tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51020046817631503562024-03-24T18:15:44.582-04:00Stealing KnowledgeDetailing the ceremonial art of commanding spirits both good and evilEirikrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708584583156602408noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102004681763150356.post-84108158678846676282021-11-03T17:05:00.005-04:002022-06-19T00:39:35.193-04:00DEBUNKING 30 SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI FAN MYTHS, PART TWO: #16-30<div><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-fc9b4974-7fff-5d53-5cfb-1ba92bb1115e" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKNO88oa8kzhMubvm6QanFiv1h_VCIS9n44wD8F5o0RTI1cgVfa1ZhXaUbRBQtqxKXFhtgagTLb4sCjKI-SR6uyggUvWQqGqLrcWa8jw4vQz9zsjFr0EI4Ky63lERaWSuZWEgZalV9BI/s1000/fanmyths-part2-shadow2.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKNO88oa8kzhMubvm6QanFiv1h_VCIS9n44wD8F5o0RTI1cgVfa1ZhXaUbRBQtqxKXFhtgagTLb4sCjKI-SR6uyggUvWQqGqLrcWa8jw4vQz9zsjFr0EI4Ky63lERaWSuZWEgZalV9BI/s16000/fanmyths-part2-shadow2.png" /></a></span></span></span></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-fc9b4974-7fff-5d53-5cfb-1ba92bb1115e" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-fc9b4974-7fff-5d53-5cfb-1ba92bb1115e" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At last, the final 15 Shin Megami Tensei fan myths have arrived. So which are next on the chopping block? </span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, I’ve been told there are Multiverses, but I couldn’t find any. Interpretations of Nocturne lyrics are a dime a dozen and actually worth even less. Somehow, there’s even a Tyrannosaurus Rex! And obviously many more than just these. Rumors even whisper of a mysterious 31st myth. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Read on (or check out <a href="https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2021/10/smtfanmyths1.html" target="_blank">PART ONE: MYTHS #1-15 if you haven’t, they’re essential!</a>) and help stem the tide against rampant SMT misinformation!</span></span></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>As before, some things to note: </b></span></span></h3><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1. These myths are not presented in order of importance or in ANY order except for a few that build off of each other. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. For clarity, the quoted statement (Ex. “Kaneko Lives in a Flower Field”) represents the false statement I am refuting. This statement is the “myth.” <b>PLEASE NOTE</b>: The image header for each section may contain a truncated version of the myth; the "Myth's Gist" for each represents the full statement. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3. Most of the time I abbreviate game names: </span></span><br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shin Megami Tensei / Shin Megami Tensei II = SMT1 / SMT2 </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne = Nocturne</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey / Redux = SJ / SJR</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shin Megami Tensei IV / Apocalypse = SMT4 / SMT4A</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Persona 2: Innocent Sin / Eternal Punishment = P2: IS / P2: EP</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Persona 3 / 4 / 5 = P3 / P4 / P5</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And so on and so forth. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4. Sources cited, if necessary, are available at the bottom of their respective sections as footnotes. Additionally, for many myths I included optional non-cited sources providing further context and information. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Again, please enjoy!</span></span></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></b></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">________________________</span></span> </span></span></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">UPDATE (6/18/22): Additions and updates to #16 (more about ophanim), #18 (definition of "flat characters" updated), #20 (Mara is a "he" in SMT5!), #21 (Cthulhu's member in Dx2), #26 ("war broke out in heaven"), #27 (clarification), and #28 (I previously conflated Raido and Raidou XL; Persona Club mention), plus general grammatical corrections.</span></span></b></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">________________________</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOmxB5gvSU-TNcMnyRSHfzUAJfTQSmd-VokQi-LNDoRldDhY3HuAKkXDq7OxRyQ-pKclXXq2jFnu56MHjYBnmJ1dXmZav0Gq9PZuPHgEnQv5N1nMxqLcCaogGIBTUhZTAIuvsdQJTkIy0/s760/16X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOmxB5gvSU-TNcMnyRSHfzUAJfTQSmd-VokQi-LNDoRldDhY3HuAKkXDq7OxRyQ-pKclXXq2jFnu56MHjYBnmJ1dXmZav0Gq9PZuPHgEnQv5N1nMxqLcCaogGIBTUhZTAIuvsdQJTkIy0/s16000/16X-blogheader.png" /></a></div><b><br /></b><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>Biblical angels were actually scary, eldritch monsters and SMT4’s archangels represent this.</i> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The appeal of this forbidden “truth” about angels resonates not just with fans of SMT4’s contorted, metallic archangels but internet commenters in general. However, this entire “eldritch angel” concept is an entirely modern, invalid misinterpretation with no basis in Jewish or Christian religious tradition or art iconography.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For SMT4’s angels, we can cut right to the quick. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7jf7JHk0NCstjINHwY_Dx7cTeSx0Xp0CUkQ5vZUouG3fsbLfNW4xTiGFmgyYpeUXw8w1n0bAJVmdgbzmFY8pcAd5JB_4VzvB4MmB8BBw1vXjmdzLpqZwIiBr0CaPfnI_W3Bs_segHSE/s1388/16-images1x.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1194" data-original-width="1388" height="550" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7jf7JHk0NCstjINHwY_Dx7cTeSx0Xp0CUkQ5vZUouG3fsbLfNW4xTiGFmgyYpeUXw8w1n0bAJVmdgbzmFY8pcAd5JB_4VzvB4MmB8BBw1vXjmdzLpqZwIiBr0CaPfnI_W3Bs_segHSE/w640-h550/16-images1x.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source for Amemiya's art: <b>[16z]</b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Keita Amemiya, tokusatsu designer, is the artist behind its archangels and he had this to say in an official SMT4 interview about his inspiration for them: </span></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>I can’t really work with consulting materials and data, and that makes me feel ‘realistic’ designs don’t suit me. When I give an idea form, it is only complete in my head. </i><b>[16a]</b></span></span></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, he deliberately eschewed sources, meaning that the angels you see in the game are entirely Amemiya’s own creation; moreover, they are deliberately divorced from ANY source material and only reflect his personal art style. Thus, to even say they follow the eldritch model is completely untrue. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggpg4ZZkJ8V4EmFeoFA7LNvKq2xvzScuDbejbS2a1LzCaWp9NQQVJSEhyhkwAispH0Rto20RSHYMpy7GznvuF-zLKTjIdzaQBtW4fAiIy0MnAliu1jG4uibK8qbIwz_aUY9yFjwM-VZfU/s1454/16-images2x.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1454" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggpg4ZZkJ8V4EmFeoFA7LNvKq2xvzScuDbejbS2a1LzCaWp9NQQVJSEhyhkwAispH0Rto20RSHYMpy7GznvuF-zLKTjIdzaQBtW4fAiIy0MnAliu1jG4uibK8qbIwz_aUY9yFjwM-VZfU/w640-h422/16-images2x.png" width="640" /></a></span></span></div><p></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, fan perception of SMT4’s angels is still affected by the general and, I must repeat, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">modern </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">perception that angels are actually Lovecraftian beasts. This view dates back to at least 2010 with a Cracked.com article <b>[16b]</b> about biblical misconceptions; the irony here is perfect. Let's look at the most common claims from the article and internet comments since its publication. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First, the basic claim: “<b>angels are actually monsters.</b>” This is untrue as angels are overwhelmingly described in anthropomorphic or otherwise familiar terms, including: </span></span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The “sons of God” of Genesis, who lust after and copulate with human women, implying sexual “compatibility” with the human form (</span><a href="https://biblehub.com/bsb/genesis/6.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Genesis 6: 1-4</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These same angels eat bread baked by Lot, so they have normal mouths (</span><a href="https://biblehub.com/genesis/19-3.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Genesis 19:3</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The angel messengers to Lot who resemble men and are objects of lust for the Sodomites, i.e., they have butts (</span><a href="https://biblehub.com/genesis/19-5.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Genesis 19:5</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Angels are also described as holding things and having hands (</span><a href="https://biblehub.com/2_samuel/24-16.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2 Samuel 24:16</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://biblehub.com/judges/6-21.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Judges 6:21</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://biblehub.com/1_chronicles/21-16.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 Chronicles 21:16</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, etc.) </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Certain angel classes are clearly described as winged, such as seraphim (</span><a href="https://biblehub.com/isaiah/6-2.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Isaiah 6:2</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span></span></li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Next, the most common phrase cited as proof that angels are monsters: they utter “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>be not afraid</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” as if to assuage humans of their “grotesque” anatomy. But this is an immense leap of logic due to basic symbolic language and meaning understood by all ancient peoples--why would ugly (and thus symbolically “bad” or “evil”) things be associated with the heavenly sphere? And also for the following reasons: </span></span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Humans are afraid of anything surprising or unwanted, like a spider on the floor or wall; we know exactly what spiders are and are many times their size yet we still fear them</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Appearances of divine things to humans are common in mythology the world over, as </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theophany" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">theophanies</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (the manifestation of a god)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the Japanese Kojiki, Emperor Yuryaku encounters on a mountaintop the god Hitokotonushi in the form of a man; the emperor, himself of the divine bloodline, piously fears the god </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[16c]</b></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the Indian Mahabharata, the grand cosmic form of Vishnu (Vishvarupa) appears to the hero Arjuna, who is fearful of its scale and magnificence </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[16d]</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For myths in general, pious fear is seen as the natural human response to witnessing the sudden manifestation of the divine powers of the universe </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These powers are also only described in ways people naturally comprehend; cosmic Vishnu may have many arms and heads but they are still just arms and heads; naturally, the biblical writers also described angels in terms they understood like hands and wings, not as contorted asymmetrical nightmares that do not exist naturally</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most importantly, theophanies are <b>NOT</b> unique to the Bible even if it has its own way of expressing them</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lastly, there are the angel types that form the core of the “biblically-accurate,” “monstrous” views: the seraphim, because they are described as many-winged and “burning”; cherubim, because they have multiple animal heads; and ophanim, because they are wheels with many eyes. Here’s why they are actually totally consistent with the imagery of the Bible and other similar cultures: </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25d7wyXL3Z6cGzwRJ9Mu5bxNfS1kzqQjBm-xQHCa0PsHIMUKYUJsh-ZJHRN72mhPghg0TtcBxpi1a_21texoWOoTTzItjjXvFoYCc0ApsZmv_OPlEAjoa5nFxV82htbnjH6NxiYRGSys/s473/16-images4x.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="473" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25d7wyXL3Z6cGzwRJ9Mu5bxNfS1kzqQjBm-xQHCa0PsHIMUKYUJsh-ZJHRN72mhPghg0TtcBxpi1a_21texoWOoTTzItjjXvFoYCc0ApsZmv_OPlEAjoa5nFxV82htbnjH6NxiYRGSys/s320/16-images4x.png" width="320" /></a></b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Seraphim </b>(Isaiah 6:1-8): </span></span><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Are a part of Isaiah’s vision of God’s throne; the six-winged “burning” or “flaming” seraphim circle the throne and praise God</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The modern consensus is that the seraphim are derived from the Egyptian </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">uraeus</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the protective and symbolic serpent found on the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">nemes</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or headdress of pharaohs</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The uraeus is depicted as winged on seals and other archaeological finds </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[16e, 273, 275] </b></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The uraeus serpent is identified as the black-necked cobra </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[16e, 273]</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, capable of spitting at long distance a venom which can cause irritation and inflammation of the skin</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“The Hebrew name for both the [black-necked cobra] and the [uraeus] is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">saraf</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘the one that burns.’ The famous seraphim of Isa 6:2, 6 are not to be understood in any other way.” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[16e, 273]</b></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Isaiah 6 does describe the seraphim as having hands and feet but these “are not proof that they had a human shape, since cobras shown in the numinous realm could appear not only with wings but also with hands, feet, and even with a human voice.” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[16e, 273]</b></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Egyptian parallels can be seen as informing Isaiah’s vision: as the pharaoh sat on his throne and was protected by the uraeus, so was Yahweh on his throne protected by the fierce “burning venom” seraphim; by the 8th century BCE Yahweh was seen as “the actual sun god” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[16e, 277]</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[“burning” interpreted as fire and light, thus “sun,” 16f, 35]</b></span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b></b></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW-HEGqyil4vDmlpsC1V6OL6M_ovTZsH-_bUy_-Yu7_nB0mBlIpJtKGQArfT5z-uxLYjwaQuBP9StoZoFj3K5rBCMOm0_KATHdcUJHjsD2nk-FOUC2NDCNTPO-yXrkbUbrx-s9x_mDvRc/s943/16-images5.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="943" data-original-width="766" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW-HEGqyil4vDmlpsC1V6OL6M_ovTZsH-_bUy_-Yu7_nB0mBlIpJtKGQArfT5z-uxLYjwaQuBP9StoZoFj3K5rBCMOm0_KATHdcUJHjsD2nk-FOUC2NDCNTPO-yXrkbUbrx-s9x_mDvRc/w261-h320/16-images5.png" width="261" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image source: <b>[16y]</b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Cherubim</b> (Ezekiel 1:1-14, 19-25; 10:1-22; 11:22): </span></span><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Four appear as part of Ezekiel’s vision (i.e., an experience beyond reality’s limits) of God’s chariot-throne, the merkabah, and have human, lion, eagle, and ox aspects; are referred to as “living creatures” </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The cherubim are just one of the many hybrid creatures of the ancient Near East, including winged scarabs, the aforementioned uraei, griffins, sphinxes </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[16f, 46-47]</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and aladlammu </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[16e, 340]</b></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Close parallels to the cherubim and their association with the merkabah are to be found in sacred hybrid animals depicted on thrones of other cultures, especially Egypt </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An ivory found in Megiddo in Israel depicts in Egyptian style a prince seated on a throne flanked by symbolic “cherubim” or sphinxes, depicted with human faces, bird wings, and lion bodies </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[16e, 62]</b></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Though Ezekiel’s mystical vision seems to literalize or animate his cherubim, their symbolic function as protectors of the throne and who sits on it is identical to the Egyptian-style sphinx throne and others </span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7HF1_8db4kwfI7UFuG1KIXbOmuVg5ccDpdcpBAiQpEjVxd43nHoIJ3WIcSnz0V86nhPjr7TzvmWlJ15jZjh7KUlHIJ5jrm8iAsAX5bXeHSporVuEX84tjP9ecKksRyqHBdInybE75Lk/s1340/16-images3x.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1340" data-original-width="786" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7HF1_8db4kwfI7UFuG1KIXbOmuVg5ccDpdcpBAiQpEjVxd43nHoIJ3WIcSnz0V86nhPjr7TzvmWlJ15jZjh7KUlHIJ5jrm8iAsAX5bXeHSporVuEX84tjP9ecKksRyqHBdInybE75Lk/w376-h640/16-images3x.png" width="376" /></a></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Ophanim</b> (Ezekiel 1:15-21; 10:2, 6, 10, 16-17, 19; 11:22): </span></span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They also appear in conjunction with Ezekiel’s merkabah </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">vision </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and act as the wheels of the chariot, also four in number parallel to the “living creatures”/cherubim</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The most famous descriptions of the ophanim, that they are “wheels within wheels” and that their rims are full of eyes, remain mysterious to scholars </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[16f, 57]</b>;<b> </b>however, </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">working theories remain grounded in "Babylonian symbolism in the wheel as a cosmic halo or divine astral symbol as found in Neo-Assyrian cylinder seals of the 8th-7th century" <b>[16f, 59]</b></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Beings with supernatural numbers of appendages and organs are not unique to the Bible: the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hecatoncheires">Hecatoncheires</a> of Greek myth are the “hundred-handers” with fifty heads (and thus 100 eyes) apiece; deities of India and Buddhism frequently have more than two arms and yet they are perceived as benevolent. Additionally, the giant <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argus_Panoptes" target="_blank">Argus Panoptes</a> (lit. “all-seeing Argus”) was sometimes depicted with eyes all over his (relatively normal, anthropomorphic) body, similar to the ophanim; consider that the ophanim themselves may have been intended to be "all-seeing" as well--but as eyes of God, ultimately the absolute "all-seeing" one, yet "biblilcally-accurate" depictions stop short of a "biblically-accurate God"</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like the other angels, due to the ophanim’s proximity to God’s holy chariot/throne it is never suggested they were to be interpreted negatively as monsters </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Though 200 years after Ezekiel, Plato in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timaeus_(dialogue)" target="_blank">Timaeus</a> dialogue describes his World Soul using similar “wheel within a wheel” imagery, suggesting a common antecedent </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[16f, 57, 308]</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Notably, the description of the ophanim changes in Ez. 10:11-12, where the “wheels within wheels” develop heads (in some translations of verse 11) and bodies and wings, transforming them into a proper class of anthropomorphized angels </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[16f, 59]</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWeXlouvabbcD_jBECnzN4g9YkxNfC7O7_hwAatau8jKsVA6EBLZ4kW453bFPvD1ASNeKh_xj_qxsc5ClZizRvpSD50wZ3sbMhlYcetzi2YXRRTM60TNeOQOu7co0EHBa__zasH9K-Osc/s1242/16-images6x.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="1242" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWeXlouvabbcD_jBECnzN4g9YkxNfC7O7_hwAatau8jKsVA6EBLZ4kW453bFPvD1ASNeKh_xj_qxsc5ClZizRvpSD50wZ3sbMhlYcetzi2YXRRTM60TNeOQOu7co0EHBa__zasH9K-Osc/w640-h364/16-images6x.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source for Plato's wheel: <b>[16f]</b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is a complicated topic and the provided is just a sampling of scholarly interpretations of these “vision” angels based on textual analysis, contextual cultural comparisons, and archaeological evidence that are, conspicuously but not mysteriously, completely devoid of “eldritch” perceptions. The unspoken assumption in the field is that angels are not unknowable beings but inherently knowable concepts; as has been repeatedly emphasized, the imagery featured in these verses from Isaiah and Ezekiel is not unique to the Bible. The territories of ancient Israel and Judah existed in the shadows of major cultural, economic, and militaristic powers such as Egypt, the various Mesopotamian empires, the Hittites, and the “Canaanite” influence of Ugarit to the immediate north. It is only natural that these ancient Jewish people would adopt the common symbols and images of these influential nations when telling their own, genuinely unique, story of the relationship between a god and his people.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: verdana; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvEvuRBtH8oxXfm0R9z5BxCzmGO18qBi4oXwVlmVtbz91wSH88T78JMJk7HnTVcqO-8I7MCmEDcmKK9SNLh6U8WIxkLAIUBYJM1QfXa2BBT0zdhl4_ym0K0hDm7HgpdT2bjuzsLhgXY7sN5TgP6v5DTNXwWaVO2qrTOo-PqlBE-hGPGwVcl1GTcuxj/s1446/16-images7.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="625" data-original-width="1446" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvEvuRBtH8oxXfm0R9z5BxCzmGO18qBi4oXwVlmVtbz91wSH88T78JMJk7HnTVcqO-8I7MCmEDcmKK9SNLh6U8WIxkLAIUBYJM1QfXa2BBT0zdhl4_ym0K0hDm7HgpdT2bjuzsLhgXY7sN5TgP6v5DTNXwWaVO2qrTOo-PqlBE-hGPGwVcl1GTcuxj/w640-h276/16-images7.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Far right image by Spectrum Cinema</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some angels in the Bible do stand out from the robed, Christianized norm--the seraphim, cherubim, and ophanim being prime examples--but even so, they are only exceptionally unusual if your knowledge of religion is bound by memories of Sunday school and rambling sermons, a bubble that's honestly difficult (but not impossible!) for the ancient context, as detailed above, to penetrate and burst. However, the “biblically-accurate angel” movement rejects mainstream views for fringe interpretations that will never be found in a legitimate, vetted publication; if that sounds familiar it’s because it’s in the dubious company of the ancient astronaut hypothesis, Japanese-Jewish common ancestry theory, or other conspiracy theories. This is why generally missing from its discussion is proper context for the angels’ appearances and descriptions, like that these specific, consistently-cited “eldritch” angels specifically belong to extraordinary visions of God’s throne, the apex of Jewish cosmology. Obvious clickbait articles or Youtube videos with an alarming lack of cultural awareness or knowledge of religious development are unreliable teachers of hidden “truths.”<br /></span></span><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Sources</b>: </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[16a]</b> </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/08/08/yamai-ishida-doi-and-demon-designers-interview-for-famitsu/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yamai, Ishida, Doi and Demon Designers Interview [Famitsu, 07.2013]</span></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[16b]</b> <a href="https://www.cracked.com/article_18757_5-things-you-wont-believe-arent-in-bible.html" target="_blank">5 Thngs You Won't Believe Aren't in the Bible</a>, Cracked.com</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">[16c]</span></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Kojiki, chapter 132. Trans. Philippi.; <a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/637166004476182528/the-angel-fear-seems-pretty-decent-to-me" target="_blank">transcription</a> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[16d]</b> <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=vZheP9dIX9wC&pg=PA138#v=onepage&q=arjuna&f=false">Many Heads, Arms and Eyes: Origin, Meaning and Form of Multiplicity in Indian Art</a>. Srinivasan. 1997. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[16e]</b> </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gods, Goddesses, and Images of God in Ancient Israel. Keel/Uehlinger, 1998. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">[16f]</span></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The Development of Jewish Ideas of Angels: Egyptian and Hellenistic Connections ca. 600 BCE to ca. 200 CE. Annette H. M. Evans, 2007. (<a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/37319575.pdf" target="_blank">link 1</a>) (<a href="https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/1398" target="_blank">link 2</a>)</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[16z]</b> </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://twitter.com/keitaamemiya01/status/1427564011474718727">https://twitter.com/keitaamemiya01/status/1427564011474718727</a></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>[16y]</b> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.livius.org/pictures/israel/megiddo/megiddo-museum-pieces/megiddo-ivories/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.livius.org/pictures/israel/megiddo/megiddo-museum-pieces/megiddo-ivories/</span></a></span><br /><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>More</b>: </span></span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGO3UC0BD70" target="_blank">SMTheology - Be Not Afraid (On the Theological Accuracy of the Shin Megami Tensei IV Archangels)</a> video by Kid Capes</span></span></li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">________________________</span></span></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirS4iVtN81p1zV6dgHQR6y0gI0mXHruCyL_siIfBh22NSunxtdRpsQDBOmB9bMYYplzzyAjxqio7z1yDPgrzq9n_I682zLgTXp-o67AeH4L_J-9lNuE_ZKoIVxRE_-dX8a_j_8S6L_HIo/s760/17X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirS4iVtN81p1zV6dgHQR6y0gI0mXHruCyL_siIfBh22NSunxtdRpsQDBOmB9bMYYplzzyAjxqio7z1yDPgrzq9n_I682zLgTXp-o67AeH4L_J-9lNuE_ZKoIVxRE_-dX8a_j_8S6L_HIo/s16000/17X-blogheader.png" /></a></span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span><p></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>Strange Journey was meant to be SMT4 but the absence of Tokyo prevented it. </i></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Rp9NTG4s1FbCHK3fwZzSDfz_Q6b61BOBk-p-svtlqj-yfcT7-b_XHonkOm0tB3DWLdQLV8xYJe0T0gol5Xbhe-QpAPkDkNeI7lN7LRnDpFInS79ZWz-IQ2_vFzKdORwOPFGF962ju2Q/s1031/17-images1.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1031" data-original-width="867" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Rp9NTG4s1FbCHK3fwZzSDfz_Q6b61BOBk-p-svtlqj-yfcT7-b_XHonkOm0tB3DWLdQLV8xYJe0T0gol5Xbhe-QpAPkDkNeI7lN7LRnDpFInS79ZWz-IQ2_vFzKdORwOPFGF962ju2Q/s320/17-images1.png" width="269" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This rumor circulated around SJ’s original DS releases in 2009/10. How exactly it started is lost to time but that doesn’t mean it can’t be proven false. The game’s director, Eiji Ishida, sheds light on the game’s development and smashes this rumor into atoms in an SJR interview: </span></span><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">[Strange Journey] was developed as a spinoff from the start. The promotional staff at the time judged the game to have high enough quality to be marketed as a numbered title, so they suggested selling it as a numbered </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SMT</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> game. Even Mr. Kazuma Kaneko, who worked with us to design the human and demon characters and pen the original story, backed up the suggestion, saying it was “good enough to be called </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shin Megami Tensei IV</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.”</span></span></i></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But, because it was conceived as a spinoff, we enjoyed the freedom of going off on a tangent from the mainline games (and the extra pain and suffering from that, haha). Therefore, I felt a strong resistance to market it as a numbered title, and I ultimately rejected the suggestion. I think I would be a little more flexible about it now, but my past self who had just experienced the pain of creating a new title wasn’t as confident, and I couldn’t make that decision then. </span></span></i><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">[17a]</span></span></b></p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, the truth is Tokyo was never part of the picture and the idea of it being the fourth numbered title was merely a marketing </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>suggestion</i></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Source</b>: </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[17a]</b> <a href="https://retronauts.com/article/906/embarking-on-a-strange-journey-redux">Embarking on a Strange Journey, redux</a> </span></span></p></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b>More </b>(Ishida's cats on social media): </span></span></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://twitter.com/daishideath" style="font-family: verdana; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://twitter.com/daishideath</span></a></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/daishi555/">https://www.instagram.com/daishi555/</a> </span></span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">________________________</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCFuaZPvrroQgm-JnHPUEvEYTAp-5-nOmL2niO-k9lHHl8P53hmoejH8LVmFJcZ5-nFXXtDSx1e3jq7Wj2GRglvvcUJgQlB4YKqBBpYj5J8_DWxwyEcWfx_OXsf1ShGEKLbXZN6U_TDs/s760/18X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdCFuaZPvrroQgm-JnHPUEvEYTAp-5-nOmL2niO-k9lHHl8P53hmoejH8LVmFJcZ5-nFXXtDSx1e3jq7Wj2GRglvvcUJgQlB4YKqBBpYj5J8_DWxwyEcWfx_OXsf1ShGEKLbXZN6U_TDs/s16000/18X-blogheader.png" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>SMT characters are dull and have no character or personality, especially compared to their modern Persona counterparts.</i> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is really a matter of basic characterization and narrative structure. If you’ve taken an English class in college you’ll remember (or have forgotten--don’t worry, that’s okay!) the following stripped down definitions of how characters are written: </span></span><br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Flat characters</b>. Simple, two-dimensional personalities that rely on archetypes and whose own growth remains static or at least limited; simply, they don’t feel like real people, more like cardboard cutouts or impressions of people. But even in stories with more complicated characters, flat characters still exist as secondary characters who can affect the narrative in minor ways (through interactions with the protagonist, etc.). </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Round characters</b>. Predictably, the opposite of flat characters. These are dynamic, life-like agents of the central narrative conflict and develop and change through their actions and reactions to said conflict. Their substance can be defined by what they are on the inside as much as who they are on the outside. </span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ideally, you would at least want your protagonist to be a rounded character--however, both SMT and Persona use silent protagonists meant to be proxies of the player, so they are deliberately “blank.” That leaves the supporting casts to pick up the slack. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggopKeA7ANL7And_6wef5ujOiSZxkQ0AYY8h2qlpwRslK-CQv_ZZ0ks4Np5qNYfMzAVqclVvyA2MRY9Q__skhNQdhwAV0GCl7FYBjqTkT1TIIBrcUl3CDf1fgxds0yPRdzhPp0VyUy-UM/s984/18-images1.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="984" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggopKeA7ANL7And_6wef5ujOiSZxkQ0AYY8h2qlpwRslK-CQv_ZZ0ks4Np5qNYfMzAVqclVvyA2MRY9Q__skhNQdhwAV0GCl7FYBjqTkT1TIIBrcUl3CDf1fgxds0yPRdzhPp0VyUy-UM/s320/18-images1.png" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SMT’s traditional supporting cast members are its alignment heroes. Their formulaic character arcs usually go as follows: </span></span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">an introduction</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a focus on their conflicts and resulting motivation</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">an important decision made</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a transformation as a result of that decision that makes them the “hero” of a particular alignment</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">their ultimate role as warrior of that alignment</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">their defeat/success depending on the player’s own decisions. </span></span></li></ul></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">It could even be further reduced to “they have a motivating problem, they make a transformative decision to solve it, they grow to become alignment representatives based on that decision/transformation.” It is nonetheless a simple but effective driver of dramatic arcs and allows them to affect the direction of the story in its closing acts. The best examples are still SMT1’s Law and Chaos heroes, described succinctly: Law Hero is motivated by a lost girlfriend, dies in the process and is resurrected, then seeks a rule of Law as a messiah; Chaos Hero wants revenge against a bully, fuses with a demon and achieves it, and grows to desire a Chaotic world as a half-demonic entity.</span></div><div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfXi57v41FPHhwj1WhSzmDUowi6fsIyIOahbM-E-T3eFZ8GYTBcVVE5cHzpIFrOYpTOuSoPzOuCyZI1HAQFCu1xOfgFGbq6xt_fd7-KbMrzPo6P2Rsuerp4EDbw8xDKKy_0qYg8y_z6As/s893/18-images2.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="766" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfXi57v41FPHhwj1WhSzmDUowi6fsIyIOahbM-E-T3eFZ8GYTBcVVE5cHzpIFrOYpTOuSoPzOuCyZI1HAQFCu1xOfgFGbq6xt_fd7-KbMrzPo6P2Rsuerp4EDbw8xDKKy_0qYg8y_z6As/s320/18-images2.png" width="274" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In modern Persona, particularly the Persona 4 “episodic” model, its character development formula is shockingly similar. W</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">ithin the span of an in-game month or “episode,” we’re given:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">an introduction to the character</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the character's problem</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the party solving the problem</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">character growth due to acceptance of the problem and subsequent development of a persona</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">then the character joining the party</span></span></li></ul></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yukiko Amagi is the perfect example of this formula: she feels caged in due to her traditional role at the family inn (her shadow is literally a caged bird conflicted about her role), she accepts her inner conflict, gains a persona, and joins the party. The main difference between this and SMT’s formula is that “episodic” Persona characters have a single chance for meaningful personal growth and control over plot development--their arc “month”--and tend to remain static thereafter. Persona 3’s characters are the exception to this, as they are shown to have agency outside of the protagonist’s presence and grow to serve the plot instead of being a short-term focus. </span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">But the major perceived difference between the two is a “personality gulf,” heavily favored towards Persona’s longer and more frequent cutscenes, which, besides scenes of critical plot development, include summaries of plot events, onsen scenes, beach scenes, camping scenes, etc.; in other words, these are usually events where characters’ pre-defined personalities--their dispositions, likes/dislikes, etc.--are reinforced but lack actual character development through choices or actions. And though highly touted and loved, character development (or, in some cases, regression!) from Persona’s S-links and Confidants is not reflected in the main stories because they are optional; their omission is also conspicuous in sequels and spinoffs. Again, because P3’s persona (and thus character!) evolutions are baked into the narrative instead of being restricted to S-link completion, it remains the modern Persona game with the most organic character development. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDX1yq_7m89yTQi7uAYDpf7QPqmeMugNqVX1A4cosKCtmHpXX6tAVOyV4fn8pDNqlw7R9MXNJQMGTQ9Pg4-HeJA4jdUYpb-0RMvV4uB-Abu60YZrSyiODr23S3D7tDYOFyRAzMls7X1k/s1010/18-images4.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="1010" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDX1yq_7m89yTQi7uAYDpf7QPqmeMugNqVX1A4cosKCtmHpXX6tAVOyV4fn8pDNqlw7R9MXNJQMGTQ9Pg4-HeJA4jdUYpb-0RMvV4uB-Abu60YZrSyiODr23S3D7tDYOFyRAzMls7X1k/w320-h179/18-images4.png" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thing is, SMT has plenty of personality, too. Its main scripts are a fraction of the length of Persona’s, but due to deliberate design; its characters cannot get up to the same light-hearted antics because the setting doesn’t allow it. However, SMT has its own appropriate counterpart to them: demon personality types. Each demon is assigned one of a dozen or more types which determine not only what they say in conversations but any message, whether they level up, want to change a skill, or give you a gift. These can get repetitive due to their sheer frequency but are largely goofy and can still surprise, especially in newer games that have greater amounts of text and thus more variety. And since they are divorced from the main narrative, demons’ personality dumps don’t cause tonal whiplash, fitting SMT’s setting to a tee.</span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The honest truth may be that, despite simple arcs, <b>both SMT’s and Persona’s characters would be considered flat by critical metrics</b>; none of them actually act convincingly human, relying on archetypes. But another fact is that Persona’s cast members remain more relatable since they don’t live in fantastical apocalyptic settings surrounded by bizarre and boorish creatures. However, to imply they have more genuine depth of characterization than SMT’s heroes is not true, especially in Persona’s episodic model which affords each character a sole major event across an in-game month to effect a single change of heart or strengthening of resolve; in other words, character development equivalent to an SMT alignment hero. Actions, not the number of words spoken, shape rounded characters.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>More</b>: </span></span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://writersalliance.org/flat-and-round-characters-in-fiction/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://writersalliance.org/flat-and-round-characters-in-fiction/</span></a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/creative_writing/characters_and_fiction_writing/types_of_characters.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/creative_writing/characters_and_fiction_writing/types_of_characters.html</span></a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/what-flat-character-vs-round-character" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/what-flat-character-vs-round-character</span></a></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">________________________</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj07yT_F7-1i4qbdB-HbNJmTJ8HfogC-cg_L4kmA2nkKkA-kd-4jf6vhL_Kouv3gIAnNfdK7zfWAehPokkO982P7bUBKsaOlXx4CI-Tuh_-NogQSsGwkioaIM4iZmsYYf8du1wqUeQdPBI/s760/19X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj07yT_F7-1i4qbdB-HbNJmTJ8HfogC-cg_L4kmA2nkKkA-kd-4jf6vhL_Kouv3gIAnNfdK7zfWAehPokkO982P7bUBKsaOlXx4CI-Tuh_-NogQSsGwkioaIM4iZmsYYf8du1wqUeQdPBI/s16000/19X-blogheader.png" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>Nocturne has sparse cutscenes and character interactions, thus its story is minimalistic to the point of being nonexistent.</i> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This may be one of the most unfortunate misconceptions of the entire lot, often repeated in guides and discussions for newcomers to SMT. It is the result of expectations from other series, from Persona to Final Fantasy; Nocturne may indeed have fewer cutscenes and less dialogue, but whether or not a story exists isn’t determined by quantity. The craft of storytelling can be defined many ways but the most common include the following terms: </span></span><br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Story</b>: “A sequence of events involving characters. Events include both natural and non-natural </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">happenings (such as floods and car accidents). Characters get involved by being agents </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">(causers of events), patients or beneficiaries (being affected by events).” <b>[19a]</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Theme</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: “A salient abstract idea that emerges from a literary work's treatment of its subject-matter. While the subject of a work is described concretely in terms of its action (e.g. 'the adventures of a newcomer in the big city'), its theme or themes will be described in more abstract terms (e.g. love, war, revenge, betrayal, fate, etc.). The theme of a work may be announced explicitly, but more often it emerges indirectly through the recurrence of motifs.” <b>[19b]</b></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Narrative</b>: When not used as a synonym for “story,” it refers to “how the story is conveyed” <b>[19c]</b> to the audience, “be it by oral or written text, picture, performance, or a combination of these. Narratives can be found in conversation, jokes, novels, plays, films, comic strips, etc.” <b>[19a]</b> </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Plot</b>: “The particular arrangement of actions, events, and situations that unfold in a narrative. A plot is not merely the general story of a narrative but the author’s artistic pattern made from the parts of the narrative, including the exposition, complications, climax, and denouement. How an author chooses to construct the plot determines the way the reader experiences the story.” <b>[19d]</b></span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These definitions are important but, for the purposes of this myth, they’ll primarily be used for examples. Building off the previous characterization entry, I’ll simplify the needs of “story” down to its basics: <b>character actions that surround a central conflict</b>. Keep that in mind. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqB9K5bPcgQHral9YA3XuJWjp6iTkfQ5SEOPtJ0Af1wZ_3kSkwxhtmv-cUZPwsXKpVPdwtJTvHYsFpZUARCu-_mQPT-QxHuxhY14TTBveXQ_mR1cUTPsAWEZYuX1aYOhvvpfiB-LKherE/s1143/19-images1x.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="1143" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqB9K5bPcgQHral9YA3XuJWjp6iTkfQ5SEOPtJ0Af1wZ_3kSkwxhtmv-cUZPwsXKpVPdwtJTvHYsFpZUARCu-_mQPT-QxHuxhY14TTBveXQ_mR1cUTPsAWEZYuX1aYOhvvpfiB-LKherE/w640-h328/19-images1x.png" width="640" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And so, Nocturne begins with a dream about your teacher, Yuko Takao. This dream is extremely important as the very first lines reveal the central theme of the game (using the 2004 translation): </span></span><p></p><blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“A world that loses its power will fade away into nothingness. If such is the fate of this world, then I shall return it to its mother’s womb. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The world must first die, for it to be born again</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">…” </span></span></p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The bolded line (one Takao even repeats later on!) is the key statement: the story is about death and rebirth. But she gets more specific: </span></span></p><blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I am the nurturer of the next world. It is my duty to <b>create</b> the world that is to come.” </span></span></p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVI3Ov6kMKwojsVk122mpNjDR3xJ0OnAjU3yqIJmaT6_a3os0Ib8DohoMNC_nKJ4HMvVDIxMU9L2z-8Ra60yNDfC3qht307EwUUeAciYbg9Z_m3S6e7i7yYHh0vVo4KqFU1IQIctBmIP8/s665/19-images2x.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="645" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVI3Ov6kMKwojsVk122mpNjDR3xJ0OnAjU3yqIJmaT6_a3os0Ib8DohoMNC_nKJ4HMvVDIxMU9L2z-8Ra60yNDfC3qht307EwUUeAciYbg9Z_m3S6e7i7yYHh0vVo4KqFU1IQIctBmIP8/s320/19-images2x.png" width="310" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yuko is the nurturer, the mother figure, and she also will “create” this next world. This gives it away: Nocturne isn’t just about rebirth, it is about </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">creation</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. She also mentions not to forget what she tells you, emphasizing its importance. This theme reflects what the story is fundamentally about: characters vying for creation of the next world. Yuko is also the source of the game’s first major action: defying Hikawa by inviting you, Chiaki, and Isamu to the hospital to survive the Conception. </span></span><br /><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If that’s not enough, producer Cozy Okada was kind enough to point it out in a Nocturne interview: </span></span></p><blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Okada</b>: <i>… The side games, starting with Shin Megami Tensei if…, deal with smaller themes compared to mainline, so this game’s theme was </i></span><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘Creation out of Chaos’.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I actually discussed with Kaneko nine years ago about making a game with Chaos as its theme.</span></i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>It’s easy to perceive the theme as soon as you start playing the game. It really feels like a true ‘Shin Megami Tensei’ title.</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Okada</b>: <i>It does, doesn’t it? It might seem different at first glance, but once you start playing, you really feel it.</i> <b>[19e]</b></span></span></p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I feel it’s unnecessary to explain Nocturne’s story plot point by plot point, but once you get to the Vortex World, the central narrative conflict revolves around the collection of Magatsuhi--frankly the MacGuffin of the story--needed to summon a god of “creation,” thus fueling the character reactions and actions that define and resolve individual plot events that lead right into the next one: surviving the Conception → waking up transformed in the hospital → exploring the hospital → defeating Forneus and discovering the barren Vortex World → meeting with the other characters and witnessing how they survive in the Vortex World and define it, etc. In other words, Nocturne features natural storytelling.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNobzptKUXclefix-Q2f3u2EkvPLhrwU4idUyryvl5TE4mFJeWWI3HzeCkVv37WWX-3RiRZigCGVsye7oXvBcjjF-IDgtRZIL86Ksrr8aZ4KzfIqeZ4kULTWrtwvTEBRTgYplLi72_YHE/s1033/19-images3x.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="940" data-original-width="1033" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNobzptKUXclefix-Q2f3u2EkvPLhrwU4idUyryvl5TE4mFJeWWI3HzeCkVv37WWX-3RiRZigCGVsye7oXvBcjjF-IDgtRZIL86Ksrr8aZ4KzfIqeZ4kULTWrtwvTEBRTgYplLi72_YHE/w400-h364/19-images3x.png" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nocturne’s cutscenes may be relatively infrequent and short but they don’t need to be longer to be more effective: they are expertly framed and visualized to actively show you vital information and character actions instead of being passive backdrops for static talking portraits, while their economy of words succinctly explains current character motivations. Each one tells you something new about the world or how you (via choices), Chiaki, Isamu, Hijiri, Hikawa, and Yuko are developing along with the struggles for Magatsuhi; these are all features of Nocturne’s deliberate “narrative” framing. At the story’s climax, the conflict over Magatsuhi changes into a conflict over--unsurprisingly--its theme of creation, with each character vying for a different outcome. This is a complete story no less valid or fleshed out than Persona 5’s fight for justice or Persona 4’s quest for truth.
</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To review our storytelling terms, here’s how Nocturne would fit into each: </span></span><br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Story</b>: An apocalypse thrusts a handful of humans to survive in a barren, transient world, seek the power (Magatsuhi) needed for influence, and make the world anew in their image.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Theme</b>: Creation, of a new world. </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Narrative</b>: Cinematic visual presentation; gameplay mechanics that allow for choice and different outcomes.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Plot</b>: As individual interlinked events, broadly: Students meet their sick teacher in a hospital, the world ends, they adapt to survive the new environment, and so on and so forth until they transform and clash with one another. The plot point with the most drastic effect on the story is the Conception itself; everything else is dependent on it happening. </span></span></li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Akin to the discussion of character, excess dialogue does not develop a story, it only makes the script longer. Nocturne’s story does more with less, especially when communicated through its exceptional visual language. It may still be different from the RPG norm but Nocturne’s narrative remains a thematically rich and rewarding one, which is why it continues to be held in high regard.<br /> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgy4-v6xpajZsrF7RYwnS8mA8fq_lULAmxxOX9K3e-400KEFtT5tF-bG_5iCxEBvTmz2V70M7pVPuHSazxkT4A7qgDX-_PJ7wSKTnD7oWhZ18wyalffrCO55-CHY5RrE16WrmjqSyo4wk/s1206/19-images4.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="838" data-original-width="1206" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgy4-v6xpajZsrF7RYwnS8mA8fq_lULAmxxOX9K3e-400KEFtT5tF-bG_5iCxEBvTmz2V70M7pVPuHSazxkT4A7qgDX-_PJ7wSKTnD7oWhZ18wyalffrCO55-CHY5RrE16WrmjqSyo4wk/w640-h444/19-images4.png" width="640" /></a></span></span></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Sources</b>: </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[19a]</b> <a href="http://www.uni-koeln.de/~ame02/pppn.pdf">Narratology 2.3: A Guide to the Theory of Narrative</a>. Jahn. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[19b]</b> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. Baldick. Oxford, 2001.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[19c]</b> The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative. Abbott. Cambridge, second edition, 2008. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[19d]</b> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Kennedy, Gioia. Longman, 2003. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[19e]</b> <a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/08/08/okada-and-kaneko-smt-iii-nocturne-interview-for-dengeki-online/">Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne -- Dengeki Online Release Interview</a></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">________________________</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmmx6Phvtlkz8VAva4GlzvjIk5y9gqwogka0DnxOs2n4XTyx4T9loMvJtr7xnBurcIKzxoa2a5QDFHfcsAPfDC09QRS_DVejYiIWEGDyC9efB7R3tAT4aFdSpP0RRG1YNIdUEP-sMs2iQ/s760/20X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmmx6Phvtlkz8VAva4GlzvjIk5y9gqwogka0DnxOs2n4XTyx4T9loMvJtr7xnBurcIKzxoa2a5QDFHfcsAPfDC09QRS_DVejYiIWEGDyC9efB7R3tAT4aFdSpP0RRG1YNIdUEP-sMs2iQ/s16000/20X-blogheader.png" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><p></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>Despite appearing as a monstrous male organ, Mara is actually female because the profiles of Strange Journey and some subsequent games use female pronouns in their descriptions; Strange Journey also features a quest where Mara is implied to be female.</i> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_5pPHNtCCPL-431h_XTSJgZQOFO0bo0TamaD052_IqeZXPPzzeePxNt8-5pKXMXzdDYOcOv3FlfzK96u2EMQi2kLUYnoKKrMRAyJI6O7Hk6g2NpKncmQKtSgMLGbljbY128tz8RxaT0/s1220/20-images1.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="1220" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_5pPHNtCCPL-431h_XTSJgZQOFO0bo0TamaD052_IqeZXPPzzeePxNt8-5pKXMXzdDYOcOv3FlfzK96u2EMQi2kLUYnoKKrMRAyJI6O7Hk6g2NpKncmQKtSgMLGbljbY128tz8RxaT0/w400-h229/20-images1.png" width="400" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A popular and visually dissonant “revelation” shared on social media, this claim is, of course, total bollocks. It’s easily refuted but explaining the context is complicated. One step at a time: </span></span><br /><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mara is the male “lord of death” in Buddhism who tempted the meditating Buddha with earthly pleasures</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SMT’s Mara is the same being as this “lord of death”; this has never changed throughout his series appearances</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At least parts of SJ were influenced by Barbara Walker’s infamously inaccurate </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Woman’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, including the concept of Mem Aleph which was lifted wholesale <b>[20a]</b></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SJ’s Chaos-exclusive quest “Mara’s Desire,” where he is encountered in Maya’s boss room, can be initiated one of two ways: with an NPC Grendel dead or alive </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If the Grendel is dead, Mara tells you to meet him and no mention of goddesshood is made in subsequent dialogue</span></span></li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But if Grendel is alive, he tells you to meet “a beautiful goddess; charming and voluptuous”; then, Mara says: </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What? A beautiful goddess was supposed to come? Well, you didn't hear entirely wrong, then.</span></span></i></p><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I used to be a beautiful goddess of death who enchanted men. Be satisfied with that. If you want, I could assume the form of a goddess and charm you… Come on, no need to be shy. Gwahahaha!</span></span></i></p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpa1uY2fcKhhBO8aVm2MbaH4DNMm2hLUD-QrHtnNbM-rVMHx7JcgiCaJ4_5aPSIqHTxQSrDH_9XR-BAKNQcWHIUBSxpFdNYsLdvnZz0eeuOpdzoCkyTB3CS5dLk0_8z1AAqQoGARIjxcs/s1213/20-images2.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1213" data-original-width="1006" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpa1uY2fcKhhBO8aVm2MbaH4DNMm2hLUD-QrHtnNbM-rVMHx7JcgiCaJ4_5aPSIqHTxQSrDH_9XR-BAKNQcWHIUBSxpFdNYsLdvnZz0eeuOpdzoCkyTB3CS5dLk0_8z1AAqQoGARIjxcs/s320/20-images2.png" width="265" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Particularly revealing are Mara’s statements “I used to be a beautiful goddess of death” (i.e., Mara is no longer a goddess, which matches his role in Buddhism) and “I could assume the form of a goddess and charm you” (i.e., again, Mara is not currently in the form of a goddess but could become one to tempt you, akin to his Buddhist role). But is there a goddess of death named Mara? Only if you believe some highly suspicious and poorly cited Wikipedia and online encyclopedia entries. But the idea of a Hindu goddess named Mara that is also related to the Buddhist Mara seems to originate from the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Woman’s Encyclopedia</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">; the “Mara” entry states that it is the “exceedingly ancient name of the Goddess-as-Crone, the death-bringer.” <b>[20a]</b> This statement is uncited and is entirely Walker’s invention. She links it to Buddhist Mara by stating that the Buddhists chose to translate the name of the goddess as “Fear-of-Death”; it is true that “mara” means “death” in Sanskrit, but it is a common word with obviously no links to goddesses who don’t actually exist. </span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The whole quest seems crafted as an extended joke. There’s the fact that Mara’s name does in fact contain the “MA” particle significant to SJ’s main goddesses and central plot, perhaps the reason why Grendel thought Mara was a goddess in the first place. Additionally, in Japanese Mara refers to himself using the pronoun “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://jisho.org/word/%E5%84%82">washi</a></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,” which is basically old man speak and also uses the “elderly male” personality type for his generic dialogue--and, notably, so does the English version. Needless to say, if Mara were intended to be female, he would have had a female personality type. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXUIU_4mUxIXhS7LRRGIZd6xNzHBamUHXQ4RmaVrMfymyn3nakF1HU7YY6PnHVNYrC4KdPWeQ3hFU_zDQsNNn0bQHKQgoxWSCyVa9Ut9ZrgSyY9ShYl616v93tImElYGQsEQaJ_J9AGfc/s683/20-images3.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="659" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXUIU_4mUxIXhS7LRRGIZd6xNzHBamUHXQ4RmaVrMfymyn3nakF1HU7YY6PnHVNYrC4KdPWeQ3hFU_zDQsNNn0bQHKQgoxWSCyVa9Ut9ZrgSyY9ShYl616v93tImElYGQsEQaJ_J9AGfc/w193-h200/20-images3.png" width="193" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then there’s Mara’s profile. SJ’s English version states, “a Hindu demon that represents fear of death. She tempted the Buddha during his meditations. She gave birth to the Mares and Mora, powerful demons of darkness.” In Japanese, Mara’s in-game profiles have been more or less the same since his first modern appearance in Persona 3 FES and none of them identify him as female. It’s likely that the then-Atlus USA misread the intentions of the quest and its dialogue and changed the pronouns in the profile. </span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SJ’s “female” Mara profile would unfortunately make its way to SMT4, SMT4A, and back around to SJR where it would misinform a whole new generation of players despite 4 and 4A containing quests identifying him as male. Unfortunately, these profiles are rarely changed after their initial translation and can be carried forward thoughtlessly, such as in SMT4 where Orochi has Hoyau Kamui’s profile from Soul Hackers. I would not be surprised if Mara’s still says the same thing in SMT5. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>(<i>UPDATE: It does not!</i>)</b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As has been demonstrated, the idea of SMT’s Mara--the Buddhist Mara--being a goddess is false on multiple fronts. Even though I can no longer corroborate this, I once hung around the same "<i>area</i>" as "<i>some people</i>" (wink wink) and female Mara was treated like a subversive discovery, with all the glee inherent in similar tweets seen today. A combination of misinformation from Walker’s book and an exercise in half-wittedness from then-Atlus USA created a Mara misidentification that’s completely invalid. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Source</b>: </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[20a]</b> <a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/632464197013372928/a-misinforming-species-of-shin-megami-tensei-myths">Post with quotes from Walker's Woman's Encyclopedia</a></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>More</b>: </span></span><br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/148319165217/why-is-mara-female-in-strange-journey">Initial post discussing Mara in Strange Journey</a></span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">________________________</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span> <br /></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinSGlV9rKWFepiYy5wvKQGwSh5VYCyJ6KduHjpwqudnIegbAffLPufbuk3aivUNK4EqT4sTJtjzduXrF0nvtFUZjGQPaPkW-pZ5pIH2WR5vOce7lLy8fR1yDpRgeMP-JfrwlXdGedlLCQ/s760/21X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinSGlV9rKWFepiYy5wvKQGwSh5VYCyJ6KduHjpwqudnIegbAffLPufbuk3aivUNK4EqT4sTJtjzduXrF0nvtFUZjGQPaPkW-pZ5pIH2WR5vOce7lLy8fR1yDpRgeMP-JfrwlXdGedlLCQ/s16000/21X-blogheader.png" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>Mara is a penis-shaped monster, of that there is no doubt. Because of the penis, it is considered by some to be scandalous or even shocking when he shows up in promotional material like the initial 2017 Shin Megami Tensei V demon reveal teaser, since he is believed to be responsible for pushing the games’ ratings up to M for Mature.</i> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip86U3Mzkvji1_k-qTHcHuoNJ3VvuJ_eqK6AtiqlwlViIDlLos5S10ynkv0LoXg1xA_4PwwaBdt8kWPN9iAsl2Ia9CB3ghvQ4sEKnrtFDxtthAJfPtuYq7jmruYcjJNqpPaXHY_oYXo5E/s737/21-images1.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="737" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip86U3Mzkvji1_k-qTHcHuoNJ3VvuJ_eqK6AtiqlwlViIDlLos5S10ynkv0LoXg1xA_4PwwaBdt8kWPN9iAsl2Ia9CB3ghvQ4sEKnrtFDxtthAJfPtuYq7jmruYcjJNqpPaXHY_oYXo5E/s320/21-images1.png" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So is Mara the most controversial demon of all? As it turns out, probably not. Kaneko is notable for, if nothing else, SMT’s cadre of genital-themed demons including not only Mara but Mishaguji, Arioch, Tiamat, and many more. What’s curious about these demons is that their artwork is rarely censored even if they resemble penises, like Mara and Mishaguji, or vaginas, like Arioch and features on Tiamat; even the lowly Pretas’ little <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMuTvoD1QNs" target="_blank">ding-a-lings</a> remain. One of the more notable demons to have features removed is <a href="https://kanekocribs.tumblr.com/post/666598639316172800/kanekos-crib-notes-lxii-heartfelt-eroticism" target="_blank">the multi-breasted Diana, who has had her nipples polished off for every modern appearance</a>. </span></span><p></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then there’s Rahu, a demon with an obvious johnson sticking out of his forehead like a horn, who suffered <a href="https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Rahu#Shin_Megami_Tensei:_Devil_Summoner_2" target="_blank">the removal of his specific penile features for the PSP Devil Summoner release</a>; this version included other censored artwork alleged to be due to Sony’s demands and Rahu has not appeared in a game since, so for now this is its own special case. Also worth mentioning is another demon left by the wayside: SMT2’s Cthulhu, who has a penis emerging from his mouth that would almost certainly be cut out if he reappeared, though honestly the design is one of Kaneko’s worst and would likely receive a brand new form instead. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>(<i>UPDATE: <a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/678749888127844353/dx2-is-adding-in-cthulhu-which-made-me-realize">Cthulhu subsequently appeared in Dx2 and the penis was cut!</a></i>)</b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But the ideal, and unexpected, example of censorship across multiple mediums is Master Therion. He, the Great Beast form of Aleister Crowley, is depicted as such a human-faced creature only with the shadow of an absurdly long, engorged phallus emerging from his groin. This feature has been removed on at least two occasions: his SMT TCG card art and his 3D appearance in Liberators Dx2. It was also not present on his original SMT2 sprite but, at least according to his own SMT1 comments, <b>[21a]</b> Kaneko drew the pixel art prior to full illustrations so the idea could have come later. However, in most other appearances, like the 2D sprites of the 3DS games, Master Therion’s penis is still there. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So why is Master Therion’s penis sometimes removed while Mara gets to run completely free? Again, context is king. Mara has a phallic shape but is otherwise a strange looking, tentacled monster that could almost pass for a fungus (think of that <a href="https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/File:MaraSMT.jpg" target="_blank">SMT1 design</a>!). Master Therion, on the other hand, literally features erect genitalia in its proper anatomical position and thus could be considered obscene depending on the policies or laws of various states or entities.</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTlfSx__ndGUyLl14yQZwAhj7A6HkY15OriU3JzExJ-4fqcUIbijjLSyxBStU1dH-TRBDYZ8WjlOQdVKbpfm7KqRdMmcZOuF89-4GptQTvwN3c63JeVb9wWLmtxjLm1zON1w_wDiLfoM/s1508/21-images2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1508" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTlfSx__ndGUyLl14yQZwAhj7A6HkY15OriU3JzExJ-4fqcUIbijjLSyxBStU1dH-TRBDYZ8WjlOQdVKbpfm7KqRdMmcZOuF89-4GptQTvwN3c63JeVb9wWLmtxjLm1zON1w_wDiLfoM/w640-h510/21-images2.png" width="640" /></a></span></span></div><p></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But think about it: Mara goes unchanged in 3D and on trading cards that kids could access, while Master Therion’s member is deemed too hot under the same circumstances--because his more closely resembles a “realistic” depiction of an actual human penis in a sexual context. Bad for kids, bad to leave hanging on a rendered model. Mara may get all the attention but leave it to Aleister Crowley to be the real troublemaker! </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Source</b>: </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[21a]</b> <a href="https://pepsimangb.tumblr.com/post/92763019374/as-promised-heres-my-scanlation-of-the-smt1-ost">Shin Megami Tensei LAW & CHAOS DISC liner notes</a></span></span></p><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">________________________</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZV3b8IyWfHVtZ5bBD3PLd3XLfKOwuny7HTCR2hwtjD-zSIETZXsq7HSPDoxctnq5yxG9L4fW4JPFt6QeQImirnblkdNYYy6CFB5XyAhHbmKelIcQNdacRyv0iup5_Sn-P5natABkn3o0/s760/22X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZV3b8IyWfHVtZ5bBD3PLd3XLfKOwuny7HTCR2hwtjD-zSIETZXsq7HSPDoxctnq5yxG9L4fW4JPFt6QeQImirnblkdNYYy6CFB5XyAhHbmKelIcQNdacRyv0iup5_Sn-P5natABkn3o0/s16000/22X-blogheader.png" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>Megaten’s protagonists are usually nameless but names derived from drama CDs, anime adaptations, and novelizations like Minato Arisato for P3’s protag, Hitonari Tadano for SJ’s, Naoki Kashima for SMT3’s, etc., are still “official” and thus legitimate to some level. </i></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1i84U90wP8_EoI5lFBz1RCYee0A6DKJB6ArrTqoYhZQ1o21ajF-kanVNySitSNpGgjEZd6UhuzLfk8TFE5J4MTqtvcRTeadoRSSe6BplVTTYzBoZo-P2z-ksEv2eC8FcW-rUnPyDfD30/s592/22-images1a.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="552" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1i84U90wP8_EoI5lFBz1RCYee0A6DKJB6ArrTqoYhZQ1o21ajF-kanVNySitSNpGgjEZd6UhuzLfk8TFE5J4MTqtvcRTeadoRSSe6BplVTTYzBoZo-P2z-ksEv2eC8FcW-rUnPyDfD30/w186-h200/22-images1a.png" width="186" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fans of any franchise generally love canonicity, as it can <span style="font-size: 11pt;">determine what is worthwhile to experience. But consider why Atlus’ protagonists are silent and why their names are left blank: SMT and Persona tend to be full of choices and/or multiple story paths and thus, to a limited-to-moderate degree, how the games unfold is determined by the player as you inhabit these characters’ shoes. These range from the simple effects of Persona’s social choices and persona perks to the alignment splits of SMT that can determine what you see and where you go in a single playthrough. By leaving the protagonist’s name blank, the clear intent is for you to immerse and insert yourself into the story and make the choices your own.</span><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, some Persona and SMT protagonists do have canon names that necessarily serve the needs of their individual stories. And yes, thinking up an original moniker can be difficult, so there’s no blame at the feet of those who would rather leave it to a drama CD instead of sitting at a name entry screen for 15 minutes at the start of a game. But those who always default to “official” names for the “official” experience may set themselves up for predetermined expectations and miss out on the ultimate, deliberate message of the nameless protagonist: “canon doesn’t matter.” </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And speaking of player avatars, apologies on behalf of Atlus to its women fans though, <i>damn</i>. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">________________________</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAmq64eak4Zzb4tPtAhYRW1Y6x4QQkVVlqttC6CNoPdmPl5bM4iWOwDRuvB7kjN3f0N1RTCjzD4GS0rtpOIJrE6zaR8y6N_FMttJEMGjtAAww9TsxvwMc__EDdcCQGv4o5-88_2JVOos/s760/23X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAmq64eak4Zzb4tPtAhYRW1Y6x4QQkVVlqttC6CNoPdmPl5bM4iWOwDRuvB7kjN3f0N1RTCjzD4GS0rtpOIJrE6zaR8y6N_FMttJEMGjtAAww9TsxvwMc__EDdcCQGv4o5-88_2JVOos/s16000/23X-blogheader.png" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>Devil Summoner’s Agony and Persona 3’s Messiah don’t merely allude to Jesus, they </i></span><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">literally </span></i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>are Jesus.</i> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The might of context continues to reign unopposed, easily proving these claims false. First, check out Agony’s official description: </span></span><br /></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Origin: Unknown</span></span></i></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A zombie who is always carrying a cross. He's a martyr who was not reborn in the Kingdom of God after dying. Because his people did not give their lives for their God, he was reborn as a demon.</span></span></i></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Though he lived through many forms of pain, his God did not ask this of him. Because he only cared about pleasing his God, he became a truly miserable soul.</span></span></i></p></blockquote><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4eSV3H8dvpkYEL-b525tiIuWqKsQWxVZSGDBLl_E1b2uSm0eQniKqESv9-ek0k-ETvwQvyDIq2fSRYOSUfUzFaUzHotYlPXh0qmGuNFqjDaY0-OoSuRVgHqjbnba_fgIpUIt5JEVgjI/s887/23-images1.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="887" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4eSV3H8dvpkYEL-b525tiIuWqKsQWxVZSGDBLl_E1b2uSm0eQniKqESv9-ek0k-ETvwQvyDIq2fSRYOSUfUzFaUzHotYlPXh0qmGuNFqjDaY0-OoSuRVgHqjbnba_fgIpUIt5JEVgjI/w320-h305/23-images1.png" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Almost like Alice, this demon is merely a zombie (literally in the Undead race) without any extra intended significance other than he carries a cross, which should not mean an automatic equation with Jesus since he was not the only person to be crucified. Moreover, there’s the context in which Agony appears in the game: as an unceremonious regular encounter in the irreverent Devil Summoner’s mid-game Hikawa Shrine, hardly the way Atlus would introduce a significant religious figure like Jesus as a demon. Agony is also part of Kaneko’s line of completely original “horror/torture” demons including <a href="https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Inferno_(demon)" target="_blank">Inferno</a>, <a href="https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Torso" target="_blank">Torso</a>, <a href="https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Scarecrow#Shin_Megami_Tensei:_Devil_Summoner" target="_blank">Scarecrow</a>, and <a href="https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Waxwork" target="_blank">Waxwork</a>. </span></span><p></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Messiah is only slightly more complicated. He may be the P3 protagonist’s ultimate persona, but to be the last there must also be a first. This is Orpheus, who actively resembles the protagonist with his swept bangs--it’s a more literal interpretation of the persona as “mask” than the series has seen before or since. The next unique persona is Thanatos, the Greek personification of death. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then, finally, there is Messiah. And how is Messiah created? By fusing Orpheus and Thanatos together; a process by which Orpheus is symbolically killed by Thanatos, then reborn as Messiah. Messiah is designed with a body similar to Orpheus’ and also retains the protagonist’s likeness; Thanatos’ coffins are attached to his arm in reference to Messiah’s symbolic “death.” However, he lacks specific Christian iconography. Here is how Messiah is described by the game: </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Appears before Judgment Day to save the virtuous. He is a universal figure, appearing in myth around the world. Many stories involve his death and rebirth.</span></span></blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqlz6mrdX2CfFoqrhU3VuCkdqgdIHlAPudSEWZcNhfPRt31YMxdyLBcoI1SHV4BFMZDlolqVP8zoDrmT7S8Ojp3wVM9xaVsCOTt_flTamW0Mfuii3C2gYd0lO59nft73Ga8Arogg4iYj8/s1032/23-images2.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="761" data-original-width="1032" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqlz6mrdX2CfFoqrhU3VuCkdqgdIHlAPudSEWZcNhfPRt31YMxdyLBcoI1SHV4BFMZDlolqVP8zoDrmT7S8Ojp3wVM9xaVsCOTt_flTamW0Mfuii3C2gYd0lO59nft73Ga8Arogg4iYj8/s320/23-images2.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is a generic description for any savior figure, deliberately calling a messiah “universal” and refraining from making specific references to Jesus, just like the design. Again, Jesus was not the only one to be crucified, nor the only one considered a savior or messiah. One rarely mentioned is the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saoshyant" target="_blank">Saoshyant</a>, the Zoroastrian prophesied savior and renovator of the world. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But another is Orpheus himself, in a way. To save his beloved Eurydice, Orpheus traveled across the threshold of death into Hades; while that ended poorly, Orpheus nonetheless symbolically “died” in Hades and “returned to life” when he exited it. This was afforded extra significance when he became credited as the founder of Orphism, a religion that revered deities with similar characteristics, particularly the rebirth of Dionysus-Zagreus. The members of this religion accepted an afterlife that would be their own way to beat death. Whether or not Orpheus and his namesake religion influenced Christianity has long been an alluring question for scholars, but here in Atlus Land dubious sources that answer the question affirmatively can’t be discounted as a way to explain P3’s approach, especially in light of Atlus' continued use of the Barbara Walker's deplorable </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Woman's Encyclopedia</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> as seen in myth #20. In fact, Walker does call Orpheus "[Dionysus'] earthly prophet and savior-son." <b>[24a]</b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And so with P3, we have Orpheus/the protagonist depicted as this reborn “messiah,” which resonates with the game’s story. The intention behind Messiah’s design and the plot significance of his evolution is easily understood once you know the context!</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Source</b>: </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[24a]</b> The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets. Walker, 1983. Pg. 745. </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>More</b>: </span></span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Agony#Shin_Megami_Tensei:_Devil_Summoner">Agony's profile on the Megaten Wiki</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Messiah_(Persona)#Persona_3">Messiah's profile on the Megaten Wiki</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://aras.org/concordance/content/orphism">Orphism on ARAS</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orphism_%28religion%29">Orphism on Wikipedia</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=84f5zVB6ewgC&pg=PA295&lpg=PA295&dq=orphism+christianity&source=bl&ots=ghNsGJHo9T&sig=ACfU3U3qMjqsvtUwBOmRx0_f-2TbKiY3KQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjRsfLXoPjxAhWnFVkFHVi3D3w4ChDoATAHegQIHRAD#v=onepage&q&f=false">Orphism and Christianity in Late Antiquity</a>. de Jáuregui, 2007, 2010. </span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">________________________</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFnL-WvOMCgktVVF_m3k81Qx-_iGVQ5LTjgEzKatlAsxJBPqYrQDY9GI8fGWSgyuWT8MmY82CTos83M3n9flkH7IPBa6y97hXem0v5bflwPrkJbalgvsj4lMcxLqdBx2LeXGeOlPWRcE/s760/24X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFnL-WvOMCgktVVF_m3k81Qx-_iGVQ5LTjgEzKatlAsxJBPqYrQDY9GI8fGWSgyuWT8MmY82CTos83M3n9flkH7IPBa6y97hXem0v5bflwPrkJbalgvsj4lMcxLqdBx2LeXGeOlPWRcE/s16000/24X-blogheader.png" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>Because their names are spelled nearly the same in Japanese, SMT1's US Ambassador to Japan Thorman (トールマン, tooruman), obviously the god Thor in disguise and the deliverer of nukes to Tokyo, is seen as a thinly veiled allusion to US President Harry S. Truman (トルーマン, toruuman), who approved the hydrogen bomb attacks that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki.</i> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LI-EUGkQ9TbXVD21Ya2vPcTdBnWS5Ox0hYV0SqswDBCKcgrT4PGhJZRVKxN-02FbI6oE0NAWjLaCOYrHeIssRqAsaNNtDe3bUhM577qXSwmXsNExXuJqdUNg-cgjv8Cp_fUdFuf1s1k/s842/24-images1.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="721" data-original-width="842" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LI-EUGkQ9TbXVD21Ya2vPcTdBnWS5Ox0hYV0SqswDBCKcgrT4PGhJZRVKxN-02FbI6oE0NAWjLaCOYrHeIssRqAsaNNtDe3bUhM577qXSwmXsNExXuJqdUNg-cgjv8Cp_fUdFuf1s1k/w200-h171/24-images1.png" width="200" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An interview with the game’s scenario writer, Ryutaro Ito, chalks the similarity up to coincidence: </span></span><br /><p></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><blockquote><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Thorman from Shin Megami Tensei’s American embassy is based on the American president Truman, right?</b></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Itou</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: <i>No, his name comes from the Norse god Thor and I only realised later it also sounded like the name of the president from the time of the atomic bombings. It feels like this is too good to be true for a simple coincidence. Who knows what the staff was thinking back then…</i> <b>[24a]</b></span></span></p></blockquote><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b></b></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thor was chosen for the role without regard to Truman. It’s as simple as that!</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Source</b>: </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[24a]</b> <a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/08/08/332/">Game side - Interview with Ito Ryuutaro</a></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">________________________</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAIsuajGN7XREfGYEN1s7KaH7BwuwckHf9O2Hvti_-TdJ7NFEeqyb_c75m2i91fIjfGrh7BHxDHDYK0W24hiQXiHsnB6Zff1fUyWSfgtP_PI_t5YXymvX63WEioOIwJo_kMY_SPWkvUGE/s760/25X-blogheader-real.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAIsuajGN7XREfGYEN1s7KaH7BwuwckHf9O2Hvti_-TdJ7NFEeqyb_c75m2i91fIjfGrh7BHxDHDYK0W24hiQXiHsnB6Zff1fUyWSfgtP_PI_t5YXymvX63WEioOIwJo_kMY_SPWkvUGE/s16000/25X-blogheader-real.png" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>The frequency of Shin Megami Tensei’s end times scenarios, biblical Fiends, and Christian allusions means it is equivalent to the Book of Revelation and the battle of Armageddon in its scale, scope, and intentions.</i> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1BlEeKPLh0JY_AP2XNuXcMldzblB0Upj5cXdEmElswbManNkiE_M-WsmIhlUYsLTXf4Gb6_BsDIbdX4DISnMWVbzB0m-rdvF5Bn7UkjyNgOAk10ajhfpZL37R1TzjUK9PIYFRBq0Fenw/s1044/25-images1.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="1044" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1BlEeKPLh0JY_AP2XNuXcMldzblB0Upj5cXdEmElswbManNkiE_M-WsmIhlUYsLTXf4Gb6_BsDIbdX4DISnMWVbzB0m-rdvF5Bn7UkjyNgOAk10ajhfpZL37R1TzjUK9PIYFRBq0Fenw/w320-h224/25-images1.png" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What constantly gets overlooked about Revelation (in relation to SMT) is that it describes a specific series of events and is not just about the Four Horsemen immediately laying waste and casting Megidola against Japanese teenagers. Here is a partial list of end times happenings as written by John: </span></span><br /><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The appearance of the Lamb of God (Revelation 5:6-9, thereafter) </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The breaking of seven seals, the first four of which precede the Four Horsemen (Rev. 6)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The sounding of seven trumpets which cause seas of blood, locusts, falling stars, etc. (Rev. 8:6-13, 9, 10:1-7) </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A woman giving birth, clothed in the sun and opposed by the Dragon (Rev. 12)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The appearance of the false prophet and the Mark of the Beast on the population (Rev. 13)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The pouring of the seven bowls of God’s anger (Rev. 16) </span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjYzrO4_CUZPZ2QVbLRr0Ewwru72vv4RQkonb9bty2d0uvvl__DD0_b-W4zY9zTG6bRNEyLfNYJEzERevx6fK18HQvRycbpAViURilML7EBqL56S0uyc34cdOGzYzLGuuyNmWVJJh2b0/s909/25-images2.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="909" data-original-width="593" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjYzrO4_CUZPZ2QVbLRr0Ewwru72vv4RQkonb9bty2d0uvvl__DD0_b-W4zY9zTG6bRNEyLfNYJEzERevx6fK18HQvRycbpAViURilML7EBqL56S0uyc34cdOGzYzLGuuyNmWVJJh2b0/s320/25-images2.png" width="209" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nowhere in SMT exists the Mark of the Beast or its false prophet who seduces much of humanity with his evil wiles. The seven seals do not appear in SMT, nor do the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse destroy the world by leading war, plagues, famine, or outright death; world destruction in SMT is either caused by nukes or Nocturne’s more esoteric means, while the Four Horsemen and other Revelation Fiends are usually found cloistered in secluded rooms in which they rarely appear and are never significant actors in any game narrative. Nowhere is there a Lamb or a woman clothed in the sun or any bowls emptied upon the earth, and so on and so forth. </span></span><br /><p></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SMT does not contain these events because it was never concerned with recreating Revelation in the first place. It does have earthquakes and floods and great destruction of life but these are not events unique to Christianity or any single religion. Its intent is always a synthesis based on its Japanese perspective and inclusion of myriad cultures and religions. Even games like SMT2 that have obvious allusions to Christianity are just that: Aleph and Hiroko are not literally Jesus and Mary just as the space laser Megiddo Ark was not part of John’s vision. But even while the series may not accurately represent Armageddon, it certainly always depicts a <i>lower case</i> "a" apocalypse. SMT is just fine with that. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">________________________</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /><br /></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2nsBh2EsOVdSAtzFLbNxs34V1v5OHW7g-yeIlqkTWAvayBCXdhFLMVIe6WQAntxNiOExgmegClKsbK9S-689vTzTFrcy0JgfE77jfwlDx5xGn6L1FNKP2vwVxcfI62sbfGtT1XzbTVU/s760/26X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2nsBh2EsOVdSAtzFLbNxs34V1v5OHW7g-yeIlqkTWAvayBCXdhFLMVIe6WQAntxNiOExgmegClKsbK9S-689vTzTFrcy0JgfE77jfwlDx5xGn6L1FNKP2vwVxcfI62sbfGtT1XzbTVU/s16000/26X-blogheader.png" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>Lyrics from Nocturne’s battle themes include “one more god rejected,” “I am the bug inside you,” “man’s greatest glimpse of fire red,” and are descriptive of the game’s plot. </i></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These are just some of the many fan-transcribed lyrics from Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne’s battle themes, famously created by the Albert Apple computer voice and composer Shoji Meguro’s own layered on top; the results are almost entirely incomprehensible, yet fans insist that they understand them. The undisputed heavyweight of the debate is the track “<a href="https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Fierce_Battle?oldid=410426" target="_blank">Forced Battle,</a>” which does contain audible lyrics from the <i>New King James Version</i> of Revelation: “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His Judgement has come to you” (</span><a href="https://biblehub.com/revelation/14-7.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">14:7</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), "drink of the wine of the wrath of God" (<a href="https://biblehub.com/revelation/14-10.htm">14:10</a>), and “when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released” (</span><a href="https://biblehub.com/revelation/20-7.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">20:7</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). <b>[26a]</b> So just how relevant are these lines to the game? </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpfxnhOtNxixEHMfPOTovD72W7ZyAkXc-uMKIqqTNoV6DYVHvtumUvaGcW6t2TOcSL7js3PjtPgXVjTo03FG8zzipj9LmH0LmKHZVhAYNpUDMy72ay4pUr2GXCe7-jtPnitqO1VAsX00/s1084/26-images1.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="949" data-original-width="1084" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpfxnhOtNxixEHMfPOTovD72W7ZyAkXc-uMKIqqTNoV6DYVHvtumUvaGcW6t2TOcSL7js3PjtPgXVjTo03FG8zzipj9LmH0LmKHZVhAYNpUDMy72ay4pUr2GXCe7-jtPnitqO1VAsX00/s320/26-images1.png" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Would you be surprised to hear “not at all?” As has already been established, Nocturne does not portray events of Revelation, much less Armageddon, making these lyrics irrelevant to its narrative. Moreover, “Forced Battle” is from the game’s initial release in 2003, almost a year before Maniacs in 2004 and its inclusion of the Revelation-inspired Fiends; if the quotes were meaningful, this would mean Meguro had special access to Maniacs content years before release and decided to flagrantly betray his superiors with their inclusion. It’s much easier to conclude that the lyrics are a cheeky inclusion at best that were never actually meant to be heard, much less studied and debated. </span></span><p></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Next is the issue of transcription accuracy, which, when considering how contentious this particular topic can be, casts long shadows of doubt from the start. We’ll focus on our popular friend “one more god rejected,” an alleged phrase from “Forced Battle” that sounds like it was conceived without any awareness of Nocturne beyond its True Demon Ending--but I digress. However, if a line like “one more god rejected” is accurate and the other lyrics are NOT just more Bible verses of dubious relevance, this means Meguro wrote them himself, as no one else is credited for them otherwise. But Meguro is <i>never </i>credited as a lyricist for any of his works, whether in Japanese or English. <b>[26b]</b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The other problem with “one more god rejected” and the others, like “I’m the bug inside you,” is once again their relevance to Nocturne itself--specifically, as we are now assuming in our hypothetical, from Meguro’s own perception of what the game is. “One more god rejected” implies a successive battery of rejected gods, but that’s not how any SMT game presents itself; if anything, gods are not rejected but accepted into your party as demon allies, even the ones you defeat. Of course, there is an automatic fan defense for this point, too, claiming that demons aren’t your allies but “slaves”; this displays ignorance of the Japanese term 仲魔 or “nakama” for allied demons, which is a punny portmanteau of “friend” (</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="text"><a href="https://jisho.org/word/%E4%BB%B2%E9%96%93" target="_blank"><b>仲</b>間</a>, </span>“<b>NAKA</b>ma”) and “demon” (</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="text"><a href="https://jisho.org/word/%E6%82%AA%E9%AD%94" target="_blank">悪<b>魔</b></a>, </span>“aku<b>MA</b>”). “I’m the bug inside you” is also claimed to refer to the Magatama the Demi-fiend ingests but they are never referred to as bugs anywhere*. So the idea that Meguro wrote English lyrics for Nocturne that describe things that are both inaccurate to the game itself and also suspiciously sound like fan misinterpretations based on a lack of Japanese context is supremely absurd. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXbBdFJpHOAin_z_roPfoCxr80mvsgHwwPpiRA2sgf-8PM2dPx_CeNOm8dqfmt5l5OPJj8AQOGP3zKkiY8HVGTLo6IHLo1-iM6LpLpf0Tvuo9o1V3Csp9OyUaL3jfxbOytOdt-AfrxYo/s961/26-images2.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="817" data-original-width="961" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXbBdFJpHOAin_z_roPfoCxr80mvsgHwwPpiRA2sgf-8PM2dPx_CeNOm8dqfmt5l5OPJj8AQOGP3zKkiY8HVGTLo6IHLo1-iM6LpLpf0Tvuo9o1V3Csp9OyUaL3jfxbOytOdt-AfrxYo/s320/26-images2.png" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But why waste more time analyzing when the truth is already known? On the topic of revelations, <b>Meguro himself actually divulged what the lyrics are</b>. In the liner notes for Strange Journey’s soundtrack, he says this about the game’s Chaos Theme (track 19): </span></span><p></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">曲調自体は混沌を意識しつつエキセントリックなものにならないように、真・女神転生III-NOCTURNE でいう牛頭天王が出てくるイベントシーンのBGMの雰囲気をめざしました。真・女神転生III-NOCTURNEでもBGMにボイスを使ったのですが、今ここで明かされる新事実! <b>NOCTURNEのボイスの内容は聖書のヨハネの黙示録から引用しています。</b>ヨハネの黙示録は読んでみるとなかなか強烈なことが書いてあるので興味のある方はぜひ読んでみることをお勧めします。</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>My goal was something similar to </i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaSlNFKCXPU" style="font-style: italic;">the BGM in the Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne cutscene where Gozu-Tennoh appears</a><i>, where the music has a chaotic tone without eccentricities. Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne’s BGM also used voice samples, and I’ll unveil a new fact here! </i><b style="font-style: italic;">Nocturne’s voices quote from the Book of Revelation in the Bible.</b><i> Revelation is quite an intense read, so if you are interested I recommend you check it out. </i><b>[26c]</b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So there you have it. No gods were ever rejected, no bugs were inside anyone, no man ever even had a mediocre glimpse of fire red. The Revelation quotes were not only correct all along, they were all Meguro used. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The lyrics debate has been possibly the silliest discourse in the entire fandom, but the relative notoriety of certain lines like “one more god rejected” have nonetheless contributed to the damaging perception of the series as this entirely bleak "ATTACK AND DETHRONE GOD" revenge fantasy where gods are only defeated, never bargained with, despite the opposite being true. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><strike>As of this writing nothing beyond the above three verses have been deciphered in Forced Battle or any other Nocturne track but, with the New King James Version of Revelation as the sole focus, it’s only a matter of time</strike></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since this article's original publication, <a href="https://youtu.be/TXOJYdwIIhk">Larrue published his own Nocturne lyrics video</a> with the bombshell that "one more god rejected" is actually "war broke out in heaven" (<a href="https://biblehub.com/revelation/12-7.htm">Rev. 12:7</a>). Check out the video for more!</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">*Actually, instead of a full edit and just to get ahead of the conversation, one character </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>does </i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">refer to a Magatama as a bug: the Puzzle Boy. However, he does so in ignorance of what Magatama are (i.e., as a joke) so this would not be a reliable source.</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Sources</b>: </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[26a]</b> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAaHDL3352c" target="_blank">Isolated SMT Nocturne Forced Battle samples</a></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[26b]</b> <a href="https://vgmdb.net/artist/983">Shoji Meguro</a>, VGMdb credits</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[26c]</b> <a href="https://vgmdb.net/album/15405" target="_blank">Shin Megami Tensei STRANGE JOURNEY Original Soundtrack</a> liner notes, booklet pages 7-8</span></span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">________________________</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPgcNfEEnwUdYU-V7UpiVC3P8PTnbKzsKbeNDlJ1HaNvMo9ltywG28DFpAlaf7RGmhh_OaPVRghWUJ7VGXl0q9Egbp0GBrtsobX9QktMPXSXqX8qD_lsoo5xOdPDPYybrfvGkEhFCKY_E/s760/27X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPgcNfEEnwUdYU-V7UpiVC3P8PTnbKzsKbeNDlJ1HaNvMo9ltywG28DFpAlaf7RGmhh_OaPVRghWUJ7VGXl0q9Egbp0GBrtsobX9QktMPXSXqX8qD_lsoo5xOdPDPYybrfvGkEhFCKY_E/s16000/27X-blogheader.png" /></a></div><p></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>Art depicting EVA-01 and Shinji illustrated in Kaneko’s style is 100% by Kaneko himself. </i></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Circulating through Megaten channels seemingly forever, this “Kaneko” original is easily proven otherwise as its appearance is from an Evangelion fan art book titled Orenogelion and the work of a credited artist named Allen, a fact so obvious it’s signed on the art itself. Per the description, the art is also specifically meant to evoke EVA-01 as Shinji’s persona. </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttl-Vmh2wg1QBeYWFU_sdIK2bU5j_VsEkoyehT9n2BE5AqzH3CNkxi57G5tIPQ9Kn7kemaHRzMQ8u9KbuOH3FzJWE8epG2JDiqxo2mBb4nMKmcjlOas-CFMmyJ-uFDX4duLUru3evSQc/s1157/27-images1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1157" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttl-Vmh2wg1QBeYWFU_sdIK2bU5j_VsEkoyehT9n2BE5AqzH3CNkxi57G5tIPQ9Kn7kemaHRzMQ8u9KbuOH3FzJWE8epG2JDiqxo2mBb4nMKmcjlOas-CFMmyJ-uFDX4duLUru3evSQc/w640-h496/27-images1.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even if the credit doesn’t already show this is 100% not Kaneko’s work, Kaneko or any other professional artist illustrating this type of “tribute” art for other properties would never redefine the original using their own creations and concepts. By this I specifically mean that if a creator is famous for an unusual or unique concept in addition to their own style, it would be in poor taste for them to produce "tribute"/fan art using that concept's definitions. In this case, Kaneko and the persona, but another and better example may be Hirohiko Araki and his JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Stands. <a href="https://twitter.com/arakiart/status/1092103270359855107?lang=en">Araki in fact produced his own fan art of Fist of the North Star's Kenshiro in 2006</a>--as an illustration of Kenshiro the character </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>only</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, not Kenshiro with a Stand, which would redefine what Kenshiro is by Araki's own definition. To do so (without the other creator's permission)</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> would be arrogant and, well, unprofessional! It's just another reason why Allen's art could have never been Kaneko's. </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>More</b>: </span></span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Megaten/comments/3inwb0/evangelion_kazuma_kaneko_illustration_from/" target="_blank">Example Reddit thread about the fan art</a><br /><br /></span></span></li></ul><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">________________________</span></span> <br /></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJJ9N2LVs81WVRiLQAb9-n2R161a0BCA22rDa_rgFoURFAhCjH_GutD8k8dsBTkdSA-hnaFbA4XkDCxDv1GruoZcU4iIx5xQ47MUj_Qf2qJ3E8Q2NO4k_GUKmSPxr01wfZSlDGXrFQS0/s760/28X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJJ9N2LVs81WVRiLQAb9-n2R161a0BCA22rDa_rgFoURFAhCjH_GutD8k8dsBTkdSA-hnaFbA4XkDCxDv1GruoZcU4iIx5xQ47MUj_Qf2qJ3E8Q2NO4k_GUKmSPxr01wfZSlDGXrFQS0/s16000/28X-blogheader.png" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>Megami Tensei’s games are connected through a massive multiverse that contains a definitive canon and sequential timeline.</i> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In reality, this is one of those topics that fans seem to care about way more than the creators do--and that goes for any series--as the only clear indications of continuity or timeline in the SMT main series appear in these games: </span></span><br /></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SMT1 → SMT2 (direct sequel) </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SMT4 → SMT4A (“what if” sequel) </span></span></li></ol><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The spinoffs IMAGINE and NINE do not retroactively impact SMT2 that much but if you have to include them the sequence would be: </span></span><br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SMT1 → IMAGINE → NINE → SMT2</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And that’s it for SMT. The effects of continuity only significantly impact the two games that are continuations (SMT2, SMT4A) and that’s downright natural. But then there is the matter of the pocket continuity of SMT if… and the games of the Saturn and PlayStation generation: </span></span><br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Devil Summoner → Soul Hackers (sequel with recurring characters) </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SMT if… / Persona 1 / Soul Hackers → P2: IS (recurring characters) → P2: EP (direct sequel) </span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These games take place in an alternate continuity from SMT1, made obvious not just from the lack of nuclear annihilation but that Ambassador Thorman is mentioned in Devil Summoner and lacks any motivation to destroy Tokyo for God. This allows the Raidou games to be prequels to Devil Summoner: </span></span><br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Soulless Army → King Abaddon (sequel) → Devil Summoner</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Raidou’s games also feature an alternate “Raido” from a different dimension and Raidou Kuzunoha XL from the SMT1 continuity; however, both are one-way exchanges that are little more than cameos with no meaningful impact overall. But that’s it; the rest exist apart from the SMT1 timeline or the alternate timeline. We know this because of a complete lack of evidence for connections in other games. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtRxKyovXrPPivUQU2gQ5GUSTmpXdbQGgCGgBF6_6t_bxbuDiZWjWk6nHWAGaUw76t6dZTE9JDcMBFTKiqNODc40CRKj3C10qrmCGaNKnj_5lYFvsnN9V0VzUkLh6luywQDP0QHad1OE/s795/28-images1.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="773" data-original-width="795" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtRxKyovXrPPivUQU2gQ5GUSTmpXdbQGgCGgBF6_6t_bxbuDiZWjWk6nHWAGaUw76t6dZTE9JDcMBFTKiqNODc40CRKj3C10qrmCGaNKnj_5lYFvsnN9V0VzUkLh6luywQDP0QHad1OE/w200-h194/28-images1.png" width="200" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nocturne stands alone because of its unique Amala Universe and that Hijiri is not actually Aleph. Digital Devil Saga is unrelated due to its unique Avatars and other features. Both Devil Survivors stand alone because each has unique plot devices (Bels, Septentriones) that couldn’t possibly coexist with something else. Strange Journey stands alone because of its unique “Mothers'' backstory and the idea that demons originate from a “data dimension.” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[28a]</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> SMT4 stands alone because its elements from SJ (Demonicas, Red Sprite bridge, Mem Aleph) were intended </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>only </i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">as references by SJ’s director Eiji Ishida, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[28b]</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> a man who would know if there is a connection or not. Also consider that constant apocalypses are a bad way to argue that all of these stories happen on the same Earth. There is evidence of an overarching Persona continuity in the <a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/gp/product/4757730950/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_3?smid=A2Z32A1ZN2RU4Q&psc=1">Persona 3 Club</a> book, but a meaningful connection between old Persona and modern Persona (i.e., more than just throwaway references or collective imagery that's nonetheless reinterpreted) never seems to manifest itself. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And then there’s the multiverse idea, the linchpin of which is Nocturne’s Amala Universe, an infinite space of worlds that could presumably house the confirmed timeline universes and the standalone “bubble” ones. But the problem here is that the Amala Universe is described in Nocturne as exclusively populated by worlds undergoing Conceptions--Nocturne’s unique apocalypse scenario, the purpose of which is to create new worlds. But obviously, no other games in the series undergo Conceptions. SMT1 does not create an all-new world. Neither does P2, SJ, Soul Hackers, etc. These are not Conception worlds and they are simply not part of the Amala Universe. In other words, there is no Megaten multiverse. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqoM-2K9vk9-HbNm-QoRkPl2-mMrNgIx9gTQdIRsvHidLejJDK0HniXawCS-HURSLbK10bJrzazGbWeI9MKMbyi9Mn4lmH7AQM_LogieTHP09uVipmmLGrO_KPaBwgUcQMN9tghhA5BkY/s737/28-images2.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="737" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqoM-2K9vk9-HbNm-QoRkPl2-mMrNgIx9gTQdIRsvHidLejJDK0HniXawCS-HURSLbK10bJrzazGbWeI9MKMbyi9Mn4lmH7AQM_LogieTHP09uVipmmLGrO_KPaBwgUcQMN9tghhA5BkY/w200-h156/28-images2.png" width="200" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Consider SMT4A’s Heroes in the Diamond Realm DLC, where the heroes of SMTs 1-4 are pulled together by Stephen. This would have been a great opportunity to showcase an intent of overarching continuity, but… it didn’t happen. The heroes were gathered for no specific reason other than an obvious crossover ploy by Atlus to sell DLC. A multiverse doesn’t matter to them and seems to not even exist by their account. The only truth in this particular fandom myth is the two major timelines, but they are separate and don’t affect each other in a significant way. </span></span><p></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Sources</b>: </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[28a]</b> <a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2021/06/21/isogai-shougo-talks-about-alignments-and-parallel-dimensions-in-strange-journey-strange-journey-schwarzwelt-reminiscenses/" target="_blank">Isogai Shougo talks about alignments and parallel dimensions in Strange Journey</a>, from SJ: Schwarzwelt Reminiscences </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[28b]</b> Shin Megami Tensei IV Official Artworks. Pp. 59, 70</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>More</b>: </span></span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Megami_Tensei_Multiverse">Megami Tensei Multiverse</a> page on the Megami Tensei Wiki (Note that the wiki does NOT have an Amala Universe page despite that being a name-dropped concept; it’s just included within this Multiverse page)</span></span></li></ul><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">________________________</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYmd6OSjIMtwy331aFNzCjP0RDAdwmQVLZZy_921TkKoo8W3b0xJ5GfQ6qTCt3E8Lzh1fEkDJkjs_gOSbHLVzgHRDTRnsJLE8JijIDFwpbzetZ0VN5uTyI_lHTRwFL6JM1b3kA8JwuQnI/s760/29X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYmd6OSjIMtwy331aFNzCjP0RDAdwmQVLZZy_921TkKoo8W3b0xJ5GfQ6qTCt3E8Lzh1fEkDJkjs_gOSbHLVzgHRDTRnsJLE8JijIDFwpbzetZ0VN5uTyI_lHTRwFL6JM1b3kA8JwuQnI/s16000/29X-blogheader.png" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>The second, statue form of Shin Megami Tensei NINE boss Maria contains strange animals like a coelacanth and Tyrannosaurus Rex that are allusions to Leviathan and Satan (as the “Dragon”) respectively.</i> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7patUKjd5_6BaSZAD9_Vkdzb81f6URo9G9JwGo6Ut0iruqyzcAPzwIO1JQxb9gLwXC03OWEGNJfjEfyufYmRD865NAkl0G4ErJKq8MDP3XN5kQ_Y_BvMvkM1q848N-1MSPXSqOy0l6w/s878/29-images1.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="878" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7patUKjd5_6BaSZAD9_Vkdzb81f6URo9G9JwGo6Ut0iruqyzcAPzwIO1JQxb9gLwXC03OWEGNJfjEfyufYmRD865NAkl0G4ErJKq8MDP3XN5kQ_Y_BvMvkM1q848N-1MSPXSqOy0l6w/w200-h181/29-images1.png" width="200" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maria first appeared in the infamous Japan-only Xbox title with two Kaneko designs: as a human clad in black robes holding a chain and as a statue flanked by various animals including the lion/eagle/bull of the biblical tetramorph/cherub plus a coelacanth and Tyrannosaurus Rex at her feet. Since the tetramorph animals have clear meaning, the coelacanth and T-rex must have meaning, too, most often interpreted as Leviathan and Satan. However, unseen details, obscure official descriptions, and her boss battle dispute this. </span></span><p></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Because of the historical unreliability of Xbox emulation, the only way most interfaced with Maria was via the 2D Kaneko art. But as her models from NINE and Persona 5 reveal, the coelacanth and T-rex are not the only ancient animals on her person: her back hides trilobites and a snake slithering its way up to her head. This instantly complicates the Leviathan and Satan interpretations, but the actual boss battle is where things get interesting. As the battle progresses, the statue’s animals actually fall off (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwyHiDpwd2k" target="_blank">best seen in a video of the fight</a>) and turn into common demons: </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTdH1ExnULttsy9_851e3N9o1UoDIOICmuCaG1KfURVYFwfqcHc0rRvmM9wER-zNBRMnxDO2USuPNwR-szHQpEwIQxOGDsH9t58nGbgKRx8L6cZqod8hJ8rZ9WhnJnbdSLj8uBlIaHcg/s792/29-images2x.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="792" height="614" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTdH1ExnULttsy9_851e3N9o1UoDIOICmuCaG1KfURVYFwfqcHc0rRvmM9wER-zNBRMnxDO2USuPNwR-szHQpEwIQxOGDsH9t58nGbgKRx8L6cZqod8hJ8rZ9WhnJnbdSLj8uBlIaHcg/w640-h614/29-images2x.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The lion head becomes Cerberus</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The eagle becomes Gryphon</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The coelacanth becomes Mizuchi</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The T-Rex becomes Yamata no Orochi</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The bull becomes Nandi</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9Nh8ZGDAbZMHRi4Rr-J2DNZ5ZIAQNyi6k0ISbhXL8iuB4kvvJcP7xP3jkfYGSutgJ-RaGW-Jm4Y4FodOBGRggE1p88gYLfYgKLNQaFuPZwFQWMwrMDArWJ8DdqOFISOertVIwc5YL-s/s1190/29-images3.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1190" data-original-width="1042" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9Nh8ZGDAbZMHRi4Rr-J2DNZ5ZIAQNyi6k0ISbhXL8iuB4kvvJcP7xP3jkfYGSutgJ-RaGW-Jm4Y4FodOBGRggE1p88gYLfYgKLNQaFuPZwFQWMwrMDArWJ8DdqOFISOertVIwc5YL-s/s320/29-images3.png" width="280" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">None of these are Christian demons! Missing are the trilobite and snake, but you never see her back in the game so thus they are not part of the battle. Also not technically Christian in NINE is Maria herself: in the narrative, the statue is the true form of a Messian-programmed, “messianic” artificial intelligence, meaning she is not the literal mother of Jesus in the game. Her designs reflect her digital existence in multiple ways, as described in Kaneko Works III </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[29a]</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span></span><br /><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Robed Maria</b>: The gold patterns on her robe refer to lines of code, her “halo” is actually shaped like a data disc, the chain she holds symbolizes confinement of human souls to God which is similar to the chains on some of Kaneko’s other angel designs, and her black robe hearkens back to Black Maria. </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Statue Maria</b>: It combines the motherly aspect of Mary and the prostitute aspect of Mary Magdalene, the latter referring to her now-absent robe, revealing most of her body. She assimilated mother goddesses from various regions (similar to the Black Maria quest from SMT4). She now has more data discs/halos, and the significance of the animals and their in-game transformations (as described above) is explained. </span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, the best explanation for the coelacanth and T-Rex is that they are assimilated or absorbed parts in a figurative boss mechanic. This myth is simply another instance where an innocent lack of context for an unreleased game--and two new appearances without that context in Persona 5 Royal and Strange Journey Redux--leaves speculation to run rampant. </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Source: </b></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[29a]</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2021/11/12/kaneko-works-iii-yaldabaoth-maria-adam-eve/">[Kaneko Works III] Yaldabaoth, Maria, Adam, Eve</a></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>More</b>: </span></span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwyHiDpwd2k" target="_blank">Shin Megami Tensei NINE: Maria boss battle</a> video (same as above but crucial to watch for context)</span></span></li></ul><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">________________________</span></span> <br /></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2ti-CbPTu4IXpxQWzCidAlg5a0mOew6IZYpQhZ8bUJLLDmcVidBSarnU2S4rFQXdPlwaHjWT6l6C6-6hv8vdrFpVw9aENAr8m8suS31o4mh4zvI5Y6801mC3lBhQx8qmCXeHhkhYWog/s760/30X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2ti-CbPTu4IXpxQWzCidAlg5a0mOew6IZYpQhZ8bUJLLDmcVidBSarnU2S4rFQXdPlwaHjWT6l6C6-6hv8vdrFpVw9aENAr8m8suS31o4mh4zvI5Y6801mC3lBhQx8qmCXeHhkhYWog/s16000/30X-blogheader.png" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>Various SMT games, especially Nocturne, are based on philosophical works such as Friedrich Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra, particularly its concept of the ubermensch as the inspiration for the Demi-fiend. </i> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is practically a fact in the Western fandom that Nocturne is a detailed allegory of the Demi-fiend’s trials and tribulations to emerge as Nietzsche’s fabled “overman,” so much so that word has spread way beyond the fans; in a recent Nocturne HD interview, (technically Sega) localization editor Josh Malone had this to say about Nocturne’s themes: </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In addition to the obvious gods and demons, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nocturne </span></i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>features a blend of themes and iconography from Judaism, Christianity, Satanism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and even Nietzschean philosophy, putting them all on equal footing.</i> <b>[30a]</b></span></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><p></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But just how Nietzschean is Nocturne? We needn’t look further than the ubermensch itself. Here is a simplified summary of Nietzsche’s key definitions of the concept: </span></span><br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Nietzsche’s view, “God is dead”--which doesn’t mean the literal death of the Christian God but that he and other ancient, immutable philosophies are no longer useful to society as a source of moral values</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The future human who will create new values for society in the absence of outmoded values is the ubermensch</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The one who is content with current society is the ubermensch’s opposite, “the last man”</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The ubermensch must not be content with current society and seek hardships to innovate new values</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The ubermensch stands against nihilism and loves life even if it is endlessly cyclic</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Simplified further, the ubermensch is an idealized human who recognizes the values of old systems of thought are obsolete and creates new ones for the benefit of human society. How well does this define the Demi-fiend and Nocturne? </span></span><br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The gods that represent ancient values are your active demon companions and the Demi-fiend’s journey would be exponentially more difficult without them</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Demi-fiend is specifically and repeatedly defined as not human but a human/demon hybrid in an unearthly world</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The values in the game, provided by Reasons, are created by the other characters and not the silent player proxy Demi-fiend; additionally, none of them end up being strong enough to represent their own ideals and rely on the Demi-fiend</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, every single Reason in the game is someone else’s idea and not the Demi-fiend’s; the best the Demi-fiend can do on his own is the Demon ending which entails a complete lack of a Reason</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Reasons do not reflect Nietzsche’s ideals for the ubermensch: Yosuga, Musubi, and Shijima completely redefine life and are, effectively, inhuman; the Demon and True Demon endings are stagnation and nihilism defined and are the ubermensch’s opposites; the Freedom ending does not offer new values but resets existence to its prior state, i.e., it is a “last man” ending</span></span></li></ul><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In sum, the values espoused by Nietzsche and the ubermensch are completely irrelevant to the Demi-fiend and Nocturne itself! </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><br /></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Additionally, searching in Japanese for [<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=真・女神転生+ニーチェ" target="_blank">真・女神転生 ニーチェ</a>] (“Shin Megami Tensei Nietzsche”) finds nothing like the detailed theses you can easily find in English, just a few articles that all specifically mention the “God is dead” quote. In fact, as of just prior to the publication of this article the third result was a Famitsu article on Monark, the ex-Atlus creators’ SMT if…-alike. I implore you to search for yourself. This comparison seems to not exist in Japanese, and I am fairly certain that a special Nietzsche version of Nocturne was not created specifically for the American market in 2004.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What fuels this drive to compare pop culture works to Nietzsche, often incorrectly, is something I can’t answer but its popularity is evident even just within SMT. For Nocturne it could have resulted from the myth that it has “no story”; by rationalizing it to be a Nietzschean allegory, it was finally given “meaning.” However, the likely real answer is that the Western audience is simply unfamiliar with the game’s bounteous themes from Eastern religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Shinto. <b>[30b]</b> Cycles of death and rebirth, the true religious significance of Kagutsuchi and Magatsuhi, the Conception and Vortex World in relation to the Buddhist Womb Realm--what would be obvious terms to Japanese players, literally pregnant with meaning, are typically lost on Western players eager to project their own biases upon the game. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Going even further, Western (non-theological) philosophy in general may not the best avenue to “explain” this very Japanese series. We know from published bibliographies that the sources Atlus utilizes for their games are overwhelmingly mythology dictionaries and single-subject books on a particular region or culture. And among the many staff interviews translated into English, the rare mentions of philosophy are inevitably about general religious philosophy without mention of a particular thinker, philosophical school, or method. Of course I cannot absolutely say that philosophy has had no impact as I have never been an Atlus staff member nor can I say you won’t get lucky finding a Hobbes or Descartes quote that fits an aspect of SMT to a tee. But since philosophy is broad and encompasses many tendencies of religions it’s simply too easy to retroactively apply them to SMT and its scenarios, alignments, and characters via a confirmation bias.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWwIfh4BqAxXh8Iufz8Q5C95mOjkTUaxD-dTV_-JIhBfvI2s7xBIMgitwH_4Z0bWJsLDiUvTkvjA5LdC-kVP1xDMW3JTdHo_TNWmvXbPI9kETTCKoZQ9QuvRxG4tAG72rbvM0Jtjd4qKs/s1028/30-images2.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="1028" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWwIfh4BqAxXh8Iufz8Q5C95mOjkTUaxD-dTV_-JIhBfvI2s7xBIMgitwH_4Z0bWJsLDiUvTkvjA5LdC-kVP1xDMW3JTdHo_TNWmvXbPI9kETTCKoZQ9QuvRxG4tAG72rbvM0Jtjd4qKs/s320/30-images2.png" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a personal example of how ideas can spread beyond their intentions, for our Kaneko’s Crib Notes April Fool’s 2017 joke we created a fake “website” called <a href="http://megaten-maniax.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Megaten-Maniax</a>, parodying memes and attitudes permeating the general Megaten fandom. One article, “<a href="http://megaten-maniax.blogspot.com/2017/04/philosophy-sample.html" target="_blank">GOD IS EVIL: The Absolutism of a Chaos-Based Universe in Shin Megami Tensei’s Post-Structuralist Simulacrum</a>” by “Darren Stove” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">lampoons misuse of philosophical terms in SMT fan theories--<i>and is something I <b>literally </b>wrote in 5 minutes</i>. But as Poe’s law dictates, some people took the article seriously as it became detached from its original April Fool’s context, calling my deliberate word salad “nicely written” or throwing insults at the non-existent personage of Darren Stove. </span></span><p></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However it happens, a small number of people will inevitably buy into a ludicrous idea. Luckily, I don’t think Darren Stove had any real impact on anything. But imagine a more earnest attempt that looks near-professional and is well-researched (that is, it cites sources regardless of their quality) and how its conjecture or misleading information could seep into the discourse and become an assumption--it’s the very process of how these fan myths spread, even all the way up to someone associated with Sega/Atlus. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So what is the best way to learn more about SMT? Look no further than the staff interviews and commentaries, whether in the few officially translated and published books or the scores of fan translations available to all. Creators like Kazuma Kaneko, Cozy Okada, Kazuyuki Yamai, Masayuki Doi, and many others are obviously going to know the series and their own work better than, well, Nietzsche. You can get started right now by visiting these great resources: </span></span><br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/category/megaten/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/category/megaten/</span></a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/</span></a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://personacentral.com/category/interviews">https://personacentral.com/category/interviews</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://shmuplations.com/" target="_blank">Shmuplations</a> </span></span></li></ul><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These staff materials won’t answer every question nor are they exhaustive of the dozens of Japanese books, countless magazine interviews, and even more publications that have yet to be translated into English. But there’s so much available that it will surely lead your own SMT musings down a much more constructive path. I don’t deny speculation is fun but informed speculation is even better. </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Sources</b>:</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[30a]</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/5dbgwq/what-its-like-updating-a-classic-like-shin-megami-tensei-nocturne-for-2021" target="_blank">What It's Like Updating a Classic Like 'Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne' for 2021</a></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>[30b]</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzsoyPIPNcU" target="_blank">SMTheology: Nocturne - Conception in the Womb</a> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>More</b>: </span></span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://archive.org/details/cambridgecompani0000unse_e4g4" target="_blank">The Cambridge Companion to Nietzsche</a>. Magnus, Higgins. 1996. </span></span><br /></li></ul><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">________________________</span></span> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span><br /></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5agLWoq2oQcJqOEFQNMqgnsmq9BgsKEyCRbp3BegQ0OYnZ7oRZ_sBHDNfd7AJDubXuZ6-yrVXyNAU-3L-9Z2ybRZaRp0ZJMKKhuhqfEU5zQGNFpq-rNwo79Ulq3TEGjovJXxOuwi2uAhHvcOw2IBzfI8_MKKGJF_9bzVPWts235jCvH2tDXj8DT_y/s760/intermission-header.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5agLWoq2oQcJqOEFQNMqgnsmq9BgsKEyCRbp3BegQ0OYnZ7oRZ_sBHDNfd7AJDubXuZ6-yrVXyNAU-3L-9Z2ybRZaRp0ZJMKKhuhqfEU5zQGNFpq-rNwo79Ulq3TEGjovJXxOuwi2uAhHvcOw2IBzfI8_MKKGJF_9bzVPWts235jCvH2tDXj8DT_y/s16000/intermission-header.png" /></a></div><h2 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></h2></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s essential to know that the fan myths featured don’t seem to exist in Japan. I’d speculate that’s mostly due to an information gap between there and everywhere else (Japanese fans get all the books without need for translation, of which we in the Anglosphere only have a fraction) plus cultural differences (ex. apathy to “biblically-accurate” angels). That doesn’t mean they know all the answers to things intentionally kept vague or undefined; instead of Aleph, Japanese speculation about Hijiri, <a href="https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3428684&userid=139594#post412078063" target="_blank">according to Ian Kelley</a>, involved Stephen or even original Megami Tensei protagonist Nakajima! But for us, that 12 out of the 30 myths involve Nocturne in some way shows that the roots of many of ours hearken back to the days when the Western fandom was small and ideas were passed around without question. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">30 sure is a nice, round number, though. Indeed it’s too nice as there are more myths that didn’t make the cut for one reason or another (the reason was usually “I don’t feel like writing about this”). Including brief explanations and casual debunkings (casual is the key word), some of them are: </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>CUT MYTH #1</b>: “Hashino's and Soejima’s comments about women are sarcastic”</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Gist</b>: <i>In </i></span><i><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/persona-3-official-design-works-interview/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">this Persona 3 interview with Katsura Hashino and Shigenori Soejima</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, they mention they never had serious friendships with girls in high school, which reflects poorly on the context of the exclusively male fantasies of P3 where girls are treated as obtainable objects. These comments are then defended as being “sarcastic.” </span></i></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Are they sarcastic? Read the entire interview, or at least up to that exchange. Sure doesn’t look like sarcasm to me, plus </span><a href="https://linguaholic.com/linguablog/sarcasm-in-japanese/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Japanese sarcasm usually comes across as more brutal than English sarcasm can be</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Another “defense” of the comments is that the S-links were designed by </span><a href="https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,242521/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Azusa Kido</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, a woman, so that somehow recontextualizes their content--even though Hashino was still P3’s director and ultimately approved all of the decisions. To me these seem like scrambling counterpoints by fans who can’t accept criticism of things they like or equate themselves with (always a bad thing to do) or have to maintain the illusion that Persona and its creators are above reproach. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>CUT MYTH #2</b>: <i>“Kaneko will return”</i></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Gist</b>: <i>Kaneko is gonna come back any day now and save SMT art.</i> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Laugh out loud</span></span></b></i></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>CUT MYTH #3</b>: “Certain series are console exclusives”</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Gist</b>: <i>SMT is the Nintendo series and Persona is the Sony series. </i></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No, these games just get released for the platforms where each may have the best audience and sales potential. SMT4 may have been on the 3DS but Nocturne was not released for Gamecube.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>CUT MYTH #4</b>: “Persona fans will snatch up SMT5”</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Gist</b>: <i>Persona fans are going to migrate to SMT en masse with this cool new game.</i></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This DOES happen and Persona has been the introductory series for many an eventual SMT fan, but in my experience it’s usually a trickle rather than a flood. In the Giant Bomb days I made extended pleas in the form of positive user reviews (that were front-page featured!) for games like Raidou 2 and Strange Journey that were met with apathy by the P4 Endurance Run crowd. SMT just doesn’t have the same features Persona fans want, anyway. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>CUT MYTH #5</b>: “YHVH is the Demiurge or gnostic”</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Gist</b>: <i>The idea that YHVH, especially in 4A, is actually the Demiurge/Yaldabaoth. The usage of lower-case “gnostic” here refers to the generic comparative usage of a lesser god responsible for a corrupt world, often found in literary criticism.</i> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I feel like I covered YHVH pretty well between the corruption idea and the framing of the Japanese context surrounding him. No, he’s definitely not intended to be Yaldabaoth; they would have called him that if it were the case.* I don’t think he’s “gnostic” either; he’s just assessed honestly by people with radically different religious views! </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">*This myth would have also included a look at nomenclature not just in SMT but in Japanese media; when something isn’t a “<a href="https://jisho.org/word/%E9%AD%94%E7%8E%8B" target="_blank">maoh</a>,” it’s often pointedly specific!</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>CUT MYTH #6</b>: “Authors are infallible”</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Gist</b>: <i>Authors are to be seen as gods.