting down their prey (i.e. Demons). In this sense, the Nanaya clan are more akin to those they hunt rather than who they are (i.e. humans). No thanks to Makihisa employing that BA half-Demon, Kishima Kouma, the entire clan got brutally massacred apart from Shiki (and please don't ask me why Makihisa spared him. I suspect this might be some kind of stupid plot armor). No matter what, if Hisui's True Ending is all about realism, then Kohaku's is 100% idealism. To further prove Nasu is a nutcase for irony, this is a case of cynicism begetting idealism. Remember that is was a place brimming with sorrowful memories, a parallel to much of Hisui's life. In a very real sense, this feels like the most apt way to conclude the Far Side half since Kohaku was, after all, the actual villain in the grand scheme. A symbolic case of confronting the past in order to achieve victory?

To be cont'd...
Next up-Akiha ojou-sama

Tsukihime?

I suddenly realised one scary thing: Once I get 100% focused, I will become 200% OCD mode. Nature due to my perfectionist character? Or nurture due to challenging surroundings+zero confidants? Before the main course comes, I guess Tender Huang and Jessica Liu do make an interesting screen couple. Yes, this statement=100% unrelated b/c I feel like upping this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpESLcPQrA4

DISCLAIMER!

I don't profess to know 100% of the Tsukihime plot. Like a lot of other stuff, everything is me doing speculation via 3rd party analysis. Oh, and music clip URL above should be Arc-Shiki instead.

So what's so special abt a H-game?

Call me a liar, but I nvr had any experience in playing VNs, let alone anything done by TYPE MOON. In short, you'll be amazed over how much you can know via mere curiosity. Seems that despite my Chinese zodiac sign being a dog, my character is more like a cat.

A certain Met in a certain forum once poured scorn on Tsukihime b/c he believed nothing good can come out of any plot H in nature. I disagreed with him back then, I realised I sucked at debating back then also.

Arguably the crucial fictional work awakening the Vincent van Gogh in me, this was where I started going philosophical mode even till now. Met, whatever prejudice you had back then is now invalid, mark my words.

Intro

Tsukihime's focal theme is all about life. In short, this is NOT your customary Twilight romance, so if you're a Twi-hard, you can close this window unless you really want to know some super cheem philosophy about humans and other freaks.

Any Tsukihime fan can and will tell you that the philosophy factor lies in the conflict between eternity and mortality, but to me, the concept of eternal living is merely there to highlight the fragility called life.

What is the meaning of life?

Interestingly, the main character is NOT the titular character. Tsukihime (lit: Moon Princess) refers to Arcueid Brunestud. Main character is some generic boy named Tohno Shiki. If not for a certain "accident", Shiki would still be living your everyday life. Sadly for him, this is not the case.

We all know he had the ability to perceive death. Everything in this world has an end, said end is called death. Death isn't merely the process of dying, but rather the absolute end of any existence. Try to see things this way: If the world is a massive database and any given existence being part of the data, what will happen once that data got deleted? Or maybe you can ask yourself what's the difference between delete and reformat.

And herein lies the most fundamental meaning of life: Life itself has no meaning apart from having that certain end called death. This is especially poignant when Nasu started linking "beginning", "process", and "result" (in this order) together. 'Tis really scary when we consider this to be a linear pattern nobody can win against.

A/N-There's a difference between cutting the lines and piercing the dot. The former case is all about cutting apart target existence without any chances of healing/recovering. Latter case, however, is the true process of reverting any existence back to nothing (death). The dual Origins belonging to Emiya Kiritsugu (Fate/Zero and Fate/stay night), namely Binding and Severing, actually gives us a clear visualization on how cutting the lines work. Albeit to be fair, I believe this to be some accidental coincidence on Nasu/Urobuchi's part.

Shiki and Sensei

Shiki possessed the power to reformat rather than just pressing delete. The only catch? Said reformatting is a one way traffic. In short, any data (i.e. existence) Shiki kills (erases) can never be recovered. No one believed Shiki when he mentioned the lines, everyone thought him to be a mischievous fibber.

This brings to mind a certain episode where I got my glasses cracked during secondary school due to me crashing down the stairs (said process actually involved the kid at the staircase entrance tumbling down, which resulted in me being squashed at the bottom). Any attempt to make straight my glasses' frame ended up in failure, one lens got cracked. Despite my most truthful protests, my mom was convinced I got myself into this fix due to running around. Why was she so sure? Because the uncle running the spectacles shop said so.

Similar to my aforementioned past, he ended up cutting apart a wooden table in his hospital ward (whether that's also part of original VN plot, I dunno since I'm talking abt the manga adaptation). Doctor asked him what happened, Shiki told him the truth. Again, he became the liar despite being truthful. Everybody started seeing him as some crazy kid where in fact he's perfectly sane.

