I don’t remember what Ferris Bueller did on his day off, but I imagine he wouldn’t mind my using his wild escapades as a less-than-apt metaphor for a certain infamous series by a certain infamous director.
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Ryukishi07 is somewhat of a god in today’s anime fandom. Though he’s been writing professionally for less than a decade, his When They Cry series has become one of the most recognized franchises across the subculture, appearing everywhere from spoilerific 4chan threads to bad YouTube AMVs. Though it feels like it’s been a lifetime since then, it was only a few years ago that I first felt the horror and masochistic adoration for the anime adaptation of Higurashi; and since then, the name “Ryukishi07” has been synonymous in my mind with “crazy but awesome.”
Anyway, after finally giving in to the pressure from the internet, I found time to start playing Umineko no Naku Koro ni (which, interestingly, makes seagulls seem almost as dramatic a background motif as cicadas). So far I’ve only finished the first episode, so what follows will be a bit of rambling on my part (and it spoils the two Higurashi seasons as well as the first episode of Umineko, so beware). Since most of you know more about the story than I do at this point, I won’t bother speculating – instead, I’ll try to explore the beginnings of an idea on Ryukishi07’s original structure and recurring themes that make all the difference in an otherwise unoriginal genre.
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Or, my plans to end the year in style. Quickfire points ahead:
And with that, let December begin!
~ ETERNAL
つづく
P.S. Umineko post is coming in a couple days. I’m sure that’s relevant to some of your interests.
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If there’s one thing I can comfortably say about Fate/stay night, it’s that it’s been quite a ride. At almost 100 hours, my save file is 100% complete, leaving behind an aftertaste that is surprisingly bittersweet. For a story that initially appeared to be about gender-swapped heroes and awkward mana-charging metaphors, I can only say that I’m utterly impressed at how F/SN grows out of its shell and reaches both the mind and the heart.
Interestingly, there are also some elements of the game that are only obvious – or at least more visible – in hindsight. While it will always be a fantasy story at its core, the supernatural plot devices serve far more purpose than to simply feign depth with Nasuverse jargon. Looking closely (but not too closely), it’s easy to see the multiple levels of symbols and motifs that are scattered across the story, even if the plot doesn’t depend on them. Luckily for us, Nasu’s writing is fairly self-explanatory, and the various soliloquies and interludes, in addition to the surprisingly helpful afterword, help shed light on the “true” meaning of the game.
Sadly, it’s in the nature of posts like these to be purely conjecture, but while I don’t think that there is any black-and-white lens to view Fate/stay night through, I’ll do what I can to piece together the clues of this 800,000 word epic.
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The grand finale of Type-Moon’s 50+ hour epic is not quite what one would expect. Coming after the dramatic battle of ideals in Unlimited Blade Works and the story of the fallen warrior and the king of heroes in Fate, it’s hard to imagine what kind of climax could do justice to the buildup.
Thankfully, Heavens Feel fills those shoes with ease.
In retrospect, though, there was something more to my enjoyment of the story than the simple fact that it ‘s a well-written conclusion. It touched me emotionally in a way that no Type-Moon work has. It’s hard to define it with a word, but there was something in particular that resonated with me in HF, something that has little to do with filling in the back story and tying in the themes. It’s the one thing that makes visual novels hit or miss, the often deciding factor that draws the line between melodramatic and heart-wrenching. It’s the difference between observing Shirou’s struggle as a fly on the wall and observing it as a participant.
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What does it take to change the world?
A now-famous anime character by the name of Light Yagami once asked himself that question when he witnessed the horrors that humans are capable of. If you’ll allow me to take things out of context and talk about a story I haven’t read in 3 years, you’ll see where I’m going with this.
He was just a kid, ultimately. A genius, maybe, but still only human. But even so, did he stop? Did he hold back? He dared to do something that few of us could ever do – and he paid the ultimate price because of it.
Was he a hero? I’m not quite sure. An anti-hero, maybe; or at least that’s the term we use for people like him. But practically speaking, every reader finds a different answer to that question. Some would sympathize with him, understanding his hatred for the scum of society; others would despise him for his self-righteous attitude. Like Hakim and Hachi from Planetes, it would be unfair to paint one as right and the other as wrong.
…Are you tired of reading yet? Wondering why I’m talking about Death Note when I barely even remember the story? Maybe your ears will perk up when I mention the Otaku Elimination Game.
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