</i> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I can’t remember why this is here. I probably just wanted to make the point that authors do, in fact, make mistakes and Atlus is prone to making factual mistakes with mythology. This also applies to circumstances like their justification for SJR’s child Demeter (the scenario “demanded” her be an unpredictable “rascal”) and said justification being brought up as a completely invalid defense when the design is rightfully criticized (and to refute that defense: 1. the scenario could have been written any other way--they CHOSE to make her a child; 2. now that Demeter is returning in SMT5 apart from that scenario, the design is even more nonsensical). </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Basically, sometimes you <b><i>do </i></b>have to take what creators say with a grain of salt!</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>CUT MYTH #7</b>: “So and so is the most powerful character”</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Gist</b>: <i>Power levels factor into a character’s importance.</i> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mmmm. I’m definitely too old for this. But watch. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Zazzle Bazzle is a character I just created. Zazzle Bazzle is a bear with human hands who wears a pith helmet. Zazzle Bazzle is literally invincible and could survive the Big Crunch or the heat death of the universe. Zazzle Bazzle is the single most powerful being in this universe or any universe and can atomize anything instantly just with a thought. Time moves slower for Zazzle Bazzle than any other being so nothing else can get the edge; Zazzle Bazzle also controls time itself. Zazzle Bazzle is omniscient and can see every atom and being in existence at all times. Literally nothing can defeat Zazzle Bazzle. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In just a couple minutes, I invented the most powerful character to ever exist. But if you remember the character discussion, you’ll know that Zazzle Bazzle actually doesn’t have any character. Zazzle Bazzle is completely flat with powers that would actually prevent meaningful narrative conflict. Power levels are meaningless when defining actual character; it only takes a pen or keystroke to create something more powerful or even omnipotent, but it won’t actually make them compelling and relatable. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>CUT MYTH #8</b>: “The Kool-Aid Man isn’t a real demon” </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Gist</b>: <i>The Kool-Aid Man is not actually in SMT.</i> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I dunno, <a href="https://twitter.com/EirikrJS/status/1444853448298614784" target="_blank">have you seen this footage</a>? Looks legit to me. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are undoubtedly more fan myths being tossed around as facts that weren’t covered in either of these articles. I’m fine with that and hope others can pick up the slack. I think <i>the best lesson to glean from this entire fan myths project is to</i> <b>question long-held assumptions, especially if the proof appears sketchy or is not clearly supported by in-game text. </b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Be inquisitive about what you read. <b>That includes anything I’ve written!</b> If a claim is valid, it should hold up to scrutiny. If not, engage with the sources and see how different your conclusions may be. Shin Megami Tensei is not a holy text or a legal document, it’s a game series with highs higher than most of the genre and lows as low as anything else. And great art, of course. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hmm. You know, before we part ways, I seem to remember implying the existence of a 31st myth. I did, didn’t I?</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">________________________</span></span></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></span></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy7I9Z1rjFC4jEUPe1IEPYoGCKnTOrV-wH8cpR-_qCA2sMftX8HigsA8L5RnbqCCtSYcl9ehLGmAlwUUs78V74ahDO0l1xH0HZ22pqVDzB-98HbTngCG1mJKs7OzVwFcTUsy4meTXSHLQ/s760/finalheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy7I9Z1rjFC4jEUPe1IEPYoGCKnTOrV-wH8cpR-_qCA2sMftX8HigsA8L5RnbqCCtSYcl9ehLGmAlwUUs78V74ahDO0l1xH0HZ22pqVDzB-98HbTngCG1mJKs7OzVwFcTUsy4meTXSHLQ/s16000/finalheader.png" /></a></div><br /><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The Gist</b>: <i>Atlus West’s social media marketing does enough to educate its fans about the complexities and idiosyncrasies of Shin Megami Tensei and prevents easily-avoided misconceptions from forming.</i></span></span><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, I don’t believe fans know more than the creators or people in charge--<i>everything I’ve learned is directly from their mouths</i>, for one. But as has been shown, SMT is a series with serious misconception problems in the West (about fundamental aspects, like what demons are) and it’s frustrating that the onus is often placed on fans to inform others how SMT operates differently from its RPG competition. </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, the problem with fan works and translations is that they ultimately have a limited reach. My most-viewed article remains Identity Crisis part 3, with 40,000 views after six years of existence and 10,000 more than my next. For a personal blog that’s terrific but it didn’t reach even a tenth of SMT4 players (600k). Subtracting Japanese sales (250k) from that figure still proves my point. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So who is in a better position to inform fans? Why, <b>Atlus West</b>, of course. Do they? Well, that’s what I endeavored to find out, via their social media accounts. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Content between Atlus West’s social media presences (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) is identical so I focused only on Twitter. I ventured only as far back as the release of SMT4 in 2013 as, honestly, their social media “game,” so to speak, was rudimentary until some time after P5’s initial release. I only considered tweets with what I’m terming “lateral marketing”: any content beyond the industry-standard marketing like trailers, preorder links, previews, etc. The latter don’t function as the type of “informing” I’m talking about, which is specifically "information that defines aspects of SMT." </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here’s what I found. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><h2 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shin Megami Tensei IV</span></span></h2><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0LRdSVRddzJ3GoaKej0XKV-HxDMNAYGnehvzhwT94dEQ-57buXgQzW_8n2drVWOpcd5anC4Ok4eJ0K6ZfzVSbFRy5p9aBv4bhX0k_cEDyBX38mUvesLew0xdC7iQ5ZncwGaQKhfz7fo/s600/1-smt4.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="245" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0LRdSVRddzJ3GoaKej0XKV-HxDMNAYGnehvzhwT94dEQ-57buXgQzW_8n2drVWOpcd5anC4Ok4eJ0K6ZfzVSbFRy5p9aBv4bhX0k_cEDyBX38mUvesLew0xdC7iQ5ZncwGaQKhfz7fo/s16000/1-smt4.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/357276011399888896">https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/357276011399888896</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The single tweet of interest for SMT4 is for its launch. Yes, tweets really can be that plain. Remember the box set and the eShop deal for $30 of credit if you bought both it and Fire Emblem: Awakening? That deal alone was probably the best standard marketing SMT4 could have had. I think I still have some of that credit left over! </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shin Megami Tensei (iOS) </span></span></h2><p></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeqv63gfdy7gq7KtRS0wWpchese0OkK4yL9show_4iMZaWoCzdaKTuVodhh_OZvWKkEwVkJSpKGodbRwc3U_xrNK4S3xuI_8GRSzCnItI5P356N5GNVTAfBIeZTb-eD71JN3GNH5MaWqo/s600/2-smt1ios.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeqv63gfdy7gq7KtRS0wWpchese0OkK4yL9show_4iMZaWoCzdaKTuVodhh_OZvWKkEwVkJSpKGodbRwc3U_xrNK4S3xuI_8GRSzCnItI5P356N5GNVTAfBIeZTb-eD71JN3GNH5MaWqo/s16000/2-smt1ios.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/439112311735726080">https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/439112311735726080</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here’s the single tweet promoting the iOS English release of SMT1. That’s really it. Guess they knew what to expect. </span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><h2 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse</span></span></h2><br /><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTlfYTuhQVcrB7wtoB9p6Q5KuyDXkHrJ7tqI4DhuUvCSf7eFhcOQ3H0_kjIQu6SxulEBhM2LupjT3E_ELxsYk3JULZ0dBFTnN3RQkxZGleDVkhrD3Av1kH0RDmB0_zmXyV1_7cF44wR0/s600/3-4aname.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="600" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTlfYTuhQVcrB7wtoB9p6Q5KuyDXkHrJ7tqI4DhuUvCSf7eFhcOQ3H0_kjIQu6SxulEBhM2LupjT3E_ELxsYk3JULZ0dBFTnN3RQkxZGleDVkhrD3Av1kH0RDmB0_zmXyV1_7cF44wR0/w640-h458/3-4aname.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiUZ-Taprow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiUZ-Taprow</a></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://atlus.com/whats-in-a-name-smtiv-final-and-localizing-a-name/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://atlus.com/whats-in-a-name-smtiv-final-and-localizing-a-name/</span></a></span></li></ul><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMoXsjgC59l81-9egRwuTUTXE6CTReruK1uA4065AQntHFXFqdlYhQrJ-KI9bjSEsu5NF-mUJj1PulSRbWa0FfNHK2xs5bZUZJWnds_kwYiBO9fL2OvxjKaOX5R1Exd9pgIQHDeQCLYrA/s600/3b-icons.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMoXsjgC59l81-9egRwuTUTXE6CTReruK1uA4065AQntHFXFqdlYhQrJ-KI9bjSEsu5NF-mUJj1PulSRbWa0FfNHK2xs5bZUZJWnds_kwYiBO9fL2OvxjKaOX5R1Exd9pgIQHDeQCLYrA/s16000/3b-icons.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/776585281847697412">https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/776585281847697412</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Atlus’ social media marketing finally approaches maturity here with a video and daily countdowns to the game’s launch featuring character art, including everyone’s favorite, Navarre. The video is an extremely stupid parody of how they settled on the “Apocalypse” subtitle (instead of the JP “Final”) but is nonetheless more effort than ever before, plus it was paired with a more informative blog post. I give credit for said effort but there’s still nothing that informs potential consumers about what the series is. </span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><h2 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux</span></span></h2><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj93F_vKAvruRFZYzbptyV3VA1dNoOzbVZT296WNHJk8qvFog6iQ4Q4ayuVfAzfV0dzpbyXXLFIFxv_V8uI9lcJoZh-FJQYQ2btG96eTTddFrS-_GBmQoZObQ_U3QcLr-zLXC-Pv9WIB98/s660/4a-job.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj93F_vKAvruRFZYzbptyV3VA1dNoOzbVZT296WNHJk8qvFog6iQ4Q4ayuVfAzfV0dzpbyXXLFIFxv_V8uI9lcJoZh-FJQYQ2btG96eTTddFrS-_GBmQoZObQ_U3QcLr-zLXC-Pv9WIB98/w364-h400/4a-job.png" width="364" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/994624031683825664">https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/994624031683825664</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ctjyx8U_jwTf6wRymmY9J3Kf9zCmMUz0SJYpGqwQGYtCdfxHnWKTIecadJc_mf6-IgsYtw0bfwDQMAZyL4YjIhA1EV8Bv9UuieN2yNunubF-uyyMhd0isosH0yPZYkHYSN8N-3qXwC4/s657/4b-meeting.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ctjyx8U_jwTf6wRymmY9J3Kf9zCmMUz0SJYpGqwQGYtCdfxHnWKTIecadJc_mf6-IgsYtw0bfwDQMAZyL4YjIhA1EV8Bv9UuieN2yNunubF-uyyMhd0isosH0yPZYkHYSN8N-3qXwC4/w365-h400/4b-meeting.png" width="365" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/994983466780381189">https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/994983466780381189</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd9g3CiQWzzVQ4RSiWYQzpRVc9LYzeV1QTzPRE_n_odCMxx9Nrc5sT7K9X61S_jXaLlxKt1Pg4qT4-nDi4p86vCBPyJOE0IEVtja_wI-oSD4UVTtTJmE16yFCtGVJgJmOSz_Vf4V9nCKs/s662/4c-alex.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd9g3CiQWzzVQ4RSiWYQzpRVc9LYzeV1QTzPRE_n_odCMxx9Nrc5sT7K9X61S_jXaLlxKt1Pg4qT4-nDi4p86vCBPyJOE0IEVtja_wI-oSD4UVTtTJmE16yFCtGVJgJmOSz_Vf4V9nCKs/w363-h400/4c-alex.png" width="363" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/995347976510951425">https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/995347976510951425</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5tpzbnDdx1ex1L48fRv5u_XvJV7rU9DDTMaq9NmfHFrITt4n3Jd8RmA1OBE80Ysc27tV8-AHtOb4BUP3-6brwiUSUbaKFTRVtRM817Py-uPFfFmrGPWqu_h6vR2QW57cT_zoVpRkvIXE/s630/4d-helmet.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5tpzbnDdx1ex1L48fRv5u_XvJV7rU9DDTMaq9NmfHFrITt4n3Jd8RmA1OBE80Ysc27tV8-AHtOb4BUP3-6brwiUSUbaKFTRVtRM817Py-uPFfFmrGPWqu_h6vR2QW57cT_zoVpRkvIXE/w381-h400/4d-helmet.png" width="381" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/995710362803691527">https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/995710362803691527</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilqm1aYrpYbPpGMQMXEUq2fNIJPmeJPQ_JzzY57qY6xlwYn_3r3B9zahdtQjgdssg0C8AADOVMPf_qoBXbAh0vWf-aa7VMqtpuh3f3eCzUorIIhU0cM_13YBxxyHVkG4kOOmTGENIydJo/s1000/4e-angle.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilqm1aYrpYbPpGMQMXEUq2fNIJPmeJPQ_JzzY57qY6xlwYn_3r3B9zahdtQjgdssg0C8AADOVMPf_qoBXbAh0vWf-aa7VMqtpuh3f3eCzUorIIhU0cM_13YBxxyHVkG4kOOmTGENIydJo/w384-h640/4e-angle.png" width="384" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/996106089132273664">https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/996106089132273664</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">If SMT4A’s marketing could be considered a relative step forward, SJR’s is several human-sized grasshopper leaps backward. Forget informing about SMT itself, these tweets don’t give any actual information about SJR. Yes, trailers, etc. existed. And the same helmet was used in JP promotions as well and was sent to the Atlus West offices for their use. </span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But efforts like this feel like Atlus West has no idea how to market SMT. The wackiness implied by a staff member wearing a bucket on their heads is only a fraction of what SMT is; yes, the Japanese side basically did the same thing on their livestreams, but their limited edition of SJR also came with the excellent Megaten Maniacs book that details the series’ history and development. Of course, who needs history and context when we have memes?</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But, again, credit must be given where it’s due: <a href="https://atlus.com/the-devs-of-shin-megami-tensei-strange-journey-redux-answer-your-questions/" target="_blank"><b>Atlus West’s severely underutilized blog hosts an SJR Q&A with Eiji Ishida and other staff members</b></a>, handling questions from English-speaking fans for the first time since the original Nocturne Doublejump guide in 2004. Some legitimately good answers in there. More like this, please! <br /></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><h2 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster</span></span></h2><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3pUgya99h02PNjz6NDiLKN4cf0z-jLsvhaz6bDiPmN579QUlnBv32QBOA8dk14UGoEEU0vUVradar9oLvsn1bJwbZ6coyhT7TI2e1zkBM70qgKJOZam3pXkKDCPtWjE08lGdI4BBK7uQ/s1076/5a-dante.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1076" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3pUgya99h02PNjz6NDiLKN4cf0z-jLsvhaz6bDiPmN579QUlnBv32QBOA8dk14UGoEEU0vUVradar9oLvsn1bJwbZ6coyhT7TI2e1zkBM70qgKJOZam3pXkKDCPtWjE08lGdI4BBK7uQ/w356-h640/5a-dante.png" width="356" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/1293568709001265154">https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/1293568709001265154</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnUR8s4XK5vZQwi34Axm5EztnZFlOrbTfTsPvIpsiG7gKqgm9hFYcfx81w1QOGNmrHauU4WMYJtAZYLLNE2Zae60rMIjZ3-R_HfX5TS0Ac72jCSPfQPXHOihgr2iXRYc-RePzePtiotqY/s600/5b-matador.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="600" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnUR8s4XK5vZQwi34Axm5EztnZFlOrbTfTsPvIpsiG7gKqgm9hFYcfx81w1QOGNmrHauU4WMYJtAZYLLNE2Zae60rMIjZ3-R_HfX5TS0Ac72jCSPfQPXHOihgr2iXRYc-RePzePtiotqY/w400-h354/5b-matador.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/1382778251953643521">https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/1382778251953643521</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_qmieIzm-Me7DpVnWVJYZwIFES4SMiWzbjYJcuLiTH8GmC6qMbn0Ja051Evz-AmHOxnuJgoxU8mzkS6jEi26CJ59WbtlcQ0Wwqs4WHd8VBIwAmRXaFlRt3ULT5yVmiwXLA_g0biiSCxI/s600/5c-dante.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="600" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_qmieIzm-Me7DpVnWVJYZwIFES4SMiWzbjYJcuLiTH8GmC6qMbn0Ja051Evz-AmHOxnuJgoxU8mzkS6jEi26CJ59WbtlcQ0Wwqs4WHd8VBIwAmRXaFlRt3ULT5yVmiwXLA_g0biiSCxI/w400-h366/5c-dante.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/1385707552965599240">https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/1385707552965599240</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq39HSAFqfxqqiSK1295ADex_UmbSpx4nQd2wQO6vHFrtJ7ci84dCvNUPd22xWM1z-9p1YchrMIlCFjR0EkZTwGeZmVQgC7PimZkNKqORAKBNRkpwDcsZveJT899r7jTzIrTUiQvpXn1Q/s600/5d-matadortroll.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="600" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq39HSAFqfxqqiSK1295ADex_UmbSpx4nQd2wQO6vHFrtJ7ci84dCvNUPd22xWM1z-9p1YchrMIlCFjR0EkZTwGeZmVQgC7PimZkNKqORAKBNRkpwDcsZveJT899r7jTzIrTUiQvpXn1Q/w400-h346/5d-matadortroll.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/1397983443535990786">https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/1397983443535990786</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlxn1bRUyStYyAWnlriMFZSPTWwcU0V6pL99ky6bSC337aOoyInbE6k2o7Ol3Hj8MCD_L_6Bpbl3hKveT-k7dlQ7JaYrXC9cCvqeWofmRV18uBHkp-9L5OSt6eCZpaAuSMV3cMrG1cA0/s600/5e-forneus.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="600" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlxn1bRUyStYyAWnlriMFZSPTWwcU0V6pL99ky6bSC337aOoyInbE6k2o7Ol3Hj8MCD_L_6Bpbl3hKveT-k7dlQ7JaYrXC9cCvqeWofmRV18uBHkp-9L5OSt6eCZpaAuSMV3cMrG1cA0/w400-h373/5e-forneus.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/1401244931608309760">https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/1401244931608309760</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, we get the belabored “Featuring Dante” meme not once but twice! Oh, and a screenshot of Matador! Atlus West really understands what most people know about Nocturne: </span><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>absolutely nothing</b></span><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! If any SMT game needs official, instructive supplementary material, Nocturne is it. </span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Though a far cry from the humble tweets of 2013, this is official communication for a game so fundamentally misunderstood it’s frequently cited to have no story at all, amongst other aspects in its 12 fan myth appearances. Regurgitating and thus endorsing jokes so stale and so irrelevant to the Nocturne experience is practically a celebration of ignorance. And though Nocturne HD made many localization improvements, a fan-created nickname for Kagutsuchi, “disco ball,” crept into the game script, not only diverting from the Japanese intent but also serving to diminish the god’s significance to its Western audience. It’s a minor thing but it takes far fewer than a thousand cuts to doom the discourse on a particular subject. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I can’t sugarcoat it: I truly believe that the online discourse on Nocturne was fucked many years before Nocturne HD, given that the original was essentially dropped on an unsuspecting audience without a guiding hand to walk them through concepts culturally unfamiliar to non-Japanese, and old enough to allow falsehoods that the game is impossibly hard or Revelation retold to take root. In defense, with zero history in the West SMT had to start somewhere, plus the “mysteriousness” was undoubtedly an allure for some. On the other hand, more words have been exchanged online over the easily debunked “Hijiri is Aleph” crap or the supposed “lyrics” than the game’s allusions to the Womb Realm or rebirth that deepen the narrative’s themes and reward engagement. HD version issues aside, Atlus Japan created a masterpiece; Atlus West copied memes. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><h2 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So what can be done?</span></span></h2><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the course of my browsing Atlus West’s Twitter, I came across this brief video using game voice clips explaining what a persona is. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2C6UHPhggYMj_B_OnL3120xamM2R_C4BVpO1jWwFvlLZgkcfv_sCD_XYzYuLjMCmSFgPG2Ci0AndW7utXxNL198oEH7kTjc36u9RVQtfi5jHwyGGxSKre63OsZKrkjbmBrfduyNc6QU/s700/6-persona.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2C6UHPhggYMj_B_OnL3120xamM2R_C4BVpO1jWwFvlLZgkcfv_sCD_XYzYuLjMCmSFgPG2Ci0AndW7utXxNL198oEH7kTjc36u9RVQtfi5jHwyGGxSKre63OsZKrkjbmBrfduyNc6QU/w343-h400/6-persona.png" width="343" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/1232794973357137921">https://twitter.com/Atlus_West/status/1232794973357137921</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Though completely perfunctory, it is precisely the type of informing message their SMT posts lack. Simple definitions like these coming from the official Atlus West account would be amazing for correcting misinformed online narratives. </span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Atlus Japan’s marketing campaign for Shin Megami Tensei V has been great between the daily demon videos and Doi’s design commentaries. While replicating the daily demons seems impossible for Atlus West due to localization timelines and thus a lack of equivalent English footage, they have been translating Doi’s comments on the same day they’re released in Japan. This already betters the efforts for previous games (they did </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">not </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">translate Doi’s Twitter-posted comments for SJR) but the general Western audience, who cannot natively understand what “Shin Megami Tensei” actually means, needs a different, more basic approach catered for cultural deficiencies both societal (i.e., demons can originate from religions other than the dominant Western triad of Christianity/Judaism/Islam) and ludological (i.e., SMT has a different intent behind its “monsters” than other RPGs). </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For example, my Shin Megami Tensei story involves being familiar with Cu Chulainn from Celtic myth before learning he was in Nocturne, which convinced me to start playing it. Because I knew who Cu Chulainn was, it ultimately informed me what demons were (actual figures of myth) and that the ones I didn’t recognize were not just generic RPG critters but had to originate from a mythology somewhere. But I know from a decade-plus of interaction with fans that not everyone will share this experience, especially players that skew younger. A little official help to lift the fanbase closer towards the common knowledge of their Japanese peers could work wonders, including:</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Information on important Japanese staff, especially artists</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An official, sanctioned timeline</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Officially defining which games fall under which series umbrella, the difference between “SMT” and “Megaten,” etc. (People still get confused over SMT and Persona due to the latter’s former “Shin Megami Tensei” branding)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Introduction to Japanese terms and concepts in the series</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The aforementioned basic definition of “demon,” among others</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Publishing Meguro’s actual Nocturne “lyrics,” i.e., which Revelation verses he used</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Translated snippets from official books</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Literally anything instructive that could curb misinformation and misconceptions</span></span></li></ul><p></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>How likely is Atlus West to produce anything like this?</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <b>Not very</b>. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For one, they are only a translation and publishing brand for Sega for non-Japanese territories; they do not create anything themselves (except when it comes to inserting memes into dialogue). </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They exist to promote sales of their published games, so they cannot themselves produce deep analyses or spoil any game content beyond what has been shown in their marketing. As a proponent of them promoting <i>introductory </i>content, this is not necessarily an issue. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As such, they cannot, say, do their own research for original demon profiles that would contradict what is presented in the games. (Despite in-game profiles that sometimes do!) Along the same lines, they may not even be able to state as a fact the series’ overall acuity to myths because they are still responsible for selling games with Demeter or conspiracy theories like <a href="https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2017/06/jjcat.html" target="_blank">Japanese-Jewish common ancestry theory</a>. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And what incentive would Atlus West have to do any of this, anyway? <b>None</b>! </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even if designs like Demeter’s or the SMT guest artists’ come along, it is still their job to promote them. Why would they purposefully contradict what they need to sell? Plus, conversations about misheard Nocturne lyrics or other nonsense are still in Atlus’ favor since their brand is drumming up conversation and attention. They clearly value memes going by Nocturne HD’s lateral marketing. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some misconceptions may stem from older games (including Nocturne HD already, as its marketing campaign has ended) or those yet unreleased in English but there is even less incentive for Atlus West to correct them because those games are not currently earning them money. And that’s the ultimate answer, really: Atlus (as a whole) is a corporate subsidiary whose only job is to make fat stacks of cash. As long as the fan myths don’t hurt their bottom line there’s no reason to divert from their present course of indifference. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then there’s Shin Megami Tensei V, still a week away from release as of this publication. It will become the best-selling game in the series; the timing and platform are just right. It will create more new fans of SMT than ever before. But, judging by Atlus West’s insufficient marketing efforts, it will also create more fan myths than ever before. And, as always, there will be great variety: some outlandish, some harmless but imaginative, some intriguing, and some like those I’ve shown that redefine SMT in their own image. Inevitably, a handful of the latter will fester and become mimetic headaches for years to come. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So what to do when you’re a fan who does care about improving knowledge within your community? Well, you produce things like this series of debunkings until you stop caring or your voice gets drowned out by a din of baseless conjecture. Atlus doesn’t care, Shin Megami Tensei is just a product. In response, you should treat it like a product: squeeze all the fun you can have from it, throw it away, and move on to the next one. </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- <b>Eirikr</b> (<a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">my Tumblr</a>) (<a href="https://twitter.com/EirikrJS" target="_blank">my Twitter</a>) </span></span><br /></p><br /><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">________________________</span></span> </span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Special Thanks!</span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many people helped me conquer this mountain and I’m grateful for their aid:</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://twitter.com/atmaflare" target="_blank">Atmaflare</a> </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://twitter.com/dijeheh">Dijeh</a> </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://twitter.com/capes_kid" target="_blank">Kid Capes</a> </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://twitter.com/BeeTranslations/" target="_blank">Bee</a> </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://twitter.com/GBSoren" target="_blank">Soren</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Stealing Knowledge Discord crew</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://twitter.com/doguconnoisseur" target="_blank">Antonia</a> </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://twitter.com/poltergeist0001" target="_blank">Poltergeist0001</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Matteste</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://twitter.com/didyaknowtensei" target="_blank">Larrue</a> </span></span></li></ul><p></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p></div>Eirikrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708584583156602408noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102004681763150356.post-2736124542512956632021-10-26T14:43:00.007-04:002022-06-18T21:40:04.480-04:00DEBUNKING 30 SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI FAN MYTHS, PART ONE: #1-15<p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUv0FESBLc9L_Mq4LZUUZh2cYX5Ed9NOSX2VGI3CBfY7rcsRR-xXjmyiLpZpCSmbFjh0b6icZ9Gf5BWLi4Bghexz9lHLahh0T4971ObbHqffz-Ft4wPa0PvlzLdqamV8mL2blse5SCyXQ/s1000/fanmyths-part1b-shadow.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUv0FESBLc9L_Mq4LZUUZh2cYX5Ed9NOSX2VGI3CBfY7rcsRR-xXjmyiLpZpCSmbFjh0b6icZ9Gf5BWLi4Bghexz9lHLahh0T4971ObbHqffz-Ft4wPa0PvlzLdqamV8mL2blse5SCyXQ/s16000/fanmyths-part1b-shadow.png" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">2021 marks the 17th year of Shin Megami Tensei’s existence in the West and while that’s not exactly an auspicious number it’s certainly long enough to have developed its current thriving fan culture. But fans are overzealous things, literally fanatics. Arguments are raised, interpretations are julienned, and hills are died upon over what constitute acceptable concepts for a shared canon of ideas. Shin Megami Tensei is of course no different and over the years its fan wars of attrition have resulted in its own assumed fundamental truths.<br /><br />However, over this same span of time “truths” of dubious origins have mixed in with the actual facts to an indistinguishable degree for many, negatively affecting how the series is perceived and discussed. So, drawing on my 15+ years of experience with the series, I’ve picked 30 of the most infamous Shin Megami Tensei “fan myths” to debunk one by one. We begin with the first 15, which include some of the series’ more well known misconceptions, including the mysteries of Kaneko’s Twitter account, Doi’s artistic output, and everything about the Great Will! <br /><span></span></span><p style="text-align: left;"></p><a name='more'></a><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Before We Begin...</span></h3><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A few things to note! <br /><br /><b>1. </b>These myths are not presented in order of importance or in ANY order except for a few that build off of each other. <br /><br /><b>2.</b> For clarity, the quoted statement (Ex. “Kaneko Lives in a Flower Field”) represents the false statement I am refuting. This statement is the “myth.” <b>PLEASE NOTE: </b>The image header for each section may contain a truncated version of the myth; the "Myth's Gist" for each represents the full statement. <br /><br /><b>3. </b>Most of the time I abbreviate game names: </span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Shin Megami Tensei / Shin Megami Tensei II = SMT1 / SMT2 </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne = Nocturne</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey / Redux = SJ / SJR</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Shin Megami Tensei IV / Apocalypse = SMT4 / SMT4A</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Persona 2: Innocent Sin / Eternal Punishment = P2:IS / P2: EP</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Persona 3 / 4 / 5 = P3 / P4 / P5</span></li></ul><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And so on and so forth. <br /><br /><b>4. </b>Sources cited, if necessary, are available at the bottom of their respective sections as footnotes. Additionally, for many myths I included optional non-cited sources providing further context and information. <br /><br /><b>Most of all, I hope these are informative!</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> ________________________</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>UPDATE (6/5/22):</b> Added some extra links, fixed an image, fixed formatting--general minor stuff. <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">___________________________</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> <br /></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinNaU_uPHDpE1s6tk7EOuGY2uoK9COWw9AdZnW4BVO41R3ijLQVEQ0vPxJvyd6GiXvdiN-Yx1BRRsbD2kPS-EPeFz18bmSwkMyjLSpURP1ETbRz8DzCWE5uWr5jCzqUSEKH8s0Kq1dtH8/s760/1X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinNaU_uPHDpE1s6tk7EOuGY2uoK9COWw9AdZnW4BVO41R3ijLQVEQ0vPxJvyd6GiXvdiN-Yx1BRRsbD2kPS-EPeFz18bmSwkMyjLSpURP1ETbRz8DzCWE5uWr5jCzqUSEKH8s0Kq1dtH8/s16000/1X-blogheader.png" /></a></b></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The Myth’s Gist:</b> <i>Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne’s Jyoji Hijiri is intended by the developers and writers to be a reincarnation of Shin Megami Tensei II’s Aleph. </i><br /><br />We begin with the most infamous SMT fan myth of all, one generally presumed to be true but also one of the easiest to debunk. In short, in the Maniacs edition of Nocturne (i.e., the edition initially released in the US) it is explained that Hijiri leads a cursed existence and is doomed to forever repeat observing the birth and death of worlds, due to a “sin” he committed. The nature of this sin is not explained; however, the connection was made to SMT2’s Aleph due to him “being cursed” by YHVH for daring to oppose him. Throw in some vague resemblance between the two characters and you have an archetypal fan theory. <br /><br />There are numerous reasons the theory doesn’t actually make sense, from narrative contradictions to a complete lack of evidence in Japanese materials. What truly kills it is, ironically, the theory’s true origins: an immense and authoritative Nocturne FAQ written by Ian Kelley before the English version was released (and updated no later than August 2004), which included a blurb with all the described hallmarks of the theory. <b>[1a]</b> A snippet: </span></p><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1h5-WeMf2Ti628_j-ZARvJLkebaH93SbXg-36M_1c2jS0lvmNpOvTCDrtXwZUtjL0xngENJFddLmTml-bAF0L91oUr5lLS88BLoKg5ptg9rTX-eZJBoWbDbTB-zo3dC5nGxs4A93pS9U/s1446/1-image1.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1347" data-original-width="1446" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1h5-WeMf2Ti628_j-ZARvJLkebaH93SbXg-36M_1c2jS0lvmNpOvTCDrtXwZUtjL0xngENJFddLmTml-bAF0L91oUr5lLS88BLoKg5ptg9rTX-eZJBoWbDbTB-zo3dC5nGxs4A93pS9U/w400-h373/1-image1.png" width="400" /></a></div>It's never said what Hijiri's crime exactly was, but I strongly suspect that he is a reincarnation of Aleph, the hero of Shin Megami Tensei II. Reason being, the description of the torture that he's going through sounds EXACTLY like what YHVH (ie, God) threatens Aleph with in the Neutral Path in SMTII... One can only assume that if Hijiri really is an incarnation of Aleph, that YHVH either came back to life and is getting revenge on Aleph, or that he killed Aleph in the final battle of SMTII in the "official" SMT canon. And of course, all the stuff that went on in Aleph's world would have to be in a different Vortex than the one in SMTIII. Keep in mind, there's a high probability that I'm dead wrong on this. :P</i></span></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Despite Kelley’s humility the idea would only spread from there. But he himself would later discredit the theory in 2013, saying “I was never really serious about it in the first place and never expected people to latch onto it but welp.” <b>[1b]</b> That’s about as dead as it gets. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But should you be still unconvinced by the history behind the myth, there's always my analysis from many years ago of how Maniacs' additional content doesn't measure up to the quality of the core game, including how Hijiri's expanded backstory contradicts what was previously established. <b>[1c]</b><br /><br /><b>Sources</b>: <br /><br /><b>[1a]</b> <a href="https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps2/582958-shin-megami-tensei-nocturne/faqs/23739">SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI III: NOCTURNE FAQ/WALKTHROUGH</a>, Ian Kelley. <br /><b>[1b]</b> <a href="https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3428684&userid=139594#post412078063">SomethingAwful forums posts</a> by Kelley (as “Masakado”; his email in the FAQ also uses Masakado) where he rejects the theory. <br /><b>[1c]</b> <a href="https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2017/01/hijiri-maniacs.html" target="_blank">Hijiri, Candles, Freedom: Maniacs' Retcon Woes<br /></a><br /><b>More</b>: <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href=" https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/640347521938522112/nine-and-nocturne">Post initially discussing Kelley as the source of the myth</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2017/01/30/yhvh-translation-masterpost/">Translation of YHVH’s dialogue in SMT2</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href=" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGc23oWwohE">Hijiri is NOT Aleph video</a> by Larrue</span></li></ul><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br />________________________</b></span><br /></b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> </b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmOSogFRLHFcHZGfo3jbfbkIZUKuN4jaEiAJMmRPI_d0mZTKQ2t52jhRZWHzvsagjwaIevvWpLA8MoM1EOPU4bfuWsS0edYkBgAgini4HEAfI9ATyp-3xDlKVXfijseyRuXVHTii4xABk/s760/2X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmOSogFRLHFcHZGfo3jbfbkIZUKuN4jaEiAJMmRPI_d0mZTKQ2t52jhRZWHzvsagjwaIevvWpLA8MoM1EOPU4bfuWsS0edYkBgAgini4HEAfI9ATyp-3xDlKVXfijseyRuXVHTii4xABk/s16000/2X-blogheader.png" /></a></b></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>The Nebiros of SMT1 and beyond refers to the 24th spirit of the Goetia. </i><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some real-world confusion led to this one. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0rfAtexy_xKFJWsjCMesICsIvxWGfKRHeCmWeyasCSO5HKDDlDi3Mrc_dtdUggBSI3kJm0kfowKI-JDwAbCdDRet1M-kFnXs-Tdlla6oQp5vVqrIQZWWz6spUs4rcv3o97YjFtwGy8c/s1001/2-image1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="1001" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0rfAtexy_xKFJWsjCMesICsIvxWGfKRHeCmWeyasCSO5HKDDlDi3Mrc_dtdUggBSI3kJm0kfowKI-JDwAbCdDRet1M-kFnXs-Tdlla6oQp5vVqrIQZWWz6spUs4rcv3o97YjFtwGy8c/w640-h408/2-image1.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the Goetia <b>[2a]</b> (and the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum <b>[2b]</b>) is a demon named Naberius who sometimes goes by Nebiros. However, the Grand Grimoire contains another Nebiros, this one named a general of Hell and a necromancer. <b>[2c]</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThCFbiYKKmveoX46kQ2cjkbpQr0mjI95KtCgSKIN6cr8ASQS3n-8OFXwPaRE3UwjvxGLOZR_XpUxRadga9u_PiFmH2kcO6rezkwoPSKKx_C8bHAlmSmL9slH5Ng6vi2-zn_p2jyJP0Lc/s1506/2-image2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="942" data-original-width="1506" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThCFbiYKKmveoX46kQ2cjkbpQr0mjI95KtCgSKIN6cr8ASQS3n-8OFXwPaRE3UwjvxGLOZR_XpUxRadga9u_PiFmH2kcO6rezkwoPSKKx_C8bHAlmSmL9slH5Ng6vi2-zn_p2jyJP0Lc/w640-h400/2-image2.png" width="640" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b>So which Nebiros is SMT’s? Not only does Nebiros’ initial design evoke a “voodoo priest” stereotype and thus zombies and the undead, his SMT profiles clearly state he is a necromancer, confirming it is the Grand Grimoire’s. Curiously, in the Grand Grimoire the Goetia’s Naberius (as Naberrs) is listed as a subordinate of necromancer Nebiros, making an easy distinction between the two. For the record, the Goetia’s Naberius has never appeared in mainline SMT. </span><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Sources</b>: <br /><br /><b>[2a]</b> <a href="http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/goetia.htm#naberius">Goetia, Naberius</a>. <br /><b>[2b]</b> <a href=" http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/weyer.htm#par17">Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, Naberius</a>. <br /><b>[2c]</b> <a href=" http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/grand.htm">Grand Grimoire</a>. <br /><br /><b>More</b>: </span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href=" https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionnaire_infernal/6e_%C3%A9d.,_1863/Cerb%C3%A8re">Naberius’ (as “Cerbere”) entry in the Dictionnaire Infernal</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/64192797182/kazuma-kanekos-depictions-of-nebiros-also-known">Initial post discussing the differences between Nebiros and Naberius</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/632104319678906368/the-dictionnaire-infernal-gives-nebiros-or-rather">Post clarifying more information about Naberius</a> <br /></span></li></ul><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br />________________________</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> </b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlaUA8NF5Cj_mdI8P8praAYGyfYNa_OWAXjoQA8dpUExxMP2XxFls5_HiZ5JMoU0wPhu3sfGmjiiuLGF7kcBy2k5xEdEW34U_HJ1dIWl6efWGuxpa2karP85uUHrSSbmTl-vU76KmSaXo/s760/3X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlaUA8NF5Cj_mdI8P8praAYGyfYNa_OWAXjoQA8dpUExxMP2XxFls5_HiZ5JMoU0wPhu3sfGmjiiuLGF7kcBy2k5xEdEW34U_HJ1dIWl6efWGuxpa2karP85uUHrSSbmTl-vU76KmSaXo/s16000/3X-blogheader.png" /></a></b></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>SMT’s Alice represents the girl of Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland, the legend of a Swedish ghost named Alice, or some combination of the two.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgftQ3Bl_7BbkRxfslinP8TpHRnl5mN7nwLHqiIkaGm4bK641mpstI2G2u_K9ttdIgFIt-yeIES9N4xRgatNoPLHPggHI1V7dS1n_IBJ_FAWJHPEas1Kk7ypbJi_rX3niHiC3iW3Blv4DQ/s1174/3-image1.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="1174" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgftQ3Bl_7BbkRxfslinP8TpHRnl5mN7nwLHqiIkaGm4bK641mpstI2G2u_K9ttdIgFIt-yeIES9N4xRgatNoPLHPggHI1V7dS1n_IBJ_FAWJHPEas1Kk7ypbJi_rX3niHiC3iW3Blv4DQ/w400-h186/3-image1.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Neither Carroll’s Alice nor the Swedish Alice (which seems to lack any concrete source and is never mentioned in Japanese profiles) reflect the intent behind her twisted character, easily understood via her straightforward original scenario from SMT1: in post-apocalyptic Tokyo, Alice lives a suspiciously ideal life with her stewards, the Red Baron and the Black Baron, within the bustling and lively district of Roppongi. But it is merely a facade created for Alice by the barons, the demons Belial and Nebiros respectively, and with their defeat Alice and the other people of Roppongi are revealed to have been souls resurrected by Nebiros’ necromancy and subsequently vanish; here, Nebiros being the Grand Grimoire’s necromancer becomes essential context for Alice. A description of Alice from the SMT1 CLUB Jakyou no Yakata fanbook is the best proof:</span><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Is Alice just a little human girl? What relationship does she have with the two demons?<i><br /><br />Alice is a zombie revived by Belial and Nebiros from the thoughts dwelling in her body found in Roppongi. It’s impossible to deny that those have a narcissistic side to them, as they love their own figures manipulated by a selfish little girl. </i><b>[3a]</b></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana;">Moreover, the official Persona World Guidance book from 2001 plainly describes Alice as “an original demon in the Megami Tensei series!” <b>[3b]</b> <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4RORNZWIvEdpmBaOmW5EXs_-c-3uMPX2E6Eg3ZElGdfA8ZiBo6jANfo0T_rNxprMqLJQBkaGvSu7_OQv-4RAV_j4dxctWC-dpVEJcf_BgtCu7kJooBV-d9OjBt8oOKP4xGZbrGLZR1M/s921/3-image2.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="921" data-original-width="775" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4RORNZWIvEdpmBaOmW5EXs_-c-3uMPX2E6Eg3ZElGdfA8ZiBo6jANfo0T_rNxprMqLJQBkaGvSu7_OQv-4RAV_j4dxctWC-dpVEJcf_BgtCu7kJooBV-d9OjBt8oOKP4xGZbrGLZR1M/s320/3-image2.png" width="269" /></a></div>Alice’s subsequent appearances in the series have been minor. Revealingly, she returns in SMT2 as a Fiend, clutching dolls of the barons and thus clinging to her non-Wonderland roots. Her subsequent SMT1 remake design is sans dolls but only because it’s finally representative of her original sprite and role in the game as a zombie girl. It is in fact only after the emergence of this latest design that her later appearances take on a Wonderland character, such as card soldiers in her Persona animations and Strange Journey’s Hare of Inaba chase quest. Still, her modern appearances in SMT are (usually) part of the Undead race or within Persona’s Death arcana which clearly reveal that this morbid Alice is quite opposed to Carroll’s lively character to the point that the name seems arbitrary outside of the context of SMT1.<br /><br />In fact, there is a precedent for a character like Alice in the anime Demon City Shinjuku, where the characters encounter an onryo, vengeful spirit, in the form of a girl whose spirit was unable to rest; freed, her anger dissipates and she disappears, just like Alice did. <b>[3c]</b> SMT’s Alice is thus best considered an original character and any Wonderland associations mere costuming. <br /><br /><b>Sources</b>: <br /><br /><b>[3a]</b> <a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/08/08/qa-from-club-jakyou-no-yakata/">CLUB Jakyou no Yakata</a>. <br /><b>[3b]</b> <a href="https://twitter.com/gabriulio/status/1409176412184055809">Persona World Guidance</a>.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/190297238922/you-are-probably-on-a-good-track-the-first-boss"><br /></a><b>[3c]</b> <a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/190297238922/you-are-probably-on-a-good-track-the-first-boss">More information about Demon City Shinjuku’s onryo girl</a></span><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> <br />________________________</b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> </b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOkg_oxrsM2ySSN0plU0a6vzTHlUoVVbIZnyRpVzLo-gVZJrGWAgP-oTig5CUlHkYc5AIzz4wUhmgXtd5Yryl-M8iyiNmrixHW9My9oMXIbw2nPUa-v3fvEhrsmL8v5J45bblqYj-0oHQ/s760/4X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOkg_oxrsM2ySSN0plU0a6vzTHlUoVVbIZnyRpVzLo-gVZJrGWAgP-oTig5CUlHkYc5AIzz4wUhmgXtd5Yryl-M8iyiNmrixHW9My9oMXIbw2nPUa-v3fvEhrsmL8v5J45bblqYj-0oHQ/s16000/4X-blogheader.png" /></a></b></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br />The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>The @aqmaAC account is Kaneko’s because he used it a couple times in the past and it still returns follows. </i><br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjM97eXqCT3dRwS4DBSnwkEuhMKS5N3g2dg0nt8BhKuqPIwmHfDaDmsKC2jbPVMb60LYtJEnYeD8bG7IlrbUVK85-d7lE9Bnu-Qi2QzgTw-1UR1H8YM-PYqbS1NIZ-ApbojXNEc-E1Fe0/s681/4-image1.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="681" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjM97eXqCT3dRwS4DBSnwkEuhMKS5N3g2dg0nt8BhKuqPIwmHfDaDmsKC2jbPVMb60LYtJEnYeD8bG7IlrbUVK85-d7lE9Bnu-Qi2QzgTw-1UR1H8YM-PYqbS1NIZ-ApbojXNEc-E1Fe0/s320/4-image1.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">In truth, this account was specifically created to promote Japanese merch manufacturer FuRyu’s Shin Megami Tensei lottery collection released in October 2013 (the one with the Decarabia pillow). The account was created in June 2013 and its first tweet came a month later on July 8. Subsequent tweets either promoted the lottery or talked about how people could tweet using the hashtag #オレオマエスキ (ore omae suki, “I like you”) for the chance that Kaneko might respond. Kaneko appeared on it for the first time on July 23 for about an hour and a half between 7:00PM and 8:35PM JST. He returned on September 19 to respond to more questions for about two hours from the period of 6:21PM to 8:23PM JST. The account has seen no activity since. For each instance, Kaneko likely spent his time in a room with the FuRyu rep and account holder to dictate answers and then washed his hands of it after obligations were fulfilled. <br /><br />Either the account auto-follows after an average of 12-13 hours or a FuRyu rep with the password is dedicated to an SMT fanbase clamoring for Kaneko. It’s likely the former. <br /><br /><b>Source</b>: <a href="https://twitter.com/aqmaac">https://twitter.com/aqmaac</a></span><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>________________________</b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> </b></span> <br /><br /><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDyFYvJUi3O18tLXodGuL8TOkDg6FC9wTl9WfvJUIHOTmNr3BA6uRTOsCjEGBkhEs9cH3pWqtuRycLGxJiV0d5-XqM8Uny7883sqX-efDktV9dp7DexIve0QJJ-beyS5pK8zL-wn1dhI/s760/5X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDyFYvJUi3O18tLXodGuL8TOkDg6FC9wTl9WfvJUIHOTmNr3BA6uRTOsCjEGBkhEs9cH3pWqtuRycLGxJiV0d5-XqM8Uny7883sqX-efDktV9dp7DexIve0QJJ-beyS5pK8zL-wn1dhI/s16000/5X-blogheader.png" /></a></b></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>Shin Megami Tensei has an extreme, masochistic level of difficulty.</i> <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixnt-YeUxIznytDq82hRy7llDyQuSTNN5jWDnlrxgiXin41UOZCIQjUTx-ijxxyZTHJhP1DWXwSHjxzGDf7YXHuzpbi5kGDcZHFZqWwAGjdhe4UzYUECXX4abS6eUJ4GwTavsFL_6-vlA/s675/5-image1.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="675" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixnt-YeUxIznytDq82hRy7llDyQuSTNN5jWDnlrxgiXin41UOZCIQjUTx-ijxxyZTHJhP1DWXwSHjxzGDf7YXHuzpbi5kGDcZHFZqWwAGjdhe4UzYUECXX4abS6eUJ4GwTavsFL_6-vlA/w200-h136/5-image1.png" width="200" /></a></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The only thing extreme as far as SMT’s difficulty goes is how overblown the claims about it are. SMT is really no more difficult than any other JRPG series; the difficulty mainly comes from needing to adjust to its unique terminology and systems, like getting the hang of the elemental-based press turn mechanics with the Press Turn System and learning to let go of your allies with demon fusion. Also crucial to learn is that success in SMT is often determined before a battle even begins by which elemental weaknesses you can exploit and which you can defend--emphasizing the importance of preparation for you and your demons through equipment and skill loadouts. Modern SMT battles are not reaction tests a la Final Fantasy’s Active Time Battle. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xQ_6VwjwYzWGgoflnl1CqfTiS43q6CGRR4xzSWr5D1qZEIUkN2IqgLNLP8cdos5LQ0CALyP2Smkfl9ztTRhxQ8RsXfoDFk5LQuRTWfqIe-r8a2FUPrW8hD5QlP5Gh50-K8zjqIZU2IY/s741/5-image2.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="741" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xQ_6VwjwYzWGgoflnl1CqfTiS43q6CGRR4xzSWr5D1qZEIUkN2IqgLNLP8cdos5LQ0CALyP2Smkfl9ztTRhxQ8RsXfoDFk5LQuRTWfqIe-r8a2FUPrW8hD5QlP5Gh50-K8zjqIZU2IY/w200-h175/5-image2.png" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Of course, SMT games can contain general gameplay clunkiness and difficulty spikes which are, again, not unique compared to other series. The winding dungeons of the SFC games can be tests of patience (with battle gameplay that can otherwise be exploited). Matador and Minotaur are indeed not fights you can brute force your way through like in other RPGs by level grinding; buffing is important, that much is true. But should you fail at a boss, it doesn’t mean you’re no good, just that you need to rethink your strategy or demon party. Really, the greatest barrier to entry for SMT is sloughing off your expectations from other RPGs! <br /><br /></span><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>________________________</b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> </b></span><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV1WMzH27d7DTG4LN1TKD3vDkVUZzCq0uwlU4RWuyIWPdvmSHgJmc61hXCHh6X4L-C1uqnCWDR0B9B3BOkP9Mr74AV-l-597Bz4XqHCW8mAmYFT1Ol9M-rIz7CBT5DSWuIM08ZuK20to4/s760/6X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV1WMzH27d7DTG4LN1TKD3vDkVUZzCq0uwlU4RWuyIWPdvmSHgJmc61hXCHh6X4L-C1uqnCWDR0B9B3BOkP9Mr74AV-l-597Bz4XqHCW8mAmYFT1Ol9M-rIz7CBT5DSWuIM08ZuK20to4/s16000/6X-blogheader.png" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br />The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>SMT is about dark stuff like apocalypses and demons and takes itself completely seriously.</i></span><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYuwt8P10UYIQzKslGhjtmiqeC-LwOHZjx_FnAPOV5U1GGR0D_qWU20Y1zwxnGTx949857gqDrK7VGVI3MTdU8z-XbgGtO4Bj0t4H5D6nRyxne1jR0mAr5mUECbuyatB5_3HfWFQVaU1c/s1042/6-image1.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="984" data-original-width="1042" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYuwt8P10UYIQzKslGhjtmiqeC-LwOHZjx_FnAPOV5U1GGR0D_qWU20Y1zwxnGTx949857gqDrK7VGVI3MTdU8z-XbgGtO4Bj0t4H5D6nRyxne1jR0mAr5mUECbuyatB5_3HfWFQVaU1c/s320/6-image1.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Despite what you might have been told, SMT isn’t Dark Souls. Yes, calamity is always close at hand and its main storylines are treated with appropriate gravitas (for the most part) but, being a game series, many more variables come into play for the SMT series as a whole. Even as you witness the main narrative beats in any given game to their ends, you will also have experienced one or more of the following: </span><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Negotiations with happy-murderous snowmen & moths</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">A compulsory dance competition </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Meetings with Michael Jackson and/or Heath Ledger</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">A funny penis</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Goofy quests about a demon idol competition or a spurned human demon-lover</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">The rantings of the son of a fisherman</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">A child-like bogeyman wearing a diaper</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Harassment from a naked purple guy at a bar</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">A demon pig’s cartoonish meal</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Bewitching, befuddling fairy magic</span></li></ul><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And countless more. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyXI3NmJcyKgOtpvVPw9tv473sc-PTAjAb0ngr6oI9EHAqANYzgdQ5Nz5XbTPs4OKmJKu5pFrtC5Ilv2-ZrwivZznKP3girY7781jMOI7GDh4qo382kkpnV_-_2RaG9U5dbKyTf12wtwo/s845/6-images2x.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="845" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyXI3NmJcyKgOtpvVPw9tv473sc-PTAjAb0ngr6oI9EHAqANYzgdQ5Nz5XbTPs4OKmJKu5pFrtC5Ilv2-ZrwivZznKP3girY7781jMOI7GDh4qo382kkpnV_-_2RaG9U5dbKyTf12wtwo/w640-h234/6-images2x.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But extra credit must be given to the demon negotiations, the prevalent method SMT uses to randomly inject gonzo humor into the battles that comprise most of the gameplay and yet are largely disconnected from the narrative, foiling possible tonal dissonance. So the idea that SMT is a hyper-serious series is easily proven false just by playing it. SMT games can be grim, but never grimdark.</span><br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>________________________</b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> </b></span><b> <br /></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-HdIF4yoB3DWNYtHpDsP9iQ9b1kmkdYNlCUXE5zuzSR-_vL4j3A8b9Bzh2CInGsMq_Ri_-RsH81UMfWu5axVDH0R-7e1xRfE4Si78ReXwaa9Rv7wfG5vcD1rqz6laNzjMvjBMKF4KAU/s760/7X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-HdIF4yoB3DWNYtHpDsP9iQ9b1kmkdYNlCUXE5zuzSR-_vL4j3A8b9Bzh2CInGsMq_Ri_-RsH81UMfWu5axVDH0R-7e1xRfE4Si78ReXwaa9Rv7wfG5vcD1rqz6laNzjMvjBMKF4KAU/s16000/7X-blogheader.png" /></a></b></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>You can culturally cloister yourself from Japan and its many traditions and perspectives when attempting to understand SMT’s intricacies.</i> <br /><br />So obviously this myth has never been uttered out loud, but the lack of statements is more than compensated with actions and attitudes present online. In sum: an unashamedly Japanese series like SMT is often interpreted by the Western fandom through its non-Japanese lenses, resulting in frequent misconceptions and falsehoods. You could say this issue is the common thread tying most, but not all, of these entries together! But a subject so potentially extensive as identifying Japanese cultural elements in SMT would need at least an entire article to itself, so here I will limit things to two specific, supremely permeating influences. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECR9x2G22BKzTGi3VYnD9JdD5TtaOJhyphenhyphen3EmRtcmy05U2rNMEM5p51zfl97NCvwueLAokJiCShKOOOkU2dbPglzs3ghA7CIbJHGc2N9Kv5lgdrTzT4aKvgjyyUb6sZck0zSO2oxTkfNlo/s1240/7-image1.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="847" data-original-width="1240" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECR9x2G22BKzTGi3VYnD9JdD5TtaOJhyphenhyphen3EmRtcmy05U2rNMEM5p51zfl97NCvwueLAokJiCShKOOOkU2dbPglzs3ghA7CIbJHGc2N9Kv5lgdrTzT4aKvgjyyUb6sZck0zSO2oxTkfNlo/w400-h274/7-image1.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">The first is Japan’s own religious system, a unique syncretism of its native religion, Shinto, with its own brand of Buddhism. It combines an imported Buddhist cosmology with its cycles of reincarnation, Shinto’s pantheistic and animist spirit traditions that see nature as sacred, and an interplay and/or equation between Shinto gods and Buddhist ones (some of which are reinterpretations of Hindu deities) into a rich worldview of ideas and imagery. And these three descriptors alone are amongst the most relevant to SMT as a whole: </span><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">The cyclical Buddhist cosmology is apparent in the use of reincarnation in the franchise’s title and plotlines, quite the opposite to the linear, historical progression of Abrahamic religions</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">SMT makes liberal use of comparative mythology to link deities from different cultures and regions </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">The idea of spirits inhabiting everything excludes exceptional permissions for monotheistic deities. </span></li></ul><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Basically, if you are unfamiliar with the Japanese worldview yet something about SMT sticks out as odd to you, an element of Japanese religion is likely to explain it three times out of four, or more. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_D-nrEn9pdF8ttYQ4lx87WCKifhImqANcbqNiZpxklPdH2WzVjih421QCY6q58m0algfvmHM0pHZlxx4dcPa6Y0P310Zg0aUBS3XUz7kveBMoqi-tEWFV2eZfDVmYetFMWLebpO5UjEA/s827/7-image2.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="728" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_D-nrEn9pdF8ttYQ4lx87WCKifhImqANcbqNiZpxklPdH2WzVjih421QCY6q58m0algfvmHM0pHZlxx4dcPa6Y0P310Zg0aUBS3XUz7kveBMoqi-tEWFV2eZfDVmYetFMWLebpO5UjEA/w353-h400/7-image2.png" width="353" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">The second permeating, specifically Japanese influence on the series is Christianity--that is, Japan’s own tumultuous history with it. Introduced by Portuguese Jesuit missionaries in the 16th century, Christianity enjoyed a brief period of limited acceptance in Japan before being deemed a political threat. In more crucial detail: </span><p style="text-align: left;"></p><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Caution against Christianity goes back to the medieval period, and is one part politics and another native religious belief. Politically, Christianity became problematic for Tokugawa period policy makers around ~1587 CE after the daimyo ("feudal lords") began converting in order to acquire saltpeter from Portugal, and holding forced conversions of commoners and vassals.<br /><br />The dilemma of subjects with conflicting religious beliefs threatened to undermine the stability of the government … and so it was viewed as an anti-government religion, leading to a medieval ban on missionaries and mass executions of Christians to suppress the belief system. … In the postwar period when Japan was under [Allied] occupation, Christianity was the religion of the oppressors and renewed missionary efforts proved unpopular. Christianity consistently accounted for just 1% of the population since the allied occupation began and continues to hover in that range.<br /><br />On religious grounds, Christianity is also an affront to the syncretic Shinto-Buddhist belief native to Japan. Under a Shinto system, emphasis is placed on harmony with nature and one's place as an equal to the animals of the nation. The Christian view of humanity as stewards of the Earth charged with ruling God's creation is incongruous with Shinto's equality between men and nature. Shinto is also a polytheist system wherein divinity lives not above people as a dominating force setting the world in motion, but around them inhabiting each individual aspect of the world. The ethics of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism also hold that life is a karmic path toward entry into paradise, and that cyclic view is at odds with a cosmology in which one enters the world, exits and is then cut off from it in heaven or hell based on affiliation with a deity. The concept of Christ's resurrection is also disturbing from the Shinto perspective on the purity of nature, beauty of transient life and the importance of dying.</i> <b>[7a]</b></span></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmU3O2mT6_DZ3U1lxGm5SSFGv6OKRnHPpl4sCFgtOux5C0PYPshDMyC2zwtCm6VuAgm3p75r3tFMzjaNAWovaCzsOEjFxRYef0Xu4FXbgvLT5O_cvNw-5pZbQxJyoRELGixc2dF28uGzk/s957/7-image3.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="957" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmU3O2mT6_DZ3U1lxGm5SSFGv6OKRnHPpl4sCFgtOux5C0PYPshDMyC2zwtCm6VuAgm3p75r3tFMzjaNAWovaCzsOEjFxRYef0Xu4FXbgvLT5O_cvNw-5pZbQxJyoRELGixc2dF28uGzk/w268-h400/7-image3.png" width="268" /></a></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Nonetheless, the roaring, modern post-war Japan of the ‘60s and ‘70s entered a so-called “occult boom” for magic and monsters, followed by other “booms” that brought a healthy appetite for overseas culture and religious knowledge but very rarely for honest practice or conversion; the Abrahamic religions remained for the Japanese a curiosity, but little more. This was a slice of the zeitgeist out of which SMT was born. This is why SMT scenario writer Ryutaro Ito said this about Stephen Hawking (and thus by proxy the SMT character Stephen) in 1994: </span></p><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>The famous theoretical physicist Hawking downright denied God’s existence. His theories start from that point. He became a sensation in the West because he said God wasn’t the one who created the Universe and everything was based on physical principles. He maintained in his books that the Universe wasn’t created by God, but even if we Japanese read the translations of his works, we think this is something obvious. The Japanese aren’t monotheists, so that train of thought is interesting to us.</i> <b>[7b]</b></span></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">From the perspective of those from the Christian sphere looking in, SMT’s interpretation of monotheism--a Law faction that tends to mash Christianity, Judaism, and Islam into one--can seem excessively harsh. But as shown, SMT is from a country where Christianity represents tumult and is neither a dominating cultural force nor is it compatible with its traditional culture. Japanese don’t hate Christianity, it’s just not their preference. This is a story of one bias meeting another and never the twain shall meet, unless you consider the unchanging historical context surrounding Japan’s. <br /><br />I’m not suggesting you need to learn Japanese to understand SMT. (A little will help, though.) You don’t need to be an expert in Japanese religion or its history with Christian proselytism. But just a little familiarity with the three and suddenly SMT will make a lot more sense, I guarantee you. <br /><br /><b>Sources</b>: <br /><br /><b>[7a]</b> <a href="https://jurakubookstore.blogspot.com/2014/05/megaten-and-discourse-by-three.html">Megaten and A Discourse by Three Drunkards on Government: Let's Play Shin Megami Tensei iOS</a> by Touya. <br /><b>[7b]</b> <a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/08/08/kaneko-cozy-narisawa-shin-megami-tensei-ii-interview-part-i/">Akuma Daijiten</a>. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>________________________<br /><br /></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRYMpQh-0jAb8kVWdKBCBCgcz676hg4D1MiYpQg-5pjyXEbj7TQtx0qoCiOvFJnEDhNn4_MEDFg7Mq4vlxwta8qfatyJNIkAtiLTs-2gWQ5E1Ynn92nRGzLvYII5pNJcrGEFNqeebGCk/s760/8X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRYMpQh-0jAb8kVWdKBCBCgcz676hg4D1MiYpQg-5pjyXEbj7TQtx0qoCiOvFJnEDhNn4_MEDFg7Mq4vlxwta8qfatyJNIkAtiLTs-2gWQ5E1Ynn92nRGzLvYII5pNJcrGEFNqeebGCk/s16000/8X-blogheader.png" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br />The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>Akin to other JRPG series like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, or even the Fate franchise, the concepts and interpretations Shin Megami Tensei presents are entirely original and self-contained. It is all “lore” relevant only to SMT itself.</i> </span><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rsLWSiJk_nEQ_huiDIwg5afX1SoMwVd_dIhphdkq_AYBAA5U8daAda198v17hBpbvLGi52wIPgVDN29A3y2fp81YDmFLC-YNCMadICF7XAI_ehwC9kDRsYIXcSrDSaAGduwqEBOGq1A/s1282/8-images1.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1282" data-original-width="996" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rsLWSiJk_nEQ_huiDIwg5afX1SoMwVd_dIhphdkq_AYBAA5U8daAda198v17hBpbvLGi52wIPgVDN29A3y2fp81YDmFLC-YNCMadICF7XAI_ehwC9kDRsYIXcSrDSaAGduwqEBOGq1A/w311-h400/8-images1.png" width="311" /></a></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A relatively recent “controversy” explains how this particular fan myth can go wrong. As Nocturne HD’s English localization refinements became known, they revealed that “Pyro Jack” would be renamed Jack-o’-Lantern, causing a brief and ineffectual online outcry to #BringBackPyroJack and restore the old name. This is despite Jack-o’-Lantern being the intended name for the demon in Japanese, the obvious fact that it is meant to be the Halloween figure of Jack-o’-Lantern, and that the Jack-o’-Lantern name was already corrected as of P5. Somehow it got into people’s heads that “Pyro Jack” was an original character, one to which they were apparently quite attached. <br /><br />But in reality, a large chunk of SMT’s content, aside from its main characters and scenarios, is deliberately appropriated from real-life sources. Informing players of the fact that Jack-o’-Lantern is not a “Pyro,” among other things, are a few key differences from other RPGs. <br /><br />The first is SMT’s typical setting of Tokyo, i.e., a real city that exists on the planet Earth and thus it can be extrapolated that other real countries and cultures also exist. This includes references to modern politics and international relations, usually manifested in America (the sender of nukes) and Japan (the receiver of nukes). Though things obviously get fantastical, this real setting grounds SMT in ways other series don’t even attempt. <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMXcU3L0P0e8svodvBeEiq2BRcRwTr06JdKywmoUM94SbUM4pVgt1CWNd8iFf0rQupWH1fbVWX2TEvOeJGClgMWtgZXPzv1xDWsdPeFCNf-arFOAD_xbEflzEO6YC4CxXvV3WGkYuDkTk/s871/8-images4.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="871" data-original-width="616" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMXcU3L0P0e8svodvBeEiq2BRcRwTr06JdKywmoUM94SbUM4pVgt1CWNd8iFf0rQupWH1fbVWX2TEvOeJGClgMWtgZXPzv1xDWsdPeFCNf-arFOAD_xbEflzEO6YC4CxXvV3WGkYuDkTk/s320/8-images4.png" width="226" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then there are the demons, which draw from mythologies the world over--mythologies that are part of real human cultures and have been relevant to said cultures for thousands of years. The demons themselves are fully intended to be manifestations of their characters from myth and legends. Confirming this is that all modern Megaten games and most official books feature compendium profiles of demons’ origins; they imply Atlus is proud of its real-world research and wants its audience to make that connection to metatextual knowledge. Some of the sources Atlus themselves uses for information may be dubious but this still displays an unprecedented impulse towards incorporation of existing source material to enhance the meaning of its “monsters.” <br /><br />Demon designs play a major hand in dispelling this myth as well--their general reflection of their origins is unmatched anywhere else. Most of Kaneko’s demons incorporate aspects of demons’ myths, appropriate modern expressions of their personal character, or outright copy traditional art. But I can do better than leaving the count at “most”: tallying and grading all of Kaneko’s demons (minus those fully original to SMT) proved that 90% adhere to their respective cultures. <b>[8a]</b> It’s not uncommon to encounter people who dismiss criticism of modern demon designs by saying that “SMT demons were never that accurate” but this data proves them to be reactionary ignoramuses.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6HBmJ-KbOTFcQTLzOrRiUkmMH-3GiahIIuTKzUhclsKQKRvcS1ikXJPeGqdqAfgWq72LQZ-JFsVYN2kK53vDoKwg9nyDySG9QqLsbyRQrUmtC3rCB0XfDzzVWL-Kj9JHTRDrb7n6edY/s1242/8-images3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="1242" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6HBmJ-KbOTFcQTLzOrRiUkmMH-3GiahIIuTKzUhclsKQKRvcS1ikXJPeGqdqAfgWq72LQZ-JFsVYN2kK53vDoKwg9nyDySG9QqLsbyRQrUmtC3rCB0XfDzzVWL-Kj9JHTRDrb7n6edY/w640-h410/8-images3.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />But SMT's insistence on demons being source-based can be a double-edged sword: it deepens the meaning of the demons and their artwork but, being adopted from real cultures, opens the door for criticisms of portrayal that don't exist for other series. No one complains about the lack of accuracy of Final Fantasy monsters to their origins because FF not only doesn't attempt this, it's a series that's wildly different for each installment and therefore it's no big deal for FF's Shiva to be an ice goddess. But since SMT exists on “Earth” and adapts “real” mythologies, for it to claim the ice goddess as its Shiva would be disastrous--incongruous to Indian cultures and the series’ own aesthetic definitions. SMT simply has different higher standards for design work than most other games.</span><br /><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Lastly, beware the contemporary usage of the word “lore” and its tendency to reduce essential narrative information to the level of wiki trivia. It could also not be more wrong when applied to describe demons. A demon’s “lore” is part of the story of its own culture, of humans. SMT games may warn that they are “works of fiction,” but the real-life Tokyo setting and the cultural elements deliberately placed within ensure a metatextual value its RPG peers can’t match. <br /><br /><b>Source</b>: <br /><br /><b>[8a]</b> <a href="https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/p/sub-article-3-complete-demon-design-data.html">Complete Demon Design Data</a>. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>More</b>: </span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2021/01/demons-by-design.html">Demons by Design </a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/663770267991048192/do-you-ever-feel-like-you-are-trying-to-judge-smt">More information on Atlus telling its players it is serious about adapting mythology</a></span></li></ul><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> <span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>________________________</b></span></span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> </b></span></span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlnKmmSm2h5fFSFt9OGonyq9Fv_qoY0SCLiI9TuEMFHy8u98KdPXVqnM9qiYykgiT0r_qPw1RTAwP_MqsQvafM_MGUrrXax5V84m87u5TGQwRqlfNi_lw25UqAPSqcThGdkTFvXKn6DU/s760/9X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlnKmmSm2h5fFSFt9OGonyq9Fv_qoY0SCLiI9TuEMFHy8u98KdPXVqnM9qiYykgiT0r_qPw1RTAwP_MqsQvafM_MGUrrXax5V84m87u5TGQwRqlfNi_lw25UqAPSqcThGdkTFvXKn6DU/s16000/9X-blogheader.png" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br />The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>There’s nothing stopping personas from joining the ranks of demons in SMT. </i><br /><br />While SMT demons appear in Persona due to the inevitabilities of budgets and asset recycling, the inverse has yet to happen. This is because both Persona and SMT have clear, unique rules for the designs of each series, something that can be easily overlooked. Kaneko has explained the differences:</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Let’s take a look at Kali, for example: her depiction in the Shin Megami Tensei series is faithful to mythology, but in the Persona series I prioritised her image, which was supposed to resemble a costume more than anything. For Shiva (Hari-Hara) from Digital Devil Saga I retained some mythical aspects, but ultimately drew him as a different being.</i> <b>[9a]<span> </span></b></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span></span></span><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPe96y9-WCtLpymTotI7a6e6ZzEJyDlhHPykWjBwbnaJQCNsvfEXj2maGA_JGagQu_7jCVaFsBap4tMSqMUh2AhOox4UEoV1Nt9kWXR_oQRgJTciJNlP8_UPmQb2Gd8-ypi4Uvvg9VhA0/s1460/9-images3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="870" data-original-width="1460" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPe96y9-WCtLpymTotI7a6e6ZzEJyDlhHPykWjBwbnaJQCNsvfEXj2maGA_JGagQu_7jCVaFsBap4tMSqMUh2AhOox4UEoV1Nt9kWXR_oQRgJTciJNlP8_UPmQb2Gd8-ypi4Uvvg9VhA0/w640-h382/9-images3.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />A demon is “mythology,” a persona is a “costume,” and a DDS avatar is “some myth, but mostly original.” DDS avatars have also not reappeared in SMT due to their unique, incongruous (with SMT demons) aesthetics and status as transformations of specific characters. <br /><br />But for demons and personas, think about what each represents. A persona is a “mask”--or, going by Kaneko’s parlance, a “costume”--you wear, therefore it represents “you,” or the user; it is an internal force that swells up from the person using one. Therefore, personas, since Persona 2, have generally been designed to represent aspects of the psyche, fears, personality, etc. of the characters who use them. Think Chie’s Tomoe persona, designed with her tomboyish martial arts athleticism in mind. <br /> </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBpZhQGw0bE9o6LN8Cslf8wWa2pjQ583Rb1b0qvPiLVl5patuzHfLDZ6E3urf3cohPzO65jGoGn2pZsY21YNO-x70DlABxcYw-POOITbH9iFC5za0KZP2laLJ6LshYCECXJasp0ISzXOM3792Z81DG1wquW4zDJcZsUkd5WDE3ncuArlLpP61E2F2q/s1285/9-images-2xy.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="1285" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBpZhQGw0bE9o6LN8Cslf8wWa2pjQ583Rb1b0qvPiLVl5patuzHfLDZ6E3urf3cohPzO65jGoGn2pZsY21YNO-x70DlABxcYw-POOITbH9iFC5za0KZP2laLJ6LshYCECXJasp0ISzXOM3792Z81DG1wquW4zDJcZsUkd5WDE3ncuArlLpP61E2F2q/w640-h234/9-images-2xy.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But a demon is “something out there”; it is an external, supernatural being that is invading normal reality. Since nearly all demons are based on religious myths, they in turn are designed with the original forms assigned to them by their respective cultures. For an example, look no further than the conniving and independent Lucifer, the Devil in name and form. <br /><br />The best way to illustrate the differences is something that has been designed as both demon and persona. Beyond the examples of Kali and Shiva, the Greek titan Prometheus has conveniently received both a demon and persona design from Kaneko. Demon Prometheus is an aged humanoid carrying the flame he famously gifted humanity; persona Prometheus is a nearly encased, rock-like being that plays the double duty of Prometheus’ own punishment for his action and user Baofu’s psychological conflicts.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQ671uKa53CJ6I0Cv7FOOnr3TrTJu9IQNWCAe9sbB9vxArh3mXmPRG467BAezyP2OC47eueKMwr5HEMHY6oseKwakuVNBoeshWRAJwIvQjujA5ZONbN2JQWsFXsZvhBh_F2CXCY1nDow/s752/9-images4.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="742" data-original-width="752" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQ671uKa53CJ6I0Cv7FOOnr3TrTJu9IQNWCAe9sbB9vxArh3mXmPRG467BAezyP2OC47eueKMwr5HEMHY6oseKwakuVNBoeshWRAJwIvQjujA5ZONbN2JQWsFXsZvhBh_F2CXCY1nDow/w400-h395/9-images4.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Again, because demons do show up as personas, this issue is, in effect, one way. But adding personas to SMT would only dull the meaningful design philosophies that differentiate and enrich the stories and settings of each series. The definitions can be summed up poetically: a demon is apart from you; a persona is a part of you. <br /><br /><b>Source</b>: <br /><br /><b>[9a]</b> <a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2021/08/27/kaneko-kazuma-interview-kaneko-kazuma-works-iii-booklet/">Kazuma Kaneko Works III supplementary booklet</a>. <br /><br /><b>More</b>: </span><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2021/01/demons-by-design.html">Demons by Design</a></span></li></ul><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>________________________</b></span></span></b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIbshTb-8JdFG9Fi2eOEVktg6gtrM1vFd9LTnncu236SgzBCVbyF-OMVuCZgeBLIOjrExYX1UHq3JXE6hf3nUmgpXJpwKby3433Ixl0Z7CEYLVV9boljGRiUvffubtrljkBkrjhj596s/s760/10X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIbshTb-8JdFG9Fi2eOEVktg6gtrM1vFd9LTnncu236SgzBCVbyF-OMVuCZgeBLIOjrExYX1UHq3JXE6hf3nUmgpXJpwKby3433Ixl0Z7CEYLVV9boljGRiUvffubtrljkBkrjhj596s/s16000/10X-blogheader.png" /></a></b></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>All of Kaneko’s artwork is entirely the sweat of his own brow, and that art was his only contribution at Atlus. </i><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kzzN3JOsNBf4XMGH6FTvD_m9PCqsR5BOOMrvmYbaNFxgnMXwbsaKX09BTieNgWNe254NA0zxNhhLIBKS8exyTNq8F9KDfT7IlKIG6AZalC5k-0va20MhUuNQ5JyLOSzfNj_ENyPGI3c/s887/10-images1.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="887" data-original-width="666" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kzzN3JOsNBf4XMGH6FTvD_m9PCqsR5BOOMrvmYbaNFxgnMXwbsaKX09BTieNgWNe254NA0zxNhhLIBKS8exyTNq8F9KDfT7IlKIG6AZalC5k-0va20MhUuNQ5JyLOSzfNj_ENyPGI3c/s320/10-images1.png" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">During the Nintendo days, from 1990’s Megami Tensei II on the Famicom to 1995’s Shin Megami Tensei if… on the Super Famicom, Kaneko was entirely responsible for character pixel art <b>[10a]</b> and promotional art illustrated with analog media like markers. But the switch to the Sega Saturn for Devil Summoner also brought a change to digital art and here we see Atlus begin to hire more artists, including those who would assist Kaneko, mainly Shigenori Soejima and Megumi Shiraishi. <br /><br />Soejima joined Atlus for 1995’s Devil Summoner and at first assisted Kaneko on digitally coloring demons and character portraits; for certain color-assisted works, he signed his name “SOE.” He also drew character portraits for Soul Hackers and Persona 2 before handling the art direction for the modern Persona series. Shiraishi is first credited in 1996’s Persona and is most notable for being a colorist and finisher for most of Kaneko’s major promotional illustrations from 1996 onward; she signs her name “MEG” circled with a heart. Her current role is “Series Demon Art Supervision,” which as far as I know hasn’t been officially defined but presumably entails overseeing use of Kaneko’s art in 2D and its adaptation into 3D.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih-evqfXjDdrgWulqMHIZxfp1JdC4nBchbgl_cCRKja3lMjIzG0K64V6N7Ub_04myC8nym3Zi6MMu0C3rCgipwGiTW9GIV1V0uBJbJWn9GoaCEl3jDguemFbHuvYRpW-5wNrGS9_Aq0CQ/s1342/10-images2x.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="990" data-original-width="1342" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih-evqfXjDdrgWulqMHIZxfp1JdC4nBchbgl_cCRKja3lMjIzG0K64V6N7Ub_04myC8nym3Zi6MMu0C3rCgipwGiTW9GIV1V0uBJbJWn9GoaCEl3jDguemFbHuvYRpW-5wNrGS9_Aq0CQ/w640-h472/10-images2x.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />And as for Kaneko’s non-art contributions, he admits in an interview for SMT1 that he, and all the other staff members at the time, contributed to its scenario; commonly cited is that him living in Kichijoji at the time is why it is the main character’s home and the game’s starting point. <b>[10b]</b> He has also been Creative Director for Nocturne as well as creating Strange Journey’s scenario. Then there’s Kaneko’s scenario drafts for Shin Megami Tensei IV--however, beyond the Mikado/Tokyo split, those drafts barely resemble the final product so let’s not go starting other myths, shall we? All of this goes to show that Kaneko both made massive creative contributions and received lots of assistance! </span><br /><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><b>Source</b>s: <br /><br /><b>[10a] </b><a href="https://pepsimangb.tumblr.com/post/92763019374/as-promised-heres-my-scanlation-of-the-smt1-ost" target="_blank">Shin Megami Tensei LAW & CHAOS DISC liner notes</a><b> <br />[10b]</b> <a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/08/08/interview-with-kaneko-kazuma-and-okada-cozy-from-the-shin-megami-tensei-playstation-strategy-guide-shin-megami-tensei-character-profile-steven-report/">Shin Megami Tensei ~Character Profile~ STEVEN REPORT</a><br /><br /><b>More</b>: </span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href=" https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/172023613457/i-was-looking-through-some-official-art-for">More on Megumi Shiraishi and Soejima’s signature</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2018/11/03/smt-iv-draft-scenario/">Kaneko’s SMT4 draft</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href=" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hObFqLHrE5w">Kazuma Kaneko’s Art Team: Megumi Shiraishi & Shigenori Soejima</a> video by Larrue</span></li></ul><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> </b></span><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>________________________</b></span></span></b></span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> </b></span></span></b></span></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9wL-w-KkVXw4LZBuFeWYuv2pdPrJHwfiIBMz5-dMEBAe-woGPZjJEKofyvzcvUB0icmOaUjg8-FYm8Lpj3axsUD0ss7cLT4ZMzs_8vWuYVL4X2l0kCxkNfd_8IBqdjnc-GO2kHUfXzOc/s760/11X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9wL-w-KkVXw4LZBuFeWYuv2pdPrJHwfiIBMz5-dMEBAe-woGPZjJEKofyvzcvUB0icmOaUjg8-FYm8Lpj3axsUD0ss7cLT4ZMzs_8vWuYVL4X2l0kCxkNfd_8IBqdjnc-GO2kHUfXzOc/s16000/11X-blogheader.png" /></a></b></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>The prominent black upper lips are an essential element of Kaneko’s design style. </i><br /><br />En vogue in the community for the past few years, the black upper lip is undeniably an eye-catching feature of the Kaneko “look.” However, things can definitely go too far when the black upper lip is perceived as fundamental to Kaneko’s style, which would be a gross reduction of his approach to art. And it’s not even a unique aspect, anyway! <br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFPyCh4ndURvUrQw1iaClotc0FWIKOdTjLog6W_0M2LyaVfeQUvwO4jPyeomXnxs7pP_HlhWvB0wFxhKuXlePmsstoPp5f69YjUQME9FyuNFuapUzlfn2nHrydIJThd5WGzE3luvNyD5U/s1265/11-images1.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="632" data-original-width="1265" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFPyCh4ndURvUrQw1iaClotc0FWIKOdTjLog6W_0M2LyaVfeQUvwO4jPyeomXnxs7pP_HlhWvB0wFxhKuXlePmsstoPp5f69YjUQME9FyuNFuapUzlfn2nHrydIJThd5WGzE3luvNyD5U/w400-h200/11-images1.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The black upper lip has its precedent in anime of the 1980s and earlier where it was used to contrast and demarcate the lower lip and skin of the upper lip; this continues to happen throughout the animation industry and Kaneko was certainly not the wellspring of the idea. It’s important to know that Kaneko himself was an animator during the ‘80s before he joined Atlus, so it’s only natural he’d copy industry techniques. While he always used a contrasting black line of some form or thickness to shape character mouths, the wavy “mustache” lip only became a consistent feature as of Persona 2: Innocent Sin in 1999. But this is still only a single element from the comprehensive innovations that period would bring for Kaneko. <br /><br />Succinctly and holistically, Kaneko’s matured style from Persona 2 onwards can be described thusly: stylized, proportional bodies akin to Japanese Buddhist statues in their sculpted “hypo-realism”; thin, almost nonexistent lineart with angular features; use of natural colors with soft shading gradations that accentuate defined muscle tones and anatomy; expert and economic color balancing between main colors and secondary colors; subtle use of textures and simple geometric patterning; and unexaggerated, symmetrical “runway” posing and accessorization. Then there are the variable instances that are more about influence than art style: wholesale lifting of classic and classical art and the inclusion of pop culture and haute couture fashion. The black lip would fit in somewhere around “shading gradation” but as you can see it would only be a sub-element of a category. There’s just so many more important and distinct parts of the Kaneko whole.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMj50gZ3kj6AdujUfnEVW_HjMe7yY1n_DhrAXJ1QOdie_B_zh0XTeMYQimM_LYBEb2i46rR4J7tVIK36DhjSvyvjAwpktb0ruaL7MOAufQ7BSAedgjsh1Rcg-3dspojnyPKlMfwmQ8R1Q/s1572/11-images2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1572" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMj50gZ3kj6AdujUfnEVW_HjMe7yY1n_DhrAXJ1QOdie_B_zh0XTeMYQimM_LYBEb2i46rR4J7tVIK36DhjSvyvjAwpktb0ruaL7MOAufQ7BSAedgjsh1Rcg-3dspojnyPKlMfwmQ8R1Q/w640-h504/11-images2.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />The black lip is certainly an element of Kaneko’s art, yes, but one that floats on the surface of the depths. Simply slapping one on an existing design from, say, the Fate series would not a Kaneko illustration make--the design fundamentals are too different. Basically, the Kaneko black lip is best enjoyed while informed! That said... who remembers when Kaneko lashes were the big trend?</span><br /><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><b>More</b>: </span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href=" https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/613330356912963584/i-spent-a-lot-of-time-looking-through-kanekos">Initial post about the development of Kaneko’s black lip</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://privatter.net/p/5279501">Poltergeist0002’s breakdown of Kaneko’s style</a> (in Japanese)</span></li></ul><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>________________________</b></span></span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> </b></span></span></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9dKJgbsZzbYm0J1m-I3YDJhgSMUTFQSdiJEs_vaP-gSrWc2J4RzqiHcg_Fcdj6nctTL-fs4UYzTUHzySJXEGOUDtBBzwj2SQ6TS5pOBANWxbSRWeCLjced-724kvKougFJAMQDmd3cg/s760/12X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9dKJgbsZzbYm0J1m-I3YDJhgSMUTFQSdiJEs_vaP-gSrWc2J4RzqiHcg_Fcdj6nctTL-fs4UYzTUHzySJXEGOUDtBBzwj2SQ6TS5pOBANWxbSRWeCLjced-724kvKougFJAMQDmd3cg/s16000/12X-blogheader.png" /></a></b></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>Neutral endings can imply future threats from gods/YHVH, therefore Neutral is a path with no actual resolutions and is bad. </i><br /><br />Granted, Neutral endings can still be pretty rotten due to poor writing quality and conception but that’s not what this myth is about. Instead, its ideas seem to originate from overly-literal interpretations of certain Neutral ending lines warning about “future crises,” invariably twisting them to involve demons or some aspect of YHVH getting his revenge, even though such things are never explicitly stated. These lines occur in a proper context the following games: </span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>MT2 (True Ending)</b>. <i>YHVH speaking</i>: “I am but one part of an incorporeal entity which controls countless universes. There are much stronger aggregations of consciousness than this universe. Hear? This is not the end. Pitifully, ye have chosen an even more painful path…” </span></li><ul><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Epilogue</i>: “The battle is over. Everyone fought for a new tomorrow. But a new evil will inevitably appear. And thus a new battle will begin. But we must face it with our own strength. For the sake of all mankind…” <b>[12a]</b></span></li></ul><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nocturne (Freedom ending)</b>. <i>Lucifer speaking</i>: “You have chosen to follow your will and tread the path of thorns… like myself. In time, your true adversary will appear before you. Until that day, stay strong…” <b>[12b]</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Strange Journey</b>. <i>Crewmember speaking</i>: “Our mission succeeded, but caution is necessary regarding mankind’s actions, which are the root cause. Humanity’s mission isn’t over yet… right?” <b>[12c]</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>SMT4</b>. <i>Masakado speaking</i>: “By your actions, mankind has wrested back their own world. But keep this always in mind. Man is a creature that repeats its mistakes. A day will come again that we must fight. This is but a brief farewell until then.” <b>[12d]</b></span></li></ul><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRB2w_ChSIJ88pUiXMKiwfWw5AFIbkRmru0mliZBuPTQHFQB3zYTGsguBPT7ouv4nQVvpOLHMlnNmNivVcV5RyqaZPgBYMvi_aqXuKZPdjrNh-752q6oJs0A8loi5_hxXB-QjCGcZB1J8/s1041/12-images2.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="951" data-original-width="1041" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRB2w_ChSIJ88pUiXMKiwfWw5AFIbkRmru0mliZBuPTQHFQB3zYTGsguBPT7ouv4nQVvpOLHMlnNmNivVcV5RyqaZPgBYMvi_aqXuKZPdjrNh-752q6oJs0A8loi5_hxXB-QjCGcZB1J8/w400-h365/12-images2.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">All of these are, at face value, quite vague about the potential repercussions, perhaps with the exception of Strange Journey where the “root cause” of the Schwarzwelt is explicitly shown in the introduction as humankind’s greed and exploitation of the environment; the Neutral victory over Mem Aleph is then Earth’s second chance to get things right. While aware that humans could potentially screw things up again, it is nonetheless a hopeful ending! On that note, the extra scenarios in Strange Journey Redux are poorly conceived and not worth considering. (<i>Why does the--now supernatural--Neutral MC live on the Moon instead of Antarctica where the Schwarzwelt always reappears? Etc.</i>) <br /><br />I’ve excluded Megami Tensei II from discussions so far but its status as “proto-SMT” makes its True Ending entirely relevant. It has it all, from a Great Will prototype, YHVH’s hollow threat of “an even more painful path,” to an epilogue that warns of a new evil and a new battle. But notice that this “evil” is vague and nowhere is it implied that the threat is supernatural! The writers chose not to define it but instead clearly focused on the theme that humans should harmonize and rely on their own power to succeed instead of using demons. This ending is typically humanist and hopeful and likely served as the model for the similar endings to come. <br /><br />In Nocturne, “freedom” is synonymous with the real world, as seen in the Freedom ending; every other Reason implies a lack of free will. Thus, Lucifer half-heartedly congratulates you but warns of a “true adversary,” though what could that be in this context? It does not suggest endless cycles of Conceptions. In fact, it doesn’t suggest anything supernatural at all. Hikawa says at the game’s outset that he enacts the Conception to correct humans’ endless “mistakes” and “bloodshed,” and thus the Vortex World is born--similar to why the Schwarzwelt exists in Strange Journey. But the Freedom ending isn’t just another second chance for humanity like SJ, it condemns Hikawa as a hypocrite: his Conception was the actual mistake, resulting in the death of all life on earth and “bloodshed” in the Vortex. In our modern reality where our own reasoning allows us to make our own choices--a freedom within limits that balances “law” with “chaos”--our “true adversary” is ourselves (and the Hikawas of the world). Again, it is hopeful. <br /><br />In SMT4, Masakado’s warning of fights to come could imply… well, exactly what is difficult to surmise due to the uneven quality of the game’s writing and scenario, which ends with demons still existing but human civilization 99.9% destroyed. Will massive herds of Kelpies trample Tokyo? Will people finally begin to question Masakado’s intentions? Was the warning just repeating a trope from endings past? While all plausible, its Neutral ending where light shines upon Tokyo once more is nonetheless built literally on hope and so, like its siblings, it is clearly its main message. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilch30Ze7TAtT_eEr1yAWF2MsSGexFjc-vKROKnGAsclVKCrwU8XbU48IdPlYELyh2lAiAoAnWmn7bVPckQlbcQ2prbSDlWeB12UTmTscDNxslExl6cxIKgrE9bjCG15w1YipmZjVBFf4/s717/12-images3.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="673" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilch30Ze7TAtT_eEr1yAWF2MsSGexFjc-vKROKnGAsclVKCrwU8XbU48IdPlYELyh2lAiAoAnWmn7bVPckQlbcQ2prbSDlWeB12UTmTscDNxslExl6cxIKgrE9bjCG15w1YipmZjVBFf4/s320/12-images3.png" width="300" /></a></div>There is exactly one scenario in the series where Neutral obviously goes wrong and mankind fails to exist in harmony with each other: the transition from SMT1 to SMT2, as a (presumed!) Neutral ending gives way to Law. But there are a few exceptions there: </span><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">SMT1 clearly defines Neutrality as a balance between Law and Chaos </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">SMT2 is one of the few direct sequels in the series, thus shifting towards Law suggests a thematically appropriate “imbalance” </span></li></ul><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Both games’ Neutral endings are further characterized as collaborative efforts to rebuild society and lack any “warnings.” <b>[12e]</b> <b>[12f]</b> (<i>Note: the Aeon Genesis translation of SMT1, known for taking many liberties with the original script, inserts a mild example of a warning in the Neutral ending</i>. <b>[12g]</b>)<br /><br />But what happens between SMT1 and SMT2 is not a war waged by a spiteful deity but something as relatable and realistic as social upheaval--a great example of a breakdown of cooperation desired by Neutral. It’s a very human regime change, in spite of the unrealistic scenario and how it develops. <br /><br />Literal interpretations of text are doomed to miss the allegories to our everyday experiences that lend fiction its meaning and relevance. Perhaps some players prefer endings other than Neutral because they offer more of an escape from the everyday. But from the amount of content and effort put into them, Atlus does indeed clearly prefer Neutral in most cases and isn’t interested in pulling the rug out from under the audience with a sinister intent. Though a bit cheesy and predictable at this point (and basically a projection of Japanese social harmony), Neutral’s themes of hope and humanity, not supernatural brainwashing or sanctioned violence, offer the best reflection of reality itself. There’s no evidence there’s anything deeper than that. <br /><br /><b>Sources</b>: <br /><br /><b>[12a]</b> <a href=" https://youtu.be/V27Wmd10Tso?t=906">Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei II Neutral ending</a><br /><b>[12b]</b> <a href="https://youtu.be/Z3sBRuQPr3o?t=636">Nocturne “Freedom” ending</a><br /><b>[12c]</b> <a href=" https://youtu.be/9UlZDOieUVY?t=512">Strange Journey Neutral ending</a><br /><b>[12d]</b> <a href="https://youtu.be/yLOM-xA_5FA?t=189">SMT4 Neutral ending</a><br /><b>[12e]</b> <a href=" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLmOd5zHRRY">SMT1 iOS Neutral ending</a><br /><b>[12f]</b> <a href=" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV6SCfjvaNc">SMT2 Neutral ending</a><br /><b>[12g]</b> <a href=" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0knQOH3J0j0">Aeon Genesis SMT1 Neutral ending</a><br /><br /><b>More</b>: <br /></span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href=" https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2017/01/30/yhvh-translation-masterpost/">YHVH’s post-defeat empty threats</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2021/08/15/shin-megami-tensei-official-perfect-guide-selected-translations/">Official descriptions of alignments from the SMT1 Official Perfect Guide</a> <br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href=" https://mythoughtsbornfromfire.wordpress.com/2021/06/19/ideologies-of-neutrality-in-shin-megami-tensei/">Longform analysis of Neutral endings</a> by Aleph</span></li></ul><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>________________________</b></span></span></b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> </b></span></span></b></span><b> <br /></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoA4gTCejy6GfH4sjemau0h0bE0EWqLW6rM-DADjMUbBm9nc04ZdnUHYB4pul4-jTf_gUIYRb1dTcn8qslH7nQ6se15MvmwnZ2EYtgxsO7kSsoJn1mAyPunxRlQF_r1-MBOosdh39DEuc/s760/13X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoA4gTCejy6GfH4sjemau0h0bE0EWqLW6rM-DADjMUbBm9nc04ZdnUHYB4pul4-jTf_gUIYRb1dTcn8qslH7nQ6se15MvmwnZ2EYtgxsO7kSsoJn1mAyPunxRlQF_r1-MBOosdh39DEuc/s16000/13X-blogheader.png" /></a></b></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>If Masayuki Doi is credited for art in an SMT game, it means he did all the art. </i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikq2_hVvK3UGjeVyz3P7jwlsPixDQh-RQuodbY7bG-zeFn1DjQyRRtUMV9uf1p3yaRFz4lseJH8aiywQIaf9C7cWeYQ6cdJQbzw3J1cBMx0n0wJr9mDvLc-4QeIwnSNp_k05XqGKkmAPE/s748/13-images1x.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="748" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikq2_hVvK3UGjeVyz3P7jwlsPixDQh-RQuodbY7bG-zeFn1DjQyRRtUMV9uf1p3yaRFz4lseJH8aiywQIaf9C7cWeYQ6cdJQbzw3J1cBMx0n0wJr9mDvLc-4QeIwnSNp_k05XqGKkmAPE/s320/13-images1x.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Likely due to the large influx of new fans from SMT4’s release and a lack of messaging on the part of Atlus West, there has been since then a tendency to overstate Masayuki Doi’s actual contributions to SMT games. Here’s a simple breakdown of his contributions from SMT4 onward: </span><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>SMT4</b>: Main and supporting character designer. This essentially means “human characters with portraits.” He did NOT design the game’s new demons; these were the work of guest artists Tamotsu Shinohara, Yasushi Nirasawa, Keita Amemiya, Kyoma Aki, and Yoshihiro Nishimura. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>SMT4A</b>: Lead character and demon designer, meaning all main characters and also all new demons. Additionally, he updated the artwork for the handful of SMT4 demons that reappeared in the game. Artwork for anime cutscenes is by Ikumi Fukuda. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>SJR</b>: Designer of Alex and the new demons. That’s all. The new portrait art of the crew is credited to Akira Odagaki. Odagaki previously worked on SMT4’s cutscene art and in SMT4A as Doi’s coloring assistant and portrait artist (presumably for alternate expressions). </span></li></ul><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Doi retains the same role as lead character and demon designer for SMT5. And like what happened with Kaneko in the past and Soejima in the present, Doi already has an assistant in Odagaki! <i>The more things change</i>...</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> </b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>________________________</b></span></span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> </b></span></span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgi_95_evQC531AMu3bWisy_DXsRGxbpEB5GpvQ9UpKn5ek3Uyd7gJBD9l19UH7yt2f4pMJ8pg7gyeYIKXD41aGJl5-QyjwgKkmnQQfy-GFV3plW1MSC1VziQaa1ZyLBwCqnBfBHMarMM/s760/14X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgi_95_evQC531AMu3bWisy_DXsRGxbpEB5GpvQ9UpKn5ek3Uyd7gJBD9l19UH7yt2f4pMJ8pg7gyeYIKXD41aGJl5-QyjwgKkmnQQfy-GFV3plW1MSC1VziQaa1ZyLBwCqnBfBHMarMM/s16000/14X-blogheader.png" /></a></b></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br />The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>The God of popular Western religious thought is loving but SMT’s YHVH is not, therefore the latter is corrupted by an unknown force. </i><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWt01cnIsX_akOdyDbrkCh-E7JEBAIN25lXfq9iTrnEulcs03gJjWiDFzVKHcWBmx5x29MXYVOMHzEidry4Ua3rrQhRv25RYRbPfbgBZkr996gS_MCaEvLnHVzvYlzofIV3qzl1Atcf8s/s639/14-images2x.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="639" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWt01cnIsX_akOdyDbrkCh-E7JEBAIN25lXfq9iTrnEulcs03gJjWiDFzVKHcWBmx5x29MXYVOMHzEidry4Ua3rrQhRv25RYRbPfbgBZkr996gS_MCaEvLnHVzvYlzofIV3qzl1Atcf8s/s320/14-images2x.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">For the 2004 Nocturne strategy guide that accompanied the release of the game, questions could be submitted for Kazuma Kaneko to answer. One such question from these primordial English-speaking SMT fans was the big one: “Why is YHVH the series’ villain?” to which Kaneko replied, “I would like you to know that in Megaten, YHVH is not depicted as the embodiment of evil.” <b>[14a]</b></span><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As far as I can tell through internet archaeology, this answer eventually produced the theory that SMT’s YHVH is somehow “corrupted,” a staple of fan-produced franchise/multiverse timelines that, by their nature, needed to compromise contradictory ideas like YHVH’s “shattered” form in SJ, his relatively benign personality in Devil Survivor, his merciless actions throughout the rest of the series, and this admission of Kaneko’s that he is not “the embodiment of evil.” Therefore, by being corrupted (i.e., by some external force beyond his control), he is absolved of any genocidal mania that may conflict with Western conceptions of a loving god. In this theory, YHVH is either just having a bad day in any given game or the “real” God exists somewhere else. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwEzpm8HOaAnzOkdrWIJcnHUjw__jyxf2EmCx5WyodcWJaCF2HnEC3YB6dpFKTBVt3rN4NzCcLPEXkr-fcWivLwGBpZiYdjmUe5kEPN9dhHnQZvAee8OeN97gcZUzuuWcHjcO42epY3w/s1216/14-images1z.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="1216" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwEzpm8HOaAnzOkdrWIJcnHUjw__jyxf2EmCx5WyodcWJaCF2HnEC3YB6dpFKTBVt3rN4NzCcLPEXkr-fcWivLwGBpZiYdjmUe5kEPN9dhHnQZvAee8OeN97gcZUzuuWcHjcO42epY3w/w640-h347/14-images1z.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Just describing it this way I feel exposes why the “corrupted YHVH” theory has zero credibility. But there’s more to consider. Obviously, there’s the topic of the Japanese perspective: YHVH may not be “the embodiment of evil,” but in Japan there will be a negative bias towards actions of God/Yahweh that conflict with Japanese spirituality, namely violent catastrophes like the Flood and destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, to name a couple; SMT’s equivalents are nuclear strikes and SMT1’s own Flood. But then again, Japanese views of YHVH also line up with those of the irreligious closer to home, such as myself. I’m an atheist for other reasons, but even if Christianity is viewed as a positive and “loving” religion, it still ends with Armageddon and the deliberate suffocation of the world; if you’re not part of the club, it seems insane. <br /><br />Again, YHVH’s actions in SMT may seem “harsh,” but for the most part they echo actual events from the Bible. And SMT isn’t exclusively about Abrahamic religions either but includes deities from around the world. That Atlus chooses to give YHVH and Law so much attention, even if it skews negative, shows a working understanding of the dynamics of historic and modern religion, especially from their own native perspective. <br /><br /><b>[14a]</b> <a href=" https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/nocturne-guide-interview/">Q&A from the Nocturne Doublejump guide</a><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>________________________</b></span></span></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> </b></span></span></b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZpPRrj2Ex_PR8EpRbG-xFW_jdl_oithrbomME-B-cCXu7e4qf7RJiyd4nkhMvtcs_mroKm40QDB7PmjPC0zBPwytbZJAo2_TNGVBCUrBbdvYl-oB74rA-SQ7l5Ixxl-JUFlwU9HWHIU/s760/15X-blogheader.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZpPRrj2Ex_PR8EpRbG-xFW_jdl_oithrbomME-B-cCXu7e4qf7RJiyd4nkhMvtcs_mroKm40QDB7PmjPC0zBPwytbZJAo2_TNGVBCUrBbdvYl-oB74rA-SQ7l5Ixxl-JUFlwU9HWHIU/s16000/15X-blogheader.png" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br />The Myth’s Gist</b>: <i>The Great Will and its variants are integral to SMT “lore” and may or may not be the same as YHVH depending on various factors. </i><br /><br />Instead of attempting to define what the Great Will is, let’s establish how it and related terms are variously written in Japanese, essential for understanding the concept. </span><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">無限の宇宙を統括する意識体 (Famicom: むげんのうちゅうをとうかつするいしきたい), “mugen no uchuu o toukatsu tsuru ishikitai”: “Incorporeal entity that controls countless universes.” A prototype for the Great Will mentioned by YHVH in Shin Megami Tensei II. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">宇宙の大いなる意志, “uchuu no ooinaru ishi”: “great will of the Universe” </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">大いなる意志, “ooinaru ishi”: “Great Will” </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">大いなる意思, “ooinaru ishi”: “Great Will” </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">大いなる理, “ooinaru ri”: “Great Reason,” <b>[15a]</b> aka “the Axiom” from SMT4A which is its own self-contained idea and is not worth discussing due to the game’s poor writing quality.</span></li></ul><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">You may have noticed that both 大いなる意志 and 大いなる意思 are pronounced and translated the same despite a discrepancy in one of the kanji; there’s a subtle but meaningful difference between them. For 大いなる意志, the 志 implies action and an intention of “will,” therefore it could be seen as the “Great Intention.” In 大いなる意思, its 思 implies thought or a desire to do something, thus it could be the “Great Desire.” Simplified, it’s “action” (志) versus “thought” (思). <b>[15b]</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b></b></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3jwzOM3Jtr807ep7qvUdgcGoiA1Yb0aw2pHEleMAgYFurGoDEzKRQ7Ux0i4wR6a2vChi3dYdLFPM69oC0cY-wr5rojDI24PpAyxVUN9Yz0-sODUWtZdeYU0yC1ZFpC1GEktZYwCrHqk/s852/15-images1x.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="852" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3jwzOM3Jtr807ep7qvUdgcGoiA1Yb0aw2pHEleMAgYFurGoDEzKRQ7Ux0i4wR6a2vChi3dYdLFPM69oC0cY-wr5rojDI24PpAyxVUN9Yz0-sODUWtZdeYU0yC1ZFpC1GEktZYwCrHqk/w640-h346/15-images1x.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: 15b<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b>Direct mentions of the Great Will appear in the following games: SMT2, Nocturne, Nocturne Maniacs, Strange Journey, and Strange Journey Redux; distinguishing between the original and updated versions is important. Raidou 2’s English version mentions the Great Will but that is merely a poor translation on the part of Atlus West and is not in the Japanese version. <b>[15c]</b> Here are transcriptions of and context for every mention of the Great Will, plus the Japanese term used: </span><p style="text-align: left;"></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Shin Megami Tensei II </span></h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>YHVH, on every path after his defeat</b>: “Every time humans shall seek my help, the great will of the Universe shalt bring me forth countless times…” (JP: 宇宙の大いなる意志) <b>[15d]</b> </span></li></ul><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">SMT2’s “great will of the Universe” is not only interesting because it’s a clear evolution from MT2’s “incorporeal entity,” the possession marker (の) implies the “great will” (大いなる意志) is the Universe’s (宇宙), i.e., the Universe itself is the entity displaying its active will. It is also clearly separate from YHVH here. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Strange Journey</span></h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Williams, generic dialogue after Law route lock</b>: “When I think back, we came to this world on the pretext of protecting mankind... We should be ashamed. But we have been touched by the Great Will now. He has corrected our path and led us thus far. Let us defeat Mem Aleph, purify the Earth, and create a paradise together.” (JP: Unknown!) </span></li></ul><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Williams’ comment would be the only mention of the Great Will in the whole of the vanilla game; because it’s easily missed optional dialogue on a single route, and due to the Raidou 2 error, until it can be verified via the JP version I’m inclined to believe this may not be legitimate. But if it is confirmed it’s just merely odd and unimportant in the grand scheme of things. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Strange Journey Redux</span></h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Dantalian, in the Womb of Grief</b>: “I may merely be information derived from the Great Will, but I have pride as a demon. I curry favor with none, not even the mother goddess… I faithfully serve only Lord Lucifer, as do all my allies bound to this Prison.” (JP: 大いなる意思) </span></li></ul><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQp5L5q43tXUstaosW8KAQVzhvQUKiYNqpElJXPcqxNa8odvWo1_ttx5u46RQL5YUwNFLsp98nypZpSgTLpnqP0my2_Ih7ukBYMdlrFFy0jG22UsIhtan4f7kDco03KPhO8D7O1n8ydo/s844/15-images2.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="844" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQp5L5q43tXUstaosW8KAQVzhvQUKiYNqpElJXPcqxNa8odvWo1_ttx5u46RQL5YUwNFLsp98nypZpSgTLpnqP0my2_Ih7ukBYMdlrFFy0jG22UsIhtan4f7kDco03KPhO8D7O1n8ydo/s320/15-images2.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Dantalian’s claim that he is information derived from the Great Will is a sloppy retcon. In the Schwarzwelt Reminiscences book, original scenario writer Shogo Isogai reveals the origin of the Schwarzwelt and everything in it: the same kind of “information” or data Dantalian mentions is ultimately derived from the humans of our reality; this data, as raw human emotion, is fed to a “data dimension,” which creates the Will of the Earth (地球意思) and from that the Schwarzwelt and the demons within; note that “unknown” demons in SJ appear as scrambled data. <b>[15e]</b> <br /><br />So to say the Great Will creates this “information” is a blatant contradiction of the original intent, especially in the context of SJ as an ecological cautionary tale. </span><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Nocturne </span></h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Game Over</b>: “The comfort of death will come for men and demons alike... by the guidance of the Great Will.” (JP: 大いなる意思)</span></li></ul><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7wJ9Ctb_EpIk-zl2qgoD5-cCg48S6IOQes2YRx74bDvSv2M3Ce0_kswywPts8EugIiyABFrXme0udknh4YJQLrAVfZ7zq2QkgyIq6C6C7S5c4VRAhdWSe82DkCOmKqJPVN6yLlCjIqA/s844/15-images3.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="844" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7wJ9Ctb_EpIk-zl2qgoD5-cCg48S6IOQes2YRx74bDvSv2M3Ce0_kswywPts8EugIiyABFrXme0udknh4YJQLrAVfZ7zq2QkgyIq6C6C7S5c4VRAhdWSe82DkCOmKqJPVN6yLlCjIqA/s320/15-images3.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">It’s probably fair to say that Nocturne’s Great Will is almost entirely why debates about it exist at all. Here the Great Will seems to act as part of the natural process of death and less as a psychopomp with actual character. </span><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Kagutsuchi, pre-battle on Freedom path</b>: “Your heart longs for the kingdom of freedom, a world that has no set future... Will you disregard the past sins of the world, to pursue such an ideal? ...The Great Will once granted the world freedom, in hopes that it would evolve to a new level. However, it was that freedom which gave rise to evil, brought darkness, and led darkness the world to destruction... Freedom is the seed of disaster: its sole fruit is ruin.” (JP: 大いなる意思)</span></li></ul><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Kagutsuchi’s comments to a Freedom-bearing Demi-find offer the most interesting context of all. He is angered by the idea of Freedom’s “regression” to the previous world’s natural order and human free will, since the Conception exists to bring about an entirely new world with different rules. Crucially, Kagutsuchi blames the Great Will--as a separate entity from himself!--for this freedom. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And commenting on Kagutsuchi, Kaneko casually equated him with YHVH (as an avatar); this means that the original version of Nocturne saw the Great Will and YHVH as separate. <b>[15f]</b><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Nocturne Maniacs </span></h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Lady in Black, end of First Kalpa</b>:
“Kagutsuchi rises, matures, and falls in countless other places. There
are millions--no, billions of worlds that you are unaware of, and they
all experience the cycle of death and rebirth. That is the way of Amala,
as determined by the Great Will.” (JP: 大いなる意思)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Second Kalpa Flauros, first time in 2nd Kalpa, talking about Metatron’s “noble voice”</b>: “It was like the voice of the universe… You weren’t harmed, were you?” (Mistranslation; for “voice of the universe,” the JP uses 大いなる意思) </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Second Kalpa Flauros, post-Beelzebub, still talking about the voice</b>: “That incredible power… it might’ve been the Great Will coming to observe us.” (JP: 大いなる意志) </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Lucifer, pre-battle on TDE</b>: “The Great Will shall curse you for going against his way, and place a heavy burden of atonement on your shoulders, which you shall bear for all eternity. Fear not, for only by receiving that curse can you truly walk the path of conquest. But first, I must know the extent of the power of darkness you hold within. Behold the supreme power of darkness, created by none other than the Great Will himself…” (JP: both 大いなる意思)</span></li></ul><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Maniacs itself has by far the most references to the Great Will of any game and indeed as many as all the other games combined, all uttered by Lucifer and his underlings.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd61H5ZPS1bzLF45rHTKkT1aEwB3zuzEm191PZF3WYNo7lbVLxVK4Ac-5D7u_pLXpM0Ug1ugbj1wE6TL88Zg3EHNvLFgTTSp2966qYaD2aRahatxQUAMzdcTjgTJj-I8JDyBLwF1DpDac/s813/15-images4.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="813" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd61H5ZPS1bzLF45rHTKkT1aEwB3zuzEm191PZF3WYNo7lbVLxVK4Ac-5D7u_pLXpM0Ug1ugbj1wE6TL88Zg3EHNvLFgTTSp2966qYaD2aRahatxQUAMzdcTjgTJj-I8JDyBLwF1DpDac/w400-h326/15-images4.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Lady in Black tells us that the Great Will is in charge of the Amala Universe, which is curious considering that Kagutsuchi is opposed to what by all accounts is the most Great Will-like Reason. Why would Kagutsuchi then even be capable of opposing the guiding principle of his Universe, filled with countless other Kagutsuchis and Conceptions? Was “Freedom” ever a legitimate Reason and why does it seem like the Great Will bestowed it upon our world itself? These questions go unanswered.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XfKVMxxmnLo6na31h9bTsHiaUSmDynLB43DJRWT21ufGostdpHeylaEv7aMGKtB21SpTq6ld1UGkyaGXIji8dLITiA_xIgnl4VhS662KFXF6lnYlw4Fh7fjKFmBlO3ayjOwq5ogkHZw/s1258/15-images-5z.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1258" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XfKVMxxmnLo6na31h9bTsHiaUSmDynLB43DJRWT21ufGostdpHeylaEv7aMGKtB21SpTq6ld1UGkyaGXIji8dLITiA_xIgnl4VhS662KFXF6lnYlw4Fh7fjKFmBlO3ayjOwq5ogkHZw/w640-h326/15-images-5z.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Flauros is extremely freaked out by the voice of Metatron and compares it to the Great Will; its apparent power makes him wonder if you are all right and even speculates it is a being capable of descending to Amala and observing it. This is a huge change from the passive Great Will seen so far; so big, in fact, we may not be meant to believe the words of this scared, humble demon as reliable. Also unreliable here is the Japanese script. At first, Flauros uses 大いなる意思, our “Great Desire” of thought, but during the later dialogue he switches to 大いなる意志, the active “Great Intention,” which would be the only appearance of this spelling in the game.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TZgyjvazr6DHEgMWDmkE1JKu7q_fO-H2xO17q7JEdQYXOl6Kj_t4NMyljQHSvxnfmRYdtF6-rJwbjF_TfQzmelCSlOChPEQszRm2It9jTmBu3wf8BFXBr51RYu9eIEjC3mruVDZzT4M/s1104/15-images6.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="1104" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TZgyjvazr6DHEgMWDmkE1JKu7q_fO-H2xO17q7JEdQYXOl6Kj_t4NMyljQHSvxnfmRYdtF6-rJwbjF_TfQzmelCSlOChPEQszRm2It9jTmBu3wf8BFXBr51RYu9eIEjC3mruVDZzT4M/w640-h386/15-images6.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There’s a couple possibilities here: </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">It’s a typo. Easy to believe, and it was even carried forward to Nocturne HD. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">There’s intent of its own behind it. It was, after all, carried forward to Nocturne HD. </span></li></ol><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">If it isn’t a typo, its specific context is interesting because Flauros is talking about the Great Will descending and observing: taking action, using the action form of the name. However, Lucifer speaks of the Great Will taking action using the “Great Desire” variation instead. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFyiLfZeyPizETQDowCKAEmDXWJtwi8_YHryEHbPKnk5pcH3VnQSeQbI62jwlwZfMgDailMjmnXoXA2-Hhn9ZVBtH4qe3R8H0xT8Tw57kOtFk9AR0iX_IZtZqlonY-U1f62Xn7vTNirVc/s798/15-images7.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="798" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFyiLfZeyPizETQDowCKAEmDXWJtwi8_YHryEHbPKnk5pcH3VnQSeQbI62jwlwZfMgDailMjmnXoXA2-Hhn9ZVBtH4qe3R8H0xT8Tw57kOtFk9AR0iX_IZtZqlonY-U1f62Xn7vTNirVc/s320/15-images7.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">And speaking of, that brings us to Lucifer’s comments from the True Demon path. We learn that the Great Will can curse things for opposing its order (its aforementioned “action”) and that it created Lucifer and his “darkness.” This is seen as further characterization of the Great Will as a non-abstract entity and the strongest evidence that it and YHVH are the same. But this already contradicts most of what we’ve been told. <br /><br />We know that the Great Will and YHVH are distinct thanks to Kaneko and this builds on the precedent set by both MT2 and SMT2. It’s also established that freedom was bestowed by the Great Will on our world and that this is seen as illegitimate by Kagutsuchi. So the idea that the Great Will would curse someone not for seeking their own brand of “freedom” via the True Demon Ending but because they blew up one of their Kagutsuchis for naught does not require a YHVH to explain. Plus, the idea that Lucifer could originate from a freedom-associated Great Will is not a stretch; Lucifer’s Chaos from past games is freedom from order. Lucifer’s comment in the final TDE cutscene of a “true enemy” is also implied to be YHVH due to game file rips that credit its final, cryptic lines to YHVH himself. <b>[15g]</b> <br /><br />So what is there to glean from all this? The Great Will isn’t just defined differently with every game release, it’s almost like it’s different in every dialogue box. The definitions of the concept seem to matter far less than its value as a plot device that can be whatever Atlus needs it to be at any given moment. Nocturne Maniacs at once made it a topic of interest and an inconsistent mess of descriptions that contradict those that already existed; mistranslations on Atlus West's part haven't helped, either. Above all, the Great Will remains a vague concept that matters little to any specific game’s plot. If the authors don’t care that much about it, you probably shouldn’t either. <br /><br /><b>Sources</b>: <br /><br /><b>[15a]</b> <a href=" https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/08/12/the-great-will-and-the-great-reason/">The Great Will and the Great Reason</a>.<br /><b>[15b]</b> <a href="https://shingakunet.com/journal/exam/20201119000001/">Shingakunet</a>; discussion pf Japanese definitions of “will" (in Japanese).<br /><b>[15c]</b> <a href=" twitter.com/EirikrJS/status/1408874088844730369">Initial post discussing Raidou 2’s mistranslated Great Will</a><br /><b>[15d]</b> <a href=" https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2017/01/30/yhvh-translation-masterpost/">Translation of YHVH’s dialogue in SMT2</a></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><b>[15e]</b> <a href=" https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2021/06/21/isogai-shougo-talks-about-alignments-and-parallel-dimensions-in-strange-journey-strange-journey-schwarzwelt-reminiscenses/ ">Strange Journey: Schwarzwelt Reminiscences</a><br /><b>[15f]</b> <a href=" https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/08/08/kaneko-kazuma-comments-on-nocturne-demon-design/">SMT Demons Bible</a><br /><b>[15g]</b> <a href=" https://mobile.twitter.com/didyaknowtensei/status/1402415620134555648">Images of Nocturne: Maniacs game file rips</a><br /><br /></span><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> ___________________________<span style="font-family: verdana;"></span> <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>And that’s 15 myths down!</b> Hopefully for good but hey, I’m a realist. <br /><br />The next 15 will be available next Wednesday, November 3rd, after daily discussion posts on Twitter and Tumblr highlighting the myths of this initial set! Any help spreading them around on social media channels will be appreciated. Save, print, and share with your family and friends if you feel the need! These myths and misconceptions don’t have to hang around forever! <br /><br />Thank you and stay tuned! <br /><br />-<b>Eirikr </b>(<a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/">on Tumblr</a>) (<a href="https://twitter.com/EirikrJS">on Twitter</a>)<br /><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2021/11/smtfanmyths2.html" target="_blank">NEXT: MYTHS #16-30 | ANGELS, MARA, THE REAL NOCTURNE LYRICS, ET CETERA! >></a> </b></span></h3>Eirikrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708584583156602408noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102004681763150356.post-57697939403769651542021-04-24T15:51:00.000-04:002021-04-24T15:51:11.162-04:00A Primer on Fusion Insanity: Making "Perfect" Demons in PS2 Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne<div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIPq_qdzQaymoKsObkaulSIere52dEC-Hh92ZK9mP_bU62aeCToZsfOxdzGxFjv1c3seveYSH4X_A0yGBkxFLjdFMorC537o7OTZFn5vtw2MrX0Hs6KYamz9U5eO1075Lwbtax3L6eXyg/s1000/fusion-header-final.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIPq_qdzQaymoKsObkaulSIere52dEC-Hh92ZK9mP_bU62aeCToZsfOxdzGxFjv1c3seveYSH4X_A0yGBkxFLjdFMorC537o7OTZFn5vtw2MrX0Hs6KYamz9U5eO1075Lwbtax3L6eXyg/s16000/fusion-header-final.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">By 2021's standards, the original <b>Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne</b>'s demon fusion mechanics are dated and frustrating. And while that mostly applies to the infamous ritual of re-rolling inherited skills, there's so much more under the hood that true mastery of Nocturne's fusion can be elusive. But early in 2012 I decided to challenge its inner workings and make </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">(approximately)</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> "perfect" demons, namely a <b>void-all Arahabaki</b> and <b>healing/support tank Amaterasu</b>. I knew the process would be painful and take many patient hours to succeed, but I got it done and recorded it step by step. This is that story. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, in a sense, this is also the story of what features might still remain with <b>Nocturne HD</b>'s newly updated manual skill selection. Even without time-wasting RNG, the base game's hidden inheritance rules, demon types, skill restrictions, and so much more ensure that achieving specific, high-tier intentions will still take a bit more effort than, say, Shin Megami Tensei IV's practically limitless and also relatively mindless skill selection. But even if Nocturne HD's fusion is not completely unrestrained, it will still be a far cry from the following, highly technical saga of the hours upon hours using every trick in PS2 Nocturne's book to craft exactly two demons precisely the way I wanted them. <br /><br /></span><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Before We Begin the Insanity <br /><br /></span></b></h2><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">The following text is adapted from two forum posts originally published February 8 and 12, 2012, respectively, that are no longer publicly viewable. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">All images are pictures taken off my old CRT (RIP). No extra charge for the bonus retro feel. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">I did not take photos of every step. The important ones are all accounted for, though. <br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Doublejump's Nocturne strategy guide was my Virgil through this hellish journey. A few mistakes aside (a Puzzle Boy stage or two), it's a great book. It's also basically a facsimile of the Japanese Maniacs guide. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">I've kept all the demon names the same as they were in the original. A glimpse into a time when I didn't care about that at all! <br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yes, Amaterasu is implied to be male in Nocturne (<a href="https://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/123911244568/this-was-initially-supposed-to-be-a-belated">perhaps due to some questionable medieval reinterpretations</a>) but for clarity's sake I will use female pronouns for her since this appearance is an anomaly. <br /></span></li></ul><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Without further ado, here are our subjects in their splendor: <br /></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4JUj4JXbd_UVma8frDHNPNCfw0EeDzQ2Til2GwUGZSN6gB4PTpdM3vRvXjMJKNmHVIlkEhg80pXGfOhNZtOT3oepuAiTk6XNN3j__l1z2-IrhdwHUwIIolBKQjsRlk6B-shYtCjJET20/s998/ama-ara3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="998" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4JUj4JXbd_UVma8frDHNPNCfw0EeDzQ2Til2GwUGZSN6gB4PTpdM3vRvXjMJKNmHVIlkEhg80pXGfOhNZtOT3oepuAiTk6XNN3j__l1z2-IrhdwHUwIIolBKQjsRlk6B-shYtCjJET20/w640-h240/ama-ara3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Arahabaki's "all other" is Fire, Elec, Force, Curse, Nerve, Mind</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />While on the surface it's a lot less impressive than Arahabaki's skill
set, Amaterasu took a lot more planning and experimentation to get
right. It may just have been the most complex fusion I've ever done. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">There are very few shortcuts in PS2 Nocturne's systems; foreknowledge, patience, and a bit of elbow grease are your only
advantages. And should for some reason you choose not to use skill selection in Nocturne HD, you will absolutely have to abide by all the rules discussed below. I'll start with Amaterasu, since I made her first and her creation is where I learned the most. Let's jump right in!<br /><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;">
</p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>I. DEITY AMATERASU<br /> <br /></b></span></h2><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8_Q28PlxuhbS4Xle7DsJj-kAfP56uRqpwKrlJXf7fITWGNV4qymCwjxTtdvzRMv-e1IzU93ZUd9v6GoBZ6HcOHtpPrEN_MIt5nYSkD2qrgFf2zSCZO-lnMRpCwjbGKIjiJVUcpcSpvs/s770/ama-ingred.jpg" style="clear: right; display: inline; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8_Q28PlxuhbS4Xle7DsJj-kAfP56uRqpwKrlJXf7fITWGNV4qymCwjxTtdvzRMv-e1IzU93ZUd9v6GoBZ6HcOHtpPrEN_MIt5nYSkD2qrgFf2zSCZO-lnMRpCwjbGKIjiJVUcpcSpvs/s320/ama-ingred.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">YHVH's messenger, a thunder god (clothed ver.),<br />and the divine stripper make up the sun</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Amaterasu is only available via a Sacrificial Fusion between (Avatar)<br /><b>Yatagarasu </b>x (Kishin) <b>Mikazuchi </b>x (Megami) <b>Uzume</b>,
the latter of whom must serve as the sacrificial third ingredient. <br /><br />Amaterasu naturally voids Fire, Expel, and Death, which alone makes her a great supporting ally. She starts at level 56 and her innate skills
are Tetrakarn and Prominence; at level ups she will learn Godly Light
(57), Debilitate (58), Fire Repel (59), and Prayer (60).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>
A. Pre-planning</b></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></h3>
<span style="font-family: verdana;">The first thing you need to do, and the key to advanced fusion in
Nocturne, is to know how many open skill slots a demon has by default.