Having nobody to confide in, Shiki got unwittingly shunned by those who should be believing him (or at least granting him some benefit of doubt). This is understandable from the adults' POV b/c that's Nasu's way of telling us "people can only perceive things they chose to believe in".

Shiki could perceive death in its entirety, the rest couldn't. This is why he has to live a life no normal human being can understand/empathize.

Enter Aozaki Aoko, Shiki's teacher (sensei). Suffice to say, fate did truly bring them together since Aoko is a character acting on personal impulses/whims above all else (albeit in Mahou Tsukai no Yoru, she's arguably more reckless).

At this point of time, let me just ask you all one simple question: When you're feeling all alone and afraid, how would you feel if someone comes along and assure you of a listening ear?

*Note that I'm talking about childhood/teenage phase, not grown up stage.*

This was Shiki's only chance of being heard, he's actually taking a major risk in trusting a stranger. Yet, we must know that Shiki had nothing to lose by then, that even the simplest indulgence any kid should have was brutally taken away from him. In this sense, I believe we all can identify ourselves with little Shiki.

You see, any human being will go mad once he/she got subjected under prolonged solitude/ostracizing. We're not born this way, this stems from the human instinct to feel loved/needed. Given the nature of Shiki's actual lineage, that's the last thing he (or the society at large) wanted.

Amazingly, Aoko never got tired of talking with him. I believe it's down to her innate tendency towards self-accountability, which is an important character development point for her in Mahou Tsukai no Yoru. And this actually extended towards respecting every manner of living things/existence. This is NOT to say the user of Fifth Magic is a good person (since she won't hesitate to destroy anything even if it's for whimsical purposes). But suffice to say, at least Aoko is decent enough to devote 100% effort towards anything she decided to do. Which in this case, her relevant decision was Shiki.

Struggles and Morals

Why Aoko felt a deep affinity towards Shiki's anguish is still beyond me, I think we will only discover the full answer come the much awaited sequel to MTnY. Either that or I'm missing out something important due to the much obvious 3rd party syndrome. No matter what though, it's a no-brainer to see Aoko having 100% obligation towards her charge. Interestingly, said trait might have rubbed off on Shiki years later if we're talking about his character dynamics with Arc (albeit this would have already spiraled out of control per proven in Arc's True Ending).

The decisive moment in Shiki's character actually came about after he killed a tree via cutting its "lines". Apparently, Aoko wasn't amused and slapped him without questions asked. Given how Aoko activating the Fifth Magic meant the imminent destruction of the world (as evidenced/implied in Notes. ****ing hate the fact that Gun God died despite symbolic importance being legit. *cough* Shirou *cough*), 'tis only natural to guess correctly her reaction even though one needs to play MTnY first to understand.

Ofc given Shiki's just a kid, he ended up crying. Why? Not just because he got slapped by that only person who cares about him, but above all the innate knowledge that what he did was wrong. As Aoko stated what little Shiki did is wrong, our little future protagonist managed to apologize before things got out of hand. While it's likely that Aoko's company had matured a little boy beyond teenage standard, we must also note that kids will always be kids, they'll always be out to please/impress the nearest person. For Shiki, the only one present turned out to be the only one willing to approach him. Ironically, this reason behind his apology was the EXACT reason why he killed that tree. Needless to say, such emotion also justified his stance that only Aoko is deserving of his respect (hence, the term sensei although Shiki's original intent was down to Aoko disliking her full name. Not to mention Aoko IS indeed a bossy woman).

On Aoko's side, she felt an obligation to give him a pair of glasses stolen from her elder sis, Touko (and we all know this is a sibling rivalry turned somewhat violent due Touko being the Fifth Magic's original heir). The glasses, however, could only block out the lines from sight as taking them off means going back to square one. Eerily speaking, this was a symbolic moment where Shiki's future struggle against his murderous alter-ego is concerned.

Lastly (for now), Aoko actually complimented Shiki's forthright honesty in facing up to his own mistakes, that even though she wouldn't demand this scarred little boy to be saint, Tohno Shiki will still nevertheless become a splendid man ten years after.

To be cont'd....

Part 2-Tohno Shiki's interaction with the various chicks and how the actual dynamics work themselves out. Weirdly enough, some Tamil aunty in a certain dept actually joked that everyone in a certain sub-dept can be certified as my sisters. Yes, said sub-dept is all-female and that include all the young ones. Way to go there, makcik. You might have accidentally created an Akiha joke w/o knowing what is Tsukihime. :o