Then it's a matter of deciding what skills you want the demon to inherit
in those open slots, depending on factors like weaknesses and whether
it will aim for a specific role like offense, healing, or support.
Otherwise, when a demon levels up it will start filling in the slots, effectively
<i>permanently, </i>with its own skills; the only way to replace a learned skill is if all 8 slots are filled and the demon learns another or the limited chance a skill can be mutated. It is also important to consider what
innate or learned skills of the demon's you will want to keep. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
There are a few ways to fill in the skill slots. The most obvious is
through regular or sacrificial fusion. Another is elemental fusion,
which I'll get into later. The most important fusion method is Mitama
fusion, which is not technically fusion in the transformative sense and works mainly to increase demons' stats; it nonetheless allows you to stick <i>almost </i>(key word) anything on any demon with
open slots. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Amaterasu has six open skill slots after her innate Tetrakarn and Prominence. I wanted her skillset to include some combination of <b>Prominence</b>, <b>Victory Cry</b>, the
all-important <b>Pierce</b>, the powerful attack-all physical <b>Hades Blast</b>,
<b>Tarukaja</b>, <b>Godly Light</b> (learned at level 57), <b>Debilitate </b>(learned at 58),
and <b>Prayer</b> (learned at 60). However, I never used Godly Light before
and I didn't know if it was any good or not, so just in case it wasn't I
also added <b>Repel Phys</b> to her potential skill list; if it was good,
Repel Phys would replace Prominence, if not, Repel Phys will replace it.
<br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
So out of all those skills, up to four will come from Amaterasu herself:
Prominence, Godly Light, Debilitate, and Prayer, though it's likely one
will get the boot. So where will the other skills come from? <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>B. Passing down skills</b></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Note that there's really no way to make this particular
Amaterasu without having access to a full compendium and the entire game
itself, all five Kalpas included. Still, most of what I'll explain is
also applicable in a general sense.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
<b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVTMtLCdDjjNP85LxKCHUq5Rcg5uCdZMGgTDOgUOqCDyDfhO0Pa7u7R3cRvx07h_4DATOHfp03D6Ajs54HfCt4X57s36BnhJJlYvy2Eiff0iVomDJh-Ktj-vKeEMMMHV4BXMBNxzdh9c/s640/ara1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVTMtLCdDjjNP85LxKCHUq5Rcg5uCdZMGgTDOgUOqCDyDfhO0Pa7u7R3cRvx07h_4DATOHfp03D6Ajs54HfCt4X57s36BnhJJlYvy2Eiff0iVomDJh-Ktj-vKeEMMMHV4BXMBNxzdh9c/s320/ara1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Victory Cry</b>, <b>Pierce</b>, <b>Tarukaja</b>: Luckily, I made an <b>Ara Mitama</b> years prior with access to all three skills (right), so this part
of the process was effortless on my end. <b>Pierce </b>of course can only be inherited to
demons by purchasing the Girimekhala with it from the Shady Broker in
5th Kalpa. <b>Victory Cry</b> is available from (Brute) Ongyo-Ki, (Seraph) Michael, (Fury) Shiva, (Seraph) Metatron and (Tyrant) Fly Beelzebub; <b>Tarukaja </b>is innate to Ara Mitama. And because these skills are on the Mitama, they can
theoretically be added at any point in the process so long as open slots are available. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
<b>Phys Repel</b>, <b>Hades Blast</b>: <b>Phys Repel</b> is justifiably a rare skill to find,
as it's only learned by (Deity) Vishnu and (Vile) Samael. Samael learns
it much earlier at level 77, but my compendium Vishnu had
both it and <b>Hades Blast</b>, so it was a no-brainer to just use him.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Getting those skills off Vishnu is easy, and since I ultimately want
them to result inherited on Amaterasu's three required demons, I decided
to fuse both of those skills directly on down to Uzume herself. Fusing
the Holy and Fairy classes together equal a Megami, so those two became
my goal for this segment. </span></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>
<span style="font-family: verdana;">The first step was to fuse <b>Vishnu </b>(who is base level 93) with
(Brute) <b>Shikigami</b>, a level 4 demon. This resulted in level 52 (Kishin)
<b>Jikoku</b>, with both Hades Blast and Phys Repel.</span></li><li>
<span style="font-family: verdana;">Next, fuse Jikoku down with an Element, in this case <b>Flaemis</b>. This
is the basic function of Element demons, to advance a demon up or down a
rank based on its level position within its clan. Ranking down Jikoku
results in <b>Mikazuchi </b>(with Hades Blast and Phys Repel), a necessary ingredient but will require a
different skill set later.</span></li><li>
<span style="font-family: verdana;">Fusing Kishin x Beast = Holy, so it's Mikazuchi x (Beast) <b>Badb Catha</b> = (Holy) <b>Feng Huang</b> with Hades Blast and Phys Repel.</span></li><li>
<span style="font-family: verdana;">Fuse Feng Huang down with an Erthys to produce (Holy) <b>Unicorn
</b>with Hades Blast and Phys Repel. Unicorn becomes the target Holy clan
demon we need for <b>Uzume</b>.</span></li><li>
<span style="font-family: verdana;">For Unicorn we will need to fuse it with the lowest possible
Fairy to produce Uzume. In this case, it's <b>Pixie</b>. However, the Pixie in
my compendium is the level 80 bonus Uber Pixie, so I had to go out and recruit
one. You know, it was pretty cool that Strange Journey allowed you to
resummon a demon in its default state.</span></li><li>
<span style="font-family: verdana;">Fuse Unicorn x Pixie to produce Uzume with Hades Blast and
Phys Repel. <i>Yes</i>, game, Hades Blast and Phys Repel. Come on, now. <i>Please</i>. She inherits Phys Repel well enough, so why not Hades Blast? This
is where I finally consulted the guide to find a possible answer, and boy, did I
ever:<b> Uzume flat-out CANNOT learn Hades Blast, and neither can
Amaterasu.</b> I'll explain why in a moment. </span></li></ol><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">All things considered though, this revelation came relatively early in
the sequence. For expediency's sake, I ended up compromising with this Uzume: </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQz0P9IfQ4orqWbQ-IWc8yBwKJ7gvUnPhpQT8fvocIh-G0JSAJevycysqByXnuxPdzA2Ccs_9nOymVCzQmXWmswE62beQegRrfSmgoSkNbB4j3ZPzD18rvmLis-mSUHUEd0LdM232aow/s640/uzume1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQz0P9IfQ4orqWbQ-IWc8yBwKJ7gvUnPhpQT8fvocIh-G0JSAJevycysqByXnuxPdzA2Ccs_9nOymVCzQmXWmswE62beQegRrfSmgoSkNbB4j3ZPzD18rvmLis-mSUHUEd0LdM232aow/s16000/uzume1.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now, to gaze upon the things we weren't meant to see. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>C. Skill ranks and restrictions</b></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
These are easily the most evil aspects of Nocturne's mechanics, and it's
not just because none of this information is told to you explicitly
within the game; even if you do know and have a knowledge bible in your
hand like I did, skill ranks and demons' preferred inheritance types
will still have you pulling your hair out in frustration, or, worse, put
you to sleep like what happened to me a few times after hour-long skill
rerolling sessions. The good part about this? You can very easily not
care about any of these specifics and still get by in the game just
fine. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br />
1. Inheritance restrictions based on demon appearance type </b><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
This one's fairly simple actually, and perhaps the most logical. Simply,
skills are categorized by the type of action needed to perform them. For
example, the skill "Stasis Blade" is a weapon-type skill, so only demons
who are physically holding weapons as part of their model/design will
be able to inherit that skill. The complete list of appearance type skills is: </span><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Mouth</b>: Skills where the mouth is used to discharge forcefully, such as Fire Breath or War Cry. In general, the mouth must be exposed or animated for the demon to use Mouth-types. <br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Wing</b>: Skills where wings are needed, like Wing Buffet. <br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Eye</b>: Skills that utilize the eyes, like Evil Gaze or Mute Gaze. In general, the demons need organic eyes to accept these skills; the four elementals and statuesque Virtue cannot learn them, for example. <br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Lunge</b>: Skills that require physical prowess, like the actual skill named Lunge or Berserk. <br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Bite</b>: Skills with teeth, like Hell Fang. These tend to belong to beast-type demons such as Cerberus or Shiisaa. <br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Claw</b>: Another self-evident and largely beast-only type; skills like Feral Claw. <br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Weapon</b>: Demon must hold a sword, spear, staff, etc. to use skills like Stasis Blade or Deathbound. There is no differentiation between weapons demons hold. <br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Girl</b>: A skill that requires a young female demon to use. Literally only for Maiden Plea. <br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Talk</b>: Conversation skills other than Maiden Plea. Seduce, Haggle, etc. In general, all demons can use Talk skills except wild beasts, spirits, and demons added for the Maniacs edition (Beelzebub, Fiends, Futomimi, etc.). </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">Addtionally, there are <b>Needle </b>and <b>Magic </b>type skills, which any demon can learn. The vast majority of the skills in the game are Magic type. More on them later. <br /></span></li></ul><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So it turns out Hades Blast is a Lunge-type skill. I thought at first that maybe because
both Uzume and Amaterasu float is why they couldn't use it; "Lunge"
implies tackling the enemy, even though Hades Blast looks more like a
large pool of darkness emanating from the user. But no, it appears to be
an arbitrary restriction based on, well, maybe not <i>exactly </i>gender, but the majority who can't are the demure goddesses such as Uzume or Kikuri-hime and our poor, frail Virtue. Even the barely-there Lv. 1 Will O'Wisp can accept Lunge skills! For the record, the only appearance skills Amaterasu can learn are Talk skills. Besides Hades Blast, this won't factor into her fusion any further. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Most skills, such as the elemental spells and support skills like -kaja
spells and voids are of the appearance-neutral Magic-type and thus free of restrictions. But that doesn't mean they get off easy!<br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>2. Skill tiers </b><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Skill tiers are also pretty simple, and have been in every SMT game
since. Basically, skills are ranked into groups based on their rarity
and usefulness. Simple spells like Agi and Bufu are tier 1 while an
end-game Almighty spell like Megidolaon is tier 14, which is as
high as it goes in Nocturne. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Tiers essentially affect two things. First, they provide a scaling
mechanic to determine how easily skills will be passed on from parent
demons to the child in fusion. Have you ever been frustrated because
junky skills keep getting in the way of what you want, forcing you to
constantly reroll and reroll? This is why (partially; see the next section). However, as long
as the skills are appearing somewhere in the results, it IS possible to
achieve any grouping you wish, though the odds will be stacked heavily
against you. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
</span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPstjVaB1Y_fdROSHt4Mt3Yfs5xERSzLcE-2ZxFECFZiyvB95zHREhLlJzzaGS_AU8XJuHrxIAIwOIP4tjiuO7pGLGo-vFuLPxYhQ75U53pWEbmMmLhhRopUIUDqZZYK_5vAiRkh6cNII/s640/kinguy.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPstjVaB1Y_fdROSHt4Mt3Yfs5xERSzLcE-2ZxFECFZiyvB95zHREhLlJzzaGS_AU8XJuHrxIAIwOIP4tjiuO7pGLGo-vFuLPxYhQ75U53pWEbmMmLhhRopUIUDqZZYK_5vAiRkh6cNII/s320/kinguy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Instant alchemy in SMT4</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;">Tiers also come into play with skill mutation. Skill mutation is easily abused in Strange Journey<i> </i>and especially in SMT4/A, though not so much in Nocturne, where it is
restricted to occurring within a selected group of skills where the
goal is to upgrade the skill within its type. For example, Dia can
mutate into Media. You even get a special message when it's been
successful, saying it's been "powered up." However, most of the time
(though the guide says it's 50/50), this powering up will fail and the
skill will mutate into a random skill from the next tier up. Dia is from
tier 2, so if the mutate fails it will turn into a random tier 3 skill,
which are too numerous to mention. Thankfully I didn't need to use
skill mutation with Amaterasu, as it's a pain in the butt and requires
save scumming to really get what you want. Arahabaki, however...<br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>3. Demon inheritance type</b><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Skill tiers are bad enough; this is adding insult to injury. Basically,
inheritance type determines what type of skills a demon is more likely
to inherit. These types are: <b>Phys, Healing, Fire, Ice, Elec, Force, Magic, Expel, Death, Support</b> (buffs). Most are obvious enough, but Amaterasu happens to be a Magic-type which means she has even odds of inheriting anything that consumes MP, plus she is poor at inheriting Phys attacks, not that it matters anymore. <br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, if you're fusing a demon of a particular
type and its parents have a skill it favors but one you don't want,
good freakin' luck shaking it off. From my experience, sometimes it
seems outright impossible to fuse what you want if the inheritance type
is misaligned. This affected the Arahabaki fusion greatly, but I'll get
to that when the time comes. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>4. Number of inherited skills</b><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
</span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTR7KQLPjTuQbBZwSv5W9ESw71y2td-0G8W7_s_PVyHvZiyF3x3Y3PMiX1-4t4IRfIDhmi5Lij4L2DlvWJWN7hundnOaexW-o_ZyGqBh2vWpx0NOlxex2MLTxyybY43u9oLKm9IgSN1T8/s1200/Shin-Megami-Tensei-III-Nocturne-fusion-update-e1608740740286.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTR7KQLPjTuQbBZwSv5W9ESw71y2td-0G8W7_s_PVyHvZiyF3x3Y3PMiX1-4t4IRfIDhmi5Lij4L2DlvWJWN7hundnOaexW-o_ZyGqBh2vWpx0NOlxex2MLTxyybY43u9oLKm9IgSN1T8/w400-h225/Shin-Megami-Tensei-III-Nocturne-fusion-update-e1608740740286.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A Jack Frost fusion from HD resulting in <br />4 inherited skill slots with one remaining</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;">An important, but Nocturne-only, concern. This means the total number of skill slots available for the new demon to carry over in fusion. Just because a demon has 5 open slots doesn't mean it will inherit 5 skills! That total is instead determined by an average
of how many skills the parent demons had. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
To use as examples, I did some experimenting with Amaterasu ingredients Yatagarasu, Mikazuchi,
and Uzume early on to determine how to appropriate the best number. As a
rule, lower = better, because you can fill in the remaining slots with
Mitama. It's also a lot more difficult to get what you want with a
higher number. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
In the test, Yatagarasu had 6 skills, Mikazuchi had 4, and Uzume had 5.
That passed 4 skills onto Amaterasu. Having 6 x 5 x 5 meant that 5 skills passed
onto her (note: while 5 skills is the max for normal binary fusion, ternary sacrificial fusion's max is 6. See Arahabaki's section for more). So, some combination of 6, 4, and 5 was the goal set, though
better if I could somehow get fewer. When fusing demons down in level, such as what I
did with Vishnu, it's good to use a demon with only two skills to limit
the amount of junk carried over. No demon has fewer than two skills and I
don't think it's even possible to pass on any fewer than two skills
either. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Mitama themselves are also notably affected by this concept. All 4 of
the Mitama have 3 innate abilities, and innate abilities <i>do </i>count
towards the averaged total of inherited skills. What this means is that
when fusing Mitama, none of them will start with fewer than 5 abilities.
(The Mitama you can buy from Rag's are useless here as they wouldn't
have any abilities you'd want to pass on to others.) So, going further,
in almost all circumstances a Mitama will pass on 3 abilities to the
target demon if it has enough open slots. However, if you have a Mitama
with only 5 abilities and since 3 of those abilities are the Mitama's
annoyingly junky innate skills (EXCEPT for Ara Mitama's Tarukaja in this circumstance), only 2 of those skills will be "yours" and one of the
Mitama's junk skills is guaranteed to be inherited. The only solution to this
then is to make Mitama with 6 skills, 3 which are your chosen. Any more
than that is risky because it'll become more difficult to pass on what
you want. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Another reason that passing on 4 skills to Amaterasu is ideal is that
it's pretty absurdly easy most times to fill in the remaining two empty
slots with a Mitama's skills, even if the skills are high tier. Of
course, it can still depend greatly on the demon's inheritance type. In
certain cases, passing on 3 skills from a Mitama can seem like too much;
this is something else that affected the Arahabaki fusion. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>
D. Damage control and Yatagarasu</b></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
So, back to the actual subject. Uzume is done, but not being able to
transfer Hades Blast put in a big hole in my plans. With it gone,
something like Pierce is nigh useless too so that leaves at least two
slots to fill. I still wanted her to be a Physical support type, since
physical skills can be so broken in this game. It would also be best if I
incorporated some lower-tier skills as well; ones that were inheritance
neutral Magic-types and wouldn't aggravate once it became fusion time. I wanted
<b>Tarukaja </b>from the start, which is neutral and relatively low-tier.
<b>Endure </b>might also be a good skill, since Amaterasu doesn't have a lot of
Vitality; it too is low-tier Magic-type. With two low-tier skills then,
it's feasible to leverage them with something high-tier, so <b>Megidolaon
</b>became a possibility. Those three skills then became the goal for the
next ingredient demon: <b>Yatagarasu</b>. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>1. Averaging fusion results. </b><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Yatagarasu is a level 46 demon of the Avatar clan, so my target
combination to make one was Beast x Holy, specifically (Beast) <b>Sparna
</b>and (Holy) <b>Feng Huang</b>. Roughly, the formula for determining fusion
results is an average of the two parent demons’ base levels plus one
level because the results always round up to the next highest demon in
the clan’s rank. Sparna is level 54 and Feng Huang is 36, averaged
together equal 45+1= 46. Note that things will rarely work out that
exactly. But say you had two demons who averaged out to a level 27
Avatar result—you would still get Yatagarasu instead of the next lowest
Avatar, level 26 Cai Zhi, because of the rounding. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
This quick formula is simplified compared to what the game actually
uses, but better to use for quick estimates than the real one. Outside
of a few common formulas, I've never memorized the race combinations. You just don’t need to! All you need to remember is to stick to
Light or Neutral tendency (which is separate from the LAW-NEUTRAL-CHAOS
alignment) demons and you will succeed. So races like Divine, Fairy, Jirae, Yoma, Fallen, Femme, etc. Dark affinity races like Viles
and Tyrants can be exceptions, but you just want to make sure you don’t
fuse them into junk like Wilders and Fouls, because it becomes harder to
fuse anything worthwhile with them. This is also Nocturne-only advice since recent games made it much more difficult to dead-end yourself with Dark tendency demons. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>2. Skill farming</b><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Like snatching Repel Phys and Hades Blast from Vishnu for Uzume, I
was lucky enough to have a (Snake) <b>Naga </b>with Megidolaon and Tarukaja,
and a (Fallen) <b>Flauros </b>with Endure. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Fallen x Snake =
Beast, so I fused Flauros and Naga together to make Sparna
with Tarukaja, Endure, and Megidolaon. Then it was just a matter of buying back the Feng
Huang from the Uzume step to fuse our Yatagarasu. </span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5T6o-9vmtqUq64SSELD5D9EsW222vYGcSVlmo1HrCpb5sL9i3YqqyyRWg3POlnzV01vPj3rRE37tPj6lOItMITujZWKFuRgLe15nxUd21aSs1V7cE_E9tn8XxQZ1KizT_P6BpEbqpo4/s640/yatagarasu1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5T6o-9vmtqUq64SSELD5D9EsW222vYGcSVlmo1HrCpb5sL9i3YqqyyRWg3POlnzV01vPj3rRE37tPj6lOItMITujZWKFuRgLe15nxUd21aSs1V7cE_E9tn8XxQZ1KizT_P6BpEbqpo4/w640-h480/yatagarasu1.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Simple! Only one more demon ingredient to go.<br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>E. Mikazuchi</b></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />As a brief refresher, my goal was for Amaterasu to have the following skills:
Victory Cry, Tarukaja, Repel Phys, Debilitate, Prayer, Godly Light,
Megidolaon, and Endure. Debilitate, Godly Light, and Prayer she learns
by leveling up, so the other five would have to come through fusion. Four skills have been locked in: </span><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">
From Uzume: Repel Phys</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">
From Yatagarasu: Tarukaja, Megidolaon, Endure</span></li></ul><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mikazuchi would then need to have Victory Cry at the very least.
However, during a previous attempt, I had gotten impatient and just tried fusing Amaterasu with the
Mikazuchi that resulted during the Uzume creation process.
Unfortunately, it didn’t gel because that Mikazuchi was saddled with
extra unwanted abilities that mucked up the fusion process. Next, I decided to remake him with <b>Victory Cry</b> and some overlap with
<b>Tarukaja </b>and <b>Repel Phys</b>. More than one demon sharing a skill does NOT
increase the chances of it appearing on the result but does have the
appreciable effect of reducing the total skill pool. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Somewhere along the line I fused a (Deity) <b>Horus </b>with Phys Repel, and
since Horus is level 38, roughly around level 45 Mikazuchi, he would be a
good starting point. Deity x Brute also = Kishin, so that saves a few
steps. For this to work, I’d need to use (Brute) <b>Ikusa </b>in the fusion,
who is level 44.<br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Since I only needed to worry about Victory Cry and Tarukaja for the moment, I used my
Ara Mitama to fuse both onto a blank (other than his innate skills, Lunge and Focus)
(Brute) <b>Momunofu</b>, then used an (Element) <b>Erthys </b>to rank him up into an
<b>Oni</b>. This was quite possibly the most frustrating step of all. For some
reason, it took about an hour to get both Victory Cry and Tarukaja onto
the Oni (only two skills in total were being transferred). This was again
due to inheritance type restrictions; Oni is a Phys type, and both
Victory Cry and Tarukaja count as Magic. This wouldn’t have been a problem
except I was also carrying over Momunofu’s default Lunge skill, so 9
times out of 10 that skill wanted to cling. It also didn’t help that the
Erthys’ Zio and Patra skills are super low tier compared to Victory Cry.
But regardless, I eventually got the result I wanted and then passed the skills onto Ikusa as well, at considerably less effort presumably due to Ikusa's Death inheritance type. Passing on the skills to
Mikazuchi in the Horus x Ikusa fusion was easy by comparison. Here’s the result: </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSerDeuc3B0Jp9-UanRc8VS3trCH1PKeMs7Q8ZHrJhaAWkRWed8ZOjPjYCt8QWcawBc3DRUPNNcLo3VO7I9zAzmmn1NlVWjq8mBWxhjsoTZInl-yqiu6Dj6723RZtv5DbwE-7tR8cSsk/s640/mikazuchi1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSerDeuc3B0Jp9-UanRc8VS3trCH1PKeMs7Q8ZHrJhaAWkRWed8ZOjPjYCt8QWcawBc3DRUPNNcLo3VO7I9zAzmmn1NlVWjq8mBWxhjsoTZInl-yqiu6Dj6723RZtv5DbwE-7tR8cSsk/w640-h480/mikazuchi1.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /> This was just hours of fun, I tell you. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>F. LET’S FUSE AMATERASU AT LAST</b></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Sacrificial fusions can only be performed at FULL Kagutsuchi, for a true artificial occult experience. Unfortunately, fusion accidents have a high chance of
occurring during FULL but fear not—special fusions like sacrificial and
fiend fusions are totally immune from them. Now, h</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">ere’s our total skill pool and how each skill ranks: <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
From Yatagarasu: <br /></span>
<ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">
Mana Aid (6)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">
Violet Flash (8)</span></li><li>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Megidolaon (14)</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>
Tarukaja (5)</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>
Endure (5)</b></span></li></ol><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">From Mikazuchi:</span></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">
Ziodyne (7)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">
Shock (5)</span></li><li>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Phys Repel (12)</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>
Victory Cry (13)</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>
<span style="text-decoration: line-through;">Tarukaja </span>(5)</b></span></li></ol><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">From Uzume:</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">
Media (5)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">
Mazan (3)</span></li><li>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="text-decoration: line-through;">Phys Repel (12)</span></b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;">
Rakukaja (7)</span></li></ol><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Desired skills are bolded, repeats struck through. 12 total skills, 5
required. Again, Amaterasu is a Magic type skill inheritor, and as
luck has it all of those skills are Magic type, so only rank will
affect inheritance. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So I wanted 5 skills out of the 12. But I’m only passing on 4, right? Right. I
figured by having more skills than I could possibly pass on at once, it
would increase my chances of success. I was hoping for two from
Megidolaon/Phys Repel/Victory Cry and both Tarukaja and Endure. Seemed
reasonable enough.<br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
The innate skills from these three demons were ever the thorn in my
side. Mazan is the lowest-tiered skill and did in fact appear the most
in rerolls. (On a related note—rerolling sacrificial fusions is even
worse than usual since you have to confirm everything twice.) Besides
that, there’s not much else to say other than I kept trying until I got
it. I never expected to get all three of Megidoloan/Phys Repel/Victory
Cry at once, but it happened: <br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipEMweqtFJmZWb2yIVrQyPzoIqAK5YVIInqYiJQ1Vlqre98lGqrns78Sn1Iyaokwd_QgzI-tVRJUqjvrT1O2m8Kp_dDl95BcbPClfU-_TgQzpWlNZeLpP0JLDqROW62HdwtYEn4T8lcIA/s640/amaterasu1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipEMweqtFJmZWb2yIVrQyPzoIqAK5YVIInqYiJQ1Vlqre98lGqrns78Sn1Iyaokwd_QgzI-tVRJUqjvrT1O2m8Kp_dDl95BcbPClfU-_TgQzpWlNZeLpP0JLDqROW62HdwtYEn4T8lcIA/s16000/amaterasu1.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Stupid Ziodyne. I also should have re-fused Uzume to exclude Rakukaja. I can’t tell you
how many times I got a perfect roll of skills except that Rakukaja was
in there instead of Tarukaja. So here’s what she looked like
post-fusion: <br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIc3nj6NA6RWh7n_F1oRPwivWZgtDuwKNUIB2557HlUrwBt0DYXNXauDhfBnOOu1a4XJpRvZQreKZilNGfNJPlmOFIGYittnQwXUd7GwIEXouPfNIlHVhjq82mSCeJBTmBcW4V-7VDGk/s640/amaterasu2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIc3nj6NA6RWh7n_F1oRPwivWZgtDuwKNUIB2557HlUrwBt0DYXNXauDhfBnOOu1a4XJpRvZQreKZilNGfNJPlmOFIGYittnQwXUd7GwIEXouPfNIlHVhjq82mSCeJBTmBcW4V-7VDGk/s16000/amaterasu2.jpg" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The empty slots were filled by Phys Repel and Mediarahan. Mediarahan may
seem a little redundant with Prayer, but Prayer also sucks down the MP <a href="https://youtu.be/zWqQTE8F_zs?t=332" target="_blank">like it’s Tubby Custard</a>, plus you can’t use it outside of battle. The only
other skills I was considering were Makakaja and Dekunda, but eh, I’m
happy with it. She’s there to provide support to Focus/Pierce-wielding,
physical powerhouse boss killers. Since I had room to experiment by
getting rid of her Prominence and Tetrakarn, I tested out Godly Light.
When it hits it reduces all enemies’ HP by 80%, but has
abysmal accuracy. Into the garbage it went! One last look at the final
setup:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9RJVhkLnvn1hPTVHjxQoqbYNKsxSa1VK9Z922RGrQgZTrDFa7i3mvSUq7nH4vwBT_FhvwuUOPLm-6qyAxidE0bCvKxvnr-80WZnZlMeAJvBpFj63X2njnDG9QA2PH1iEPHQCC5Rq7ZoI/s640/amaterasu3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9RJVhkLnvn1hPTVHjxQoqbYNKsxSa1VK9Z922RGrQgZTrDFa7i3mvSUq7nH4vwBT_FhvwuUOPLm-6qyAxidE0bCvKxvnr-80WZnZlMeAJvBpFj63X2njnDG9QA2PH1iEPHQCC5Rq7ZoI/s16000/amaterasu3.jpg" /></a></div><p><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">So there we go. That’s how you fuse one demon in Nocturne. Now, let's fuse another one! <br /></span>
</p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
</p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>II. VILE ARABAHAKI</b></span></h2><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28dkQ90xczpYd37N5VsRCbNna5eMeJpFRa1focef8WN_0F6PvvdgGBDcyTpn9WfChpSjL6cVhYEvzLKOOhA5o_35v7IhUDH0jPKKmtuQ5E6RZLjmb3CS7TffziMp1wSMpQNQrtndXojg/s512/devbu198.cmp.stex.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28dkQ90xczpYd37N5VsRCbNna5eMeJpFRa1focef8WN_0F6PvvdgGBDcyTpn9WfChpSjL6cVhYEvzLKOOhA5o_35v7IhUDH0jPKKmtuQ5E6RZLjmb3CS7TffziMp1wSMpQNQrtndXojg/w200-h200/devbu198.cmp.stex.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey, it's that art missing from<br />Kaneko Works IX!</td></tr></tbody></table>Like Amaterasu, <b>Arahabaki </b>is only* acquired through a special method:
demon transformation. Yes, it’s essentially just Pokemon evolution.
Start with level 20 (Brute) Momunofu and once he reaches level 24 he will
transform into Arabahaki. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">This means we will essentially be fusing a <b>Momunofu </b>instead of Arahabaki. <br /> </span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
(*You can buy an Arahabaki from a Shady Broker in Third Kalpa but he
mostly has common buff/debuff skills and is not worth the effort or
money.) <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>A. Battle plan</b></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Like before, the first step is deciding what skills the demon needs and how many open slots are available. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br />
1. Strategy </b><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
This is incredibly simple this time. Arahabaki Repels Ice, and voids
Phys, Expel, and Death. He’s weak to Fire, Elec, Force, Curse, Nerve,
and Mind. It’s a real shame Nocturne doesn’t have one of those elemental
affinity status bars the later games have. If it did, his would look
like this:</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSoGqRKZxmabq5UrTgf4nOQFz0lhUAoy2g8i-3tuBKyHfl0JJWlSQRvjLm0yYTHsY0hE6w9GhLR9rsQ4R1klImjccGaTV8IGEkLhEX97j_n6JZBfBeQpEPBDHHpcInv1nrEJi37jauRlE/s599/arahabaki-weaknesses.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="115" data-original-width="599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSoGqRKZxmabq5UrTgf4nOQFz0lhUAoy2g8i-3tuBKyHfl0JJWlSQRvjLm0yYTHsY0hE6w9GhLR9rsQ4R1klImjccGaTV8IGEkLhEX97j_n6JZBfBeQpEPBDHHpcInv1nrEJi37jauRlE/s16000/arahabaki-weaknesses.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The latter three are respectively Curse, Nerve, Mind</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">H</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">is Physical void is the earliest one available in the game and a good
reason why he can be such a useful ally in random battles even without
his weaknesses covered up. If you can pair him with a few demons that
can void those weaknesses, there’s an even greater chance for
success since, with the Press Turn System, when any group–ally or
enemy—has a demon that is weak against something, another that
voids/repels/drains it, and is hit with an attack-all skill of the same
element, the "tie" will go to the void/repel/drain (or evasion).</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Since the goal is to patch over all of Arahabaki’s weaknesses with the right elemental passive skills, we don’t have to worry about contingency plans. And where possible, I didn’t want
anything less than Drains/Repels on him since they will instantly
nullify the enemy’s press turns. This means we will need <b>Drain/Repel Fire</b>,
<b>Drain/Repel Elec</b>, <b>Drain/Repel Force</b>, <b>Void Curse</b>, <b>Void Nerve</b>, and <b>Void
Mind</b>. There are no higher tier ailment-nullifying skills than the voids, though
Daisoujou can innate drain Curse and Mind.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Luckily, Momunofu has exactly six open skill slots. His two default
skills, Lunge and Focus, aren’t terrible either, which is good because
we can’t do much about them anyway.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, where are we going to get all of those elemental-voiding abilities?</span></p></div><div>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>2. Gathering the supplies</b><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkW9KD26IXAHTQs161xop_lpDAE3suV3GVsLDzMYxnonIRSekdZvl0hz2XhO0w6HbMsjDLfiYFFpTp7ul-CAxo5tjCEoQSHUU7dCh3tuVWDh0xItFp67xwEarS_64Syio8AUWlEA-ioKo/s640/blackfrost1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkW9KD26IXAHTQs161xop_lpDAE3suV3GVsLDzMYxnonIRSekdZvl0hz2XhO0w6HbMsjDLfiYFFpTp7ul-CAxo5tjCEoQSHUU7dCh3tuVWDh0xItFp67xwEarS_64Syio8AUWlEA-ioKo/s320/blackfrost1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Unfortunately, my compendium was without easy access to most of the more
difficult to acquire elemental passives. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">(<b>Note</b>: <i>In-game, Fire/Ice/Elec/Force can be collectively referred to as "magic"; this happens with demon’s
affinities, such as Yurlungur's or Michael's "void magic", and it just means they void those four elements. This is separate from the skill categories and demon inheritance types also called "Magic" that
include buffing spells and Victory Cry. To avoid confusion, I will only refer to "Magic" as the inheritance type.</i>)</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Phys Repel, if I needed it, was available from the
Amaterasu process. Earlier I had fused and leveled up a decent <b>Black Frost </b>(right),
who conveniently learns all of the ailment voids, so those are covered. Here’s where to find the elemental passives needed:</span><br /></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Fire Drain</b>: Lv. 70 (Night) <b>Nyx</b>, at 74</span></li><li>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Fire Repel</b>: Lv. 56 (Deity) <b>Amaterasu</b>, at 59; Lv. 76 (Kishin) <b>Thor</b>, at 80</span></li><li>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Elec Drain</b>: Lv. 74 (Tyrant) <b>Surt</b>, at 75</span></li><li>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Elec Repel</b>: Lv. 74 (Lady) <b>Skadi</b>, at 77; Lv. 75 (Wilder) <b>Hresvelgr</b>, at 79</span></li><li>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Force Drain</b>: Lv. 91 (Tyrant) <b>Mot</b>, at 94; Lv. 58 (Wargod) <b>Ganesha</b>, at 60</span></li><li>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Force Repel</b>: Lv. 64 (Megami) <b>Scathach</b>, at 65</span></li></ul><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I was particularly interested in getting Elec out of the way first, and
it would be easier to make a <b>Hresvelgr </b>with less skill baggage than
Skadi, since the bird can be recruited from battle. In general I like Repels better than Drains, not only because
Repels are a tier higher, but because the reflecting effect is <i><b>way </b></i>cooler. In practice, neither one really has an advantage over
the other; no enemies have Pierce and thus can't bypass Drains.
The slight bit of damage or HP recovery also isn’t going to make much of a
difference because unlike, say, Strange Journey, Nocturne doesn’t
feature insane level scaling. However, theoretically it should be
ever-so-slightly easier to transfer Drain skills. <br /><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>3. Elec Repel and Force Drain</b><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_ALIjZsNBxwsfxFwdIUaPt0mOMU_OhuCRfn2XiosOVQOA4yeVquLrkBdHz6rKGnbtoYMCtDTI8IIGobGkgP6pjTB0FH7huJak_Lhp6K8JLzumPpZFEvbiMkjF2mFmAB_fZLnqyh26IU/s640/hresvelgr1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_ALIjZsNBxwsfxFwdIUaPt0mOMU_OhuCRfn2XiosOVQOA4yeVquLrkBdHz6rKGnbtoYMCtDTI8IIGobGkgP6pjTB0FH7huJak_Lhp6K8JLzumPpZFEvbiMkjF2mFmAB_fZLnqyh26IU/s320/hresvelgr1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Of course, Elec Repel is the last thing Hresvelgr learns, so it was off
to the grinding mill for me. However, the random battles on the
upper floors of the Tower of Kagutsuchi hand out a lot of EXP and can be
won efficiently with Riberama active. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
When I fused the Hresvelgr he came with Void Force, which seemed
innocuous at the time since I was only using him for Elec Repel and
would probably get Force Repel off Scathach later anyway. Then a curious
thing happened. During a level up he wanted to change a skill. Because I
didn’t care about Void Force I let him do it – and he upgraded it into
Force Drain (as seen right). A pleasant upgrade, one alluded too earlier when describing skill mutations and upgrades. However, while all elemental voids and Void Phys can be mutated into their respective Drains, the Drains cannot be upgraded into Repels. Skill mutation
comes into play again in the Momunofu fusion, so I’ll go into more
detail then.</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhiTRllvMmDvNj5aJ-ms8KANER3MKRCrOHZpIfqssDgs1g2Oul8QN7ougfUMWYuFVpka8wlWEoD-V3s8giyHdrPHFLuRyzoDZj-A5a9IEcGfR8ZYMopN6c6tb9KX236ZsirKnD1NIAk8/s640/erthys1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhiTRllvMmDvNj5aJ-ms8KANER3MKRCrOHZpIfqssDgs1g2Oul8QN7ougfUMWYuFVpka8wlWEoD-V3s8giyHdrPHFLuRyzoDZj-A5a9IEcGfR8ZYMopN6c6tb9KX236ZsirKnD1NIAk8/w400-h300/erthys1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Of course, once I finally got Elec Repel, I decided to keep Force Drain as part of the setup too, becoming part of the above <b>Erthys</b><b>
</b>I'd use later. I’d be crazy not to. So that’s 5 out of the 6 skills
accounted for since Black Frost alone has 3. Now, one final
choice: Fire Repel or Fire Drain? <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>4. The Answer is Fire Drain (and more Sacrificial Fusion mechanics)</b><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
This was easier than expected.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Since I just fused Amaterasu and tossed the Fire Repel she learns at level 59, <b>Nyx</b>'s <b>Fire Drain</b> learned at level 74 would be the next best deal. But as I was about to resummon her for grinding I didn't want to do, I remembered
that Nocturne actually has a way around it with Sacrificial Fusion.
Since Amaterasu was a special case, I didn’t really get into talking
about its actual mechanics last time. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRKHC7JFRAe9ufzpMzu_kXt2bD6b2pKEsn1SKdpPndJy9v550pkeQ0LSunf9KVAQeKS2EUb8uY_9yauCja1rQC6F449xU_zyEVWtH-xBkRovZUbRrJqaPCkVyglE3WdO3QW2QhSbhAAlA/s2048/299-Nyx.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1465" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRKHC7JFRAe9ufzpMzu_kXt2bD6b2pKEsn1SKdpPndJy9v550pkeQ0LSunf9KVAQeKS2EUb8uY_9yauCja1rQC6F449xU_zyEVWtH-xBkRovZUbRrJqaPCkVyglE3WdO3QW2QhSbhAAlA/w286-h400/299-Nyx.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nyx stock photo</td></tr></tbody></table>As usual, on FULL Kagutsuchi you are given the option to add a third
demon to the mix. This has the usual function of adding more skills to
the pool, but also something greater: if the sacrifice has leveled up at
all, the experience gained from those levels will be transferred to the
resultant demon. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Say we are fusing demons A and B, and sacrifice demon C, to get demon D.
If demon C is base level 20 and is sacrificed when it is level 25,
demon D will be a number of levels higher than its base level determined
by the factor of C’s experience gained. For simplicity’s sake, let’s
just say it gains 5 levels over its base level, though the guide says
the resultant demon actually gains 50% more experience than the
sacrifice had which seems a little crazy, but is totally true! It also
seems to be the final piece of the puzzle in breaking Nocturne wide open
to the point of it forming its own event horizon. I’ll explain in the
next section. Generally though, for estimation purposes it tends to be
close enough that the demon will grow by a factor of C’s levels gained
rather than its experience. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Needless to say, this is pretty rad. Depending on how things calculate,
you can occasionally end up with a demon that requires a pittance
of experience to level up, as any remainder of experience is still
added towards the demon’s next level. And as long as a demon is an
appropriate level, it can potentially learn all of its skills on one
level up. This was my goal for Nyx since Fire Drain is the
final skill she learns, so I would have to sacrifice a demon that
has leveled up enough to get her to level 73 and slightly beyond for an easy level up and her learned skills. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Even better is that you CAN resummon demons you’ve registered in the
compendium who are above their base level and use them as EXP offerings. A certain Pixie you can acquire in Fifth Kalpa who is 78 levels
above her base seems designed for this sort of thing. Sadly, there are a
few restrictions with this type of fusion. You can’t perform sacrifices
when a Mitama is part of the basic fusion; however, it's possible for them to be the
sacrificed demon. You also cannot sacrifice when making Mitama or
Elements themselves. However, you CAN sacrifice when performing rank
down/up fusions with Elements. Also remember there is a 1/16 chance of
accidents during Full Kagutsuchi, up from 1/256. Just be sure to save. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Though I had assumed during my Amaterasu tests that the maximum number of skills that
can be carried over in fusion is 5, it’s actually 6 when performing a sacrificial
fusion and this is dependent on the number of skills the demons have. If both parent demons have the max of 8 and the sacrifice also
has a high number, you’ll get six. Again, the max number for normal
fusion is still 5 skills. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
But anyway, back to Nyx. I summoned the demons I needed to make her and
also a slightly leveled-up demon for the sacrifice… only to discover a frustrating roadblock. When you have <b>Deathstones </b>(the items needed to
fuse Fiends) in your inventory and if on a FULL Kagutsuchi the resulting
demon in fusion will be a Night (like Nyx), it will trigger the fusion
of Daisoujou instead. There is no way around this other than getting rid
of your Deathstones. You can’t drop them or sell them, only fuse them away, and because I had 9 of them at the time I figured it would be time better spent manually leveling her up.
This oversight also affects possible Tyrant Sacrificial Fusions, which
is a bummer! Those will always become Trumpeters. My only advice is just to
not pick up Deathstones until you need them. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
So I flip the game the bird, level up Nyx to get Fire Drain, summon
Black Frost to get his ailment voids, fuse both down into Holy demons to
make the below <b>Flaemis</b><b> </b>and finally a <b>Saki Mitama</b> with three repeat skills (Fire Drain, Void Mind, Void Curse). </span><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggRAeAXVmV3QH1SbF4R6o5spAhEyhyO_OC4bg24WWT2lIfMjLfGIFZe2VYH0Vqud6DGoxv33B3xE7xhwtqVKhlk0-3yBG27LoKs_c2o0eukxgDPiULSt8MWdAvYum8grIeuCMviVu7LUU/s640/flaemis1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggRAeAXVmV3QH1SbF4R6o5spAhEyhyO_OC4bg24WWT2lIfMjLfGIFZe2VYH0Vqud6DGoxv33B3xE7xhwtqVKhlk0-3yBG27LoKs_c2o0eukxgDPiULSt8MWdAvYum8grIeuCMviVu7LUU/w400-h300/flaemis1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Saki Mitama not pictured, but it had the same skills as Flaemis here</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />The End. If only.</span><p></p><p>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>5. True Fusion Maniacs</b><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
But first, time for an unexpected detour. As stated, I only discovered this fun
little stratagem as I was putzing around to confirm things about
Sacrificial Fusion. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Not only is the 50% experience bonus to Sacrificial Fusion results super legit, it means is that you can seriously abuse it for outrageous
results. It’s really simple; you just need a lot of money. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
I started with the Uber Pixie from Fifth Kalpa. Used as a sacrifice,
everything I fused instantly became level 99 or above. Sadly, Nocturne
does not display levels above 99 so you have to guesstimate based on
other factors like stat points and experience needed for the next level.
I then used the resulting demon from the Uber Pixie fusion as a
sacrifice in another fusion, which resulted in even more stat points than the
previous. I kept sacrificing these successive generations and before
long every new fusion resulted in a perfect set of stats; perfect 40s across
the board, which is a total of 200. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Say
the Pixie transfers 250,000 EXP; the next generation of sacrifice will
transfer 375,000; the next, 562,500, etc. And to reiterate, the
experience from the sacrifice is just being added to the resulting
demon’s base level, for any base level. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The important part is that, again, you can register these outrageous sacrifices and achieve the same result with them over and over, as long
as you have the money. Resummoning cost in Nocturne is determined by the
number of stat points a demon has, and when a demon is maxed it costs
200,000 macca (100,000 if you have a full compendium). <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
I also confirmed that the obscene experience is also
carried over through transformation. I fused a junk Momunofu with the
Uber Pixie, making him Level 95 and when he leveled up and transformed,
Arahabaki remained level 96. I never made any serious attempts with this but the
potential is there. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
The actual level limit in Nocturne is 255. I eventually hit that limit or, more likely, level 254. As an example, here's
a Horus that resulted from an uber sacrifice: <br /></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rAn-7bcClvc0hksz1ugkw_q4C7ZxEQXlhWYtQlurx53_cyb3tMca92KV0bdjXGBIZID_JVi2SGF1Ua-lxVoePkOv1DgWbJGn5O0Zktk795sboinPUCxVKIr_CvtJMXih9Di0Fl8kLmU/s800/horus1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rAn-7bcClvc0hksz1ugkw_q4C7ZxEQXlhWYtQlurx53_cyb3tMca92KV0bdjXGBIZID_JVi2SGF1Ua-lxVoePkOv1DgWbJGn5O0Zktk795sboinPUCxVKIr_CvtJMXih9Di0Fl8kLmU/w640-h480/horus1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Note his MP and the absurd amount of experience needed to gain a level. I
believe that 885 MP amount represents an upper limit (without passive
MP-increasing abilities?) as it was present during previous
fusion generations prior to realizing I already hit the experience cap.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I did attempt to reach the absolute final level and
an experience counter that read “0.” </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">I couldn’t, likely because the designers realized that if you could go
to max level merely by fusion, you wouldn’t be able level up and thus the demon would be barred from learning its skills. Thus, you're forced to gain at least one level by providing a hard limit to the
amount of levels you can gain by a sacrifice. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It also seems that you need to gain all the required experience for level 255, meaning the experience cannot flow beyond level 254 itself. By the time you get this
high you will also see differing amounts of experience needed to gain the final
level. I fused a Vishnu with the uber sacrifice that only needed
330,000 (only!) to gain the final level. This is not extra EXP overflow but instead an effect of base level scaling. The higher a demon’s base level,
the less experience it needs for successive levels. For example, a base
level 10 demon might need 550 exp to reach level 11; on the other hand,
a base level 9 demon might need 560 to reach level 11 from level 10.
Thus, base level 38 Horus needs 571,204 exp to reach level 255,
while base level 93 Vishnu needs 330,000. To show the scale of that
number, you earn an average of 1200 exp per fight in the final dungeon’s
more lucrative areas. Then again, with Riberama and powerful demons,
you can earn 30,000 exp in 5 minutes or so, not that it makes these numbers anything less than staggering. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
I experimented in battle with a few of these near-maxed
demons. I was surprised to find that magic (I had a pitiful Mazan and a
Megidolaon on hand) was doing around the same damage it would at any
other level. Mazan did double digits and Megidolaon did nearly 300. I
guess it doesn’t scale, then? Physical, however, did. Regular attacks
did ~600 damage, which is effectively double the strength of demons
level 90-100. Offensive skills did approximately double as well. I have
heard stories that Surt’s Ragnarok is unique in that it scales damage
with level, but that would probably require at least 450,000 experience
to find out first-hand. The near-maxed demons also seemed pretty adept at dodging
stuff, though that may be more from the max agility than the level. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />The potential for uber sacrifices once again comes down to patience. Of course this will need to be in NG+
so the fusion level cap is removed. It’s also impractical to level a bunch of 254 demons just to get their skills, so maybe it’s best
to stop the EXP snowball after a sacrificial generation or two. But it makes for a fun experiment and the fact that you can register a level 254 demon to
instantly boost another is pretty tempting. At the very least, if there
is one final way to break Nocturne, here it is.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b> </b></span></p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>B. Momunofu</b></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Right, back to business. We have two options for infusing skills onto Momunofu. The first
is to recruit a blank one with all 6 skill slots open and fuse 3
skills onto him twice with two Mitama. The other is to use Elemental
fusion to rank up a (Brute) <b>Shikigami</b>, passing some skills along with
it, then using Mitama to fill in the rest. Because the former method
requires fusing some relatively high-tier skills onto him TWICE, we’ll
be going with Elements. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br />
1. Elemental fusion</b><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Elemental fusion is incredibly simple, and I already explained the
nature of going up and down ranks within a clan with Amaterasu.
Its secondary function then is being able to fuse two skills onto a
demon. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Elements only start with 2 innate abilities, unlike the Mitama that start
with 3. As I also talked about previously, that meant that you would
always be forced to transfer at least 3 skills at a time with Mitama.
However, if you can manage to get an additional 2 skills you want on top
of the Element’s innate 2 abilities for a total of 4, 2 skills will
transfer to the result, so long as the other demon you’re fusing with the Element also has a small number of skills. In general, and barring
inheritance type problems, it’s very easy to get any two skills
inherited this way. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
So for detail, our first major step towards Arahabaki is: Lv. 4 (Brute)
Shikigami + Erthys (w/ Elec Repel and Force Drain) = Lv. 20 (Brute)
Momunofu with Elec Repel and Force Drain on top of its Focus and Lunge which leaves 4 open skill slots.
It didn’t take very long to get both of those skills on there. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>2. Mitama fusion and skill mutation</b><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Mitama fusion has already been explained and as we all know it’s just a
matter of patience and luck to get the right roll of skills. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
The next step was Momunofu + Saki Mitama (w/ Fire Drain, Void Curse,
and Void Mind). I didn’t think it would be much of an issue getting all
three of those skills at once. Fire Drain is tier 9, while Void Curse
and Mind are only each tier 6. I rolled and I rolled and I rolled, but I
could never get all three at once. This is why you want to transfer as
few skills at once as possible. My luck ended up being so poor I decided
to try something else: skill mutation. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Again, skill mutation in Nocturne can only be triggered when a demon
levels up and it has an upgradable skill from a select pool, like Hresvelgr's Void Force to Force Drain. Or, from my
experience, there’s a slightly higher chance that this will fail and a
random skill from a tier above that skill will be chosen instead. My plan was to replace one of the ailment voids with a
lower tier Anti-Ailment skill instead, then get Momunofu to mutate it
into a proper void during his leveling process. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Before committing, I experimented a bit with a Shiisaa with two
upgradable skills: Feral Claw and Anti-Fire. Feral Claw upgraded to
Venom Claw without much trouble, but when it came time to mutating
Anti-Fire, it would only randomize and never upgrade. I tried probably
short of a dozen times, but it would never mutate properly. I eventually had to
conclude that a demon can only upgrade one skill; any subsequent
mutations will randomize. This doesn't seem right but it's the only conclusion I could make based on the data. Reloading saves only to achieve the same result is
tiring and also insane. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRXKggS0MSPmLCcPikzpjL1FkTFvVNyn7-Bw01W2XftUaMidLYQ-iTjJyPTsSdCu1c4EzxPsgZMn-DyUPNDv6BeP7VtCtzfSZohLT9-F_1MhP51o5gFq6214v9XPwliMXHU8i_nED_mk/s640/saki1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRXKggS0MSPmLCcPikzpjL1FkTFvVNyn7-Bw01W2XftUaMidLYQ-iTjJyPTsSdCu1c4EzxPsgZMn-DyUPNDv6BeP7VtCtzfSZohLT9-F_1MhP51o5gFq6214v9XPwliMXHU8i_nED_mk/s320/saki1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>But I felt confident that an Anti- skill would make my life easier, so I leveled up an Aquans to get his Anti-Nerve and remade Saki Mitama (right) to include it, Fire Drain, Void Curse. Many rerolls later,
all 3 still wouldn’t stick to Momunofu. The problem? Saki Mitama
itself and its innate ability <b>Trade</b>. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />I've already explained that passive skills like your Fire Drains and Void Curses are categorized as Magic-type skills, not as general support skills like I had thought. Well, here's the moment I learned that. Something like Fire
Drain then is actually a Fire skill and Momunofu, being a Phys type
inheritor, doesn’t take kindly to magic skills like it or others.
Rather, on any particular roll, he has the highest chance of inheriting
Physical skills (of which there are none in this fusion), then
Conversation skills (Trade) and Special skills (Analyze). While all
Mitama are innately equipped with Analyze and thus "it can't be helped," not all of them have Conversation skills. Trade was appearing
in nearly every reroll and proved enough of a hindrance that I had to
give up on Saki Mitama. A better candidate proved to be Kusi Mitama, who
only has two Support skills (Sukukaja and Dekaja) in addition to
Analyze. I quickly put Fire Drain, Void Curse, and Anti-Nerve on it and voila, before long all three skills were passed on to
Momunofu. Then it was one more simple chain of fusions to get a Mitama
with Void Mind. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
However, I became suddenly awash with panic. I would now have to try and mutate
Anti-Nerve into Void Nerve but Momunofu's Force Drain was a mutation inherited from Hresvelgr much earlier. Would this
actually impact mutations on another demon? After about 5 or more failed
attempts at getting Anti-Nerve to upgrade, I thought maybe this was the
case. How draconian would that be? Too draconian to be true, actually. A few
more tries and it eventually upgraded properly. Now, drumroll please: the completed Momunofu masterpiece! </span><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-nwN3djBf-5d0Kuaop-mZ0wXz8lNuAQZVEIu3rAH3lRyi34mBNOYlJuG2f4J8WmZRaRd32H68Q4dIK9x_B4P_0JS173bgf0aaZWXQWPgpiQxvVebDHgqSHhq-7EUi31cHdb6kXyAH14/s640/momunofu1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-nwN3djBf-5d0Kuaop-mZ0wXz8lNuAQZVEIu3rAH3lRyi34mBNOYlJuG2f4J8WmZRaRd32H68Q4dIK9x_B4P_0JS173bgf0aaZWXQWPgpiQxvVebDHgqSHhq-7EUi31cHdb6kXyAH14/s16000/momunofu1.jpg" /></a></div> <span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Yes, it bothered me then that Fire Drain wasn't in sequence with the others!
(Now I'm just stunned by the patience I once had.) But my desire to get on with it proved
greater.<br /><br /></span><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>
C. The Arahabaki surprise</b></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
The final step is getting the Lv. 20 Momunofu to 24 for the Arahabaki evolution. This takes no time at all in the final dungeon. The only thing of note is that at level 22 he learns <b>Brutal Slash</b> and, just for the
heck of it (I saved right before, just in case), I traded his Lunge for
it. Brutal Slash is a weapon-type skill and Arahabaki has no weapons, so
I was curious to find out what would happen. And just like that…<br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKjPQIYnGvVa57xMI5sjtALFkXSubeVwhR7fZh4wvn9jD2uirS-wCQ8fHvNM5PMDFlndFnraY6rpYxokGTmPJOy2lT8Vs_LRUzZX-aQTS-2AHRahUBd9LEGc2y6TYBMUKVf8ldMPQ5euM/s800/arahabaki1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKjPQIYnGvVa57xMI5sjtALFkXSubeVwhR7fZh4wvn9jD2uirS-wCQ8fHvNM5PMDFlndFnraY6rpYxokGTmPJOy2lT8Vs_LRUzZX-aQTS-2AHRahUBd9LEGc2y6TYBMUKVf8ldMPQ5euM/w640-h480/arahabaki1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span>
<p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Woohoo! We’re done! …? Wait, what happened to Brutal Slash? Yes, that’s
right, it just disappeared because it is incompatible with Arahabaki’s
type. This was a complete surprise, creating new implications for
fusion with transformable demons. For example, when I was having trouble
transferring the 3 skills to Momunofu as described above, I could have
included a weapon-type physical skill as part of the mix instead of say,
Anti-Nerve. I didn't test it but I bet it would have been
fairly easy to get that weapon skill, Fire Drain, and a Void ailment all
at once. Then upon evolution the weapon skill would be gone and as long
as I also included Brutal Slash instead of Lunge, I’d have two open
slots for the two other ailment voids! <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Unfortunately, this trick is very limited. Most transformations will
result in the same appearance type as the child or the transformation
will actually be an upgrade capable of learning more skill types. Besides Momunofu to Arabahaki, here’s every transformation in the
game that can benefit from this.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>(Yoma) Karasu</b> to <b>(Genma) Kurama</b> (cannot transfer weapon-types)</span></li><li>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>(Snake) Naga</b> to <b>(Snake) Raja Naga</b> (cannot transfer weapon-types)</span></li><li>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>(Fairy) High Pixie</b> to <b>(Night) Queen Mab</b> (cannot transfer wing-types and girl-types)</span></li><li>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>(Night) Lilim</b> to <b>(Night) Lilith</b> (cannot transfer wing-types)</span></li></ul><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">A whopping total of five. The only girl-type skill is Kikuri-Hime’s
Maiden Plea conversation skill, making that completely unhelpful. You can also recruit Raja Nagas, Mabs,
and Liliths later on, making this even more limited, though the Mabs and
Liliths will learn exclusive (and generally better) skillsets if they
result from transformation. <br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
Back to Arahabaki and his mysterious open slot. It was so unexpected I
really struggled to think of what would be the most appropriate. Victory
Cry? He would hardly get damaged by anything and would barely have a
reason to use MP, so that would be useless. Hades Blast? Maybe if he had
Pierce too. He was already so ridiculous, he just needed a little
something extra to show off. A finishing touch. The clincher.<br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimN-UFdM5Ha9QMghrAP3Q27pAnXcxh5jr66GALUHLonC1cK1zxdjEBBdoxGWZMH6CQqz8HLo_mzIpjGxvdU4RkQ6bD4EFxY4bSGcc883HX1QlC94SzTxlW2-l8Z5sHWGpNN83Kn0Bp5Ck/s640/arahabaki2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimN-UFdM5Ha9QMghrAP3Q27pAnXcxh5jr66GALUHLonC1cK1zxdjEBBdoxGWZMH6CQqz8HLo_mzIpjGxvdU4RkQ6bD4EFxY4bSGcc883HX1QlC94SzTxlW2-l8Z5sHWGpNN83Kn0Bp5Ck/s16000/arahabaki2.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span>
<p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOsKR8LYN9SoRh0hgYe0PWm5uplqAs1wVmIw7mIKqzRJqQrzFW9q-tIB0Nt6GXo1A9AYxtrGw775tQ1R9i1UIvtsmdJwzNcc_c9HLc2si7fC1iQguPsUddbqzX12DbOg4cHRGjf9J8NBE/s599/arahabaki-voids.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="115" data-original-width="599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOsKR8LYN9SoRh0hgYe0PWm5uplqAs1wVmIw7mIKqzRJqQrzFW9q-tIB0Nt6GXo1A9AYxtrGw775tQ1R9i1UIvtsmdJwzNcc_c9HLc2si7fC1iQguPsUddbqzX12DbOg4cHRGjf9J8NBE/s16000/arahabaki-voids.png" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">That’ll do. <br /><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">III. The Future of Fusion<br /><br /></span></b></h2><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjApNa-_UxL4MAWswLAiYohM8LiLqO1tWSc45uhOFp6-GmePgfei5W-cE0Jh7jSWuxilLOXWL-w0_69MZ6N4upNkYO7WngCtnBzTmQjkIjUbqjk9pldhrFKJv5aiBvtzs0VsAmOp20Hr38/s400/WVW69juWCSQLDALdPt.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjApNa-_UxL4MAWswLAiYohM8LiLqO1tWSc45uhOFp6-GmePgfei5W-cE0Jh7jSWuxilLOXWL-w0_69MZ6N4upNkYO7WngCtnBzTmQjkIjUbqjk9pldhrFKJv5aiBvtzs0VsAmOp20Hr38/s320/WVW69juWCSQLDALdPt.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Excerpt from my future autobiography</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fusion may be my favorite feature of Shin Megami Tensei. I'm sure that's already evident. I just think it's a brilliant way to shuffle through mythology by way of the series' general attitude that your demons are resources. Over the years I've tried to think of alternate, perhaps more mythologically-accurate, ways to top fusion, but none of them have ever been as intuitive. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I did once champion</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> that </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">some level of difficulty with fusion earned a
more satisfying result than free selection</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">, particularly around the time it was revealed SMT4 would have the latter (read: a year after the A&A fusions!)</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">. The fact that I never made
demons like Amaterasu </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">and </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Arahabaki </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">again I
think refutes my own claim. In fact, after finishing them I had intended to fuse a Michael using an uber sacrifice along with a custom skillset I've since forgotten. While I can't deny the results of the A&A fusion experience did produce a certain level of satisfaction, it was just as exhausting and intimidating to consider and thus this Michael never became more than a nice thought. I wouldn't even play the game again until 2017, as a refresher before I wrote my Nocturne article for the Hardcore Gaming 101 Megaten book. It was less post-trauma and more learning to respect my own time. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Granted, SMT4's unrestricted skill inheritance did lead to balancing issues, namely its 400+ plus demons becoming little more than interchangeable face plates for the same few valuable skills over and over; am I exaggerating or are you like me and kept that Null Dark on a demon that innately voided the element just in case the next demon didn't? Or the ease of which you make demons with all elements at all times and completely steamroll the game post-Naraku? SMT4A rather ingeniously slapped each demon with varied and appropriate elemental affinity grades, creating incentive to not throw ice skills on your fire demons while still allowing the player full choice and control <i>without </i>RNG. I think it's safe to assume SMT5 will evolve this concept of free selection with meaningful downsides, but some new or returning auxiliary features could make for the best fusion experience ever. Here's a few completely naïve guesses: </span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><a href="https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Persona_Traits" target="_blank">Persona traits</a> / <a href="https://tcrf.net/Shin_Megami_Tensei_IV/Devil_DNA" target="_blank">demon DNA</a></b>. The skill modifiers/passives originally cut from SMT4. Who wouldn't pass up some extra utility for demons?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Improved fusion search and additional options</b>. The 3DS lacked the memory for a full compendium search, which shouldn't be a problem with SMT5 on Switch. As for more options, why in god's name were you not able to control the frequency of accidents in SMT4/A, like you could in Strange Journey? For accident-only demons, it was those games' equivalent to time-wasting re-rolling. Fix it. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Resummoning demons with their default loadouts</b>. A feature in Strange Journey. Since modern Compendium prices reflect skill loadouts and their tiers, this would be useful when you need a demon for fusion but don't want its particular expensive late game skills. Or you can just buy the inevitable money grinding DLC instead. That's good design, right?<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Return of ternary fusion and/or sacrificial fusion</b>. Triple the fusion means triple the consumption of useless demons at once and/or an increased chance to fuse some of the better demon races. Sacrificial fusion seems to have been superseded by special fusions, however. Plus they sell levels as DLC now. Ethical practices. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Learned skill list</b>. A la Devil Survivor; however, thinking about it, this would be too broken for fusion in a mainline game. On the protagonist, however...</span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Sword fusion</b>. A classic mechanic that hasn't appeared since Raidou 2. This would score some MAJOR fanservice points with the lucrative over-40 crowd. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>More beginner-friendly options</b>. Fusion is intimidating for new players. The fusion recommendations in SMT4/A were an okay idea, but could be more. Why not suggest demons that will help specifically for the current boss, or that idea as a flag after multiple game overs to said boss?<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Automatic fusion chains</b>. Basically, select a demon you want to fuse and the app pulls all the demons needed to make that happen into a bespoke genealogical tree, from the compendium or your current stock. Yes, compendium fusion technically already does this, and with only two demons. But imagine if you don't have the right demons there or in your stock? This could be helpful for beginners as they dip their toes into the Cathedral. <br /></span></li></ul><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3BbOiSEpleg0gvQLET2AWjUlyFoqVPN2ERgCG_HM1Tjg8pF4mcQypeeDZXtKWJzbLBLHTwq0GONrfGju6OuoQZnQqGE4mKbQjwiW6w2xjIPjbTiVh_zp4CSRemi1kAXl42xaF6mwRAE/s600/SMT3-Nocturne-HD_12-23-20.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3BbOiSEpleg0gvQLET2AWjUlyFoqVPN2ERgCG_HM1Tjg8pF4mcQypeeDZXtKWJzbLBLHTwq0GONrfGju6OuoQZnQqGE4mKbQjwiW6w2xjIPjbTiVh_zp4CSRemi1kAXl42xaF6mwRAE/s320/SMT3-Nocturne-HD_12-23-20.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Not in English, but I don't see any<br />unexpected shenanigans here</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;">Seeing as SMT5 continues to be more of an idea than a game, the <i>near </i>future of fusion lies with Nocturne HD, but specific information about what can/can't be passed along with its patched-in skill selection has been hard to find in English as of this post's initial publication. (<b>I <i>will </i>update this article as I learn more.</b>) However, even with free choice, a surprising amount of complexity will likely remain. First, here's what you won't (or shouldn't) have to worry about: </span><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Rerolling</b>. Well, yeah. Hilariously, <a href="https://personacentral.com/smt-iii-hd-version-1-02-update/" target="_blank">the Nocturne HD patch that added free selection also added a skill shuffle function</a> to save you from manually selecting the fusion ingredients to get a different result. <a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/648369046396567552/there-was-an-interview-a-while-back-with-new-atlus" target="_blank">Now <i>that's</i> being mindful of the user experience</a>. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Demon inheritance types</b>. Since the preferences of inheritance types don't actually bar demons from learning their opposites (ex. fire-type demons can still <i>technically </i>learn ice skills), those should now be free for the picking. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Skill tiers</b>. No more Zan or Tentarafoo clogging things up while you try to pass on Hassohappa and Repel Force. <br /></span></li></ul><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Expunging these three sub-mechanics alone greatly simplifies things. The few complications we're left with are easy street in comparison. <b>Appearance types</b> are likely to still matter; no, I doubt Amaterasu will finally be able to learn Hades Blast. As confirmed by footage of the Japanese version, the <b>number of inherited skills</b> will still matter, too; but should you need more to fill in extra slots, Mitama are right there at your fingertips. You're still going to need to level up a large variety of demons for the best skills to pass along. <b>Innate skills</b> will still exist and unless the demon learns better ones, you might be stuck with them. And I didn't even talk about <b>Curse fusion</b>--and I'm not going to! So, despite the simplifications, it's not like making those "perfect" demons will require zero effort. <br /></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'll end things with a somewhat prescient quote from the original Amaterasu post:<br /></span></p><blockquote style="border: medium none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>I hope there is a
Nocturne HD coming in the future that gets rid of most of this opaque
bullshit.</i></span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Back in 2012 I wouldn't have believed you if you told me said Nocturne HD would take nine more years to become reality, or that it would take significant pushback just to receive patched-in skill selection. And while it's manifested as a controversial port with various issues, when the dust settles it will nonetheless be a way to play the game on modern platforms. To be perfectly honest, I'm looking forward to recreating Amaterasu and Arahabaki, maybe even with some tweaks. And then I'll likely find the motivation to finally make that level 254 Michael. And then maybe the nigh-unstoppable Cu Chulainn you'd expect from me, an all-powerful Diaper Odin, that super broken Surt build, a savage Scathach, an Atavaka with...<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> -<b><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/">Eirikr</a></b></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(P.S. <a href="https://twitter.com/EirikrJS" target="_blank">Motivate me to use Twitter more</a>... or not.) <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>And if you have any questions about the article or if something wasn't explained clearly, let me know in the comments or on my social media and I'll be glad to help! Thanks for reading!</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For more on Nocturne relevant to the HD version, a look at the original localization: <b><a href="https://personacentral.com/nocturnal-revelations-the-legacy-of-shin-megami-tenseis-first-localization-part-1/">Nocturnal Revelations</a></b> (intentional or not, we've already seen some disappointments from the new localization)<b><br /></b></span></p>Eirikrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708584583156602408noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102004681763150356.post-51132613684328825542021-01-27T02:17:00.008-05:002021-01-27T21:53:02.708-05:00Demons by Design: An Introduction to Patterns of Form and Function in Shin Megami Tensei<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRodPn36LsTC47o4ahfbFkQjj0kWUsYTu_ZPqokVXo_R8YybjpZgBDsP9b61LlHm0LXkc9aepWZk9qhRsW602jLuaOSRQUTx153SqwK9_IVLzz19a0mZjjgg4tFNJQT5cobqSI_pBjAAk/s1000/demonsbydesign.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRodPn36LsTC47o4ahfbFkQjj0kWUsYTu_ZPqokVXo_R8YybjpZgBDsP9b61LlHm0LXkc9aepWZk9qhRsW602jLuaOSRQUTx153SqwK9_IVLzz19a0mZjjgg4tFNJQT5cobqSI_pBjAAk/s16000/demonsbydesign.png" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span> </span></span></span><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span><i>This article was originally featured in Hardcore Gaming 101's </i>The Unofficial Guide to Shin Megami Tensei and Persona<i>, <a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/books/hg101-presents-the-unofficial-guide-to-shin-megami-tensei-and-persona/">available now in print or digitally at Amazon, and digitally on itch.io and through HG101's Patreon</a>! </i><br /></span></span></span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span>____________________________ <br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSYgXdOGw6Pryc60sSvF4HA991y-lo_MAsHnqje7vKcXxLsBWHPLLHscKM8wjitkOqGu7Kq7aS75Z4MSxXfocAn5fpMpNzVKu460CbPXG4TdSjahAecWyA0CVFJhJwLd89cuPDq4bj5TU/s512/1+cu+chulainn.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="512" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSYgXdOGw6Pryc60sSvF4HA991y-lo_MAsHnqje7vKcXxLsBWHPLLHscKM8wjitkOqGu7Kq7aS75Z4MSxXfocAn5fpMpNzVKu460CbPXG4TdSjahAecWyA0CVFJhJwLd89cuPDq4bj5TU/w320-h240/1+cu+chulainn.png" title="No stomach monster-mouth necessary" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span>You’re walking down a dark, seemingly endless video game corridor when, suddenly, a silhouetted form approaches you from the shadows. Its appearance is obscured, its mutterings are unclear, and its motivations unknown--what could it be? This is a question answered by the very game you find yourself playing. If it’s <i>Final Fantasy</i> and the form calls itself Odin, you know it can’t be the real Odin because there is no Scandinavia in its fictitious world. If you’re playing <i>Doom</i> and the silhouette identifies as Satan, you should question the context because Christian Hell is (believe it or not) more complex than skeletons with rocket launchers. But if the game is <i>Shin Megami Tensei</i> and the figure names itself Cu Chulainn, you can be almost certain it is the actual hero from Irish myth because <i>SMT</i>’s “modern reality with a supernatural twist” setting does not exclude the existence of Ireland and its cultural heritage. And thus is <i>SMT</i>’s version of the RPG “monster”: its demons, which serve as the skeleton of its entire body, supporting all of the series’ gameplay mechanics and texturing its narrative conflicts. </span></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span></span></span></span></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span></span></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrBF9OluAg7VQtPq3u6ZQ0GePf7C4wvW0dLXnRk-IwwxBjszfyR4dBuIPxg-zjiuvFGi-L0q0IyBsLgZS489AVz5o4OWSBHLwL2GL88p1rVVhCeVt5ntpa4ZIhYD4nRtNz5_dRK2N1ubE/s1264/2+Mephisto.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1264" data-original-width="873" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrBF9OluAg7VQtPq3u6ZQ0GePf7C4wvW0dLXnRk-IwwxBjszfyR4dBuIPxg-zjiuvFGi-L0q0IyBsLgZS489AVz5o4OWSBHLwL2GL88p1rVVhCeVt5ntpa4ZIhYD4nRtNz5_dRK2N1ubE/w138-h200/2+Mephisto.png" title="Better than Kaneko's version!" width="138" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Mephisto</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“Demon” is the localized English equivalent for the Japanese “<a href="https://jisho.org/word/%E6%82%AA%E9%AD%94" target="_blank">akuma</a>”; both words literally refer to devilish creatures but <i>Shin Megami Tensei</i>’s generic usage is inclusive of any kind of supernatural being, from actual denizens of Hell to sacred animals to almighty deities. And with <i>Shin Megami Tensei</i> being a video game and video games being a visual medium, demon design is a crucial way the series communicates its distinguishing preference for parity with mythology. Atlus’ two demon designers, the esteemed Kazuma Kaneko and the up-and-coming Masayuki Doi, generally follow the principle of “form follows function,” an idea that also perfectly applies to the symbology of religious art, where the form imitates a deity’s function in nature or its place in a mythic hierarchy; for example, traditional depictions of sun gods include solar imagery like rays or sun discs. Naturally, Kaneko’s version of the Inca sun god Inti is literally a stylized sun head atop a body; meanwhile, Doi’s crimson-clad Mephisto imitates the costuming of plays based on the Faust legend, producing a meaningful archetypal image of the beguiling devil. <i>SMT</i>’s correspondence to myths means a player can read relevant books or Wiki articles and gain useful insight about the demons and themes in the narrative, a practical anomaly in games despite how common mythological references crop up in them.</span><br /></span></span></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXXDGGMXpEsk8alxBCk8Xp6O59Fqu8b95Xt_qpiHW5AWDV1vEJARYbdOoWVJ7r4tEDua7p7s_U9F5mWckSLNNBNu31PZDMt2mMbclD05PwhnVD-NofeXFztasGexgzUGdK-LCmHK130Q/s1696/3+Prometheus+comp.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1630" data-original-width="1696" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXXDGGMXpEsk8alxBCk8Xp6O59Fqu8b95Xt_qpiHW5AWDV1vEJARYbdOoWVJ7r4tEDua7p7s_U9F5mWckSLNNBNu31PZDMt2mMbclD05PwhnVD-NofeXFztasGexgzUGdK-LCmHK130Q/w320-h308/3+Prometheus+comp.png" title="The less said about P5's, the better" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prometheus: without and within</td></tr></tbody></table>Form-and-function demons help <i>Shin Megami Tensei</i> stand apart from the <i>Final Fantasies</i> and <i>Dooms</i> of the world, but are most conveniently contrasted with their equivalents in <i>SMT</i>’s own spinoff, <i>Persona</i>. Basically, personas function as “masks” representing their users’ personalities or roles in the story and are thus chiefly formed to reflect aspects of these individual characters. Greek fire thief Prometheus, whose rebellious enlightening of humanity earned him the torture of being bound to a rock while an eagle pecked his liver, provides an ideal example of the demon-persona contrast as Kaneko designed a version of each: the demon Prometheus is a straightforward humanoid grasping flame that directly recalls the myth, while the persona encases him in the punishing rock that primarily parallels user Baofu’s backstory and mindset. In sum, the demon is an external entity while the persona is an internal force. And though personas also have purposeful design, their tendencies, particularly in the modern era, towards proprietary, exaggerated features earn them company closer to the “anything goes” pop aesthetics of the <i>Final Fantasies</i> and <i>Dooms</i>, distancing them from demon design standards--consistent, contextualized incorporation of imagery from belief systems the world over--and the messaging that the demon is the god or spirit or hero. However, numerous demons nonetheless resemble personas and even <i>SMT</i>’s Slime demon is still just another riff on a <i>Dungeons & Dragons</i> slime, so it’s important to recognize that a flawless, comprehensive adaption of mythology has never been one of the series’ goals. In fact, <a href="https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/p/sub-article-3-complete-demon-design-data.html" target="_blank">after tallying <i>SMT</i>’s 1000+ demon designs</a> the accuracy rate is more like 90%, which is still exceptional for video games and popular media in general. </span></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span></span></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMH9Ih6qy5EyNW7XgUezHbQFQYbT8EDxXN-4ppebV4x7pEheWINfyrfz_XlLQVfdICeZxXzqOW7wkfgnT-rQQx4AomMTUT9lSzhHgn4cUEon4HQ8IYqfim-8s2hGH-S_OdnxwVojWtRY/s2048/4+occult+boom+books.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1423" data-original-width="2048" height="445" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMH9Ih6qy5EyNW7XgUezHbQFQYbT8EDxXN-4ppebV4x7pEheWINfyrfz_XlLQVfdICeZxXzqOW7wkfgnT-rQQx4AomMTUT9lSzhHgn4cUEon4HQ8IYqfim-8s2hGH-S_OdnxwVojWtRY/w640-h445/4+occult+boom+books.png" title="Japanese kids: in league with SATAN since the '70s oil crisis!" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Occult titles from Dragon Books and Jaguar Books popular with late Showa era kids</span></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span></span></span></span></div><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span>The relative complexity of demons as a concept evinces a bevy of inspirations. Indeed, the Megami Tensei franchise and its demons were a product of Japan’s “occult boom,” a cultural trend that began in the ‘60s and peaked in the ‘70s that popularized all manner of weird, dark, and creepy things. Like “demon” itself, Japanese’s usage of “occult” is broad and inclusive of diverse phenomena like UFOs, the “lost” Pacific civilization of Mu, cryptids like Nessie (or Japan’s own Kussie), and of course English-definition occult matters such as magic and demon summoning. The boom produced innumerable books, TV shows, anime, and manga but a few in particular constitute the primordial soup from which <i>Megami Tensei</i> emerged.</span></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZ_99EY_ER0BDWTtdB-xUmXkkLM81longm-7tN5m9xLGXOtcBHqMrCrwKLc0DGMYv7aqyLCgJEY8reSTAiMcyNZxTRg6jvgXHX6TLgZ8wkVBncjnIcB8Ik7cb2swiCcn8ft9AdDgAHxU/s680/5+Mizuki+group.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="680" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZ_99EY_ER0BDWTtdB-xUmXkkLM81longm-7tN5m9xLGXOtcBHqMrCrwKLc0DGMYv7aqyLCgJEY8reSTAiMcyNZxTRg6jvgXHX6TLgZ8wkVBncjnIcB8Ik7cb2swiCcn8ft9AdDgAHxU/w320-h236/5+Mizuki+group.jpg" title="Not pictured but Mizuki-accurate: heapings of McD's food" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A Mizuki self-portrait (sitting), <br />with his creations</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span></span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span>Perhaps most important is the late, great Shigeru Mizuki and his seminal manga creations: the famous <i>GeGeGe no Kitaro</i>, a frontrunner of the occult boom that single-handedly revived Japanese interest in its native fey frighteners, the yokai; and from the same period the less remembered <i>Akuma-kun</i>, which slanted more towards Western occult imagery like the Seal of Solomon hexagram, Christian demons, and other nasties. Mizuki was truly a cosmopolitan, erudite mind and in addition to his manga also also wrote and illustrated books profiling spritely beings worldwide, from Britain’s fairy folk (like <i>SMT</i>’s Pixie, Spriggan) to painfully obscure forest spirits of little-known Malaysian tribes (of these, <i>SMT</i> includes <a href="https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2017/08/kcn-liii-mystery-demons.html" target="_blank">major headache-causer Tingkat and bee-protector Penanggal</a>). Come the 1970s you can add Go Nagai’s <i>Devilman</i> to the mix of Megami Tensei influences, with its brutal demonic violence and Satan-versus-God narrative. In the ‘80s, Hiroshi Aramata’s novel <i>Teito Monogatari</i> would leave the biggest impression in the form of its supernatural Tokyo setting, but it also popularized use of Japanese sorcery and spirit summoning--onmyodo--that is apparent in <i>SMT</i>’s demon mechanics; it also transformed the fallen, beheaded rebel samurai Taira no Masakado from ghost of superstition to pop culture Tokyo metropolis guardian, an idea Atlus was quick to appropriate. </span></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvpC9XomIrthzd3ftlvxUPFN7L-9l6bbsfmceaOMJjC8jeaeHEYfY6dgeEgi8aZ_8nUxzAv58eC3kH37rptugxbItTf4_cYojl0aHezYiEKDIqUYsu3kchBhyJRv7fR6QwqTxLv9-BDp0/s606/5+Satan+Devilman.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="606" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvpC9XomIrthzd3ftlvxUPFN7L-9l6bbsfmceaOMJjC8jeaeHEYfY6dgeEgi8aZ_8nUxzAv58eC3kH37rptugxbItTf4_cYojl0aHezYiEKDIqUYsu3kchBhyJRv7fR6QwqTxLv9-BDp0/w320-h319/5+Satan+Devilman.png" title="Devilman Satan is why SMT Lucifer descriptions say the latter's true form is 12-winged. Obviously: not true" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Devilman's Satan: not all the influences <br />have necessarily been <i>good</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4WmHLSAVQwvGCwKwD-Cyd9DaAs89Jp7afDd8aL8gI1O7LYn537lz7sOKwirN7Aj1ntXudN04VwPlFsE8FP7hoapLYiPC83kxXQB4WM12FpYyX-cGlh_Vac5w8dMuvoptSxHCBcbchgJw/s511/6+DDS.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="511" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4WmHLSAVQwvGCwKwD-Cyd9DaAs89Jp7afDd8aL8gI1O7LYn537lz7sOKwirN7Aj1ntXudN04VwPlFsE8FP7hoapLYiPC83kxXQB4WM12FpYyX-cGlh_Vac5w8dMuvoptSxHCBcbchgJw/w200-h173/6+DDS.png" title="Nakajima is a friggin' jerk" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Megami Tensei and <br />devil digitalization</td></tr></tbody></table>These works and others paved the way for Aya Nishitani’s 1986 novel <i>Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei</i>, which would become popular enough on its own to be adapted into an anime and, obviously, a game. Nishitani’s key establishments regarding demons (besides the term itself) include a Mizuki-style culture mishmashing with a plot that involves the defeat of Norse trickster Loki to save the reincarnation of the primordial Japanese goddess Izanami with the aid of Greek watchdog Cerberus, plus the idea of digitally adapting occult incantations and ritual texts to computer code for easy demon summoning. When adapting the novel into the 1987 game, the nascent Atlus team expanded the demon roster with the diversity of multiple Mizuki publications but also gave them greater purpose through gameplay: negotiation/recruitment and fusion, creating the basic loop of talking demons out of a brawl and into your party before sacrificing two outmoded units to beget an ascended one with better utility. But “Shin” <i>Megami Tensei</i> as we know it truly began with 1990’s <i>Megami Tensei II</i>, which brought with it more of the explicitly Western monotheistic religious narrative that <i>Devilman </i>popularized along with the Tokyo-based mysticism of <i>Teito Monogatari</i>; it is also the first game to feature Kazuma Kaneko’s design work.<br /></span></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvXiz3vcz43pyKOCkVVWMN0ZVGt7hvr3Flp-A3nla5ftBSnIKbhmgCHqwhh_AF2ao362M_FPjFnUYly3hCQoc1blktbpK26K3i9Yn2HpH2BbVa-r33c-bmOwC0m6ACHT0bHYHi2ePV4JU/s2802/7+Michael+comp.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="990" data-original-width="2802" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvXiz3vcz43pyKOCkVVWMN0ZVGt7hvr3Flp-A3nla5ftBSnIKbhmgCHqwhh_AF2ao362M_FPjFnUYly3hCQoc1blktbpK26K3i9Yn2HpH2BbVa-r33c-bmOwC0m6ACHT0bHYHi2ePV4JU/w640-h226/7+Michael+comp.png" title="Jun K. Yard's lament" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Michaels fit to print: MT2, SMT1, SMT2 respectively. Note that the MT2 design is credited to Uriel but is used <br />generically for the archangels; why does it have boobs? That's MT2 for you<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><span>The evolution of Kaneko’s art style is also the evolution of demon design. For <i>Megami Tensei II</i> and the Super Famicom trilogy, Kaneko first designed the sprites--most of which shared parts and templates--before creating their full, expanded line art colored with markers for promotional material like books and magazines. It’s in this demon art that one can most clearly see their evolution across <i>MT2</i>, <i>SMT1</i>, and <i>SMT2</i> (<i>SMT if…</i> has no individual demon illustrations) and a convenient example of this progression is the archangel Michael, who has distinct representations in each of the three games. The exaggerated proportions and musculature of <i>MT2</i>’s raw, ‘80s OVA style (betraying Kaneko’s previous work as an animator) mostly eschew source material; here, Michael’s half nude, generic archangel design looks more inspired by <i>Devilman</i>’s angels than anything. The more symmetrical demons of <i>SMT1 </i>conform to fundamental mythic imagery but lack flair and nuance; likewise, <i>SMT1</i>’s luminously orange Michael with spear, cuirass, and skirt looks flat <a href="https://kanekocribs.tumblr.com/post/98745948752/kanekos-crib-notes-part-xii-michael-today" target="_blank">even as it is directly inspired by a sculpture on the facade of Coventry Cathedral in England</a>. By <i>SMT2</i>, Kaneko’s precision exploded with increased detail and ornamentation; for Michael, this vivified his <i>SMT1</i> look with better highlights, shading, and a more dynamic pose. <br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxGuhfqf9NK9TvMbz8DP0kblShwqZ1mzRNBomu8yCizYGUOBewph7uo_ExNYueOtvvA4Fg64ANxq_ezQ39T8azhkEoW5DxrHwgs_YoAau5_9Hi8VIa_7yNiilWpqIZNaqlgJZ8yC-oN8/s2048/8+Tzitzimitl.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1175" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxGuhfqf9NK9TvMbz8DP0kblShwqZ1mzRNBomu8yCizYGUOBewph7uo_ExNYueOtvvA4Fg64ANxq_ezQ39T8azhkEoW5DxrHwgs_YoAau5_9Hi8VIa_7yNiilWpqIZNaqlgJZ8yC-oN8/w115-h200/8+Tzitzimitl.jpg" title="Think about it" width="115" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tztitzimitl, star<br />of the show</td></tr></tbody></table>In the 32-bit era, demons would be represented in-game by reductions of Kaneko’s actual finished artwork, beginning life as line art on paper before being digitally scanned and colored and shaded via Photoshop, the latter step often aided by the unfortunately overlooked Megumi Shiraishi (look for her “MEG” signature). This by far his most prolific and creative period, Kaneko’s diverse interests like French fashion produced demons such as Aztec star goddess Tzitzimitl, who is arms akimbo on a pleather dress like she’s ready to saunter down a runway--if her entire body wasn’t abstracted with stellar imagery, that is. The switch to digital was certainly the inflection point for Kaneko’s style, as art for the final period of his demon designing career between 2001 and 2009 represents mostly a refining of technique with a wider range of colors and a subtler implementation of gradients and shading. Since Kaneko’s ostensible retirement, Masayuki Doi’s demons so far also generally adhere to this latter period. But after two decades of art, Kaneko’s legacy is defining demon design as the essential forms and functions of traditional mythological imagery complemented by appropriate modern elements, bestowing <i>SMT </i>with an unrivaled potential to inform players about tangible beliefs and cultural motifs. <br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHaiEoLXmDDYD-JMr9VOCnV2NkGSZiwt8rNBQes-GLG3iw2hy3h2gZXMKimWWKHbzwqhbf0Ysc7tHS7YOUC31ZJs8YhDIs654Zb1e9Mf5nMFcaWC6efxemHFizmgFDwobEVUYiCkL3yw/s994/9+Spawn+and+Zaou+Gongen.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="808" data-original-width="994" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHaiEoLXmDDYD-JMr9VOCnV2NkGSZiwt8rNBQes-GLG3iw2hy3h2gZXMKimWWKHbzwqhbf0Ysc7tHS7YOUC31ZJs8YhDIs654Zb1e9Mf5nMFcaWC6efxemHFizmgFDwobEVUYiCkL3yw/w200-h163/9+Spawn+and+Zaou+Gongen.png" title="Should probably find an appropriate Spawn figure to update this comparison" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The eternally relevant<br />Spawn x Zaou combo</td></tr></tbody></table>Prioritizing source material in demon design is one thing but <i>Shin Megami Tensei</i> is equally well-known for its outright cribbing of art old and new. No single work is more obvious a fount for Kaneko and Doi than the infamous 19th century French demonic tome the <a href="https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionnaire_infernal/6e_%C3%A9d.,_1863" target="_blank"><i>Dictionnaire Infernal</i></a>, whose illustrations for Hell’s royalty like <a href="https://kanekocribs.tumblr.com/post/128071987866">Beelzebub, Belphegor</a>, <a href="https://kanekocribs.tumblr.com/post/138063805391/kanekos-crib-notes-xxxiv-adramelech-doicribs" target="_blank">Adramelech</a> and others <i>SMT</i> duplicates precisely; direct adaptations like these also reinforce the authenticity of the demon roster. But <i>SMT </i>lifts equally, if not more, from pop culture, like <i>MT2</i>’s Jason Voorhees analogue “<a href="https://kanekocribs.tumblr.com/post/132297051196/kanekos-crib-notes-xxxi-halloween-spooktacular" target="_blank">Friday</a>” and <i>SMT2</i>’s maybe-not-legally-distinct-enough <a href="https://kanekocribs.tumblr.com/post/101203444111/kanekos-crib-notes-xv-betelgeuse" target="_blank">Betelgeuse</a>, from <i>Beetlejuice</i>. One of the most unlikely cribs begins with <a href="https://kanekocribs.tumblr.com/post/158984498701/kanekos-crib-notes-xlix-comic-relief-inversion" target="_blank">Kaneko’s late-’90s obsession with <i>Spawn </i>action figures</a>, resulting in the design of Zaou Gongen, a Japanese Buddhist deity of mountain ascetics, wearing the chains and grotesque belt of Spawn himself. For a series that’s so unquestionably Japanese it’s not the kind of crossover you’d expect, but such a breadth of influences helps keep the Kaneko demons interesting even after 20+ years of constant recycling. <br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFQKHx9wnuhLzQz4CkwoaubDJ8WECovP_A5Iv2Fh8OqZfxL1IL2eRGSa2uIjieVGqznJrVeFgZ2R6To3QeqVXF-FQBO-HjyEb5Bt0ANH2-H41yo69zxDV8MA-lSYVoX6L5lMgw5qgYHo/s956/10+zeuses.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="956" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFQKHx9wnuhLzQz4CkwoaubDJ8WECovP_A5Iv2Fh8OqZfxL1IL2eRGSa2uIjieVGqznJrVeFgZ2R6To3QeqVXF-FQBO-HjyEb5Bt0ANH2-H41yo69zxDV8MA-lSYVoX6L5lMgw5qgYHo/w320-h194/10+zeuses.png" title="Zeus birthed gods from his body: wow, mythology is CRAZY and MAKES NO SENSE" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zeuses or: playing around with a ball and dick</td></tr></tbody></table>If 90% of demons harmonize coherently, that leaves the 10% that don’t play by the rules--rarely for the better, mostly for the worse. Take Zeus, who, for being such a famous god, has seen his fair share of design flubs in the series like Kaneko’s raging lightning-ball head the artist himself decried, or Masayuki Doi’s black-and-white exoskeleton…thing. Then there’s <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i>’s flawed experiment of hiring tokusatsu artists to design demons, which mercifully seems like it was a one-off; the creative high of the face-within-a-face Minotaur was entirely outflanked by form-and-function failures like the incongruously disordered archangel quartet and a cavalcade of indistinguishable, interchangeable monster designs nigh-impossible to identify by sight alone. But the worst visual communication in the series may come from two of its most popular Kaneko-designed demons. The infamous Mara’s entire phallic existence hinges on a pun (“mara'' is Japanese slang for, well, <i>you know</i>) and though clever and highly memorable, it’s a form that ensures many players will never see him as the Buddhist lord of temptation and death he really is. Another is death-obsessed Alice, who has the appearance of Lewis Carroll’s curious moppet but not her genuine disposition--Wonderland’s Alice never wanted to murder the March Hare or Mad Hatter. In truth, <i>SMT</i>’s version is an original creation referring back to the undead Alice’s scenario in SMT1; it’s created a rare case where a source-accurate form has distorted the intent. </span></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDVTwbuuIBCDd0LaHemNHvBjB-U2iaHUB-daiKwotgiZQawYJyB46-HNkC2wnTpP7K78Wc15GH1AC01YhSHaQ7XPexA0iKoeWqiQz2W3AmF5Xze55GKBQLrjfHpLtyejuycYmnwLpWdsM/s1375/10+Mara+alice.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="1375" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDVTwbuuIBCDd0LaHemNHvBjB-U2iaHUB-daiKwotgiZQawYJyB46-HNkC2wnTpP7K78Wc15GH1AC01YhSHaQ7XPexA0iKoeWqiQz2W3AmF5Xze55GKBQLrjfHpLtyejuycYmnwLpWdsM/w640-h208/10+Mara+alice.png" title="A penis and a little girl: SMT's uncomfortable parallels to the modern anime industry" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Mara and Alice: SMT's top two demons as voted by internet users in 2017</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span><br />10% may seem relatively inconsequential (it’s still over 100 demons) but <i>SMT </i>does not exist in a vacuum but rather it competes for hearts, minds, and sales in an industry that largely treats religious and mythological subjects as either taboo, an annoyance to creativity, or merely an endless repository of names for fantasy monsters. And most challenging of all is <i>SMT</i>’s forced struggle for distinction with <i>Persona</i>’s eponymous psychical types and shadows, opponents it may never be popular enough to overcome. Between video game conventions and internal rivalries, that 10% may offer just enough ambiguity to render <i>SMT</i>’s characteristic message of cultural correspondence indecipherable for many.</span></span></span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPj5UX3GnsxTJGYLbFNZnO21DKZRnT1XNFIYjFZfvTjKozi2DOjGBWDEOBqb3_Am1Wg1kPdFdJfGuBsu7oJZvgsPC9nZHJDB3IoCkrdVKjobvcs2h3ZDOUXxtfL_lUFttUc50EgRVjUM/s1400/12+Dagda+comp.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1400" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPj5UX3GnsxTJGYLbFNZnO21DKZRnT1XNFIYjFZfvTjKozi2DOjGBWDEOBqb3_Am1Wg1kPdFdJfGuBsu7oJZvgsPC9nZHJDB3IoCkrdVKjobvcs2h3ZDOUXxtfL_lUFttUc50EgRVjUM/w320-h246/12+Dagda+comp.png" title="The fat guy was just too square for a protagonist with the lyrics to Imagine on his jumpsuit" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dagda's identity crisis</td></tr></tbody></table></span></span></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And thus demons hold a precarious position at the forefront of the battle between Atlus former and Atlus present. Though promotional tools for most of their existence, demons are now tools for appealing to the lowest common denominator rather than advertising a unique identity. Here there is no more obvious form-and-function demon design failure than </span><i style="font-family: helvetica;">SMT4A</i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">’s Dagda; in Irish myth an elder god who enjoys the simpler pleasures in life like food and sex, the game twists him into an unpleasant, nihilistic fiend. However, Masayuki Doi’s concept art shows that he did in fact initially sketch Dagda as plump and mellow--and why this was left on the cutting room floor in favor of Skeletor-with-an-apocalyptic-grudge speaks to an obvious inclination for marketable “coolness” over mythology, something presumably out of Doi’s control. Even as Atlus now chooses to depict <a href="https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Demeter?file=Demeter.png" target="_blank">mother goddess Demeter as a loli</a> and invent its own deities like the baffling <a href="https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Maitreya?file=SMTIVA+Mitra.jpg" target="_blank">Mitra-Buddha</a>, there’s good news to be found in the following impossible scenario: should </span><i style="font-family: helvetica;">SMT</i><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> deliver nothing but lousy demons at its going average of 25 new designs every 5 years, it will take until 2085 before that A-grade 90% dips below 70% and into failing territory. So realistically, the enriching mythic message of </span><i style="font-family: helvetica;">SMT </i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">will never die out completely.</span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The structure and broad mythic significance demons provide <i>Shin Megami Tensei</i> transforms what would otherwise be the standard video game progression of a low-level sidekick leveling to high-level ally into a resonating revelation of growth: an initial pairing with simple beings of childhood fancy like Pixie will culminate in commanding supreme beings of life, death, and the universe such as Hindu existence-preserver Vishnu. The demons <i>are </i>your journey.</span></span></span></span><p></p><p><span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7AWZWv3_INpxGOJjNYVZ2Ksy4kvCUy0nNE5QKtdqcy_R4EAkYoOE0hhiEdKNs-Q_kcLEIK6drq6T-y59RsISMWCu1BACh7wqL6Cy2_BMGV_ZYH052BQ93AyeK-EoLe-n1jeqYLO-Uhj8/s1235/13+Shin_Megami_Tensei_1_Official_Poster_crop.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1235" data-original-width="1210" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7AWZWv3_INpxGOJjNYVZ2Ksy4kvCUy0nNE5QKtdqcy_R4EAkYoOE0hhiEdKNs-Q_kcLEIK6drq6T-y59RsISMWCu1BACh7wqL6Cy2_BMGV_ZYH052BQ93AyeK-EoLe-n1jeqYLO-Uhj8/w314-h320/13+Shin_Megami_Tensei_1_Official_Poster_crop.jpg" title="Pictured: a fun and thrilling demon journey widely available for modern platforms" width="314" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span><br /></span></span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span> ____________________________</span></span></span></p><p><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span>Thanks to Kurt Kalata and Hardcore Gaming 101 for the chance to write for the SMT/Persona book project! </span></span></span></i></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEietdkEpnmVmhMdDQTwBXcFbe-scP2L51DVq6QQx9IWCavpwUqmVA7w9qzMhRpMh_A9IxUgEmxPirpWPbU0k9MS_u1X7H26ubm-jxxUGKKPBXlWW3Ue52nckfQT14ZYUmec2g38SwcDPhg/s1000/smtbook-front-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEietdkEpnmVmhMdDQTwBXcFbe-scP2L51DVq6QQx9IWCavpwUqmVA7w9qzMhRpMh_A9IxUgEmxPirpWPbU0k9MS_u1X7H26ubm-jxxUGKKPBXlWW3Ue52nckfQT14ZYUmec2g38SwcDPhg/s320/smtbook-front-2.jpg" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span><br /><i>Note that Demons by Design comprises only 4 pages out of the book's 190 on every Megami Tensei game short of P5S (and includes my other contribution, a Nocturne review). <b><a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/books/hg101-presents-the-unofficial-guide-to-shin-megami-tensei-and-persona/">HG101 has you covered on all the details right here</a></b>! </i><br /></span></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span> -Eirikr <br />P.S. eat shit blogger</span><br /></span></span></p></div></div>Eirikrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708584583156602408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102004681763150356.post-77012345592501265372018-07-04T15:55:00.000-04:002019-04-11T21:22:38.631-04:00Henshin-A-No-No, Baby! Why "Ultra" Odin Paints a Grim Future for Shin Megami Tensei Demon Design<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">by </span><b style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://sorenblr.tumblr.com/">Soren</a></b><span style="font-size: large;"> and </span><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Eirikr</b></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The mercurial Norse deity
Odin is a fascinating subject, one interpreted in countless ways around the
world. He has been variously portrayed as a warrior king from outer space, a
slicing-and-dicing quasi-samurai, and even most recently as a mushroom munching
megalomaniac. Still another imagined him as just a naked purple guy, a concept
so unremarkable we expect its creator to be long out of a job.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">But enter Masayuki Doi and
his ultra-modern Odin designed for <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse</i>. Cool,
streamlined, and poised to kick major butt, this Odin is a perfect image of the
contemporary pop culture zeitgeist--but a less than perfect image of Odin
himself. Continuing from <a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2018/06/kcn-lvi-doi.html">where we left off in our Kaneko’s Crib Notes examination of Doi’s career</a>, we turn now to the burgeoning artist’s demons to
examine their ups and many downs as refracted through Odin’s flawed prism. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Do the problems lie only
with the adoption of superficial pop culture? Is it a desperation to ride
Persona’s gilded coattails? Or is it deficient leadership and research? Can a
series purportedly about mythology and religion continue to make that claim if
its forms don’t reflect cultural standards? In an exhaustive examination of
Shin Megami Tensei demon design past and present, we answer all of these
daunting questions and much, much more… and offer a little wisdom for a
brighter future with the eternal symbols of myth and legend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><u>Who is Odin?</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Odin (or Wotan, Woden,
etc.) is a famous enough deity that a remedial biography might seem unnecessary.
Sure, he’s the chief god of the Norse pantheon, has the spear Gungnir, rides
the eight-legged horse Sleipnir and all that--common knowledge! Still, it’s
necessary for our purposes to ascertain a popular consensus on who Odin really
is. First, let’s see what some general mythology reference books have to say
about him:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjR975dfp5oedJoKMqjoPJo_MDNxQKbrQAgqOiSpGX_KWKnazoPxJtLrN3cf-vDT7RKAWMsT7AGwOWwY2Wd-td3X665__ZxiZz5-W7Jqx_xfi-AmZmwTk67xiW-OXbinILrKjtSqf41M/s1600/DIyhRBBXgAAiLGQ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjR975dfp5oedJoKMqjoPJo_MDNxQKbrQAgqOiSpGX_KWKnazoPxJtLrN3cf-vDT7RKAWMsT7AGwOWwY2Wd-td3X665__ZxiZz5-W7Jqx_xfi-AmZmwTk67xiW-OXbinILrKjtSqf41M/s320/DIyhRBBXgAAiLGQ.jpg" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Mime and the Wanderer,<br />Arthur Rackham</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>Odin is the ‘all-father.’
...god of magic and of war. ...Odin leads the Aesir, the gods of war, death and
power</i>. (<i>Mythologies of the World: The Illustrated Guide to Mythological Beliefs
& Customs</i>, p. 68)<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>The ruler of Asgard, Odin
was god of war, storms, magic, inspiration, and the underworld. The oldest and
greatest of all the Norse gods, he created the cosmos with his brothers Vili
and Ve. There were two secrets to Odin’s power. The first was his ability to
change shape, taking any form he wished. The second was his wisdom, which he
got by drinking from Mimir’s well. This contained dew from one of the roots of
the world’s great ash tree, Yggdrasil</i>. (<i>DK Illustrated Dictionary of Mythology</i>,
p. 82)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>God of the sky, war, and
victory in battle. Odin summoned the fallen to Valhalla, Hall of the Slain at
Asgard. He is known in Nordic, Icelandic, and Germanic myth, and is associated
with wolves and ravens, which, as scavengers, symbolize death. Prisoners of war
were sacrificed to Odin in imitation of his own self-immolation at the world
tree, Yggdrasil. Odin was also the god of wealth</i>. (<i>DK Signs & Symbols</i>, p.
143)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">These books agree on a few
points, namely that Odin is the ruler of the Aesir gods and that he is a god of
war and magic, but there are many discrepancies between them for what qualifies
as basic information, some of it not the most modern. Case in point, the </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">DK
Illustrated Dictionary of Mythology</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">’s naming of Odin as storm god may refer to
an association with the wind that likely stems from Richard Wagner’s Wotan in
his famous Ring Cycle; in the general mythology, Odin sharing storm and thus
thunder duties with Thor would be more than a little redundant. But taken
together, however, these descriptions do constitute the broad, collective
overview of the role and identity of Odin, obviously a complex deity. Still, if
these mainstream-focused books are sometimes inconsistent, what do the scholars
who specialize in Norse religion have to say about Odin?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">...<i>Wotan or Odin, the
fierce god of death and battle, inspiration and magic lore</i>… (<i>Scandinavian
Mythology</i>, p. 12)<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>Odin is primarily the god
of the dead and ruler of the underworld</i>. (<i>Scandinavian Mythology</i>, p. 42)<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>God of poetry, wisdom,
hosts, and the dead; in the received mythology head of the pantheon</i>. (<i>Norse
Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs</i>, p. 247) </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Here the descriptions are
more specific, though first it’s important to know the date of publication of
each book: Hilda Roderick Ellis Davidson’s <i>Scandinavian Mythology</i> was published
in 1969, John Lindow’s <i>Norse Mythology</i> in 2001. Clearly the overall consensus
on Odin hadn’t changed significantly in the 30+ years between them (and Lindow
even praises Ellis Davidson in his book), but it can be presumed that Lindow’s
information is more up-to-date. Important for our purposes is that both sources
emphasize Odin’s death aspect as well as the martial, though both curiously
avoid using the term “god of war” outright, instead associating him with
“battle” and “hosts” (i.e., armies); this distinction seems semantic but it
more accurately frames Odin within the context of armed conflict: he may
influence wars, but he himself is not a warrior. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Odin and Frigg, Lorenz Frølich</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">In the words of the
renowned 20th century French mythographer Georges Dumézil in his <i>Mythes et
dieux des Germains</i> (<i>Myths and Gods of the Germans</i>) via Mircea Eliade’s <i>Images
and Symbols</i>: “<i>Odin is certainly the governor, the warrior-chief in this world
and the next. Yet neither in the prose Edda nor in the Edda poems does he
himself fight…. He has a whole series of magical ‘gifts’--that of ubiquity, or
at least of instantaneous transport; the art of disguise and the gift of the
unlimited metamorphosis; lastly and chiefly, the gift of being able to blind,
deafen or paralyse his adversaries and deprive their weapons of all efficacy</i>.”
(pp. 92-93) While Thor is the Norse god who most often commits violent,
physical acts (usually beating giants over the head), Odin is seemingly content
to observe battles from the sidelines and utilize his magical powers as he sees
fit; he is hardly a “badass” in the modern pop sense. Says Larousse World
Mythology, “<i>Whereas Odin was the sovereign magician who directed battles, made
his enemies powerless and chose the slain for Valhalla, Thor is more like the
best fighter, the most redoubtable man under arms, whose blows are invariably
fatal</i>.” (p. 372)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">In myth, Odin is only ever
said to participate in battles in the Aesir-Vanir War (which ends in a
stalemate and agreement to fold the Vanir into the Aesir group), and of course
his inescapable death in the jaws of Fenrir at Ragnarok in the mythological
future (in the sense that it is something yet to come for both man and god). In
the description of the Aesir-Vanir War in the <i>Poetic Edda</i>’s <i>Voluspa</i>, it says
that “<i>Odin shot a spear, hurled it over the host / that was still the first war
in the world</i>” (stanza 24); he initiates the war (the first in Norse cosmology)
by throwing a spear over the Vanir’s heads (presumably Gungnir, even though it
was technically not created until later), but it does not end in a total
victory for the Aesir; nonetheless, the reconciliation of the Aesir and Vanir
is ultimately beneficial for both sides. And at Ragnarok, even though Odin is
definitely wielding his Gungnir, spear of sovereign symbolic strength, he is
still fated to die and does not even kill his archfoe Fenrir, as that task will
only be completed by his son Vidar. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURHCOHWbhmR9as9b61_mOw5JnpkWiUaN9rqqRw8uAwV5t1zcPsBCjJO80JkO6PD-V7jYL3H2SVv0kALOZoKviWgAhgjhDmTPVuCldFDrLUmhRFdmy6ihDcU71-SFd3teL3E4N4bcR0Ag/s1600/640px-Fenrir_and_Odin_by_Fr%25C3%25B8lich.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURHCOHWbhmR9as9b61_mOw5JnpkWiUaN9rqqRw8uAwV5t1zcPsBCjJO80JkO6PD-V7jYL3H2SVv0kALOZoKviWgAhgjhDmTPVuCldFDrLUmhRFdmy6ihDcU71-SFd3teL3E4N4bcR0Ag/s1600/640px-Fenrir_and_Odin_by_Fr%25C3%25B8lich.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Odin rides against Fenrir, Lorenz Frølich</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">But in the historical
“present” of the Norse (as in, when the myths were recorded), Odin, as chief
deity, was given tribute by historical lords and chieftains who wished for
victory in battles. Defined by a worldview where Odin reigned supreme, it would
be reckoned by these Valhalla-wishers that whoever gave him the best tribute
and sacrifices would be given favor on the battlefield with Gungnir on their
side--or not, because in stark reality the inclinations of Odin or any other
non-existent deity would only be as influential as a belligerent faction’s strategy,
skill, or numbers. “<i>It was said of Odin that he set kings a-warring, or, as
Saxo put it, ‘he weaves the dooms of the mighty and fils Phlegethon with noble
shapes</i>.’” (<i>Scandinavian Mythology</i>, p. 28) Indeed, in the <i>Lokasenna</i>, Loki
criticizes Odin for sometimes handing victory to the inferior force, showing
how Odin’s war aspect was perceived as that of an overseer or manipulator
rather than an active combative agent. Along with his valkyries, choosers of
the mortal slain, and the crazed berserkers who fought in his name, Odin’s war
associations are best understood in the context of human conflict. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">It is in this role as
“sovereign magician” over battle and hosts that also explains Odin as a god of
death. Loki’s words in the <i>Lokasenna</i> may have called Odin’s bluff over his
capriciousness, but it also frames it as a conscious selection of preferring
the superior soldiers to die so they can become the valkyries’ chosen: the
einherjar. In the afterlife, the einherjar are famously carted to none other
than Valhalla (or Valhöll in Old Norse), which “<i>appears to have been a symbol
of the grave rather than some bright abode of the sky. ...It seems to be a kind
of riddling account of the field of battle… where the doors of death are opened
for many</i>.” (<i>Scandinavian Mythology</i>, p. 42) Lindow translates Valhöll as
“<i>carrion-hall</i>” (p. 308), which does not paint a romantic picture of the place. At the
Valhöll and its environs, repeatedly do the einherjar battle and die by day and
rise again and feast by night, all in anticipation of Ragnarok: “<i>In the
literature the reason given for Odin’s hospitality was that he was collecting a
mighty host from among the noble dead to follow him in the last great battle,
when the gods would have to fight for survival against monsters and giants</i>.”
(<i>Scandinavian Mythology</i>, p. 28) </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSgOYCFJk9r6gXN5z20Xv8xxxskbQbOt32lOjjIUfdmocTlHpTjYx4Mt27TagrvfaDxmsnLpKeAYiiHJg4XGyKUHgjzmPpRYsJWv5YP9UENuWIvGefIPiCoRYagzwH3mjlR50HdsV0e6s/s1600/DOEPLERODINMimir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="800" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSgOYCFJk9r6gXN5z20Xv8xxxskbQbOt32lOjjIUfdmocTlHpTjYx4Mt27TagrvfaDxmsnLpKeAYiiHJg4XGyKUHgjzmPpRYsJWv5YP9UENuWIvGefIPiCoRYagzwH3mjlR50HdsV0e6s/s640/DOEPLERODINMimir.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Odin at Mimir's well, Emil Doepler</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySW4kAhSykoXl5q_4bmcGXS48nSeN08mlFL0389YtG0DMpRlVbjyXZlXJagz5-kGJH9I-j0L0YXwA6xWKEIUY0VMs6F-5TCW2BJgQg0j2e1zjkcYC0gwN38Qc-gAzKwSWe3PCn3n1S-E/s1600/The_Sacrifice_of_Odin_by_Fr%25C3%25B8lich.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1088" data-original-width="538" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySW4kAhSykoXl5q_4bmcGXS48nSeN08mlFL0389YtG0DMpRlVbjyXZlXJagz5-kGJH9I-j0L0YXwA6xWKEIUY0VMs6F-5TCW2BJgQg0j2e1zjkcYC0gwN38Qc-gAzKwSWe3PCn3n1S-E/s200/The_Sacrifice_of_Odin_by_Fr%25C3%25B8lich.jpg" width="98" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Odin's sacrifice,<br />Lorenz Frølich</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">In characterizing Odin, it
would be remiss not to expand on “his obsessive quest for wisdom, particularly
for information about Ragnarok” (Introduction to Vafthrudnir’s Sayings, The
Poetic Edda, p. 39), which itself has some ties to the death theme. First is
the creation of the wisdom figure Kvasir by the Aesir and Vanir, who is killed
by dwarves and turned into the intellect-increasing mead of poetry (or
inspiration), which ends up in the possession of giants; after a convoluted
episode where Odin assumes the name of Bölverk (“evil-deed”) and magically
turns the giants’ weapons against them, he successfully steals the mead for the
benefit of the Aesir. Possibly as a result of imbibing the mead of poetry,
“<i>Odin spoke only in verse</i>.” (<i>Norse Mythology</i>, p. 227) Odin also obtains great
wisdom and hints of Ragnarok from the preserved severed head of the god Mimir,
into whose well he also sacrificed an eye to gain additional magical insight.
Lastly, Odin obtains occult runic wisdom through self-sacrifice on the branches
of Yggdrasil: “<i>The tree on which the Norse god Odin sacrificed himself was
called Yggdrasil, ‘the horse of Odin,’ and it grew at the center of the world.
In its roots were hidden the runes, the alphabet of poetic divination.
Suspended from its branches for nine long nights, Odin ‘rode’ the tree and
obtained its secrets</i>.” (<i>The Book of Symbols</i>, p. 746) This event is the basis
for one of the most famous stanzas in Norse poetry: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>I know that I hung on a
windy tree</i></span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>nine long nights</i></span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>wounded with a spear,
dedicated to Odin,</i></span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>myself to myself,<br /> </i></span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>on that tree of which no
man knows<br /> </i></span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>from where its roots run.<br /> </i></span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">(<i>Sayings of the High One</i>
[<i>Havamal</i>], stanza 138)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Lindow states outright
that “<i>Odin’s most important characteristic is his wisdom</i>.” (p. 248) And fitting
for a wisdom figure, Odin was also considered advanced in age; the <i>Poetic Edda</i>
refers to Odin in stanza 28 of the <i>Voluspa</i>, saying, “<i>the old man came, the
Terrible One of the Aesir</i>.” Losing an eye and gored with a spear, these wounds
would be proof of a warrior’s glory if they weren’t self-inflicted--and for the
sake of wisdom, no less. But despite the abundance of wisdom at Odin’s
disposal, even he would not be able to prevent the fatalism inherent with
Ragnarok. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYN8kOaoA8Ou-nZ2lt0MZjPitUrpd88Vdi3cOc-F99NCE3OAEL-TFU_Jv2jluzxx0aIwArnd-pu5OPPevNkl0kOQAiis3jLa6ISO9iJ8Z4Ha2_h79cjoSJ-DeoYOX6tiuGjiLIVFSqARQ/s1600/Billingr%2527s_girl_bitch_and_Odin_by_Fr%25C3%25B8lich.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="800" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYN8kOaoA8Ou-nZ2lt0MZjPitUrpd88Vdi3cOc-F99NCE3OAEL-TFU_Jv2jluzxx0aIwArnd-pu5OPPevNkl0kOQAiis3jLa6ISO9iJ8Z4Ha2_h79cjoSJ-DeoYOX6tiuGjiLIVFSqARQ/s320/Billingr%2527s_girl_bitch_and_Odin_by_Fr%25C3%25B8lich.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Odin and Billing's girl, Lorenz Frølich</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">There are also unsavory
elements of Odin’s character. He attempts the seduction of “Billing’s girl”
(Billing being a giant or dwarf, the girl herself unnamed), among other women,
but she rebuffs his advances by tying a “<i>bitch</i>” to her bedpost. Odin also uses
magic to entrance a goddess named Rind and rapes her; this results in the god
Vali, who avenges the death of Baldr by striking down his killer, his brother
Hod. These sexual transgressions recall the escapades of a certain Greek father
god. Additionally, Odin was the chief recipient of sacrifices, both human and
animal. “<i>Reflecting Odin’s ‘hanging,’ it was a Norse custom to sacrifice men
and animals to the god by hanging them in trees; therefore Odin was known as
Hangatyr (‘God of the Hanged’) and Galgatyr (‘Gallows God’)</i>.” (<i>The Book of
Symbols</i>, p. 746) But for a god who plays with the lives of men, these
unpleasant features of Odin’s character and cult are not entirely out of left
field and are consistent with the characteristics of supreme gods of other
pantheons. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">To reiterate, Odin is a
complex deity and we’ve described here just a few of his many facets. As summed
up by Larousse World Mythology, “<i>Odin has pride of place, for he is the
unquestioned chief of the entire society of gods. He is endowed with powers that
surpass all others, he is the most knowledgeable, the fullest initiate into
mysteries, the master of magic, of supreme science and poetry. But he is also
the god of war, particularly in the West German regions, where he is called
Wodan</i>.” (p. 367) Though as we move on to Odin in Shin Megami Tensei, it would
be wise to remember not just his aspects of death and wisdom but the specific
application of his status as war god... and why he is definitely not the pantheon's deity of thunder and lightning. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><u>Kazuma Kaneko's Legacy of
Odins</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Odin is one of the Megami
Tensei franchise demon elite that have received three or more designs by former
series artist Kazuma Kaneko; four designs over a period of only seven years, to
be exact. Despite that special attention Odin was never given a starring role
in the Kaneko era, instead relegated to being a mere demon companion or
appearing as a glorified cameo in minor sidequests. As for the the designs themselves,
popular opinion perceives a gulf in quality between them, to put it mildly.
Let’s take a brief look at each one. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Megami Tensei II</i> (1990)</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydiEpoLP58DEQFda5HzhFc1s7ndsNt5MejKKKz5qFkMyJm8NQLyB_U1l59r0JRWdioKpYrZlrvx00X2TsCa_00_g7FY4xVM10Bzh9hlP6YiqGap-Iwrts0P8HvmodVR-wlj2f7VZp8A4/s1600/odin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1506" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydiEpoLP58DEQFda5HzhFc1s7ndsNt5MejKKKz5qFkMyJm8NQLyB_U1l59r0JRWdioKpYrZlrvx00X2TsCa_00_g7FY4xVM10Bzh9hlP6YiqGap-Iwrts0P8HvmodVR-wlj2f7VZp8A4/s200/odin.jpg" width="188" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">An Odin most ancient, with
features that include a stereotypical Viking helmet, a simple tunic with cape,
and a full beard; it also has reddish-pink skin that would portend
dermatological things to come for the Norse tribe... maybe. By Kaneko's own
admission he didn't put much thought into source material for the <i>Megami Tensei
II</i> designs, <b><a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/10/31/the-other-face-of-the-demon-artist-kaneko-kazuma/">[1]</a></b> which shows here by the choice of Odin brandishing an axe
rather than his typical spear, suggesting that the <a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Odin#Megami_Tensei">original Megami Tensei sprite</a> may have served as a reference. However, remove the axe blade and the
shaft’s pointed tip suggests a spear anyway. Other than the axe, this design is
not bad if a bit unremarkable. And just as a programming note: we generally won’t
be discussing Kaneko's <i>Megami Tensei II</i> designs beyond this entry. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Shin Megami Tensei</i> (1992)</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Z0km9mogOJE2gJHl1KuFi5HMmI228v0FJvR6VuyASI9axnAhbpvqRCXtqYJf_h6Sdpa18KTJp4QcTbCtH3FEreKP2cfIm2Z4qsHx29yrO6TZdINB8c0CR2zKX_tW52vU778IbO1rf4E/s1600/05-Odin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1032" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Z0km9mogOJE2gJHl1KuFi5HMmI228v0FJvR6VuyASI9axnAhbpvqRCXtqYJf_h6Sdpa18KTJp4QcTbCtH3FEreKP2cfIm2Z4qsHx29yrO6TZdINB8c0CR2zKX_tW52vU778IbO1rf4E/s320/05-Odin.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The differences between
this and the previous design are quite stark: a spear for the axe, a white cape
for a green one, an eyepatch for an eye, and a stylized horned helmet for the
predecessor’s $12.99 Party City costume prop. And, uh, of course there’s also
the All-Father’s new clothes (and, by extension, new beard), which do nothing
but accentuate his finely-toned purple body. Since nudity is a grave sin in the
eyes of software ratings boards across the globe, whenever this Odin appears
rendered in the 3D he requires a groin covering, affectionately earning him the
name “<b>Diaper Odin</b>.” An altogether simpler Odin than <i>Megami Tensei II</i>’s, and
none the more revered for it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Devil Summoner</i> (1995)</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfYKa1tPalFk9KOtem06SwT6T5ykXrIq1yzI6xi6iJzMi4F7GWDr4YlarLA_eaG64NzsmcIXTkj0Xom1HIweyMLbDY2gla4jUTzWcsEEz42GRwDZXcSE99DD1DZzZU9XPQ6SnjfWmJusE/s1600/073+Odin-B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1327" data-original-width="981" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfYKa1tPalFk9KOtem06SwT6T5ykXrIq1yzI6xi6iJzMi4F7GWDr4YlarLA_eaG64NzsmcIXTkj0Xom1HIweyMLbDY2gla4jUTzWcsEEz42GRwDZXcSE99DD1DZzZU9XPQ6SnjfWmJusE/s320/073+Odin-B.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">A simple remake of <i>SMT1</i>’s
Odin, with the major change being that the cape is now more of a full cloak or
robe, draping over the shoulders and covering the still-naked body except for a
li’l purple dad leg. The only additions are some dark locks of hair emerging
from the (now silver instead of gold) helmet and a leather gauntlet on his
spear-grasping hand. It’s undeniably dull, making Odin look like some
little kid with a big white blanket wrapped around their body. To our knowledge
this Odin was never given any pet name, so let’s call him “<b>Blankie Odin</b>.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Soul Hackers</i> (1997)</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigPAHq8EpXnwEdq4UHEFRF4z_36Z2xcPodtZd9KkazbwW7J0KNqWpW5jzVrIOc1NiafIBtKPMepplGWlkYIo13_U3KV-5sjYsaviTtjOVhsxU06rLJG_h8f3Oe4_-6z5MJGHGVIJcoJEA/s1600/073+Odin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1133" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigPAHq8EpXnwEdq4UHEFRF4z_36Z2xcPodtZd9KkazbwW7J0KNqWpW5jzVrIOc1NiafIBtKPMepplGWlkYIo13_U3KV-5sjYsaviTtjOVhsxU06rLJG_h8f3Oe4_-6z5MJGHGVIJcoJEA/s320/073+Odin.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Possibly the most sublime
illustration of Odin to ever exist. It represents all of the major aspects of
Odin detailed in the biographical section: war by the ever-present
Gungnir, identical in appearance to the two prior designs; death by the
dominant red and black palette; and most obviously magic, specifically the
occult runic magic learned at his hanging, shown by the actual runic letters
floating above what looks to be some kind of magical vacuum from within the
cape itself. Also apparent is that Odin has no body besides his outstretched
arms and head (with beard!), surely intended to reflect on his mind-over-matter
wizardry. For these reasons, this Odin is often referred to as “<b>Rune Odin</b>.” The
only vestiges of the old are the barely visible purple skin on his face and
that he still wears a Viking helmet--albeit one that also has a wide brim like
his Gandalf-inspiring “wanderer” guise. On a good day, we’re liable to call
this Kaneko’s best demon design ever. As luck would have it, today’s a good
day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Safely ignoring the <i>Megami
Tensei II</i> design as it hails from an era apart, out of the remaining three
Odins only two have ever appeared consistently, those being <i>SMT1</i>’s and <i>Devil
Summoner</i>’s; players more familiar with the PlayStation 2 Megami Tensei games
including Persona will know Diaper Odin while players of every mainline SMT
game since <i>Strange Journey</i> (excluding <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse</i>) will have experienced Blankie Odin
wearing out his welcome. And considering these two designs are merely
reflections of each other, it's really just been a singular Odin we've been
looking at in nearly every Megami Tensei game made between 2002 and 2013 (and
into 2016-17 with <i>Persona 5</i> and presumably beyond!). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Meanwhile, the Literally
Perfect Rune Odin has been forced to forever languish on some Atlus office hard
drive, a sad indicator of how Atlus would eventually view Kaneko’s oeuvre. Even
when <i>Soul Hackers</i> re-released on the 3DS in 2012, they had the gall to add in
Blankie as a higher level alternate; while Rune Odin was probably still more
useful, the complete lack of respect or awareness of its preeminence was felt
sharply. So when it finally came time to give Odin some time in the limelight,
stark nakedness and completely forgotten Nordic occultism just weren't going to
do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><u>Masayuki Doi Takes Odin to
Cool School</u></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilO-wQYx24oEGV57_vVweXKJhq3u3TXIM7-yeBiO_2ljxUTU8zVnXQ3yofNkgswgxPtXTLHJG2xZyulI-wmsy1zaPTfO8RnEtTCZrvGkIQrLXcxQIuv-9sois4kE2n3HI-NkKsHybh3iU/s1600/odin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilO-wQYx24oEGV57_vVweXKJhq3u3TXIM7-yeBiO_2ljxUTU8zVnXQ3yofNkgswgxPtXTLHJG2xZyulI-wmsy1zaPTfO8RnEtTCZrvGkIQrLXcxQIuv-9sois4kE2n3HI-NkKsHybh3iU/s320/odin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">“No more diapers, no more floaty runes, no more Odins in the nude!” Such was the refrain howled by new Shin
Megami Tensei series artist Masayuki Doi as he took the reins from Kazuma
Kaneko and made manifest in his fresh Odin designed for 2016’s <i>Shin Megami
Tensei: Apocalypse</i>. Totally unlike any Odin seen before in the series, Doi’s
bold new direction is jacked with more flavor and crunch than a 2¼ oz. bag of
Cool Ranch Doritos. Here’s how Doi himself describes the design: </span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>A god that has appeared
since the very first days of Megaten, usually under the guise of a one-eyed old
man wearing a hat. However, I wanted to draw his updated design as him in his
battle attire, golden, with a blue mantle, ready to show his face on the
battlefield. I was also inspired by movies about Norse mythology and I thought
that portraying Thor and the other Norse gods as aliens was an interesting
idea, so I emphasized the alien (for the Japanese) image of the Ultra Hero</i>. <b><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html">[2]</a></b></span></blockquote>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ7x8xq8Z3AlQIQTl9hluPsvNJs1AAj-crZAAthnEtkM2SOQ2B3XEvIwAxTH9pGy6cH2yxZi-3rm5XGCmTlfUjXKE52hot3Of7KYel08DGssW-iEA9PGsMwPH1fqTeNZFLGN2mPCKT3LA/s1600/ultramen1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1163" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ7x8xq8Z3AlQIQTl9hluPsvNJs1AAj-crZAAthnEtkM2SOQ2B3XEvIwAxTH9pGy6cH2yxZi-3rm5XGCmTlfUjXKE52hot3Of7KYel08DGssW-iEA9PGsMwPH1fqTeNZFLGN2mPCKT3LA/s400/ultramen1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Original Ultraman and an Ultra Odin <br />palette swap (Odin edit by <a href="https://twitter.com/luntakesalla">Luntakesalla</a>)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">As he states, the
inspiration for the design is credited to "alien" Norse gods from
movies (i.e., the recent Marvel Thor films) but then reinterpreted through what
would mean "alien" for the Japanese, which is <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraman">Ultraman</a></b> (because the
Ultraman power is extraterrestrial); trading one region’s superheroes for
another’s. The strongest proof of the Ultraman influence is in Odin's head,
which looks rigid and molded like Ultraman's helmet is supposed to be, with a
similar fin protruding from the top. Around the waist he wears a power belt
typical of the style worn by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentai">sentai</a> superhero teams or other <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokusatsu">tokusatsu</a></b>
live-action heroes, with a blue orb inlaid in its center that looks identical
to the blue orb in Ultraman’s own chest. The simple and complementary gold and
blue palette is practically an inversion of the silver and red of Ultraman;
swap them and it shows just how much the design looks and feels like an
Ultraman variant, with the contrasting lines on the suit (of Odin's default palette
or the swap) evoking the same effect as the Japanese hero. So, for consistency,
we’ll refer to this design as “<b>Ultra Odin</b>.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">But why go with
an
Ultraman motif in the first place? Transforming heroes and the
all-encompassing
tokusatsu live-action special effects genre are a big deal in Japan and a
touchstone for Japanese people that grew up in the 1960s and beyond.
We’ve never
been parents in Japan, but it's apparent to us that the adults are
thrilled
that the genre's continued relevance allows a shared experience across
generations, particularly fathers to sons. Check out </span><a href="https://youtu.be/D-T6EZjnjrQ?t=902" style="font-family: verdana;">this segment from an NHK show</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">
(</span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Tokyo Eye 2020</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">, episode: "Tokyo's Amazing Backyard, Part 1: Kawasaki") to see
one father pee his pants with excitement just because he could take his kids to
an Ultraman-themed restaurant (not to be missed: the crucified Ultramen a
little over a minute into the segment, </span><a href="https://himitsusentaiblog.tumblr.com/post/143113628075/so-apparently-crucifixion-in-super-sentai-is-a" style="font-family: verdana;">something
that actually happened</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">; more on this below). So if these heroes are
perennially popular, it's little surprise that their influence could be felt
just about anywhere, lying in wait and ready to influence just about any
creative content Japan produces.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Reactions to the design
have been generally positive, even enthusiastic, especially in comparison to
the much maligned Diaper and Blankie Odins and their 3D model offspring. It's
quite easy to find examples online of people praising Doi's design as a
replacement for Kaneko's, with the reasoning often framed around a matter of
"cool" vs. "boring." Truly the Pepsi of Odins, Doi’s is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xt8M_rU7Rs">the choice of a new
(extraterrestrial) generation</a>. So why exactly is Doi's Odin cool and
Kaneko's totally bogus?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkszokM0WBiFKsOsxyrbbmI2m1aQ_RQhii425fmalyRIK4zQ0gbpjCCknEQm9uRUti4Ug4BSMd55NMDw-uPRdQdPpqUFRDSzJqE4WEi7PIe9D7I-cjdnW-XUyvjg-2sBekZk_HSQcT0Mg/s1600/odinquotes-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkszokM0WBiFKsOsxyrbbmI2m1aQ_RQhii425fmalyRIK4zQ0gbpjCCknEQm9uRUti4Ug4BSMd55NMDw-uPRdQdPpqUFRDSzJqE4WEi7PIe9D7I-cjdnW-XUyvjg-2sBekZk_HSQcT0Mg/s1600/odinquotes-2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Real Ultra Odin testimonials, collected from the likes of GameFAQs and YouTube</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Almost paradoxically,
there tend to be two poles when it comes to a general perception of
"coolness": sleek cool and convoluted cool. Sleek cool is applicable
to designs typically with an economy of details and features (such as color),
while convoluted cool embraces complexity and intricate, often extraneous
detail. Ultra Odin is a perfect example of sleek cool with its mainly smooth
facade and limited color palette; under the convoluted cool umbrella would be
stuff like <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/120503704002/high-quality-scans-of-shin-megami-tensei-ivs">Keita Amemiya’s sinewy, entropic archangels from <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i></a>, which still have their zealous defenders to this day. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPmOBm0a5Qe1MFdOejE9tiRSSF68fz-nDh2zCxMiXZ2yDFeWcN27CObXJc-WCii6Y3pvZleG4m5DmAed2EVivwLW62ruiQxZHr_pQYyetiDTUsEvtSXk-FgxkLXK-Uh7XJJgJE43t5SM/s1600/devbu554.cmp.stex.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPmOBm0a5Qe1MFdOejE9tiRSSF68fz-nDh2zCxMiXZ2yDFeWcN27CObXJc-WCii6Y3pvZleG4m5DmAed2EVivwLW62ruiQxZHr_pQYyetiDTUsEvtSXk-FgxkLXK-Uh7XJJgJE43t5SM/s200/devbu554.cmp.stex.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Mudras of peace and <br />reflection are <i>so</i> not cool</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Of course, this is just a
broad generalization of popular design trends that are not always limited to
two points on a single axis; there are also myriad subcategories of subjective
coolness that appeal to a variety of tastes, one obvious example of which would
be the well-worn qualifier of "badass." What is considered
"badass"? Almost invariably, a character attuned to physical
violence, especially of the stylish or excessive kind. Ultra Odin is described
as such because of the outward signs that he is a warrior: his spear and
attire. Consider that, from a purely aesthetic level, Ultra Odin's design isn't
too dissimilar from that of Maitreya, his <i>SMT4A</i> counterpart, but Maitreya isn't
called badass because he's a "fat Buddha" and not a spear-wielding
fighter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">It's likely that no one
has ever fawned over a depiction of the mythical Odin as the aged and grey
wanderer, commenting, "Shit, look at how old and wise that guy looks. Dude
is so erudite and awesome!" It's probably not impossible to make a wise
old man look cool, but in prioritizing youthful superficialities you might run
the risk of contradicting the inherent meaning of maturity. Hence, Doi's
youth-and-action coded design is almost guaranteed to manufacture a favorable
reception, appealing to ingrained Japanese cultural archetypes on one hand and
on the other appearing sleek and stylish in comparison to reviled
predecessors--which is precisely why Ultra Odin fails to be a good
representation of Odin the Norse god.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><u>Taking Masayuki Doi (and
Atlus) to Odin School </u></b></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Considered critically,
Doi’s Ultra Odin commentary is a curious series of words, implying that the
design process involved something only tangentially related to actual
Scandinavian culture until he was distracted by thoughts of Ultraman. Even with
the "alien" concept bridging the gap, it's still quite a jump in
logic to go from Marvel's long-established, extremely loose adaptation of Norse
myth to a long-established Japanese live-action series that has nothing to do
with Norse mythology. But hey, at least it looks cool… <i>right</i>???</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">It will probably come as
no surprise that we aren’t fans of Ultra Odin. Sure, its shiny modern shell may
make for a better first impression than Diaper or Blankie, but that very facade
is all it has to offer. Here are seven lovingly-detailed reasons why it’s a
poor design. </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b>I. The Inspiration is
Literally Uninspired</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Above we touched on the
fact that Japanese people love their tokusatsu live action superhero antics. Anyone
exposed to a healthy amount of the country's media could also easily claim that
the Japanese have an almost equal love for references and parodies of them. His
outward appearance a declared Ultraman reference, Doi's Odin is part of that
legacy--and that's the problem: these references and parodies of particular
Japanese hero types are so prevalent as to be hackneyed.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/p/sub-article-1-tokubiquity.html"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="672" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsiBOh-2nKZ7tgLlMpJTJS7ghFUbL9V9SyaCIdWJIPlP61xezapcUZAoEhi4MYS4rIPb28HbPeTq-uSTydHAHJD_z53ZlkCDD4WCpmyQDHbWvYZ8zcePImHLSy5EF5u5XUkttpHoyyDk/s1600/one_toku1.png" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/p/sub-article-1-tokubiquity.html">CLICK/TAP HERE FOR TOKUSATSU UBIQUITY!</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">In the realm of games
alone, we were able to find well over 20 examples and we weren't even looking that
hard or that long, just at lists on various wikis. Follow the adjacent banner for
a quick and dirty index of our <i>extremely</i> scientific findings.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">To be exact, most of the
references are to Super Sentai (Power Rangers) teams, not Ultraman; while both
are under the tokusatsu umbrella, Ultraman would be considered part of a
separate subgenre, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiju">kaiju</a></i> (or <i>daikaiju)</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">If there’s any opposition
to the overuse of tokusatsu tropes in Japanese media, it’s not to be found
within the Atlus offices. In an interview around the time of <i>Shin Megami Tensei
IV</i>’s release in 2013, Kazuyuki Yamai, the game’s director and current creative
lead on Shin Megami Tensei products, divulged why the tokusatsu guest artists
were hired to design demons: </span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i style="font-family: verdana;">I am a Super Sentai
and Kamen Rider fan, so I asked artists from that field (laughs) and we ended
up with a lot of tokusatsu artists. Nevertheless, I didn’t simply choose them
based on my hobbies, but aimed to have creature and monster designs inspired by
the Ultraman series and others that would match Kaneko’s designs.</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> </span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/08/08/yamai-kazuyuki-smt-iv-interview-for-dengeki-nintendo/">[3]</a></b></blockquote>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Not only does he name-drop
all three major tokusatsu brands in only two sentences, he reveals that the
overall direction for the new demons was for them to look like Ultraman
monsters… with the expectation that they would somehow jibe with Kaneko’s. If
only this interview were translated before Identity Crisis was published, but
we digress. Doi himself also shares in the giddiness over tokusatsu elements in
a <i>SMT4</i> artbook commentary on a Kamen Rider-inspired armor set: </span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>This one continues the
Rider line, but with more protectors, like in motocross. It also has elements
from tokusatsu movie heroes. I call it 'Kame Rider'! (laughs) The
motifs on the belt buckle and back aren't supposed to be grasshoppers; they're
turtles ['kame' means 'turtle' in Japanese]. Unlike the
villainous-looking Rider Set, this is supposed to be straight-up
heroic-looking, and the staff had a lot of fun making it. I also happen to love
it, personally. (laughs)</i> <b>[4]</b></span></blockquote>
</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwY1OrvJtpBafXKAUCPbb6NfiLdyqdz6CUUtWlJmuag-2Uol9felf-p74mfJHYf2iTiRMudqtc9cnO0vCNy06lt0b5TFQO0v-bLAD85VL2kedUoDuf9II2g2oLvEQ0F8llJWruWoxtmtc/s1600/odin-trailer-close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="729" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwY1OrvJtpBafXKAUCPbb6NfiLdyqdz6CUUtWlJmuag-2Uol9felf-p74mfJHYf2iTiRMudqtc9cnO0vCNy06lt0b5TFQO0v-bLAD85VL2kedUoDuf9II2g2oLvEQ0F8llJWruWoxtmtc/s320/odin-trailer-close.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">"Ultra" HD</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Collective appreciation of
the superhero genre among Atlus staff members probably means that Ultra Odin
was immediately beloved, facing little or no dissent. Interestingly,
Odin is one of the few designs in the <i>SMT4A</i> artbook that does not include rough
sketches of alternate concepts; it must have been a hole-in-one in the minds of
Doi and everyone else involved. But the biggest endorsement is undoubtedly that
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut9ekAp2drs">Ultra Odin was bestowed the starring role in the Shin Megami Tensei HD (now known to be <i>Shin Megami Tensei V</i>) reveal trailer</a>, where the camera was panned
around his body at a distance so close it could only be described as
pornographic. </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">If it’s not already
apparent, it must be understood that these callbacks are almost universally
placed into these games with genuine enthusiasm and/or reverence and not from a
place of criticism or cynicism, even the spoofs; these heroes and their shows
were undoubtedly formative for Japanese kids since the 1960s, probably defining
career paths from a young age in some cases. Even so, our point that these
references are mundane and uninspired remains. We honestly wonder how their
banality does not deter their further propagation.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWefkZLiDqoLMKtNBPcEWwn6nJfXWHtk7q0QI6jyweAbmpd-DVoq27rzOizu5n7upnxryTEiBh0Ku3oNCKwWNHJio3wZgAQhr9TrY_hfm-INKpfYUNMrbRRElq2eLLS-7cFH_Y5CPdAs/s1600/superhero_contempt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWefkZLiDqoLMKtNBPcEWwn6nJfXWHtk7q0QI6jyweAbmpd-DVoq27rzOizu5n7upnxryTEiBh0Ku3oNCKwWNHJio3wZgAQhr9TrY_hfm-INKpfYUNMrbRRElq2eLLS-7cFH_Y5CPdAs/s320/superhero_contempt.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Superman is to Bakery-on-Main-Man<br />as Ultraman is to Ultra Odin</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">To create an analogy from
American pop culture, imagine that a not insignificant (read: not a majority or
even plurality, but a large enough sample to see a pattern) number of RPGs or
shooters contained bald and specific parodies of certain superheroes. For
example, while you're mowing down demons in the corridors of a Doom game, an
obvious Batman proxy bursts through the wall accompanied by a pale and
non-copyright-infringing imitation of the original 1960s theme. Or, you could
be traipsing around <i>Skyrim</i> and encounter a fantasy version of Batman again,
wearing black armor with bat motifs and killing people with sinks or whatever
the heck happens with Batman or Elder Scrolls these days. The point is, almost
all the references you'd encounter would be Batman, with the occasional
Superman or Spider-man. So how effective would these parodies still be after
you've seen them for the 30th time? Likely not very.</span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">In this example,
Ultraman
is not the ubiquitous Batman (to whom the Super Sentai would be equated)
but
the almost-equally-pervasive Superman. But whether or not they are
conjuring
the image of a different, slightly less popular sub-genre, these
references are
still drawing from the same limited pool of costumed defenders. We can
offer no
concrete answers why these samey references are not viewed as cliched in
Japan, but there is one thing we do know: being Ultraman means Doi's
Odin is simply nothing
special.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b>II. The Design Emphasizes
the Wrong Details, Whether by Doi’s Choices or Not </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Outfitted in his gold and
blue suit and grasping his spear, Ultra Odin looks ready for a scrap at a
moment's notice, and Doi says as much in the commentary. However, as detailed
in his abbreviated biography above, Odin isn't primarily a warrior; he’s barely
one, in fact. He is associated with the martial as “lord of death,” of course,
but he's more complex than that and arguably better represented as a wisdom
figure, as attested by his wisdom quests including the self-maiming inflicted
to gain Mimir's wisdom or learn the secret of the runes. This breadth of role
is why he has always been a part of the typically versatile gods of Shin Megami
Tensei's Deity race instead of those in destructive or belligerent races like
Fury or Kishin.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIq_ZyN_sbLk9UQ2gjuUaPs91yIC9IDBKoFPISPE7yTTKGZX4Da19-6ZhjfB-30dEAOe6iUNTsvHBFssDDxxELfu2rgmFQEhEIip50vOr1rAqZKsdPPCIqTlaJrlbfWLGJs21EqUJY9vM/s1600/ap15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="400" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIq_ZyN_sbLk9UQ2gjuUaPs91yIC9IDBKoFPISPE7yTTKGZX4Da19-6ZhjfB-30dEAOe6iUNTsvHBFssDDxxELfu2rgmFQEhEIip50vOr1rAqZKsdPPCIqTlaJrlbfWLGJs21EqUJY9vM/s320/ap15.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Deceptively in-character</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">We discussed in <a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2018/06/kcn-lvi-doi.html">our review of Doi’s career</a> that certain things are out of his hands, and responsibility
for Odin may be shared with <i>SMT4A</i>’s writing and overall direction. A prevailing
issue is that the game’s scenario treats him as a fighter first and foremost,
with he and Maitreya serving as the "muscle" for the
malevolently-portrayed Krishna and his alliance, the Divine Powers. Besides his
role as a plot device to fool children into opening Krishna's Ark and his
clashes with the player party and Flynn to show how "tough" he is,
Odin's dialogue and personality are a big blank that don't accomplish anything
that Krishna doesn't already emphasize or signify. Indeed, Odin is such a flat
presence in the game and his characterization so devoid of Norse qualities that
if you exchanged him for another male deity, like the Celtic god Lugh, not a
whole lot of the script would have to be changed. In fact, it’s entirely
plausible that most of the script was written before the identities of the
supporting deities were fixed; consider that the only Odin-specific references
(mention of “Valhalla,” “valkyries”) come during his boss battle and fusion
dialogue, i.e., text that would be considered sub-scenario and produced
separately. Sad to say, Odin’s character in <i>SMT4A</i> is even completely outclassed
by the brief <i>SMT4</i> sidequest “Save the Old Man,” where an amnesiac Odin in human
form recounts tales of “Wodan” before the party and Thor fight to help him
recover his identity, promising entry into Valhalla for those involved. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2K3MAlQlbeUDfJzatDGRpaIgj0XX16VPluiyVMw3r1uiEqzqneqFHN0s8k5ee2jOsF_5ngHK-opFgJbmNKuIMArmVe-4ZBXIk75Ljot60EJ9vIFiO4GeS2ZiSlt7M0smP_KJYMdiV2E/s1600/KILL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="574" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2K3MAlQlbeUDfJzatDGRpaIgj0XX16VPluiyVMw3r1uiEqzqneqFHN0s8k5ee2jOsF_5ngHK-opFgJbmNKuIMArmVe-4ZBXIk75Ljot60EJ9vIFiO4GeS2ZiSlt7M0smP_KJYMdiV2E/s320/KILL.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">"I come not to bring peace but a <br />sword"... wait, that's the other guy</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Of course, this is a <i>SMT4A</i>
(and modern Atlus) writing problem that extends beyond Odin. Another example is
Odin’s fellow Maitreya, the messianic analogue of Buddhism, threatening to kill
a 15-year-old girl, a scene that will never not be the perfect encapsulation of
everything wrong with <i>SMT4A</i>; and like Odin, Maitreya makes proper Buddhist
references only during his battle and fusion dialogues! But on the topic of
Maitreya, Doi’s commentary on him provides another clue for why Odin ended up
the way he did: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>I originally wanted to
give Maitreya Bodhisattva a feminine image. Something along the lines of Bodhisattva
as the mother, while Nyorai would be the father. I focused on the androgynous
aspect, and tried all kinds of appearances, but I also had to think about the
balance between the three gods of the Divine Powers, so in the end I settled on
a large version</i>. <b><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html">[2]</a></b></span></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9yrpeBXERvE6kQsGVkg_zefSSQKtqFbtFp6UiX8Q9ptZWneICSBmreztQX5hTkDC7SvnR6-4B4HOIjuY4EcCMT-CGRZbOIF5iLq6Cu8D-J6dvQgKxDH3RtWNO97LIIPCpIathmR2KXBY/s1600/mir-mat-divine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="417" data-original-width="1000" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9yrpeBXERvE6kQsGVkg_zefSSQKtqFbtFp6UiX8Q9ptZWneICSBmreztQX5hTkDC7SvnR6-4B4HOIjuY4EcCMT-CGRZbOIF5iLq6Cu8D-J6dvQgKxDH3RtWNO97LIIPCpIathmR2KXBY/s400/mir-mat-divine.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dreamlanders: Maitreya with Matsuko Deluxe, <br />Divine, and John Waters</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The phrase key to
the
discussion is "<i>I also had to think about the balance between the three
gods of the Divine Powers</i>." In other words, each design between Odin,
Krishna, and Maitreya had to be visually distinct from one another for
the sake of visual
variety. By Doi's own admission, his "<i>large version</i>" of Maitreya (in
comparison to the slender concept versions seen in <i>SMT4A</i>'s artbook) has a
feminine or androgynous appearance because the same can be said for many
Japanese Buddhist statues, including the most famous Japanese
Maitreya/Miroku
statue from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Dry%C5%AB-ji">Koryu
Temple</a>; however, what's also responsible for the look of Doi's Maitreya is
its probable inspiration from Japanese gay cross-dressing celebrity Matsuko Deluxe
(think a Japanese version of the late, great John Waters collaborator Divine), muumuu and all; Matsuko Deluxe's corpulence (and penchant for donuts) also provides a convenient analogue for Maitreya's associations with the "fat Buddha" Budai. Krishna, on the other hand, is portrayed with
the flat “anime cell” shading that identifies him as human-like, with more
realistic proportions and dress to boot, in contrast to the “heavy brush” style
of his two brute pals and the other demons. So to stand out from an enigmatic
schoolboy and the “large” silhouette of a national celebrity, Odin became a
sleek soldier. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5fO8iDILpp0xQ92Uy3tNkOm1kxxfgLcxKapT7Qamuj0Z979D65aWWcywQWfQOhmfXct7k0rzQfrwLgHksUkDxCa0Ote6wrE4x-Ahxvh1BB4g6sw8NCLUlUKOH7I-96904mOrX9mXEPbw/s1600/gungnir-blade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="344" data-original-width="570" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5fO8iDILpp0xQ92Uy3tNkOm1kxxfgLcxKapT7Qamuj0Z979D65aWWcywQWfQOhmfXct7k0rzQfrwLgHksUkDxCa0Ote6wrE4x-Ahxvh1BB4g6sw8NCLUlUKOH7I-96904mOrX9mXEPbw/s320/gungnir-blade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">At second glance, it actually seems to be<br />spelling out "GGGGGIGUNGNIR"</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Even the most remarkable
aspects of Ultra Odin, Gungnir and the raven, don't hold up to scrutiny. The
spear’s distinctive jagged blade even features "GUNGNIR" etched in
runes, we guess for identification purposes in case Odin ever goes on an all-night bender with fellow spear-wielders
like the aforementioned Lugh or Shiva. Really, it’s all smooth sailing for the
spear until you look into the reason why the blade is jagged: <i>SMT4A</i> associates
Odin with lightning in both cutscenes and battle abilities and thus its sharp
angles represent a bolt of the stuff. This association is dubious, not only for
a general lack of attestations in source material but because Odin's son Thor
is already the de facto storm deity in Norse myth; the tokusatsu-esque power
belt that Ultra Odin wears is also akin to Thor’s own <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megingj%C3%B6r%C3%B0">Megingjord</a>, to sprinkle
in some salt to the wound. At best you could claim that the lightning is just
part of Odin’s magical repertoire if not for the lack of textual support. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">But Odin as a
lightning-user is not a Megami Tensei universal and is, in fact, a relatively
recent development. In most Famicom, Super Famicom, and Saturn games barring
<i>Soul Hackers</i>, he usually wields ice skills (due to the Scandinavian climate,
one can assume) and some death skills for reasons hopefully already clear; <i>Soul
Hackers</i> gives him death skills and the Thunderbolt skill, the first instance of
Odin with lightning. Both <i>Persona 2</i> games duplicate the death/electric skillset
of <i>Soul Hackers</i> plus the addition of the physical move Deathbound, which in
turn was copied by the game that seems to have codified Odin's modern
abilities: <i>Persona 3</i>. Here Odin finally gains what would become his signature
move, Thunder Reign, which was imported to Shin Megami Tensei beginning with
<i>Strange Journey</i>. So, in an oblique way, the impeccable Rune Odin may be
indirectly responsible for some elements of his substandard portrayal in modern
Megami Tensei games. Note that electric skills are oddly equated to the earth
element in SMT (judging by the skills and resistances of Element race demons
Erthys and Gnome) but that offers little remedy in this situation, one that
likely overreaches Doi's low level of authority at the company; it’s plausible
he was "encouraged" to include a lightning motif somewhere in the
design for parity with gameplay affinities. And if you really want to stretch
assumptions you could argue that even the gold and blue colors of Odin’s suit
represent lightning and rain... but why aggravate an already lousy situation? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzRZ9Opr9I3-2LfGju_EyxNC246NnxAmrpwvCBWnPBWf1J6VSiijeRoA7Qc3P55AvC8v7WLBMmzv_i74h0Rbw2Hqa4VVGwo2FxWS9op0LC3hw2IYOXvXWARibbB2NLEEGqIizYbx2dJg/s1600/raven-png2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="620" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzRZ9Opr9I3-2LfGju_EyxNC246NnxAmrpwvCBWnPBWf1J6VSiijeRoA7Qc3P55AvC8v7WLBMmzv_i74h0Rbw2Hqa4VVGwo2FxWS9op0LC3hw2IYOXvXWARibbB2NLEEGqIizYbx2dJg/s320/raven-png2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Huginn or Muninn?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The second "close,
but no cigar" element of Ultra Odin is the raven perched on his left hand,
one that seems like an original inclusion of Doi’s since it has no bearing on
anything else in the game. On its own the raven is composed marvelously, cast
in a satin black with four striking eyes. A problem only arises when you know
that, of course, Odin has two ravens, not one. This is not an inconsequential
detail, as the ravens are significant in their pairing: the first is Huginn (or
"thought") and Muninn (or "memory"). Together, the two ravens
fly across the world and return to keep Odin informed of events and, based on
the meanings of their names, perhaps as vessels for Odin's own cognition or,
according to Lindow, as symbolizing a shamanic trance. The single raven, while
a nice touch, seems to be naively copying a motif without understanding its
importance within the Norse framework. Then, is it Huginn or Muninn perched on
Odin's hand? We'd probably say Muninn, because it's clear not a lot of Huginn
went into this design.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">So even the two best parts
of Ultra Odin are flawed: the spear's lightning wants to portray a side of Odin
that doesn't exist and the raven represents an incomplete concept. Despite what <i>SMT4A</i> wants us to believe about Odin or indeed most of the demons in the game,
their historical realities are much more complex. Correlating a wise, old,
manipulator of men’s fates to a children's superhero character who exists only
to fight monsters means that this must be how Atlus sees Odin and wants him to
be disseminated to their audience. To put it another way: the truth is
inconvenient to “cool.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b>III. It Makes No Sense in
the Context of the Story </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitZEwv3S13EC6HZRzz64MehZ1bXUmnBk7DM2xe1dGjatvJmOvwXEeu41hq92DYbpAylzPMcMyVX2WZX6eOMfwfdrJUh6SUdLQXL6Dy0-ChYcmcS4A1bdjxU6CFqgv03buvJkSESipekTA/s1600/ap119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="400" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitZEwv3S13EC6HZRzz64MehZ1bXUmnBk7DM2xe1dGjatvJmOvwXEeu41hq92DYbpAylzPMcMyVX2WZX6eOMfwfdrJUh6SUdLQXL6Dy0-ChYcmcS4A1bdjxU6CFqgv03buvJkSESipekTA/s320/ap119.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">There has been a similar Stephen screenshot <br />in every major article on this blog</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Odin's design also
contradicts a central conceit of <i>SMT4A</i>'s plot, called "observation." The series’
miracle god-man Stephen and some of the demons explain the concept in-game, but
it’s best and most succinctly explained by the game’s own encyclopedia:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>As described by Stephen, 'observation' (sometimes described as 'understanding') is
the ability humans possess to give structure to the formless. In this instance, 'observation' has nothing to do with sight, but rather human
perception. It is an extension of the philosophical concept of 'qualia,' or individual, subjective experiences. For example, the
sensation of seeing color is not easily communicated, yet something humanity
possess a shared understanding of. Likewise, YHVH only exists because of this
shared observation.</i></span><i><br /></i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i></i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>Of course, forms of
communication are necessary in order for humans to share their observations
with one another. But once framed by language, these concepts change in nature.
In effect, they become bound by language, much like the shared understanding of
YHVH. What Dagda and the Divine Powers seek to do is free themselves from the
limiting existence forced upon them by language. Because YHVH never revealed
himself to humanity, he is not bound by language the same way they are</i>.</span></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Basically, observation is
just a fancy term for perception and/or interpretation; it is alleged to
"<i>give structure to the formless</i>," meaning it’s how demons exist.
Basically, humans "observe" natural phenomena and define it according
to their cultural subjectivity, thus giving form to gods representative of said
phenomena. Examples: the peoples of Canaanite culture see thunderclouds and
thus perceive it as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baal">Baal</a>; the Japanese see the sun and interpret it as
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaterasu">Amaterasu</a>; the Balinese see life as a duality and interpret it through <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barong_(mythology)">Barong</a>
and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangda">Rangda</a>, and so on. Even though this (decent!) concept is from a recent
game, it applies perfectly to most of the extant Kaneko demon compendium as
most are designed with the perspectives of their respective cultures in mind as
they relate to basic forms, costumes, and motifs. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Observation is of course
entirely applicable to Ultra Odin as well; if other cultures observed the world
around them and created their own gods, so it should be for these (<i>SMT4</i>
universe) Germanic peoples of northern Europe. And, judging by the game's
presentation, these ancient people anthropomorphized magic, death, wisdom,
creation, and sovereignty… as a Japanese superhero from the 1960s. Let that
sink in for a moment. This is dissonance of a caliber that undermines the value
of observation as a plot device and it's not like the Odin design is the only
perpetrator, with Dagda's design an even more egregious offender. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVYfGMpDU61VGemEW8-TFaqs7Bvw73DXbRFd7yrnZGJbABf7xL6Fj3hHZlE6olq9c-i3Q-T9j3cQJB4g8pznziaSJVQfdca6yn-i0ayJuwyP1w279Az3ZXWYhukSc6eG1gEfkpRX7KyWw/s1600/Ultra-Act-Ace-Robo-Golgotha-004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="712" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVYfGMpDU61VGemEW8-TFaqs7Bvw73DXbRFd7yrnZGJbABf7xL6Fj3hHZlE6olq9c-i3Q-T9j3cQJB4g8pznziaSJVQfdca6yn-i0ayJuwyP1w279Az3ZXWYhukSc6eG1gEfkpRX7KyWw/s320/Ultra-Act-Ace-Robo-Golgotha-004.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Ultraman? More like... <i>Bible</i>man</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The inappropriateness of
an Ultraman influence grows when you realize that Ultraman's creator, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiji_Tsuburaya">Eiji Tsuburaya</a>, was a devout Roman Catholic and the show has overt Judeo-Christian
imagery and references, ironic considering the purpose of the Divine Powers is
to oppose YHVH. These references include the infamous crucifixions on the
planet <a href="http://ultra.wikia.com/wiki/Planet_Golgotha">Golgotha</a>,
monsters named <a href="http://ultra.wikia.com/wiki/Cherubim">Cherubim</a> and
"<a href="http://ultra.wikia.com/wiki/Gomora">Gomora</a>," an<a href="http://ultra.wikia.com/wiki/Ultraman_Noa"> Ultraman "Noa"</a>
retconned as the "God of Noah" who appears in <a href="http://ultra.wikia.com/wiki/The_Blue_Stone_of_Vallarge">an OG Ultraman
episode that features Mount Ararat</a>, an <a href="http://ultra.wikia.com/wiki/Ultraman_Belial">Ultraman Belial</a>, the <a href="http://ultra.wikia.com/wiki/Mother_of_Ultra">Mother of Ultra named Marie</a>,
and the <a href="http://ultra.wikia.com/wiki/Father_of_Ultra">Father of Ultra</a>, who takes the guise of Santa Claus. That's not even getting into the cruciform
"<a href="http://ultra.wikia.com/wiki/Ultra_Beam">Specium Beam</a>"
attack pose, though the exact intent behind this pose has been debated online
for nearly decades <a href="http://www.hollywoodjesus.com/godzilla_02.htm">going by this early 2000s email BBS page</a>. Regardless, there's a wealth of
references to Judeo-Christian religion in <i>Ultraman</i> and whether they are
religiously-tinged by Tsuburaya Productions or not, they only further undermine
the appropriateness of the superhero as an influence on Odin. It's like
designing a mascot for a veganism advocacy group and basing it on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2DIPJlisIo">Guy Fieri</a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Even though there’s reason
to believe Doi isn’t always in command of his own destiny, the observation
faults also raise the possibility that Doi and the scenario planners aren't
always on the same page, either. However, more probable is that observation was
an eleventh hour addition to <i>SMT4A</i>’s plot to tie up some rather massive loose
ends (where it still performs poorly, particularly with YHVH). Even if the idea
behind the concept isn't completely worthless, jettison it from the story and
not much changes, other than the cast would need another, less flimsy motivation
to go after YHVH. Honestly, that sounds like it could only be an improvement!
Designed with observation in mind or not, Doi could have avoided any and all
potential conflicts simply by designing an Odin that actually represents Odin.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b>IV. An Inorganic Look for
a Decidedly Organic Deity </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCL9SNL26r0q8ADZ-Ksa6FBH5t_4AOuNqegupsl4esZIDNfDszuuUzahYREIvQwUdBu1sZ6uMFixI6z0WAccdzZgWM9On20Wx0KiN5PJ1lbm09yt98e2cgsf8AyOEdZabskG6BSSkTo5A/s1600/odin-torso.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="513" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCL9SNL26r0q8ADZ-Ksa6FBH5t_4AOuNqegupsl4esZIDNfDszuuUzahYREIvQwUdBu1sZ6uMFixI6z0WAccdzZgWM9On20Wx0KiN5PJ1lbm09yt98e2cgsf8AyOEdZabskG6BSSkTo5A/s320/odin-torso.jpg" width="294" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Ultra Odin: Certified Inorganic</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">A hallmark of Kaneko's
demons is a tendency for them to appear as living things. Most of the important
gods in the series have bodies clearly covered in skin and other organic
features, which accurately represents the general view of world religion that
deities are living and contemporary aspects of the universe and nature. This
point may seem irrelevant to the discussion but it is in fact describing
something Ultra Odin is not: an entirely biological entity.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">This mostly has to do with
his helmet, which is designed in such a way to give no impression of a head
wearing it; it appears that the "helmet" is literally his head. It is
exacerbated by the encompassing gold-and-blue bodysuit, which offers nowhere
for skin to breathe and no telltale seams other than some armor plating. Even
the exposed weaving on the side of the helmet suggests something either
mechanical or decidedly inorganic happening within it. The only things that
animate on the <i>SMT4A</i> sprite’s helmet are the eyes: the “intact” right blinks on
and off while the “gouged” left’s stylized flame flickers ever so slightly; on
the <i>SMT5</i> teaser 3D model, Odin's face (flame-patch and all) is entirely
rigid, just like Ultraman's. Also keep in mind that Odin is paired with Maitreya,
a demon who also looks to be cast out of metal and, like Odin, has no facial
animation. Based on the visual language provided by Doi, distinguishing organic
elements were of little importance, only a tribute to the seamless and
expressionless Ultraman suit.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1NVwkywCg-ADNKV1ZS-YrUnAlD9fyCcH2ORqScc6_TJwnZT24hR-Un_OUEXEXv1BurRMzRKS-Ww2woaKqIVXffG0Pvnl8JHh33Jj_ECYA3UqeffAj7rdcOzc-EF_3xMnR9cZMFkOp4gQ/s1600/Ultrashead-combo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="800" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1NVwkywCg-ADNKV1ZS-YrUnAlD9fyCcH2ORqScc6_TJwnZT24hR-Un_OUEXEXv1BurRMzRKS-Ww2woaKqIVXffG0Pvnl8JHh33Jj_ECYA3UqeffAj7rdcOzc-EF_3xMnR9cZMFkOp4gQ/s320/Ultrashead-combo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Ultraman has some fleshy bits it seems but these <br />are outmatched by the metallic or synthetic</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">But this seems
preposterous, right? Even if there are no outward signs of life, surely there
is supposed to be a god body underneath Odin's suit? This would be a valid
concern if Ultraman himself had not already supplied the answer. Indeed, Tsuburaya
Productions designed anatomical cross-sections of various Ultramen, revealing
what to television viewers may seem like a cheap rubber suit is the Ultras'
"actual" skin, with a skeletal structure and various organs within.
If Ultraman is the overall inspiration for the "alien to the
Japanese" Odin design, then surely a similar organ system was intended by
Doi. It genuinely seems like Doi's attempt was meant to emulate Ultraman in his
entirety.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Besides Ultra Odin, Doi
has produced a preponderance of "masked" demons with faces devoid of
expression or sans certain facial features like Dagda, Danu, Maitreya,
Chironnuppu, Inanna, and Sukuna-Hikona; indeed, so has Kaneko with the likes of
Thor and and Lugh. But better than framing this around “masks or no masks” is
categorizing demon designs as having organic or inorganic characteristics. For
example, Kaneko's <i>SMT1</i> remake Thor may have a fully-covered head like Odin, but
has visible skin so you know his helmet isn't literally part of his body;
likewise, Kaneko's Lugh has a face-obscuring mask, but one that protrudes
unnaturally as if it is being worn rather than a body part, plus he has those
gorgeous (and organic) golden locks. Similarly, Doi's Sukuna-Hikona is among
the veiled but his human-like skin tone clearly separates flesh from textile;
in fact, many of Doi's SMT4A designs would also fit into the organic category,
like Krishna, Adramelech, Mermaid, Mephisto, and Cleopatra. However, Odin
plainly belongs into the inorganic group. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEx2-gq8oo1bXTFprvm9op28RxKBAkZTY79mStE85HwCwWGSqmazYgUqo1gDXPqsY6I_2l-u3bbBIgLN3n1CXhnswUhDMTHL03l4waEp9eVs1UAF_dYsmLXpT5FEGEXmvG8wcPHGkrRpo/s1600/organics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="1000" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEx2-gq8oo1bXTFprvm9op28RxKBAkZTY79mStE85HwCwWGSqmazYgUqo1gDXPqsY6I_2l-u3bbBIgLN3n1CXhnswUhDMTHL03l4waEp9eVs1UAF_dYsmLXpT5FEGEXmvG8wcPHGkrRpo/s640/organics.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Thor, Lugh, and Sukuna-Hikona: organic elements <br />add life and dimension to depictions of deities</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Odin's "living
costume" design is unfortunate, because, as already discussed, the god has
myriad roles unrelated to <i>Ultraman</i>-style battling. He drinks his mead, has sex,
and has properly described body parts like the surrendered eye which really
doesn’t feel like a sacrificial disfigurement when it’s part of an artificial
body. Molding Odin into a plastic alien warrior robs him of all his original
relevance in the human realm as a divine reflection of ancient Germanic
culture.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b>V. It's Just a Persona</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXlAO0Ib-NmcK2U7wOqoSiXFvpzXqstvMeTu_4PZNZSNMFMpyJOks4seThEdZpskscwbAgxXvd1_Dr0yhu1QuzsU9Z3Gy40ydAWbQrDgyvAsTRZupLLNa4CE_qvSiZ1dx-tCRaIF3WjuI/s1600/odin-persona-dudes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1000" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXlAO0Ib-NmcK2U7wOqoSiXFvpzXqstvMeTu_4PZNZSNMFMpyJOks4seThEdZpskscwbAgxXvd1_Dr0yhu1QuzsU9Z3Gy40ydAWbQrDgyvAsTRZupLLNa4CE_qvSiZ1dx-tCRaIF3WjuI/s400/odin-persona-dudes.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">"I am thou, thou art I"</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">On the subject of masks,
between the inorganic style and the overall artistic intent for Ultra Odin, he
resembles a Persona series persona more than a Shin Megami Tensei demon. To
briefly sum up the differences between demon and persona designs, demons are
nominally physical beings and representations of their respective religious
figures, while personas are manifestation of a specific individual's psyche and
thus are not necessarily "alive.” Thus, personas conform generally to the
idea of "inorganic" aesthetics and can incorporate any manner of
artificial materials or objects as part of their bodies so long as it is
appropriate for the intended theme-- masks in particular, as that is the
literal meaning of the word “persona.” As a result, personas tend towards being
unrestricted, exaggerated, stylish, or any combination thereof, from sleek to
convoluted and everything in-between; all the hallmarks you need for something
that can be perceived as "cool" by a majority at a glance. In short,
after <i>Persona 1</i>, it became the standard for personas and demons to look wildly
different from one another. Even if Ultra Odin doesn’t fit in with the SMT
establishment, he’d be right at home among personas.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">A persona that provides an
easy comparison with Ultra Odin is <i>Persona 2</i>'s Apollo. Like Odin, Apollo is
clad in a head-to-toe costume, masked, and depicted with two primary colors.
Stylistic differences between Kaneko and Doi aside, these two figures share the
"living costume" motif and appear like they could have been derived
from a similar aesthetic logic; in one particularly obscure interview between
Kaneko and comics legend Hirohiko Araki, the former touching on his then newly
minted design ethos for the Persona series, the pair even set aside some time
to muse on their shared inspiration stemming from the costumed aesthetic of
works such as Kamen Rider and, of course, Ultraman. <b><a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/56081922481/remember-that-one-araki-x-kaneko-interview-its">[5]</a></b> But even better than
Apollo is any flavor of <i>Persona 4</i>’s Izanagi, who follows identical design beats
to Ultra Odin’s: the inorganic mask face, the modern bancho jacket or suit, and
clenched spear. Though when you consider Apollo and Izanagi look intentionally
dissimilar to the actual gods, this is not meant to be a compliment to Ultra
Odin. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrNt8__yiFnbnPYbRQEC96l-A8-Y0iRvNu2zjlvYAiVPa4zUzONszfiFy_to6wUkHeGpFjTDTpNA7hfDEqFvYVn7SYdpz35071XBqiJPEvspoVrF8ubTFowEn2SaDQ0y1INKtDbeuraSE/s1600/odin-persona-final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrNt8__yiFnbnPYbRQEC96l-A8-Y0iRvNu2zjlvYAiVPa4zUzONszfiFy_to6wUkHeGpFjTDTpNA7hfDEqFvYVn7SYdpz35071XBqiJPEvspoVrF8ubTFowEn2SaDQ0y1INKtDbeuraSE/s320/odin-persona-final.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">A "persona-fied" Ultra Odin and face detail</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Granted, Odin's “mask”
does have two features Apollo and Izanagi lack: a nose and a mouth. But remove
both of those and you are left with an overall design that looks like it should
belong to a modern Persona character whose character conceit is to be a stoic
leader. Whereas the tenets of observation made the tokusatsu trappings of Ultra
Odin inappropriate from the get-go, interpreting the design as the persona from
the mind of a Japanese teenager honestly makes a lot more sense… or from the
mind of a 40-something artist, as it were. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Ultimately, inorganic
Ultraman Odin is proof that the Persona series' style and aesthetic
sensibilities emerged triumphant at Atlus Japan, a victory that was perhaps
inevitable. The success of this brand of mainstream-oriented design was
previously shown in the collage of Ultra Odin accolades seen above, the
comments of which reflect a prevailing attitude that equates coolness with
quality: "It looks cool, therefore it's good." While that's all well
and good for a large chunk of pop culture, unfortunately, that's not how
religious and mythological imagery work and since SMT represents these precise
concepts, "cool" shouldn't be a primary goal. The myths could have
been considered thrilling to the Scandinavians of their time, particularly to
younger audiences, but they didn't think Odin was "badass" because
sliced Ymir into a million pieces nor were the simplistic ancient wood and
stone carvings of Odin considered sleek and swell by modern understanding; this
would be to completely overlook his actual religious function, where he could
be an intimidating tutelary deity without the need for Dragonball Z power level
antics. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b>VI. Pop Culture Is
Primary, Odin Is Secondary</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7cASGVdF8UWVg3AwnJlbn5_UOnX4rWAQcJtsfxD5ZngYngs9zQl7fCZp6cy50dHf2kKrqaAWvDxzFnKtrXDSQXeOSJXCQ6UPl_uegbUsbZDrVn2auPDjtpkNpUyqsbYTWVG0v6HPMkho/s1600/odin_ensm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="1024" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7cASGVdF8UWVg3AwnJlbn5_UOnX4rWAQcJtsfxD5ZngYngs9zQl7fCZp6cy50dHf2kKrqaAWvDxzFnKtrXDSQXeOSJXCQ6UPl_uegbUsbZDrVn2auPDjtpkNpUyqsbYTWVG0v6HPMkho/s320/odin_ensm.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Ultra family reunion (by <a href="https://twitter.com/luntakesalla">Luntakesalla</a>) </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Modern pop culture
influences have been apparent in the Shin Megami Tensei compendium since its
inception and have become so numerous over the years they're practically an
expectation. Therefore, Doi recalling Ultraman in his Odin design is hardly
something out of the ordinary for the series. However, the problem isn't in the
reference itself but rather its application; there's much more Ultraman in this
design than there is Odin.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">We've already shown how
close Odin's body conforms to an Ultraman suit, so there's little need to
reiterate those details. And that fact, simply, is the entire problem. While
the raven and Gungnir are technically nice until you think about them for more
than five seconds, the physique, the frame, the actual personage of Ultra Odin
is entirely tokusatsu. This depiction says nearly nothing about Odin himself
but instead has much to say about how Doi prefers not to step outside of his
Japanese comfort zone even when it comes to decidedly non-Japanese demons;
Ultra Odin is perhaps most accurately described as an Odin-themed Ultraman
design rather than the other way around. For a series that wants us to believe
its gods and demons are actually the real deal, such a move is a general
violation of its central assertions.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Helpfully, analogues exist
in the Kaneko catalogue to illustrate how to balance a pop culture reference
with a demon's core identity. There's an easy comparison to be made between
Doi's Odin to Kaneko's <b>Zaou Gongen</b>, a favorite design of ours that also happens
to include an overt pop culture reference. Originally covered in <a href="https://kanekocribs.tumblr.com/post/134313023701/kanekos-crib-notes-xxxii-buddhist-bonanza-its">Kaneko's Crib Notes XXXII</a> for its general adherence to Buddhist statuary, we revisited him
again in <a href="https://kanekocribs.tumblr.com/post/158984498701/kanekos-crib-notes-xlix-comic-relief-you">volume XLIX</a> thanks to a reader comment that pointed out his chains and
demon codpiece were remarkable similar to those not of a Japanese superhero but
an American one: Todd McFarlane's Spawn. Take a look:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOyn_gG2T1WAPfUkHGbmiKSXcQ13CBbKnF_U03aA497BUKJ2BaPwdHrlrD5Fi1c_HMpfcVa_CgHE_WiUcFn_pUcOceMmwyTzUw56QiQy8umr6bU7qtCgftWC0OR8HMhYnRKHURfEWngrI/s1600/zaou-redo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="802" data-original-width="763" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOyn_gG2T1WAPfUkHGbmiKSXcQ13CBbKnF_U03aA497BUKJ2BaPwdHrlrD5Fi1c_HMpfcVa_CgHE_WiUcFn_pUcOceMmwyTzUw56QiQy8umr6bU7qtCgftWC0OR8HMhYnRKHURfEWngrI/s400/zaou-redo.jpg" width="380" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Zaou Gongen's fusion of East with West</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">This one stands out
because it's both a real Zaou Gongen statue crib and an incomprehensibly gritty
superhero comic crib and the latter doesn't undermine the effectiveness of the
former. This is because Zaou Gongen the esoteric Buddhist divinity forms the
foundation of the design, with the modern Spawn elements merely supplementing
the traditional. Even with these modern comic book elements the design is still
easily identified as Zaou Gongen, so much so that we were unaware of the
chains’ provenance until it was pointed out to us!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3HywRO-0GSQJm_rXvXIhvhhxpPSHoLKYr5gWpK9wPxxk0S75iS9SUBsTFfV1i3WtK2SsabHdBEs0rOvBhW8ZbQ201LSR6Ueu-B0Pt0xKSEHqGvwUlLBX7sFk_NgPVKi8WJIGvVU5h4K4/s1600/odin-nothing.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="344" data-original-width="240" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3HywRO-0GSQJm_rXvXIhvhhxpPSHoLKYr5gWpK9wPxxk0S75iS9SUBsTFfV1i3WtK2SsabHdBEs0rOvBhW8ZbQ201LSR6Ueu-B0Pt0xKSEHqGvwUlLBX7sFk_NgPVKi8WJIGvVU5h4K4/s200/odin-nothing.png" width="139" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Ultra Odin's<br />Identity Crisis</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Doi’s Odin, however, is
the opposite. The nucleus of the design is unmistakably an Ultra-suited
humanoid; the raven and Gungnir might seem like mere accessories at first
glance, but instead function to identify the design as Odin in the first place.
Remove both elements and you would be left with a figure that does not
represent Odin in the slightest way, barring the head’s abstract, Art Deco-like
wings and flame-patch, both elements so stylized as to be indistinct.
Conversely, remove the Spawn from Zaou Gongen and you would be left with...
Zaou Gongen, with the pose and accoutrements of... Zaou Gongen.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">This demonstrates the
importance of prioritizing the fundamental mythic forms of demons before adding
elements that may or may not accentuate their actual functions. Doi himself in
fact adhered to this very guideline in <i>SMT4A</i> with designs like Adramelech,
Sukuna-Hikona, and Krishna--his very best, most SMT-like demons. And while
we've roasted the <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i> guest artist demons plenty over the
years, Tamotsu Shinohara's <a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Tenkai_(demon)">Tenkai</a> follows approximately the same formula,
making him a monk first and foremost and the motif of a body of carved rock
second, producing a wholly inoffensive and even good addition among some truly
wretched attempts (that, unsurprisingly, also generally violated this
guideline). But perhaps most surprising of all is a likely Ultraman reference
that comes at us via one of Kaneko's last demons: Asherah. Though her design
emphasis is that of a mother goddess with large breasts, her skin is covered in
a labyrinthine pattern that bears a close resemblance to Ultraman nemesis Dada,
though the Dada aliens in turn were named after and inspired by the art
movement of the same name; notice that this reference does not interfere with the messaging of her mother goddess emphasis.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7lNf6Q_XEggzp3xmC-typuoPWl2OE8PF7tbmxw3RztgsiHK0DP2yf7rp2Kb5jewY8RR5ViYm8aPQHeSEU-YwZmw5ITOJeucIoZhe0q_oyvCRUBIjidmtP7gcUKHHJVKM9tNNNArmsH4/s1600/dada-serha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="944" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7lNf6Q_XEggzp3xmC-typuoPWl2OE8PF7tbmxw3RztgsiHK0DP2yf7rp2Kb5jewY8RR5ViYm8aPQHeSEU-YwZmw5ITOJeucIoZhe0q_oyvCRUBIjidmtP7gcUKHHJVKM9tNNNArmsH4/s640/dada-serha.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">(terrible joke about Dada being sexier than Asherah)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">We want to stress that if
Spawn of all things can be a legitimate influence for a deity of Japanese
Buddhism, so could Ultraman work for Odin: it's all in the utilization. And if
Asherah can still successfully represent a Levantine mother goddess with
Ultraman monster stripes, if Krishna can still properly toot away on his flute
even in dapper contemporary schoolboy clothes, then there's undoubtedly a way
for Odin to incorporate some aspect of Ultraman without jeopardizing his own
essence. Unfortunately, Doi thoughtlessly chose to prioritize the side over the
entree. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b>VII. It's No Better Than
Shin Megami Tensei IV's Guest Demons</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVm0NhFlPRa9NItC7ls0wI2tGg3mvPd2EhpQcW4LJjF2RtgpgTGVNJWOCZUgTh-99CkbcU2z3TCmqZxRir2dyb7F-H8PP_0vy6pK1-qbbBD66EZ9A4vr5x8jBQCKnPfth1Tof7dmV2SRI/s1600/yamat-tak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="400" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVm0NhFlPRa9NItC7ls0wI2tGg3mvPd2EhpQcW4LJjF2RtgpgTGVNJWOCZUgTh-99CkbcU2z3TCmqZxRir2dyb7F-H8PP_0vy6pK1-qbbBD66EZ9A4vr5x8jBQCKnPfth1Tof7dmV2SRI/s320/yamat-tak.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Approximate representation of your <br />memories of Yamato Takeru</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">In the time between Ultra
Odin’s initial reveal and the present, its single, shallow layer has
nonetheless proven to be a fount of fascinating misfires. But hey, at least we
can say it’s still better than what <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i> wrought, right?
Lamentably, Ultra Odin's best parallel is to an <i>SMT4</i> guest design so mediocre
you've probably already forgotten about it: Yamato Takeru.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">A demigod of Japanese
myth, Yamato Takeru was a warrior who inherited Susano-o's famous sword
Ame-no-Murakumo, later calling it the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi ("grass-cutting
sword"). He is perhaps most notable for an episode where he cross-dressed
as a maid to kill rival leaders, a description of which is conspicuously absent
from Yamato Takeru's <i>SMT4</i> profile. Yamato Takeru has no real role in <i>SMT4</i>'s
story other than being mafia boss Tayama's divine bodyguard and member of the
National Defense Divinities and the less said about the latter, the better.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Yamato Takeru was designed
for <i>SMT4</i> by Kyouma Aki. Here's what Aki had to say about the process:</span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>The keywords I received
for him were 'Yamato Takeru' [a Japanese historical/legendary
figure], 'angular hair,' 'magatama jewels,' 'ancient Japan,' 'cracked earthenware,' and, redundantly, 'Transform!! ...A
bit.' For the rough I submitted, I also included 'young man,' 'male,' 'assassin,' 'divine sword
Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi' (Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi), 'top-brass villain
in a transforming hero movie,' and 'National Defense Divinity' (that sounds so cool). I made his arms and legs puffier in a redo. I really
wanted to design him as a dark hero. By slotting the magatama jewels from his
buckle into Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, he can pull off all sorts of special moves. If
the jewels on his chest tend to the left, he's an enemy. If they tend to the
right, he's an ally. If both sides sink into his body, he turns gold and enters
hyper-mode... That's everything I've come up with. (laughs) The demons are
going to be voiced, so I hope that makes communicating their personalities
through the images even easier</i>. <b>[4]</b></span></blockquote>
</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYwCzzifJ7l-xIXZN2slckWUOB5jBPWYIL02KsDUSYknuByNcadwc_h82Dz920aUmlIvBLmfLMZuO6FKU5iuo6WUBOegW3sLNnjIZY53hR4mMu2eV2-oBLcMynzqBQfYw6PoeWhvRl2c/s1600/Yamato_Takeru_SMTIV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="645" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYwCzzifJ7l-xIXZN2slckWUOB5jBPWYIL02KsDUSYknuByNcadwc_h82Dz920aUmlIvBLmfLMZuO6FKU5iuo6WUBOegW3sLNnjIZY53hR4mMu2eV2-oBLcMynzqBQfYw6PoeWhvRl2c/s400/Yamato_Takeru_SMTIV.jpg" width="201" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Aki's Yamato Takeru</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">It should be pretty
obvious that the chosen direction for Yamato Takeru was none other than a
tokusatsu-style superhero. Because of this, we thought it would be illustrative
to subject the Yamato Takeru design to the same six criticisms we had about
Odin. Just how apt is the comparison?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Hackneyed inspiration</b>.
Another confirmed tokusatsu design, so what more can we say? But it gets worse,
as this isn't even the only "henshin" design Aki contributed,
describing his <a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Astaroth?file=Astaroth_SMTIV.jpg">Astaroth</a> in the following way: "<i>The keywords were
'androgynous man,' 'top-brass villain in a transforming hero movie,' and
'medieval nobleman + figure.'</i>” <b>[4] </b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Emphasis on the wrong
functional details</b>. He probably deserves a pass here, as Yamato Takeru is not
as multifaceted a deity as Odin and his warrior role is not lost in the
transformation to martial hero. However, if you interpret his
"transform" imperative as a reference to his cross-dressing, that
perhaps crosses an inappropriate line.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>It doesn't suit the story</b>.
Now since observation didn't technically exist in <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i> proper,
it is hard to fault Aki and Yamato Takeru for not adhering to its perplexing
laws before the fact. Yamato Takeru's blink-and-miss role in the game that's
only on a single route also makes this one hard to judge; basically all that's
required of him is that he be Japanese, something this design passes with
flying colors!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>It's inorganic</b>.
Absolutely. It was entirely intentional! Just a once-over will tell you that
Yamato Takeru is a "living costume" topped off by a perfect example
of a molded mask-head, just like Odin.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>It's a persona</b>. His bulky
rock armor makes him look a little less sleek than Odin, but the inexpressive,
clownish masked face alone makes this design more persona than demon.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Primary vs. secondary
emphasis</b>. While it's obvious that the primary goal was to make Yamato Takeru
look sentai-like, his origins weren't pushed aside to the degree seen with
Odin. His suit is designed to resemble <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yayoi_period">Yayoi period</a> clothing and his helmet
head is nonetheless ornamented with flaps intended to echo the <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=%E8%A7%92%E9%AB%AA">ancient Japanese <i>mizura</i> hairstyle</a>. He may also be wearing a sentai transformation belt, but it
and the complementary upper armor are decorated with magatama stones. One real
missed opportunity is his Kusanagi sword, which, should there be any
consideration of design continuity, doesn't resemble the pronged sword wielded
by <a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Susano-o">Susano-o</a> at all. But all this said, yes, much of Yamato Takeru is lost for
the sentai stylings and it’s very doubtful you’d be able to guess who it was
just by looking at it.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYZHGvbhcRqvVEQ_WPzZgmGZQCP76H7IavA3qEq4Uh1AR9j0buTG65Wm2PPyJz5PQR-iHlS9_Vlc47x-ZdPmZsgccRFQu6yPFdlh2FYuhFncBJKLFvZqkf5MgS1-YXoH6r_hTBrYvwIJo/s1600/Yamato_Takeru_and_Samurai_Magazine_Cover_SMTIV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="626" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYZHGvbhcRqvVEQ_WPzZgmGZQCP76H7IavA3qEq4Uh1AR9j0buTG65Wm2PPyJz5PQR-iHlS9_Vlc47x-ZdPmZsgccRFQu6yPFdlh2FYuhFncBJKLFvZqkf5MgS1-YXoH6r_hTBrYvwIJo/s200/Yamato_Takeru_and_Samurai_Magazine_Cover_SMTIV.jpg" width="161" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Doi's Dengeki Nintendo cover</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Aki's Yamato Takeru design
is safely consistent with four out of the six criticisms; one of the remaining
two is irrelevant to the design and the last is possibly open to
interpretation. So let's just say four out of five. And though Yamato Takeru
proved to be the best correspondence to Odin, this same rubric could be successfully applied
to other <i>SMT4</i> designs including Astaroth, <a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Asmodeus?file=Smtiv_Asmodeus.jpg">Asmodeus</a>, Raphael, Gabriel, Uriel,
Michael, <a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Michizane?file=Michizane_SMTIV.jpg">Michizane</a>, <a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Koga_Saburo?file=Smtiv_Kouga_Saburou.jpg">Koga Saburo</a>, and arguably others. That Odin could be
mentioned in the same breath as those names is no compliment and should be
eye-opening.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The Yamato Takeru
comparison also benefits from that design having received direct commentary
from Doi himself. Doi selected him to accompany Flynn and Isabeau for a
<i>SMT4</i>-themed <i>Dengeki Nintendo</i> magazine cover and states that "<i>making the
heroic Yamato Takeru their demon friend seemed like a right choice, as he was a
new demon with little exposure (at the time) who eventually befriends the
protagonist in a way. I also just personally like how Yamato Takeru looks and
wanted to try drawing him. (laughs)</i>" <b>[4]</b> Think about that last sentence
there while keeping in mind Aki's description of Yamato Takeru's "<i>gold
hyper-mode</i>" and you can potentially see the genesis of Doi's Odin.
Chilling!</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b>VIII. Ultra Odin Strangles
Kittens and Enjoys It in a Sick, Perverted Way</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLktb1Y1NEVQB9gL5fmlMW6DfBjWelM_mNL83Xl05Dstppxyu4eJFVtvd8N6x9fJuK9Nb_sBll8IwA6mlytO0kb3FsTXfFkeQdM1bB0UD4oJM0iJCXSiV7nQK5cVktsMW21Ja0J_okLo/s1600/hopkinsinawig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="480" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLktb1Y1NEVQB9gL5fmlMW6DfBjWelM_mNL83Xl05Dstppxyu4eJFVtvd8N6x9fJuK9Nb_sBll8IwA6mlytO0kb3FsTXfFkeQdM1bB0UD4oJM0iJCXSiV7nQK5cVktsMW21Ja0J_okLo/s320/hopkinsinawig.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Marvel's Odin surveys his dominion<br />over the laser tag field</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Okay, sure, overall the
new Odin design might not be a crime against humanity, but it falls so short of
the mark in so many ways it's staggering. As Doi already obliquely mentioned
Marvel's Thor in his commentary, all he really had to do was riff on the films'
Anthony Hopkins Odin and call it a day if he was so intent on adding a modern
element. But however sleek the final product is, it's not so cool when Hannibal
Lecter in a wig still makes for a better Odin than the attempt made by the
series ostensibly about the literal deities of myth and religion.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">While it's not impossible
to identify Doi’s Ultraman tribute as Odin (people guessed who it was via a
barely intelligible silhouette, after all, mostly due to the winged head and seemingly missing eye), our point remains that his design
consists mostly of frills that detract from or conflict with his Norse
identity. It's a cliche, but Ultra Odin is simply all style and no
substance--and since Odin is a god with a lot of substance, that’s ultimately
what makes the design such a massive disappointment. Doi's effort has more in
common with the depictions of gods you'd see in Final Fantasy or, more
accurately, one of the multitudes of mobile gatcha games that aren't concerned
with actual gods as much as they are with filling out archetypes to cast a
wide net of appeal; conforming demon design to these standards of frivolous
“cool” will only serve to make Shin Megami Tensei indistinguishable in addition
to eroding its unique position as a curator of actual world culture, not that
Atlus will care so long as this pop pipeline continues to leak black gold. Worst of all, Ultra Odin’s myriad flaws are no isolated incident--which is why he’s been the
perfect case study for everything wrong with modern demon design. </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><u>Patterns of Failure in
Modern Demon Design</u></b></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">“<i>As above, so below</i>.” This
famous phrase of Hermeticism refers to the idea that the microcosm reflects the
macrocosm, often repeated to describe how the human body is a model of the
universe itself. Aptly, we’ve found that the inadequacies of Ultra Odin, our
subject microcosm, only echo problems that resound in the macrocosm of Masayuki
Doi’s collective demon design works. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">By our count, Doi has
produced 24 wholly original designs as of <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse</i> and
<i>Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux</i>. We exclude the refurbished guest
artist demons (like Lucifer, Merkabah; albeit with one specific exception),
facelifts of Kazuma Kaneko demons (specifically YHVH's first form), and the
currently unnamed pitchfork-wielding demon seen in the <i>Shin Megami Tensei V</i>
trailer. These 24 demons are illustrated in the below rogues’ gallery:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnkhYPJ5XzQj-sqSdOKr4jDoLCBCMmjmngJ9Ngr-vI9wahITp3JFhpqTcquj3sDOoyKo2uu11SXZcSgJXd8ymIfKz80HBp77s3Fvn_-P2IDYX2TUCuscMPPB58bGvowo-5Ps6qroXuHA/s1600/doiboys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnkhYPJ5XzQj-sqSdOKr4jDoLCBCMmjmngJ9Ngr-vI9wahITp3JFhpqTcquj3sDOoyKo2uu11SXZcSgJXd8ymIfKz80HBp77s3Fvn_-P2IDYX2TUCuscMPPB58bGvowo-5Ps6qroXuHA/s1600/doiboys.jpg" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Before we begin, this is a
good time for a reminder that we think Doi is a talented artist. <b>By and large, the majority of the
criticisms we have stem from the unsatisfactory incorporation of mythological
motifs in his designs</b>, what we believe to be a critical and defining aspect of
the Shin Megami Tensei series; it’s very rarely a question of the actual
quality of his artwork. In fact, you may or may not be excited to learn that
there will even be some Kaneko criticism to follow, as some of the issues began
during the Kaneko and Cozy Okada era and it’s only fair to address them as
warranted. But make no mistake, there is no true equivalency between the two
generations. The two dozen members of the modern demon portfolio, with Ultra
Odin as their model, represent a palpable paradigm shift in design that only
validates the concerns of <a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2015/08/SMT-identity-crisis-pt1.html">Identity Crisis</a> almost three years ago--and one that
paints a grim picture for the demons yet to come from Doi's digital canvas.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b>A. Odin's Raven: Research,
That Old Bugaboo</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The lone raven alight
Ultra Odin’s clenched fist resounds with a familiar caw: effective
representation of myths requires effective investigation (unless your primary
source is a popular children’s program). But how does the research process work
within Atlus itself? As luck would have it, Doi himself shed some tantalizing light
on the topic in <a href="https://atlus.com/the-devs-of-shin-megami-tensei-strange-journey-redux-answer-your-questions/">a question and answer session for the English release of <i>Strange Journey Redux</i></a>:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Q: How do you research
your information for demon designs what sources do you look at to find stories
from mythology from around the world and how do you incorporate that into the
final design?</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b style="font-style: italic;">
</b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b style="font-style: italic;">Masayuki Doi</b><i>: It all begins with going through the materials such as books,
mythology-related websites, and other resources put together by the person in
charge of the story setting. And based on those materials, I sketch out details
that could be used in designing the demons and characters, and then I discuss
which is the best design amongst the team. Whether their designs remain
faithful to the original mythologies or certain aspects are exaggerated is
decided through this process.</i> <b><a href="https://atlus.com/the-devs-of-shin-megami-tensei-strange-journey-redux-answer-your-questions/">[6]</a></b></span></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">This entire quote is a
big, fat, juicy porterhouse that will require multiple courses to properly
savor. But for now, the tender morsel to chew is simply the fact that there is
a method for utilizing source materials as part of the design process. However,
no matter if it’s the scenario lead or Doi himself, many of the 24 new demons
display an odd aversion to the content of these source materials to an extent
that adequate engagement with them doesn’t seem like a priority. Here are a
generous handful of ways demon design has been affected by this indifference to
source research: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>1. Minor mistakes</b>.
Relatively insignificant errors that will seem downright quaint as we move on.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSB_r-fGzgexVkOBtAha_CQ2WIrUykGbMWeKJoDztLV9nnKZLznwbXmsu0BW9sKLSuBcFb85w44BHCo9DwcrklVk3rtYO3YNssXixpAgqxDloZ2VezNh1V7z2NdSq8uy7reMRRUZocKC8/s1600/adra_pan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="283" data-original-width="449" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSB_r-fGzgexVkOBtAha_CQ2WIrUykGbMWeKJoDztLV9nnKZLznwbXmsu0BW9sKLSuBcFb85w44BHCo9DwcrklVk3rtYO3YNssXixpAgqxDloZ2VezNh1V7z2NdSq8uy7reMRRUZocKC8/s200/adra_pan.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Pan of the ass</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Adramelech's pan</b>: Doi's
Adramelech is a favorite design of ours for its agreement to the Louis Le
Breton original, but, by Doi's own admission, <b><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html">[2]</a></b> he is shown grasping an
extremely specific and odd item: a Japanese-style iron (a <i><a href="http://www.kominguya.com/en/vintage-irons/21-fer-a-repasser-hinoshi.html">hinoshi</a></i>), replete with burning
coals. Why is a European demon described as the supervisor of Lucifer's
wardrobe holding a hot iron that is also from a country completely alien to
him? Doi does not elucidate further.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgizCIEx24BaPGLchIMvi91-wxoprZ4C8ltuuo87Ablk9Aml6nq8Q6pFfqYYezm4WyPFTohQ3X-n-Kdgxg-tJ9U-v3mrcfSEn_rQwv0qEYIjVr4cFUZT8K6zr8uSqvk7UfIAJrBFM2794Q/s1600/adra_sources.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="716" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgizCIEx24BaPGLchIMvi91-wxoprZ4C8ltuuo87Ablk9Aml6nq8Q6pFfqYYezm4WyPFTohQ3X-n-Kdgxg-tJ9U-v3mrcfSEn_rQwv0qEYIjVr4cFUZT8K6zr8uSqvk7UfIAJrBFM2794Q/s320/adra_sources.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Left: the Adramelech found on Japanese Wikipedia;<br />Right: the recent reproduction</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Despite that, we think we
may have an idea. The Louis Le Breton print from the 19th century <i>Dictionnaire
Infernal</i> depicts the familiar Adramelech in a cocksure pose and similarly
grasping an accessory, but viewing a clear scan of the print makes it obvious
what it's supposed to be: a magnifying glass, presumably alluding to his
occupation as Hell's outfitter and tailor. Our theory is that Doi only had
access to a poor quality facsimile of the Le Breton print, from which he had to
interpret what exactly Adramelech was holding. In fact, the <a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A2%E3%83%89%E3%83%A9%E3%83%A1%E3%83%AC%E3%82%AF">Japanese Wikipedia page for Adramelech</a> (and most of the other language pages, for that matter)
displays a shabby scan of the print that's been there since 2007; it's so low
contrast it's quite difficult to discern the object in question, other than it
might have a handle connected to something round, hence our Japanese iron. It's
quite possible that this very image was what Doi used, as high quality and
clean scans of the <i>Dictionnaire Infernal</i> illustrations have become available
only just recently; <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adramelech_(DI).png">Adramelech's was uploaded to Wikimedia Commons on September 9, 2015</a>, less than a month before Doi's Adramelech made his covert debut as
part of <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse</i>'s announcement, and therefore
couldn't have impacted the design. Our only remaining criticism is that Doi
defaulted to Japanese culture for something from European culture; it's
lamentably comparable to Ultra Odin and further reinforces a tendency for him
to not think outside his native bubble.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8oNJx8l1BP8kUY2h0RsFdr0d5z7-jnqbTeBBORkH-MHnHiyhw4CqMoM2RWQg2rCiPt875C1IEoKM1Z5bVwArS7b1ly6XSrKTEr-IYhM7eT8MsHJqXiFoBmD7IPlaObWbTrz7L1wyNsY/s1600/abrax.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="664" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8oNJx8l1BP8kUY2h0RsFdr0d5z7-jnqbTeBBORkH-MHnHiyhw4CqMoM2RWQg2rCiPt875C1IEoKM1Z5bVwArS7b1ly6XSrKTEr-IYhM7eT8MsHJqXiFoBmD7IPlaObWbTrz7L1wyNsY/s320/abrax.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">An Abraxas stone and Kaneko's Abraxas</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Adramelech's iron also has
an easy Kaneko analogue with Abraxas. Abraxas is often seen wielding a lash or
flail on the ancient "Abraxas stones," but Kaneko drew him with an
olive branch instead, perhaps also due to issues with interpreting low-fidelity
images. The Abraxas design is otherwise in harmony with the ancient depiction,
just given another object with a similar silhouette--but at least one with connections
to Greek and Mediterranean culture, unlike Adramelech's item.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrJxBuMEOACSeu7-kiN0DpPkilB6r3czysGosPKZZKQ-fQNhNsa9NxdjAXoZS23jit1ZNo6a3QKNb101__ogc6JSzuhPjVNEX301_uw_JXKZxI2NxHoBPplBiB-QK5nGl5rDwMgy1g9RU/s1600/pumpk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="408" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrJxBuMEOACSeu7-kiN0DpPkilB6r3czysGosPKZZKQ-fQNhNsa9NxdjAXoZS23jit1ZNo6a3QKNb101__ogc6JSzuhPjVNEX301_uw_JXKZxI2NxHoBPplBiB-QK5nGl5rDwMgy1g9RU/s200/pumpk.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Pumpkin Crimes </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Demeter's pumpkin</b>: Hardly
a heinous crime, but Demeter's cornucopia, otherwise one of the few appealing
components of her design, contains a pumpkin, a species totally foreign to her
homeland of Greece. While trivial, it speaks to an impulse towards superficial
research, as either Doi or someone else likely procured a quick and dirty
reference of a cornucopia from an image search without much thought as to the
context for which it was being adapted.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>2. Baffling leaps of
logic</b>. We've already seen the best example of a logic leap with Doi's thought
process for Ultra Odin, as the sci-fi, alien trappings of the Marvel Cinematic
Universe led to adopting a completely unrelated extraterrestrial appearance
with Ultraman. Unfortunately, that's not the only puzzling rationale Doi has
admitted.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXzlO-qajXOc7ClNx04MYgPjCTg47TCp1SBQt3wI8f2XCvCSBH0Q7IhnHa_OHyE-IYl41bXcYAjGOiCnZn56FRb8Wogvx3AL_L8muygIgkbNF533cIe2lccSSv0PMTuzaRw3Ef3DN_9HI/s1600/cleo-portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="561" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXzlO-qajXOc7ClNx04MYgPjCTg47TCp1SBQt3wI8f2XCvCSBH0Q7IhnHa_OHyE-IYl41bXcYAjGOiCnZn56FRb8Wogvx3AL_L8muygIgkbNF533cIe2lccSSv0PMTuzaRw3Ef3DN_9HI/s200/cleo-portrait.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Not-so-solid snakes</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Cleopatra</b>: Most are
familiar with the legend of Cleopatra committing suicide via the asp, even Doi,
who comments, "<i>there are also numerous anecdotes containing the snake, so
I made her head ornament out of live snakes and added a few more to coil around
her arms, so she would be able to use them as whips in order to make men or her
enemies submit to her.</i>” <b><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html">[2]</a></b> So, because Cleopatra took her own life with snake
venom, her arm literally becomes weaponized snakes…? That’s to say nothing of
the live snake protruding from her forehead; that snake isn’t merely part of
her diadem, as underneath it you can see droplets of the same black snake ooze
that affects her arm, suggesting an emergence from her body. This one's so
stupid you bet your life we'll have more to say about it below.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>3. Problems with
comprehension and application</b>. Research may technically be a collaborative
process at Atlus but, based on the demonic evidence, all parties involved are
complicit in the misunderstanding and/or misapplication of the source material.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Yu0zZh1-WIpqkAV_tvdD25HjSYXK8OuSTDUO11JT5piKOqoSSHC2z3DnBsnKWZE3jfSYqMEPyLpOr0xa8G5qioIhYKliM-p4dLUZ0XW84vlI1EfXQ2LRXJomRQfBjDyXWn8k2nV_v8k/s1600/devbu580.cmp.stex.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Yu0zZh1-WIpqkAV_tvdD25HjSYXK8OuSTDUO11JT5piKOqoSSHC2z3DnBsnKWZE3jfSYqMEPyLpOr0xa8G5qioIhYKliM-p4dLUZ0XW84vlI1EfXQ2LRXJomRQfBjDyXWn8k2nV_v8k/s320/devbu580.cmp.stex.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">A load of bull</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Mitra-Buddha</b>: <i>SMT4A</i>'s big,
fat nothingburger, Mitra-Buddha, or Mitra Bodhisattva as intended in the
Japanese version (pedantic, <a href="https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-a-Buddha-and-a-Bodhisattva">but there is a meaningful difference</a>), is a
nonexistent entity. Mitra is of course a character of Persian and Vedic
mythology, but there is no synthesis of Mitra and Buddhism anywhere. At best,
that is what Maitreya already represents, though only through etymology. But
all of this is less pertinent than Doi's remarks about the design, which are
worth reproducing in their entirety:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>I used [Maitreya] as a
base and collaborated on finding a design for Mitra with the staff that was
more well-versed in mythology. The Mitra of ancient times is such an old god
that he has spawned numerous variations, and yet there are very few
descriptions of him. That is why in this game his design reflects the changes
suffered historically by Mitra himself. Among the things I wanted the god of
contracts to reflect were the principle of Christian salvation or the revered
cow</i>. <b><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html">[2] </a></b></span></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">There are two important
takeaways:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">1. Doi needed help from
fellow staff members "<i>more well-versed in mythology</i>." This must mean
either that Doi doesn't consider himself knowledgeable on the subject or that
he specifically needed to consult them about the imaginary friend they created
for him to draw. Our dream is that it's a sarcastic quip aimed squarely at the
scenario planners for tasking him with the impossible.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">2. This design represents
all generations of the Mitra family tree, meaning that Persian-Vedic Mitra,
Zoroastrian Mithra, Roman Mithras are all here in some respect. The wings probably call back to the Zoroastrian yazatas and the bull
head certainly refers to the tauroctony of Mithraism, the only Mitra-related
myth that has a sacred bull. How "<i>Christian salvation</i>" works into the
mix is anyone's guess, but Doi is probably making a general (and fairly
inaccurate) comparison between Mithraism and Christianity.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">As no true amalgamation of
Mitra exists in any tradition, this is a demon literally without an identity.
Without a clear identity, there's no solid foundation on which to build.
Mitra-Buddha is an aimless, unfocused design resulting from poor guidance and a
lack of knowledge.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv6s1vXx-yt96JHTBEQh9AxTiyuwUZckq9s39iJsEqGWv5DCfEweSebConvrHiUKqk7jvKyFxORP7i5zx_EDu8i38o2h5SZqGpz6XtzQHAOARBGRx6e58wVgxEdto0XKEKr7EX5I_LFrc/s1600/medusas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="865" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv6s1vXx-yt96JHTBEQh9AxTiyuwUZckq9s39iJsEqGWv5DCfEweSebConvrHiUKqk7jvKyFxORP7i5zx_EDu8i38o2h5SZqGpz6XtzQHAOARBGRx6e58wVgxEdto0XKEKr7EX5I_LFrc/s200/medusas.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Eyes up here: Nirasawa's (L), Doi's (R)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Medusa</b>: We will
deliberately avoid talking about the handful of remasters of <i>Shin Megami Tensei
IV</i>'s guest demons, but Doi's refinement of Yasushi Nirasawa's Medusa poses her
hunched over with her cleavage as a focal point; Nirasawa's original featured
her chest in profile, the focus on her goofy Disney villain mug. Adding
cleavage is probably the oldest trick in the pandering book, but think about it
from a mythological standpoint: why would Medusa want to put her breasts on
display when she really wants the eyes of men to lock with her own petrifying
gaze? Doi's effort is a better stylistic match for Shin Megami Tensei but
Nirasawa had the better grasp of mythological function, sad as that is to say. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLKChPl1vMukXRtBPJB5_g51kVf7oLA_xI5fSPST36elji1mXQEexHmrGC9AdCpllg-eDaHh5VdnJWAC8E1615TxYoQMTUR_wIsea-CX_G-QekT6mt6zgAG89jvNPaAGeZuVkXaVfzWFM/s1600/WVW69kEfeSw038rFIX.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="400" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLKChPl1vMukXRtBPJB5_g51kVf7oLA_xI5fSPST36elji1mXQEexHmrGC9AdCpllg-eDaHh5VdnJWAC8E1615TxYoQMTUR_wIsea-CX_G-QekT6mt6zgAG89jvNPaAGeZuVkXaVfzWFM/s320/WVW69kEfeSw038rFIX.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The epitome of stupid<br />and abstruse combined</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Satan</b>: Judging by his
comments on the design (see section B, "Odin’s Mask," below), Doi was hellbent on
illustrating the Satan that appears in the Christian Book of Revelation. This
means he was given the requisite seven heads with ten horns (more like spikes
in this case) but also prominent broken chains dangling off hand-impaling
spikes that speak to an escape from Hell. The problem is that Satan appears in
<i>SMT4A</i> as a servant of YHVH as the Almighty's "stumbling block,"
squarely in the original Jewish context. Thus, no escape would be necessary
because he is a direct avatar of God himself--the descent of the "fallen
angel" Satan as an independent character only has meaning in a Christian
context which <i>SMT4A</i>'s scenario doesn't provide. The chains and their implication
of flight also add an additional layer of nonsense because you literally see
Satan form before your eyes in a cutscene as a willing fusion of Merkabah and
Lucifer, two beings known explicitly as YHVH's pawns. It admittedly takes some
serious reading to fully understand the difference between the Christian and
Jewish Satans, but in this case it was Doi's job to do so; however, his
preconceptions apparently became a stumbling block of their own, leading to a
design failure.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>4. Seemingly random
adherence to source material</b>. Not every design of Doi's is a dud! But for those
that clearly utilize proper sources and research, why do they feel like
exceptions? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">We make no secret of our
love for Adramelech and Mephisto; along with Sukuna-Hikona, Krishna, and maybe
Chironnuppu, we think they represent the pinnacle of Doi's demon output thus
far. But it's Adramelech and Mephisto in particular that stand
shoulder-to-shoulder with the Kaneko giants (is it any surprise that both these
guys put in appearances for our regrettably brief run of Doi’s <a href="https://kanekocribs.tumblr.com/post/138063805391/kanekos-crib-notes-xxxiv-adramelech-we-at">Crib</a> <a href="https://kanekocribs.tumblr.com/post/144722584408/kanekos-crib-notes-xxxviii-mephisto-with-smtiva">Notes</a>?). If
we were to show only these two demons to our 2013 selves, at the height of <i>SMT4</i>
guest artist negativity, we probably would have been even more sour on Amemiya,
Nirasawa, et al. and positively thrilled for this false future. And the reason
for this success is simple: Doi stayed within the cultural lines. The lines,
after all, are your friends.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP_nuDzLtR2rNplGv5eLTxEQ-caiAr6n7czRrVs1bNVJqzYpp-n0NFmIEwtWMsk1qi_51cF-0er5j1Zm9tu6fpyVSAfbZxEjRscQlYcix-27FIh09ceoHfXo78mkbH5XlAcVeIDi2X03A/s1600/adramelech_mep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="993" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP_nuDzLtR2rNplGv5eLTxEQ-caiAr6n7czRrVs1bNVJqzYpp-n0NFmIEwtWMsk1qi_51cF-0er5j1Zm9tu6fpyVSAfbZxEjRscQlYcix-27FIh09ceoHfXo78mkbH5XlAcVeIDi2X03A/s400/adramelech_mep.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Adramelech and Mephisto</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Adramelech cleaves
straight to the iconic Louis Le Breton illustration, introducing a host of
stylized details that compliment rather than distract, including a more
anatomical neck and some shocks of blue and orange on the head-piece and slacks
that introduce a pleasing color variety to the original black and white design.
Even the peacock-like feet come across as such a natural extension that you
would be forgiven for assuming they were present in the Breton print as well--
the primacy of the original cultural image is preserved without sacrificing
invention. Mephisto, meanwhile, emphasizes the traditional theater garb employed
in stage adaptations of the Faust legend, complimented by the reasonable
embellishment of a pale, demonic countenance. And while an iconic pose a la
Adramelech isn't supplied by tradition, Doi conceives a striking and
appropriate posture of his own, right arm thrust forward in theatrical fashion,
perhaps in a gesture of a maniacal suggestion, left crooked casually over the
hilt of his saber and legs positioned as to imply levitation. From tip to toe,
Adramelech and Mephisto display an acute understanding of the now classic mode
of design, which Doi touches upon in their respective commentaries:</span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">[On Adramelech] <i>A design
made in the early stages, back when I decided to draw the demons. The reason
for this selection was that I wanted to release a proper looking demon, so I
consulted the ‘</i>Dictionnaire Infernal<i>.’</i> <b><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html">[2]<br /> </a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>Mephistopheles is a
character from the legend of Faust that has been often interpreted in various
plays, movies and so on, so his design has become fixed in people's minds. I
chose to respect that, while also adding my own original points.</i> <b><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html">[2]</a></b></span></blockquote>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">So the question is why,
exactly, was this approach reserved for these two in particular, amid the
constellation of designs that otherwise flout source material? Doi’s comments
are murky on the rationale: he seems to imply that the choice of Adramelech for
the scenario was left to him, perhaps entailing an unusual degree of freedom in
the process. A “<i>proper looking demon</i>” would naturally imply something along the
lines of the Goetia, so his choice may have been as simple as searching for
something that had yet to put in an appearance in the series. Perhaps Doi is
more willing to apply a source-oriented approach to “demons” in the
traditional, infernal sense, as another demon to be discussed later retains his
usual aspect beyond some gigantic red distractions. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">This theory should
eventually bear out as more demonic alumni are inevitably introduced, but for
now it applies equally to the fiendish-but-not-goetic Mephisto. Here Doi simply
states the dictum of cultural primacy in design to the letter, leaving little
ambiguity that he understands and is capable of executing on the philosophy of
successful demon design. Does his DLC-exclusive status imply that it was simply
his fortune to be one of the last designs conceived, perhaps at a period in
which a weary Doi was ready to shift gears for a moment, or is it simply an
extension of the “demonic exception” mentioned above? </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">There are a few other
examples of Doi employing source materials with fantastic results, like
Anahita’s panels, which employ <a href="https://arastan.com/journey/in-search-of-zoroastrianism">auspicious
inverted triangles of Zoroastrian art</a>. These panels, Adramelech, and
Mephisto are proof positive that Doi is capable of fantastic work in (re)producing
source-oriented forms--and also that simple research is sometimes all you need!
This is a fact that should guarantee the inclusion of at least a few
exceptional designs per mainline entry going forward, but that’s the whole
issue: a pattern of erratic application will ensure it’s a crapshoot as to who
makes it out of Maniacs Team’s tokusatsu vacuum forming machine unscathed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>5. Overreliance on
obsolete "truths</b>." Kaneko contrarians rejoice: finally an issue that began in the
Atlus “golden days.” </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The general field of
religion and mythology may deal with subjects that are millennia old, but the
surrounding scholarship is surprisingly fluid. New archeological finds
challenge accepted assumptions, textual analysis could established new
connections between cultures, and so on; maybe the books on Apollo or Osiris
won't be rewritten, but the right find in the dirt could shed needed light on
more mysterious characters like Mithras or even the ultimate origins of Yahweh.
The trouble is, Atlus seems reluctant to release its death grip on its
decades-old books or update the information they are disseminating in demon
profiles and the like. </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNO8KpwD0ekm1OrTYZm3DgTmCeoJgYzqx-XRAx7D0yP0W0oMoQjiAKL0FTBCdHccPDK94G5e1F_XDPFphFMUYD6Zcx2SR8Ty5iW0qwlrzhqbQztpVhQaPS95f9_tHJvu-I89E8ZfS7bE/s1600/98c771a732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="826" data-original-width="496" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNO8KpwD0ekm1OrTYZm3DgTmCeoJgYzqx-XRAx7D0yP0W0oMoQjiAKL0FTBCdHccPDK94G5e1F_XDPFphFMUYD6Zcx2SR8Ty5iW0qwlrzhqbQztpVhQaPS95f9_tHJvu-I89E8ZfS7bE/s320/98c771a732.jpg" width="190" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">From the official <i>Dx2</i> <br />Facebook page</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">This topic popped up
recently in the form of an official English <i>Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2</i>
demon profile of none other than Odin’s eight-legged horse Sleipnir, which, for
all its problems, actually seems to be an accurate translation of<a href="https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fd2-megaten-l.sega.jp%2Fdevil.html&t=N2JiZDk2MjBhNzkzNGY4M2VjMmE4N2MzYTI3MzY0NzMyMjcwNjRmNixDZVhGdm56Mg%3D%3D&b=t%3ACQIXA_VQQjxrrCETPpcxKQ&p=http%3A%2F%2Feirikrjs.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F172468730762%2Fdx2-the-heretic&m=0">
the Japanese version</a>, which is where the problem lies. Most of the content
is fine until the last sentence when it says the name Sleipnir means “wood of
the gallows” (</span><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">絞首台の木</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">) and that the tree on which Odin hanged was also
named “Sleipnir,” two dubious statements, to put it mildly. The name
Sleipnir actually means “slippy” or “smooth” and of course the tree in question
is none other than the world ash Yggdrasil.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">As far as we can tell for
either case, a possible explanation is that <a href="https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FKenning&t=OWNjOTYxNmZlZTBlMDJiZGYyMTE0MmExNzI0ZGZmYjM4NTcxNWQ2NixDZVhGdm56Mg%3D%3D&b=t%3ACQIXA_VQQjxrrCETPpcxKQ&p=http%3A%2F%2Feirikrjs.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F172468730762%2Fdx2-the-heretic&m=0">kennings</a> (a feature of Norse poetry that uses figurative phrases to
indirectly refer to another subject) were taken literally. For the first, there
is indeed a kenning for “gallows” that incorporates Sleipnir’s name: <a href="https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fskaldic.abdn.ac.uk%2Fm.php%3Fp%3Dverse%26i%3D4372%26v%3Di%23word169808&t=MDQxM2MzMTI0ODY4MzFjOWE1MDdkYmE5Yzg5OTMyMzg5M2IzNjdhYixDZVhGdm56Mg%3D%3D&b=t%3ACQIXA_VQQjxrrCETPpcxKQ&p=http%3A%2F%2Feirikrjs.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F172468730762%2Fdx2-the-heretic&m=0">“the
high-breasted Sleipnir of flax cords</a>”; if anything, the definition
assignment is backwards and it’s “gallows” that is taken to be a “Sleipnir,” but
it’s not the intent for this poetic language to be taken at face value. The
same seems to be true for Yggdrasil, which itself is a kenning meaning “Ygg’s
steed,” “Ygg” being another name for Odin himself. Because Odin hanged himself
from Yggdrasil to learn the secret of the runes (he did not hang the heads of
others; that seems to be a mistranslation, unless it is referring to
sacrifices), he in a sense “rode” it as if it were a horse–it may have been
another gallows scene, but being a god, he still came out on top.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">These kennings seem to
have been translated literally in Japanese in whatever source Atlus used for
Sleipnir’s profile, probably old and outdated. And though Sega developed
<i>Liberation</i>, it’s not their fault: we can confirm that this same misinformation
about Sleipnir exists in his <a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E9%87%91%E5%AD%90%E4%B8%80%E9%A6%AC%E3%82%B0%E3%83%A9%E3%83%95%E3%82%A3%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B9%E4%B8%87%E9%AD%94%E6%AE%BF%E2%80%95%E6%82%AA%E9%AD%94%E7%B7%A8%E3%80%88%E4%B8%8A%E5%B7%BB%E3%80%89-%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%83%9F%E9%80%9A%E6%9B%B8%E7%B1%8D%E7%B7%A8%E9%9B%86%E9%83%A8/dp/475770416X/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1530473634&sr=8-10&keywords=%E9%87%91%E5%AD%90%E4%B8%80%E9%A6%AC%E7%94%BB%E9%9B%86"><i>Pandemonium</i> book profile from 2001</a>, and the
profiles from those books were in turn sourced from the two <i>Akuma Zensho</i> ("<i>Demon Complete Book/Compendium</i>") CD-ROMs for <i>Devil Summoner</i> and <i>Soul Hackers</i>. This same info is used <a href="https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fmegamitensei.wikia.com%2Fwiki%2FSleipnir&t=YTEwNWQ1OGExODZiZTY0Nzg5NTE2ZDExNjg1ZGI3ZGNkN2Q4YTE3NyxDZVhGdm56Mg%3D%3D&b=t%3ACQIXA_VQQjxrrCETPpcxKQ&p=http%3A%2F%2Feirikrjs.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F172468730762%2Fdx2-the-heretic&m=0">for
current profiles, as you can see on the wiki</a>; but note <i>Imagine</i>’s text,
which is longer, different, and more accurate (except for a possible
translation gaffe that exchanged “underworld” for “underwater”), and likely
written with newer, different sources.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Utilizing outdated
information would of course be intrinsically harmful to demon design, but has
it actually happened? We think so, but the particular example that sticks out
to us isn’t by Doi. Yes, even the almighty Kaneko fell victim to spurious research
with his Cernunnos... sort of. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFZf_PrArUn_Bi_bT1jmUrL1_3a5tzKLMfGLd2gws9lGmmHP7FEC_yShL-yBPNPnwhkVmNECdNlmj9IHE2Rx-VmBOEsqFCHQONHYOPhsOB57XqLPHkQj8nQ03VbTZsD_2F2iJOhodzSc4/s1600/151+Cernunnos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="396" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFZf_PrArUn_Bi_bT1jmUrL1_3a5tzKLMfGLd2gws9lGmmHP7FEC_yShL-yBPNPnwhkVmNECdNlmj9IHE2Rx-VmBOEsqFCHQONHYOPhsOB57XqLPHkQj8nQ03VbTZsD_2F2iJOhodzSc4/s320/151+Cernunnos.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Kaneko's Cernunnos</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Though an elusive figure
in Celtic myth, Cernunnos is today basically known as a fertility god and while
he may indeed have some relation to the underworld, it doesn’t seem to be his
defining function. While Kaneko's Cernunnos is not a bad piece of art, it
misses the mythical mark by a country mile, emphasizing the god as a
psychopathic psychopomp. Obviously based on the antlered figure from the
ancient <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gundestrup_cauldron">Gundestrop cauldron</a> (as opposed to the Cernunnos on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillar_of_the_Boatmen">Pillar of the Boatmen</a>),
Kaneko's mounts an impish Cernunnos on a giant deer skull, which doesn't really
fit a deity of life who famously appears on the cauldron in a meditative pose
surrounded by wildlife. Abetting this skullduggery is that SMT places Cernunnos
within the Reaper/"Death God" race, while official profiles for
Cernunnos adversely mention he is a "god of the dead, hunting, fertility,
and vegetation" while also mentioning the antlers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">So, even with good
intentions and a fantastic primary source, how can a god be misinterpreted so
badly? Conveniently, <i>Soul Hackers</i>' <i>Demon Compendium</i> CD-ROM lists two sources
for Celtic deities: Proinsias MacCana's seminal <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Celtic-Mythology-Proinsias-MacCana/dp/0600006476/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1528429570&sr=1-1&"><i>Celtic
Mythology</i></a> (1969; <a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%B1%E3%83%AB%E3%83%88%E7%A5%9E%E8%A9%B1-%E3%83%97%E3%83%AD%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B7%E3%82%A1%E3%82%B9-%E3%83%9E%E3%83%83%E3%82%AB%E3%83%BC%E3%83%8A/dp/479175137X/ref=sr_1_88?ie=UTF8&qid=1513724913&sr=8-88&keywords=%E3%82%B1%E3%83%AB%E3%83%88%E7%A5%9E%E8%A9%B1">published
in Japan in 1991</a>) and Miranda Jane Green's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Celtic-Myths-Legendary-Miranda-Green/dp/0292727542/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1513727684&sr=1-1"><i>Celtic
Myths</i></a> (1994; <a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%B1%E3%83%AB%E3%83%88%E3%81%AE%E7%A5%9E%E8%A9%B1-%E4%B8%B8%E5%96%84%E3%83%96%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B9-%E3%83%9F%E3%83%A9%E3%83%B3%E3%83%80%E3%83%BB%E3%82%B8%E3%82%A7%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3-%E3%82%B0%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%B3/dp/4621060627/ref=sr_1_75?ie=UTF8&qid=1513724913&sr=8-75&keywords=%E3%82%B1%E3%83%AB%E3%83%88%E7%A5%9E%E8%A9%B1">published
in Japan in 1997</a>). MacCana's work on Cernunnos is eerily similar to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cernunnos">the content currently on the god's Wikipedia page</a>, suggesting a consensus unchanged
this past half-century; Green's is much the same. Two things to note here,
however: the first is that these sources are valid only for the written
profiles for the <i>Soul Hackers</i> CD-ROM, et al. and are not automatically
assumed to be Kaneko's specific inspiration; the second that Wikipedia doesn't
always have the most up-to-date information, particularly for obscure Celtic
deities that receive relatively scant page traffic. The only conclusion we can
make from this is that Kaneko (and whoever assigns races) personally consulted
a source older than MacCana with outdated information while also using the
Gundestrop cauldron as a visual aid. While it's a technically inaccurate
design, at least the intention to use an original source is there, something
largely absent from Doi's Odin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Atlus is in dire need of
some contemporary book recommendations. Unfortunately, we expect the
regurgitation and recycling of misinformation or half-truths instead of
much-needed new research to continue to be a problem going forward. If they
continue to use the same old books, scenario writing and demon designs could be
affected just as much as simple profiles. It likely won’t be an issue for every
demon--for example, how could one possibly botch the design of a
universally-known god, like Zeus?--but Doi is the inheritor of an environment
ambivalent towards the truth and keen to superficial spectacle.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b><span style="color: red;">UPDATE:</span></b> <a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2018/08/26/kaneko-kazuma-1996-interview/">Thanks to another clutch translation by Dijeh, we have another example of information that's less than accurate</a>. In a 1996 interview with Sega Saturn Magazine for the release of the <i>Devil Summoner Akuma Zensho</i>, Kaneko himself remarks: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>I really got into Sumerian culture while working on this, and found out that in their mythology there is a planet with an elliptic orbit outside the solar system, number twelve or so. It’s really popular among occultists and it is said monsters hail from there. Inaruna, who shows up in the final part of Devil Summoner was inspired by the Sumerian goddess Inanna. There are many mother goddesses all over the world, like Ishtar or Kali, but Inanna feels like the mother of them all. They all differ from region to region though, and it seems Inanna became Ishtar at some point too. If we put it like that, if feels like Sumer is the origin of God, so I paid special attention to it.</i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Here we see Kaneko peddling the idea that Inanna is a mother goddess, even going as far as to call her relationship to other goddesses as being "<i>the mother of them all.</i>" This is absurd, yes, but it also presages Inanna's role in <i>SMT4A</i>, which will be touched on later in this article. Additionally, saying "<i>Sumer is the origin of God</i>" predicts (and contradicts) <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/nocturne-guide-interview/">Kaneko's odd Nocturne strategy guide comment from years later</a> that "<i>YHWH, the god of the Old Testament, is the basis for all the gods around the world, from a folklorist’s standpoint</i>." Another interesting nugget from the interview is that Kaneko notes that Shogo Isogai, later scenario writer for Nocturne and Strange Journey, among others, is "the one in charge with the monster data" for Akuma Zensho, which entails the demon profiles we're still reading (well, at least some of us do!) in modern SMT games.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b>B. Odin's Mask: Persona
Pressure</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjCVRdEx9g3PmSjPGamd9cMMa-DaFnwq1Ht6Sn5U3ZcI42qHDMIRiOIQF8FGbwNTQla4BN-sLM07ZZfEzxhtSdnGLxhrbTQixMhj0xC1u9crvTKGJGhHPQYNTqYzNMtqQRJYxNz82-xo/s1600/asmo-mask.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="560" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjCVRdEx9g3PmSjPGamd9cMMa-DaFnwq1Ht6Sn5U3ZcI42qHDMIRiOIQF8FGbwNTQla4BN-sLM07ZZfEzxhtSdnGLxhrbTQixMhj0xC1u9crvTKGJGhHPQYNTqYzNMtqQRJYxNz82-xo/s320/asmo-mask.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Asmodeus: Soothsayer</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Persona is more popular
and makes more money for Atlus than Shin Megami Tensei; this is possibly the
most obvious postulate ever postulated. Then, it would follow that aspects of
Persona, like its style and design tropes, would bleed into the company's other
products in an attempt to capture more lightning in a bottle and expand their
audience. It's only natural!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">We touched on the
inorganic “mask” effect earlier with Ultra Odin and why that makes him resemble
a persona more than a demon and also that this can equally apply to a number of
Doi’s other demons. In fact, the “mask” nomenclature is a slight misnomer in
that respect, as the “persona-ization” of demons is about more than just what
happens with a demon’s head, extending to whether inorganic body types supersede
organic and even to aspects like theming emphasis. All told, the claim that
Persona is seeping into Shin Megami Tensei may not be particularly
extraordinary, but the overabundant evidence present in the demons themselves
just might be.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2017/02/dissecting-dagda.html"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="672" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dxL8wCT727QsD5h7wQ9gjfCGOahO-JtbsWeBgA38INl0r7bmYLBaq60BSuzgqC4qD4xapNdeTrktun6lhSVAm5g5lav1vNM1PURmXOMlsdkEfnjaD6Ez8F-Rxh_GNi7WA7U0wxagqYs/s1600/two_dagda2.png" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2017/02/dissecting-dagda.html">DAGDA'S GROSS INNARDS AWAIT! (Unless you already read it last year)</a></span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Dagda</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Dagda's enough of a
mess for myriad other reasons that he already has his own article. Click/tap on the adjacent banner for a complete disseverment of this so-called "good god." (</span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Note: Dissecting Dagda originally published on 2/10/17.</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">) Nevertheless, one of its ultimate points is that Dagda resembles a persona more
than a demon because A. the design looks nothing like the mythical Dagda and B.
the design takes a single trait (death) and exaggerates it, a common tactic of
persona design. And fitting for a being who wants to end all life as the inhabitants of the </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">SMT4</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">-verse know it, Dagda wears one extremely inorganic body.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYU-j6E6YTVxyCHm78PVhMkgnJdkb-ar0NfT_iU3wK-kF1yzIdt1e3i45kzbnGpv6E3FsYvPi2j9YrsVu9jaFYid5PaTN5O89Q2Fy0IL9ifI4L32fN6tyUvQ66zqXRyrbPBaeKnHsSikA/s1600/danu-inanna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="942" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYU-j6E6YTVxyCHm78PVhMkgnJdkb-ar0NfT_iU3wK-kF1yzIdt1e3i45kzbnGpv6E3FsYvPi2j9YrsVu9jaFYid5PaTN5O89Q2Fy0IL9ifI4L32fN6tyUvQ66zqXRyrbPBaeKnHsSikA/s320/danu-inanna.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Danu's mask and... whatever <br />is happening with Inanna</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Danu</b>: Danu exemplifies
usage of the mask motif because, like Odin, what we see of her actual head
looks just like one. Cast in a conspicuous ivory to contrast with the rest of
her earth tone body, her "mask" is also missing a nose, an
intentional exclusion that goes a long way in giving her that persona vibe. And
speaking of her body, Doi portrays her with a wooden figure; a</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">ccording to him, “</span><i style="font-family: verdana;">she has very few actual descriptions so I used my imagination a lot. The flowers and green on her head signify overflowing life, while her body is a tree trunk and the earth, showing the flow of life</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">.” </span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html">[2]</a> </b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">W</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">ood is technically organic tissue but the nicely composed carved textures on her "skin" and the inlaid orbs like those on Dagda (and some of </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">SMT4</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">'s guest demons) reinforce an overall inorganic
aesthetic. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Inanna</b>: It bears repeating for Inanna: <a href="http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/inanaitar/index.html">she's not a mother goddess</a> no matter how many times <i>SMT4A</i> says she is. Unfortunately, Inanna's final design runs with this idea,
saddling her with a humongous distended belly and seven odd onion-patterned
breasts of various sizes. Though if you take a good, hard look at what's
happening with her whole torso you'll find that it's oddly egg-shaped; this is
presumably playing off the bird theme borrowed from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burney_Relief">Burney Relief</a>, though
every element is still embellished to the nth degree. But where the persona
comparison is strongest is once again in the head; we'd say face, but she
literally doesn't have one, just some flat ornamental patterning and a Heath
Ledger Joker smile. She doesn't even have eyes! Not even her hair looks
particularly realistic for the style, instead resembling twisted rolls of
Play-Doh. In sum, Inanna doesn't exactly look like something that would be
living and breathing.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgejegXIeHwZeup4YYqoDP8i6OMkh1MEFjxPdnt1lCTtOywtns-w6nE58gj-x5sHlT7TG5MgAviZI09oWyjrHaRWbtIxIxp6B1CvnSaB_i_z1mY61lCx6LDONOGdvWzp0vhaRsSzhD21yo/s1600/cleo-pro-cas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="820" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgejegXIeHwZeup4YYqoDP8i6OMkh1MEFjxPdnt1lCTtOywtns-w6nE58gj-x5sHlT7TG5MgAviZI09oWyjrHaRWbtIxIxp6B1CvnSaB_i_z1mY61lCx6LDONOGdvWzp0vhaRsSzhD21yo/s640/cleo-pro-cas.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Persona 2</i>'s Prometheus, <i>Persona 3</i>'s Castor, Cleopatra</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Cleopatra</b>: The majority of
Cleopatra is organic and human-like (and thus not similar to a persona), that
is, all but her “weaponized” right arm, which subtly transforms into a knot of
snakes behind her head; the shift is difficult to see at first but no trickery
was intended by Doi as you can very obviously see her skin change into a
snake's to the left of her head, like the aforementioned brow cobra. So,
because she committed suicide with one, Cleopatra literally is snakes. What's
the logic in becoming or being equated with what killed you, other than for for
symbolic reasons that better fit a persona than a demon? For similar examples,
see Prometheus' rock body in <i>Persona 2</i> and the impaled-yet-animated Castor of <i>Persona 3</i>. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The seams of the<br />Bosatsu Bros.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Maitreya &
Mitra-Buddha</b>: Maitreya is yet another design with a rigid head
"mask," with visible seams on his face and arms that imply he doesn't
just look golden, he might actually be gold. And as Mitra is a glorified
palette swap of Maitreya he retains the arm seams and seemingly loses those on
the face with his new bull head, but a closer examination reveals they're still
there. They're difficult to see but are definitely unnaturally stylized and not
meant to be organic skin creases; additionally, there's just really something
<i>off </i>about his facial structure and expression, particularly the jaw. There's also
a similar problem to Cleopatra in that the "sacred" bull head
represents Mithraism, seemingly without the awareness that the bull was
sacrificed by Mithras in that religion, so incorporating something symbolic yet
apart from the literal, physical body of the god only makes sense in a Persona
context and barely at that. And is this where we repeat that there is no such
thing as a Mitra-Buddha/Bodhisattva, but that one's really not on Doi. However,
if Mitra is the "true form" of Maitreya and thus older, shouldn't
Maitreya resemble him and not the other way around? Did sapient beings write
this game? </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTS5oSKPYf5_BVqQCgt_pseYqtXP3BzBcUX9PBocC3ocbQ9vSqDnhwGlIXYy4YF81oZidswyGRyQp3BNOdOrssFVTbuCsEiOtJp6Q3rx12saVZ8Lomm_YAYNDc1n1vWNZDAMQX2NOyEU/s1600/chiro-vishnu-f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="690" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTS5oSKPYf5_BVqQCgt_pseYqtXP3BzBcUX9PBocC3ocbQ9vSqDnhwGlIXYy4YF81oZidswyGRyQp3BNOdOrssFVTbuCsEiOtJp6Q3rx12saVZ8Lomm_YAYNDc1n1vWNZDAMQX2NOyEU/s320/chiro-vishnu-f.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Chironnuppu and Vishnu-Flynn </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Chironnuppu</b>: The
diminutive Chironnuppu has a wispy body but a big ol' fox noggin that looks
like it was carved out of wood, judging by the lines and texture present. This
may mean that Chironnuppu is another "masked" demon but we think it
is the best executed out of any in that category; the blockhead and Marshmallow
Fluff work well in tandem, as if a spirit were inhabiting and animating the mask.
A nice reminder that creative and appropriate use of inorganic elements can
actually enhance a design's messaging!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Vishnu-Flynn</b>: It might
seem that the two flavors of Vishnu-Flynn barely count as demons, but so says
the game and supplementary materials! One positive about Vishnu-Flynn is that
he has a head with an actual face; there's eyes, a nose, a mouth, and Flynn's
silly hair, all of which make </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">sense for story reasons.
But despite a literal human aspect, the rest of him is yet another Doi tribute
to the inorganic costume body; on his arms and chest you can see oddly
delineated and unnatural segments of "muscle" in addition to the gold
veins.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Zeus</b>: Zeus is guilty here
but we’ll be getting to him in more detail in a separate discussion below.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">So out of Doi's 24 original
demon designs, 12 of them, a solid HALF, display persona-like tendencies. But
counting Odin, you may notice something's off about our math as so far we've
only talked about 11 persona-demons. That's deliberate, as we needed extra room
for possibly the most egregiously persona-esque of them all: <b>Satan</b>. It's truly
difficult to decide where to begin with him but we might as well start with the
most eye-catching element, his seven heads. As previously mentioned, this is
because Doi chose to depict Satan as the Great Beast from the Book of
Revelation:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>I’ve been thinking for a
long time that I’d like to see a demon illustration of Satan as the red dragon
described by John in the Book of Revelation. I never thought I’d actually be
the one to draw him, but this was a good opportunity so I took it as a
challenge. I didn't want him to be mistaken for the Beast of the Harlot, so I
only used the description of its head and emphasised the rest as a demon
design. The details on his hands and legs are vestiges of his imprisonment in
Hell. To me, this design is my biggest wish fulfilled.</i> <b><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html">[2]</a></b></span></blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Satan's face icon passes its judgment</span></td></tr>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Now, it must be prefaced
that this "<i>biggest wish fulfilled</i>," like an aggravating number of <i>SMT4A</i>'s original demons, first and foremost has problems with its portrayal, as
was already covered in regards to the problems with proper research. But
regardless of Doi's source inspiration, we are left with these honestly
striking crimson horned heads erupting like lava from a basalt-colored body; we
have to admit that this volcanic contrast is a compositional highlight. And at
first glance you'll see that the many heads all have full facial features even
with some agreeable stylization going on with the skull and dragon motifs. That
is, all but one: the top central head is "masked," sans all but eyes,
and is confirmed to be Satan's representative head judging by the fact that it
is the one that appears on his miniature face icon. Doi couldn't resist!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Satan's torso is downright
bizarre. Consisting of seemingly random veiny and other subdivided segments, it
certainly counts as convoluted if that was the type of “cool” Doi was aiming
for here. These divided sections are similar to those discussed of
Vishnu-Flynn's, though here amplified; if they are meant to be musculature,
they certainly don't look organic. In fact, the craggy "pauldrons"
and volcanic allusions imply that Doi's intention for the body was indeed
something hard and stony. And why volcanic theming? Given how Satan is depicted
as having "escaped" from Hell, then it follows that his mineral and
magma is supposed to represent such a fiery pit. Satan would then be another
example of a death or punishment manifesting itself into the body, like
Cleopatra; Satan compares particularly well to <i>Persona 2</i>'s Prometheus, who
incorporates the rock onto which he was bound and tortured as part of his
design.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_hP3ya9j_79VlxQhsH7t2PfD6JJ0qFmupLcQMjd_jA4WLeNtkpAYBfWN5fIccMEHMasc-aVSFXngAhmkGDtLHu0nKL-wjm-s_HbmQEsoTP8eS3-KKheJeGoLILxiBf-IJs8wHygtJwc/s1600/satan_arm-torso.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_hP3ya9j_79VlxQhsH7t2PfD6JJ0qFmupLcQMjd_jA4WLeNtkpAYBfWN5fIccMEHMasc-aVSFXngAhmkGDtLHu0nKL-wjm-s_HbmQEsoTP8eS3-KKheJeGoLILxiBf-IJs8wHygtJwc/s1600/satan_arm-torso.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Satan's shambles: the torso's convoluted blob and one of his oversized novelty hands</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">There's little to say
about his wings or tail but Satan's arms are as exaggerated as anything else
about the design. His hands are twice as wide as his arms, giving him
cartoonish proportions. It's common for the chained spikes impaling the hands
to be compared to the shackles of Kaneko's <i>Persona 1</i> Satan, and whether or not
that’s the influence, Doi likely included the spikes to emphasize the
Revelation theming.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">*sigh*... <i>Who Wore It Better</i>?</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">But nothing about Satan
screams "persona" more than his legs, which are ripped directly from
the playbook of modern Persona series artist Shigenori Soejima. They begin with asymmetrical flaring that gives
Satan the impression of having extra-wide birthing hips and compare directly
with nearly identical flaring on <i>Persona 5</i>'s Arsene; while <i>Persona 5</i>'s release
post-dates <i>SMT4A</i>'s in every region, Arsene's design had been a known quantity
since the beginning of 2015 at least and certainly well before that within the
Atlus offices. But the flaring is merely a funny coincidence compared to the
legs’ sharp, pointy ends: Satan's terminate in acute tips akin to a host of
Soejima persona designs including but not limited to Konohana Sakuya, Kala-Nemi,
Kanzeon, Thanatos, and Cerberus. Even if they aren't pointed, Soejima seems to
be generally opposed to giving personas feet as seen on the blunt objects
possessed by Orpheus, Take-Mikazuchi, and their respective evolutions. And when
they actually have feet, some personas like Izanagi or Arsene balance
themselves on bladed footwear. But Doi's Satan might actually outdo them all in
the tapering category, his absurd legs looking more like a pirate's peglegs
than something that would actually aid the locomotion of any real or imagined
being. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_nxHksYGJDD1XAqu9B36BRjcXCSXNioWfxk9ZmQ89XI77cf9Uz7FrxHqtFQVWY0WF53ckNCW1V23ghi5XhhdhRqjlPZU6g_e4SP6MuwLPjJcLZpXvcUDNqn8S0Knri8_8w2lwjo87fU/s1600/personafeet_plusatan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="1000" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_nxHksYGJDD1XAqu9B36BRjcXCSXNioWfxk9ZmQ89XI77cf9Uz7FrxHqtFQVWY0WF53ckNCW1V23ghi5XhhdhRqjlPZU6g_e4SP6MuwLPjJcLZpXvcUDNqn8S0Knri8_8w2lwjo87fU/s640/personafeet_plusatan.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">If Legs Could Kill: Satan's stilts slot right in next to Soejima's personas</span></td></tr>
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<br />
<i style="font-family: verdana;">SMT4A</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> wants its Satan to
be seen as "</span><i style="font-family: verdana;">the epitome of chaos and order combined</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">," but, let's be
honest, if the design were represented by a Venn diagram it would just be a
single red chaotic circle, mostly thanks to Doi's insistence on a Revelation
Satan. But even if the heads contradict the game's own objective, remove them
and you would be left with a monotonous blob of charcoal, reinforcing the claim
that the heads and the contrast they provide are the only interesting part of
the design--and even they got hit with a mild case of the persona bug. Instead
of a perfect mix of law and anarchy, Doi’s Satan is a model amalgamation of the
overbearing influence of the Persona series.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b>C. Odin's Thunder: The
Limits of Doi’s Creative Freedom</b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHLcMy5Ekuckw1_eQfDWZbz1Fr19yLMGpPq0C2jFLwEUeld3AxQF6lcCbrKXMCzNw3lONBZ7POif2fapoGsukyYqD0zdrm83fEsJeO8_8R7aspgobwNg-0U90cwWrPNCP-lUS6yDCBug/s1600/FkAElwPA1k5rfj6kUSQF489FEcgZkrU8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="399" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHLcMy5Ekuckw1_eQfDWZbz1Fr19yLMGpPq0C2jFLwEUeld3AxQF6lcCbrKXMCzNw3lONBZ7POif2fapoGsukyYqD0zdrm83fEsJeO8_8R7aspgobwNg-0U90cwWrPNCP-lUS6yDCBug/s320/FkAElwPA1k5rfj6kUSQF489FEcgZkrU8.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Shigenori "GunCon" Soejima<br />and Masayuki "Chuckles" Doi</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Here and in the preceding
Kaneko's Crib Notes volume, we've repeated ad nauseam our belief that Doi sits
relatively low on the Atlus totem pole, causing his hands to be sometimes tied
by his superiors--meaning that certain questionable creative decisions aren't
entirely his fault. There are quotes that allude to this being the case such as
the one reproduced in Section A, where Doi says that he “<i>[sketches] out details
that could be used in designing the demons and characters</i>” then “<i>[discusses]
which is the best design amongst the team</i>” which decides “<i>whether their designs
remain faithful to the original mythologies or certain aspects are
exaggerated</i>.” <b><a href="https://atlus.com/the-devs-of-shin-megami-tensei-strange-journey-redux-answer-your-questions/">[6]</a></b> However, this very hierarchical nature of Japanese office
politics and the fact that all available commentary we have from Doi on the
subject is published in promotional interview fluff and official books means we
probably aren't getting the whole truth. But there's far more to it than just
words--and aren't pictures supposed to be a thousandfold more valuable, anyway?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">After <i>SMT4A</i>'s dust fully
settled and Doi's new demons were disseminated, reaction to them was... well,
let's just agree that it was mixed. Most (us included) agreed that they were at
least more consistent in style to Kaneko's (i.e., "heavy brush") than
the <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i> guest artists', albeit with some blunders. This
apparent ceasefire lasted until <a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E7%9C%9F%E3%83%BB%E5%A5%B3%E7%A5%9E%E8%BB%A2%E7%94%9FIV-FINAL-%E5%85%AC%E5%BC%8F%E8%A8%AD%E5%AE%9A%E8%B3%87%E6%96%99%E9%9B%86-%E7%A5%9E%E8%A9%B1%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E3%81%B8%E3%81%AE%E6%97%85-%E3%83%9D%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88%E3%83%A1%E3%83%87%E3%82%A3%E3%82%A2%E7%B7%A8%E9%9B%86%E9%83%A8/dp/4758014957/">the game's artbook was released the following summer</a>, showcasing what we didn't see in the game: Doi's superlative demon
concept art. Fat Dagda with a club instead of ersatz Skeletor. Danu with a face
and actual skin. A much more human Inanna. Without listing them all, the common
theme between most of the concepts is they look like actual Shin Megami Tensei,
Kaneko-era demons; it's an absolute tragedy that none of them were used. So why
weren't they? Our guess is that they were judged to lack that
Persona-influenced “cool” factor and Doi was forced to conform; in a word,
“money.”</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimP3AoscU8dswj6qSXDudtEZ8J7jdDQ_8kyYURDF7BBpwM-ZYaQyZBZLdJG_aIrQNw7UgM0BktD7NUp8vZcFeX_7PF0yfGVt_B0bPSQmru0qMfDPgAPGB5JbXYXLyWUdQVxDIce15GBWY/s1600/concepts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimP3AoscU8dswj6qSXDudtEZ8J7jdDQ_8kyYURDF7BBpwM-ZYaQyZBZLdJG_aIrQNw7UgM0BktD7NUp8vZcFeX_7PF0yfGVt_B0bPSQmru0qMfDPgAPGB5JbXYXLyWUdQVxDIce15GBWY/s640/concepts.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Not cash enough: skull 'n snakes Satan, husky Dagda, and a reasonable Inanna</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Dagda is a good example,
as he represents the multiple dimensions to the problem that may be in play
here. In <a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2017/02/dissecting-dagda.html">Dissecting Dagda</a>, the theory offered was that Fat Dagda, accurate to
the mythological figure as it may have been, would not a particularly bankable
face for a game undeniably marketed towards adolescents (in Japan; all
marketing talk here is with Japan specifically in mind because Atlus' games are
still made to cater primarily towards their home market <b><a href="https://personacentral.com/atlus-discusses-desire-to-grow-within-the-industry-persona-6-needing-to-surpass-persona-5/">[13]</a></b>), while
"cool" Dagda would have that general appeal to the majority who don't
know what he actually is supposed to look like. Look no further than Doi’s own
comment on Dagda that “<i>role-wise there was a discrepancy in the game with the
generally transmitted image of a good, food-loving god, so I broadened the definition</i>"
<b><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html">[2]</a></b> for evidence of deliberate modification.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgErMVr42FALjNlVVp63qVohlx0Nqb41VrM-RBPHITXQ1nLOJbSt7TyqQG0F5KRIoFxanIepwTBKuJkJPw-mkG26LBf-DkO9lEcwZjjDA3WOaZY4JmTyhcaZuid5qos729BnTNiZG396vQ/s1600/WVW69kRa8wImYVKI6E.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="400" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgErMVr42FALjNlVVp63qVohlx0Nqb41VrM-RBPHITXQ1nLOJbSt7TyqQG0F5KRIoFxanIepwTBKuJkJPw-mkG26LBf-DkO9lEcwZjjDA3WOaZY4JmTyhcaZuid5qos729BnTNiZG396vQ/s320/WVW69kRa8wImYVKI6E.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Try to imagine "fat" Dagda saying this, then <br />laugh, then laugh at the original anyway</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">So if Dagda, a central
character, looks completely different (persona-like, as it were), it's
naturally going to have a rippling effect on other designs. If he’s a monstrous
abomination, then it makes no sense for his mother Danu to appear demure and
human-like. And if these two major demon players have that inorganic look, then
it follows that others in the new roster would adopt it as well for consistency
(and they largely did). Dagda's design was also limited by the requirements of
the scenario and script. Simply put, Dagda is one dour and depressing dude and
his dreary dialogue wouldn't sound right coming from the mouth of, well,
anything that doesn't have a skull for a face; likewise, this is a topic
explored in greater detail in Dissecting Dagda. Nonetheless, these scenario
restrictions likely negatively impacted Doi's work by imposing upon him
incongruous demon characteristics and attributes. Here are more examples from
Doi's own comments:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHW9zErO4nAbOvzeU-UFD8jQuuNHhvznS99uDYlWDj5kOBEEK1ky81cTiTEnQP1xmQ3E0UG0TErPpamZ0GMyg4kXGtfaDr8hmHp165sGuZbp185QHEotIbElsRpfdbm9DhuS9nXPbYqQ/s1600/7+Miroku+concept+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHW9zErO4nAbOvzeU-UFD8jQuuNHhvznS99uDYlWDj5kOBEEK1ky81cTiTEnQP1xmQ3E0UG0TErPpamZ0GMyg4kXGtfaDr8hmHp165sGuZbp185QHEotIbElsRpfdbm9DhuS9nXPbYqQ/s320/7+Miroku+concept+3.jpg" width="187" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">"Pretty Maitreya" concept</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Maitreya</b>: Here, Doi
expresses a wish: "<i>I'd still like one day to try my hand at drawing an
androgynous pretty Maitreya</i>.” <b><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html">[2]</a></b> Many Buddhist statues have an androgynous
look, so this is certainly a great starting point. There's just one obvious
problem: he already did design multiple androgynous Maitreya concepts!
Certainly he didn't forget about his own recent work, so here he must mean
simply that he wishes to see such a design actually included in a future game.
As to why the effeminate angle wasn't chosen, it's due to what we talked about
above in relation to Odin: the need to achieve a "<i>balance</i>" among the
Divine Powers, whose leader, Krishna, adopted the "anime cel" style
with human traits with a lithe body type, leaving a slender Maitreya apparently
out of the question. Thus Maitreya would be defined by a bulky silhouette,
though there might be another bull-headed reason for it, as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Mitra-Buddha</b>: "<i>I used
Miroku as a base and collaborated on finding a design for Mitra with the staff
that was more well-versed in mythology</i>.” <b><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html">[2]</a></b> As already reviewed in the
research section, Doi was served a rotten plate of nonsense with Mitra by the
scenario and we suppose he did his best given the circumstances. But since
Mitra is just a minor reworking of Maitreya's own design, and if we assume this
was always going to be the plan, Doi's longing for an androgynous Bodhisattva
was probably never in the cards as plopping a bull's head on a skinny,
meditating body probably would not communicate the threat intended by Mitra's appearance
in the narrative.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Chironnuppu</b>: "<i>A
mascot was wanted in the game and this is how Chironnup's first design came
about</i>.” <b><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html">[2]</a></b> That explains everything, really.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Inanna</b>: "<i>The original
idea had her as a sky goddess, but her role as a birther of gods evolved in the
story so her appearance came to reflect this</i>.” <b><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html">[2]</a></b> By "<i>sky goddess</i>"
we assume Doi means the literal meaning of Inanna's name, "Lady of
Heaven," or the identification of her in Mesopotamian astronomy as the
planet Venus, as she is not literally a sky goddess; of course, the game frames
her as a mother goddess, something else Inanna isn't, so just assume Doi was
forced to eat another hot plate of nonsense. Regardless, this innocuous-looking
comment provides a tantalizing window into what could have only been an
improved role for Inanna in the narrative.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDY93scEexveObgAq0gZmxJF912IKbWl5LZShoPLXhB_pVgndU1n7pXgEdnw0J7TP8wPPZaQUYxu4Fum-NpV-bMX1NrB5GOC5bTpjaanWkZGBc0tQc36vczdK_DvY7B50QniGSTmnS81E/s1600/ap95.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="400" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDY93scEexveObgAq0gZmxJF912IKbWl5LZShoPLXhB_pVgndU1n7pXgEdnw0J7TP8wPPZaQUYxu4Fum-NpV-bMX1NrB5GOC5bTpjaanWkZGBc0tQc36vczdK_DvY7B50QniGSTmnS81E/s320/ap95.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">YHVH questions Atlus</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>YHVH, Second Form</b>: Well,
we had to mention it somewhere. While Doi's comments on this truly awful design
don't imply any narrative obligations but instead reiterate the game's facile
and nonsensical justification for YHVH's chimeric makeover, the entire YHVH's
Universe segment is so sudden and empty that it feels like it was appended late
in the game's development, much like the related concept of observation. This
all culminates in the Bonds path, the alignment path heavily favored by the
game itself and thus the development staff, where the party trash-talks YHVH
until he is reduced to a demonic state. The contradictory ontological
implications of this aside, the idea of a "fallen" YHVH seems to stem
from the scenario planning, not from Doi's own mind.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Demeter</b>: "<i>Demeter’s
image is widely regarded as that of an adult woman, but this game portrays her
as a little girl. Her unusual appearance was for me a glimpse into the appeal
of the game’s setting, but since this isn’t really a traditional look of hers,
I had quite some trouble coming up with a design… Looks-wise, I was expected to
give her more of an actual character touch than have her look like a demon,
similar to </i>SMT4A<i>’s Krishna</i>.” <b><a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2017/10/04/1797/">[7]</a></b> Doi appears to be on the same page as most of
us regarding a collective bewilderment (or worse) towards child Demeter, and at
the same time he indicates responsibility for the design goes to "<i>this
game</i>," i.e., the scenario planning and overall direction. On that topic,
and in another tragic instance of material tailor-made for Identity Crisis but
not translated in time, Demeter’s appearance can possibly be explained by
additional commentary from current series lead Kazuyuki Yamai in a 2013 post-<i>SMT4</i> interview where he
describes a gulf in tastes between older and newer staff members, with the
newer preferring things to be “<i>sweet</i>” as opposed to SMT’s traditional
“<i>bitterness</i>”:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAs77dAui5hIeeu_-MnHRqj5LiBQQNHqnQH0RWydHrgxuo7xdEbud5UFkyg8XpSNBxnuamGmlrbvKEO8SOa7XOKt3xEjdEKiUc6_8hsy2vTNOXqdqP0noadRUwu1gjho1eK9jEP6-oUzc/s1600/002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAs77dAui5hIeeu_-MnHRqj5LiBQQNHqnQH0RWydHrgxuo7xdEbud5UFkyg8XpSNBxnuamGmlrbvKEO8SOa7XOKt3xEjdEKiUc6_8hsy2vTNOXqdqP0noadRUwu1gjho1eK9jEP6-oUzc/s320/002.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Demeter, Sour Patch Kid</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i><b>Yamai</b>: ...When female
characters appear in contemporary games, they tend to say nice things, a lot of
them are ‘sweet’, so the creators used to this kind of thing want to add this
‘sweetness’ no matter what. The content Megami Tensei has been nurturing so far
has been in accordance to the times and, no matter how you look at it,
‘bitter’, so you wouldn’t be able to add ‘sweetness’ to it. This actual type of
ideological conflicts were really troublesome.</i></span><i><br /></i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Were there discussions
among the staff regarding the meaning of ‘Shin Megami Tensei’?</span><i><br /></i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i><b></b></i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i><b>Yamai</b>: Obviously, and as
expected, each member had their own image of Shin Megami Tensei. If you were to
ask me if in the end the opinions coincided, then I would have to say no; but I
figured the good parts of these differing views should go into the maps,
scenario and so on, where each person in charge would base them on their own views.
Basically, you more or less go with the flow, but still should not deviate too
much from the ‘bitter’ parts.</i></span><i><br /></i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i></i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>...</i></span><i><br /></i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">I could feel the Shin
Megami Tensei spirit in the harshness of IV’s battles, but there was also a
certain mildness to be noticed<i>….</i></span><i><br /></i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i><b></b></i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i><b>Yamai</b>: The character
parts, with the voice acting and peaceful conversations do make for a milder
feeling than the previous titles.</i> <b><a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/08/08/yamai-kazuyuki-smt-iv-interview-for-dengeki-nintendo/">[3]</a></b></span></blockquote>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Demeter may in fact
represent a compromise between both camps, with the “<i>sweet</i>” faction earning her
“cuteness” and the “<i>bitter</i>” side fighting for her completely mystifying role in
<i>Strange Journey Redux</i>’s additional story. Doi also mentions he "<i>was
expected to give her more of a an actual character touch</i>," i.e., the
“anime cel” look similar to Krishna as opposed to the "heavy brush"
technique that defines most of the other demons, and while that is similarly a
directive it's something that would only affect shading and texturing.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">This evidence suggests
that Doi operates separately from his directors, producers, and writers, and in
certain cases produces artwork stemming from their provided keywords and
outlines, similar to the direction given to the <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i> guest
artists, uncannily so. While he lacks complete autonomy, he certainly appears
to have greater artistic freedom in other cases, like Odin, Adramelech,
Mephisto, or Satan. And though we are in favor of a Doi unrestricted by poor
writing that forces the worst possible results, Satan in particular is a good
example of why a lack of supervision could be bad for him, as he produced a
design unfit for the scenario. Ruminate on that for a second: while some demons
were designed to match the tone of scripts and narratives, a Doi left to his
own devices promptly delivered a Satan that contradicts <i>SMT4A</i>'s plot. Whether a
communications breakdown or just ignorance of symbolism on the part of his
superiors, the whole situation weaves a rich tapestry of stupid. Doi will
undoubtedly gain greater autonomy with time but whether that's actually good or
bad looks to be as predictable as a coin toss. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b>D. Odin's Body: Shonen
Sexual Dimorphism</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xN574bKeoYADxkd6PHDzBO7ectSJ3Al0R2iovMYLnh9c73XRI4neLoK_vodxRN6WFC9gpecOvbn9xQKsNMoAX6ndgkZtZz390xGvxJwHQD9qP-5Ywv8ADrTLbC2xiT6RjVdKq0juFKg/s1600/noc_demogr_shit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="963" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xN574bKeoYADxkd6PHDzBO7ectSJ3Al0R2iovMYLnh9c73XRI4neLoK_vodxRN6WFC9gpecOvbn9xQKsNMoAX6ndgkZtZz390xGvxJwHQD9qP-5Ywv8ADrTLbC2xiT6RjVdKq0juFKg/s320/noc_demogr_shit.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">MegaTen Maniax 2004</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">In Identity Crisis and
elsewhere we’ve mentioned that modern Shin Megami Tensei seems to be gunning
for a younger demographic compared to past titles. It’s always been challenging
to back up that claim without statistics but the 2004 <i><a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E7%9C%9F%E3%83%BB%E5%A5%B3%E7%A5%9E%E8%BB%A2%E7%94%9F3%E2%80%90NOCTURNE%E3%83%9E%E3%83%8B%E3%82%A2%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B9-%E5%85%AC%E5%BC%8F%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%83%B3%E3%83%96%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF-Abyss-MANIAX-PlayStation2/dp/4797326719/">Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Maniacs Abyss of MANIAX</a></i> fanbook contains data from contemporaneous
online polls, revealing much about the Japanese fanbase at that time, probably
the height of this first era of SMT. Of special note are two charts (seen
adjacent) that show that 42% of respondents were female to 58% male (top chart) and, more
importantly, their age groups, which require some translating:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana";">10</span><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">代前半</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> = “first half of the 10s,” i.e., ages 10-14 (3%)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana";">10</span><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">代後半</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> = “second half of the 10s,” ages 15-19 (29%)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana";">20</span><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">代前半</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> = ages 20-24 (38%)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana";">20</span><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">代後半</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> = ages 25-29 (23%)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana";">30</span><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">代前半</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> = ages 30-34 (7%)</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">A whopping 68% of this
representative slice of the Japanese SMT fandom in 2004 were at least 20 years
old while another 29% were 15-19, i.e. high school age. If you don’t think
things have changed in recent years, then here’s a snippet from a </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Shin Megami
Tensei IV: Apocalypse</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> Famitsu interview where Doi and Yamai talk about the significance
of the cast’s ages:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Famitsu</b>: Is there anything
on your mind when designing characters for SMT4A<i>?</i></span><i><br /></i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i><b></b></i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i><b>Doi</b>: In the prequel, we
wanted to have a realistic gap between the cultures of Tokyo and Mikado, so the
art style was more realistic. Here in SMT4A, since we lowered the average age
of the main characters, and it takes place more in Tokyo, we’re making it more
pop-like, and make children look more like actual children.</i></span><i><br /></i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i><b></b></i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i><b>Yamai</b>: Actually in the
early phases of planning, we planned to have the main character to be even
older than SMT4’s.... if we’re making a simulator based on current era, rather
than an adult with an almost complete self, it’s much better for a main
character of a current-era Megaten to be incomplete children with some doubts
in their hearts.</i> <b><a href="https://nintendoeverything.com/shin-megami-tensei-iv-final-devs-elements-that-define-the-series-considered-older-cast-music-more/">[8]</a></b></span></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX2gRNYM66bSskTKnfBnPo9HLID7TAJmBwDRyQpgCP-dIVJSoGoj-wcp_KMekNegPqqVI8XVTO_1HKEdEFvmFowyLgoHP-eu-fRyTnmrAi5TeXDoY-nN3CN4bDSKxGCI7yqpQCe53Wx5U/s1600/Whole_Cake_Island_2nd_End_Card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX2gRNYM66bSskTKnfBnPo9HLID7TAJmBwDRyQpgCP-dIVJSoGoj-wcp_KMekNegPqqVI8XVTO_1HKEdEFvmFowyLgoHP-eu-fRyTnmrAi5TeXDoY-nN3CN4bDSKxGCI7yqpQCe53Wx5U/s400/Whole_Cake_Island_2nd_End_Card.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">One Piece's shonen body types</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">“<i>Even older than
SMT4’s</i>”... you mean <i>SMT4A</i>’s main character could have been 19 instead of 18? (Don't worry, we know the idea was for him to be the 30-something design that ended up being Asahi's father.) But this sarcasm, Yamai’s parroting of the prevalent Japanese idea that you
stop changing once you’re an adult, and the dire insinuations of “<i>it’s much
better for [main characters] of current-era Megaten to be incomplete children</i>”
all aside, it’s much easier to see that Atlus deliberately lowered the ages of
their characters not as a stylistic choice, but to chase the <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Dnen_manga">shonen</a></b> demographic in Japan. Made for young boys (though not exclusively consumed by
young boys), the shonen genre’s action-oriented stories tap into juvenile power
and sexual fantasies. Dragonball and One Piece are preeminent examples of
shonen series and the genre’s archetypes of character design: plucky male
heroes (with whom the boys will self-identify), “badass” male rivals, and
monstrous male archvillains; women aren’t entirely absent but are usually
limited to the monster mash roster and to be supporting eye candy to ignite the
boys’ gonads and keep them coming back for more. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Granted, “<i>Shin Megami Tensei
has always had the makings of a boy's power fantasy with its computer-aided
summonings of gods and demons</i>,” to quote Identity Crisis verbatim, and even if
the pessimistic tone and symbolic themes of past games prevented the series
from spilling over into full shonen territory, it was really only a flip of a
switch away from being a “full service station” with the optimistic party
dynamics and teen love triangles that young Japanese boys fancy. So if that’s
the market Atlus is after nowadays, then it follows that Doi’s demons would
imitate those same shonen design tendencies of heroes, villains, and pandering
sexuality. Accordingly, we produced a handy spreadsheet for Doi’s current 24
demons to see not only how they compare to general design archetypes but to
crunch the numbers for various other categories including gender, body
composition type, conformity to source material, and place of origin: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokDJ1xrpErNuBmZTVTw8xeaftJttz5lbNnM-V5mQoE1v2KKjubI_cg5bohgzZ0OSqOOauAgGaWHWBdifctbE_14JtNAMD7Z-o7a1Yzxuk9e6xYIKCcJj3zqK7DoT17yJBKm-tXEoINMs/s1600/doi_spread_low.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokDJ1xrpErNuBmZTVTw8xeaftJttz5lbNnM-V5mQoE1v2KKjubI_cg5bohgzZ0OSqOOauAgGaWHWBdifctbE_14JtNAMD7Z-o7a1Yzxuk9e6xYIKCcJj3zqK7DoT17yJBKm-tXEoINMs/s1600/doi_spread_low.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Again, we count
Vishnu-Flynn’s forms twice because they are treated as distinct designs in
official materials; one form also has a pop culture reference the other lacks.
Here’s a brief rundown of each category:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<ul>
<li><b style="font-family: verdana;">Given gender</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: By “given,”
we mean “stated by the game.” As these are mythological entities, discrepancies
or variations are possible in the source material. For example, the demon
Gemori looks like a woman but the Goetia still describes Gemori as “he,”;
however, SMT always portrays Gemori as female. Genderfluidity is probably not
present (read: intended) among Doi’s demons currently, even though it could
apply to the one demon we’d rather avoid talking openly about out of concern
for </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Strange Journey Redux</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> spoilers.</span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: verdana;">Body type</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Whether the
demon’s body is majority organic or inorganic.</span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: verdana;">Form/archetype</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Where the
demon falls along a spectrum of design paradigms and tropes.</span></li>
<li><b style="font-family: verdana;">Source conformity</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The
design’s adherence to source material, whether visual or descriptive, according
to four types (wholly original creations are marked as “Not Applicable”);
please note that these types are NOT necessarily holistic appraisals of a
design’s effectiveness:</span></li>
<ul>
<li><i style="font-family: verdana;">Type I (High Conformity)</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">:
The main form of the design (i.e., the demon’s body) is faithful to source
material with few or no major stylistic embellishments. Kaneko examples for
this type: </span><a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Abraxas?file=Abraxas.png" style="font-family: verdana;">Abraxas</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">, </span><a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Belphegor?file=Belphegor2.jpg" style="font-family: verdana;">Belphegor</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">.</span></li>
<li><i style="font-family: verdana;">Type II (Source Form +
Embellishment)</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The main form of the design is is faithful to source material
but contains major stylistic embellishments that are thematically appropriate
for the demon (or otherwise). Kaneko examples for this type: </span><a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Baldur?file=Beldel.png" style="font-family: verdana;">Baldur</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">, </span><a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Metatron?file=MetatronSH.JPG" style="font-family: verdana;">Metatron</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">.</span></li>
<li><i style="font-family: verdana;">Type III (Original Form +
Thematics)</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The main form of the design is not faithful to source material but
is itself a thematically appropriate embellishment for the demon OR the design
contains major thematically appropriate supporting features. Kaneko examples
for this type: </span><a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Mara?file=376.jpg" style="font-family: verdana;">Mara</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">, </span><a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Kanbari?file=Kanbari.png" style="font-family: verdana;">Kanbari</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">.</span></li>
<li><i style="font-family: verdana;">Type IV (Nonconformity)</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">:
The main form of the design is not faithful to source material and lacks major,
defining thematic features of the demon. Kaneko examples for this type:
</span><a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Pabilsag?file=P4-Pabilsag.jpg" style="font-family: verdana;">Pabilsag</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">, </span><a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Seth_(demon)?file=SethSMT2.jpg" style="font-family: verdana;">Seth</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">.</span></li>
</ul>
<li><b style="font-family: verdana;">Origin</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The demon’s
provenance. If a demon could have more than one origin, form may be used to
determine it, such as with Doi’s Satan. Generally, priority is given to major
religions (Christianity, Buddhism, etc.) and their related subgroups (like
Occult), then to local myth systems, followed by general regions, and finally
local regions (if applicable/warranted).</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />Discounting the “Origin”
category, the tabulated results of the remaining four categories place Doi’s
demons in line with shonen expectations:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<ul>
<li><i style="font-family: verdana;">Male bias</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">17 male</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> demons
to </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">7 female</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> demons, an unsurprising ratio that, on its own, is nothing out of
the ordinary for the series.</span></li>
<li><i style="font-family: verdana;">Inorganic bias</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Here the
</span><b style="font-family: verdana;">inorganic majority body type prevails 13 to 11</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. After all, inorganic traits
help emphasize that demons are unnatural; 11 out of the 13 inorganics are also
antagonists in some form. But what’s more interesting is the gender split
between inorganic and organic: </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">female demons are majority organic with 4 out of
7</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">, while </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">male demons remain majority inorganic with 10 out of 17</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">.</span></li>
<li><i style="font-family: verdana;">Circumscribed
archetypes</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">:
The 24 demons conform to relatively few design archetypes and naturally
form
two major groups proximate to overall design quality. The best demons of
the
lot are the 5 that hew close to the source material: “</span><b style="font-family: verdana;">cultural deity</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">,”
“</span><b style="font-family: verdana;">demon</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">,”
and even Chironnuppu’s “</span><b style="font-family: verdana;">mascot</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">.” Sure, Adramelech might be a monster,
but he’s
not grotesque in the same way YHVH’s second form is; similarly, Krishna
and Sukuna-Hikona are so close to the source there’s really no other way
to describe
them other than that they are representative of their respective
cultures.
Conversely, the worst demons are the 16 that belong to the “</span><b style="font-family: verdana;">tokusatsu</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">,”
“</span><b style="font-family: verdana;">monstrous</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">,” and “</span><b style="font-family: verdana;">pandering</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">” categories. Odin and his costumed or
armored ilk
are a given, “monstrous” is really the only way to describe the
exaggerated
likes of Inanna and co., and the “pandering” gals are all obviously
there to
light some crotch fires. Our effulgent “</span><b style="font-family: verdana;">fat guys</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">” are split between the
two
camps: while it’s wholly appropriate for Maitreya to be rotund,
inheriting that
jelly belly doesn’t do the same good for Mitra-Buddha, not that anything
would,
really. The remaining category, “</span><b style="font-family: verdana;">void</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">,” does describe the design of its
demon
and is not meant to express our reluctance to mention her identity.</span></li>
<li><i style="font-family: verdana;">Unremarkable source
conformity</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: As expected, high source conformity is not a priority for modern
demon design. That said, the tally of Doi’s demons that adopt </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">source forms
versus original forms is dead even at 11 to 11</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />The inorganic male
battlers might be the favorites of Doi and the Atlus circle, but there’s
something going on with the female demons, too, considering they are mostly
organic--and that’s where the idea of a demon sexual dimorphism comes into
play. Fulfilling shonen tropes perfectly, while male demons get to be warriors
and villains, Doi’s female demons so far are only villains and sex objects;
they don’t get to be Ultra Odin “cool” or even “normal” like Krishna or
Sukuna-Hikona. With the unsexy Inanna and </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">SJR</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">’s final boss already sufficiently
reviewed, here’s how the chosen designs of Doi’s Pandering Five negatively
affect their portrayals:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiViZrd63vN9UkGpk6Ksy2lhTul-J8Vi14EgB2XKWBQO_M5uiLN5VMnOQA6ho8OftXT010MGzfnROQ2pF0Uwt5dWPQCVGWK3Z2moRtwdAgHzv5wrlxWUUb7hKvrPn0-IEIOp6KeV4wBN3A/s1600/mermaid-s2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="1200" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiViZrd63vN9UkGpk6Ksy2lhTul-J8Vi14EgB2XKWBQO_M5uiLN5VMnOQA6ho8OftXT010MGzfnROQ2pF0Uwt5dWPQCVGWK3Z2moRtwdAgHzv5wrlxWUUb7hKvrPn0-IEIOp6KeV4wBN3A/s320/mermaid-s2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Mermaid and one of her concepts</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Mermaid</b>: Barring the
flaming skulls, poor Mermaid here is possibly the most pandering demon of them
all. It begins with Doi’s admission that she was chosen from his “<i>desire to
have a cute girl demon</i>,” <b><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html">[2]</a></b> another instance of his limited design freedom.
Prominent is Mermaid’s yet bifurcated tail, which leaves her thighs and butt
contour exposed, intimating the “absolute territory” of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zettai_ry%C5%8Diki">zettai ryoiki </a>otaku
fetish--there's no ambiguity as to whether or not she has the parts one needs
to fulfill one's private headcanons. However, there’s something amiss with her
left leg as its presentation under the right makes it impossible to connect to
her waist in an anatomically correct way; <a href="https://i.imgur.com/zSPXPg7.jpg"><i>Dx2</i> <i>Liberation's </i>3D model very obviously adjusts its positioning for a more natural result</a>. Her
almost entirely exposed torso is particularly troubling in tandem with her
face, drawn in the same clean "anime cel" style as <i>SMT4A</i>'s
protagonists despite her "heavy brush" scales--in other words, she
appears to be as young as 15, i.e., underaged. Not only that, the expression on
her face is not so much sad as uncomfortable, as if she is ashamed or forced to
be put on display against her will. This Mermaid design contrasts in almost
every way with the best of her concept designs; though much of the skin
exposure is the same, not only does concept Mermaid appear to be much older,
she wears a neutral expression on her face, almost a smile, a simple yet
critical change in body language that makes her appear less like an object and
more confident in her sexuality. To top it all off, Mermaid (and Medusa)
apparently earned Doi some notoriety around the office as he says, "<i>I have
a feeling I’ve been called a pervert more often since this Medusa and Mermaid
were revealed</i>.” <b><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html">[2]</a></b> One look at either tells you why. Mermaid and Medusa are
also notable for being among the first shown of Doi's new <i>SMT4A</i> demon
illustrations, for reasons easily surmised. Correspondingly, the two also
serve as the poster demon girls on the top page of <a href="http://megaten4f.jp/">the Japanese <i>SMT4A</i> website</a>; it's convenient that one is a refinement of an <i>SMT4</i> design and the
other a <i>SMT4A</i> original but especially that both show plenty of skin. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQQ_tfeKny08LCee7b1shDzR-CZYS0fMPRYlV8brHdRmi_JoIHQL2XJIPLvLz0KxLwtMt3HQM0IrKoI5G1VPsq2MEepWa5-gJ3HBooNYTXMXFbMopJr86i967p0GPlsn259dW1LHMtyE/s1600/devil-jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="500" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQQ_tfeKny08LCee7b1shDzR-CZYS0fMPRYlV8brHdRmi_JoIHQL2XJIPLvLz0KxLwtMt3HQM0IrKoI5G1VPsq2MEepWa5-gJ3HBooNYTXMXFbMopJr86i967p0GPlsn259dW1LHMtyE/s320/devil-jpg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Image from the official Japanese SMT4A site</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmi96jXoaz8a9CvZ4I3BziIxDHHIONEpxQ4cWlb8yCa5FxrCZQB3SvB8uCWfwF3mpDL4K9kWMAnLRQ82CrDD7SSi6Xg3WFs5a-3ZqSHi75-hPzrM5vH3piQUbh3gswsKcfJ5z3pKOxts/s1600/cleo-full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="623" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmi96jXoaz8a9CvZ4I3BziIxDHHIONEpxQ4cWlb8yCa5FxrCZQB3SvB8uCWfwF3mpDL4K9kWMAnLRQ82CrDD7SSi6Xg3WFs5a-3ZqSHi75-hPzrM5vH3piQUbh3gswsKcfJ5z3pKOxts/s200/cleo-full.jpg" width="155" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Like Demeter, Cleopatra might <br />reconcile "sweet" and "bitter"<br />in her own strange fashion </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Cleopatra</b>: Ol' Snake Arm
is in one of those unfortunate twisted spine poses you often see in
"sexy" art of female characters no matter the region, ensuring we're
allowed a view of her breasts and butt at the same time--it’s probably a good
thing, then, that Doi depicted this incredibly famous historical personnage as
floating because contorting herself probably paralyzed her from the waist down.
But even though she's clearly supposed to be sexy, Doi didn't do the best job
at communicating how her breasts work. Miss Cleo's bizarre and literal boob
sack is almost an optical illusion for how difficult it is to parse between the
lines of her top and any intent of cleavage since her garments and skin are
almost the same pale shade; however, comparing it to the concept design
probably reveals that the top is meant to be open down the middle, cupping the
breasts as far as those naughty nipples. It's obviously the intent once you
realize it but between her torso-twisting and that the cleavage line is pathed
off-center but parallel to those on her top, it all blends together. Her butt
fares better, odd as that is to say, as her impressed skirt leaves a subtle
line between her buttocks, of which two of her phallic arm-snakes clearly have
a vested interest. But all this anatomical Twister wasn't just for the sake of
horniness, it was for the sake of horniness and money: Cleopatra is a DLC
demon, meaning that she and her bikini-peddling partner Mephisto literally sold
sex for a premium. That's nothing new for the video game industry at large but
it was a first for mainline Shin Megami Tensei.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZGR78LB1WQqicJohoKMj3W0JmPFh5EqmZwfqjCTI_my5gF3ejFDVr2ZkRYylYZQtwaRdY7gJHY55LSrhbKb6KT_IRV7Gf8HDvWZgIBJBjuw3geoxNJiGaofy15-ckG_J-XO0IT1SoN0/s1600/danu-s2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="948" data-original-width="1000" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZGR78LB1WQqicJohoKMj3W0JmPFh5EqmZwfqjCTI_my5gF3ejFDVr2ZkRYylYZQtwaRdY7gJHY55LSrhbKb6KT_IRV7Gf8HDvWZgIBJBjuw3geoxNJiGaofy15-ckG_J-XO0IT1SoN0/s200/danu-s2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Danu and her pregnant concept</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Danu</b>: Despite how it may
seem, we are pro-demon nudity of any gender as long as it’s in the right
context. Danu is supposed to be a fertile mother goddess (in both the game and
source material for once), so large breasts are just part of the natural
symbolic package. Problem is, her design is posed to relish every curve of her
hourglass figure, turning her into another sex object. But isn't sex the whole
point if she’s associated with fertility? Yes, but in the sense of propagating
the species and not serving as masturbation fodder for adolescent boys. Danu’s
concept design understands this distinction perfectly, as she is depicted in a
simple flowing gown with an ample bosom but also with another feature that’s
difficult to discern from the rough sketch: a visible baby bump, with her hands
folded on top of it. It’s conjecture but this could imply an early <i>SMT4A</i>
scenario draft allotted Danu the mother goddess role since, according to Doi,
Inanna was originally meant to be a “<i>sky goddess</i>.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Demeter</b>: We hate that we
even have to talk about this one. But despite some evidence that her grievously
inaccurate child form may have been out of Doi's hands, it doesn't excuse that
he coded her to be “moe” cute (in other words, otaku fetish) and also that her
dress is distressingly low-cut. Just… focus on the pumpkin. Boy, is that... one incredible gourd, huh? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsH1QYf3RSvI5cDeVp0Vpo6Af22R8SvmfyySp4Vx164dm0y-wSCPBoaYIjgfEdHla_eL_ACTKt7iBfA8TWmF16DYpQmSLGegMUfttjh-PB-Jdk3Dwdflk6zKgh6VDHVHEFMGs_zwgwVbk/s1600/demn-cens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="247" data-original-width="566" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsH1QYf3RSvI5cDeVp0Vpo6Af22R8SvmfyySp4Vx164dm0y-wSCPBoaYIjgfEdHla_eL_ACTKt7iBfA8TWmF16DYpQmSLGegMUfttjh-PB-Jdk3Dwdflk6zKgh6VDHVHEFMGs_zwgwVbk/s400/demn-cens.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The GREAT PUMPKIN has risen out of the pumpkin patch!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_wYR6ktfVcw9jEQxp_BozJ10apTfZzGPnNnZepVaVAOM3kJf9pG6UkjYhBFvQZlpCCAGxqBcLEGJrO-MvsANtRjFqCJz2njmbno4n_eqa3AvhPSrQ4NhvE2m5PhZ6sCqJNU8nlnjGR4/s1600/0072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_wYR6ktfVcw9jEQxp_BozJ10apTfZzGPnNnZepVaVAOM3kJf9pG6UkjYhBFvQZlpCCAGxqBcLEGJrO-MvsANtRjFqCJz2njmbno4n_eqa3AvhPSrQ4NhvE2m5PhZ6sCqJNU8nlnjGR4/s320/0072.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Anahita: fertility or fornicatory?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Anahita</b>: We're ecstatic
that Doi's rendition of Anahita, the Persian river goddess, incorporates
flowing water into her otherwise human-like body, creating an interesting
organic and inorganic mix that's akin to, say, Kaneko's <a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Pele?file=Pele.jpg">Pele</a>, who has a furnace
for an abdomen to communicate that she is a volcano goddess. We're a bit less
jazzed about the rest, a buxom and essentially naked dose of capitalism that
purports to reflect Anahita's fertility niche, similar to Danu. However,
there’s a conflict with Anahita’s specific brand of fertility: as the
embodiment of rivers, she represents water that fertilizes the land and allows
crops to flourish; she also served as the purifying aspect of water, including
sanctifying men's semen and women's wombs--overall, not the kind of job that
warrants such provocative imagery. It would be like if <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerard_Majella">Saint Gerard Majella</a>,
Catholic patron saint of children and motherhood, were depicted wearing a
banana hammock, arms behind his head and thrusting his pelvis. Doi explains in
Anahita’s commentary that she was designed to emulate the original <i>Strange
Journey</i>'s then-new goddesses Asherah and <a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Maya_(demon,_Hindu)?file=Mother_Maya.jpg">Maya</a>, who are both busty demons in
curious hunched positions remarkably aligned with the aspect ratio of the
Nintendo DS's screen. <b><a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2017/10/04/anahita-doi/">[9]</a></b> But even if Asherah wasn’t literally a mother goddess
often (if not exclusively) depicted in the buff, Kaneko provides the pair with
features not aimed squarely at the goolies such as their inhuman skin patterns,
Maya’s cyclopean jewel eye and haute couture fashion, and Asherah's imposing
flint knife and dead stare. Anahita's playful modesty, on the other hand, looks
flirtatious, like Bettie Page in a pin-up photoshoot. While not an utter
disaster, Anahita represents another failure to understand proper context.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQJ0sYRl0qsdVJl5t0Y0Pgc8gQ2VyYndTXNuDECaBrVmdC3s29bSyu6g592a25iA1DdlL83wRg6HVPHiswYd__q18A0BjJqIGYi42RVxgCKu1_B5-4h0ffkKh7kUiN4XYSegihNaa2yM/s1600/ashr-dx2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQJ0sYRl0qsdVJl5t0Y0Pgc8gQ2VyYndTXNuDECaBrVmdC3s29bSyu6g592a25iA1DdlL83wRg6HVPHiswYd__q18A0BjJqIGYi42RVxgCKu1_B5-4h0ffkKh7kUiN4XYSegihNaa2yM/s1600/ashr-dx2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Asherah in <i>Dx2</i>; though equally as naked as Anahita, her armed pose and <br />cold gaze prevent her from achieving the same type of crass pandering</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Spurred by this evidence
for shonen pandering and demons’ sexual dimorphism, we expect the common
rebuttal against it to be “it’s nothing new!” And it’s true, Kaneko has
designed more outright pandering demons than Doi, 14 by our count. Thing is,
that’s out of <b>1,187</b>. How do we know this? It’s because we put Kaneko’s demon
compendium to the same test as Doi’s, compiling all 1,187 into a similarly
categorized spreadsheet. <b>Click/tap the banner below for a sub-article that includes links to Kaneko’s and Doi’s spreadsheets</b> (and the <i>SMT4</i> guest artists’ for good measure)
and full breakdown of the data, with charts: </span><br />
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/p/sub-article-3-complete-demon-design-data.html"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="672" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhav3oW9Mq7ii86GWyx2PzN-q2F86pqFdv4MtQ94mOI_ACbozJDVr91ESwVz6nq0gSe-b5KM5riex4IFiXWt26puQhyphenhyphen6RrJSOvAmK74ic3AL3eJ1LXZC3JrotiyBqv5cHk8VwFc5pC2fvs/s1600/three_dd-data2.png" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/p/sub-article-3-complete-demon-design-data.html">WE'RE SERIOUS: COMPARATIVE DATA FOR OVER 1000 DEMONS HERE!</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Here’s a quick summary of
the relevant Kaneko data:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><i style="font-family: verdana;">Given gender</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">58.6% (695)
male</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">, </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">21.5% (255) female</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">, </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">19.4% (231) unspecified</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">, </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">0.5% (6) incorporate both
male and female</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">.</span></li>
<li><i style="font-family: verdana;">Majority body type</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">78.3% (930)
organic</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">, </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">21.7% (257) inorganic</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">.</span></li>
<li><i style="font-family: verdana;">Forms/archetypes</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: High
diversity, with the </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">largest group being “cultural deity” with 134</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. And for a
man said to be obsessed with penises, we counted only </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">8 “genitalia” demons out
of the 1,187</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> and only 5 of those are distinct demons (Mara, Arioch, Tiamat,
Rahu, Mishaguji); throw in the non-majority-genital Cthulhu, Master Therion,
and Ometeotl to make it a party, but even those additions don’t make
“genitalia” anything but one of the lesser archetype categories.</span></li>
<li><i style="font-family: verdana;">Source conformity</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">61%
(724) Type I (High Conformity)</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">, </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">18.6% (221) Type II (Source Form +
Embellishment)</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">, </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">5.3% (63) Type III (Original Form + Thematics)</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">, </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">1.1% (13) Type
IV (Nonconformity)</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">, </span><b style="font-family: verdana;">14% (166) N/A</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">No doubt about it, there’s
a male bias in Kaneko’s work, too. But contrast that with the overwhelming
organic and Type I conformity majorities and the large variety of design
archetypes and you find a situation completely apart from the present. For one,
the female demons belong to more than just “sexy” and “monstrous” categories,
many as the standard “cultural deity.” Kaneko himself touches on the importance
of the human form and high design conformity in his Digital Devil Apocalypse
interview when asked about the anthropomorphization of fears:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPdxVDoTQFskeK4lfiTtZipWUt0t2yc-sCLGq0FCHLa7WJ5okClDGw0gJT-UAzERssnHOIvA8rZm5e2v0dd31wXc_IAjJMBt9suwuk5lfvbK61MLOC9rt5VcuXTZyn9o-XoCpsKaQ5Cw/s1600/devbu439.cmp.stex.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPdxVDoTQFskeK4lfiTtZipWUt0t2yc-sCLGq0FCHLa7WJ5okClDGw0gJT-UAzERssnHOIvA8rZm5e2v0dd31wXc_IAjJMBt9suwuk5lfvbK61MLOC9rt5VcuXTZyn9o-XoCpsKaQ5Cw/s200/devbu439.cmp.stex.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Kaneko's Jeanne D'arc</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>Many of the demons I draw
have the human shape at their base. If I go too wild though, they won’t look
scary anymore. If I mix them up too much, they might end up looking
interesting, but not frightening. If there actually were beings of the
underworld, then the Angels of Evangelion would work, and laughing at them
would probably be natural thing to do, but they wouldn’t be scary. In the end,
I have the feeling it’s not going to work unless you use humans as motif to
transmit fear or awe. Putting a human’s likeness in a costume is the same as in
reality: doing things according to my own likes and dislikes, trying all sorts
of looks, changing my hairstyle. Here’s an old and embarrassing story, but I
think Jeanne D’Arc’s design is a good example. Her category: Hero. By putting
her in a good costume, she gains that identity and becomes that person. It’s a
motif found since long ago among the image of French revolutionary heroes, so
it was easy.</i> <b><a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/10/31/the-other-face-of-the-demon-artist-kaneko-kazuma/">[1]</a></b></span></blockquote>
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qyWWSfGASZOcRahet1s_GrniQ0IM_VxCowwewV7gVoBup-veyBIjjIbtD32LQ9D79XY2sNznjDxfPRnuV5EoDA5LTr4QAgKSPiiFAKzaXLGXGWS3gHaocvO6PggLOFYYMVsR3dmKzuA/s1600/272+Tlazolteotl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="998" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qyWWSfGASZOcRahet1s_GrniQ0IM_VxCowwewV7gVoBup-veyBIjjIbtD32LQ9D79XY2sNznjDxfPRnuV5EoDA5LTr4QAgKSPiiFAKzaXLGXGWS3gHaocvO6PggLOFYYMVsR3dmKzuA/s320/272+Tlazolteotl.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Tlazolteotl and her<br />"<i>artificial component</i>"</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Following the comments on
the human form, Kaneko mentions usage of the inorganic, saying, “<i>then there
were beings like Tlazolteotl, who is a goddess of the bathroom, where I needed
to add some artificial component to show their function</i>.” <b><a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/10/31/the-other-face-of-the-demon-artist-kaneko-kazuma/">[1]</a></b> Tlazolteotl is
also practically naked, but is she sexy and pandering when hoses connect her
body to a toilet? There are plenty of examples of naked or nearly-nude demons
(male and female) in the Kaneko compendium, even pandering ones like the
Nekomata designs, but not all of the nudity is meant to be titillating--like
Tlazolteotl, Kaneko often juxtaposes undress with elements or patterning that
evoke the demons’ actual functions in myth or the fear or consequences of
stepping outside of boundaries, unlike what we see with Doi’s spine-busters and
pin-ups. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Between the dimorphism,
exaggerated forms, and ambivalence to source material, the new Shin Megami
Tensei demon represents an amalgamation of Japanese boys’ entertainment with
“awesome” suited hero types, imposing aberrant villains, “hot” women, some
chunky stereotypes as “muscle” (quite literally in Maitreya’s case), and even a
mascot! Emulating the tropes of the shonen or tokusatsu genres, almost everything is black and white, its heroes and villains
clearly delineated (a notable exception being Krishna, who is nonetheless
immediately cast as a villain by <i>SMT4A</i>’s script). Yes, there are a handful of
demons that would have belonged in Old Shin Megami Tensei but as the data and
rejection of Doi’s wonderful concept art attest, the modus operandi of modern
demon design is all about checking off as many boxes on the shonen checklist as
possible in order to pander to adolescents and those who still think like them.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b>E. Odin's Belt: Once You “Pop,” You Can't Stop</b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn2sjKgk09TKv7cX8jo0AH4upGd0xLj93f_31lL6ayn4kgsMsdZ8zoVDMb5UAz8PMrxAvxuii9Iyq7CoTThSozs7FWmLX043Jz951mOFnSiwRfkbMeXYv88nrEVIjDV_MPEagGGRU6pic/s1600/SMT-DJS-Amon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="997" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn2sjKgk09TKv7cX8jo0AH4upGd0xLj93f_31lL6ayn4kgsMsdZ8zoVDMb5UAz8PMrxAvxuii9Iyq7CoTThSozs7FWmLX043Jz951mOFnSiwRfkbMeXYv88nrEVIjDV_MPEagGGRU6pic/s320/SMT-DJS-Amon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Amon in Strange Journey Redux</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">With only 24 demons under
his belt so far, Doi has already infused more than a few with pop culture
references, which, on paper, is a totally Shin Megami Tensei thing to do.
Besides Odin, we've mentioned Maitreya multiple times as being a rough
equivalent; Doi has never confirmed the latter's stimulus being Matsuko Deluxe
but it seems to be a given based on the Japanese reactions. Vishnu-Flynn's
second form brandishes red lightsabers in a deliberate callback to how the
Samurai costume was influenced by Jedi robes. There's another potential
tokusatsu design in Zeus, but he represents a separate trend of Doi's we'll get
to below. That leaves only the Lucky Number Seven of the Goetia himself, <b>Amon</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The first new demon
revealed for <i>Strange Journey Redux</i>, Amon is not unrecognizable; he retains the
serpentine body, owl head (though not the wolf's teeth), and wolf's legs
(albeit in a vestigial fashion) of the original <i>Dictionnaire Infernal</i> print by
Louis Le Breton. While those are all fine and good, what will ultimately win
your eyes' attention is the pair of conspicuous, blood-red arms bursting out of
his body in a manner similar to Satan's heads and textured with the same
peculiar segmented musculature. In his design commentary, Doi coyly admits that
the arms are a nod to Devilman's Amon, a creation of comic artist Go Nagai who
otherwise has no relation to the Goetia’s Amon:</span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>The main point of the
design are the red hands. According to legend, Amon can offer his summoner
knowledge about the past and the future and is known as an intellectual and
erudite demon, so I thought I would be able to express this aura by adding
those posing arms to an animal body. The design of his arms is based on </i>Shin
Megami Tensei if…<i>’s (<a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fvignette4.wikia.nocookie.net%2Fmegamitensei%2Fimages%2F2%2F22%2FAmonHazamaPS.jpg%2Frevision%2Flatest%3Fcb%3D20080611192212&t=Y2IwYWQ1Nzk3MmJjNTBjYWVkNzk0NDFjMjllNGM4NTEwOGIyN2JhOCx3Rm1nMkU1QQ%3D%3D&b=t%3AHxSdA9dDo1JHqxbHy76eug&p=http%3A%2F%2Fdijeh.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F162335876578%2Fok-so-dois-comments-about-amon-thanks-eirikrjs&m=0">Akira
route</a>) homage to <a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FDevilman&t=MmU3NjBhMTBjMmExOTAyNTY2MGI1NDI1ODE3MjRhYTAzYTk4ZWY1ZSx3Rm1nMkU1QQ%3D%3D&b=t%3AHxSdA9dDo1JHqxbHy76eug&p=http%3A%2F%2Fdijeh.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F162335876578%2Fok-so-dois-comments-about-amon-thanks-eirikrjs&m=0">a
certain work</a>, but I’m not too sure how obvious it is (laughs).
Nevertheless, respect for older works and imagination will always be important
and the positive feedback received by this Amon makes me think this is a pretty
good formula… </i><b><a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2017/07/27/1735/">[10]</a></b></span></blockquote>
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46AUzhDayFeuAyF1dOhgcUXBpXSCfYUEIBOJnW0sVA2l7i7Ao1SSy8nS9Bvjrr_D_LlNXGv3ZiLS21YBy0Mp0mfvYzpZrSlgUwi-RwgEGVp82dK8lpZ-AWEWPWmeJKPt6hvkH8zLFdUc/s1600/amon-png.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="324" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46AUzhDayFeuAyF1dOhgcUXBpXSCfYUEIBOJnW0sVA2l7i7Ao1SSy8nS9Bvjrr_D_LlNXGv3ZiLS21YBy0Mp0mfvYzpZrSlgUwi-RwgEGVp82dK8lpZ-AWEWPWmeJKPt6hvkH8zLFdUc/s320/amon-png.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Kaneko's Shin Megami Tensei if... Amon sprite</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">It doesn’t change
anything, but note how Doi filters the reference through <i>Shin Megami Tensei
if…</i>’s own Devilman homage (or shameless rip off) of its character Akira’s
fusion with Amon and that, in spite of this blunt “tribute,” Kaneko’s Amon
sprite follows Le Breton’s work (see just below) exactly. But with the inspiration confirmed, we
can form an accurate cross-section of the Doi’s Amon’s two poles of influence,
the traditional and the modern:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0dNJLgTQH6VpcJguZT2j1E0NPbP6bOWUOG3-RyJCC5TfZ3m9qcMQqfbY5a8ta7PYPnTAVbgje953iU6TgZXsaPBCT4_EgHah_Q1kurjRmOs0R6MMcOrkx50L1O1_4nM9f_x9wnY2WZI/s1600/amon_comp2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="688" data-original-width="1078" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0dNJLgTQH6VpcJguZT2j1E0NPbP6bOWUOG3-RyJCC5TfZ3m9qcMQqfbY5a8ta7PYPnTAVbgje953iU6TgZXsaPBCT4_EgHah_Q1kurjRmOs0R6MMcOrkx50L1O1_4nM9f_x9wnY2WZI/s640/amon_comp2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">When a <i>Dictionnaire Infernal</i> illustration and an anime demon fall in love...</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Before explaining why
Doi's direction for Amon is a poor one for Shin Megami Tensei, it would be
instructive to take a Kaneko-era demon and subject it to the same artistic
license. Luckily, there's a convenient parallel to Amon: <b>Baphomet</b>. Baphomet has two
Shin Megami Tensei designs, the first the bizarre </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Shin Megami Tensei II</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">
appearance that can be traced to Clive Barker's 1990 film </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Nightbreed</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> while the
second is </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">'s more palatable design based on the famous sketch by Eliphas
Levi. While they are two distinct designs and not one, what’s important here is
that one is traditional and the other modern. With a little imagination,
applying the method behind Doi’s Amon to Baphomet would net you a combination
like this:</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs_o1ioE5RNRlu-CYlYFAW7aicZHM7zB-rCKhSEslqNGuyHBorPF5PKX_CI07ToWOLATrMSAUEWZqey4E0GnpoIUvRZv3hyphenhyphenW9RcgEaKLkNGJJymumziUWF6RL41w2fykCpFU1k1nf1wJA/s1600/bapho_comp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="1000" height="548" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs_o1ioE5RNRlu-CYlYFAW7aicZHM7zB-rCKhSEslqNGuyHBorPF5PKX_CI07ToWOLATrMSAUEWZqey4E0GnpoIUvRZv3hyphenhyphenW9RcgEaKLkNGJJymumziUWF6RL41w2fykCpFU1k1nf1wJA/s640/bapho_comp.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Nocturne's traditional Levi Baphomet and the tentacles of SMT2 Baphomet as a proxy <br />for Nightbreed's combine to produce a demon of similar derivation to Doi's Amon</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">While it might have been
more accurate to use <i>Nightbreed</i> Baphomet's tendrils rather than <i>SMT2</i>'s
tentacles, you get the picture, which is that said tentacles would protrude
from the head of the Levi goat-man. Not only does it look silly, this
hypothetical combination would fail to accurately represent the
"actual" Baphomet as Clive Barker's version is an original take that
doesn't include the rituals or symbolism associated with the figure from occult
tradition, so the tentacles inspired by it would completely devoid with meaning
(other than Kaneko must have been fond of <i>Nightbreed</i> in 1994). Including them
would only be a distracting superfluity that diminishes the design's
effectiveness. As an aside, Kaneko’s <i>SMT2</i> Baphomet appears to be one of his
worst designs judging by how little it resembles the source material, but
evidence suggests it might actually be depicting the <i>Nightbreed</i> deity and not
the occult goat; click/tap the below sub-article banner for a separate discussion.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/p/sub-article-4-baffle-met.html"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="672" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0c9Fl34evnTRh23o8P7o_FluCATf-x_miCjcpgvWbV9coinfb2Ta9sLfHqWkt8yOaYgTV15hsQiaFpmM8nY7gudNjKH5dc3fNzVyiReLhgrbuAZ2CAhY6AKzJrDjPlfko0eUasuN0LQ/s1600/four_bafflemet3.png" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/p/sub-article-4-baffle-met.html">SMT2'S BAPHOMET: MISFIRE OR MISREADING OF INTENT?</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">But unlike <i>SMT2</i>'s
Baphomet, <i>Strange Journey Redux</i>'s Amon is definitely intended to be the demon
of Christian occult tradition, based on official descriptions. And so,
continuing the line of reasoning from Baphomet's example, those gargantuan arms
that are a direct Devilman reference according to Doi (and supposed to make him
look "<i>erudite</i>," which doesn't follow) are completely meaningless to
the real identity of Amon and only serve to be a reflection of Doi's personal
tastes and nostalgia. But what's worse is that even if the arms somehow weren't an empty
reference, they'd still be out of place spoilers of an otherwise fine design.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPGwzneHfxz6n8O1drL2EFktDBsMW-2eYG_oe9gP2oou7FvTO1CQ5rcdzEfZY86LmRV7vC_iUAv3ocSUDK4J8GnQzQgU5ZcunNIFq6ehGzSqxwNGPxay1E7NX5uOSuvdl9InSpCAYh1A/s1600/tlazo2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="192" data-original-width="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPGwzneHfxz6n8O1drL2EFktDBsMW-2eYG_oe9gP2oou7FvTO1CQ5rcdzEfZY86LmRV7vC_iUAv3ocSUDK4J8GnQzQgU5ZcunNIFq6ehGzSqxwNGPxay1E7NX5uOSuvdl9InSpCAYh1A/s1600/tlazo2.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Tlazolteotl marries the old<br />and the new seamlessly</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">It's a pity in this case
because unlike Ultra Odin, the modern aspect of </span><strike style="font-family: verdana;">King</strike><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Marquis</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> Crimson Amon is
technically supplemental (by our criteria, as Doi clearly states the arms are
"<i>the main point of the design</i>") to a traditionally demonic body, even
though what primarily arrests your gaze will belie that fact. And if he
absolutely, positively needs to include a pop culture reference, Doi only need
look right under his nose for examples in the Kaneko compendium of how to
seamlessly incorporate seemingly incongruous modern concepts with mythological
figures like the aforementioned Zaou Gongen and Spawn. For some other examples,
<a href="http://megaten-maniax.blogspot.com/2017/03/secret-kcn-50.html">Heqet wears a Drew Barrymore wig primarily because the Egyptians wore wigs</a>. Our
favorite example Tlazolteotl emerges from a toilet because she’s a goddess of
filth and STDs who also purifies; of course, a flushed toilet expels waste, making it an ideal symbol for her. Tlazolteotl is particularly germane to this discussion as while
of course the Aztecs didn't have contemporary commodes, her toilet is in the shape
and style of a typical head from Aztec art, a supporting motif that both
spruces up a most lowly piece of hardware and confirms her provenance. The
implementation of the modern also doesn't actually affect the appearance of
Tlazolteotl herself, whose mouth, hands, forearms, and haunches are designed
with an encroaching darkness to represent her religious significance. In demon
design, the modern is there to support the traditional, not blot out its
identity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Conspicuous, unbefitting
pop culture elements are likely to be a permanent fixture of the future Shin
Megami Tensei demon design landscape as Doi ends his Amon commentary by saying,
"<i>respect for older works and imagination will always be important and the
positive feedback received by this Amon makes me think this is a pretty good
formula…</i>"; considering that the recent Netflix Devilman revival, <i>Crybaby</i>,
was a hit is likely only to validate Doi’s position. Also remember that series
spearhead Kazuyuki Yamai pushed for the tokusatsu aesthetic in SMT4 and could
plausibly encourage this “<i>formula</i>” further. Plus, despite our laundry list of
criticisms, Ultra Odin is doubtlessly one of Doi's most popular demon designs.
In an environment where SMT fans on both sides of the Pacific yet lament
Kaneko's absence from the series, such positive feedback must surely seem like
a huge win to Doi and will only reinforce this direction and its “respect for
older works and imagination,” be it Ultraman, Devilman, or anything in-between.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b>F. Odin's Whole: “Our
Demons Are a Bit Different”</b></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GUs4CITACAn3rUCUbQ429tjv1R5lpi5ri6HlHD_Hraz41L8N57RA62hHPFkyvh4mrDlXnfZ_3QzEGT3AQeg00iiPvuY-dTc-wo4cMUw_qBvv66WESBnXFH5YWsgHc0Kl9wn4GTyV7pk/s1600/artists-plus2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="708" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GUs4CITACAn3rUCUbQ429tjv1R5lpi5ri6HlHD_Hraz41L8N57RA62hHPFkyvh4mrDlXnfZ_3QzEGT3AQeg00iiPvuY-dTc-wo4cMUw_qBvv66WESBnXFH5YWsgHc0Kl9wn4GTyV7pk/s320/artists-plus2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>It's time for... WHO'S THAT ARTIST?</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />To switch things up a bit,
we have a little guessing game for you to play. What follows are unattributed
quotes from all five of </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">SMT4</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">’s guest designers and Doi, but all you need to do
is see if you can guess which of the six is Doi’s. So, read each quote
carefully and try to distinguish between the approaches of the much-maligned
tokusatsu designers and Doi’s current demon design philosophy. Answers
immediately following.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>(1.)</b> “<i>When it comes to
these demons with origins in mythology, I made an effort to use their
traditional elements, but only after deconstructing them and putting them back
together again. ...In that sense, these aren’t necessarily the mythological
creatures everyone is familiar with</i>.” </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>(2.)</b> “<i>Each god’s and
demon’s descriptions depend on their region, era, and religious background. But
if we only base on those it’ll be hard to make them fit into Megaten’s concept
and originality. So like many folklore in the world, I tried becoming the
‘observer’ and designed the gods and demons based on my own memory</i>.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>(3.)</b> “<i>Most of my demons
have their origins in myths and legends from around the world, so it was up to
me to emulate those templates while adding to them with my own, new
interpretations. I was provided with text descriptions and basic materials
right from the start, so all of a sudden I was expected nail down my own
materials to the greatest extent possible. I was sometimes expected to
prioritize certain elements in my designs, but by no means was that always the
case. I also never had to research new materials, at any rate</i>.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>(4.)</b> “<i>In the event that
there was some motif from real-world mythology to use, I would create a 1/6 or
1/7 scale model (either a single one or multiple) and then give them clothes or
CG effects to fulfill the necessary requirements until the image was
sufficiently distanced from the original inspiration. What that distance should
be really varies from design to design, but I can tell you that it’s hard to
stick the landing when you’re talking about a G-level difficulty (the highest
difficulty level in competitive gymnastics)</i>.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>(5.)</b> “<i>The idea that
machines, weapons, and other man-made things could be included in the ‘gods and
demons’ umbrella really whet my creative appetite. Needless to say, Kazuma
Kaneko - the father of form and design - really dealt the coup de grace, but it
was nonetheless a successful team effort that I was happy to be a part of</i>. “</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>(6.)</b> “<i>First off, mythology
has always been a source of inspiration for my imagination. Legends come about
when a tale is passed down and embellished over the generations. So for this
project, I would start with the source material and then ask myself, ‘How would
my grandmother describe this in a bedtime story?’ and ‘How do I patch together
these interpretations?’ That was my design process.</i>”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">And those are the six.
Last chance to guess on your own! </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Here are the answers:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Quote 1 is <b>Yasushi
Nirasawa</b>, designer of Lucifer, Asmodeus, Medusa, Masakado, etc. <b>[4]</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Quote 2 is <b>Masayuki Doi</b>,
refiner of Lucifer, Merkabah, Medusa, Tenkai, etc. <b><a href="https://nintendoeverything.com/shin-megami-tensei-iv-final-devs-elements-that-define-the-series-considered-older-cast-music-more/">[8]</a></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Quote 3 is <b>Tamotsu
Shinohara</b>, designer of Minotaur, Sanat, Chemtrail, etc. <b>[4]</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Quote 4 is <b>Kyouma Aki</b>,
designer of Yamato Takeru, Kuebiko, and Astaroth. <b>[4]</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Quote 5 is <b>Keita Amemiya</b>,
designer of the archangels, Merkabah, and Lilith. <b>[4]</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Quote 6 is <b>Yoshihiro
Nishimura</b>, the modeler behind Omoikane, Yaso-Magatsuhi, and the Plutos. <b>[4]</b></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">So if you guessed that
quote 2 is Doi’s, <i>congratulations</i>! Your prize: <i>another harrowing revelation
about the future of Shin Megami Tensei demon design</i>. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">To be specific, there’s a
theme common to all of the above quotations. Shinohara emulated myths but added
“<i>new interpretations</i>.” Aki intentionally added extra layers until “<i>the image
was sufficiently distanced from the original inspiration</i>.” Nirasawa used
“<i>traditional elements, but only after deconstructing them and putting them back
together again</i>.” Nishimura’s approach was to view source material through the
lens of bedtime stories. Amemiya was more smitten that he could work with
“<i>machines, weapons, and other man-made things</i>.” To spell it out, the general,
prevailing sentiment is the impetus to add the veneer of “originality” to
designs; being different for the sake of being different, because simply
copying a statue or ancient artwork would not be creative enough or would be
below their talents. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Doi’s own quote starts off
promising. “<i>Each god’s and demon’s descriptions depend on their region, era,
and religious background</i>.” See, he does understand, right? But then, “<i>if we
only base on those it’ll be hard to make them fit into Megaten’s concept and
originality</i>.” And there it is, the “need” for Ultraman or Devilman. To be fair,
a charitable reading of this statement, that demons need that extra modern
“spark” to vivify them in accordance with Shin Megami Tensei’s style, is
perfectly in line with numerous classic Kaneko designs that incorporate
non-mythic elements, including ones we’ve already talked about like Zaou Gongen
and Tlazolteotl. But that would be charitable indeed, as our Kaneko spreadsheet
data proved that the majority of his designs hew closely to source materials,
embellished or not. The less generous, likely more realistic take on Doi’s
intent is, like the guest artists, an emphasis on originality over accuracy; if
old depictions are merely copied, then Shin Megami Tensei’s artwork will not be
distinct (nevermind the series’ own history). While this attitude is apparent
in most of Doi’s designs thus far, it is perfectly encapsulated by one design
in particular: <b>Zeus</b>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfay4ogMmRl-d9TM992SDWuv4zpU1tQab7ZCYqtfs9VpemXFiBtkCN1ePOrXDDXwf8n-UnHYV7G8bQjtHg5Gq_J2_0Z5AzzclfdedLn1uAqET98L4EfSZ1xNW30ikjmIe1cANp9dhRFg/s1600/022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfay4ogMmRl-d9TM992SDWuv4zpU1tQab7ZCYqtfs9VpemXFiBtkCN1ePOrXDDXwf8n-UnHYV7G8bQjtHg5Gq_J2_0Z5AzzclfdedLn1uAqET98L4EfSZ1xNW30ikjmIe1cANp9dhRFg/s400/022.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Eminently inexplicable,
<i>Strange Journey Redux</i>’s Zeus left us completely flabbergasted upon reveal and
to be honest, we still are! Like Odin, the whole piece seems to be
tokusatsu-influenced, especially the inorganic black-and-white body with the
same bizarre, stylized musculature on his obliques as seen on Amon’s arms and
on Satan’s body. It carries recognizable Greek motifs in only two specific
places, the marbleized head and sandaled foot of the white side. To glean
anything else, we’ll have to leave the explaining to Doi himself:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>As the main god of Greek
mythology, Zeus, has been the theme of a great number of sculptures and
paintings ever since Antiquity. He’s such a prominent god, even people who
aren’t too familiar with mythology know him. Now that I think about it, Greek
mythology was the very reason I fell in love with myths as a child. Back then,
there were quite a lot of TV programmes about various mythologies,
civilisations and relics, the most popular chief god was Zeus and manga
inspired by Greek mythology were also very successful. He is the God of my
mythological roots, so I obviously decided to design him as well as I could.</i></span><i><br /></i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i></i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>But once I started drawing
him I fell prey to indecision, since I had a feeling that drawing him normally
would have made me add a ‘Super’ before his name… . The first image that comes
to mind is that of an old man wearing a toga and an ancient Greek style armour,
but I had some doubts about drawing the type of figure that had already
appeared in other works. Therefore, I challenged myself to emphasise
originality and display lesser known mythological facts or obscure anecdotes.</i></span><i><br /></i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i></i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>With that in mind, the
first thing I wanted to draw was Zeus’s duality. Zeus is a chief god, so the
image of justice is strong, but in truth he also had quite the malicious and
sleazy side (laughs). I’m going to leave out why that side appeared, but there
are various interesting theories, like it being the fault of humans and so on.
If anyone is interested in this, please do check it up.</i></span><i><br /></i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i></i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>So, I tried to adapt these
two sides to the descriptions found in legends and figured I should apply the
concepts of good and evil to Zeus’s armour. The good side is symbolised by the
figure resembling a sculpture with the armour of ‘brightness’ and the <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kerauno-">kerauno</a>.
The wicked side is represented by the beast-like figure wearing the armour of
‘fear’ and the adamantium sickle. This is how the Zeus of this form was born,
as a sort of final form you can glimpse in battle. By the way, I also subtly
emphasised his crotch, since it’s part of who he is (laughs).</i> <b><a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2018/03/11/zeus-doi/">[11]</a></b></span></blockquote>
</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkCH06ewsRwfLMLvJ0RjuAImfkl2LBbIxe-IX9vtYNzByN-Y2JmBLuO7RWC1cSjoFSlQ4xJFMVWXZXey6GTIuauNDxnjot2QsqJzguX-cdSbXpgUEA46yz6KJRkj3fTt1RbnzJzb9QPQ/s1600/bikkuriman_zeus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="385" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkCH06ewsRwfLMLvJ0RjuAImfkl2LBbIxe-IX9vtYNzByN-Y2JmBLuO7RWC1cSjoFSlQ4xJFMVWXZXey6GTIuauNDxnjot2QsqJzguX-cdSbXpgUEA46yz6KJRkj3fTt1RbnzJzb9QPQ/s200/bikkuriman_zeus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Bikkuriman Super Zeus</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">There’s an incredible
amount of stuff to pick apart here but what best explains the Zeus disaster are
the remarks in the second paragraph, namely that Doi “<i>had some doubts about
drawing the type of figure that had already appeared in other works</i>” (i.e., the
standard image of Zeus as “<i>an old man wearing a toga and ancient Greek style
armor</i>”) and “<i>challenged [himself] to emphasize originality</i>” via “<i>obscurities</i>.” In
other words, it’s the same type of artistic distancing displayed by the guest
artists: if a particular image of a god is too ubiquitous, it’s not an standard
for design but rather a creative obstacle to be overcome. With results like
Zeus, this approach alone is bound to have catastrophic ramifications for demon
designs going forward.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Another peculiarity is
that Doi “<i>had a feeling that drawing [Zeus] normally</i>” would have caused him to
add a “<i>Super</i>” before the god’s name. What he’s talking about here is Super Zeus
from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bikkuriman">Bikkuriman</a>, a famous Japanese brand of snacks that exploded in popularity
with kids in the 1980s thanks to mythologically-themed sticker pack-in prizes.
Super Zeus is one of Bikkuriman’s original and brightest stars (and is
typically bearded and “normal” as far as Zeuses go and thus communicates
precise identity better than Doi’s), but, as Doi implies, this fame was another
hurdle that had to be jumped in order to create something “original.” Well, he
certainly succeeded at “sufficiently distancing” himself, but we’re left
wondering an obvious rhetorical question: why can a children's sticker
collection have a reasonable facsimile of one of the most famous deities in the
world but Shin Megami Tensei, the game series about mythology, can't?</span></div>
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</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6SFmMmMCvpaQrjcALapokTmL-zOOtoV7gUl046lGuZfgVcLOPs-Sc4_gpdC4UZ8pCU6VkMiCp1BtifZXRTD8CuctTRhbrbBsh1xETGGLGygwiTQ2_vb5rU0mTXvsCcv-U9AeRP_UWAE/s1600/cooldzolob-cuffs-crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="700" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6SFmMmMCvpaQrjcALapokTmL-zOOtoV7gUl046lGuZfgVcLOPs-Sc4_gpdC4UZ8pCU6VkMiCp1BtifZXRTD8CuctTRhbrbBsh1xETGGLGygwiTQ2_vb5rU0mTXvsCcv-U9AeRP_UWAE/s200/cooldzolob-cuffs-crop.jpg" width="190" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dzolob: proof that arm blades <br />can't make everything cool</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The rest of Zeus is just
tokusatsu-based, with mythic elements like the “cool” lightning and adamant arm
blades merely an extension of that aesthetic. The lightning of the sky god
requires no explanation, but the adamantine sickle is one of those
“lesser-known mythological facts” mentioned, so much so that it only appears
associated with Zeus in a single notable account, that of Apollodorus’ version
of the the struggle between Zeus and Typhon. The former does indeed wield an
adamantine sickle against the latter, albeit with a self-deprecating twist: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>...Zeus
pelted Typhon
at a distance with thunderbolts, and at close quarters struck him down
with an
adamantine sickle, and as he fled pursued him closely as far as Mount
Casius, which overhangs Syria. There, seeing the monster sore wounded,
he grappled with
him. <b>But Typhon twined about him and gripped him in his coils, and
wresting the
sickle from him severed the sinews of his hands and feet</b>, and lifting
him on
his shoulders carried him through the sea to Cilicia and deposited him
on
arrival in the Corycian cave.</i> <b><a href="http://www.theoi.com/Text/Apollodorus1.html#6">[12]</a></b></span></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">So, this sickle that Doi
thought was a great accessory to have permanently attached to Zeus’ body is
actually stolen from and used against him. Also, any actual sickle will have
the cutting edge on the inside rather than outside, so does Zeus’ even still
qualify as one? Maybe he should have had Mt. Etna attached to his arm instead,
as it being hurled on top of Typhon is what ultimately subdues the monster. But
since that’s a common method of defeat for Typhon, it probably wasn’t the
“<i>obscure anecdote</i>” Doi craved. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-nKVaVmTtWjZ3TptHXClgZVA_Dg5AINawatJ5AgYjdi93F0Bxxcn0apNDE50rN6yIdxda5riTMz77GisCGCgPsO-L98D2P5jsSF3nfh6-sh4vyqy5q7tKgxhE0Id5tfQ15jB5mglJVM/s1600/zeus_statuette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="923" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm-nKVaVmTtWjZ3TptHXClgZVA_Dg5AINawatJ5AgYjdi93F0Bxxcn0apNDE50rN6yIdxda5riTMz77GisCGCgPsO-L98D2P5jsSF3nfh6-sh4vyqy5q7tKgxhE0Id5tfQ15jB5mglJVM/s200/zeus_statuette.jpg" width="130" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">This ancient Zeus statue's raised<br />arm depicts power and wrath in<br />a much more natural and nuanced<br />way than Doi's attempt</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Zeus’ staggeringly dull
akimbo pose fails to represent the dynamism inherent in the god, even though
that is what Doi is attempting to communicate with the literal, Jekyll and Hyde
body/personality split; the white side is “heroic,” the black “monstrous.” Make
no mistake, Zeus is an almighty deity who also commits terrible acts but
promoting the idea that Zeus uniquely has two opposing “sides” displays a
reductive understanding of not just how Greek mythology related to Greek
society but of the meaning of mythology in general. The archetype Zeus embodies
is that of the chief of the gods, the “sky father” of the Indo-European
lineage, the one who presides over the order of the universe. From the human
perspective, this order may have begotten civilization, but it doesn’t preclude
war, natural disasters, or other misfortunes that upset the divinely ordained
balance. Different societies have interpreted the problem of evil and suffering
in different ways, but in the Indo-European context, Zeus inherited the fickle
characteristics of nature itself, equal to Odin’s own lesser-known
transgressions. Thus, to imply a split personality is to misinterpret Zeus’s
function, as the good and the bad are merely part of his whole. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG4gW-xiCZI87RT6H44TZhZ91t4D9U_M3aJiSXqgzGpvhJ8ggLjVskg55uTcVepTguDBZEclmVjjCKkOzca7HgX_cZOoCqqmACVSYwb9IM6TSvPpI6Wv3zUDpV9vNuK3TPE5pF2IC0-KY/s1600/persep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="337" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG4gW-xiCZI87RT6H44TZhZ91t4D9U_M3aJiSXqgzGpvhJ8ggLjVskg55uTcVepTguDBZEclmVjjCKkOzca7HgX_cZOoCqqmACVSYwb9IM6TSvPpI6Wv3zUDpV9vNuK3TPE5pF2IC0-KY/s200/persep.jpg" width="131" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Persephone</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The perfect contrast to
tokusatsu Zeus is Kaneko’s Persephone. Even though this daughter of Zeus has an
identical black-and-white split body (which makes you wonder if Doi or anyone
else on staff realized the similarity in their scramble to be "different"), hers has actual meaning related to her
mythological function: being divided over the course of the year between the
darkness of Hades and the verdurous embrace of her mother Demeter. The Zeus
design has very little to say other than “please think I’m cool,” and maybe
“laugh at my little penis nub” because penises are Shin Megami Tensei’s
greatest joke. And even if Zeus does have a body hidden under his “armor,” his
overall slender frame means he would be one scrawny guy, which is ill-fitting
for such a powerful god. In his zeal for originality, did Doi ever stop to look
at the extant Olympians in Shin Megami Tensei like Pallas Athena, Ares, or
Dionysus and consider how his Zeus would look among them? Or did he look at
Greek deviants like Hecate and Thanatos and think, “hold my beer”? To beat a
thoroughly dead horse, it’s almost like modern Japanese superhero costumes
aren't the best at representing a diverse range of world cultures and symbols!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPCX0i4KCSrYOqe2rkMNmDQYHE1hnxFTcluNckk8jIRGHuUVQqqwlg52GhCUhOOIlyUOvA3_0mZftQgIJcysokTJiU9HEmpzjhNyjd4AUdHvQxYuUq2oNh33WE8-VC8Bwp8KsfJp_JhaE/s1600/zeus-greeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="800" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPCX0i4KCSrYOqe2rkMNmDQYHE1hnxFTcluNckk8jIRGHuUVQqqwlg52GhCUhOOIlyUOvA3_0mZftQgIJcysokTJiU9HEmpzjhNyjd4AUdHvQxYuUq2oNh33WE8-VC8Bwp8KsfJp_JhaE/s640/zeus-greeks.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Lessons not learned: Among the series' popular (or at least "frequently reappearing" in <br />the case of Ares) and successfully designed Greeks and those less beloved and <br />effective like Hecate and Thanathos, Doi's Zeus fits among the latter</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGflPn9mBo9zCh_45xY6pS_Az4KVFaFHq69QbXOh7VArH6G05tRFyTCcF0YxmeK7YtmJCCHXlm7kzf0pAVgfD3TMz9lo7xAGrScY7QsWQBXLouODrQcbB9y6Zkfhc9_Kmcoli8vCGeA8/s1600/pabil-cu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="571" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGflPn9mBo9zCh_45xY6pS_Az4KVFaFHq69QbXOh7VArH6G05tRFyTCcF0YxmeK7YtmJCCHXlm7kzf0pAVgfD3TMz9lo7xAGrScY7QsWQBXLouODrQcbB9y6Zkfhc9_Kmcoli8vCGeA8/s320/pabil-cu.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Pabilsag and Cu Chulainn, together at last!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">As this article has been
open to Kaneko criticism, are there any designs of his that are also
intentionally “different”? We can think of a few. Maybe the most glaring is
Pabilsag, who looks like one of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpion_man">Girtablilu scorpion men</a> instead of
<a href="http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/pabilsag/">approximately a centaur</a>; for an explanation, Kaneko not only candidly admitted
he just wanted to draw a scorpion monster, in the same breath he mentioned none
other than Yasushi Nirasawa’s tokusatsu monster works as an influence. <b><a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/10/31/the-other-face-of-the-demon-artist-kaneko-kazuma/">[1]</a></b>
Absolutely outrageous… or is it just only one design out of well over a
thousand?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">However, very few give a
damn about Pabilsag. Cu Chulainn, on the other hand, is beloved by us and Shin
Megami Tensei fans in general and while Kaneko always depicted him as a knight
in pale or silvery armor, the current set’s black gloves and boots with purple
accents look more sci-fi than Irish. But the thing is, the art still portrays
Cu Chulainn as the young (organic) Irish warrior he’s supposed to be and
despite how weird his protectives may seem, they don’t negate anything about Cu
Chulainn’s mythic form or function. This also being his fourth (counting <i>Megami
Tensei II</i>) attempt at Cu Chulainn, Kaneko here was channeling a similar
uniqueness as Doi tried with Zeus, only Kaneko succeeded at creating a distinct
design by showing artistic restraint with stylized armor where Doi failed by
incorporating contrived elements that forsake the mythical figure.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKloA0R3Lha7F5pB65hJBVDtC1FwPzGB74lg_2B6pQP8J1tbr9fUjQ_0fjV38f6SMqaYbG0JmO6PtI0aMDIJjk-Z8lnfSNIRXZ4l9oFpmGtVjVAPGO-YOAVU9u30-6Qyt7O2ZHqqkiATw/s1600/Zeus_Kyuyaku_Megami_Tensei_jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="511" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKloA0R3Lha7F5pB65hJBVDtC1FwPzGB74lg_2B6pQP8J1tbr9fUjQ_0fjV38f6SMqaYbG0JmO6PtI0aMDIJjk-Z8lnfSNIRXZ4l9oFpmGtVjVAPGO-YOAVU9u30-6Qyt7O2ZHqqkiATw/s200/Zeus_Kyuyaku_Megami_Tensei_jpg.jpg" width="176" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Kaneko's "strange ball" Zeus</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">In fairness, there’s
probably not another Zeus like Doi’s, but it’s not actually creative when prominent <a href="https://puu.sh/APi6b/0aab4c1631.jpg">tokusatsu shows</a> and <a href="http://danganronpa.wikia.com/wiki/Monokuma">murder mystery visual novels</a> use identical motifs; i.e., ideas inbred from the same pop culture “gene pool.” Creating a
distinctive product is of course a noble goal, but when your subject is the
most famous god outside of Abrahamic religion and he generally looks the same
everywhere, sometimes you have to let go of your artistic ego and roll with the
collective interpretation. Kaneko found this out with his own failed attempt at
Zeus, which he makes fun of by saying, “<i>I once drew a strange ball with
lighting around it and put a face in its middle, then added all kinds of
details, but in the end this made me realise the human form is still the best</i>.”
<b><a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/10/31/the-other-face-of-the-demon-artist-kaneko-kazuma/">[1]</a></b> The lesson is that when you try too hard to make something unique, it may
end up looking generic or indistinct; piling on arm blades, some of the tritest
“cool” modifiers ever scrawled on the notebook pages of bored 13-year-old boys,
doesn’t produce distinctness. Doi’s Zeus is not immediately recognizable, which
is quite an ignoble accomplishment all things considered. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">All told, Zeus is certainly in the running for Doi's worst demon yet, his best competitor being Demeter. Granted, it’s a real Sophie’s Choice
between the two, but while Demeter may be depicted as a child for
whatever heinous reason, that is really her only problem--it’s of course a
huge, glaring, obvious, terrible problem, but just age her appropriately into an adult and the design is workable; on the other hand, everything
about Zeus is not only just wrong, it’s awful. And if you absolutely demand
something a little spicier than the established form, some simple effort with
the stylization of lightning, clothing patterns, or the addition of Zeus’ symbolic
eagle open up countless creative possibilities that arm blades immediately
close. Even if he’s been done a thousand times before, there are still yet
another thousand ways to give Zeus a distinctive appearance--all without drawing
from the same shallow tokusatsu well. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b>G. Odin’s Quintessence:
The Future of Shin Megami Tensei’s Demons</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Before we close, here’s a
quick recap of what we think are the most important topics across this article
and its <a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2018/06/kcn-lvi-doi.html">character-focused older sibling</a>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Masayuki Doi is a good
artist, but his work is dictated to an extent by the current creative direction
at Atlus</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Doi is better suited to
original character design than mythic/religious characters that have
established forms</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ultra Odin and most modern
demon designs forsake the source form</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tokusatsu and shonen
design elements have crept into the modern compendium</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The distinction between
the flat “anime cel” and textured “heavy brush” shading styles</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Empirical evidence shows
the modern demon design direction is in stark contrast to the majority organic,
source conforming Kaneko oeuvre</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7851DrI0DmYAo-7f72n_Btuv_HPkNCyn5xhTkvgJ19qtImvgNudN5ueHW7Ay4PCCzXnyco2t3_yV7vChLPD8KG_rfbMd98Qr_jb98qwPnFIng6eUDSMUTQWMcJCmLU5dfSqeFNLKEv3E/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="799" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7851DrI0DmYAo-7f72n_Btuv_HPkNCyn5xhTkvgJ19qtImvgNudN5ueHW7Ay4PCCzXnyco2t3_yV7vChLPD8KG_rfbMd98Qr_jb98qwPnFIng6eUDSMUTQWMcJCmLU5dfSqeFNLKEv3E/s320/9.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Rare photo of Japanese students enacting their <br />strange midday ritual called "lunch," where they<br /> utilize specialized tool-sticks to insert various kinds <br />of nutrition substances (called "food") into the <br />largest hole in their craniums (called "mouths")</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">There’s really not much
else to say other than if you’ve liked the modern demon output so far and have
not been convinced by any of our arguments, then you’re probably in store for a
hell of a good time going forward. But if you’re like us, don’t expect things
to change until it hits Sega’s bottom line, which is unlikely to happen for
some time. The low-risk, formulaic product that is <i>Persona 5</i> is now Atlus’
best-selling title, so those expecting progressive change or representation in
its follow-up will probably disappointed. Atlus officially stated that it is
“<i>not specifically aiming to create games that will sell worldwide</i>” but that
“<i>the overseas audience is seeking the games for their Japanese nature</i>”
including “<i>depictions of Japanese school lunches and school excursions, which
might be difficult for the overseas audience to understand</i>” and that because of
these exotic elements like school lunches and field trips, this overseas
audience “<i>[assesses] that Atlus represents Japanese subculture</i>.” <b><a href="https://personacentral.com/atlus-discusses-desire-to-grow-within-the-industry-persona-6-needing-to-surpass-persona-5/">[13]</a></b> So unless
you really like things that are <i>definitely </i>exclusive to Japanese culture, these
games aren't being made with you, the overseas statistic, in mind.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The same goes for Shin
Megami Tensei, as the three games of the modern era (<i>SMT4</i>, <i>SMT4A</i>, <i>SJR</i>) have all
sold well respective of their budgets and in spite of the art we’ve lambasted
up and down in this article. Basically, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it--and
keep in mind that one of Identity Crisis’ main points was that Atlus’ games
were “broken” from a sales standpoint up until the release of <i>Persona 4</i>,
especially SMT-branded games. To that end, noted nostril-hater and now Atlus
Studio Zero head honcho Katsura Hashino criticized Kazuma Kaneko’s art style
(as the “<i>Atlus house style</i>” <b>[14]</b>) as being one factor in why the company’s
experimental Dreamcast title <i>Maken X</i> failed to become a bigger hit. A
heartbreaking realization has been that more mainstream tokusatsu designs (et al.) seem to be
part of the intended “fix.” </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBUlVNRFIx9ucVyRw4ZisdfADVq2MCH84llbC-U38AM1lcqUDQ5gUXm3T8_xqlVFLxGbcT9MT_7s9FCnxL7VoSsSK4aukWEcTdBfJq_ecqbm1O6LqsmlmXwm_IxF43WPPTmWBgVYa1cE/s1600/miroku-badass_gallery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1100" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBUlVNRFIx9ucVyRw4ZisdfADVq2MCH84llbC-U38AM1lcqUDQ5gUXm3T8_xqlVFLxGbcT9MT_7s9FCnxL7VoSsSK4aukWEcTdBfJq_ecqbm1O6LqsmlmXwm_IxF43WPPTmWBgVYa1cE/s320/miroku-badass_gallery.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Finally achieving "cool," Maitreya<br />shows off SMT's design future</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">On the subject,
it is
strange that after the backlash against the tokusatsu designs in <i>SMT4</i>
(in Japan and elsewhere) that Doi would reply with designs in that mold.
Why remove most of
<i>SMT4</i>’s new demons when <i>SMT4A</i> merely added more from the same
inspirations? This
paradox and Yamai’s self-professed love of and mandate for Ultraman
imply that
the backlash was understood not as against their incongruity to source
material
but rather that the guest artists’ general styles were too different
from the
Kaneko demon standard. Thus, in the minds of Yamai, Doi, and the rest, a
“correct balance” has been struck with demons like Dagda, Odin, and Zeus
that
are atypical compared to most in the Kaneko compendium but yet have that
hallmark “heavy brush” style of his later years. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Honestly, Doi and the boys
are likely justified in their thinking, as, more often than not, demon designs
are judged purely by aesthetic style and “coolness” and not adherence to
sources; for example, <i>SMT4</i>’s Medusa was loathed because of her cartoony face in
spite of her being one of the few <i>SMT4</i> demons that resembled their cultural
form. We would add that it’s perfectly valid for people to approach art solely
by aesthetics and that the pop culture ecosystem even trains people to engage
with it superficially, as any given series’ designs and illustrations are to be
understood as proprietary and merely emblematic or distinguishing features;
Shin Megami Tensei used to be one of the few properties to challenge the
viewer’s expectations of what its art truly represents, but that story didn’t
end so well. So really, it makes all kinds of (business) sense to cast the
widest net possible with demons that are sleek or "badass" instead of
slavishly mythologically-accurate designs that may require actual research (or
better contextual writing/more effort on Atlus’ part) to appreciate. In other
words, <b>the future of Shin Megami Tensei demon design is now</b>. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">But hey, at least Ultra
Odin is an improvement over that naked purple diaper rash, right? <i>Well, about
that</i>...</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><u>Kaneko’s Ultimate Crib Note:
Exonerating the Diaper </u></b></span></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6gglFUbyUiEMeUNfORTlzoduIc6XDOq05ctu-Sqe2HF2crl8YcgTQKpAS7wfxi76o_BptQYL5SFpOTdjqXOCZHThuEWegD90y9Wof79xnF0T8VdtcWiyfjytlUNlXbWOGp1Q8uPGvh2A/s1600/Odin_model.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="679" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6gglFUbyUiEMeUNfORTlzoduIc6XDOq05ctu-Sqe2HF2crl8YcgTQKpAS7wfxi76o_BptQYL5SFpOTdjqXOCZHThuEWegD90y9Wof79xnF0T8VdtcWiyfjytlUNlXbWOGp1Q8uPGvh2A/s200/Odin_model.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Diaper: Origins</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Western fans' introduction
to Odin in Shin Megami Tensei happened via <i>Nocturne</i>, where he has possibly one
of the most poorly rendered models in the game, with a chunky frame, a
featureless purple body, and that embarrassing swaddling diaper (hence his
nickname). <i>Nocturne</i> may have been a relatively high budget game for Atlus at
the time but they still stretched its budget when it came to demon models, as
many bodies and body parts are reused across demons; this is why Diaper Odin
was chosen for 3D rendering over, say, Rune Odin, as he shares a body type with
Loki, a situation almost identical to the sprite edits of <i>SMT1</i>. What
exacerbated things was not just that the Diaper kept appearing throughout the
PlayStation 2 era but that it was present in the Megami Tensei games the
majority of people became familiar with: <i>Persona 3</i>, <i>FES</i>, and <i>Persona 4</i> (though
in <i>P4</i> the model was finally updated and improved--but still the same <i>SMT1</i>
Odin). A bad rap was inevitable, really.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">It’s also striking just
how bland Diaper Odin looks compared to some of the other <i>SMT1</i> designs that
were more obviously inspired by their traditional looks, like <a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Shiva?file=ShivaSMT.jpg">Shiva</a> or <a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Bael?file=BaelSMT.jpg">Bael</a>.
However, there's a evident pattern to the designs of Kaneko’s Norse gods. Take
a careful look at the following collage of all the major Norse figures featured
in the series and you’ll be sure to spot it: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6TYe4f7fo8HM2E7Jf87kmiRd4vLwxxCvo9pwxznr0-HryWtHRTlwZNSUEHET_lClL0nJvzcW7cjrddwUdyjiQ-qNg1AOD857Vm52jW7aatj20stzYzQJDWjbE073V4DNKIXu_rFuYVw8/s1600/norse+gods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="715" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6TYe4f7fo8HM2E7Jf87kmiRd4vLwxxCvo9pwxznr0-HryWtHRTlwZNSUEHET_lClL0nJvzcW7cjrddwUdyjiQ-qNg1AOD857Vm52jW7aatj20stzYzQJDWjbE073V4DNKIXu_rFuYVw8/s1600/norse+gods.jpg" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Beginning from the left on the top row, here we have:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Odin (<i>SMT1</i> sprite)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Loki (<i>SMT1</i> sprite)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thor (<i>SMT1</i> sprite)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Surt (<i>SMT1</i> sprite)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tyr (<i>Soul Hackers</i>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Heimdall (Soul Hackers)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Norn (<i>Soul Hackers</i>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hel (<i>NINE</i>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Skadi (<i>Nocturne</i>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Baldur (<i>Devil Survivor</i>)</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">With the inorganic Norn
clock an exception, indeed all of Kaneko’s Norse deities have been naked or
practically naked in some form, with only a cape as the common adornment. Most
aren’t purple other than Odin and Loki (except </span><a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Thor?file=Thor2.JPG" style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Soul Hackers</i> Thor</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">), but all of
them have unnatural skin colors (except, again, for Thor, who usually just
looks like a ruddy white dude apart from </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Soul Hackers</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">). Thor is really a
strange one here because the only </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">au naturel</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> depiction of him (or close to it,
at least) is his </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">SMT1</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> sprite; this sprite differs greatly from </span><a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Thor?file=SmtThor.jpg" style="font-family: verdana;">the final artwork</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">, the latter of which is much more heavily armored, but we know from
Kaneko's comments that his spritework for the old games came before most illustrations. </span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://pepsimangb.tumblr.com/post/92763019374/as-promised-heres-my-scanlation-of-the-smt1-ost">[15]</a></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> Nonetheless, the Thor sprite closely matches the look of
</span><i style="font-family: verdana;">SMT1</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">'s Odin and Loki, even as it is a palette swap for beefy boys like Atlas
and Giant. Odin’s other son, Baldur, the latest and probably last Kaneko design
of a Norse god, wears cuirass-style armor plating, likely referring to his
mythic invulnerability, over ashen skin that is shared with his underworld
landlord, Hel.</span></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinW2rIVlkAtvORwsMhCmDOXwhofCBtTZM5OkEl2tbxXeuIXbj8z2n4-8TiMpr7D8ifFoxWFT1Ms2vPyry-H7F6VCGtSs01D0VkgI0HSZFXJOdhdzOVmf89u3L4wP-VIzPhgY1H6J1UzqE/s1600/%25C3%2586sir-Vanir_war_by_Fr%25C3%25B8lich.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="737" data-original-width="1126" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinW2rIVlkAtvORwsMhCmDOXwhofCBtTZM5OkEl2tbxXeuIXbj8z2n4-8TiMpr7D8ifFoxWFT1Ms2vPyry-H7F6VCGtSs01D0VkgI0HSZFXJOdhdzOVmf89u3L4wP-VIzPhgY1H6J1UzqE/s320/%25C3%2586sir-Vanir_war_by_Fr%25C3%25B8lich.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Odin casts his spear (in the nude) during the<br />Aesir-Vanir war, Lorenz Fr<span class="mw-mmv-filename">ø</span>lich; review the<br />"Who is Odin?" section for more Norse nudes</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Skin color doesn’t matter,
however. Strange as it is, what does matter is that nudity and capes are the
unifying themes Kaneko chose for the Norse pantheon; even the superlative Rune
Odin is all cape and almost no body. So why opt to depict Odin and the others
as birthday suited caped crusaders? As random as the billowing in the buff
might seem, it turns out the idea actually has a precedent.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">In the 18th and 19th centuries,
Germanic culture went through what has been termed the "<b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_revival">Viking Revival</a></b>," where traditional Northern European myths were reevaluated and
romanticized in terms of an indigenous culture with intrinsic value, much like
what the Italian Renaissance did for Roman and Greek myths. While the Ring
Cycle of Richard Wagner is probably the most famous product of the Viking
Revival, more applicable to this discussion is the movement's impact on
artistic depictions of Norse gods, where Odin, Thor, Loki and others can be
seen wearing capes and little (or nothing) else; for examples, see Henry Fuseli's <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor_Battering_the_Midgard_Serpent">Thor Battering the Midgard Serpent</a></i> or the works of Lorenz Fr<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">ø</span>lich, some of which we used above with even more viewable on <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Odin">Odin's Wikimedia Commons page</a>. This probably shows the Viking Revival's Renaissance inspiration, equating the Norse gods with their Greco-Roman counterparts
often seen naked in statuary. The similarities between Kaneko’s Norse nudists
and the Viking Revival art are too precise to be coincidence.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJebvPS4tJxFR9Zn1sBcC2Pbp25UH4Ge01vdX9kbb6PV1QQ9O1dFiToF5DsU4s7wgpa-err_QseE_3jRIvVDhZEeMesJY9ncEXUFpehIBUz65FA9riyU17zCP9qf_ihbAZh9XbFgXyfmE/s1600/MTJapan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="507" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJebvPS4tJxFR9Zn1sBcC2Pbp25UH4Ge01vdX9kbb6PV1QQ9O1dFiToF5DsU4s7wgpa-err_QseE_3jRIvVDhZEeMesJY9ncEXUFpehIBUz65FA9riyU17zCP9qf_ihbAZh9XbFgXyfmE/s200/MTJapan.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Megami Tensei's purple Loki</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">That said, there’s a
wrinkle in this narrative that suggests Odin wasn't the model for his <i>SMT1</i>
sprite but rather Loki, specifically that his purple skin and wild mane were
informed by the purple body/fur and similar hairstyle featured on Loki’s
bestial appearance in the original <i>Megami Tensei</i> game and anime. It's
definitely something to consider, as it wouldn't be the only one: why else was
the series saddled for so long with a one-headed Cerberus if not an explicit
callback to the original story? Even the "Shin" series' hexagram logo
features Loki in the center in reference to his central importance to the plot
of the <i>Megami Tensei</i> novel and everything that initially spun off from it. While
it’s unlikely the fuzzy, capeless <i>Megami Tensei</i> Loki is responsible for the
general look of the “Shin” Norse pantheon, more plausible is its influence on
<i>SMT1</i> Loki's hairstyle and the purple and other dark skin tones of his ilk.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSFp1Pbq8wet7gst0CB4NuXpwEMDmzrm4ZNFOzeKq1O42_udonwhNzx8-CF4uE-t-MUKt7VaJhKX-6j5BmfExg83PSI7RHd3ukPOGoKkwJPquSwqiRn9rlwSKVIt41yNww9otCiba3agQ/s1600/Loki_comp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="850" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSFp1Pbq8wet7gst0CB4NuXpwEMDmzrm4ZNFOzeKq1O42_udonwhNzx8-CF4uE-t-MUKt7VaJhKX-6j5BmfExg83PSI7RHd3ukPOGoKkwJPquSwqiRn9rlwSKVIt41yNww9otCiba3agQ/s640/Loki_comp.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Loki from Fr</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">ø</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">lich's <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Odin#/media/File:Lokasenna_by_Lorenz_Fr%C3%B8lich.jpg">Lokasenna</a> compared to Kaneko's Devil Summoner Loki</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5eaV2jWqZSWnwV-WK672C8rqSxI6zhoSkY4TCVUv6jcLbgVGYWZjTDU0M6HTRsrlcLIxjh-Bk_d77PK8Bo40NFL93eisfzmfl4M8G2hDB-e8FWSGa4rE1d_EFZ65A3QP7thuN0AymfjE/s1600/clip%252B%25282017-07-05%252Bat%252B08.26.07%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5eaV2jWqZSWnwV-WK672C8rqSxI6zhoSkY4TCVUv6jcLbgVGYWZjTDU0M6HTRsrlcLIxjh-Bk_d77PK8Bo40NFL93eisfzmfl4M8G2hDB-e8FWSGa4rE1d_EFZ65A3QP7thuN0AymfjE/s320/clip%252B%25282017-07-05%252Bat%252B08.26.07%2529.png" width="204" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Diaper Revival Odin<br />(edit by <a href="https://twitter.com/luntakesalla">Luntakesalla</a>)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Regardless of Viking
Revivals or series callbacks, there’s something missing on most Shin Megami
Tensei Odins that’s crucial to the god’s identity: a beard. If Odin is indeed a
wise “sovereign magician” then a full grey or white beard, the kind attached to his face
just about everywhere else he appears, is the ideal status symbol--something
the bewhiskered Rune Odin demonstrates flawlessly. As the trendsetter, Diaper
Odin went beardless possibly because, as previously noted, the game’s sprites
were drawn before the full illustrations and the dinky size of the Odin/Loki
sprite meant that a beard would be too hard to read particularly with its white
cape, but that’s just a guess. Still, a beard would only improve the babyfaces
of Diaper, Blankie, and Ultra and make their art seem more like Odin the god
instead of Ren Faire Streaker, Bedtime Protester, and Generic Spaceman-Warrior
respectively.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">We’re not going to go as
far as to say this knowledge retroactively makes the Diaper and Blankie Odins
more exciting to look at, much less “cool” or “badass.” Nevertheless, the
Viking Revival artwork (if it is truly Kaneko’s influence; it seems likely but
is still unconfirmed) provides some important context and definitions for the
Norse designs that was hitherto missing. Doi’s flashy, sleek, yet shallow
battler may win the beauty pageants but the potential of the Viking Revival
connection lends Kaneko’s lesser Odins a cultural authenticity Ultra Odin
severely lacks, meaning that, in the end, the naked truth is that Diaper and
Blankie alike are still superior representations of Odin the All-father, god of
magic, death, wisdom, and battle and rider of Yggdrasil. </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><u>Conclusion: The Wisdom of
the Ages</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b>1. Shin Megami Tensei
Reminiscences</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: So, <a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2015/09/SMT-identity-crisis-final.html">a few years ago I said the following</a>: “<i>the
most disappointing part of [the </i>SMT4<i> guest artist debacle] is that Atlus
already employs an artist aware of what makes Kaneko's designs tick: Masayuki
Doi</i>.” A bit of egg on my face but at least we know now that not all the
crumminess was Doi's fault after all.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifJ7qh3k-FSip_pBhmgtajql-1_3NuGvS0j-LMe25BT00LdDfmfWjx3zdvmeSen2uYSSWI8Tj4PJdTOWbNXTIo1Y7MIkwLrNWI8FifBCDd7GRPtrU6ff1-Fk7cvk051jqt_Z9bG7fUyg/s1600/doi-ports.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifJ7qh3k-FSip_pBhmgtajql-1_3NuGvS0j-LMe25BT00LdDfmfWjx3zdvmeSen2uYSSWI8Tj4PJdTOWbNXTIo1Y7MIkwLrNWI8FifBCDd7GRPtrU6ff1-Fk7cvk051jqt_Z9bG7fUyg/s320/doi-ports.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Masayuki Doi after being told to draw<br />Jesus as a little girl for SMT5</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, and I'm sure a lot of people shared that
sentiment. If you were to look at those concept designs alone then that
statement would pretty much bear out, but there was another direction there.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: It's also interesting to go back and look at our
impressions of Apocalypse's designs in <a href="https://kanekocribs.tumblr.com/post/140184451316/kanekos-crib-notes-xxxv-the-demons-of-shin">Kaneko's
Crib Notes Volume XXV</a>. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Man, we're about two and a half years out from
those. For Odin I mentioned that Doi "<i>did his homework</i>," so... my
impressions haven't aged too gracefully. Goes to show that it's really one of
those designs that crumbles under scrutiny.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: (laughs) I guess that's quite the understatement.
Though his "homework" could have been <a href="https://twitter.com/samael19879209/status/867351214014345216">sucking
down cans of Suntory The Premium Malt's</a>. Me though, I was definitely
holding back. I said the design was "...<i>fine</i>." With an ellipsis!
Clearly I was suppressing my animosity.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Of course, the storm was raging. Speaking of
storms, even that Gungnir assessment hasn't held up! At least you nailed it
with the superhero remark, which was more prescient than we could have imagined.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: It's the story with most of these designs. The
cheers we handed out didn't last but the jeers stuck.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, Dagda was even waiting on an article of his
own. Thank god we had at least course-corrected on Mermaid by then.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, last year’s Dagda exposé was finished
relatively quickly, then I had the idea to make a follow-up on Odin in the same
format. Easy peasy, right? 16 months later… </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Unfortunately the task at hand proved to be
neither easy peasy nor lemon squeezy. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The general praise the design received also drove
me to consider the design from more angles, evident in this article. There had
to be more to it than just "it's cool"... but that turned out to not
be the case, really.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Going back and pouring over reactions has been
enlightening in that respect. The sleek appeal of a tokusatsu hero just happens
to be a bigger crowd-pleaser than we expected. Considering the role that style
plays over design has made things clearer as well.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: And the same can be said for many of the other
designs, as well. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Some patterns have certainly emerged, as you can
imagine having read this far, especially with the reveal of Doi's contributions
for <i>Strange Journey Redux</i>. Patterns that don't exactly encourage consistency.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaMurb0x7Fi-0oIQlVQ5ujjI6gmkPG0cA8oOfu6ChpMD0kgx0LhdK1ZteL-BOgLit3GvRfSnnAQPKHYXuzu1nanx2jYzKLJ1DogGFVlBudC9rozs5BU6j5v70X2iiO3n4NkoryzQmK7Oc/s1600/d8af711ad5810dba501b6b6da60c6b67--gojira-father-and-son.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="500" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaMurb0x7Fi-0oIQlVQ5ujjI6gmkPG0cA8oOfu6ChpMD0kgx0LhdK1ZteL-BOgLit3GvRfSnnAQPKHYXuzu1nanx2jYzKLJ1DogGFVlBudC9rozs5BU6j5v70X2iiO3n4NkoryzQmK7Oc/s320/d8af711ad5810dba501b6b6da60c6b67--gojira-father-and-son.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I Want to Meet That Dad!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">:
This all led me to a theory that didn't really
fit anywhere else, that demons are perceived internally at Atlus Japan
as a way to cater to different demographics. Like in <i>SJR</i>, we have a
traditional demon
(by their reckoning, anyway) with Amon to appeal to old fans, young girl
and
busty girl to charm every kind of Japanese male imaginable, and the
hot-blooded
tokusatsu Zeus to get the attention of the kids playing Monster Hunter or Yo-kai Watch on their
3DSes (or dads that love Ultraman-themed restaurants, an underserved
niche).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes, it's clear enough where the demographic
intent of bouncy childhood friend archetypes lies with regards to the character
roster, but the compendium is there to pick up the rest of those Japanese boy's
media checkboxes, apparently.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: And though <i>SMT4A</i>'s youth-focus and shonen
design tropes could have been limited to that game’s themes, the fact that it
still bled into <i>Strange Journey Redux</i>, a game that didn't originally chase the
shonen audience, says a lot about where the series is headed. In other words,
the "traditional demon" is a thing of the past. You know, the
majority Type I and Type II pie charts.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Can imagine that trend will hold going forward,
yeah. I think the comparison to mobile games like Puzzle and Dragons is apt.
Obviously not to the extent of <i>SMT4</i> and its star-studded guest pool, but it's
disappointing to think that same spirit has managed to stick even under the
vision of a single designer.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Funny you said that, as I just searched in
Japanese for Demeter (<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=%E3%83%87%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A1%E3%83%BC%E3%83%86%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj-npvkxv_bAhUD0FkKHUugD9oQ_AUICigB&biw=1600&bih=786"><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">デーメーテール</span></a>)
and the fourth result is a moe version from some godforsaken mobile card game.
No clue what it is and it is not entirely similar, but still pretty hilarious
that their attempt to be "unique" with her is anything but.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: (laughs) Oh boy, yeah, that's the primo stuff.
Design tendencies bend inexorably toward the bottom of the mobile barrel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b>2. Predicting <i>Shin Megami
Tensei V</i> and Beyond</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Writing this article took almost a year and in
the interim that Japanese <i>SJR</i> demon popularity contest was held on Twitter,
with the predictable victors being Mara, Alice, and at least Cu Chulainn in a
not-too-distant third.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b>: God willing
there'll always be room in that trifecta for hot bishonen guy appeal. And in
that same time-span we were graced with <a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B06XW919LS/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=">everyone's
favorite $300 punchline</a>. Atlus has thrown themselves head-first into that
indomitable craving for the funny penis monster, and I'm amazed we haven't seen
a new Alice figure to round things out. Basically, we shouldn't expect Atlus
(or Sega) to encourage a more thoughtful perception of demon design in the
series any time soon.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Mara and Alice are gimmicky designs to begin with
and if they are what people want, gimmicks are what we're going to get. That
and a narrow spectrum of color. Something that didn’t fit into the main body
above--it’s something that was noticed fairly late--is the limited scope of
Doi’s color palettes. It was especially evident when Amon, Satan, and New
Pitchfork Demon are seen side-by-side. All three “traditional” demons, all of
them with approximately black/red bodies. </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1FIQzkqdc1m5GZ_tVk8DSML-vwH_47Yym3vFbefX18iUPcniJCKCe80k9isWfchbj6BGDMQ5yu1AZdQMaIDoq2TqXMJRhdU0hlAP03ZT41lmjrm1tXF-6XJK0e9XSfTyFya1RVCZenA/s1600/devils.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="590" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG1FIQzkqdc1m5GZ_tVk8DSML-vwH_47Yym3vFbefX18iUPcniJCKCe80k9isWfchbj6BGDMQ5yu1AZdQMaIDoq2TqXMJRhdU0hlAP03ZT41lmjrm1tXF-6XJK0e9XSfTyFya1RVCZenA/s320/devils.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">A better look at Pitchfork Demon <br />from the latest SMT5 trailer</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, and seeing them all lined up together has
been pretty illuminating. Doi seems to fall back on a red/green/gold scheme
almost constantly in his demon design work, with plenty of brown to measure it
out. We’ve seen him apply a limited palette in the past (see: New Blood), but
this has a less deliberate feel to it. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Check out that collage of faces that led off the
“Patterns” section to see these limits in action. But mentioning that new demon
from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvyCAFV9MbM">the <i>SMT5</i> trailer</a>, it looks just like Satan. Red head mass, black
everything else. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Right, even in the context of Doi’s limited
palette, it’s a dead match. It’s a much more specific design than, say, the
generic figures from <a href="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/7/72/SMTIV_Magazine_Cover_Law_and_Chaos.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20141207142415">this
<i>SMT4</i> promo piece</a>. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Oh yeah, I completely forgot those existed! But
for Pitchfork, its identity is still a mystery though considering how much it
looks like Satan--a deliberate derivative, in fact-- it might just be a generic
“Demon” to match the generic “Angel” unit, as was mentioned in the previous
article. Depending on the name they give it, this could cause localization
problems as a demon called Demon probably wouldn’t jive. Hopefully there is some
awareness of the localization of critical terms like that in the Atlus Japan
offices. But still, even if it does end up being “Demon,” Atlus USA could pull
a switcheroo and dub it “Devil,” like how their “<a href="https://jisho.org/word/%E6%82%AA%E9%AD%94">akuma</a>” is typically rendered
in roman script in the Japanese games. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: So based on what we know, and extrapolating from
the general source conformity of Doi’s infernal demons discussed above, let’s
hope that we’ve got another Type I on our hands here. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yep, it all depends upon its actual identity but
right now it seems to be a promising possibility. All this said, want to make
some predictions for <i>Shin Megami Tensei V</i>?</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Sure, now should be a good time, since I don't
see any theorizing being quashed in the immediate future.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Indeed, shouldn't matter until late 2019 at
least. So let's take a moment to write down some predictions for how many
demons you think will be added (or a range), and as many of the spreadsheet
categories as you feel like doing. Except maybe Origin as that isn't really
conducive to guesswork.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Boy, let's see here. <i>SMT4A</i> introduced roughly 20
new designs, including alternate forms, right? So for their first console
release in over a decade, I'll play it safe and say... ~30 new designs.
Actually, writing that out somehow makes it feel generous, but I'll stick with
it.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, <i>SMT4</i> had 31 new designs, so I’m guessing
34. I was going to estimate around 30 as well, but decided to try for something
exact.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Remember to keep score in 2019/20!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Then just for fun, I'll throw in an exact
estimate of 32. As for categories, how about majority Type III and IV (around
40-55%) for the inevitable monsters and tokusatsu boys, some Type II (20-30%?)
to cover that Amon formula that Doi will probably pursue, and the remainder for
those rare knockouts a la Adramelech and Sukuna-Hikona.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, I think that's close to mine. I went for 6
Type I, 10 Type II, 8 each for Types III and IV, and 2 N/A. Like, no doubt, he
is going to design a few Adramelechs and Sukuna-Hikonas. But based on current
patterns, they will be in the minority. I’m expecting a number of aggravating
near hits like Amon or Demeter. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, I think he'll always be tempted to throw in
a few straight from the source, even if just to balance things out. I'm sure the
actual quotient will be up to the overall creative direction. Won't dig too
deep into Forms, but beyond what I mentioned above, let's say 1 mascot, a few
demons, and... 3-4 pandering. God I hope I'm not low-balling that one.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: I don't even have a guess for them, but I'm also
going with a 23 male, 9 female, 2 unspecified gender ratio. I think we'll be
getting a couple robots or something this time. And 20 inorganic, 14 organic.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, the gender ratio seems like a lock going
forward. I'll go with 18 male, 10 female, 3 unspecified, and 1 Maverick Vote
for androgynous. Hedging my bets on more beasts of indeterminate gender myself.
And that's about what I'm thinking as well, 18 inorganic, 14 organic.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Ah, yes, some beasts. I can see maybe one or two,
but I'm not going to alter my HIGHLY official entry. For those races, it really
depends on how many new demons end up being random encounters rather than
bosses. <i>SMT4</i> had Napaea and Centaur and <i>SMT4A</i> had Mermaid, so I guess it's
plausible to expect around that, two more likely. Probably front-loaded, again,
with at least one intended to be an “iconic” starter demon like Centaur
apparently was. Uh, yeah. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes, new random encounters have been complete
non-entities following Nocturne, even. Maybe there'll be more if there are more
new additions than we're expecting overall, but we'll see.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: And a final question to the crystal ball. If
Kaneko produced over 1,000 demons over the course of 17 years, how many do you
think Doi will design in his career? </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Good question--it really depends on how long it
takes for Doi himself to be replaced by a lesser talent, but assuming we’ve got
another decade or so ahead… maybe 150. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFa4tiksppxn4AQNaEknHSvCXrwLRMrYDkqfTaOi03boPLWFNktW7UDH4of9WeYG-aVG6BJea5CTmP57bQM2rK7OgplDsWPUAuJiB_OJeqvOquoBo3JLPqpYF3Gd7zQr7cp4hTlUKEvQA/s1600/031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1280" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFa4tiksppxn4AQNaEknHSvCXrwLRMrYDkqfTaOi03boPLWFNktW7UDH4of9WeYG-aVG6BJea5CTmP57bQM2rK7OgplDsWPUAuJiB_OJeqvOquoBo3JLPqpYF3Gd7zQr7cp4hTlUKEvQA/s320/031.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Atlus Art Team's Terry reacts to the<br />possibility of Atlus Art Team demons</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, there are a few release types to consider:
new, major titles released approximately every six years that include 30+ new
demons; follow-ups to those new titles released 1-2 years later that heavily
reuse assets but can include a healthy 20-some new demons for “freshness”; and
super low budget games from new titles like <i>Devil Survivor</i> to “enhanced”
re-releases of older games like <i>Strange Journey Redux</i> (and the original <i>SJ</i> certainly
counts as low budget, for that matter) that can release every 2-3 years but
reduce new entrants to about single digits. Over the course of 20 years and
including the current 24, I’d say Doi will end up with about 200 demon designs.
And that’s a generous estimate for his trajectory with the series. Part of me
believes the “Atlus Art Team” is being groomed for demon design. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: That might stand to reason. Doi is approximately
the same age as Kaneko was when he completed his final substantive role with
<i>Strange Journey</i>, and it’s no coincidence that the extent of the latter’s output
declined as the years piled on--by that point he had worked on the series for
the entirety of his adult life, as is nearly the case with Doi at the moment.
An exhausting proposition no matter how you slice it. If the likes of “Atlus
Art Team” represent younger blood that can be entrusted with a steady
production of art assets into the future, regardless of quality, then we might
expect to see more of them in the years to come. Enough of that sobering train
of thought, though!</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, really. And I lied, I have one more
demon-related prediction. There’s a conspicuous tradition in the series, that
being Judeo-Christian (+Zoroastrian) final bosses, that should help narrow down
the identity of at least one of them. <i>SMT1</i> had Michael (on Neutral and Chaos at
least; Asura-oh, the other possible final boss, has now been retconned to be an
“evil” version of Zoroastrian supreme god Ahura Mazda, turning Asura into a
monotheist proxy), <i>SMT2</i> YHVH, <i>NINE</i> Yaldabaoth, <i>Nocturne</i> Kagutsuchi (who
represents an avatar of YHVH), <i>Maniacs</i> Lucifer, <i>SJ</i> the Jewish
mysticism-inspired Mem Aleph (and <i>Redux</i> had _________), <i>SMT4</i> Lucifer and
Merkabah, and <i>SMT4A</i> YHVH again. The one exception being <i>if…</i>, itself an outlier
of the series’ usual content and structure. The question then becomes, “which
supreme Ancient Near East character are we going to kill this time?” </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Those examples narrow it down to an extent.
Judging from the most recent targets this team has busted out, we can probably
count on another esoteric concept. The trailer may have even dropped some hints
with it’s flashing text of “Daath” and the nonsensical “Shekinah Glory”. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Ah yes, Shekinah Glory. Which, <a href="https://personacentral.com/preliminary-shin-megami-tensei-v-information-famitsu-interview-leak/">according
to Yamai</a>, means “miracle of God,” even though it, you know, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shekhinah#Etymology">doesn’t</a>. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Kazuyuki Yamai, scholar of the Hebrew language.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Don't worry, it's <i>platonic</i>! </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: You can tell he’s read a book or two. But on what
it’s hard to tell. But as far as major emanations of monotheist or even
dualistic religions and their deities, YHVH and Yaldabaoth have been getting
all the attention lately, so they’re unlikely to double (or triple) dip.
“Shekinah Glory” indeed means nothing because of <i>Redux</i>, though it probably ties
into what this game’s literal interpretation of “Megami Tensei” will be.
Probably your girlfriend or something inhabiting your girlfriend. Or, sorry,
your “close female friend from high school.” Gotta make sure she’s still “available”
for the player. Like damn, in the trailer Petal Suit Boy is shown rudely
walking ahead of her and the two don’t even touch other than when she slaps
him. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Don’t worry, just 40-50 hours of uninterrupted
playful tussling. But yeah, I think now is exactly the time that they’d implant
the heroine with some sort of supernatural significance in that regard, which
would be potentially more interesting than having her like a manga. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: I might eat crow on this one but I feel that
could only be an improvement. Back to final bosses though, I’ve got two ideas.
First is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ein_Sof">Ein Sof</a>, the Kabbalistic conception of God as an absolute, infinity
who exists outside of the universe and is the emanator of the Tree of Life.
It’s not just the hint of “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Da%27at">Daath</a>,” the hidden node on the Tree of Life that
spiritually encompasses all the others and thus in a sense reflecting Ein Sof,
but also that Ein Sof as a concept has yet to appear in SMT and is a term you
see pop up in Japanese RPGs and media from time to time; it’s a known quantity
in certain circles Atlus would be privy to. The other is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zurvanism">Zurvan</a>, the
mother-father figure of heretical Zoroastrianism and parent of Ahura Mazda and
Angra Mainyu. I’ve predicted Zurvan to appear in other games if only because I
think such a low-hanging dualistic fruit will be irresistible to a story with
SMT’s alignment structure; <a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Zurvan">Zurvan
did actually appear in a <i>Shin Megami Tensei if…</i> mobile game</a> (in the process folding <i>if…</i> into the mono/dualistic schema!), though I don’t think that would
be an obstacle to a contemporary appearance in a normal game. But, barring a
curveball like Kagutsuchi, I think something like Ein Sof is more likely. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: It’s incredible that SMT has only ever dipped
its toes in the Zoroastrian pool, and unfortunately I doubt the folks in
charge at the moment will be the ones to change that. Ein Sof is as solid a
guess as any, and while I don’t have one of my own, I encourage the audience at
home to start a betting pool among friends and family to see which name from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_God_in_Judaism">this Wikipedia
page </a>squeaks its way in this time. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: (laughs) Yeah, that page should serve nicely as a
proto-FAQ for <i>SMT5</i>. But as far as possible repeats from recent games go, I can
see the reintroduction of “proper” Louis Cyphre Lucifer as a heralded “return
to form.” Louis will appear in a late Famitsu spread three weeks prior to the
game’s release. “Hey! It’s this guy! He’s BACK! And he no longer looks like
Squidward from that one episode of Spongebob!” they will definitely say. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: I’m sure he’ll be there in some form, foaming at
the mouth about morning stars or something. If they’re really on a <i>Nocturne</i>
kick then perhaps they’ll just transplant the True Demon Ending in its entirety, prompting
YouTube comment sections the world over to collapse into themselves like
neutron stars. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: And speaking of <i>Nocturne</i>, the trailers make it
very clear that it's their inspiration. Even the guitar riffs in the last one are similar.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Yikes, <i>not</i> platonic! Thanks to @smtnetwork</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Certainly checks out for the team that has been
billing itself as MANIACS since day one. But my gut reaction is that they'll
limit themselves to superficialities: desert landscape, red petals that are
functionally identical to Magatsuhi, maybe even another protagonist selected by
a demon sponsor if they haven't had their fill after <i>SMT4A</i>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes, my advice is not to be fooled by outward
appearances. The Maniacs Team pedigree is not a great one and even if it
emulates the look and feel of <i>Nocturne</i>, it won't have its substance or artistic
integrity, no matter how hard some members of the community “intelligentsia”
may grasp at straws over alleged influences from long dead philosophers or the
omnipresence of certain cosmocrators.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, barring a cataclysmic shift in market
tastes, Atlus will never produce another game in the same contemplative,
atmospheric mold or with a similar economy of narrative as <i>Nocturne</i>. Instead I
would guess the tone lands somewhere in between <i>SMT4</i> and <i>SMT4A</i>, with evidence
so far in the apparent age of the protagonist, i.e somewhere in between the
college and high school freshmen of the former.</span></div>
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</div>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Think about what Identity Crisis was about and
keep the content of this article in mind. There's not going to be any course
correction, because it won't be perceived as needed. It'll be a
<i>Nocturne</i>-flavored <i>SMT4</i>/<i>A</i>. What if... Chiaki had “feelings” for you? Those are
the kinds of questions it's going to ask. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Hashino's comments on the direction Atlus has
taken since the PS2 era are instructive in this sense. In other words, expect
<i>SMT5</i> to contain an abundance of exposition delivered by an eclectic array of
chattering shonen tropes, and ZERO nostrils, motherfucker.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Damn, that's right. It will be nostril Armageddon
up in here. And we already talked above about Atlus Japan not giving a shit
about catering to overseas but wasn't there a comment of Hashino's where he
said he didn't pay attention to any reactions or comments other than Japan's as
well? ...Yes, <a href="https://personacentral.com/usgamer-persona-5-interview-katsura-hashino/">he
said of the Persona series</a>, “<i>living in Japan, I can’t get direct feedback,
so it’s hard for me to fully understand the overseas popularity</i>.” This struck
me as a bit naive considering there are notable Japanese developers like <a href="https://twitter.com/yokotaro">Yoko Taro</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/PG_kamiya">Hideki Kamiya</a> regularly interacting with (or blocking) non-Japanese
fans on Twitter. There’s literally never been an easier time in human history
to get direct feedback on your work from fans across the globe. But sure, keep
living in that cloistered cloud like, uh, the Demiurge, Hashinostrils. </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgFg1aa9Z_qB6M0N25mJDL9fNH2o9Q0CfEQJjXI4RA2_as0qRy9noy6nPrg60x3tg8N5sVrphxLIydDGLz9zxLc2KWERjfSqYLsxwLQYlc-AjrBPspaaYjLF018SvEwAE8NAoCvBDsE0/s1600/kai_abaddon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="917" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgFg1aa9Z_qB6M0N25mJDL9fNH2o9Q0CfEQJjXI4RA2_as0qRy9noy6nPrg60x3tg8N5sVrphxLIydDGLz9zxLc2KWERjfSqYLsxwLQYlc-AjrBPspaaYjLF018SvEwAE8NAoCvBDsE0/s320/kai_abaddon.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Kaneko's "<i>Chronicle</i>" art</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Hashino is the crown prince of embarrassing
pull-quotes, if nothing else. But yeah, those cavalier musings on the absolute
taint known as the old Atlus house-style are indicative of the directional
shift that solidified at the end of the last decade. The perfect environment
for Kaneko to shed his prime creative and artistic role at the company, as it
were. On the other hand, maybe he got out while the getting was good.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, he took his bow at the right time. It’s
hard to imagine Kaneko characters speaking the quality of dialogue in the
recent entries, particularly <i>SMT4A</i>’s. About the best parallel is the endgame of
<i>Digital Devil Saga 2</i>, where it gets a bit heavy-handed, or <i>Raidou 2</i>, with its
sheer quantity and repetition. Then you look at games like <i>Devil Survivor</i> and
the lack of Kaneko human character designs is probably part of a deliberate
initiative of conformity to “anime” mainstream. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: It’s hard to argue that his exclusion doesn’t
feel orchestrated at a tonal level. And come to think of it, the shift in
Kaneko’s style starting from <i>King Abaddon</i> presaged his departure at the
artistic level. And it wasn’t the more natural flesh tones or fuller facial
features that did it, no sir. It was those foul, rotund nostrils that started
stinking up the place. Just look at this cover for the “<i>Chronicle</i>” release of
<i>Nocturne</i>, my god. I take it Hashino had to be hospitalized at some point in the
process.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: And look at all those petals the Demi-fiend is
bleeding! </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: You can practically smell those bad boys from
here!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b>3. Moving On from Shin Megami
Tensei</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Honestly though, all this red and black is making
me sad. No, not because of Doi’s Satan but rather his strange palette
bedfellow, Rune Odin. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The cream of the crop, the Grand Poobah of Odin
designs this side of the Atlantic and back. And a design destined for
melancholy associations, of course. </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvwSkdXJuLATyIDmZJZXUmEnOae0JtpCMKFzmeafgT2T4U7TLOius1HwS0FczjN-aWg1AxNeqvbHZgdLOo6oGg0n-dibH_EbCfgT4h80rCLO4GI0_BShIi22_6AKyyoHuG0qziPLuAQA/s1600/ecce_odin3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="508" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvwSkdXJuLATyIDmZJZXUmEnOae0JtpCMKFzmeafgT2T4U7TLOius1HwS0FczjN-aWg1AxNeqvbHZgdLOo6oGg0n-dibH_EbCfgT4h80rCLO4GI0_BShIi22_6AKyyoHuG0qziPLuAQA/s320/ecce_odin3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">"Behold the Ultraman"</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: And if no one else will say it, I will: Rune Odin
is one erudite and fucking awesome old man. In comparison, its certain forever
replacement in Ultra Odin feels akin to the “restoration” of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecce_Homo_(Mart%C3%ADnez_and_Gim%C3%A9nez,_Borja)">Borja <i>Ecce Homo</i></a>.
Still, years of pining for that design to reappear in some capacity made
writing this article a particularly cathartic exercise. And in many ways it
feels like a breakup with Shin Megami Tensei. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: You’re looking at a real last hurrah here. I
can’t imagine <i>SMT5</i> will contain anything worthy of this level of examination,
or at least there won’t be the same drive to make it. But while our
relationship with the series has cooled to a chill, it isn’t necessarily an
ugly scene, and it certainly isn’t the end.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Absolutely. The fiery passion may have long died
out but it was a long enough affair that it’ll be impossible to break off
contact completely. I see us remaining decent friends. I, uh, am talking about
Shin Megami Tensei, by the way. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, we’ll probably always stay in touch with
the series. But one thing that makes Odin so fascinating as a deity, and why
his Rune incarnation is so successful, is the extent to which his character is
oriented around <b>wisdom</b>. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The acquisition and/or exaltation of wisdom is a
pervasive motif throughout world mythology. To many cultures there is no higher
ideal and is often personified by or attributed to the most supreme (or
popular) deities. Take <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athena">Athena</a>, whose associated animal, the owl, also became a wisdom symbol. Sadly, our favorite owl, <a href="https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionnaire_infernal/6e_%C3%A9d.,_1863/Stolas">Stolas</a>,
has yet to earn that designation. He needs to branch out from his herbs,
stones, and astronomy. But his mythic commander, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon">King Solomon</a>, is yet another
wisdom figure. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: It’s hard to understate the importance of wisdom
as a dominant theme across cultures. Looking eastward, we find plenty of
singular figures such as <a href="http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=96">Kuebiko</a> who personify wisdom through form and
function, as well as entire orders of deities like the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom_King">Wisdom Kings</a> of esoteric
Buddhism; the lack of a prescribed pattern allows for a stationary scarecrow
and a crew of fierce guardian deities to embody the concept with equal potency.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Universal themes of age, experience, and growth.
Perhaps no wisdom image better personifies the latter better than Gnosticism’s
<b><a href="http://www.gnosis.org/ecclesia/catechism.htm#LESSON%20VI">Sophia</a></b>, as she rebounds from her moment of cosmic hubris. As with nearly all
mythical figures, they have a boundless, everlasting quality. You might even
call it “<b>eternal</b>.” </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: You sure might! Which leads us into our final
point for today, and a prelude for another, yet more sizable undertaking.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, I guess it’s time to cut to the chase. I
can’t even remember when I first started mentioning it on Tumblr but here and
there I talked about a certain secret project that went by the provisional
title of “Pleroma.” But with our dissatisfaction with <i>Shonen Mythological Title</i>
at an all-time high, now’s the ideal time to remove the veil and, on this July
4th, to declare our independence from poor mythological and religious writing.
That’s why I am proud and excited to present, especially to those who have been
loyal followers over the years, this project’s real form: <b><a href="https://wisdometernal.com/">Wisdom Eternal</a></b>. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://wisdometernal.com/"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCrLgkrNP47mVg20GLbSn8BHZ1_706LO2H_cjp4J9qt2mg3UwXhQmjqys0v_6PzSX9czbf2jPYAgyh_jrnM3eolors5KCVVWB2ihXnvXI1I2qjPAhVN021nDSVHLhNUiehRes7icICH0/s1600/Untitled_blogsize.jpg" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="https://wisdometernal.com/">It might be wise to follow the banner and check out the embryonic <b>Wisdom Eternal</b> site!</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes, Wisdom Eternal. So glad we can dispense with
the ambiguity. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: For real. Wisdom Eternal’s name has already been
more or less explained, but what exactly will it be? As both a “brand” and
website, its primary purpose and focus will be to explore mythology and religion,
particularly through the human perspective (i.e., more about how myths and
rituals are or aren’t relevant to us in modern day than discussing which god
could beat up whom). Really, that should come as no surprise. But that’s only
its basic mission. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Right. There are three intended branches of
Wisdom Eternal as we’ve discussed. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yep. First, and what’s essentially the namesake
of the whole thing and its identity as a “brand” (in quotes because, hey,
nothing really exists yet except in my mind and notebooks) is the narrative
aspect, planned to be written as a novel (and NOT a game). This is a story I’ve
been developing and refining for years (the original idea dates to 2012) and is
tentatively subtitled <i><b>Wisdom Eternal: 1973</b></i> or <i><b>WE1973</b></i>, as that’s the year it
takes place. I’ve never written anything like this before, so expect it to be a
ways off yet. But I feel a narrative adaptation of Wisdom Eternal’s basic
concepts and definitions of myth and religion will make for the best starting
point; really, it could be adapted into any format. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: And we’ll be discussing these concepts and more
topics related to <i>WE1973</i> on the site and around social media in the future. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: No doubt about it. The second major feature of
Wisdom Eternal will be <b>Roasting in Hell</b>, where a human damned to the Fiery Pit
and their demon colleagues, moderated by none other than Amon, will take pop
culture’s often poor utilization of myth, religion, occult, etc. to task,
hopefully with entertaining results. This infernal crew will have plenty to
roast as Shin Megami Tensei is far from the only series to misrepresent things.
I don’t think we know what format Roasting in Hell is going to take yet, but it
was created as a reaction to to super long critiques like the one you just
read; frankly, they require a ton of work and totally drain you. </span></div>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNumYrcauWxnCjlL5Y37nrQMQBBepT10W1GR8SVAL0sAgIrwKmZPga2HcfNdaC1hButX68mkS73npZ5H2jsm_WztgYmAow72x6gKO30l3WvX9OR6DLoZGSEZ7u_XwPbQLY-RDZNNW2yA/s1600/hellguys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1350" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNumYrcauWxnCjlL5Y37nrQMQBBepT10W1GR8SVAL0sAgIrwKmZPga2HcfNdaC1hButX68mkS73npZ5H2jsm_WztgYmAow72x6gKO30l3WvX9OR6DLoZGSEZ7u_XwPbQLY-RDZNNW2yA/s640/hellguys.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The projected cast of <b>Roasting in Hell</b>, sans human</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Pointed, succinct adventures in criticism with
the infamous demon pals we know and love (with special guest stars!) should be
a lot more fun to create and experience. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Damn straight. And the third branch of Wisdom
Eternal will be <b>community-based</b>, at least that’s the hope. This will include
the much-requested myth/religion book recommendation list and could possibly
include some kind of monthly lesson format framed around a selected book.
Something instructive (and enjoyable, of course) will be central to Wisdom
Eternal’s own identity; just look at this article for myriad examples of what
happens when you try to utilize myths without proper sources or comprehension. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Don't expect it to include any sightings of loli Demeters
and arm-bladed Zeuses, in other words. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: If it ever does, you’ll know we’ve sold out. But
all that said, also expect the rollout on Wisdom Eternal’s site content to be a
little slow at first. As implied above, this whole Odin thing has dominated most of my
free time for the past few months and I think I need a short break from writing
and monitors for the sake of my health. But the time was right for a “soft
launch.”</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: And things will get rolling before too long, for
certain. But that about rounds it out for the Wisdom Eternal slate as it
currently stands, though. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The best thing Wisdom Eternal can offer is its
potential. Of course, I have laser-focused ideas and goals in mind, but those
should only be the beginning. And note that things won’t change drastically on
our blogs. Sure, still ask me about SMT stuff. But Kaneko’s Crib Notes is
likely to go into semi-permanent hibernation and this Blogger is likely never
to be updated again (thank god, what a pain). Wisdom Eternal, as both concept
and website, is the way forward. <a href="https://wisdometernal.com/">If you're interested, please check it out</a>! </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The thought of never having to fiddle with
Blogger’s uniquely delicate constitution again is almost as liberating as
anything. But yes, the big shift is set at this point, and if you’ve followed
us up till now we hope you’ll stay on board for what’s to come.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: It feels good to be optimistic about myth’s
place in pop culture again. We hope Wisdom Eternal will (eventually) make you
feel the same way! </span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b>Special thanks to:</b></span></div>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/">Dijeh</a>, for the bevy of translations
and the idea of Odin not fitting observation</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://b-reis.tumblr.com/">B-reis</a>, for the stuff
about Yamai and toku and some image help</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/luntakesalla">Luntakesalla</a>, for the image edits</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/iiotenki/">Tom James</a>, for translations </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">and YOU, for your patience and patronage</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b>Sources cited for "Who is Odin?":</b></span></div>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Miranda Bruce-Mitford.
<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0756633931/">Signs & Symbols: An Illustrated Guide to Their Origins and Meanings</a></i>. DK,
2008.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ray Dunning. "Northern Europe," <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0750232358/">Mythologies of the World: The Illustrated Guide to Mythological Beliefs and Customs</a></i>. Hodder Wayland, 2001.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mircea Eliade; Philip
Mairet, translator. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Images-Symbols-Mircea-Eliade/dp/069102068X/">Images and Symbols: Studies in Religious Symbolism</a></i>. Princeton, 1991.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hilda Roderick Ellis
Davidson. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0600036375/"><i>Scandinavian Mythology</i></a>. Hamlyn, 1969.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">P. Grappin. "Germanic
Lands: The Mortal Gods," <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Larousse-World-Mythology-Pierre-Grimal/dp/0600023664/">Larousse World Mythology</a></i>. Hamlyn, 1965.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Carolyne Larrington,
translator. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Poetic-Edda-Oxford-Worlds-Classics/dp/0192839462/">The Poetic Edda</a></i>. Oxford, 1996.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">John Lindow. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195153820">Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs</a></i>. Oxford, 2001.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ami Ronnberg,
editor-in-chief. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/3836514486/">The Book of Symbols: Reflections on Archetypal Images</a></i>. Taschen, 2010.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Philip Wilkinson. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/078943413X/">DK Illustrated Dictionary of Mythology</a></i>. DK, 1998.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b>Other sources cited:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>[1]</b> "The Other Face of the
Demon Artist, Kazuma Kaneko." <i>Kazuma Kaneko Graphics: Digital Devil Apocalypse</i>.
<a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/10/31/the-other-face-of-the-demon-artist-kaneko-kazuma/">Translated by Dijeh</a>. </span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana;">[2]</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Shin Megami Tensei IV
Final/Apocalypse Official World Setting Collection + Journey Towards the World
of Mythology</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. </span><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html" style="font-family: verdana;">Translated by Dijeh</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. </span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana;">[3]</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Dengeki Nintendo</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">, July
2013. Interview, Kazuyuki Yamai. </span><a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/08/08/yamai-kazuyuki-smt-iv-interview-for-dengeki-nintendo/" style="font-family: verdana;">Translated by Dijeh</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. </span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana;">[4]</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Shin-Megami-Tensei-IV-Official/dp/1927925584/">Shin Megami Tensei IV: Official Artworks</a></i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. Udon.</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana;">[5]</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> Interview, Hirohiko
Araki and Kazuma Kaneko. </span><a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/56081922481/remember-that-one-araki-x-kaneko-interview-its" style="font-family: verdana;">Translated by Dijeh</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. </span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana;">[6]</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> "</span><a href="https://atlus.com/the-devs-of-shin-megami-tensei-strange-journey-redux-answer-your-questions/" style="font-family: verdana;">The Devs of Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux Answer Your Questions</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">." Atlus. </span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana;">[7]</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/megaten_atlus/status/899960165037858816" style="font-family: verdana;">Demeter commentary, Masayuki Doi</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. </span><a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2017/10/04/1797/" style="font-family: verdana;">Translated by Dijeh</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. </span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana;">[8]</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">Famitsu
2/25/16</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">,
#1419. </span><a href="https://nintendoeverything.com/shin-megami-tensei-iv-final-devs-elements-that-define-the-series-considered-older-cast-music-more/" style="font-family: verdana;">Translated by Nintendo Everything</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. </span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana;">[9]</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/megaten_atlus/status/889808564281266176" style="font-family: verdana;">Anahita commentary, Masayuki Doi</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. </span><a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2017/10/04/anahita-doi/" style="font-family: verdana;">Translated by Dijeh</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. </span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana;">[10]</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/megaten_atlus/status/879280787014561792" style="font-family: verdana;">Amon commentary, Masayuki Doi</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. </span><a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2017/07/27/1735/" style="font-family: verdana;">Translated by Dijeh</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. </span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana;">[11]</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/megaten_atlus/status/917313782279524352" style="font-family: verdana;">Zeus commentary, Masayuki Doi</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. </span><a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2018/03/11/zeus-doi/" style="font-family: verdana;">Translated by Dijeh</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. </span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana;">[12]</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> Apollodorus, </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">The Library</i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">, Book 1. Translated by James George Frazer. </span><a href="http://www.theoi.com/Text/Apollodorus1.html#6" style="font-family: verdana;">Accessed at Theoi.com</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. </span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana;">[13]</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> "</span><a href="https://personacentral.com/atlus-discusses-desire-to-grow-within-the-industry-persona-6-needing-to-surpass-persona-5/" style="font-family: verdana;">Atlus Discusses Desire to Grow Within the Industry, Persona 6 Needing to Surpass Persona 5, Studio Overview</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">." Persona Central. </span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana;">[14]</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> Interview, Katsura
Hashino. </span><a href="http://www.4gamer.net/games/367/G036702/20170810127/" style="font-family: verdana;">4Gamer.net</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. </span><a href="https://twitter.com/iiotenki/status/901377001713418241" style="font-family: verdana;">Translated by Tom James</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. (</span><a href="https://i.imgur.com/5ZxGbre.jpg" style="font-family: verdana;">screenshot of relevant comment</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">)</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: verdana;">[15]</b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> </span><i style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://vgmdb.net/album/5948">Shin Megami Tensei LAW & CHAOS DISC</a></i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> liner notes, commentary by Kazuma Kaneko. </span><a href="http://pepsimangb.tumblr.com/post/92763019374/as-promised-heres-my-scanlation-of-the-smt1-ost" style="font-family: verdana;">Translated by Tom James</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">.</span></div>
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<br />Eirikrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708584583156602408noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102004681763150356.post-54114920339088229232018-06-27T20:54:00.001-04:002022-12-10T20:31:01.199-05:00KANEKO'S CRIB NOTES LVI: THE CAREER OF MASAYUKI DOI<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG6RMOEka1aYZ1pAa84JlkPW2nQUwmsOvIFPJeoYuATqYiIHzDILl5aGIbfOkpwstMsDBo1aUbs08-fiH20_H_Il9zieA7_m8R-Q26DjWiX3TxSqrFqCSU9j_9FdsjskrZUx9gm8MNDfk/s1600/doi-bg-used.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG6RMOEka1aYZ1pAa84JlkPW2nQUwmsOvIFPJeoYuATqYiIHzDILl5aGIbfOkpwstMsDBo1aUbs08-fiH20_H_Il9zieA7_m8R-Q26DjWiX3TxSqrFqCSU9j_9FdsjskrZUx9gm8MNDfk/s1600/doi-bg-used.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">by <b><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://sorenblr.tumblr.com/">Soren</a></span></b> and <b><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/">Eirikr </a></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Masayuki Doi</b> has the unfortunate distinction of being the black sheep of Atlus' main art designers, no doubt due to the fact that some of his best work is hidden within a dead series and that his rise to prominence came at a tumultuous time in the company's history. However, we think his surprisingly expansive oeuvre is definitely worthy of a comprehensive reevaluation and deserving of wider recognition, even if some of it is tarnished by lamentable choices and circumstances. Join <b>Kaneko's Crib Notes</b> editors <span style="color: blue;"><b>Soren</b></span> and <b><span style="color: red;">Eirikr</span> </b>once more as they break down Doi's entire career, from Trauma Center to Shin Megami Tensei and much more! </span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Who is Masayuki Doi?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Masayuki Doi (土居政之) was born on
February 24th, 1976. He was raised in the Tokyo-adjacent city of Yokohama. His blood type is A.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">After high school, Doi
attended a two-year fashion vocational school and majored in fashion design. A
lung sickness prevented him from entering the workforce immediately after
graduation; nonetheless, Doi's college, in his words, "<i>hooked [him] up
with a big-name clothing company</i>." However, Doi declined the offer because
his true desire was to be involved with games. He played and loved the original
Famicom <i>Megami Tensei</i> game in elementary school, so he applied for a job at
Atlus. <b>[1]</b></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7X_nSYYMDtUlUNdKkSkw7Un81eSOUG8bMGwFfqrDPqkf-zQPNAFkW33fD2i6R9Gp3lvIoOUaWNaFCOugoIeJrbtR6V1Lc_KSL0NftKQ_Rr8nYCiSQCMGktAu2DLjkmQ4A4O8uex04O4/s1600/top_ep2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7X_nSYYMDtUlUNdKkSkw7Un81eSOUG8bMGwFfqrDPqkf-zQPNAFkW33fD2i6R9Gp3lvIoOUaWNaFCOugoIeJrbtR6V1Lc_KSL0NftKQ_Rr8nYCiSQCMGktAu2DLjkmQ4A4O8uex04O4/s1600/top_ep2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Masayuki Doi is not<br />approved by the ESRB</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Doi's job interview was
conducted by none other than Kazuma Kaneko and Shigenori Soejima. He recalls
Kaneko as being particularly honest and merciless towards his application
portfolio. <b>[1a]</b> As of 2018, Doi has been working at Atlus for 21 years, currently as
a member of the “Maniacs Team” that focuses on Shin Megami Tensei main series
titles. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Upon first joining Atlus, Doi began
work on <b><i>Persona 2: Innocent Sin</i></b> (1999), designing the tarot cards and coloring
character portraits. Afterward, he would be assigned to 2D background art in
<b><i>Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne</i></b> (2003), <b><i>Digital Devil Saga 1</i>&<i>2</i></b> (2004/2005),
and the two <i>Raidou</i> games, <b><i>Soulless Army</i></b> (2006) and <b><i>King Abaddon</i></b> (2008); he
would be bumped up to background design leader in <b>Nocturne Maniacs</b> (2004) and
says he contributed to the "<i>worldview</i>" design of Soulless Army in
particular, presumably having to do with period aesthetics. <b>[1]</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Doi’s big
"break" came as character design lead for the Trauma series. His
first Trauma task was to redesign the characters credited to <a href="http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,233228/">Maguro Ikehata</a> in
the original DS <i><b>Trauma Center: Under the Knife</b> </i>(2005) for its Wii
remake, <b><i>Trauma Center: Second Opinion</i> </b>(2006). He remained as character
designer for its sequels <b><i>Trauma Center: New Blood</i></b> (2007), <b><i>Trauma Center:
Under the Knife 2</i></b> (2008), and the series' final
entry, <b><i>Trauma Team</i></b> (2010). After Trauma, he returned to Megami Tensei
work with
the ports of <b><i>Persona 2: Eternal Punishment</i></b> (2012) and <b><i>Soul Hackers</i></b>
(2012). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">In the wake of Kazuma
Kaneko’s “evaporation,” Doi became the natural selection for the role of <b><i>Shin
Megami Tensei IV</i></b>’s (2013) character designer, which finally brought him his hard-earned recognition. In the follow-up to <i>SMT4</i>, <b><i>Shin Megami Tensei IV:
Apocalypse</i></b> (2016), Doi was responsible for both new characters and new demons;
he also contributed a handful of character and demon designs for <b><i>Shin Megami
Tensei: Strange Journey Redux</i></b> (2017). Presently, it is assumed that Doi is
working on design and art direction for the upcoming <b><i>Shin Megami Tensei V</i></b>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Assessing Doi </span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">As you can see, Masayuki Doi enjoyed a long tenure at Atlus prior to his emergence as the principal designer for post-Kaneko Shin Megami Tensei. Doi’s contributions in this respect have loomed largest in the public imagination these past few years, but with this history in mind we’d like to take a look further back, to a time when Atlus had yet to contract quite so tightly around their flagship series--in this case, 2006. It’s during the relatively brief but respectable run of the long dormant <b>Trauma Center</b> franchise in which Doi crystallized his chops as a character designer for the company, a period that receives little attention beyond what persists of the modest fanbase that formed around the series. And while the work produced therein is worth considering in any context, it’s particularly valuable as a source of insight into how that career has developed and even where things might have landed under different auspices. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">With SMTV on the horizon and Doi’s involvement all but assured, we decided to trace that development over the full decade that separates <i>Trauma Center: Second Opinion</i> from <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse</i>, in an effort to better understand the artistic evolution that has taken place. The results have been enlightening, to say the least! So without further ado, the first item on our agenda is...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I. A Second Look at a First Impression</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJr8rReNR_x-U3XKrrcaEBxHyQgn63P8cjK2K39b8ZDFPKzX5DvqC-RUkdPSKrK3E4qRyKTHUNKmLXTE5zjh9WoaqVzFb4U4m0f1gvJIBW5yTpoRZXVzol_61kuuZSV6c34_xmXornjCc/s1600/second.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJr8rReNR_x-U3XKrrcaEBxHyQgn63P8cjK2K39b8ZDFPKzX5DvqC-RUkdPSKrK3E4qRyKTHUNKmLXTE5zjh9WoaqVzFb4U4m0f1gvJIBW5yTpoRZXVzol_61kuuZSV6c34_xmXornjCc/s640/second.png" width="454" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Trauma Center: Second Opinion</i> / カドゥケウスZ 2つの超執刀</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: As mentioned in the bio, Doi was taking over the Trauma reins from Maguro Ikehata, who has no
other discernible design credits and an indistinct style to match. A pretty
good opportunity for a young artist to showcase their ability, during the same
year that Kaneko stepped aside to make way for another younger artist. That
should be a decent launch to discuss his style. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPzeU9-vZvKfkV2gkrAzws6Sb4zVdmG5Rdo3PleWpIKngepQb6iE6B7lKysQz_D2D_x1jr0QsckMp1zGe7PAxT_9mdcUQd0X62idvyGnvhWNCwRLuVZvhuUpUOdofeHh2UpkSjahyphenhyphensiV4/s1600/hoffface.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="394" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPzeU9-vZvKfkV2gkrAzws6Sb4zVdmG5Rdo3PleWpIKngepQb6iE6B7lKysQz_D2D_x1jr0QsckMp1zGe7PAxT_9mdcUQd0X62idvyGnvhWNCwRLuVZvhuUpUOdofeHh2UpkSjahyphenhyphensiV4/s200/hoffface.jpg" width="153" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Robert Hoffman,<br />senior model</span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah. And that's the big one, describing his
style. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Relatively restrained modern anime, but still
working with Ikehata's characters, so his design sense doesn't come in as
clearly. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, as adaptations, most of them come off as
fairly simple. Not to get too ahead of ourselves here, but another key difference I think is there are more
shadows/highlights on faces in these older character designs compared to those from contemporary games. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">:</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> They're pretty noticeable, yeah. They lend some additional volume that isn't as present in his recent work, compounded with less abstracted facial features. Doi was still, for example, drawing nostrils
for <i>Second Opinion</i>’s designs, <a href="https://twitter.com/makarakaja/status/928545941489180672">something that one Mr. Katsura Hashino would have hated</a>,
apparently. <b>[2]</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: (laughs) That's right, those aren’t very cute.</span></div>
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKus9uhA_BS8_FjK5hEXYoCvsNF3jVvW6eHeG8C5Or7TQAhEA5w5VG4iut5fqffw5LaUatOMZXkLn1IV-h02S5XT2_dSpXwRS5XDRCOhfcfcl2yWI5_mb5wL-0-TnU5xLZXgI3HkQB-o/s1600/upperlif2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="673" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKus9uhA_BS8_FjK5hEXYoCvsNF3jVvW6eHeG8C5Or7TQAhEA5w5VG4iut5fqffw5LaUatOMZXkLn1IV-h02S5XT2_dSpXwRS5XDRCOhfcfcl2yWI5_mb5wL-0-TnU5xLZXgI3HkQB-o/s640/upperlif2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Lashing and lip reading: Kaneko's Aleph compared to <br />Doi's Little Guy and Richard Anderson</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: There's also signs of Kaneko's influence, which
are accentuated here and then excised entirely later on, like the dark shading on the
upper lip, and even some pronounced eyelashes.</span><b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";"> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: On the topic of similarities, Leslie
Sears also looks just like an S-link character. </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDQcYYEakf0F0VpWH424o63U2Y_Ic3Bsl5PNZ5xQFtv-zt0lsW26Rstcye0guNtv-O4UwqFK4knaNZXJm5O57C5PHYF9EEMQ0FyNrcav-ewaR_I92zGh6bTa3vUfUTKHlFTre9P33SGs/s1600/sears-kou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="599" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDQcYYEakf0F0VpWH424o63U2Y_Ic3Bsl5PNZ5xQFtv-zt0lsW26Rstcye0guNtv-O4UwqFK4knaNZXJm5O57C5PHYF9EEMQ0FyNrcav-ewaR_I92zGh6bTa3vUfUTKHlFTre9P33SGs/s320/sears-kou.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We loooove them similarities: <br />Leslie Sears and <i>Persona 4</i>'s Kou Ichijo</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, she's got that look, like you should be buying her melon bread or something. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: So, admission time. Did you also think Doi’s
Trauma art was actually handled by Shigenori Soejima? </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes, I even distinctly recall a conversation I
had on Giant Bomb about how Soejima had rescued the series from artistic
mediocrity. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: <a href="https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/945498-shin-megami-tensei-persona-4/44443168">And that same conversation was happening in other places besides Giant Bomb</a>. An honest mistake. After all, Doi's name just wasn't
on the radar until <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i>--and how many people both actually
beat all of the Trauma games <i>and </i>paid attention to the credits? Not me. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Exactly. Plus during the period of Doi's Trauma
work, between 2006-9, the only two in-house Atlus art styles were Kaneko's,
whose is perpetually distinct, and Soejima's, whose <i>Persona 3</i> and <i>Persona 4</i>
designs, to the ignorant eye, the Trauma characters definitely resemble. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: It was quite a shock to eventually learn this
assumption was off-base. But to conclude the topic of <i>Second Opinion</i>, there’s
one character in the game who didn’t originate from Ikehata’s pen, and that’s
<b>Nozomi Weaver/Naomi Kimishima</b>. Since she’s a Doi original, she probably also
best encapsulates what was going on with his design sense at the time. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-JwvzB3-lyhrLLuw4KCaCMje9wXpp1499SHHghG_V8HRx5_XVF_742zbbPHWcXgdRW99MtR1SxO5ehvF8RwLrhLSmda8ZmlqbXk7vSkMDgiIYv8N1gc8whiQZZuXuNo4pq75DL6jLI0/s1600/nozi1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-JwvzB3-lyhrLLuw4KCaCMje9wXpp1499SHHghG_V8HRx5_XVF_742zbbPHWcXgdRW99MtR1SxO5ehvF8RwLrhLSmda8ZmlqbXk7vSkMDgiIYv8N1gc8whiQZZuXuNo4pq75DL6jLI0/s320/nozi1.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Naomi Kimishima's <br /><i>Second Opinion</i> designs</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes, the bizarre silver do and deep cut dress
suggest that the more restrained sensibility of <i>New Blood </i>wasn’t quite there
yet, but the construction of the face is fairly illustrative of Doi circa 2006.
Though I wonder if she's the first example of the "remake with a new
female character" approach that Atlus has since cornered the market on.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: I guess Mother Harlot doesn’t count, huh? Anyway,
I’m immediately drawn to her feet. Though she’s in heels/platforms, they are
posed arched upward and facing towards the viewer at a flat angle, something
we’ll see more of in the future. Plus a rare look at Doi toes. This isn’t a
fetish, I swear! </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Looks like he was hot out the gate with those.
The bold outlines around the eyes, in addition to the defined nostrils and
upper lip, are all present as well, though they'd unfortunately have less of a
shelf life to them.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: She’s also got that exposed bra on her black
outfit. Cunning! On a personal note, I can confirm that Kimishima’s design was
successful at gaining the attention of at least one human being, that being my
cousin. Though normally not into art even remotely resembling anime, I’m pretty
sure at the time he called her “smokin’.” She’s probably half the reason he was
interested in playing the game! And so, Doi’s work began earning accolades
right out of the gate. Pretty... impressive? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">II. Bloody Good Work</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK7RHlUEAvjOu2OJJ6bWShy5B6HiegF8aEeOvYjcSHDx5_P1wz8ML1VDTqVhlpQv4jHRtT_N6Ap77OPCNcsmLIZEGvMY_C0M44iiZCunA2UfxY8apXmSSOKg3wbyMLZLkSpgoRubbHNrw/s1600/newbl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="765" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK7RHlUEAvjOu2OJJ6bWShy5B6HiegF8aEeOvYjcSHDx5_P1wz8ML1VDTqVhlpQv4jHRtT_N6Ap77OPCNcsmLIZEGvMY_C0M44iiZCunA2UfxY8apXmSSOKg3wbyMLZLkSpgoRubbHNrw/s640/newbl.jpg" width="454" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Trauma Center: New Blood</i> / カドゥケウス ニューブラッド</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: <i>New Blood</i> apparently came out in the West first? </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: By two months, it seems: November 2007 to January
2008. Only a year after the previous release, Doi’s <i>New Blood</i> art is a
noticeable evolution and refinement of the <i>Second Opinion</i> style. For example,
emphasis on facial details like defined nostrils, as you said. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes, and Doi's full range of facial eclecticism
is on display as well. The palette is subdued earth tones across the board, but
the designs are still incredibly distinct. The sheer number of portraits dwarfs
<i>Second Opinion</i> as well. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQ8dvGAVSIXAVb4GuyApg-_8Z-dNjNTRW6wa7UezMG4JqjLQ6WA-TEfJ1BMlHsvThp8US_53xtBX1VmWbuPYe97qeALWA9cRvrb_Z2jnMbSD-PxbkDRlEW-UsCYpIHC3oExs4Lbvx4vM/s1600/bab2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQ8dvGAVSIXAVb4GuyApg-_8Z-dNjNTRW6wa7UezMG4JqjLQ6WA-TEfJ1BMlHsvThp8US_53xtBX1VmWbuPYe97qeALWA9cRvrb_Z2jnMbSD-PxbkDRlEW-UsCYpIHC3oExs4Lbvx4vM/s1600/bab2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This baby is now 10:<br />Feel Old Yet? </span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: On the subject of portraits, the epitome of Doi's
<i>New Blood </i>work has to be... <b>Baby</b>. Diminutive and doe-eyed, but with the saggy
face of an old man. The concept of "infant" perfected. It's
breathtaking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: That sweet mug contains multitudes. One glance and
you can feel the apex of Doi's artistic output flash before your eyes.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: But okay, seriously, it definitely has to be
<a href="https://i.imgur.com/bOwqmEt.jpg">Professor Wilkins receiving a blowjob</a> (<i>note: don't worry, it's not literally that</i>) from someone wearing Fuuka's trash bag
outfit (<i>note: it's <a href="https://i.imgur.com/xkM6NFj.jpg">literally a trash bag</a></i>).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, there just isn't much competition there.
One glimpse of that fellatious nonsense blanket and you can feel the apex of
Doi's artistic output flash before your eyes.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: But okay, seriously, in all honesty it's probably
some version of <b>Valerie Blaylock</b>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: She hits all the major notes for this period of
Doi's art, I think. For starters, his fashion chops are in effect for just
about any outfit you catch her in.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Her frilly shirt is as distinct as the fact that
it's shown as too tight around her chest for "some" reason. She also has some nice belts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhruqhtj8WtqWDX0jLr4k0BQYH22nOQEnNLu8TzrpSwwnC2u6QI8-91tQqrm8_Jmc-8n2LGhK-hGjc_QUn2pNYBCInkFr7_9QEkoDGBz0A04_ckulSk4qtpppapMD_Z8jtCVvv-wZ3rGBM/s1600/vals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhruqhtj8WtqWDX0jLr4k0BQYH22nOQEnNLu8TzrpSwwnC2u6QI8-91tQqrm8_Jmc-8n2LGhK-hGjc_QUn2pNYBCInkFr7_9QEkoDGBz0A04_ckulSk4qtpppapMD_Z8jtCVvv-wZ3rGBM/s640/vals.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Valerie Blaylock, proud owner of three separate ensembles</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: It's pretty impressive that outfit works with the
lab coat. Also carries across the subdued palette that <i>New Blood</i> employs nicely.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: She looks like someone you might encounter in real life, which is not something you can often say about characters in Atlus
games. But I mean that as a compliment.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, the overall sense of restraint comes
through nice and clear here. And building on the diversity of the cast, we have
maybe the only black protagonist in an Atlus game this side of <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTdEe5FZZk1Ho4aMjBI_p8Rgg6PySn8LHpja10Oxe8t16sGvoWya41rnGFdwRjd6nJc8VyC9OGzTucWGuKfmENBXRBEM4WLBfqKE8r9lOuVhrvVZqKKIWFRJxvmj8WU1XQ_LdfENg8rf0/s1600/tumblr_lp65z7RzGA1qbkungo1_500.jpg"><i>Revelations: Persona</i></a> (and thus the only one worth considering).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, that’s a great point! The diversity seems
like a real power play to appeal to the North American audience. I would
suppose they got burned by sales figures after this and a similar attempt with
<i>Strange Journey</i> failed, as they’ve since retracted into their Japanese shells.
But besides Valerie, which designs do you think are the standouts?</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Good question. I really like the ones that you
can immediately tell would never appear in a modern Atlus game, like Dr. Chen
or Secretary Mendez. </span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, in addition to being an officially designated "No Nostril Zone," Atlus Japan subscribes to the <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan%27s_Run">Logan's Run</a></i> school of age politics. But as to the point
about earth tones, everyone has realistically-colored hair as well. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: On that note, the <a href="https://i.imgur.com/0d8gpe5.jpg">masked</a> <a href="https://i.imgur.com/kHlWD6Q.jpg">villains</a> immediately
stand out due to their cotton candy flavored hair, a contrast that wouldn't
really work in the next console Trauma title. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGVL55dmcvsjuhMi2MEImPydEBMUJyUoQzK9CzyEhlE9MrRnQ0yimNDcTVgertaqCMR9EXAraPfEfNd_r8_TVZGJixAO0YI5a3lpSDuh_oA0I7xMPFzLsIUQOp-S7VXycX-IzK5-G3us/s1600/chenmend2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="359" data-original-width="528" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGVL55dmcvsjuhMi2MEImPydEBMUJyUoQzK9CzyEhlE9MrRnQ0yimNDcTVgertaqCMR9EXAraPfEfNd_r8_TVZGJixAO0YI5a3lpSDuh_oA0I7xMPFzLsIUQOp-S7VXycX-IzK5-G3us/s320/chenmend2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Doctor Chen and Secretary Mendez</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: (laughs) No. It's neat it's just on the masks
themselves, too. The first masks of Doi's career. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The first and probably best. <i>New Blood</i> has it
all. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Even though they are pretty ineffective in this
game. I've never even played the damn thing and it was still obvious who they were. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: (laughs) Guess it's still a Trauma Center game. And to elaborate a bit, the racial diversity of the cast really is strong here. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes. Is this the Atlus game with the most black
people? But it's beyond that, even. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Obviously a credit to the scenario, but Doi
handles it with more tact than you would reasonably expect from a game
like this. No comedy afros or anything. One of the things that also took me by surprise as I played through it earlier this year was the abundant Latinx representation, and not just within (fictional war-torn Latin American country).</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: They don't look like unfortunate stereotypes.
They look... normal for this art style. Even game show host <a href="https://imgur.com/lHd6nML">Guy Davidson</a> is
pretty subdued compared to other foreigner stereotypes in the medium. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, and he notably has a host of less
exaggerated counterparts to offset the effect. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Though <a href="https://imgur.com/54TSBRn">Chandler Forbes</a> could probably slice
cheese with that chin. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The kid is ready to do some damage; also
basically a Navarre prototype. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah. Cynthia Kazakov is the requisite deep
cleavage babe, I guess, but she appears to be the only one. It doesn't appear
too out of place if you imagine this as the modern medical drama it's aiming to
be.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOwE9VjCLtZ2b3ewR9o_VBwGhULShr9CTVItR8zoXI5DTdkN3ysK8g1rJ4_uDc0rVelnSkXqbbwvUo9zRyob4B7DWLzVXiW5t7WaHm9rsz9rt8Pi3HKDRHWW3fF1YT2Ajj2-DkaKHMqvw/s1600/ccc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="480" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOwE9VjCLtZ2b3ewR9o_VBwGhULShr9CTVItR8zoXI5DTdkN3ysK8g1rJ4_uDc0rVelnSkXqbbwvUo9zRyob4B7DWLzVXiW5t7WaHm9rsz9rt8Pi3HKDRHWW3fF1YT2Ajj2-DkaKHMqvw/s320/ccc.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Cynthia Kazakov and John Q. Sexman,<br />another universe's primo shipping pair</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: She seems quaint compared to other examples in
the Doi oeuvre.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";"><br />Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Plus there's Sexman.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes, Sexman is in the house. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Voted the world's sexiest impoverished video game man
of the decade. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: A little something for everybody, that's the
promise of Sexman. Doi also has a habit of modelling faces on real people
(as would happen in <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i> with Walter and Jonathan), so there may have been some of that going
on in <i>New Blood</i>. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes, I was going to mention that next. Erik Hayes
gives me a Tom Hanks vibe, although huskier. Likewise, Nilsen reminds me of
someone whose name is on the tip of my tongue. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Agreed on Hayes. Couldn't quite place Nilsen,
though.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5u6a7C9Xrl5YUlbNDQ1yE5IrE6q2s14psHEHtSfD0a1PKWYe1KY0e8KUSxJsaDu-mp80TxVzC04PpzjSXaPTS3HTaF_d3pLskTOlH495OyxSdaonZhJx65zVnHL0sIqagL7x5MOVxh6I/s1600/eign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5u6a7C9Xrl5YUlbNDQ1yE5IrE6q2s14psHEHtSfD0a1PKWYe1KY0e8KUSxJsaDu-mp80TxVzC04PpzjSXaPTS3HTaF_d3pLskTOlH495OyxSdaonZhJx65zVnHL0sIqagL7x5MOVxh6I/s1600/eign.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Clockwise from top left: Nilsen, <br />Marshall, Quatro, and Hayes</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: George Marshall is Jamie
Foxx-esque. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: They look enough like real people that we can at
least make guesses, which is something. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah. Irene Quatro, Cate Blanchett. They aren't
dead ringers but everyone looks distinct with regards to face shape and
features. Doi was clearly using some reference models. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: No doubt. Unfortunately, <i>New Blood</i> never received
an art book, and we're not exactly drowning in interviews on the subject. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: A shame. Looking at them now, I love the wrinkly
details and shadows on <a href="https://i.imgur.com/mj84UjT.jpg">Prof. Wilkin’s</a> and <a href="https://i.imgur.com/DIbCnOh.jpg">Dr. Hoover’s</a> faces. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Doi could draw the shit out of an old guy, and
still can to an extent. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: <a href="https://i.imgur.com/Bo9aBkC.jpg">Rousseau</a> sort of looks like the <a href="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/1/10/Tayama_Designs.jpg">mafia prototype design for Tayama</a>. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, same expression, swoop etc. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: He needs more old guys and gals to draw. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Incidentally, the cast of <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i> is like, half
middle-aged or older men, something that Doi even comments on in the game's artbook. He was probably in his comfort zone there. Definitely
bring that back.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxzjEBG_SV7Jz8SxM2woNahMHg2Rf-Yr812zo95ShcYwV6o0_0Z6n22yvkGqIagPBd_j2GNi59gYdXjcXcasxND7hOVdM55EEYSFwICB2-Nd8462CMMzea4XK9D73VJgqkUF8gH1LS6VA/s1600/maryland3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxzjEBG_SV7Jz8SxM2woNahMHg2Rf-Yr812zo95ShcYwV6o0_0Z6n22yvkGqIagPBd_j2GNi59gYdXjcXcasxND7hOVdM55EEYSFwICB2-Nd8462CMMzea4XK9D73VJgqkUF8gH1LS6VA/s320/maryland3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Good ol' Annapolis, down by<br />the Chesapeake... River??</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">:
That's true, I never thought about that before.
Time will tell! But one more thing about <i>New Blood</i> I want to mention as a
brief
aside is that the game is one of the few to feature my home state of
Maryland,
albeit a very... Japanese version obviously lacking for research or
verisimilitude. It’s apparently the location of Caduceus USA’s HQ,
possibly in reference to the internationally famous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johns_Hopkins_Hospital">Johns Hopkins hospital complex</a>, a
jewel in the Maryland crown. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a Japanese
source
to confirm Maryland was also in that version, but I would assume so, as
the
character names are identical between versions.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: I do wonder how it worked, with <i>New Blood</i>
releasing stateside before it hit Japan. Maybe it was designed to be more
appealing to a Western audience, hence the subdued designs, racial diversity,
etc.?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">:
Yeah, like, how much <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_(TV_series)">House</a></i> did the team watch? I
can appreciate the <a href="https://i.imgur.com/HwgLD4i.jpg">crab cakes shoutout</a>, but if this is supposed to be
actual Maryland, some actual research into the geography would have been
nice. The state capital <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annapolis,_Maryland">Annapolis</a> is the only city specifically
mentioned, but if it’s riverside instead of
bayside, that means there is no <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesapeake_Bay">Chesapeake Bay</a>, which means no crabs,
which
means no crab cakes. And apparently the Marylanders in this universe are
way
into hockey instead of baseball or football. [<i>Eirikr's note, 6/11/18: The previous statement was written well before the recent Stanley Cup victory of the Washington Capitals. Regardless, I still don't care about hockey, vicinity and solidarity attempts by the Orioles (R.I.P.) be damned!</i>] </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: In 2007 or 2017, this sort of cultural research has apparently never
been Atlus’ strong suit. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, why take the time to learn about other
cultures when you can just make everything look Japanese, like the appearance of fake Maryland's urban sprawl? I mean, that's the default everywhere, right? But before we get too
cynical, let’s move on! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">III. Under the Radar 2</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rreR1bMUrdzyaRwU8V03Ef6AxbE7rl3bdpT8bQ7iLGdPIaRyPlCGLOi16_IFiPkmpcBdDzRPh5YO2I6mg2zP5dL3DwBinV66b69vxe-GzTz43jhb7ZBjTnhGr9A2QqaZQUQ6T_nQgfo/s1600/utk2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="769" height="574" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rreR1bMUrdzyaRwU8V03Ef6AxbE7rl3bdpT8bQ7iLGdPIaRyPlCGLOi16_IFiPkmpcBdDzRPh5YO2I6mg2zP5dL3DwBinV66b69vxe-GzTz43jhb7ZBjTnhGr9A2QqaZQUQ6T_nQgfo/s640/utk2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2</i> / 救急救命 カドゥケウス2</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Of note for <i>Under the Knife 2</i> is that it reuses a
lot of assets. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, the main cast, with the exception of Derek
and Angie, are recycled entirely. Otherwise there are about a dozen new faces. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: And some more diversity, as Derek and Angie go to
Africa on some humanitarian mission. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes, and right away we meet Derek's new protege, <a href="http://traumacentergame.wikia.com/wiki/Adel_Tulba">Adel Tulba</a>, who has a luscious green mane. So we're basically back to the <i>Second Opinion</i>
wheelhouse in terms of stylization. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, like Leslie's or Kimishima's hair, the
restraint shown in <i>New Blood</i> is gone. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: It's at least a practical decision, since designs
in the style of <i>New Blood</i> would clash with the recycled assets. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Plus <i>Under the Knife 2</i> has a healthy dose of the original's
SyFy Original Movie fantasy science that was cut back a bit from <i>New
Blood</i>.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Szngkl4tS-KPtu_Q_uJz3bJePawZGoBnYq3hxswTtH9snp598ibn6KPeRMsGmXymOFkjhgQk8QEOXTXtLOXYv8K0o9xEI0ie9TYs_NKR7NBWbBWUTtKAFBKTSUYLX7SgDRuC14I7XGI/s1600/mayy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Szngkl4tS-KPtu_Q_uJz3bJePawZGoBnYq3hxswTtH9snp598ibn6KPeRMsGmXymOFkjhgQk8QEOXTXtLOXYv8K0o9xEI0ie9TYs_NKR7NBWbBWUTtKAFBKTSUYLX7SgDRuC14I7XGI/s1600/mayy.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Get up to get down with the Count: <br />Reina Mayuzumi and <br />Heinrich von Raitenau</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes, they go to town with the <a href="http://traumacentergame.wikia.com/wiki/Kyriaki">Kyriaki</a> hijinks in this one. It's all around a return to the roots. So basically everything we
covered in <i>Second Opinion</i> applies here, albeit at a lower resolution. However, some new
characters like Reina Mayuzumi and Bram Stoker's Heinrich von Raitenau
introduce an additional element of visual goofiness that would expand later on.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: And boy would your face eventually be red if you spent too much time reflecting on Reina. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: No kidding. <a href="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/traumacentergame/images/f/f4/Reina_aging.png">This image</a> is also
magnificent, Trauma Center cinematics at their finest.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: That's how anti-nostril supervillain Hashino-Baba was born. And Heinrich looks like he should be bossing around Miles Edgeworth if not fighting a Belmont. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The guy isn't taking any extraneous steps to to disguise
his villainous agenda, to say the least. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: We've mentioned the one and only <b>Dr. Derek Stiles</b>
but haven't given his designs a proper analysis yet. But there's a reason for
that--we wanted to wait until we could compare and contrast them all at once. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, he's the leading man and probably the face
that most associate the franchise with, despite only maintaining his starring
role for about half the series. And luckily enough, his designs in <i>Second Opinion</i> and <i>Under the Knife 2</i> give us a decent look at where Doi was at both periods.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwft9Di4M4NR5_cy2hJOu63Ua9auOQ661WpVrw9kRyxd5go1F7xVV8Ztxg8sxD44zVaYaVeKwdtJBNkVzrbEhZ2S59OdoqiRNlbRF0wuQwuM_yBRPCLPt8rauHWJ8pxzaNlGdCwNdGXIE/s1600/derk3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="959" height="533" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwft9Di4M4NR5_cy2hJOu63Ua9auOQ661WpVrw9kRyxd5go1F7xVV8Ztxg8sxD44zVaYaVeKwdtJBNkVzrbEhZ2S59OdoqiRNlbRF0wuQwuM_yBRPCLPt8rauHWJ8pxzaNlGdCwNdGXIE/s640/derk3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Derek's Initial Styles: Ikehata's <i>Under the Knife</i> version (left), <br />Doi's <i>Second Opinion</i> prototype (center) and final (right) versions</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Not only that, you just found a promotional image
that has what appears to be a prototype Derek.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: This thing is bizarre. The basic design is
intact, but we get a glimpse of an earlier, slightly more toned down style. For
starters, dialing back the severe expression was definitely the right call,
since the guy is kind of a dork.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The whole thing looks drab. He's also wearing a
bright white Caduceus shirt that doesn't appear in the final game.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Looks to be the same one he's wearing in
Ikehata's design, and taken with the less ostentatious headphones, it's
definitely hewing closer to his original appearance. No surprise, considering
it was probably drafted early on.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yep, I was just going to say it looks like a more
direct adaptation of Ikehata's.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: That checks out then. The eyes and the duller
color scheme underwent some changes, and the shading from the neck down is a
lot more involved in the final product, but that seems to be the long and short
of it.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Looking at the proto and the final side-by-side,
besides the costume change, the real difference seems to be shading and the
duller color, as you say. As for the <i>Second Opinion</i> Caduceus design, Derek's
yet another year 2006 Atlus protagonist using a cylindrical mp3 player, after
<i>Persona 3</i>'s of course.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9M_FNP6ETU2nfSkrPzuRQwsAaiPwlieGNSMCZhTNeiVNHhj3WiR_NoziANjpFHgOnIWJDIxlyOdoUxmY11KjL4MFKgkb8oahQcW0BEx2E9Dke-pfyKkW8nUu8mLtRt4i4ItbqMDKydGc/s1600/DERE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9M_FNP6ETU2nfSkrPzuRQwsAaiPwlieGNSMCZhTNeiVNHhj3WiR_NoziANjpFHgOnIWJDIxlyOdoUxmY11KjL4MFKgkb8oahQcW0BEx2E9Dke-pfyKkW8nUu8mLtRt4i4ItbqMDKydGc/s400/DERE.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Under the Knife 2's <br />"Adult Contemporary Derek"</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Remember those? Atlus probably could have scored
some sweet product placement revenue for all the vouching they were doing for
Sony.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Derek already has a smile on his face from the
thought. Though maybe also because he knows he's going to be mistaken for a
Soejima creation for years to come. Better networking opportunities there. </span><br />
<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The day had not yet come when anyone would
actually know what a "Masayuki Doi" is. <a href="https://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/945743-trauma-center-under-the-knife-2/44041004"><b>BEHOLD</b>!</a> But one day, when this series is completely sunk and your best days are behind
you… Otherwise there's not much to say about the <i>Second Opinion</i> design beyond what applies
to the leap from Ikehata that we covered above. His <i>Under the Knife 2</i> incarnation, however,
brings something new to the plate, representing a more significant departure
from his DS design, now that Doi had more or less come into his own.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, <i>Under the Knife 2</i>'s just has a much more natural flow
to it, unlike the stiff <i>Second Opinion</i> art. Easy to see Doi was undoubtedly feeling a lot
more confident at this point. However, here we have a clear case of Nostril
Erosion.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: His hair in particular is so much less of
an awkward, spikey mass now. As for the nostrils, what little we see here is
basically the last gasp. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: But the folds on his jacket and the overall
shading are pretty much what we could term "Contemporary Doi."</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: That sums it up nicely, and as such it's a solid
encapsulation of his <i>Under the Knife 2</i> fare. The palette and skin tone achieve much the same
effect.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Even though <i>Under the Knife 2</i> basically kept the
<i>Second Opinion</i> style intact, a promotional image released for the game offered
a glimpse at the near future.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjhNDI3oVq6Y4HIlRRsPd5_FCvTBCOxZE8MTX7m6ziBZ8vEUUZsLsS1Wa5lt-dpSJ5y_AtcGKgcBDzQAdQqvTu0MJIHortTWqdzdSb-YuA6BZzehFs_tpjVBYcsD4Itv-LWVGwvBq0H2U/s1600/ang.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjhNDI3oVq6Y4HIlRRsPd5_FCvTBCOxZE8MTX7m6ziBZ8vEUUZsLsS1Wa5lt-dpSJ5y_AtcGKgcBDzQAdQqvTu0MJIHortTWqdzdSb-YuA6BZzehFs_tpjVBYcsD4Itv-LWVGwvBq0H2U/s400/ang.png" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">PLEASE BUY OUR GAME</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></b>
<b style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana"; text-align: center;">: Yeah, it turned out to be a harbinger of things
to come in terms of both style and tone. While pretty tame as far as these things
go, a cheesy bikini pinup of female lead Angie is still a departure from the
approach of earlier entries.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The good old days, before Atlus charged extra for
this kind of stuff. I remember this image appearing in an old Atlus Faithful
email, though it seems to have been deleted. And yeah, it’s not just that it’s
Angie in a bikini, but that the style is a lot simpler. Less, or at least a
different type of highlighting and shading. Her irises are way bigger and she
has little dot nostrils, not the clearly outlined ones that appear even in <a href="https://i.imgur.com/6fnLSGY.jpg">her <i>Under the Knife 2</i> art</a>. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, thinner lines, different coloring (or does
she have a tan here?), lines on her cheeks to suggest blush, and listening to
headphones so you know she's a stylish anime gal. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: She's owning that "oh, didn't see you
there" Youtuber faux-bewilderment cliche, too. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: No kidding. Her hair even has that line-riddled,
paper-like quality to it, all features that characterize Doi's style for the
final entry of the series.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div>
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<h2>
</h2>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">IV. Taking One for the Team</span></h3>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbd4sDswyMbVWt8Vum8R3MRgc7ukE8pfl80Nw2eWHlEDee-893wr9xsscQtc4nbGF-SD4bleI7vqKb6YsVTcVwMAqwuQOV1whQKlGtt3alht8vvMB5e1lSAwvMa7VFQ8YoA8d_07dP5ws/s1600/team.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1094" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbd4sDswyMbVWt8Vum8R3MRgc7ukE8pfl80Nw2eWHlEDee-893wr9xsscQtc4nbGF-SD4bleI7vqKb6YsVTcVwMAqwuQOV1whQKlGtt3alht8vvMB5e1lSAwvMa7VFQ8YoA8d_07dP5ws/s640/team.jpg" width="466" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Trauma Team</i> / HOSPITAL.: 6人の医師</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: I'll start with an anecdote: I hate Hank Freebird
and his stupid squinting face. So the game was released in May of 2010, right?</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, looks like it came out here before Japan as well.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNm0S03ZigtUQa_Xhi674bx1fwB6AyOhcg0eRfsqZ8MxpP6W43ZvNazKY__1QqlYfre4LFZLC95i5JMNfe9vnuegWfodTtfv-aTDQAqj7voK646WWxQ35WA0XnUsjcxNvKj2KNw_HVSvs/s1600/traumateam_characterart_hank_flat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNm0S03ZigtUQa_Xhi674bx1fwB6AyOhcg0eRfsqZ8MxpP6W43ZvNazKY__1QqlYfre4LFZLC95i5JMNfe9vnuegWfodTtfv-aTDQAqj7voK646WWxQ35WA0XnUsjcxNvKj2KNw_HVSvs/s400/traumateam_characterart_hank_flat.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Hank Freebird</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Back when I was still on the Atlus Faithful email
list, that whole first half of the year I was kind of pissed off that I was
receiving so many Atlus emails about <i>Trauma Team</i> but none about <i>Strange
Journey</i>, which released in March that year. Like it probably wasn't a constant, daily deluge of them, but
that's what I remember. Instead of getting cool, insider info about Jimenez
and Zelenin that I already knew anyway, I was getting the anime lovebaby of
He-Man and Elvis. Of course, I later found out why I wasn't getting any <i>Strange Journey</i> emails: it was M-rated, and you had to toggle something on their site to
receive emails about M-rated games. <i>Trauma Team</i> was only T for TEEN. And that's
the story of how I was mildly annoyed by a game I was never interested in playing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Incredible. The content of the <i>Strange Journey</i> emails was
simply too scandalous for the teen population.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Atlus would be in hot water with parents if
Little Johnny was allowed to play it and access a very specific quest on a very
specific path that has a penis monster.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: As for this other game, which unfortunately did
not retain its Japanese title of <i>HOSPITAL: 6 Doctors</i>...</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: More like <i>St. Nowhere</i>, because that's where the
series went after this release. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Hank Freebird's ill-fitting coat just wasn't
enough to move those copies.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Even back then it was kind of jarring how
different the game looked from the others. Possibly the first instance of an
Atlus series pivoting to chase those Persona dollars.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIgmo3SHSBcvZMf9yiwU5CACnuBAKkv6EUVxRr0F0zQeAXVVTGYYujgiWeL3uN-ReE8dQcXcFBC77fcec-qiTQyA7DKgP8ADrb87P1UbLySGZ3dqqb09-Gv_Mg8TR5EzuP7XDbaEBRxg/s1600/hank.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="414" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIgmo3SHSBcvZMf9yiwU5CACnuBAKkv6EUVxRr0F0zQeAXVVTGYYujgiWeL3uN-ReE8dQcXcFBC77fcec-qiTQyA7DKgP8ADrb87P1UbLySGZ3dqqb09-Gv_Mg8TR5EzuP7XDbaEBRxg/s320/hank.png" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Could have been worse!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes, and I think the <a href="http://traumacentergame.wikia.com/wiki/Trauma_Team">Caduceus Database</a> sums up
the new direction succinctly: “<b><i>The events of the game are told in the style of
a Graphic novel, with character art in the style of Anime</i></b>." With helpful links
to the Wikipedia pages for both concepts, of course. </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: (laughs) Yeah, couldn't have said it better
myself. I need that on a
bronze plaque.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: It is supremely evocative. The <a href="http://image.rakuten.co.jp/clubwind/cabinet/game14/4984995900544-1.jpg">original Japanese box art</a> does a sterling job of communicating the new direction as well; beyond
the comic panel framing, we can see that Doi has settled completely into the
style first glimpsed in that saucy <i>Under the Knife 2</i> wallpaper.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes, it is undeniably character art in the style
of Anime.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: With the busty heroine leaning over to give you a
good look at her marketing assets, also in the style of Anime.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: And if they didn't work, there's always these
promo cards of the token Japanese girl, whom we’ll get to in more detail in a
moment. Like, if this game wasn't made by Japanese people, she would come off
as stereotypical.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, I'm not sure how practical that kimono would
be for performing an endoscopy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6hiTav8MIwsuci3nCLxRaq9GJOiBsEVDdgcnJ3fGVg2RpLogl4C_xtWLm0Yzutt_DFuGqVTfgfW40GSiGGVxVYq0VYEwNkULpQhZnszCfONDXMrzPaLw0hxS8LQn5Kqdad57ssoCNRtI/s1600/tomo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="601" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6hiTav8MIwsuci3nCLxRaq9GJOiBsEVDdgcnJ3fGVg2RpLogl4C_xtWLm0Yzutt_DFuGqVTfgfW40GSiGGVxVYq0VYEwNkULpQhZnszCfONDXMrzPaLw0hxS8LQn5Kqdad57ssoCNRtI/s1600/tomo.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">...PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD BUY OUR GAME</span></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Well, good thing Doi also drew her for those aforementioned cards in different outfits, in the style of Bathing, Undressing, and Sexy
Nurse. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: He covered the whole gamut! Meanwhile <a href="http://traumacentergame.wikia.com/wiki/CR-SO1">CR-S01</a>,
inexplicably voiced by Nolan North, looks like a melange of Persona protagonist
concepts.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvi2pj48Lg7elq9UpiwcovBtKgGwhj9JgLZCjlqLZJHga22wXTTE2GGW4HFVXAeRYRou3tA1-V0B3rpeDPchvuVS3v3H3Nrmy4qRg1xav4AcoQdftsic67Yc_DNdtBUFi7KdHG4T86Ds/s1600/martom.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="506" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvi2pj48Lg7elq9UpiwcovBtKgGwhj9JgLZCjlqLZJHga22wXTTE2GGW4HFVXAeRYRou3tA1-V0B3rpeDPchvuVS3v3H3Nrmy4qRg1xav4AcoQdftsic67Yc_DNdtBUFi7KdHG4T86Ds/s320/martom.png" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Chie and Yukik... um, we mean<br />Maria Torres and Tomoe Tachibana</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: It's clearly part of the ensemble, but he's got those sharp feet like a Soejima persona design might have. But his are still positioned naturally, unlike some of the game's other characters. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes, Doi's pigeon toes become a lot more
prevalent at this point.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: He's also wearing, like, long johns.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: It's like his special prison onesie, or
something? Definitely a look.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: But what's obvious about <i>Trauma Team</i> right away
is that it's trying so hard to pander, as it was a series in serious sales
decline.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, and like you said, the shift can probably
be attributed to chasing those evergreen Persona bucks.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: And amazingly... it didn't work.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: It was an admittedly awkward fit for a series of
medical dramas, goofy as they were, but it really seems to have failed
spectacularly.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: No matter the volume of Hank Freebird emails
Atlus tried to gorge us with, not enough people cared. Not boobies, not obvious
visual similitude to Persona, nothing. So pandering doesn't always print money.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: An important albeit short lived lesson only
months before the acquisition of Atlus by Index co.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: If you can't equal Persona, just make more
Persona. And speaking of Persona and Trauma Team…</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: <b>Tomoe and Maria</b> are, incidentally, the standard
bearers for Doi's artistic approach this time around, their likely Persona
influence, among other things, speaking to the demographic targeting at play.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The two of them are incredibly blatant examples,
on multiple levels. If they aren't somehow based on <i>Persona 4</i>'s Yukiko and Chie, it
would have to be one of God's cruelest jokes.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, a baffling turn for anyone who ever mixed up their Soejimas with their Dois. The promo cards of Tomoe speak for themselves
in terms of pandering, and Maria manages to fulfil much the same function
while at least looking less like a teenager.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, let's go over them individually to see just
how sharp a pivot the direction was for this game, not only in the art but its
whole marketing strategy and desperation for that cold, hard, and reliable
otaku cash. First we have <a href="http://traumacentergame.wikia.com/wiki/Maria">Maria</a>, our Latina Chie. It's clear that our attention
was meant to be focused on one very specific area, one her black camisole is
doing its darndest not to obscure.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Though if that didn't do the trick there's always
her gratuitous post-shower scene, which you'll find without much trouble
anytime you go fishing for images online.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hsQr02Kan25vm_KJj3HV8nxtjCZQ_7Qz0ftV4AcwexvZScb7jnpuvrco9D9zqEcjL0MSK33LYa7MMls613EHSZ0H1g5rHaYfTvoSOtNAXWhZKiMZph3BjCCGa0AGP2inRm565WgouuQ/s1600/chie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="1298" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hsQr02Kan25vm_KJj3HV8nxtjCZQ_7Qz0ftV4AcwexvZScb7jnpuvrco9D9zqEcjL0MSK33LYa7MMls613EHSZ0H1g5rHaYfTvoSOtNAXWhZKiMZph3BjCCGa0AGP2inRm565WgouuQ/s400/chie.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maria and Tomo... dammit, <br />Chie Satonaka and Yukiko Amagi</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, that post-shower portrait shows they had
the utmost confidence in the broad appeal of Maria's character. The same
confidence that appears in just about any other alternate art and poses for
her.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: I guess it's worth noting that no one dons scrubs
at any point in this game, but they might have looked ridiculous if they had.</span><br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Who needs scrubs when you have an extremely expensive silken traditional dress?</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: They really lean in to the traditional Japanese
angle for Tomoe, almost like a parody of Yukiko's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamato_nadeshiko">nadeshiko</a> trappings. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGVGCpKDAsk">She also gets a less notorious bathing scene in apparently her first appearance</a> (which
is accompanied by cherry blossoms, obviously).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: What, are you serious? You are. Oh my god.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Fortunately it's pretty restrained in comparison,
surprisingly so considering what we're dealing with. Still, that's like her first few seconds of screentime.</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";"><b>Eirikr</b></span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: An idea posited by </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0816653526/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1" style="font-family: verdana;">that otaku book I read</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> was that nationalistic themes, or I guess what we would call “stereotypical imagery,” are popular ploys to that particular demographic in Japan. And like you said, it's the "nadeshiko" image in play here.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: That would certainly fit neatly here. The idea
that they're sending up Western depictions of Japanese culture may be too
generous for what's on display.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, the references are too specific in that
linked video, like the 8 million gods. Hey, they had to try and sell the game
in the home market, too, even if they, you know, didn't. But they tried, dear
Lord, they tried. Like with those cards.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbFSYiErT7eRp2n6-FULpDB2abx7sX4fgH_DtQSAoIEumnvG3jn4Viw4wA5qXTWhs2EFRb7HncMVOEJE_dAxHtY9KmUmJbqdtWHOKG0FO3ViMcQnVfKuVehyphenhyphenlOqZTxxZQBRMbQNwaoJQ/s1600/tom4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="1229" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbFSYiErT7eRp2n6-FULpDB2abx7sX4fgH_DtQSAoIEumnvG3jn4Viw4wA5qXTWhs2EFRb7HncMVOEJE_dAxHtY9KmUmJbqdtWHOKG0FO3ViMcQnVfKuVehyphenhyphenlOqZTxxZQBRMbQNwaoJQ/s320/tom4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Traditional Flavor™</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Futile market signaling is the <i>Trauma Team</i>
legacy, unfortunately. But for these purposes, Tomoe and Maria sum it up
nicely.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes, not even art of a Japanese-style wet t-shirt
contest was enough to save <i>Trauma Team</i>. But on the subject, Tomoe's promo cards
display another nadeshiko element: a modest cup size. I'm pretty sure I read about this in an ancient <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J-List">J-List</a> newsletter (years before the site dropped the pretenses of being a general Japanese goods store instead of 90% porn), but the ideal Japanese woman supposedly
has around a Japanese C cup (<a href="https://www.petitecherry.com/pages/size-guide">B by Western bra measurements</a>), which is about what Tomoe has (compare her to Maria or the
other female cast members). For example, Hitomi Tanaka is not nadeshiko and I don't think I need to link her to explain why. This is all oddly specific I know, and <a href="https://tokyogirlsupdate.com/ideal-beauty-in-japan-201710133652.html">I'm not making it up I swear</a>, <a href="https://soranews24.com/2014/02/28/japanese-magazines-checklist-for-the-ideal-girl-has-a-whopping-23-points/">really, it's a thing</a>, but keep this in mind whenever you see depictions of
Japanese women in games or anime--usually the bustiest one is not the main
heroine, nor is the tallest, etc, and it's all about appealing to the general standards of Japanese men. But moving on to the game’s other characters, <a href="http://traumacentergame.wikia.com/wiki/Gabriel_Cunningham">Gabriel</a> is just Spike
Spiegel with a doctor's coat, and it’s so obvious it seems like a joke until you see
that <a href="https://i.imgur.com/Qf25HLD.jpg">Doi was in on it</a>. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Then we have our two returning characters, Naomi
and Little Guy.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes, and thank goodness for them, as they allow
us to directly compare how much Doi's style changed between games.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, these comparisons speak volumes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9UQEHBkln9rMfgUDQKS2FQCHt5dlR23lnBpsMkJ0301OOMscrt_yHKPyYR_yoi9_GRLeCATCSVh0xrsp6aktBwMO3O3Qj3dyh2jYBPoiJBoJxf2trTJJAOECd5H-4UGMjOHFitfrobwE/s1600/naom3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="880" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9UQEHBkln9rMfgUDQKS2FQCHt5dlR23lnBpsMkJ0301OOMscrt_yHKPyYR_yoi9_GRLeCATCSVh0xrsp6aktBwMO3O3Qj3dyh2jYBPoiJBoJxf2trTJJAOECd5H-4UGMjOHFitfrobwE/s640/naom3.jpg" width="586" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Naomi Kirishima's <i>Second Opinion</i> and <i>Trauma Team</i> designs</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: This applies not just to Naomi but most
characters like CR-3PO-D2 as discussed, but the costumes in this game are way out
there, not grounded like those of the previous main characters.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, in their own way they probably reflect
Doi's background in fashion but are otherwise now pretty divorced from the
setting.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: I also just noticed that Atlus USA touched up
Naomi's cleavage for the US box art.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Wow, yeah, they moved that zipper right up. No
wonder keeping the original box art was out of the question.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: It's still a Wii title, so you don't want grandma
to think she's buying a sex game for her after-bowling sessions.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The many ancillary characters still reflect a
solid variety of design elements, but otherwise the shift in style is in full
effect.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Looking at the Naomi designs side-by-side is
unbelievable.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: It's a pretty vivid comparison, considering that
her initial design was already one of the less restrained from the original
run.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, since she's possibly the best representative of a primordial Doi, as we mentioned previously. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The answer was inside of them all along.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqK5YC2r_nnzlFJ3L9f98wAiNsuBUmP4jRmd3AhCFK9rBpwLSAhBMdrV9earCht09C1iJCsIpC5-pdcwG8tBONim3FHmc27SRS7cKs4tPrKEJ-1ficsXY9Eis1SGlFd7Nfkve-6DNVf-c/s1600/lit3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="724" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqK5YC2r_nnzlFJ3L9f98wAiNsuBUmP4jRmd3AhCFK9rBpwLSAhBMdrV9earCht09C1iJCsIpC5-pdcwG8tBONim3FHmc27SRS7cKs4tPrKEJ-1ficsXY9Eis1SGlFd7Nfkve-6DNVf-c/s400/lit3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Little Guy's <i>Second Opinion</i> and <i>Trauma Team</i> designs</span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: She still has some eyelashes, but they are far
less Kaneko-esque.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Little Guy's comparison is a good illustration of
how far the Kaneko influence had receded by this point though.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: But without having to go over every minor <i>Trauma
Team</i> character, including the new focus on both young female characters and
bustier slightly older female characters that were possibly directives out of
Doi's hands (which will be a recurring theme throughout his career), what do
you think are the prime defining characteristics of his old style versus what
we see in <i>Trauma Team</i>?</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: I'd say the big factors at play in his old style
are the shading, noses, the more immediate variety of facial features, and a
general sense of restraint.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, the nose details kinda blew my mind once
you mentioned them.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: His work here usually sticks with the long,
slightly curved bridge and tiny nostrils that you see in a lot of modern anime
influenced art. The abundance of thin lines versus shading to emphasize
features, either on the face or hair, is also a big feature in his <i>Trauma Team</i>
art.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: To me, it's in many ways a regression,
particularly after the highs of <i>New Blood</i>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: It's immediately less distinct, I’d say. They
really went the opposite direction from <i>New Blood</i>; directorial concerns were certainly in play there, from the presentation and
tone to the inclusion of post-shower scenes, so it's hard to say how much of
the shift you could lay at Doi's feet. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, which brings us to…</span></div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">V. True Doi Apotheosis</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBacgqlOLy10ma-aUx_y1sLbSZxdnY7f4dGPBRtn-__9KGNDyY-iF8vkEVoDNnGwPzWTFuUxQG7RS1TXEfMF190UAKlES8nA3UY5047LNeP2UVrVg5vHBD3mVbwZH1XvEs6vAL0nI-iSA/s1600/mayas3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="664" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBacgqlOLy10ma-aUx_y1sLbSZxdnY7f4dGPBRtn-__9KGNDyY-iF8vkEVoDNnGwPzWTFuUxQG7RS1TXEfMF190UAKlES8nA3UY5047LNeP2UVrVg5vHBD3mVbwZH1XvEs6vAL0nI-iSA/s320/mayas3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">L-to-R: Kaneko (1999), Doi (2012), Soejima (2011)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";"></span></b><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";"></span></b>
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: So Doi had long worked as a concept artist for
the series by the time he took his first crack at providing finished character
art for a title, in this case the PSP port of <b><i>Persona 2: Eternal Punishment</i></b>,
which was following hot on the heels of Soejima, who provided new character and
promotional art for the previous <i>Innocent Sin</i> port. Doi was tasked with the
same for its sequel. Soejima's work for <i>Innocent Sin</i> is odd in that it doesn't resemble
his modern style all that much, maybe pulling back to better match the style of
the in game character portraits? Whereas Doi, two years after <i>Trauma Team</i>,
takes a step back himself and reintroduces some of his old artistic traits,
like more detailed shading and thicker lines.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Getting ahead of ourselves here, but I remember
Doi's Maya being used, particularly those damn arched pigeontoes, in comparison to Flynn's
initial art reveal to prove he was the artist.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes, was just about to mention as much. Really
hit the nail on the head, too. And speaking of Maya, that Maya comparison image (right) is still a pretty
helpful reference.</span><br />
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</div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: (laughs) Indeed. Man, look at Doi kicking
Soejima’s ass. Well, except for the feet. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, the hooves are strong there. </span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: How much did Doi produce for <b><i>Soul Hackers</i></b>?</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The new art for the main cast, and presumably the
portraits for both Raidous.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUEAUw6o7gn4KywrMw3L3xJGUICuQPjsC8LXDbeJn-it2TX7Vn-ytQjBFKIKfxxx-OAyYsCiLnTc3EYXCcl0vV8RLwvo-NwezuwSGPBLZGQR3fQoUTA8e3bpt-GjmyGY6ybj_PI2XvmY/s1600/hoy3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="357" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUEAUw6o7gn4KywrMw3L3xJGUICuQPjsC8LXDbeJn-it2TX7Vn-ytQjBFKIKfxxx-OAyYsCiLnTc3EYXCcl0vV8RLwvo-NwezuwSGPBLZGQR3fQoUTA8e3bpt-GjmyGY6ybj_PI2XvmY/s200/hoy3.jpg" width="118" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Kaneko (1997) and Doi (2012)</span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Oh yes, right.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Oh, and <a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Nemechi">Nemecchi</a>, which I was surprised to see
attributed to him and not, like, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuji_Himukai">Yuji Himukai</a>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: My god does that port feel like ancient history.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, surprised <i>Soul Hackers</i> and <i>Eternal Punishment</i> PSP came out the same
year, too. I don't have much to say about his <i>Soul Hackers</i> work, except that it's sort
of... pointless. Too close to the original Kaneko art, and just sort of
highlights that his takes are less distinct renditions of the same.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: It's so unremarkable that I think I sort of
remember a Nemissa and Nemecchi, but that's it. Nightmarish <a href="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/6/66/Nemechi_Legs_Form.jpg">long-legged Nemecchi</a>. It was warning us about Chemtrail.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes, the gams, they would soon be back with a
vengeance-- which leads us to <b><i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i></b>, approximately one year later.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwisuGmaEgHqEzUNgZRXuqUFiRuDsp5xbJlnFcQX5ju05w8ew7fxWQGDlx16fsL3zFine5Ln5cmR-whzvpczSNQojWsjmbzGw8tN6j4wMD3T4PT4WNnZVixqwhi_woGzydByY9zRwjbo/s1600/Shin_Megami_Tensei_IV_box_art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="1500" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwisuGmaEgHqEzUNgZRXuqUFiRuDsp5xbJlnFcQX5ju05w8ew7fxWQGDlx16fsL3zFine5Ln5cmR-whzvpczSNQojWsjmbzGw8tN6j4wMD3T4PT4WNnZVixqwhi_woGzydByY9zRwjbo/s320/Shin_Megami_Tensei_IV_box_art.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Shin Megami Tensei IV / <span class="reference-text"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span lang="ja">真・女神転生IV</span></span></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: <i>SMT4</i>, we meet again.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes, it never ends.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Doi's characters remain one of its strong points,
though.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: No doubt. They're probably the high point of his
career after <i>New Blood</i>: well-executed without clashing with the style of the
series.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Looking back, <i>SMT4 </i>certainly earned the biggest
buzz an SMT game has ever garnered in the west.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, <i>Strange Journey</i> came and went without much fanfare,
while <i>Nocturne </i>arrived before the series had found much of a foothold in the
West.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: But in <i>SMT4</i>, and without reiterating certain
crises of the past, I think Doi's clean, anime-lite artstyle attracted eyes
that were maybe put off by the Kaneko mannequins. Even though I was at the
center of the hubbub over the demon designs, I never had anything bad to say
about Doi's contributions. They are somewhere between <i>Second Opinion</i> and <i>New
Blood</i> in style, so approximately <i>Under the Knife 2</i>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: That's a good way of putting it. The realistic
hair colors are back, while Doi's shading has more of a presence than even his<i>
Eternal Punishment </i>design work. The palette is subdued but not quite draped in earth tones,
save for maybe <a href="https://c.bookwalker.jp/564482/t_700x780.jpg">the cover to that official artbook</a>. And there are even designs
that are identifiably modeled after real people.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Someone on Giant Bomb's forums or somewhere
doubted me that <a href="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/b/b1/SMTIV_K.png">K</a> was Kurt Russell, but Doi's comments validated me. Detailed
nostrils also exist, but only for characters with bigger noses, like <a href="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/c/cd/Skins_SMTIV.png">Skins</a> or
<a href="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/a/a6/Kiyoharu_Portrait.png">Kiyoharu</a>. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes, and Doi had long since stopped using lines
to suggest the area around the nostrils, so they're predictably less
emphasized.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: And this is more on the scenario, but you said
above that <i>SMT4 </i>has a heck of a lot of old people for a Japanese RPG released
in 2013.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: And just to tally the whole gang, there's
<a href="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/e/e8/Hope_render.png">Hope</a>, K, <a href="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/1/1e/SMTIV-Hugo.jpg">Hugo</a>, Fujiwara, Skins, <a href="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/0/08/Tayama.png">Tayama</a>, <a href="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/c/c4/Blasted_Akira.png">Akira</a>, Kiyoharu, and even <a href="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/e/e9/Steven_SMTIV.png">Stephen</a>, if
we're being generous-- but a little over half the cast no matter how you slice
it.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: And <a href="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/7/70/SMTIV-Gabby.jpg">Gabby</a> looks 20 but she's <i>really thousands of
years old</i>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, unfortunately the cast is pretty light on
middle-aged or older women.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWw2ubYF-McruNuTjWEbCbo1nCGJO-Cvn1SDD4YIWQHMLdhAvpztH9PSeRNJHR9-r9y7ZV4C1qOnXQ2xSLdEie_t9tuAPfPS750zT40Qkv1_qa2MOiS2AIOjunwpuG4ivh2dJBKM5j50I/s1600/fuj2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="211" data-original-width="413" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWw2ubYF-McruNuTjWEbCbo1nCGJO-Cvn1SDD4YIWQHMLdhAvpztH9PSeRNJHR9-r9y7ZV4C1qOnXQ2xSLdEie_t9tuAPfPS750zT40Qkv1_qa2MOiS2AIOjunwpuG4ivh2dJBKM5j50I/s320/fuj2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I am hip to the music of my time:<br />Ayukawa and Fujiwara</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Would have been nice if one were in Fujiwara's
role, because I think I hate that character and how he's dressed.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: We can blame Makoto Ayukawa of the band <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheena_%26_The_Rokkets">Sheena & The Rokkets</a> for that, apparently (<a href="http://www.rokkets.com/sheena4ever/index.html">R.I.P. Sheena</a>).
Might have stuck too close to the model there.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Oh damn, never looked him up before. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: He basically just aged him up a little.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: And one to chew on: Fujiwara also wears a powder
blue jacket (<i>see header</i>) awfully similar to the one Doi was wearing for the game’s promo
circuit. Self-insertion???</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: That's true, though it looks noticeably worse
transplanted onto a painfully "hip" old man, of course. He looks
especially ridiculous standing next to Skins 24/7.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: This guy lives for all-day Panera wi-fi and Dark
Roast. Him and his stupid teacup. If I had to pick the weakest out of the character
designs, it’d be Fujiwara and <b>Flynn</b>, despite the fact that the latter is
without a doubt the best representative of Doi’s efforts for the game. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, that isn't necessarily a condemnation of
the overall quality of the cast, but he's unmistakably the poster boy. Flynn
particularly functions as a model for the Samurai regalia, the foundation of
Doi's design work for <i>IV</i>.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7Qln69zJ4gA_oWEXzxcPKrxmYkxt3pODEkunvYni2RZiwuIrFKSIoQnBVgwozSsm6lNzMFiR_EPfWvlgfizERa0pz8QhUmUWej1BBdDG-6HsjI73PsF97r7PLi5Ftz2qnMu6r8DHX-0/s1600/samu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="788" height="403" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7Qln69zJ4gA_oWEXzxcPKrxmYkxt3pODEkunvYni2RZiwuIrFKSIoQnBVgwozSsm6lNzMFiR_EPfWvlgfizERa0pz8QhUmUWej1BBdDG-6HsjI73PsF97r7PLi5Ftz2qnMu6r8DHX-0/s640/samu.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Final and Initial Concept Designs of Flynn</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";"><b>Eirikr</b></span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, despite any misgivings, Flynn is definitely the archetype of the Samurai uniform. And though Doi says they are based on Jedi robes, those in turn were clearly based on kimonos and samurai garb so Doi is just bringing ‘em back home. The blue and white works well not only as primary colors but as a way to throw back to the vestments of the old Messian order.</span><br />
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<b style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana"; text-align: center;">: And the original black palette of the concept art is jarring in comparison, so some prudent decisions were made during the drafting process. And it's a good thing he stuck the landing, considering how prevalent they were in the marketing, thinking back to the publicity shot of him and Yamai with the outfit.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5ZccX6NuZ0y_Fo0obJ9CgIqAFdksKJNaEL_tyuP-mUZDDVVigPLuSL9DuSnDkrxN-op_oKxYRG_kF3VLxyMHvW0vlM4zIaY7Nbipq1rAVyWnyx4eaV9hrJXJ4q-DhaMojuCA1u551cw/s1600/guyyy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="504" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5ZccX6NuZ0y_Fo0obJ9CgIqAFdksKJNaEL_tyuP-mUZDDVVigPLuSL9DuSnDkrxN-op_oKxYRG_kF3VLxyMHvW0vlM4zIaY7Nbipq1rAVyWnyx4eaV9hrJXJ4q-DhaMojuCA1u551cw/s320/guyyy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A Doi and His Dolls (with Kazuyuki <br />Yamai, center, and Ryota Kozuka, left)</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: red;">Eirikr</span></b>: The costumes they made?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: blue;">Soren</span></b>: Yeah.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: red;">Eirikr</span></b>: Oh yeah, saw them with my own eyes, I did, at Tokyo Game Show 2012. Just a matter of feet away, <a href="https://i.imgur.com/y9PVhpR.jpg">Flynn and Isabeau cosplayers</a> were <a href="https://i.imgur.com/rPxeGaL.jpg">paraded out onto the Sega stage Atlus was borrowing</a>--a portent for things shortly to come.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: blue;">Soren</span></b>: Looking pretty awkward, and understandably so. The quality of the costumes is easy to vouch for, however, another credit to Doi's textile background as he mentions personally collaborating with the garment maker as they were drafted. <b>[1b]</b></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Atlus certainly had a lot of faith in the Samurai
costume as a key image for the game and I'd call the general design a
success, if not iconic. But for poster boy Flynn, the issues are less about
what he's wearing and more about what's going on around his noggin. Flynn's
dopey face and hair leave something to be desired. There’s just something
soulless about this guy’s expression.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, Flynn and his giant hair seem to the most
contentious elements at play here. Doi even mentions that he expected some
pushback on that front. <b>[1c]</b> It's supposedly meant to vaguely evoke traditional
samurai hairstyles, the topknot and all.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: I like the ponytail. It's just the flat, giant, triangular bangs I find distracting. It looks like Mega
Man's helmet.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebOTakLeuXrJeaYC8Ni1lRI2KiGMq0IwHluZn9br0UEORHKRBGt3LjaHQREKfky6Wg5emz-PBIe5dCmDCdfkFQrMN7n5sleq22J6hgRXdc6rHZyw4zbrwxwhTFzrvLQT6VqytCKhiaHU/s1600/flynn1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebOTakLeuXrJeaYC8Ni1lRI2KiGMq0IwHluZn9br0UEORHKRBGt3LjaHQREKfky6Wg5emz-PBIe5dCmDCdfkFQrMN7n5sleq22J6hgRXdc6rHZyw4zbrwxwhTFzrvLQT6VqytCKhiaHU/s320/flynn1.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">White Samurai Apparel DLC</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: I think it's telling that his DLC outfit helmet
is practically the same </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">shape.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Ooooh, yeah. Permanent helmet hair.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: And to their credit, you'll only spend maybe a
few hours looking at Flynn's uncovered mop in-game.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: If only that were so. You'll be looking at it for 30
hours in the battle on the bottom screen.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Oh boy, yeah. That's pretty unfortunate. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: That's really when I began to sour on it. Being
directly adjacent to Kaneko classics doesn't do it any favors.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Beyond that, only <a href="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/4/48/Isabeau.png">Isabeau</a>'s mini skirt stands out
as really egregious to me, like he just couldn't imagine a girl wearing pants
as part of what is essentially a goddamn military uniform (please let women wear pants occasionally).</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: That's the code of the Saw-moo-rye.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqoJjr09ekCKCOefHVLSH-CQmGTD6SZ_PsJi3tXEdr_O4HsPESPjOLGTje6Pvl83Js4WmQNGuEa_5DDfTAQAB0d_r2LARjwmpOX3j6nNWzxNyx3jb-T0-fEN7h4D1dorS5cHaw2ovQO4g/s1600/lady+zombie.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="103" data-original-width="61" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqoJjr09ekCKCOefHVLSH-CQmGTD6SZ_PsJi3tXEdr_O4HsPESPjOLGTje6Pvl83Js4WmQNGuEa_5DDfTAQAB0d_r2LARjwmpOX3j6nNWzxNyx3jb-T0-fEN7h4D1dorS5cHaw2ovQO4g/s200/lady+zombie.png" width="118" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Pictured: PANTS</span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The only glimpse we get of other female samurai
are through their zombie sprites, depicted with the same leggings as their male
counterparts, which sort of made it even worse for me. But character portraits
are cut off at the waist, so at least it's easier to play pretend here.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Hmm, I hadn't noticed that. The localization on
those zombie samurai is all kinds of messed up, too. The two individual units are both called "Samurai Zombie" in English, but that's only accurate for the male zombie--the female zombie is named "Samurai Zonmi"</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span class="st"> (サムライゾンミ</span>) in Japanese, "Zonmi" apparently being some feminization for a zombie that pops up from time to time. But it's even worse for the Samurai zombie amalgamation you encounter in Shibuya, which was originally called "Samurai Corpse" in a nod to those blasted Corpse demons from <i>SMT1</i>. But in English they are just called... "<a href="https://i.imgur.com/brhRyIi.jpg">Zombie</a>." Uh, what...? Unless that's some amazing 4D pun I just don't get.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Even in death, they just can't catch a break.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Nor can I help myself from going on demon localization tangents. But at least No-Pants faction leader <a href="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/3/3d/HikaruRender.png">Hikaru</a> is there to keep Isabeau company. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: There's another questionable design choice, but
at least one that can be neatly chalked up to the scenario.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: And divorced from scenario planning Doi shall be
forevermore.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: I never spared it a thought at the time, but
going from <i>Trauma Team</i> to <i>IV</i> is quite a sight. It speaks to Doi's ability to
shape his style according to the circumstances, for better or worse.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, that's what I'd call a progressive
regression. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFKVnDe3RcFafjj5xICb9ssfYFk_URWbcGAVcU8IXhxuVYUFBBuah9OluzwQ0H2WVH2heHsYrBCsj1uwvoONg2VrKC3yr0FI83pnHYaxIvY5ggFUEHEjfjYNwn2ewoALOJkWc5w-AiZP8/s1600/ejac-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1356" data-original-width="1500" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFKVnDe3RcFafjj5xICb9ssfYFk_URWbcGAVcU8IXhxuVYUFBBuah9OluzwQ0H2WVH2heHsYrBCsj1uwvoONg2VrKC3yr0FI83pnHYaxIvY5ggFUEHEjfjYNwn2ewoALOJkWc5w-AiZP8/s320/ejac-cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse / <br /><span class="reference-text"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span lang="ja">真・女神転生IV FINAL</span></span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: But then we move into <b><i>Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse</i></b>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, and if <i>SMT4 </i>is <i>Under the Knife 2</i>,
then <i>SMT4A </i>is most certainly <i>Trauma Team</i>.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Exactly. Things were not looking up from the very
first ugly green promo collage. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, that thing. I couldn't believe what I was
seeing that morning when it first broke. It was like <a href="https://nijiko.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/smtiv_scan014.jpg">the first guest artist demon Famitsu spread for SMT4 with Isabeau and Asmodeus</a>--downright appalling.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: It was a lot to take in. I think the only
unquestionably good thing in this image is Sukuna-Hikona hiding in the corner
there.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: And that hint of Adramelech.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes, couldn’t make him out at the time, but glad
he's in there somewhere.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: By the time the first round of news was complete,
I was still worried that Sukuna-Hikona was going to be Stolas or something.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybreaI6FQCUFeJd2uQXA7mD2Arz82Ud5Fu8Aaic6-Drk03KayJ4T2k5TThBNIPoCUIohY16fW-1mt8v2vVX5Qsg3Kwu7Xz39iJxB0Vo6pf7wI6EZnPLEfkK-13vnB3q5wyb8LiaHDbD8/s1600/Shin-Megami-Tensei-IV-Apocalypse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybreaI6FQCUFeJd2uQXA7mD2Arz82Ud5Fu8Aaic6-Drk03KayJ4T2k5TThBNIPoCUIohY16fW-1mt8v2vVX5Qsg3Kwu7Xz39iJxB0Vo6pf7wI6EZnPLEfkK-13vnB3q5wyb8LiaHDbD8/s640/Shin-Megami-Tensei-IV-Apocalypse.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The very green, very disconcerting <i>SMT4A </i>announcement collage</span></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: At least they managed to go the other way on that
one. And ignoring the obvious for a moment, we can see that <i>SMT4A </i>seemed to be
aping the Persona-inspired trend of a primary "theme" color.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Puke green was an appropriate choice, I think.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Mercifully not incorporated into the actual UI.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/130787799782/final-examined">Don't forget our initial reaction convo from days after the announcement</a>. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Oh lord, yes. This is a pretty useful time
capsule!</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: I even mention the Isabeau/Asmodeus Famitsu
pages. That feature freakin’ traumatized me. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes, the thing has an unfortunate sort of staying
power to it.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: I sure was reaching with the Dagda/Lugh thing,
though.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: And of course the latter wasn't even in the
fucking game.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Lugh gets no respect, maybe because he was already in <i>Devil Survivor 2</i>. But speaking of, it was common to see <a href="https://talking-time.net/showthread.php?t=17319&page=2#56"><i>SMT4A</i>'s cast compared to the general look of Devil Survivor</a>, which I think is appropriate.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNAD61f8tMXVfySYNJYP7Kwal0alhs9G7sZ7UQnSoANNZa7OLhHfkU3TyDsUp-vlPESYSqpVfr00c6CEXyknkXfFj9ffhItATrKCUo6y8md_7VWJ_U1wXqlwQzFJeMaCejxuqdvbJRAM/s1600/spr+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="400" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWNAD61f8tMXVfySYNJYP7Kwal0alhs9G7sZ7UQnSoANNZa7OLhHfkU3TyDsUp-vlPESYSqpVfr00c6CEXyknkXfFj9ffhItATrKCUo6y8md_7VWJ_U1wXqlwQzFJeMaCejxuqdvbJRAM/s320/spr+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The supporting cast, in sprite form</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span></div>
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</div>
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: That's an excellent comparison. If nothing else, the battle sprites really sell it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b><span style="color: red;">Eirikr</span></b>: And while the Samurai from the previous game had color-coded scarves, here it extends to their entire ensembles.</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, and practically the same colors are
utilized. Nozomi is also a good encapsulation of the shift that occurred here </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Poor Nozomi. She was always going to be a
step down from her awesome original sprite that exuded more authentic character
than whatever inane “big sister” personality they gave her in <i>SMT4A</i>. I mean, of
course she was made a little sexier with a bust increase (keep in mind what I
said about nadeshiko and cup sizes in the <i>Trauma Team</i> section!). But what
is up with her silly neon pince-nez glasses? And while she’s coded red, we’ve got
Nanashi in green per the main theme color, Asahi blue, Gaston white, Hallelujah
yellow/gray, Toki black/purple, and Navarre... also green. Seems redundant with
Nanashi there, but Navarre’s original Samurai scarf was green, so I suppose
there was no divorcing that color from him. Dear lord, all of this is dredging
up repressed memories of Tumblr arguments. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Things are still pretty fresh, unfortunately.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Even fresher for me since I just played through
the game again within the past two weeks. But what's something new we can say
about the character designs other than they fulfill various youth market and
otaku tropes? For one, the concept art from the artbook showed us a direction
never to be for (some) characters and most demons. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmcX0p_K44tY3kiXPuR-9B3m9riVbC4TeXo8fKHy2AWMqvLKXId7uEIs2Wfjr_BNahojuZNDKObs1rLbm6zK-sHenOHPonm0OKNy95daWO97Lgyk1WKGUepIY8lxsSdOI6Ye0rWZeBFcI/s1600/toki2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="781" height="523" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmcX0p_K44tY3kiXPuR-9B3m9riVbC4TeXo8fKHy2AWMqvLKXId7uEIs2Wfjr_BNahojuZNDKObs1rLbm6zK-sHenOHPonm0OKNy95daWO97Lgyk1WKGUepIY8lxsSdOI6Ye0rWZeBFcI/s640/toki2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Good and the... Less Good</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The adult Nanashi is probably the biggest leap
that occurred. Other characters generally fare worse in their concepts,
particularly Toki.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Oh god, the bowlegged Toki. Jesus. God. How did
this happen? How did we go from relatively grounded to that?</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: It's chilling evidence of what Doi is capable of.
And there's like, what, one new old guy who immediately bites it? fuck this
game</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Peaks and valleys. And this is where so much of
this had to be out of Doi's hands. There's a quote of Yamai's somewhere where
he mentions that the ages of the party were deliberately lowered for some
half-assed reason (the real reason is money). <b>[3]</b></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4YmHONcbFkB0nuAGpOjyYVcyS236doWkRGxSZ7MH_HJ_WT0V48t97Ub7GqUxhwrdkUvhEn0FRon-NoAL18TPsaIrlqmYVNDGgBNj0HMzwSJiT02YCaUcH9bpgCwO8cvAvF7jH6fZsuU/s1600/toki4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="303" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4YmHONcbFkB0nuAGpOjyYVcyS236doWkRGxSZ7MH_HJ_WT0V48t97Ub7GqUxhwrdkUvhEn0FRon-NoAL18TPsaIrlqmYVNDGgBNj0HMzwSJiT02YCaUcH9bpgCwO8cvAvF7jH6fZsuU/s320/toki4.png" width="194" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Toki</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The green color scheme was secretly a cry for
help (and money).</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
</div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: We won't need to talk about the demons much here
because that will be exhaustively covered in the follow-up article to this
feature, but their designs were where you could most easily see that Doi was
just adhering to the needs of the scenario and those above him on the ladder.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, there would have to be some serious course
correction to bring things back on track here, but even if Doi has proven to be
capable of dialing back when necessary it's unlikely his compatriots share the
same capacity, or desire.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: <i>Apocalypse </i>seems like a deliberate attempt at
demographic experimentation, and that’s why <b>Toki </b>is probably its best
representative. There's no getting around that a 14-year-old expresses her
sexual desire for the player protagonist. It's hard to see in the game, but
Toki's black bodysuit even has a flame emanating from around her nether
regions. And while Doi couldn't evade the script's assertions, he could have
maybe made some more tasteful choices. But amazingly, the final design was the
more tasteful option compared to the concept art.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Toki is an excellent distillation of the failures
of both Doi and the scenario team in this case. I initially mistook her masked
figure in that promo image for a Hannya design, but it wasn’t until much later
that I would curse my lack of foresight on the matter. </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1b2_JblgAfeQlKt61Fucg-Fh1kY8TlVuk6jf5F346MDj_LjHQK6rQUHe_ugfpJe6Pnj43R155PJ04E7MNAimN5NqWNcJ3VGfpVaVNC0kgcG2PDuUDACfZcKJ3LjNMb6FpJnjSkVbGt9k/s1600/masks2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="253" data-original-width="405" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1b2_JblgAfeQlKt61Fucg-Fh1kY8TlVuk6jf5F346MDj_LjHQK6rQUHe_ugfpJe6Pnj43R155PJ04E7MNAimN5NqWNcJ3VGfpVaVNC0kgcG2PDuUDACfZcKJ3LjNMb6FpJnjSkVbGt9k/s320/masks2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Absolutely Not Lloyd Wilkens and Toki</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, that’s about where my mind was when I first
saw it, too. Honestly, the mask with its purple locks is astonishingly similar
to those masked guys in <i>New Blood</i>. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Jeez, yeah. Of all the ways for <i>New Blood</i> to
bleed into <i>Apocalypse</i>, it had to be a mask. </span><br />
<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: What can we say, Doi just hates drawing actual
human expressions. But beyond the masks and
hackneyed palettes, the main characters all have soft and smooth faces sans
much shading, though that's probably due to their ages.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: And Nanashi, Asahi, and Nozomi practically all
have the same face shape.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: And it looks like you could mine for gold with
Toki's chin.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: God, her too, really. While the shift between
each Trauma Center entry felt calculated, it feels like Doi is just barely even
trying here.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: <a href="https://image.rakuten.co.jp/jism/cabinet/report/megaten4/004.jpg">Manabu</a> looks like he belongs more in <i>Soul Hackers</i>
than the supposed oppressive environment of subterranean Tokyo.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: There's a thriving Rasta subculture in this world
that hasn't seen the sun in 25 years, apparently. And he's supposed to be 18?
What the hell..?</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwW26OV8_1JEI-86NkfYXHfckduxEcUfaSCJoIq-IOl5RRXyXJrMyPBJwzBhiiE9hxeK0qNN3PKruCoz_MPfBNYUDWrX9MvtZ2ySGKU7PIlh89rerLTKM2KVm_onF29HmiVPnvBPEjMc/s1600/nicdem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="230" data-original-width="421" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwW26OV8_1JEI-86NkfYXHfckduxEcUfaSCJoIq-IOl5RRXyXJrMyPBJwzBhiiE9hxeK0qNN3PKruCoz_MPfBNYUDWrX9MvtZ2ySGKU7PIlh89rerLTKM2KVm_onF29HmiVPnvBPEjMc/s320/nicdem.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Not Pictured: 7 years worth of artistic evolution</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Now that's the craziest thing I've heard yet. And
there's one other thing about the designs but it also ties into one from
<i>Strange Journey Redux</i>, and that is a distinction between how characters and
demons are shaded. It pops up in <i>Apocalypse </i>with Krishna and Demeter in <i>Strange Journey Redux</i>.
Namely, that those two are rendered in the typical anime style like all the
other characters even though they are demons.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes, when it comes to the demon compendium Doi employs what he calls his "<b>heavy brush</b>" (</span><a href="http://jisho.org/word/%E5%8E%9A%E5%A1%97%E3%82%8A">厚塗り</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">) style in place of the appropriately termed "<b>animation cel style</b>" (</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">アニメ<a href="http://jisho.org/word/%E7%9A%84">的</a>なセル<a href="http://jisho.org/word/%E7%94%BB%E8%AA%BF">画調</a></span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">) applied to his human characters, a dichotomy that he helpfully outlines in his comments on the <i>SMT4 </i>boxart. <b>[1d]</b> Doi approached Demeter in almost exactly the
same manner he would treat any young female character.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: He mentions it directly in the <a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2017/10/04/1797/">Demeter commentary</a>: "<i>Looks-wise, I was expected to give her more of a an actual character touch than
have her look like a demon, similar to SMT4[A]'s Krishna</i>.”</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The reasoning seems to be that they wanted
to emphasize their role as characters in the narrative over their significance
as mythological figures, which certainly checks out with their modern approach
to this shit.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDhJVXNXcpyiL7lScpsN8qnTxtRkclHE3rEdCM-1cbneOYiay3IgkRXC0pM_lIjnYJrXdmgsH3PTTM4dpI3d4Ce8j4E4vr8Q7hQ6jUvALsbwfhFyK7TDn4sk3fMgkV7bo12A2PTzT_mfE/s1600/Shin_megami_tensei_devil_summoner_conceptart_EZWrI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="758" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDhJVXNXcpyiL7lScpsN8qnTxtRkclHE3rEdCM-1cbneOYiay3IgkRXC0pM_lIjnYJrXdmgsH3PTTM4dpI3d4Ce8j4E4vr8Q7hQ6jUvALsbwfhFyK7TDn4sk3fMgkV7bo12A2PTzT_mfE/s320/Shin_megami_tensei_devil_summoner_conceptart_EZWrI.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">"Anime" (left) and<br />"heavy" (right) Rei Reiho</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, they... sure got that point across. But seeing the heavy brush/animation cel style distinction made in an official capacity is something I feel is important. It could also very easily apply to Soejima but particularly to Kaneko, whose works in the mid-to-late '90s are a good example. Especially illuminating are two renditions of Rei Reiho from <i>Soul Hackers</i>. The're both Rei in her pinstripe suit, but you can clearly see that the one version has adopted a much simpler style compared to the other. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">:</span> Yeah, that was right when he was developing his own "heavy brush" style, so you can see plenty of pieces that belong to both modes in there. Of course it would become the definitive look in short order, to such an extent that Doi employs his own take specifically to evoke that "Megaten" vibe, as he explains. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, Kaneko's demons from <i>Soul Hackers</i> onward would particularly be defined by the "heavy brush."</span></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzwaHOs3Wy6IpaOJFEY7aJUMAoLqZTJDdLQnlVAu_XqcjH1HcH1nLmhNt76zWEKyLYYx-B2zwFdyvKuj1gRBOC1HC_LgUJk39jqw5ifXEN-dwjavtIJZsjlfEpRERyBLeamMIv5cLJOY/s1600/krishna-adram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="1098" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzwaHOs3Wy6IpaOJFEY7aJUMAoLqZTJDdLQnlVAu_XqcjH1HcH1nLmhNt76zWEKyLYYx-B2zwFdyvKuj1gRBOC1HC_LgUJk39jqw5ifXEN-dwjavtIJZsjlfEpRERyBLeamMIv5cLJOY/s400/krishna-adram.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Prime examples of Doi's own "anime" and "heavy brush" styles: <br />the flat, clean Krishna versus the gradated and textured Adramelech</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: <i>Soul Hackers</i> also saw the debut of collaborator and colorist Megumi Shiraishi, so I expect her influence was crucial in forming that style.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></span>
<b style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Heck yeah, we definitely need to make <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/172023613457/i-was-looking-through-some-official-art-for">a shoutout to Shiraishi</a>. Without her it would've been Soejima doing all that heavy brush lifting! But s</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">hifting gears back to our subject,
I want to reiterate that </span><a href="https://talking-time.net/showthread.php?t=19735&page=2#31" style="font-family: verdana;">Doi wasn’t behind the underwhelming crew portraits for <i>Strange Journey Redux</i></a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yes, the blame for the crew portraits can be
heaped squarely on Odagaki. Sort of like if they had brought in Ikehata to sub for Doi instead of vice-versa.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">:
Worth noting also that Doi didn’t draw any of the
sometimes shoddy cutscene artwork in <i>SMT4A</i>--it was done by Ikumi Fukuda,
who
was also behind the <i>Demonic Gene</i> <i>SMT4 </i>manga. But before we begin to wrap things up here, we previously mentioned the correspondence between the rainbow-colored anime
casts of<i> Apocalypse </i>and <i>Trauma Team</i>, but didn’t touch on how analogous the dominant Samurai
uniform in
<i>SMT4 </i>is to the doctors’ white coats seen throughout Trauma Center. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8m5M_rs1rpIJ22LYF2eo9hWiY-whXhbXhvb_rUcF2CLEhYu2rGX0tTSjDrcac-oxrFa-Wd4vDQy21onHKMlql4f4D3L-YPbbZ67nsvr3GWyYKPbNC05_Abfg8RdCL-SdWTADlkGTL6qE/s1600/oda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="808" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8m5M_rs1rpIJ22LYF2eo9hWiY-whXhbXhvb_rUcF2CLEhYu2rGX0tTSjDrcac-oxrFa-Wd4vDQy21onHKMlql4f4D3L-YPbbZ67nsvr3GWyYKPbNC05_Abfg8RdCL-SdWTADlkGTL6qE/s1600/oda.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Unfortunate, but not Doi: Akira Odagaki (left) and Ikumi Fukuda (right)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: In both cases a particular uniform dominates the
look of the main cast, but Doi manages to set each character apart from one
another in meaningful, if sometimes slight, ways. It's hardly rare for limitation to foster creativity, but this sort of inherently
restrained framework seems to compliment his abilities nicely.</span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Doi's Our Boy... for the Foreseeable Future </span></h3>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: So one final topic: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOihoA3D1Ec"><i>Shin Megami Tensei V</i></a> is impending and so far we’ve
got a guy, a girl, and a pitchfork-wielding demon. The last of which I hope is
just a generic “Demon” unit so we can know just how out-of-touch Atlus Japan is with Atlus USA.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: That's what I'm hedging my bets on at the moment.
But yeah, another link in the chain to explore.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The fact that it’s a whole group of them, too.
But petal suit dude doesn’t instill much confidence, though it’s doubtful that
guy will wear it for the whole game.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjr8BS9ZV9Y-IE4SCJAoAf5OLan32gW2mm4-CkajPVoq_QeEHUQdDMyPsfNLzs4Yolw7KMxh3SRlcJXXhEw76FUlaULpXFwYZpHr8VTHZGtag5kyPPKMF2SYNwKkCVseU2oxmLqIMUyXk/s1600/v.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="663" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjr8BS9ZV9Y-IE4SCJAoAf5OLan32gW2mm4-CkajPVoq_QeEHUQdDMyPsfNLzs4Yolw7KMxh3SRlcJXXhEw76FUlaULpXFwYZpHr8VTHZGtag5kyPPKMF2SYNwKkCVseU2oxmLqIMUyXk/s320/v.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Party Time!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: The fact that it's described as a school uniform
is baffling.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: It’s so ugly! And we haven’t even seen it from
the front, yet! </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, hopefully he'll undergo a wardrobe change
after being... eaten by demons? That usually does the trick.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: I can’t shake off the petal motif being part of
his body (or some visual metaphor for blood, like Nocturne's Magatsuhi), either, after being saved by this game’s Lucifer/Dagda equivalent.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: I imagine it'll persist in some form, but how
clumsily that motif is employed has yet to be seen, so my modest hope is
"not quite so clumsily this time.”</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Be nice if it had to do with the world instead of
a character. And there’s not much to go on for his girlfriend. Even beyond the
design, I feel she will persist in the game in some stereotypical and intrusive
form. That’s assuming she’s not the protagonist--we of course don’t know for
sure yet! But it was Doi after all who towed the company line with the “men are
better suited for apocalypses” shit. <b>[4]</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: With that in mind, maybe she'll just bite it
early to fuel his manpain. The possibilities are endless!</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Well, Devilman is en vogue once again, but we’ll
see, we’ll see! </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQx8Xx6Ir9HMHwEA4ymK-WX5Z-DxFpJtRMtup_nzeSKwkRVaz7uSlcPMYheXoodYhbnnyoY0WYl8Ap6RfEmYT8sj5L_8vay7mMR6AC_dgIhn-2FYfpz01SkbW3zewlvCEvCApuFerNH4/s1600/new5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQx8Xx6Ir9HMHwEA4ymK-WX5Z-DxFpJtRMtup_nzeSKwkRVaz7uSlcPMYheXoodYhbnnyoY0WYl8Ap6RfEmYT8sj5L_8vay7mMR6AC_dgIhn-2FYfpz01SkbW3zewlvCEvCApuFerNH4/s1600/new5.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">(L-to-R) Famitsu Cover Illustration, Famitsu 30th Anniversary, and Persona Series 20th Anniversary</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: One last potentiality worth noting is a new style
Doi seems to be experimenting with, exemplified in this promotional piece for
<i>SMT4A</i>, a 20th anniversary sketch of Maya, and a recent image of Chun-Li
celebrating Famitsu’s own 30th anniversary. All exhibit radically different coloring from even his other contemporary work, and the more pronounced glossy
highlights on their faces seem to evoke the same flourish you catch in <a href="http://stat.ameba.jp/user_images/20131215/21/donbikisan/8a/03/j/o0800045012781776444.jpg">anime</a> every
now and then. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, this was unexpected. It’s not what I’d
prefer to see out of Doi, which would be the <i>New Blood</i> style, but it’s the kind
of variety and experimentation I can stand behind. Though doesn’t Soejima
sometimes illustrate in a similarly simpler style? I can feel that being part
of the influence at play. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Soejima changes it up often enough that it’s hard
to say where the dominant influence might come from, but I wouldn’t be
surprised if Doi pulls from him going forward. It would continue to justify our
earlier confusion, anyway. I at least doubt this’ll be the prominent look for <i>Shin Megami Tensei V</i>'s art direction, but maybe for a spin-off or something. Get some mileage out
of that variety.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, I’m definitely open to it cropping up
again. The bottom line is that I like Doi; he seems like an interesting,
talented fellow. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Right, if anything this discussion has given me a
better appreciation for his abilities as an artist and designer, even if the
trajectory hasn't been the most encouraging.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: I just don’t think Atlus is necessarily making
the best use of him. In many cases his talent is being squandered as he is
being strong-armed into delivering visions that aren’t entirely his own, as he
seems pretty divorced from the producing and planning side of things. Something
Kaneko was intimate with, given his seniority. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Atlus doesn't seem like the best place for
artistic talent to thrive at the moment, no. Early signs suggest that <i>SMT4A</i> will
prove less of an evolutionary dead end than <i>Trauma Team</i>, but Doi is still capable
of some good work, even under dire circumstances. Not the best prognostics, but
we'll see how it all pans out going forward!</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, and as we’ll find out in the follow-up
article about Doi's Odin and other demons, even when he is given
more artistic freedom he’s prone to making poor or inappropriate choices.
Despite that and any criticisms, Doi is a guy I want to root for. I think he’d
benefit from having a greater role in the creative process. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: red;">NEXT</span>: <a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2018/07/odin-demon-wisdom.html">Doi inherits the "Demon Painter" title... but are his designs an Ultra Hit or Ultra Miss?</a></span><br />
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<a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2018/07/odin-demon-wisdom.html"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0uW86no868hFXgXeKGtA7Vi_79SBA0GBlvSQpTCmVjoDQxRn2OX2eIyKmN1zt4OZAT7f7xobvIz1fmOWLaXroAh9kWSlaBEjEb9TB0n21AWpIjCTLXm7DfR2yLG5u9QcTAt8-KJ3N7mw/s1600/banner1.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">___</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">________________</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">_______</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Special thanks to:</b></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/" style="font-family: verdana;">Dijeh</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: We honestly can't think of anything specific, but just assume that Dijeh had some impact on this article, as usual. </span></li>
<li><a href="http://traumacentergame.wikia.com/" style="font-family: verdana;">The Caduceus Database</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: For maintaining a muted enthusiasm for the Trauma series and ensuring we had the art we needed. </span></li>
<li><a href="https://lparchive.org/Trauma-Center-New-Blood/" style="font-family: verdana;">Opendork's Trauma Center: New Blood LP</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: When we needed some backgrounders. </span></li>
<li><a href="https://seventhdoctor.tumblr.com/post/86026096785/trauma-team-artbook-scans-concept-art-and" style="font-family: verdana;">Seventhdoctor</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Trauma Team artbook scans!</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>References: </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>[1]</b> Shin Megami Tensei IV: Official Artworks. Udon Entertainment, 2016.</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>[1a]</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">“It was a really interesting interview, but I was nervous as could be. Afterward, I found myself appreciating Kaneko-san’s tendency to… how do I put it… judge me hard without any mercy. (laughs)”</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>[1b]</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">“Even the Samurai cosplay outfits for our booth were made through a collaboration between myself and an actual garment maker. During their production, I started interfering with aspects that a person in my role normally wouldn’t, saying things like “I think these sleeves should be more like this,” and making other requests. The garment maker said, “Wait, do you have a background in fashion?” (laughs) Everything proceeded smoothly after that.”</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>[1c]</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">“But then, his unique hairstyle gives him a bit of individuality. There were pros and cons to that choice, and I designed his hair assuming there would be some pushback.”</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>[1d]</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">"On a technical level, although most of my illustrations are done in animation cel style, I challenged myself to do this one with heavy brush techniques in order to fit with the 'MegaTen' series' image and worldview."</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>[2]</b> The Art of Persona 5. Prima Games, 2017.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEObU6uprsJuJBU7qr7q40JXsK_NjZ5-sq4Q2ubVjnQGnvXCe-vK1BYN2HVKnZu5W95Vab6xjbZzTs3JKEnmvtkuuzhVTBAVRyYmQ9lj1460YwTHbjREXaJC-NYx8b_cUEe06cg_Z0t4/s1600/hashinose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="443" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEObU6uprsJuJBU7qr7q40JXsK_NjZ5-sq4Q2ubVjnQGnvXCe-vK1BYN2HVKnZu5W95Vab6xjbZzTs3JKEnmvtkuuzhVTBAVRyYmQ9lj1460YwTHbjREXaJC-NYx8b_cUEe06cg_Z0t4/s200/hashinose.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Fixed those unsightly<br />nostrils for you, <br />Mr. Hashino!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">“Things went smoothly
after we locked down her character, but the first images drawn were not all
that cute, so Director Hashino suggested that we 'make her cuter' and strongly
demanded that we 'stop drawing nostrils on her.'"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>[3]</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">“Actually in the early phases of planning, we planned to have the main character to be even older than SMT4’s… if we’re making a simulator based on current era, rather than an adult with an almost complete self, it’s much better for a main character of a current-era Megaten to be incomplete children with some doubts in their hearts.” <a href="https://nintendoeverything.com/shin-megami-tensei-iv-final-devs-elements-that-define-the-series-considered-older-cast-music-more/">Translated by Nintendo Everything</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>[4]</b> “Because the game is
more about survival, on average male figures have a better chance to survive
than females that’s why the games lean towards more male characters.” </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://www.siliconera.com/2013/06/21/shin-megami-tensei-iv-interview-making-law-and-chaos-heroes/">Making Law and Chaos Heroes, Siliconera</a>. </span></div>
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Eirikrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708584583156602408noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102004681763150356.post-72405035657516594382017-08-12T22:15:00.001-04:002022-08-13T21:11:32.913-04:00KANEKO'S CRIB NOTES LIII: SHIGERU MIZUKI, MASTER OF MYSTERIES <div class="Section1">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b>by <a href="http://sorenblr.tumblr.com/">Soren</a> and <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/">Eirikr</a> </b></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/p/by-soren-and-eirikr-we-here-at-kanekos.html" target="_blank"><b>(This post contains "hacked-in" tables Blogger otherwise lacks that don't play nice on tablets or smartphones. If you're on a mobile device, FOLLOW THIS LINK for the mobile version / </b>スマホ版<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><b> of this post!</b></span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><b><a href="https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/p/by-soren-and-eirikr-we-here-at-kanekos.html" target="_blank">)</a></b> </span><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">We here at <a href="https://kanekocribs.tumblr.com/">Kaneko’s Crib Notes</a> have been researching the true
identities and origins of certain demons for the better part of a decade, along
with many other like-minded collaborators. The diversity of source and
reference at play in the series compendium is a sight to behold, but that same
variety includes origins of the utmost obscurity, particularly for an
English-speaking audience; many of these figures and sources of inspiration
have only the most paper-thin presence even in Japanese media. World Mythology is
a field of nearly immeasurable depth, so adding clumsy renderings to and from
katakana to the mix tends to complicate matters even further. But by turning
our attention to the oeuvre of one of Kaneko’s known influences, celebrated
artist and folklorist </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shigeru_Mizuki"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Shigeru
Mizuki</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">, we’ve
stumbled upon a motherlode of cribs and sources the likes of which we aren’t
likely to see again. And so we’ve decided to catalogue it all in one place: not
just the mountain of Mizuki cribwork, but the results of many years of hunting
for the identities and sources of the most mystifying figures to ever grace the
compendium. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5102004681763150356" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">This Crib has been years in the making, and for once that actually
means something. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/144356258107/revisiting-the-mystery-demons"><span style="color: #1155cc;">We’ve publicly discussed these endeavors before</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">, at least in microcosm, but this is
where the pieces really fall together. Read on and be acquainted with some of
the most persistent secrets the series has to offer!</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><span style="color: red;">PLEASE NOTE:</span></span></b></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">
<b>For all sections, the incorrectly romanized names of demons are given in quotes
and will be followed by the correct version (after “ROMANIZED NAME”). Not every
demon discussed has been romanized incorrectly nor have some even appeared in
an official capacity in English SMT releases, so a lack of quotes in certain
cases is deliberate on our part. </b></span></div>
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<h2>
<u><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Mystery Demons In Review</span></u></h2>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Some of the mystery demons haven’t been mysteries for a while.
Here’s a quick list of those previously uncovered. </span></div>
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<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">“Volvo” / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ボルボ</span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVsV7wvMlCQ8boPxP0CdBeRzLGWr1fPSF9vWsHH6P9Ee9Q5xcL4CyVRVI5FJj7j2_-z7JaKNpMQgkV4glF0z-bBtw2k01LDss33OQu5PYWo_NkRmzU_zIUBAbyRwVsx6mo36qAcXS6xXc/s1600/Bombo.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="128" data-original-width="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVsV7wvMlCQ8boPxP0CdBeRzLGWr1fPSF9vWsHH6P9Ee9Q5xcL4CyVRVI5FJj7j2_-z7JaKNpMQgkV4glF0z-bBtw2k01LDss33OQu5PYWo_NkRmzU_zIUBAbyRwVsx6mo36qAcXS6xXc/s1600/Bombo.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Bombo</b></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><strike>ATTENTION! URGENT MATTER: Bombo will be in Strange Journey Redux!</strike></span> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">Volvo lives on!</span></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">That one witch demon you maybe saw in SMT2 or Soul Hackers and never thought
about again. Associated with Hecate. Credit to </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Dijeh</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> for putting the work in here. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">STILL A MYSTERY: How Japanese got “Borubo” out of Bombo.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<ul><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/135197669512/athose-mystery-demonsny-more-luck-on-any-of-"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Source</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">) </span></li>
</span></ul>
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<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">“Moh Shuvuu” / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">モー・ショボー</span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSDEP1qpmp9DFj3wzDXYta7tuk-NBTzeJwu0l_GyVQ-MZfo-ZWhA0iRZ7lM7NR-H5hMN0RnoQMiyd43qt_ATCWNxlJ2MW5TUCbzTIe1M8_uek0DeGauTBW8qqsb6PLkQzNBSe1MW3RwXM/s1600/Moe.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="128" data-original-width="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSDEP1qpmp9DFj3wzDXYta7tuk-NBTzeJwu0l_GyVQ-MZfo-ZWhA0iRZ7lM7NR-H5hMN0RnoQMiyd43qt_ATCWNxlJ2MW5TUCbzTIe1M8_uek0DeGauTBW8qqsb6PLkQzNBSe1MW3RwXM/s1600/Moe.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Muu Shuwuu</b></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">One
of Chris Hansen’s two favorite demons.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://books.google.com/books?hl=ro&id=KW7IAAAAQBAJ&dq=muu+shuwuu&q=mayu+shibayu#v=onepage&q=muu%20shuwuu&f=false"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Source</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">)</span></li>
</ul>
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<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">“Aciel”
/ “Alciel” / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">アルシエル</span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3mHjN71YIxSgcZ_lImDjUJpymHbkGT_hXQ3lkTO5H_t9sKrX3oTCTwmtoIreoTuEI4wyBjQp8Nr6Bev4cWxAcorwt-F6-GhIbaxfUSsrhunXM66JyjVZjpHqRU_8x1A0X7sXJwAiofg/s1600/Alc.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="128" data-original-width="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3mHjN71YIxSgcZ_lImDjUJpymHbkGT_hXQ3lkTO5H_t9sKrX3oTCTwmtoIreoTuEI4wyBjQp8Nr6Bev4cWxAcorwt-F6-GhIbaxfUSsrhunXM66JyjVZjpHqRU_8x1A0X7sXJwAiofg/s1600/Alc.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Arsiel</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">It’s
finally the Black Sun’s time to properly shine. </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/144522239172/alciels-true-name-and-sources-have-been-found"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Source</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">)</span></li>
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<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">“Oserott”
/ </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">オセロット</span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTpqYknIH5kx14Iq49XZGcZjme90kMTrjPxuA72b5ncx5y5H0NzmsWEPb_kGSHhxaPDA4DCzIO_0RjLWfJlvroxlCE6zJDKuJMPnUIjVUAc-dwcwc2nyIDX6X2ngn8lk4CY_Wamnk0d2c/s1600/Oce.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTpqYknIH5kx14Iq49XZGcZjme90kMTrjPxuA72b5ncx5y5H0NzmsWEPb_kGSHhxaPDA4DCzIO_0RjLWfJlvroxlCE6zJDKuJMPnUIjVUAc-dwcwc2nyIDX6X2ngn8lk4CY_Wamnk0d2c/s1600/Oce.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Ocelotl</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Tezcatlipoca’s
obscure pets in Aztec myth.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/123387207122/who-exactly-is-ocelot-from-devil-summoner"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Source</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">)</span></li>
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<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">“Girimehkala”
/ </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ギリメカラ</span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0wthzEmktgpsDAkNbJtDaQg39YoHCnrjolpCP3EAns-BWBriGR6ZFQQd_XkcBop3IMCkuXNFiv9ST1mGitGlP-6bWJfQYwnTXe06CYEXj2ftUnIvh6AYtLyEs8aahK6G4meWaMsLZ5w8/s1600/Giri.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0wthzEmktgpsDAkNbJtDaQg39YoHCnrjolpCP3EAns-BWBriGR6ZFQQd_XkcBop3IMCkuXNFiv9ST1mGitGlP-6bWJfQYwnTXe06CYEXj2ftUnIvh6AYtLyEs8aahK6G4meWaMsLZ5w8/s1600/Giri.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Girimekhala</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">The
positions of the ‘k’ and ‘h’ make all the difference. Has actually been fixed
in SMT4, but yet remains misspelled as “Giri<i>MEH</i>kala” in other
instances, even as recently as Persona 5. Come on Atlus, you love Mara, so
why not rub out some of that love for his trusty steed, too?</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/93550028517/whither-girimekhala"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Source</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">)</span></li>
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<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">“Little
Rama” / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">リトル・ラマ</span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHL-e2zAbrcwYS968maqD2qSmjbmyo3UasEjUK7TGKRGc8N4TF3ERwe2ICAEEGb3FVQI1sxAa4wyDprkeHlGtMfcmv2HQL3RlxNQKSGhowRDj0DfplKcTlyVMwXMkhWuIhLLeCnvKIi4/s1600/Lama.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="90" data-original-width="91" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHL-e2zAbrcwYS968maqD2qSmjbmyo3UasEjUK7TGKRGc8N4TF3ERwe2ICAEEGb3FVQI1sxAa4wyDprkeHlGtMfcmv2HQL3RlxNQKSGhowRDj0DfplKcTlyVMwXMkhWuIhLLeCnvKIi4/s1600/Lama.gif" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Little Lama</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">As
in “Dalai Lama.” Another unlikely to appear again, but an SMT if… remake
could happen any day now… (not)</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/123853132352/would-you-happen-to-know-whos-ifs-little-rama"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Source</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">)</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;">
<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">“Horkos”
/ </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">オーカス</span></h4>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 595px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 81pt;">
<td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 81pt; padding: 5pt;" valign="top"><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQtlAPd3YHR5RngPw0wyv-z2w_vjb0TEHSCVno5dJnu6YuUCKubhyphenhyphenqjRfT9K69w37uJZSa8Ac4WQIIzouJdqjXteOrN2_lwNRcH4BoEffWKKgv4AGrXw6b3rgV_WYQOzfC9F-HIc7uS0/s1600/Orc.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="92" data-original-width="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQtlAPd3YHR5RngPw0wyv-z2w_vjb0TEHSCVno5dJnu6YuUCKubhyphenhyphenqjRfT9K69w37uJZSa8Ac4WQIIzouJdqjXteOrN2_lwNRcH4BoEffWKKgv4AGrXw6b3rgV_WYQOzfC9F-HIc7uS0/s1600/Orc.png" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: 1pt solid black; height: 81pt; padding: 5pt; width: 360.2pt;" valign="top" width="480"><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Orcus</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Yes,
both PIG and GATE are probably just supposed to be “Orcus.” No, that isn’t
fair. Possible solution: find a non-standard spelling for Orcus and apply it to PIG.
“Orkos”? Sadly, we haven't been able to find a decent alternative. </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/145075105612/orcushorkos-infodump-theres-a-lot-to-digest"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Source</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">)</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;">
<h3>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Chinese
demons and more covered in Nocturnal Revelations</span></h3>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">As
Eirikr covered in the SMT: Nocturne localization analysis </span><b><a href="http://personacentral.com/nocturnal-revelations-the-legacy-of-shin-megami-tenseis-first-localization-part-1/"><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Nocturnal Revelations</span></span></a></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">, translating Chinese names rendered in
Japanese into English is an exercise in mental languor. We can attest to this
from personal experience. But this just means there’s all the more reason to
utilize the correctly translated names when available. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Unfortunately,
this doesn’t always happen and this is particularly evident in the translations
for the Persona series. This is especially problematic as Persona is the
flagship for the entire franchise and the ultimate trendsetter for how people
perceive Megami Tensei and its assets. This means that many Chinese demons
simply go by their Japanese names in the games and in the general online
discourse for the franchise, which has created an impenetrable quagmire for
this specific subset of demons. Sometimes this bleeds over into the main Shin
Megami Tensei series. Here’s some of the biggest repeat offenders along with
some non-Chinese notables: </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;">
<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">“Purski”
/ </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">プルキシ</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> (or </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">プルシキ</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">)</span></h4>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 81pt;">
<td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 81pt; padding: 5pt;" valign="top"><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjge9A1laFVkMc_W3HI-GeRjpgmLByj4a37ReEqsdJp9WtvnB8z7CP20NglGTw08Cvfqi5X-a84NBoIBihfVwFJsSh3xrzZj-E1tFpJELZj0uVBFVO3VrxCKH12yZQ73XRVaDHV6UGEwSA/s1600/Pulu.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="128" data-original-width="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjge9A1laFVkMc_W3HI-GeRjpgmLByj4a37ReEqsdJp9WtvnB8z7CP20NglGTw08Cvfqi5X-a84NBoIBihfVwFJsSh3xrzZj-E1tFpJELZj0uVBFVO3VrxCKH12yZQ73XRVaDHV6UGEwSA/s1600/Pulu.png" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: 1pt solid black; height: 81pt; padding: 5pt;" valign="top"><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Pulukishi</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">This
white elephant would like to sell you his correct name. </span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;">
<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">“Gurr”
/ </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">グルル</span></h4>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 583px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 81pt;">
<td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 81pt; padding: 5pt;" valign="top"><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeWvhX6GQkyRqggPg733BSUZAK4k7bsLQKxnE38fbn7RW6Hhm8IjQ65cGB-D1ds-pv_1L8a_quqlC9NB_wopknALJRggOu_IozflrHYypB1muOvD8NkqWMFePeDpCP6am_BBn-4g4ISSk/s1600/Gurr.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="128" data-original-width="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeWvhX6GQkyRqggPg733BSUZAK4k7bsLQKxnE38fbn7RW6Hhm8IjQ65cGB-D1ds-pv_1L8a_quqlC9NB_wopknALJRggOu_IozflrHYypB1muOvD8NkqWMFePeDpCP6am_BBn-4g4ISSk/s1600/Gurr.png" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: 1pt solid black; height: 81pt; padding: 5pt; width: 355pt;" valign="top" width="473"><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Gurulu</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">One
of SMT’s longest-running goofs in English. </span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;">
<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">“Nata
Taishi” / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ナタタイシ</span></h4>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 81pt;">
<td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 81pt; padding: 5pt; width: 32pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlYcq5gyWtYDuc9t8-tLOFiyXpVyVwwEUwj-U1mCbGql5p0O08CyHxJuMQe3IH0QKQD2lXCXs_MJmmWOdWHNoYSaVS5S5UtkC40zKwsvvXuPz86z03kvLigeM5oHUmWwWDUCY04Db-2ow/s1600/devbu486.cmp.stex.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlYcq5gyWtYDuc9t8-tLOFiyXpVyVwwEUwj-U1mCbGql5p0O08CyHxJuMQe3IH0QKQD2lXCXs_MJmmWOdWHNoYSaVS5S5UtkC40zKwsvvXuPz86z03kvLigeM5oHUmWwWDUCY04Db-2ow/s200/devbu486.cmp.stex.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: 1pt solid black; height: 81pt; padding: 5pt; width: 405pt;" valign="top" width="540"><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Nezha</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">This is one that’s occasionally correct. </span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;">
<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">“Long”
/ ”Seiryu” / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">セイリュウ</span></h4>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 81pt;">
<td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 81pt; padding: 5pt; width: 32pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDZ1vF8Ji4ZcDIbDu_0rgbFEwbTn6T3qCqfjNHVgHs1qJ-_TIy4Vy8CJoWQdmoSqgsIDIH9Sp5N1Pd0iOMVieBZPtJ_1XDbQ4yh3d_2Kn-YEzliC3jI5lviaP_OhXd01Z52hQWE8FZZU/s1600/devbu176.cmp.stex.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDZ1vF8Ji4ZcDIbDu_0rgbFEwbTn6T3qCqfjNHVgHs1qJ-_TIy4Vy8CJoWQdmoSqgsIDIH9Sp5N1Pd0iOMVieBZPtJ_1XDbQ4yh3d_2Kn-YEzliC3jI5lviaP_OhXd01Z52hQWE8FZZU/s200/devbu176.cmp.stex.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: 1pt solid black; height: 81pt; padding: 5pt; width: 410pt;" valign="top" width="547"><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Qinglong</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Technically
correct, just not entirely correct. Needs to be Qinglong to form the set. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">“Feng Huang” / “Suzaku” / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">スザク</span></h4>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 81pt;">
<td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 81pt; padding: 5pt; width: 32pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ipUfR6stCinr4CkBV2SSjhGHbrdnSQj7TVNA9BN_KIjRWJYiTcPogUQI8IuIE2Jj8rSoaJZAgXZtBGJCtCr4u7M0pckUT-weJCR-CQGfmh2hjavVwnqGF4U0uQkZiDGqidsyDMPuW2g/s1600/devbu016.cmp.stex.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ipUfR6stCinr4CkBV2SSjhGHbrdnSQj7TVNA9BN_KIjRWJYiTcPogUQI8IuIE2Jj8rSoaJZAgXZtBGJCtCr4u7M0pckUT-weJCR-CQGfmh2hjavVwnqGF4U0uQkZiDGqidsyDMPuW2g/s200/devbu016.cmp.stex.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: 1pt solid black; height: 81pt; padding: 5pt; width: 410pt;" valign="top" width="547"><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Zhuque</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">“Feng
Huang” is a different bird entirely (whose name is spelled Hou-ou [</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ホウオウ</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">] in Japanese), while Zhuque is the
Vermilion Bird of the Chinese beasts of the cardinal directions. </span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;">
<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">“Gui
Xian” / “Genbu” / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ゲンブ</span></h4>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 81pt;">
<td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 81pt; padding: 5pt; width: 32pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: 1pt solid black; height: 81pt; padding: 5pt; width: 410pt;" valign="top" width="547"><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Xuanwu</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">What’s
a “gui xian,” blah blah. Please be Xuanwu so we can summon all four
correctly-named beasts, yadda yadda yadda. </span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;">
<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">“Byakko”
/ </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ビャッコ</span></h4>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 81pt;">
<td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 81pt; padding: 5pt; width: 32pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: 1pt solid black; height: 81pt; padding: 5pt; width: 410pt;" valign="top" width="547"><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Baihu</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Again, Baihu usually has the correct name in English
localizations, just not in Persona (for reasons discussed below). </span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">“Kohryu” / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">コウリュウ</span></h4>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 81pt;">
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Huang Long</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Ditto with Huang Long. He told us he wants his name to be
properly romanized in Chinese all the time! He <i>did</i>! </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">A long
time ago, a little bird perched atop my (Eirikr’s) shoulder and whispered
into my ear Atlus USA’s reasoning behind using the Japanese names for the
Chinese demons in Persona and it was simply that, because the characters were
all Japanese, they would then know the Chinese demons by their Japanese names,
since they are supposed to be emerging from the psyches anyway. But by that logic,
Cu Chulainn should be called “Ku Foorin” in English localizations of Persona
games. Additionally, this “rule” is applied inconsistently with other Chinese
personas, such as Hua Po, who is known in the Persona localizations as... Hua
Po and not "Kahaku." Does this mean that all the Japanese teens are just intimately familiar
with her original Chinese myth and pronunciation? Or does it mean that this
idea is inconsistently applied at best and completely pointless and
non-immersive at worst? </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">To Atlus</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: Please stop using the Japanese names
for Chinese demons, particularly for those you’ve already gotten correct in the
past, like Nezha. Chinese gods and folkloric figures are Chinese, not Japanese.
Mistakes aside, the internal reasoning for why they go by Japanese names is
faulty and should be abandoned post-haste. For a localization intended for an
English-speaking audience, Japanese names for Chinese demons is not just
incorrect, it is misrepresenting an entire culture and language. </span></div>
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<h3>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">While
we’re here...</span></h3>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">It’s
obvious what the names of these things are. What’s not so obvious is where they
come from! (Or vice versa.)</span></div>
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<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Es / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">エス</span></h4>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-family: verdana;">This
one’s just here for comprehensiveness. To think that it’s a demonization of a
Freudian concept! Doubtful it has much of a chance to reappear, but you never
know how desperate Atlus might get for "new" Kaneko art someday.</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/125723089927/any-clue-as-to-why-es-was-put-under-wood"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Source</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">)</span></li>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Queen
Mab / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">クイーンメイブ</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">It’s
not immediately apparent who Queen Mab is supposed to represent. Luckily,
she’s just Queen Mab.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">I’m Queen MAD that this is as
convoluted as it is, haha, little bird of wordplay for you there</span></i></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Anyway, about those Galley fellows...</span></i><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/145233380737/i-might-or-might-not-be-the-only-one-whos-a"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Source</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">)</span></li>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="background-color: white;">UPDATE!</span></span> Galley Trot & Galley Beggar (and some of the other demons found in An Encyclopedia of Fairies) / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ギャリートロット</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">& </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ギャリーベガー</span></h4>
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</h4>
<span style="color: black;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Fairies-Hobgoblins-Supernatural-Creatures/dp/0394409183/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1504667163&sr=8-1"><i>An Encyclopedia of Fairies</i></a> by Katharine Briggs is one of those books that, while flipping through it (<a href="https://archive.org/details/BriggsKatharineMaryAnEncyclopediaOfFairies/mode/2up?view=theater" target="_blank">which you can do right here if you wish</a>), can induce the realization that it was probably used as source material
for SMT. After all, <a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E5%A6%96%E7%B2%BE%E4%BA%8B%E5%85%B8-%E3%82%AD%E3%83%A3%E3%82%B5%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3-%E3%83%96%E3%83%AA%E3%83%83%E3%82%B0%E3%82%BA/dp/457200093X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1504667755&sr=1-2">it was published in Japanese in September of 1992</a>,
probably too late for SMT1 but fair game for everything after.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> <br /><br />That brings us to these two weird things we’d never
really thought about before but caught out attention for being listed in the book quite logically side-by-side. That
convenience is the only reason they’re here! But the Galleys' mere presence isn't the only thing of note in <i>An Encyclopedia of Fairies</i>: the spellings it uses for certain entries may have affected how Japanese publications romanized their names. Take <a href="http://i.imgur.com/5zxFqEV.jpg">the Cait Sith entry</a>, more easily found in English sources as a "Cat" Sith but usually seen in Japanese games as "Cait," or Soul Hackers' demon teddy bear Bugs, <a href="http://i.imgur.com/2eRRAIl.jpg">its very name rationally grouped in the <i>Encylopedia</i> among the bugaboos and bugbears</a>, showing it is not a fabricated variant. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Yowie / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ヨーウィー</span></h4>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Isn’t
a Yowie supposed to be some Bigfoot-like cryptid instead of a snake with ant
legs per Kaneko’s design? The thing about Australian stuff is that their
indigenous peoples have a broad spectrum of local legends and belief systems
even if there are some broad commonalities between them. Yowie appears to be
one of these cases, as we found a book titled <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Things-That-Never-Were/dp/0140100083">The Encyclopedia of Things That Never Were</a></i> featuring the insect-legged Yowie, one that predates the
Kaneko Devil Summoner design. We’re not calling this a direct Crib as Kaneko
opted for a complete snake body instead of a mix-and-match, but it seems
likely as the source that disseminated the Yowie into Japanese culture, as
the insect/lizard/snake version predominates the humanoid in Japanese
depictions. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Aerophant / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">アエロファンテ</span></span></h4>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">It
may be tempting to look at Aerophant and settle the matter as a <i>Dumbo</i>
homage, but he actually has the odd distinction of a triple-layer crib. The
second part is in reference to a </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seeing_pink_elephants"><span style="color: #1155cc;">folksy euphemism</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">, which also figures into the </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl3YXl_m0uk"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Dumbo
nod</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">, but the
final and most striking pull is from Joan Fontcuberta’s </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://v1.zonezero.com/exposiciones/fotografos/fontcuberta/pg17.html"><i><span style="color: #1155cc;">Fauna</span></i></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">, from which the name “Aerophant” is taken. The premise
is simply that the flying Aerophant is a joke courtesy of the fictional Dr.
Ameisenhaufen, making this one of the more bizarre sources for a demon in the
compendium, which is really saying something. </span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">:</span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> “Joan Fontcuberta, that’s kind of an
oblique reference”, but of course, OF COURSE</span></i></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Classic Fontcuberta. That’s no
sarcasm either, faking stuff is his wheelhouse. This is also a name that
appears in Mizuki’s works, but we haven’t been able to track down Mizuki’s
art, so, for now, Aerophant appears in this section. In all likelihood,
however, Kaneko saw the Aerophant first in Mizuki, but we can’t know for sure
until we take a gander at the senior artist’s interpretation.<b> </b></span></i><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Maria / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">マリア</span></h4>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">IMPLIED
ROMANIZATION: <b>Mary</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">No,
calling the mother of Jesus “Maria” isn’t technically wrong, as that’s her
name in most languages; English is one of the only major languages NOT to
spell her name that way. But why do the Japanese call her “Maria”? For the
same reason they call a rosary a “rosario”: Much of their Christian
terminology originally came by way of Portuguese Jesuit missionaries in the
16th century. So, to render her name as “Maria” in Shin Megami Tensei would
essentially be to transliterate into Portuguese, not translate into common
English usage, aka Mary. This is precisely the same as why we use Latin
“Cerberus” instead of the original Greek “Kerberos,” because “Cerberus” is
part of the fabric of our language. (Black Maria is a separate topic
altogether, though.) </span></div>
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<h2>
<u><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Non-Mizuki
Mystery Demons</span></u></h2>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">The time will come for Mizuki to subsume this article entirely,
but we’re not quite there yet. For now, here are some more one-time head
scratchers that don’t quite fit elsewhere, though we assure you they’re no
slouches either!</span></div>
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<h4>
<span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">UPDATED!</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> "Rakcharango" / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ラクチャランゴ</span></h4>
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<td style="border-left: none; border: 1pt solid black; height: 81pt; padding: 5pt; width: 361pt;" valign="top" width="481"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;"><strike><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">We
were ready to give up on Rakcharango, relegating it to translation
limbo.
It’s not a question of whether it exists or not, as the beast is fixed
to the
Buddhist deity <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamantaka">Yamantaka</a>, who definitely rides a buffalo. Even though
Yamantaka and his buffalo are available wherever esoteric Buddhism is
found (Japan included), Shin Megami Tensei defines Rakcharango as the
Tibetan variant; the only
thing we could dig up on that front is an alternate Tibetan name for
Yamantaka, Dorje Jigje. Moreover, Yamantaka is a kind of inversion of
the
Hindu Yama, who rides a buffalo named Paundraka. The only truly
tantalizing
clue we found was an alternate name in Japanese for the buffalo, </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ルゴンギエンポ</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">, which unfortunately led nowhere.
Turns out that we were barking up the wrong tree and should have been looking
at the name itself: “Rakcha” means “blessed” or “holy” and “rango” means
“buffalo.” After so many dead-end searches this almost sounds too good
to be true, but we’ll take it all the same. The only problem is that this is
Nepali, not Tibetan, but who’s to say the original Japanese information is
even correct? Special thanks to <a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/User:Miwasatoshi">Miwasatoshi</a> and <a href="https://indecisive-grenadier.tumblr.com/">indecisive-grenadier</a> for the
save here. Seriously.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> </span></strike></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;">
<ul>
<li><strike><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://supportnepal.org.au/2015/09/rakchagarah-may-you-be-blessed-and-protected/"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Source 1</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">) </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Talk:Rakcharango"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Source 2</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">)</span></strike></li>
</ul><div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Raksha Lango</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Unfortunately, all the previous info about this beast was a wild goose chase. <a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/186704069952/rakcharango-is-actually-just-a-really-bad" target="_blank">Thanks to a gracious anon a few years ago</a>, we learned that "Rakcharango" was simply a bad romanization for our Tibetan/Bhutanese bull. Search for 'Raksha Lango' and see all the traditional bull masks you find! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>
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<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">“Tammuz”
/ </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">タムズ</span></h4>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Thamuz</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Scorpion-man, Scorpion-man, does whatever a Mesopotamian
harvest
god... isn’t? “Tammuz” in scorpion form appeared in most early Megami
Tensei
and Shin Megami Tensei titles, taunting proper identification all the
way.
Was this horrible arachnid really intended to be the “beautiful” god
Tammuz?
<a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/123910671042/the-recent-talk-about-the-archangels-in-smt4-got">As previous research explains</a>, profiles of this demon track it to
Spain, but any subsequent search into the monstrous history of the
Iberian Peninsula left us with
that empty feeling in our souls. Luckily, a clue was embedded in the
Japanese
spelling of the demon scorpion’s name (</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">タムズ</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">) versus the typical spelling of god Tammuz’s (</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">タンムーズ</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">);
a distinction was intended! So, as
it turned out, our scorpion “Tammuz” is sourced to none other than the
<i>Dictionnaire Infernal</i>. While obviously a demonization of the deity,
this
demon, called Thamuz in the original French, is a separate entity all
its own
and confirmed to be the inspiration for the Megami Tensei demon as the
<i>Dictionnaire Infernal</i> calls him Hell’s ambassador to Spain.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Unfortunately,
the <i>Infernal Dictionary</i> doesn’t ascribe him a scorpion form, but we
have
confirmed that scorpion Thamuz exists in a book that predates the
original
Megami Tensei and his first appearance by over a decade. Jaguar Books' <i>World Yokai Picture Book</i> (</span><a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/4835453565/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">世界妖怪図鑑</a><span style="font-family: "verdana";">) from the 1970s offers a quick blurb and basic illustration for Thamuz (the green segment of the leftmost image)
using the
same Japanese spelling the games use, and locates him in Spain. No, we
can’t at the moment reconcile the <i>Dictionnaire Infernal</i> demon with this
later
scorpion evolution, but we’re pleased as punch just to be able to say,
“It’s
not Tammuz, it’s Thamuz!”</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Another one of those figures that
really seemed like a uniquely Japanese interpretation at first. Can you
believe he was sitting in the Dictionnaire the whole while? The chutzpah on
this guy.</span></i></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">I couldn’t quite believe it was that
simple. I would still love to figure out where a scorpion entered the
picture, but I think I’m satisfied having connected A to C. </span></i><br />
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<br /><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><span style="color: red;">NEW!</span> "Cyak" / キャク</span></h4>
<h4>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Khyak</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Don't let the hairy frame and friendly (?) smile fool you, this Nepalese moppet was a real stickler, one discussed for inclusion in this article but I think conveniently ignored because we were both tired of researching these things by the end. And research this diminutive hairball we did not, as its real identity comes courtesy of <b>Befuddled Mike</b> from the comments of <a href="http://www.bogleech.com/halloween/hall17-smt2.html">Bogleech's second SMT demon article</a>! Called Khyah, Kack, or Khyak (the latter seems to be implication of the katakana rendering), this is another we're relieved to cross off the mysteries list. </span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";"><b><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></i></b></span></i></b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">:</span></i></span></i><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";"><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> </span></i></b></span></i></b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">A matching set with his more popular buddy, Kwancha, and one of the few other Nepalese demons on the roster.</span></i></span></i><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";"> </span></i></b><br />
<br />
<b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah, speaking of Kwancha, going by the Khyak sources its name is spelled "K<b>a</b>wancha." Usually. So because it's just as easy to find it spelled "Kwancha" in non-SMT sources, we're going to have to say it's merely a variant and not an error. Sorry Kwancha, you weren't worth your own entry! </span></i><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> </span></i></b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">(<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khyah_(legendary_creature)">Source 1</a>) (<a href="http://localnepaltoday.com/the-folklore-project/#chapter4">Source 2</a>)</span></li>
</ul>
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<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><br />“Atsuyu” / “Souyou” / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">アツユ</span></h4>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Yayu</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Turns
out the obscure “Atsuyu” is simply one of the many, many critters from
Chinese folklore boasting a human face on an animal body, likely making him a
solid candidate for reintroduction into the compendium going forward, for some
reason. </span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">No, really, I defy this thing to
appear in a new game.</span></i></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">I can’t wait for it to show up in
Strange Journey Redux, then. </span></i><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/145807869252/so-while-were-on-mystery-demons-do-you-know-what"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Source</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">)</span></li>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">“Sage of Time” / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ときのおきな</span></h4>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Father Time</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">A
mistake that’s easily overlooked, the English translation for this winged
gentleman makes it seem like he’s an entirely original creation instead of
the personification of time. Part of the problem, as it were, is that this
guy’s Japanese name is written with Japanese words instead of just a
transliterated “Fazaa Taimu.” This name, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://jisho.org/word/%E6%99%82"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "ms gothic";">とき</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">の</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://jisho.org/word/%E7%BF%81"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "ms gothic";">おきな</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> “toki no okina,” literally means something
like “old man of time,” but a search for the term clearly finds sources that
confirm that it is indeed supposed to be the being known in the West as
Father Time. Knowing this makes him a lot more interesting as a demon! Thanks to <b>Furniture Person</b> for pointing this out to us! </span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Does the presence of a hoary old
Father Time help explain the more, er, creative direction Kaneko took with
<a href="http://68.media.tumblr.com/0f711f97cb3f4d6332b31865081b7970/tumblr_nyployGrdp1rm3a56o9_1280.jpg">Saturnus</a>? Probably not. </span></i></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">That reminds me, Saturnus is another
one of those demons that maybe has the “wrong” name (in that it is two
letters too long going by common English usage of “Saturn”) due to Japanese
defaulting to Latin and Greek names for demons from those respective regions.
Yes, I’m the one person that cares about this! </span></i></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: red;">NEW!</span> Willy / ウィリー</span></h4>
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</td><td style="border-left: none; border: 1pt solid black; height: 81pt; padding: 5pt; width: 383pt;" valign="top" width="511"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Another from <i>An Encyclopedia of Fairies</i>, Shin Megami Tensei if...'s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will-o%27-the-wisp"><i>ignis fatuus</i></a> variant Willy is quite obviously based on the illustration accompanying his entry in the book. Same torches, same hair curl, same leg lifted in joyful mischief, same chances of ever appearing in another SMT game (zero). </span><br />
<br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">It doesn't look like the illustration originated from An Encyclopedia of Fairies though, so if we ever find the actual source we'll update the entry, potentially even as a separate KCN post. </span></span></td></tr>
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</h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><span style="color: red;"><br />NEW!</span> "Zaccoum" / ザックーム</span></h4>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Zaqqum</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nSk0iTPydnfBeF0R3XCBZCwWdy5_hLFxPNhH3JZdvJLEqulE_SktqjYvSLM60E2MPVH6cjFFAqkYfubwEAy4hEpz5kxnIRBesMFAEsNPhpi6Ie10ilGc9zPkPA4Jj6j74yUGOj29U5Y/s1600/zac.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="254" data-original-width="405" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nSk0iTPydnfBeF0R3XCBZCwWdy5_hLFxPNhH3JZdvJLEqulE_SktqjYvSLM60E2MPVH6cjFFAqkYfubwEAy4hEpz5kxnIRBesMFAEsNPhpi6Ie10ilGc9zPkPA4Jj6j74yUGOj29U5Y/s200/zac.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">The spelling "Zaccoum," which probably appears courtesy of its Pandemonium entry (pictured right), is only technically incorrect by way of a superfluous "c," but even then the "Zacoum" rendering seems to mostly appear in French sources--one of which is none other than the <i>Dictionnaire Infernal</i>. So not only is "Zacoum" not quite English and more arcane than necessary given the lack of search results, it appears perhaps most ignominiously in an infamous text written with a Christian bias, perhaps not the utmost authority on Islamic hell trees. This is why it's better off with the romanized Arabic spelling, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaqqum">Zaqqum</a>. </span></div>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionnaire_infernal/6e_%C3%A9d.,_1863/Zacoum">Dictionnaire Infernal entry</a> </span></li>
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<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> </span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Dzolob / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ツォロム</span></h4>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Yeah, it’s Dzolob</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">look
at you, you bum, ain’t never done nothing for nobody</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">:</span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> He’s real. He’s here. He’s Dzolob.</span></i></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">:</span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> He’s a real sack of shit is what he
is. </span></i></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">So I was at this party one time,
right. We were grillin’ some dogs and downing some brewskies. In walks in
Dzolob with his handcuffs and skin in dire need of some Neutrogena and
everyone just goes into hysterics. Like I almost fell in the pool with my
Keystone Light I was laughing so hard. I'm sorry, Dzolob. You're just so...Dzolob. </span></i><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://previews.123rf.com/images/auremar/auremar1211/auremar121103254/16471996-Man-holding-his-nose-against-a-bad-smell-Stock-Photo.jpg"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Source</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">)</span></li>
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<h2>
<u><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Mizuki’s Mystery Demon Encyclopedia</span></u></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2HsXhYPXE5nh-PMCLGLazKLbYrmNalE7BTkCrt4yr1IXUytZYm58SFYdlmP6lflttrz3dnnQLfjkRzV4gJ2HKLVZyHZF3BDYRNEWvCiFOEZ1WXNhyQSEwwvPuo6YKuusXv4q2jS4NfU/s1600/Mizuki2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="412" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2HsXhYPXE5nh-PMCLGLazKLbYrmNalE7BTkCrt4yr1IXUytZYm58SFYdlmP6lflttrz3dnnQLfjkRzV4gJ2HKLVZyHZF3BDYRNEWvCiFOEZ1WXNhyQSEwwvPuo6YKuusXv4q2jS4NfU/s320/Mizuki2.jpg" width="211" /></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">The influence of the late, great Shigeru Mizuki on Japanese pop
culture is difficult to overstate. Without going into too much detail, the man,
through his prolific body of work (and particularly through contemporary
cornerstone </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeGeGe_no_Kitar%C5%8D" style="font-style: italic;">GeGeGe no Kitaro</a>)</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">, was responsible for a sort of
Yokai-renaissance that persists to this day, preserving what was at the time an
aspect of the culture that was gradually fading into obscurity. Persisting through the loss of his left arm during service in WWII, Mizuki continued producing comics and lavish folklore compendiums through much of his adult life, leaving behind a legacy that strains itemization. Perhaps most striking of all, his work bears the mark of some very real immersion in the cultures concerned, with over 60 countries under his belt by the end of his life in the name of fieldwork. </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Contemporary Japanese works dealing
even broadly with the supernatural, from <i>Spirited Away </i>to the perhaps more obvious <i>Yokai-Watch,</i> owe a great debt of gratitude to Mizuki, and <i>Shin
Megami Tensei</i> is no exception. Kaneko in particular seems to have been a
devout fan, something that became clear as time and time again we traced
obscure demons and designs back to Mizuki, whose oeuvre reached well beyond Japanese folklore and into the annals of world mythology.</span></div>
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<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Yakou / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ヤコウ</span></h4>
</div>
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<tbody>
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<td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 27pt; padding: 5pt; text-align: center;" valign="top"><div style="margin: 0in 7pt;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Mizuki’s
version </span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 27pt; padding: 5pt; text-align: center; width: 219.35pt;" valign="top" width="292"><div style="margin: 0in 7pt;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Kaneko’s
version </span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 46pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizwcilJqYFxmF_V4KtLmY_XMpz4xVgSmlhNJvpBABcLHXjPlVbbLWpDh5seRBnKvIO-8-LreXhlhMfDUxPBsroL1T8yvzKFHy7olpQegZQTmxt16sRXW5UIcNLeqxuNLwa99-7akgtMaE/s1600/412+Yakou.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1226" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizwcilJqYFxmF_V4KtLmY_XMpz4xVgSmlhNJvpBABcLHXjPlVbbLWpDh5seRBnKvIO-8-LreXhlhMfDUxPBsroL1T8yvzKFHy7olpQegZQTmxt16sRXW5UIcNLeqxuNLwa99-7akgtMaE/s320/412+Yakou.jpg" width="245" /></a></div>
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<tr style="height: 42pt;">
<td colspan="2" style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid black; height: 42pt; padding: 5pt; width: 446pt;" valign="top" width="595"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 7.0pt; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 7pt 0in 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">For
ages, the only clue as to the source for this guy was his name and its
potential implication of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyakki_Yagy%C5%8D">Hyakki Yakou</a>-style debauchery. But, of course, Yakou simply appears to be based on Mizuki's <a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%A4%9C%E8%A1%8C%E3%81%95%E3%82%93">Yagyo-san</a>, and if Mizuki isn't the character's progenitor (a la Jubokko) then he certainly codified its appearance in Japanese media.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Yakou
is first on the list, but it was only at the tail-end of our search that we
turned our attention to him. So at that point we were savvy enough to simply
say “What is this thing? “Yakou”? It’s probably just Mizuki”, and lo and
behold.<b><br />
<br />
</b></span></i><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">“It’s probably Mizuki” became our
default reaction as time went on. I was honestly taken aback when certain
things weren’t Mizuki. </span></i></div>
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<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Peallaidh / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ピアレイ</span></h4>
</div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Mizuki’s
version</span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 27pt; padding: 5pt; text-align: center; width: 232.35pt;" valign="top" width="310"><div style="margin: 0in 7pt;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Kaneko’s
version</span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 46pt;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid black; height: 46pt; padding: 5pt;" valign="top"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 7.0pt; margin-right: 7.0pt; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 7pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZeX62w0uP1S-U3r-1eYAPrQOrlQiSfWqLNJycKO5ikBDMmegAY3JeiwOGoluBymrkdoVSy02jyRl-v-lulIBNqAzMSr03xZ3jhiw2yhtXe2iaZ2XKIvmPKMg8j_jftBOtNUQb9GSryiU/s1600/326+Peallaidh.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1291" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZeX62w0uP1S-U3r-1eYAPrQOrlQiSfWqLNJycKO5ikBDMmegAY3JeiwOGoluBymrkdoVSy02jyRl-v-lulIBNqAzMSr03xZ3jhiw2yhtXe2iaZ2XKIvmPKMg8j_jftBOtNUQb9GSryiU/s320/326+Peallaidh.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
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<td colspan="2" style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid black; height: 42pt; padding: 5pt; width: 446pt;" valign="top" width="595"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 7.0pt; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 7pt 0in 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Though
it’s missing the distinctive mask, Mizuki’s shaggy mossman appears to have
been the inspiration behind Kaneko’s Peallaidh design, especially in the
absence of other compelling depictions. No word yet on whether the latter
shares the former’s predilection towards terrorizing Scottish youth, but…
probably. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 7.0pt; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 7pt 0in 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 7.0pt; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 7pt 0in 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://archive.org/details/BriggsKatharineMaryAnEncyclopediaOfFairies/page/n351/mode/2up?view=theater" target="_blank">Peallaidh is another profiled in Briggs' <i>Fairies</i></a>. </span></div>
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<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><span style="color: red;">NEW!</span> Culebre / クエレプレ</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
</h4>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Original reference </span></b></div>
</td><td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 27pt; padding: 5pt; text-align: center;" valign="top"><div style="margin: 0in 7pt;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Mizuki’s
version</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 27pt; padding: 5pt; text-align: center; width: 160.05pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div style="margin: 0in 7pt;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Kaneko’s
version</span></b></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 46pt;"><td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid black; height: 46pt; padding: 5pt;" valign="top"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span id="goog_971445376"></span><span id="goog_971445377"></span><br /></td><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid black; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid black; border-top: none; height: 46pt; padding: 5pt;" valign="top"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 7.0pt; margin-right: 7.0pt; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 7pt;">
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-family: verdana;">Culebre is an alum of <a href="https://kanekocribs.tumblr.com/post/146727056896/kanekos-crib-notes-xxxix-shigeru-mizuki-there">our previous Mizuki KCN volume</a>, but we're returning to the subject here mostly to discuss the reference Mizuki used, an illustration from folklore collector <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Lang">Andrew Lang</a>'s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Lang%27s_Fairy_Books#The_Pink_Fairy_Book_.281897.29">The Pink Fairy Book</a> with the evocative caption "Old Eric Catches Hans." Seen in a story called "Hans, the Mermaid's Son," the scene of Old Eric emerging from the water was reproduced by Mizuki for his Culebre in <i>almost</i> exacting detail, with far more similarities than dissimilarities. Looking at the both of them side by side and they practically become a Spot the Difference game (the things that look like apples! the shirt!). Regardless, this traces the lineage of Kaneko's Culebre design back to a completely unexpected source and perhaps one of which he himself would be entirely unaware. </span></div>
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<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><br />Hoyau Kamui / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ホヤウカムイ</span></h4>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Mizuki’s
version</span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 27pt; padding: 5pt; text-align: center; width: 232.35pt;" valign="top" width="310"><div style="margin: 0in 7pt;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Kaneko’s
version</span></b></div>
</td>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">We
had a hunch that Kaneko’s Hoyau Kamui would be sourced to Mizuki; a
collection of Mizuki’s Ainu illustrations confirmed our guess. There are only
so many winged goblin sharks in the sea (or lake, as the compendium data
would have it), so this seems to have been as simple as Kaneko leafing
through his collection of Mizuki memorabilia to round out some Ainu
representation. And while the background ascribed to Hoyau via the compendium
has yet to be verified, we do at least know <a href="https://books.google.ro/books?id=JVnMBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA154&dq=hoyau+kamui&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwin88yTg7nJAhVHBywKHVHrDHgQ6AEIJTAB#v=onepage&q=hoyau%20kamui&f=false">the etymology behind the name</a>
supports both it and Kaneko’s addition of a serpentine body.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">You
may not know Hoyau in the flesh (and who could blame you?), but there’s a
good chance you’ve seen that compendium data in either SMTIV or its sequel,
pinch-hitting for Orochi’s own description. An inconspicuous gaffe for the
most part, but it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it Hoyau’s real legacy
in the series at this point.</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> <br />
<b><br />
</b></span><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">A foul stench indeed; who knows how
long it will be overlooked? </span></i></div>
</td>
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<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><span style="color: red;">NEW!</span> Koropokkur / コロポックル</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
</h4>
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<tr style="height: 27pt;"><td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 27pt; padding: 5pt; text-align: center;" valign="top"><div style="margin: 0in 7pt;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Mizuki’s
version</span></b></div>
</td><td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 27pt; padding: 5pt; text-align: center; width: 232.35pt;" valign="top" width="310"><div style="margin: 0in 7pt;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Kaneko’s
version</span></b></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 46pt;"><td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid black; height: 46pt; padding: 5pt;" valign="top"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 7.0pt; margin-right: 7.0pt; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 7pt;">
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</div>
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</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 42pt;"><td colspan="2" style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid black; height: 42pt; padding: 5pt; width: 446pt;" valign="top" width="595"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Another Ainu favorite, the popular depiction of the Koropokkur as a sprite advanced in years seemingly owes much to Mizuki's take. Kaneko doesn't deviate in any major ways. The leaf held by the Koropokkur is of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petasites_japonicus">butterbur plant</a>. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><br />Halphas / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ハルパス</span></h4>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">World Yokai & Mizuki</span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 27pt; padding: 5pt; text-align: center; width: 232.35pt;" valign="top" width="310"><div style="margin: 0in 7pt;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Kaneko’s
version</span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
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</div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 42pt;"><td colspan="2" style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid black; height: 42pt; padding: 5pt; width: 446pt;" valign="top" width="595"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 7.0pt; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 7pt 0in 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">There’s
something odd about Kaneko’s Halphas if you’re at all familiar with the Louis
Le Breton’s demon illustrations: His design closely resembles Caim’s bird
form! Given Halphas’ prowess with arms and munitions, it is a reasonable
appropriation since Halphas doesn’t have an illustration of his own in the
Dictionnaire Infernal. However, it goes deeper. In the Jaguar Books <i>World Yokai Picture Book</i>, previously mentioned in Thamuz’s section, many
of the demon illustrations are reproduced and a great deal of them are
misidentified. So which name is attached to bird-Caim? "</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">ハルパス" or<span style="font-family: "ms gothic";"> </span>“Halphas,” as you can
see. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 7.0pt; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 7pt 0in 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 7.0pt; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 7pt 0in 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">This misnomer would extend to Mizuki’s version, an illustration
presumably produced for his </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akuma-kun"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Akuma-kun</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> series, though it’s honestly hard to
know exactly which came first without being intimately familiar with
Akuma-kun--something we aren’t! Either way, it’s seems this misnomer is
ultimately responsible for Kaneko’s Halphas. The pantaloons, however, are all
Kaneko.</span></div>
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<h3>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><i>World Yokai Encyclopedia: The World is GeGeGe</i> and Soul Hackers’
Enigmatic Eight</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0126JxzvmdLL_1p8U1xAjlmvTP0t3fxo03yURmhn4mVCcKRLGQV4oHuk4glXjif_Ehy_7iE5weaBtpO0-ou0REzRRH34V_fxt3aA2AO0AvSW_GfVKano3g-znu9SmuR5cHOPnQyzsH2Q/s1600/wiggg.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="401" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0126JxzvmdLL_1p8U1xAjlmvTP0t3fxo03yURmhn4mVCcKRLGQV4oHuk4glXjif_Ehy_7iE5weaBtpO0-ou0REzRRH34V_fxt3aA2AO0AvSW_GfVKano3g-znu9SmuR5cHOPnQyzsH2Q/s200/wiggg.jpg" width="125" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Mizuki's <i>The World<br /> is GeGeGe</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">For being a relatively recent game in terms of Kaneko’s design
output, Soul Hackers provided the English localization cause a handful of new,
yet obscure spirits and creatures, a select few of which have eluded proper identification until only just recently (explaining why this post released when it did). After years and years of frustrating,
fruitless research and innumerable dead ends, certain demons of the lot proved to be seemingly insurmountable challenges, appearing nowhere on the whole of the Internet as far as we could surmise--and if it's not on the World Wide Web, it doesn't exist, right? These true devils we were contemptuously ready to judge as mere inventions of Kaneko's, if only so we could finally move on and try to salvage what remained of our lives. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Ultimately thanks
to a lucky Google search, we were able to find a Mizuki book called </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E5%A6%96%E6%80%AA%E5%A4%A7%E5%85%A8%E2%80%95%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E3%81%AF%E3%82%B2%E3%82%B2%E3%82%B2-%E6%B0%B4%E6%9C%A8-%E3%81%97%E3%81%92%E3%82%8B/dp/4087801500"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><i>World Yokai Encyclopedia: The World is GeGeGe</i></span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> which appeared to contain the answers
we had been deprived of for so long. Fortunately, it was exactly as good as
we’d hoped! As you’ll see, Kaneko almost certainly read this book sometime
between its publication in 1994 and Soul Hackers’ release in 1997, as it’s no
coincidence that Soul Hackers’ aforementioned new demon obscurities also appear
in <i>The World is GeGeGe</i>. </span></div>
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<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Bilwis / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ビルヴィス</span></h4>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Mizuki’s
version</span></b></div>
</div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: 1pt solid black; height: 27pt; padding: 5pt; width: 232.35pt;" valign="top" width="310"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 7.0pt; margin-right: 7.0pt; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 7pt;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Kaneko’s
version</span></b></div>
</div>
</td>
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<td colspan="2" style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid black; height: 42pt; padding: 5pt; width: 446pt;" valign="top" width="595"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 7.0pt; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 7pt 0in 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Bilwis
here barely counts among the Enigmatic Eight as he’s hardly obscure or
misidentified, but since he appears in <i>The World is GeGeGe</i> it’s just too
convenient to assume that Kaneko found the inspiration for his inclusion
there, along with his “brethren.” That said, you won’t find many depictions
of Bilwis at all, and even Mizuki’s is a far cry from Kaneko’s oddball
design, but the distinct scythe-anklets shared between the two seem to
indicate the source here. After all, the 16-and-32-bit eras were rife with these
things!</span></div>
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<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Tschaggatta
/ Roitschaggatta / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ロイチェクタ</span></h4>
</div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Mizuki’s
version</span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 27pt; padding: 5pt; text-align: center; width: 232.6pt;" valign="top" width="310"><div style="margin: 0in 7pt;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Kaneko’s
version</span></b></div>
</td>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Mizuki’s depiction of the Swiss figure Roitschaggatta accurately
paints it as a torment for children up and down the Lötschental, with a
hideous mask replete with a leafy border, a walking staff, and beastly furs; Kaneko follows suit, albeit on a more diminutive scale, while excising the tiny, practically vestigial, feet
entirely. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">To Atlus USA’s credit, they nailed the localization for the
shortened version of the name (Tschaggatta) and the full version of the name
(Roitschaggatta; though with one of the g’s missing likely due to hard
character limits), so that’s awesome. More curious, however, are the Japanese
spellings of the original terms. Though SMT copies what Mizuki used in “</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ロイチェクタ</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">,“ the Roitschaggatta can also be
found spelled as “</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ロイチェゲッタ</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">” and the Tschaggatta form as “</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">チェゲッテ</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">.” </span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">More
fleeing (Swiss) children, an element whose absence is sorely felt in much of
Kaneko’s design catalogue.</span></i><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<br />
</span></b><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Oh, those innocent little Swiss
scamps. Don’t they know kids their age should be signing death pacts with
Celtic patron deities instead of running away in terror? </span></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana";"><b>Sources</b>:
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsch%C3%A4gg%C3%A4tt%C3%A4"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tschäggättä</span></a></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/roitschaeggaetae-im-loetschental-vs.html"><span style="color: #1155cc;">http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/roitschaeggaetae-im-loetschental-vs.html</span></a></span></div>
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<h4>
<span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">UPDATED!</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> “Puts” / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">プッツ</span></h4>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Original reference </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Mizuki’s
version</span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 27pt; padding: 5pt; text-align: center; width: 160.05pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div style="margin: 0in 7pt;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Kaneko’s
version</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3yEvzQ8uPX0zxR1no962K2hVpAC9FJBf5dgWJ3Zt4gXcrNO-X3BWu5lKL0EfjXNWkQHAvDqBpKwBDPZ925DsEu7-1dQlLRhpOFcKAHKKgSd7kkjOJQBV9TbvJW9vOfYUF4MQkhyphenhyphenErD4M/s1600/350+Putz.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="840" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3yEvzQ8uPX0zxR1no962K2hVpAC9FJBf5dgWJ3Zt4gXcrNO-X3BWu5lKL0EfjXNWkQHAvDqBpKwBDPZ925DsEu7-1dQlLRhpOFcKAHKKgSd7kkjOJQBV9TbvJW9vOfYUF4MQkhyphenhyphenErD4M/s320/350+Putz.jpg" width="168" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED
NAME: <b>Putz</b> (confirmed) </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">We’ve
already covered Putz in our </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://kanekocribs.tumblr.com/post/146727056896/kanekos-crib-notes-xxxix-shigeru-mizuki-there"><span style="color: #1155cc;">initial expose</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> from way back when, but it’s safe to say Mizuki’s
unique, arboreal, and money-grubbing creation was the inspiration here. <strike>We
haven’t actually found a source for Putz beyond Mizuki</strike>, but we feel safe in
assuming it could be out there somewhere. After all, a “Putz” is a known
German variant on the </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="javascript:void(0)"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Puck</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">,
and an Austrian (not Australian, as his in-game profile incorrectly
translated) variant of that would not strain credulity. We have at least
traced Mizuki’s visual inspiration to the Troll of this “profusely
illustrated” edition of </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=JCfaAAAAMAAJ&pg=PP20&lpg=PP20&dq=Danish+fairy+and+folk+tales%E3%80%8F+%22Now+we+must+call+the+king+of+the+dwarfs%22&source=bl&ots=MV4jvgeoTU&sig=g9RXphZ07vnYwGIaOtwuMfDsE5M&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwinsNirv7XVAhVG7IMKHd0QBp4Q6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q&f=false"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Danish Fairy and Folk Tales</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">, and it’s about as unsubtle as they
come!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Mizuki's source for the Putz is a Japanese translation of a book of Russian and German folk tales called </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">妖怪画談全集 ロシア・ドイツ編 by </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">アレキサンドル・ワノフスキー. Um, good luck! </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 7.0pt; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 7pt 0in 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 7.0pt; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 7pt 0in 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><b>UPDATE</b>: Proper Austrian sources auf Deutsch have been found online for Putz, <a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/660915728126558208/sources-for-putz-at-last" target="_blank">thanks to an anon</a>! They detail what's generally know about this forest figure: tricking someone in the forest to fell wood and find gold within, only for the gold to become hazelnuts upon returning home. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 7.0pt; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 7pt 0in 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 7.0pt; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 7pt 0in 0in;"><ul><li><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">(<a href="http://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/oesterreich/salzburg/pinzgau/wallner/putz.htm" target="_blank">Source 1</a>) [<a href="https://www-sagen-at.translate.goog/texte/sagen/oesterreich/salzburg/pinzgau/wallner/putz.htm?_x_tr_sch=http&_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US" target="_blank">machine translation</a>]</span></li><li><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">(<a href="http://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/oesterreich/salzburg/pinzgau/neukirchenpinzgau.html" target="_blank">Source 2</a>) [<a href="https://www-sagen-at.translate.goog/texte/sagen/oesterreich/salzburg/pinzgau/neukirchenpinzgau.html?_x_tr_sch=http&_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US" target="_blank">machine translation</a>]</span></li></ul></div>
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<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">“Cunhur” / “Canhur” / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">カンフュール</span></h4>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Original reference </span></b></div>
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<td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 27pt; padding: 5pt; text-align: center;" valign="top"><div style="margin: 0in 7pt;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Mizuki’s
version</span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 27pt; padding: 5pt; text-align: center; width: 160.75pt;" valign="top" width="214"><div style="margin: 0in 7pt;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Kaneko’s
version</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Camphur / Camphruch</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Our pal “Cunhur” wound up being the quintessential
bestiary
pull, which is to say, a chimeric quadruped with a dubious sounding
place of
origin, in this case Ethiopia and its Maluku/Molucca Islands. But
Ethiopia is a landlocked East African country and the Molucca Islands
are in Indonesia. How do you reconcile these details? By not taking them
literally. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">We were
ultimately led to the true identity of “Cunhur” by noticing that Shin
Megami
Tensei’s various profiles say that its Manticore is an Ethiopian
monster;
this couldn’t be correct, as the manticore is usually cited as a
Persian
beast! However, according to ancient sources such as those of the
Roman
historian Pliny the Elder, the manticore and others are described as
from
“Aethiopia.” We eventually realized what this implied--not Ethiopia
the
country but the Greek region of Aethiopia known in antiquity that could
extend to
the farthest known southern reaches of Africa (today’s Ethiopia, in
other
words) to east along the Indian Ocean; basically, wherever there were
dark-skinned people, as that’s the etymology of the Greek Aithiops:
“burnt-face.” <i>Very </i>sensitive term. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">This conception of Aethiopia was
adopted
by medieval compilers, who adapted the ancient knowledge of the
natural world
into their own bestiaries. This revelation explained why SMT
(erroneously at
this point) hails its Manticore from “Ethiopia”, but, more
importantly, it
told us that “Cunhur” was not literally from the modern country of
Ethiopia
as we had thought based on the given information. So if “Cunhur” was
following the pattern of medieval bestiaries, that had to be where it
was
from! A quick search for unicorn variants in medieval bestiaries
verified
that this strange beast hails from the works of 16th century explorer
André
Thévet. Lo and behold, this creature’s actual name turned out to be
Camphur
or Camphruch. It is probably intended to be Camphur based on the
Japanese spelling.
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<b><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">“Cunhur”,
the doofus stag with a sensitive hair-cut, and one of the older mysteries on
here. That first image (courtesy of pinterest, making itself useful for once)
really blew the doors off this thing. </span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b><br />
</b></span><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Ah yes, I still remember my immediate
reaction when I pulled up the pin. In fact, Skype recorded that exact moment:
</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr: fuckl</span></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr: i found it</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Soren: whaaaat</span></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/423619908671486347/</span></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr: camphor</span></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Soren: fuck, that's our guy</span></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr: FUCK</span></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr: FUKCCKCKCKCKCKKkk</span></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Soren: how the hell did this come up on pinterest haha</span></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr: in a search for medieval bestiary horn beast ethiopia</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">"Fuckl" isn't exactly Archimedes' "eureka," but, to be fair, Camphur had been a real dick to
translate. It was practically an out-of-body experience to see that search actually
work. </span></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">“...hominum
sermones imitari et mantichoram in Aethiopia auctor est Iuba.”</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><b>Sources</b>:</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.0pt; margin: 11pt 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://la.wikisource.org/wiki/Naturalis_Historia/Liber_VIII"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://la.wikisource.org/wiki/Naturalis_Historia/Liber_VIII</span></a></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Th%C3%A9vet"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Th%C3%A9vet</span></a></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fabookofcreatures.com%2F2017%2F03%2F10%2Fcamphruch%2F&t=M2FmMDAwMWVlYmU3NmI3ZmI2NDUwNTBiYTE4MzkwMjFjMzAwZDllNCxrbnJhTXBqTQ%3D%3D&b=t%3ARlVUk_3Mu8OnC8IQvHV83Q&p=https%3A%2F%2Fkanekocribs.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F158535080841%2Fdump-of-mizuki-cribs-mokoicanhur&m=1"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://abookofcreatures.com/2017/03/10/camphruch/</span></a></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Ffr.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FCamphruch&t=MTcwYTIxOGE5NzMxZTk0YWJlM2QwM2Q2N2NjMDNjNDA2YWE1OTRkZixrbnJhTXBqTQ%3D%3D&b=t%3ARlVUk_3Mu8OnC8IQvHV83Q&p=https%3A%2F%2Fkanekocribs.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F158535080841%2Fdump-of-mizuki-cribs-mokoicanhur&m=1"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camphruch</span></a></span></div>
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<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Mokoi / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">モコイ</span></h4>
</div>
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<td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 27pt; padding: 5pt; text-align: center;" valign="top"><div style="margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Original reference </span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 27pt; padding: 5pt; text-align: center;" valign="top"><div style="margin: 0in 7pt;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Mizuki’s
version</span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 27pt; padding: 5pt; text-align: center; width: 160.25pt;" valign="top" width="214"><div style="margin: 0in 7pt;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Kaneko’s
version</span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1FXNtI9SkbA4wqpWJIPD5dnLaOVy0lt5NLa8s7ubFeFyG-YN_6bfL5OR50nPbwmDDQSbCpgMebgxtMJoI2_fw7WT-_iJ2xWgmwBBMll6GiWS6zCSpdgSyepLV8I6k0d2wvnMNvXxVek/s1600/mokoi11.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="650" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1FXNtI9SkbA4wqpWJIPD5dnLaOVy0lt5NLa8s7ubFeFyG-YN_6bfL5OR50nPbwmDDQSbCpgMebgxtMJoI2_fw7WT-_iJ2xWgmwBBMll6GiWS6zCSpdgSyepLV8I6k0d2wvnMNvXxVek/s320/mokoi11.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02Vhe1SV7ajEUGpy7w4a0jeSLvaJO_K7toEpRByrVgIWhHGaLKsndYQGTU-FYLHmSnmchwjcczoLBK3tC1hujYqGHD0MApscUPyq_EGdrTLQZN3RrzCWKLlWGthpwbrOr7ERVAqSA-G0/s1600/mizuki-mokoi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="700" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02Vhe1SV7ajEUGpy7w4a0jeSLvaJO_K7toEpRByrVgIWhHGaLKsndYQGTU-FYLHmSnmchwjcczoLBK3tC1hujYqGHD0MApscUPyq_EGdrTLQZN3RrzCWKLlWGthpwbrOr7ERVAqSA-G0/s320/mizuki-mokoi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg626CqiRzDdLYeRTuq0S5z6W6DLUuYGGwWEJhrUaOxnJoI5Gz14TKesWA8e0Qmw3hGFoEJ1KFyDJuucWpXlZ2hPsmckoq9ixVhRhS5qrj2bzTOFxnWGY_Da5DKZjR-ss93M4ZKBdjVEHM/s1600/407+Mokoi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1192" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg626CqiRzDdLYeRTuq0S5z6W6DLUuYGGwWEJhrUaOxnJoI5Gz14TKesWA8e0Qmw3hGFoEJ1KFyDJuucWpXlZ2hPsmckoq9ixVhRhS5qrj2bzTOFxnWGY_Da5DKZjR-ss93M4ZKBdjVEHM/s320/407+Mokoi.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Mokoi was once considered to be a mystery, but has since been
quite thoroughly sourced to actual Australian Aboriginal stories, documents,
and art. Of Mizuki’s Mokoi trio, it is apparent to us that the larger,
owl-embracing figure on the left side with its oblong head is the likely
inspiration for the head of Kaneko’s own, even if many of the other details differ
between versions. That said, Mizuki’s <i>The World is GeGeGe</i> revealed to us where he got
the idea for his Mokoi set: A 1992 exhibition on Australian Aboriginal art at
Osaka’s National Museum of Ethnology and in particular a group of spirit
carvings with quite similar head shapes and facial expressions. These
carvings are still in the museum’s collection to this day. We’ll be getting
to more about the National Museum of Ethnology’s collection shortly as we
discuss “Rolwoy.” Also thanks to <a href="http://atmariderjojo.tumblr.com/">atmariderjojo</a> for the <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/144529947627/mokoi">original Mokoi confirmation</a>. </span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">No
boomerangs to be found on these other depictions, but maybe Kaneko had just
finished watching Crocodile Dundee or something.</span></i><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<br />
</span></b><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Talk about cultural stereotypes. I’m
surprised Kaneko didn’t give Jeanne d’Arc a beret and baguette. Oh right, she
has a French Tricolor cape. I mean, without that, she could have been
anybody, really. </span></i></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><b>Source</b>:</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><a href="http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ngv.vic.gov.au%2Fessay%2Flipundja-and-unknown-yolngu-artist-mokuy-figures%2F&t=NzA0ODA3MzI2NmNlMTY4ZjE0ZGE5ZmJjMjQ5YmY3YTRlNzU5ODhmNCxrbnJhTXBqTQ%3D%3D&b=t%3ARlVUk_3Mu8OnC8IQvHV83Q&p=https%3A%2F%2Fkanekocribs.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F158535080841%2Fdump-of-mizuki-cribs-mokoicanhur&m=1">http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/essay/lipundja-and-unknown-yolngu-artist-mokuy-figures/</a></span></span></div>
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<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Penanggal / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ベナンガル</span></h4>
</div>
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<td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 27pt; padding: 5pt; text-align: center;" valign="top"><div style="margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Original reference </span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 27pt; padding: 5pt; text-align: center;" valign="top"><div style="margin: 0in 7pt;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Mizuki’s
version</span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 27pt; padding: 5pt; text-align: center; width: 160.35pt;" valign="top" width="214"><div style="margin: 0in 7pt;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Kaneko’s
version</span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 46pt;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid black; height: 46pt; padding: 5pt;" valign="top"><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 7.0pt; margin-right: 7.0pt; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 7pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLcqbiAMLIr4CFs1RvcmyyXdgNOgWcH3B8dv_3k3u3UxxT3aQhkLNGKe1wOYY4xdB8HZLwJtr8q5KkZVx0z1I0mNNWbhe6dmb-jwWzJXSuXuGHp8D4uOPqVLEVEEiziPqZ6WLzMk6rjM/s1600/4+peng.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="985" data-original-width="1460" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLcqbiAMLIr4CFs1RvcmyyXdgNOgWcH3B8dv_3k3u3UxxT3aQhkLNGKe1wOYY4xdB8HZLwJtr8q5KkZVx0z1I0mNNWbhe6dmb-jwWzJXSuXuGHp8D4uOPqVLEVEEiziPqZ6WLzMk6rjM/s320/4+peng.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ty3gNr_HgD2ZHs2hVp-Hlax0sd6v3JZdOYV9GbYLS7TRIicgCLguQiQUBuIBna9_sftmDowBUDwesFH73IIEVOmXO35Wvzsp650v8tWqn4TZuJzoHzwjvH564vNK1mKkrVM784fZrTw/s1600/2+penang.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1449" data-original-width="1600" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ty3gNr_HgD2ZHs2hVp-Hlax0sd6v3JZdOYV9GbYLS7TRIicgCLguQiQUBuIBna9_sftmDowBUDwesFH73IIEVOmXO35Wvzsp650v8tWqn4TZuJzoHzwjvH564vNK1mKkrVM784fZrTw/s320/2+penang.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7ByIM3bvEyzgC6lhbMmS1N41k-C7k9tY92CyFqmTeGQ5nCAIcB2-1AhyphenhyphenmoukU8KG35ViITbE5wDSR81EYpmAmOuCOcA8_kVunt89j4RUbXnDe3r6pSvQufrVdJEKEhq9YUtioqR0K7E/s1600/366+Penanggal.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1208" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7ByIM3bvEyzgC6lhbMmS1N41k-C7k9tY92CyFqmTeGQ5nCAIcB2-1AhyphenhyphenmoukU8KG35ViITbE5wDSR81EYpmAmOuCOcA8_kVunt89j4RUbXnDe3r6pSvQufrVdJEKEhq9YUtioqR0K7E/s200/366+Penanggal.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Fans of the iconic floating head and exposed innards of the </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penanggalan"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Southeast
Asian Penanggalan</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> and its variants have long been disappointed and baffled with
Kaneko’s dopey beehive gremlin. We certainly counted ourselves among those
unsatisfied throngs--until we found out that Kaneko got the idea from Mizuki.
But not only that, Mizuki was meticulous when it came to citing his sources
and <i>The World is GeGeGe</i>’s bibliography led us to the ultimate origin for this
un-bee-lievable design: The Jah-Het or Jah Hut (the latter an updated
rendering closer to the actual pronunciation we’ll defer to when not quoting book titles) people of Malaysia's
Orang Asli indigenous ethnic group. Like Mokoi and “Rolwoy,” the exact
details we’ll leave for discussion just below, as Penanggal and “Tenong Cut”
share an agonizingly obscure source. Regardless, it’s plain to see that the
Jah Hut “spirit carving” of Penanggal informed Mizuki’s version which in turn
inspired Kaneko’s take.</span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4Xhzkr70276JBHBkQ0m_4l1ktuRQMuo3vWXx-sQyZutO-xodCzmj_3HBzSR36pCVqLj4YQlVWucMn16Fc-9GClY0EEhOC1PXNPEX3DvgUgEA_dVFzuFPw7leWp8zC6QjzTCam515DQc/s1600/beeZ.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="254" data-original-width="518" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4Xhzkr70276JBHBkQ0m_4l1ktuRQMuo3vWXx-sQyZutO-xodCzmj_3HBzSR36pCVqLj4YQlVWucMn16Fc-9GClY0EEhOC1PXNPEX3DvgUgEA_dVFzuFPw7leWp8zC6QjzTCam515DQc/s320/beeZ.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>UPDATE!</b></span> </span>Besides recalling the palette of the insects to whom the Penanggal is obliged to protect, Kaneko's bee-sting head ornament evokes the iconic striped <i>chanchanko </i>vest sported by Kitaro, Mizuki's most famous creation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">“Rolwoy” / </span><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">ロルウイ</span></h4>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Original reference </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Mizuki’s
version</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Kaneko’s
version</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Roluwi</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Roluwi, that yam ancestor spirit from Down Under, was quite the
obstinate one! As your classic mystery demon case of “I literally don’t exist
anywhere, <b>*raspberry sound*</b>,” he drove us nearly to our wits’ end
before we proved the more wily. Too bad about our sanity, though. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Like many of the demons in this section, Roluwi would not turn
up in any possible romanized configuration from his Japanese name, nor would
a Japanese search bring up much beyond the information already in his Shin
Megami Tensei profiles. That’s never encouraging. What was encouraging was
randomly finding </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://twitter.com/mizukidaizen/status/831792112190488581"><span style="color: #1155cc;">this tweet</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> from a Mizuki-related Twitter account with his Roluwi
artwork! There he was, really putting the heat on this errant yam, truer to
his coercive-sounding compendium data than we could have expected. We were
completely bowled over by this art and Kaneko’s adherence to it down to many
individual details, all except for the lightened skin tone and the yam staff.
An obvious capital-C <i>Crib</i>. But it still didn’t answer the question of where Roluwi
actually came from or his actual name; cue the months of ineffectual Google
searches using various combinations of any of the following: “yam,” “spirit,”
“ground,” “Arnhem Land,” etc.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">But as we found out through <i>The World is GeGeGe</i> (full
story in “Tenong Cut’s” section below), Mizuki cited a Japanese book on Australia’s indigenous people called <i>Aboriginal Australia: Fifty Thousand Years of
Hunters and Spirits</i> (</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">オーストラリア・アボリジニ</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">狩人と精霊の5万年</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">). Yet another in a long line of
increasingly obscure, difficult to obtain books, <i>Aboriginal Australia</i>
couldn’t be found on any of the normal, simple channels for importing
Japanese books, like Amazon Japan, but instead lived almost exclusively on
Japanese auction sites like Yahoo! Japan Auctions. There was something
peculiar about this book--it didn’t seem like your average publication.
Indeed it was not, as some serendipitous preview images from some Y!JA
listings showed that Mizuki’s Roluwi was indeed based off of a carving seen
in this book, which you can see above. Begrudgingly, we paid the middleman
fees to import the book through Y!JA. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Make no mistake, <i>Aboriginal Australia</i> turned out to be a
great book and much larger in dimensions than expected, but it didn’t have
what we were looking for, namely, Roluwi’s name. That turned out to be okay
though, as we did find out why the book was so hard to get ahold of: it was
the companion book to a special exhibition of the same name (we got the
official English name from </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://www.minpaku.ac.jp/sites/default/files/english/aboutus/youran/pdf/youran2015_en26-43.pdf"><span style="color: #1155cc;">this pdf</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">) at Osaka’s </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://www.minpaku.ac.jp/english"><span style="color: #1155cc;">National
Museum of Ethnology</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> in 1992. That information....didn’t really help. Soon enough we
were back at figuratively banging our heads against the wall with various
Aboriginal-themed keywords and search strings. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">We were fed up with getting nowhere on Roluwi and his
yam-commanding butt. Our desperation move? Just emailing the National Museum
of Ethnology. And, um… <b><i>it, uh, worked</i></b>. Imagine that! </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">The museum staff responded promptly with cordial and helpful
messages. We were directed to </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://htq2.minpaku.ac.jp/infolib/meta_pub/G0000028mofull"><span style="color: #1155cc;">this search field</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> for their museum collections index.
Input “roluwi” and hit enter or click the left button (marked “</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">検索</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">”), then click on “H0168075” instead
of the thumbnail and you’ll find their entry on Roluwi, with the proof that’s
his proper romanized name, that he’s a “yam spirit” as expected, and much
more. The carving itself was made in Arnhem Land in 1988 by Terry Gandadila
of the Djinang and bequeathed to the museum in 1989; coincidentally, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VQRZEQ__-A">Terry Gandadila was featured in 2015 on Oprah Winfrey’s BELIEF miniseries about religions</a>, where, sadly, with only few months to live, he instructs his grandson on the “old ways” to keep them alive. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWl02F2gNQs5i0b9J44ry56CsGBOqFBOqnPHf2eT2vOrkjZwx_oaTVk3K_m_RMs-74o7uhHn6GkJ7LhnQmIDREiuxF3T9eh9Aul8P-bnAQ4Bfr0xm64qmzFIFom7OF1oIHux4h0nOoz78/s1600/roluwi+port.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="552" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWl02F2gNQs5i0b9J44ry56CsGBOqFBOqnPHf2eT2vOrkjZwx_oaTVk3K_m_RMs-74o7uhHn6GkJ7LhnQmIDREiuxF3T9eh9Aul8P-bnAQ4Bfr0xm64qmzFIFom7OF1oIHux4h0nOoz78/s200/roluwi+port.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">One final note on the Yam-Man from Arnhem Land: yes, “Roluwi” is
the given romanization in Pandemonium. No, that doesn’t make us mad or
anything. For, as we are about to find out next, the proof is in the… proof. </span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Were
just about ready to conclude that the real “Rolwoy” were the friends we made
along the way (in this case, a metaphor for our newfound appreciation of
contemporary Australian Aboriginal art). But man, museums are great. </span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b><br />
</b></span><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Boy did we sift through a metric ton
of Aboriginal carvings, bark paintings, and everything else under the
Australian sun. Every time we thought we got close to something, it was a
dead end. In a labyrinth without a thread. I thought our best hope would be
in looking through the many sites online that trade in Aboriginal art. We
found mythical beings from and descriptions for that art that we’d never
heard of before. There’s an amazing breadth to Aboriginal religion even if
there are some commonalities like the Dreaming itself or a Rainbow Snake of
some name or variety. Australia’s too big of a continent to allow for only a single Aboriginal religion. That’s why I tend to think that a
figure like Roluwi is obscure because he represents something local to only a
small partition of Arnhem Land itself, maybe even only to Terry Gandadila and
his immediate moiety. Really, it’s a fluke we’re even talking about
Roluwi at all; a spirit known to a handful of people has its carving donated
to a Japanese museum where a few years later the carving is featured in an
exhibition and book seen by Mizuki, whose art was then seen by Kaneko. There's less happenstance on a Las Vegas poker table! </span></i></div>
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<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">“Tenong Cut” / "Tyng Katt" / "Ting Cut" / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ティング・カット</span></h4>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr here. I felt obligated to address this one myself; as is
the cliche, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opiCMIN3PNg">this time it’s personal</a>.” We’ll be getting to this thing’s real
name but there’s quite a convoluted story that needs telling before we arrive
there. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2XPI6BX10Pt58IJEFgKg6XBj2jzVNXRG4cyP3DcK-0ZkhkI2f5DIqHaeGkn-Bfi_CiwG5WUl6-o83DrocWfA8JHAE3VAM1TchehKtVnA8Zt1z5MkiuAbq3iYdHoAIUiyw-6Z0z6VpT7c/s1600/g6622051.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="273" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2XPI6BX10Pt58IJEFgKg6XBj2jzVNXRG4cyP3DcK-0ZkhkI2f5DIqHaeGkn-Bfi_CiwG5WUl6-o83DrocWfA8JHAE3VAM1TchehKtVnA8Zt1z5MkiuAbq3iYdHoAIUiyw-6Z0z6VpT7c/s320/g6622051.jpg" width="227" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">My long and drawn-out search for the true identity of this Malaysian miscreant
began on or around Thursday, November 18th, 2010. I know this precisely because
</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://www.giantbomb.com/images/1300-1635604"><span style="color: #1155cc;">it’s
when I uploaded “Tenong’s” sprite to Giant Bomb’s Soul Hackers page</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">, along with the rest of the game’s
demon sprites. This was around the time when I was attempting to translate
demon compendiums in SMT games that had yet to be converted into English; it
appears Soul Hackers was one of the first to get that treatment. With my only
clues being the Japanese name and the romanized “Tyng Katt” from Kaneko’s
Pandemonium book, I shouldn’t have to tell you I didn’t get very far with
either.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Fast-forward to 2011, where a continually fruitless search led to
my greatest mistake. Devil Survivor 2, the first game to feature “Tenong” since
Soul Hackers, was announced for localization that summer for release in 2012. Because of circumstances, I was proximate to a great debate concerning his true identity. On August 5th, 2011, I talked to someone I knew at the Intercontinental Malaysian Earth Spirit Debater's Club. We exchanged important information, central of which was the fact that literally no one knew what "Tyng Katt" (as it was called at the time) was. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">The following month was the convening of the Intercontinental Malaysian Earth Spirit Debater's Club's biennial Mystery Deliberation Championship and tempers were flaring. On September 19th, 2011, I found myself among the throngs of "Tyng Katt" hypothesizers, none of whom had any reasonable evidence to provide in support of their claims. Some suggested the spirit's origin lay with the Mah Meri peoples of the Senoi tribe. Most just threw their hands up in exasperation. Things got so out of hand that day the crowd started arguing about the identity of "Canhur"/Camphur as well. My suggestion, <a href="http://www.coac.org.my/codenavia/portals/coacv2/images/Chita%20Hei%20-%20text%20ALL.pdf">based on a finding that the Mah Meri call spirit attacks "tenong</a>," found some favor among some in the beleaguered crowd, who took it upon themselves to start referring to the spirit by that word. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">So now you know my secret shame. While it was ultimately up to powers outside of my control, my suggestion of “Tenong” played no small part in the
name we’ve been saddled with since, hence my preoccupation with finally getting
it right. There’s a couple other things of note here, too, like how the Mah
Meri lead was so close yet so far away and that “Canhur”/Camphur had been
another mystery demon plaguing me for nearly as long. Just a couple days after
this meeting of the Intercontinental Malaysian Earth Spirit Debater's Club, the organization folded, assuming that the true name would take more time than anyone had to finally pin down; "Tenong Cut" is what the thing would be called, now and forevermore, in their eyes. 2011 was also when I met Soren on
Giant Bomb, so presumably we had many a raucous conversation about “Tenong’s”
identity from then on. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Devil Survivor 2 released in the US in early 2012 and with it came
“Tenong’s” officially translated profile: </span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><i>"An earth spirit of Malaysian Senoi folklore. They appear
from the ground during sunshowers and possess people. A headache during a
sunshower is one sign that you are being possessed. They are invisible to the
human eye, and are said to perch on top of people."</i></span></blockquote>
</div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">The keywords in this profile like “headache,” “sunshower,” and
“Senoi” would fuel searches (in vain) up until this very year; they were
effectively red herrings. There’s otherwise not much else to say about the
“Tenong” saga in the period between 2012-2014, as those were the years when I
lived in Japan, not to mention the bigger, uh, issues that were packaged along
with the announcement and release of Shin Megami Tensei IV in the same
timeframe. Because of the lack of results, I can’t remember any specifics,
though I do know I would get the urge to search again every few months or so. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCrzMrPly_kuNIjabUvTI6BMuILqtQwgZwDchJ4JLvUse1R2aNX1x3_l5d7KP8Ux_AqfJmzLvfD9sk81Layg8fkJ9HrCP07GT49t7a5iWZ5UvKuC4w_-yBSXW6o66ieSas_Ih5X2wlQw/s1600/tumblr_nbnbyrrutw1rm3a56o1_1280.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCrzMrPly_kuNIjabUvTI6BMuILqtQwgZwDchJ4JLvUse1R2aNX1x3_l5d7KP8Ux_AqfJmzLvfD9sk81Layg8fkJ9HrCP07GT49t7a5iWZ5UvKuC4w_-yBSXW6o66ieSas_Ih5X2wlQw/s320/tumblr_nbnbyrrutw1rm3a56o1_1280.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">The letter</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">But by 2014, desperation had set in. Convinced the actual
identity
of “Tenong” was never to be found and accepting of the possibility that
it was
simply made up by Kaneko, I threw a Hail Mary in the form of <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/97086203347/its-really-happening-im-sending-a-letter-to">a letter to Atlus Japan, imploring them to divulge any information about the spirit that they could</a>.
Translated for me by <a href="https://twitter.com/iiotenki">Pepsiman</a>, the full transcript of the letter can be
read in
the original post. I sent it off around late September of that year. No,
I
never got a response; it doesn’t matter anyway, as I know now how they
would
have replied. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/tengoqu/38165012.html"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Even
a Japanese blog searching for the truth seemed to be flummoxed by the lack of
any evidence</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">In late 2015, Pepsiman came through again with the lead that would
ultimately push us in the right direction; this was around the time I was
solving other localization troublemakers like Bombo and “Forbi” with Dijeh and
of course “Tenong” was at the very top of our hit list. The lead can by way of
the Devil Summoner: Special Box, a version packaged with the game’s Akuma
Zensho demon encyclopedia, containing Kaneko artwork, profiles, and Pepsiman’s
astonishing, datamined score: An actual bibliography for the profile
information. While nothing in the Devil Summoner bibliography was relevant
since “Tenong” wasn’t in that game, the possibility of a breakthrough motivated
me to almost instantly buy the Soul Hackers Akuma Zensho volume to access its
equivalent. The information for which I’d been searching for years had to be on
there somewhere, right? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Now early 2016, the Soul Hackers bibliography’s only immediately
enticing source was <i>Oceanic and Australasian Mythology</i> by Roslyn
Poignant, which turned out to be a dead end because I’m an idiot and of
course Malaysia isn’t considered within Oceania. But that’s how
desperate things seemed! Soren and I
continued plugging away at translating relevant books from the
bibliography,
but a complete lack of Malaysian sources appeared only to confirm our
worst
fears: “Tenong” was a fiction from Kaneko’s imagination and thus
essentially
untranslatable. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">It did, however, cite a little book from Shigeru Mizuki called <i>Shigeru
Mizuki’s World Cryptid Encyclopedia</i> (</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E6%B0%B4%E6%9C%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%92%E3%82%8B%E3%81%AE%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E5%B9%BB%E7%8D%A3%E4%BA%8B%E5%85%B8-%E6%B0%B4%E6%9C%A8-%E3%81%97%E3%81%92%E3%82%8B/dp/4022585722/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1501735873&sr=1-1&keywords=%E6%B0%B4%E6%9C%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%92%E3%82%8B%E3%81%AE%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E5%B9%BB%E7%8D%A3%E4%BA%8B%E5%85%B8"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "ms gothic";">水木しげるの世界幻獣事典</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">); unfortunately, that particular book
proved rare and effectively inaccessible. By May of 2016, however, Mizuki
proved to be the last possible source for “Tenong,” so I bit the bullet and
bought a few of his books I thought might aid in the quest, including the
similarly-titled <i>Shigeru Mizuki’s World Yokai Encyclopedia</i> (</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E6%B0%B4%E6%9C%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%92%E3%82%8B%E3%81%AE%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E5%A6%96%E6%80%AA%E4%BA%8B%E5%85%B8-%E6%B0%B4%E6%9C%A8-%E3%81%97%E3%81%92%E3%82%8B/dp/4490101996/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1501735638&sr=1-1&keywords=%E6%B0%B4%E6%9C%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%92%E3%82%8B%E3%81%AE%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E5%A6%96%E6%80%AA%E4%BA%8B%E5%85%B8"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "ms gothic";">水木しげるの世界妖怪事典</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">) and <i>Great Encyclopedia of the
World’s Yokai</i> (</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E6%B0%B4%E6%9C%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%92%E3%82%8B-%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E3%81%AE%E5%A6%96%E6%80%AA%E5%A4%A7%E7%99%BE%E7%A7%91-%E6%B0%B4%E6%9C%A8-%E3%81%97%E3%81%92%E3%82%8B/dp/4092203241/ref=pd_sim_14_6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=NQA0JGHKQW4ZVZB2FYH9"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "ms gothic";">世界の妖怪大百科</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">). While there were some Malaysian
entries in each, they sadly lacked anything about “Tenong” like I was hoping.
Nevertheless, there was enough in them to inspire the June 2016 volume of
Kaneko’s Crib Notes, proving that Mizuki was an overlooked fount of inspiration
for Kaneko and Shin Megami Tensei. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">As 2017 rolled around I was personally convinced that Mizuki would
be the key to all of this, as he’s a more prolific artist than we’ve ever had
before; the answer for “Tenong” had to be somewhere in his body of work. If
Kaneko didn’t make it up, maybe he did? (For example, see </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jubokko"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Jubokko</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">). I suppose that train of thought is what led me to what should
have been a blindingly obvious search string and convergence of topics: “</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">水木</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">マレーシア</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">” (“Mizuki Malaysia”). Among the first
results was </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://ameblo.jp/penang327/entry-12042750871.html"><span style="color: #1155cc;">a Japanese blog post discussing a book of Mizuki’s
exclusively about Malaysian yokai</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">, called <i>Shigeru Mizuku’s Yokai Exploration: The Great
Malaysian Adventure</i> (</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E6%B0%B4%E6%9C%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%92%E3%82%8B%E3%81%AE%E5%A6%96%E6%80%AA%E6%8E%A2%E9%99%BA%E2%80%95%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AC%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B7%E3%82%A2%E5%A4%A7%E5%86%92%E9%99%BA-%E8%AC%9B%E8%AB%87%E7%A4%BE%E6%96%87%E5%BA%AB-%E5%A4%A7%E6%B3%89-%E5%AE%9F%E6%88%90/dp/4062646242"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "ms gothic";">水木しげるの妖怪探険</span><span style="color: #1155cc;">―</span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "ms gothic";">マレーシア大冒険</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">). Was this it? The jackpot? With some
translation pointers courtesy of Dijeh, I ordered this book as quickly as I did
the Soul Hackers Akuma Zensho, that is, practically as soon as I found out
about its existence (in late February). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfVamGttMm86qhCCbV-oR-hoDjSJTwqbonNgwzykovCzDJ915ArYH_jO9cuhkX2hlsbIhtEUD7VH6TtzgHX-8lGvUDfoBljRTXljCCVAQpVNPSVdqxXaXo-GCq6Bk271hJRRNXusokOs/s1600/tk421.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfVamGttMm86qhCCbV-oR-hoDjSJTwqbonNgwzykovCzDJ915ArYH_jO9cuhkX2hlsbIhtEUD7VH6TtzgHX-8lGvUDfoBljRTXljCCVAQpVNPSVdqxXaXo-GCq6Bk271hJRRNXusokOs/s320/tk421.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-family: verdana;">It confounded me wherever I went<br />it taunted me whenever I slept<br />and two more lines I wrote <br />but forgot to save</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Though the book was slow to arrive, in the interim is when I found
the Roluwi tweet, an astonishing find that bolstered my hunch that Mizuki’s
works would be the revealing science of God. When it was finally delivered
around the middle of March, I consumed its contents in minutes only to be left
“Tenong”-less, though not necessarily disappointed. More a travel digest than
an illustration book, <i>The Great Malaysian Adventure</i> chronicled Mizuki’s
actual excursion to Malaysia to meet Orang Asli people including the Mah Meri
and Jah Hut; the man truly had a passion for culture and was dedicated like
none other to understanding the local perspective instead of selfishly imposing
his own interpretation. But all was not lost on the mystery demon front, as
this book was where I first found the bizarre beekeeper Penanggal, a find I’m
sorry I had to keep secret until now. The book’s publication also post-dated
the release of Soul Hackers, but that was no worry as I assumed that Mizuki’s
illustrations would be much older, an idea that would pan out. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">With both Roluwi and Penanggal traced to Mizuki, I was positively
galvanized at the ever more likely chance that “Tenong” could be as well;
finally, there was light at the end of this long tunnel. It didn’t take long.
Literally only a day or two after I received <i>The Great Malaysian Adventure</i>,
searching with Soren in Japanese for non-Mizuki sources for Roluwi and other
Australian peeps did inevitably--and fortuitously--turn up more Mizuki, in
particular a result that populated Google Image Search with </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://nostos.jp/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/nsts-04339-5.jpg"><span style="color: #1155cc;">this image of Mizuki’s Camphur</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">, who was still at this time a bigger
mystery than any that had ever emerged from a fevered <i>Dallas </i>writer’s
mind. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://nostos.jp/archives/121417"><span style="color: #1155cc;">With just
a click to its web page host</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">, this Camphur illustration was revealed to be attached to--you
guessed it--Mizuki’s <i>The World is GeGeGe</i>. Once again, I ordered a
Japanese book at the speed of light, along with some others including the
reprinted Jaguar Books volumes, all of which I had reason to assume would aid
in research; ”Tenong,” “Rolwoy,” “Canhur”--these bastards were getting sourced
and identified this… decade. Hopefully. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Of course, <i>The World is GeGeGe</i> was the slowest to ship
(PROTIP for ordering used books on Amazon Japan: if the description gives you a
delivery estimate, that means that seller will ship outside of Japan, usually
at a SAL rate), fueling almost unbearable anticipation. A month later, three
weeks into April, it finally decided to show up and was elucidating beyond my
wildest expectations. Bilwis. Roitschaggatta. Camphur. Mokoi. Putz. Roluwi.
Penanggal. And there it was: </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ティング・カット</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">. The thing <i>did </i>exist beyond
Shin Megami Tensei and Kaneko almost certainly used this book as a reference
for Soul Hackers! I hadn’t been this giddy with delight since I tore off the
wrapping paper on my Super NES on Christmas morning, 1991. Every few minutes or
so I found myself involuntarily flipping to its page, either to reconfirm that
I wasn’t dreaming or to bask in the culmination of years of laborious
investigation. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDoLv1ueTH3OwdIWf3R3zFKyGriJfSoqBOhCXwv10XOyRRDDIWzR6_VsDvpNEep8wbShVKwaOX5OMBdsfUZi2VSezcS_91_KJZZKHUgkYBL09CTn5G8kaojqhIrGDUHiUZhDbS_VBIto/s1600/jah-het.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="673" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDoLv1ueTH3OwdIWf3R3zFKyGriJfSoqBOhCXwv10XOyRRDDIWzR6_VsDvpNEep8wbShVKwaOX5OMBdsfUZi2VSezcS_91_KJZZKHUgkYBL09CTn5G8kaojqhIrGDUHiUZhDbS_VBIto/s320/jah-het.jpg" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Jah-het of Malaysia, <br />Art and Culture</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">The only problem was that even if this proved it had a source and
was not an SMT invention, it didn’t provide what was the actual goal of this whole
mission: tracking down an English or at least romanized name within a primary
document. Without a further lead, it could still only be called </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ティング・カット</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">, “Tenong Cut,” or “Tyng Katt” and that
just wouldn’t do--good thing Mizuki was a consummate professional! Nestled in
the back of <i>The World is GeGeGe</i> was a discovery arguably more important
“Tenong’s” own presence: a bibliography. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Uyrwr9tONJaCmi0PbPB1vCY8STIFwcvCPKndA3MgbzU/edit"><span style="color: #1155cc;">You can view it translated here</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">, with most entries linked courtesy of
Dijeh. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Of immediate interest were books Mizuki listed in English,
particularly two about Malaysian culture: <i>Jah-het of Malaysia, Art and Culture</i> and <i>Mah-meri of Malaysia, Art and Culture</i>, both by Dr. Roland
Werner. Soren and I convened as soon as possible to attempt to track down the
contents of these two books to see if they would be of any use to the search.
As expected, they were aggravatingly obscure but nothing a college
inter-library loan couldn’t overcome. As Soren set out to make those requests,
I managed to find <i><a href="https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=werner%20roland&tn=jah-het%20malaysia%20art%20culture&cm_sp=mbc-_-ats-_-all">Jah-het of Malaysia</a></i> for sale for not exorbitant
price, but I didn’t want to bite until I confirmed this was the final stop on
the journey; I’d been burned enough already buying books sight-unseen. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Not to ruin the suspense I’ve been building here, but only days
later I did confirm through a Google Books search that <i>Jah-het of Malaysia</i> was the one I’ve been looking for all this time, and so I ordered it. It
arrived in early May, and so the saga of “Tenong Cut” at last came to a
close--and the story of <b>Tingkat</b> could begin in earnest. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 607px;">
<tbody>
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<td style="border: 1pt solid black; height: 18.75pt; padding: 5pt; width: 151.65pt;" valign="top" width="202"><div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Original reference </span></b></div>
</div>
</td>
<td colspan="2" style="border-left: none; border: 1pt solid black; height: 18.75pt; padding: 5pt; width: 151.65pt;" valign="top" width="202"><div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Mizuki's version </span></b></div>
</div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: 1pt solid black; height: 18.75pt; padding: 5pt; width: 151.7pt;" valign="top" width="202"><div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Kaneko's version </span></b></div>
</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 38.25pt;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid black; height: 38.25pt; padding: 5pt; width: 151.65pt;" valign="top" width="202"><div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgmxQlap01IYxooftJ8IzBKD5cLdRSMMoNHd42GBx0pEn9cFCYXsNRF9csccup9Rh-vh9OPKJMuP7wBMN8AdTk0y4y7w7LZw8DwTp7jj5TTsPx6i92A21Z2YlLK58wMVv9U2IQt-hy1A/s1600/7+tingkat.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1389" data-original-width="1600" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgmxQlap01IYxooftJ8IzBKD5cLdRSMMoNHd42GBx0pEn9cFCYXsNRF9csccup9Rh-vh9OPKJMuP7wBMN8AdTk0y4y7w7LZw8DwTp7jj5TTsPx6i92A21Z2YlLK58wMVv9U2IQt-hy1A/s320/7+tingkat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMFi-Dm0ak2XPAVHYjI0Ov2H3vg34-st1OyN01WlCjJuAo2QRxxDIzF7r_YurVA1ZqfvTwxNCJF7fPtT_Dmr2jacNfIFwpuYAIjy2q8H7mpqlGWnPaa72F4z82mXlmZC7FDXr7YtgZHU/s1600/tingkat-miz.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="1000" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMFi-Dm0ak2XPAVHYjI0Ov2H3vg34-st1OyN01WlCjJuAo2QRxxDIzF7r_YurVA1ZqfvTwxNCJF7fPtT_Dmr2jacNfIFwpuYAIjy2q8H7mpqlGWnPaa72F4z82mXlmZC7FDXr7YtgZHU/s320/tingkat-miz.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0D3xRe1EX1Jwo8bMxdqJtHQ6nxkm1c8oOmNqQlu395SwdqkKWTeOZQ20CTP2uWyg2rzOZIoSnI37dZV_aybpNLeJvUi87Degxg107YMPZ-8IvBZGn9huwdQTcpHUESa_TxtcjEb9x5wA/s1600/252+Tingkat.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="883" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0D3xRe1EX1Jwo8bMxdqJtHQ6nxkm1c8oOmNqQlu395SwdqkKWTeOZQ20CTP2uWyg2rzOZIoSnI37dZV_aybpNLeJvUi87Degxg107YMPZ-8IvBZGn9huwdQTcpHUESa_TxtcjEb9x5wA/s320/252+Tingkat.jpg" width="176" /></a></div>
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<br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: x-large;">ROMANIZED NAME: <b>Tingkat</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>(can you believe it?)</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn97I_XxlOEsENBq8aCNDwQXpkc0ZBag8Nf6rX6aHkLX9d7GF-kPUrOFMXkvM3dVFU5owFQMHpEWYvYMc11qG_mXdb6uf4cFHieXsAo1X6Y3JjQ9hjQ0uhWrs9rxF3Xqjxu6YDkwOClNE/s1600/8+carver.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1172" data-original-width="1600" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn97I_XxlOEsENBq8aCNDwQXpkc0ZBag8Nf6rX6aHkLX9d7GF-kPUrOFMXkvM3dVFU5owFQMHpEWYvYMc11qG_mXdb6uf4cFHieXsAo1X6Y3JjQ9hjQ0uhWrs9rxF3Xqjxu6YDkwOClNE/s320/8+carver.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Jah Hut carver Along bit Hitam;<br />the Tingkat carving is visible beside him, circled</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">As you can see, the Jah Hut Tingkat carving depicts a grimacing
spirit piggybacking on an another equally scowling spirit, which doesn’t
necessarily mean that Tingkat is actually a paired spirit but rather that the
carving itself represents the malady Tingkat embodies: that feeling of
“heaviness” atop one’s head. Mizuki’s artwork adapts the carving, albeit
conveyed in a more whimsical fashion. Then we get to Kaneko’s version, which
looks entirely different! <strike>According to Pandemonium, his Tingkat may draw
inspiration from the art of the Ojibwe of Canada (for...some reason...?), so if
we ever find a source in that direction for his colorful patterns or pancaked
body, you’ll see it in a future KCN volume.</strike> But hey, for me, the Tingkat
journey was never just about the art. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><b>UPDATE!</b><i> Since this post's original publication date we've learned from Kaneko's Tingkat comment in </i>Soul Hackers no Subete<i> that his version represents a cartoonish "flattened" effect to symbolize the pressure of a headache. And "both" of the piggybacked Tingkat spirits are still present considering one half of the "pancake" is teal and the other orange! </i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDBawBwKHK8yN3IcqeqjYcA3S0c0RryWDXrsUlBDvWFTPIIL_94mNytQCBlsdK_I8JJlFqhTHvPwoDspgRyCCySebw7sexDJ6hbKCMfDjpfsBzICv7LZQ_y-mG91pUXARpboRu4CnZxFc/s1600/werner.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="304" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDBawBwKHK8yN3IcqeqjYcA3S0c0RryWDXrsUlBDvWFTPIIL_94mNytQCBlsdK_I8JJlFqhTHvPwoDspgRyCCySebw7sexDJ6hbKCMfDjpfsBzICv7LZQ_y-mG91pUXARpboRu4CnZxFc/s200/werner.jpg" width="173" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Dr. Roland Werner</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Before I close the books (the many, many books it took to get this
far) on Tingkat, I should say a bit about the primary source’s author, Dr.
Roland Werner. Trouble is, there’s a lot of Roland Werners out there and not a
lot on our particular Roland Werner, so I’m forced to go with the information
on <i>Jah-het of Malaysia</i>’s back flap. German-born in 1925 and apparently
still alive at the time of writing </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n88118132/"><span style="color: #1155cc;">according
to his Worldcat page</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">, Dr. Werner studied medicine and dentistry at the </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_W%C3%BCrzburg"><span style="color: #1155cc;">University of Würzburg</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> in Bavaria before heading departments
and consulting at universities all over the world, including Iraq, Nigeria,
Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and of course in Malaysia at the University of
Malaya. His interests in indigenous cultures and “primitive” medicine are
encapsulated in works like <i>Jah-het of Malaysia</i>, as the book doesn’t
exist to merely provide a list of spirits but document the Jah Hut’s worldview,
where illnesses and maladies are caused by the spirits or people’s ignorance of
the spirits’ habitats (including an overabundance of their urine and feces,
apparently); much of the book’s text is devoted to shamanistic rituals for
expelling the sickness onto effigies, the very carvings exhibited in the book,
Tingkat’s included, which are then cast down a river, far away from the
afflicted person. Dr. Werner spent years associating with the Jah Hut and Mah
Meri peoples, and besides <i>Jah-het of Malaysia</i> and <i>Mah-meri of
Malaysia</i>, his other works listed in Mizuki’s bibliography are <i>Mah-meri
art and culture</i>, which I have to assume is somehow distinct from <i>Mah-meri
of Malaysia, Art and Culture</i>, and <i>Bomoh-poyang</i>, about the healing
rituals. Mizuki’s profile of Tingkat went into a lot more detail than Werner
did in Jah-het of Malaysia, so I have to assume that Werner’s other works I’m
not privy to possibly go into more detail about him. Or maybe Mizuki provided
his own embellishments? Maybe I’ll find out one day, but for now I think my
days of Tingkat research are over. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">So in conclusion, yes, after all this time, Tingkat’s name really
was that simple and that close to the pronunciation of the kana or even the
“Tyng Katt” romanization in Pandemonium. Yes, it even shares its name with
Malaysian </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiffin_carrier"><span style="color: #1155cc;">tiffin
carriers</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">.
However, it only seems easy or obvious in hindsight; until it was confirmed, it
was unconfirmed. For years, all signs pointed to Tingkat not existing at all. I
was completely resigned to it being a fabrication on Kaneko’s part, even if some
part of me was never fully satisfied with that as an answer. All it took to
finally crack the case was nurturing that faint, persistent impulse to the
truth, lots of luck, and a lot of help from sympathetic individuals. Camphur
and then Roluwi would actually be solved after Tingkat; Camphur only a week
later and Roluwi at last in July (he was the final holdout before we felt
satisfied going ahead with this post), but neither one could claim the same
personal significance I could attribute to Tingkat, a white whale that nearly,
but ultimately didn’t, drag me down into the drink. </span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">The 2010s will probably be remembered
for smartphone ubiquity, Islamic State, Trump politics, and twerking, but I
honestly think the Tingkat search deserves to rank among them, too. It’s been
going on nearly as long as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In other words, too
long. </span></i></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Move
over fidget-spinners (let's see how badly we can date this article), Tingkat is
the real MVP of this stupid decade.<br />
<b><br />
</b></span></i><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Yeah, go to hell Five Nights at
Freddy’s. Is Tingkat’s color blue or gold? He is the one who knocks--on your
head. Star Wars, again. So many Spider-men! I hate this and I hate myself. But
I can’t say I hate Tingkat anymore even though he was a huge pain in the butt.
I hope to someday see his sorry ass properly named in future SMT game. </span></i></div>
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<h2>
<u><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Total Losers</span></u></h2>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">We’ve covered a lot of ground here, but there are still some cases
that have managed to slip through the cracks. Whether they’re kernels from the
most obscure depths of Japanese folk studies, or simply original creations with
no light at the end of the tunnel, these goons have thus far proven impervious
to our tried and true search methods. Unfortunately, they’ll have to remain
that way for the time being, so if you’re reading this make sure to keep an eye
out and we’ll do the same!</span></div>
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<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">"Porewit" (?) / "Forbi" / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">フォービ</span></h4>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Another alumni of the </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://kanekocribs.tumblr.com/post/146727056896/kanekos-crib-notes-xxxix-shigeru-mizuki-there"><span style="color: #1155cc;">old Mizuki crib</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">, with some </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/134271427138/perhaps-the-biggest-megaten-mysteries-after"><span style="color: #1155cc;">additional sourcing back to Toshiya Nakaoka</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">, but that’s about as far as we’ve
been able to trace this guy - assuming it goes any further, that is.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_frLn9nfbipAKAQzsb4p29VA-xO72PBYjouv91zzvr7DeeGQYAgvLvT-1dFxbjHRRg9KsG-C7Refgec6gWNOe6rvJrk46oC1-tcSMh1Hy9X0KD0NfCCF_OVDQwSDSgXL4jTKtWTEbfFY/s1600/transforce.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="500" height="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_frLn9nfbipAKAQzsb4p29VA-xO72PBYjouv91zzvr7DeeGQYAgvLvT-1dFxbjHRRg9KsG-C7Refgec6gWNOe6rvJrk46oC1-tcSMh1Hy9X0KD0NfCCF_OVDQwSDSgXL4jTKtWTEbfFY/s320/transforce.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Holy
Ghost / </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ホーリーゴースト</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Holy Ghost, what is your deal? Are you really just a ghost that
happens to be holy? Scrapped compendium data seems to imply as much, and the
usually reliable trove of Mizuki illustrations has offered little in the way
of sourcing, but something tells us the truth is still out there…</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/92200247802/heres-a-strange-one-the-profile-of-holy-ghost-a"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Source</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">)</span></li>
</ul>
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<h4>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Stonka
/ </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "ms gothic";">ストーンカ</span></h4>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Stonka is about as tedious as he is inscrutable. We’ve yet to
turn up anything definitive on this <s>piece of shit</s> perpetual headache,
but some information concerning another rowdy bovine from Bulgarian folklore
suggests overlap with existing compendium data (special thanks to
indecisive-grenadier for the assist here!): </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://bnr.bg/en/post/100467575/ox-cow-and-bull-in-folklore-imagery-and-tales"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Source</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The best source we have is this info above from World Yokai Picture Book, which seems to be the origin of SMT's information. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Meanwhile, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://68.media.tumblr.com/9b3daf4100a97b73fcddbb069b63993e/tumblr_nw0rx7MrWv1rqxd5ko1_1280.jpg"><span style="color: #1155cc;">an illustration courtesy of Thomas of Cantimpré</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> is about as close to a visual match
as we’re likely to find at the moment, though bestiaries as a potential
source would be more tantalizing if Ethiopia were the alleged place of origin
rather than Bulgaria. This is all to say that Stonka remains in the loser’s
corner, but hopefully some day the truth will let out!</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Stonka
and Rakcharango formed sort of a pair of persistent bovine riddles, so we
were hoping to have both of them out of the way for this, but alas. Still, 1
for 2 isn’t bad, and at least I’m not constantly second-guessing the spelling
for this one!</span></i><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<br />
</span></b><b><i><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: </span></i></b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">And Stonka definitely came from
somewhere, even if that somewhere is just a Japanese monster book. I
personally think the real Stonka’s still out there. </span></i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmVvY6CeyAvGEbm06rbFrtZBZO4EpWdPRcbVM8RdrbJ6k9LFcDnfxvhs8yx_vzbMxtH9Ocx0V-gTTaDjEXuvg2IA0mIuJDtRgwxwVqRj1gSIZ17u2hN5dEi2GvZbMMsSQkbhyfReEnY0/s1600/transforce2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="50" data-original-width="600" height="51" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmVvY6CeyAvGEbm06rbFrtZBZO4EpWdPRcbVM8RdrbJ6k9LFcDnfxvhs8yx_vzbMxtH9Ocx0V-gTTaDjEXuvg2IA0mIuJDtRgwxwVqRj1gSIZ17u2hN5dEi2GvZbMMsSQkbhyfReEnY0/s640/transforce2.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></i></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<h2>
<u><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">In Conclusion: Mysteries No More </span></u></h2>
</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">:
Well, in the end we didn’t get them all but part of me is still astounded by
the demons we did finally uncover. I think the Tale of Tingkat speaks for
itself. </span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">:
Yeah, we were approaching saga-length near the end there. I think that gives a
good impression of how these searches go down, just usually with a fraction of
the steps.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR3FFpNBWJQYAVoDtGC5aXwiq-iv9juXLQl-JUlfVLjKqi12nzIziTZ0S8YoyEHdhbU9IaQNowjWiqZVDD-8s4fYU8xZAPhgM6usfcUmGZg9Khib89gVrMsWaSPL20qXJDUyzDPJQNDj4/s1600/4ef2fca7.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="599" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR3FFpNBWJQYAVoDtGC5aXwiq-iv9juXLQl-JUlfVLjKqi12nzIziTZ0S8YoyEHdhbU9IaQNowjWiqZVDD-8s4fYU8xZAPhgM6usfcUmGZg9Khib89gVrMsWaSPL20qXJDUyzDPJQNDj4/s320/4ef2fca7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Shigeru Mizuki, fast food consumer</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">:
Even looking at the Tingkat design still triggers in me a Pavlovian response of
various horrors. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">:
Definitely one that takes me back. Wish we could have pinpointed the visual
source, but that’s a whole different can of worms.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: So
has Mizuki been found to be the greatest single source for SMT’s demon roster
besides the Dictionnaire Infernal? </span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: I
think that’s a safe bet at this point. In terms of influence from Japanese
media, Mizuki, Teito Monogatari, and Devilman are probably the big three, with
Mizuki’s presence looming largest in the compendium itself. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: How
did we overlook Mizuki for so long? It’s not like I never heard of him before
we were clued in to the influence of his art. We knew he drew monsters and
yokai. It seems so obvious in hindsight. </span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: His
relatively meek presence in English might have contributed, even if that’s
being addressed as of late. But even so, his influence has seeped so far into
the fabric of Japanese pop culture as to be unnoticeable, so it’s easy to take
for granted. I never would have guessed there to be so many legit cribs over
just a sort of broad influence. </span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: If
I have one complaint about Mizuki, it’s that, as rigorous he was about sourcing
his information and artwork, he didn’t always include vital information in his
yokai profiles. For example, in Tingkat’s, he fails to mention the Jah Hut. As
it seems SMT’s profile for Tingkat is based off of Mizuki’s, it’s possible that
information could have ended up there, saving us a lot of time and aggravation
in the process. But water under the bridge. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">:
Yeah, ended up with some headaches there, but at least it worked out. Some of
the scarcity re: information might be attributed to the target audience for
these things, which probably skews a little younger, but it’s hard to find
fault with the guy’s work otherwise. Thankfully he was pretty rigorous with his
bibliographies, so you can always fill in the gaps.</span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: Boy
was he the master of sticking to source material in his art, though. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">:
Seriously, the man knew when to play a close game. You can pretty much always
identify his designs on sight alone, with the right know-how. A good few end up
leaving little to the imagination, but sometimes it’s best not to fix what
isn’t broken. Acknowledgement of the original perspectives was paramount. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: You
said he visited over 60 countries to study culture, right? </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: Yeah,
seeing that figure in one of his author bios blew me away. There was a
tremendous amount of field-work going on behind the scenes, and it tends to
show.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXo8uaLnxSo8sg4uvfTE_jPyXS5yRp5agZgXem-cc4YEUMDdpa4xtE4rB3fJt2o9MPBqHMaMPreXKkMXE0nkaGpvp0y25PtwC7hyiDDVjaeI6io7nUfmKJYuuMzvvtrYgf3R3o4VTyKo0/s1600/amon+001.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="1340" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXo8uaLnxSo8sg4uvfTE_jPyXS5yRp5agZgXem-cc4YEUMDdpa4xtE4rB3fJt2o9MPBqHMaMPreXKkMXE0nkaGpvp0y25PtwC7hyiDDVjaeI6io7nUfmKJYuuMzvvtrYgf3R3o4VTyKo0/s320/amon+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Mizuki's Amon</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">:
That’s staggering dedication. But it illustrates what’s so crucial when dealing
in world cultures: seeing culture from the native perspective. Mizuki had his
style--or styles, rather, anywhere from cartoony to realistic--but he seems to
not have imprinted himself onto much of it, strictly talking about his yokai
illustrations here. Tingkat looks like Tingkat because that’s how the Jah Hut
people see it. Kaneko mostly sticks to this principle, but unfortunately Doi
has a tendency not just to embellish, but to embellish with elements outside of
the subject’s cultural boundaries. A great case of that is Strange Journey
Redux’s Amon, with the Devilman Amon arms. Oh, and Mizuki’s Amon? Because of
course Mizuki drew Amon at some point. It just looks like the Dictionnaire
Infernal illustration. </span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">:
It’s tough to look at that guy and think “You know what, let’s get some
Devilman OVA in the mix here”. Probably not an impulse Mizuki had to suppress,
but Doi’s is so close to being in good company but for their inclusion. There
are plenty of means to combine sources in ways that remain true to the spirit
of the figure being depicted, but in this case it mostly serves to distract.</span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">:
Yeah, it no longer feels like it’s supposed to be the original god, demon, or
whatever but just another in a long line of modern reinterpretations that never
outlast the original. This is something I think Mizuki understood intimately,
and Kaneko to a lesser degree. Really, as far as cribs go, Mizuki’s list would
easily dwarf Kaneko’s. Not that we plan on starting a new sub-blog. </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">:
Yup, not to mention others have beaten us to the punch already. But a simple
GiS of “Toriyama Sekien” or whatever would suffice to give a decent impression,
I think. Mizuki wasn’t one to let the tremendous breadth of existing source art
go to waste, and it’s no coincidence that his depictions have codified their
appearances in the popular imagination; for him, it was more a matter of
bringing these worlds and figures that he loved to light, in alignment with
their original perspectives: an experiment that succeeded and then some.</span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: A
pity that Mizuki’s work isn’t more widely available outside of Japan. </span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">:
Yeah, there’s a real exposure problem going on. His comics are </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://www.drawnandquarterly.com/author/shigeru-mizuki"><span style="color: #1155cc;">slowly making their way into English</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">, but these compendiums and guidebooks
are a different story.</span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJLkrOWlaMSsmwnH8S4PvlZQLiL6hY0e9a6YLNzZ2UP8y05OBO6C0vFDyFOjhNOwsMlGnzItDwp5-qk_ES8XlKuoH0jY9BP7u0vZ2ZnZg1X6ZaX53y1tuVn2MACcpdGPPpTR__Vwm3h4w/s1600/51T9hAA8gYL.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="369" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJLkrOWlaMSsmwnH8S4PvlZQLiL6hY0e9a6YLNzZ2UP8y05OBO6C0vFDyFOjhNOwsMlGnzItDwp5-qk_ES8XlKuoH0jY9BP7u0vZ2ZnZg1X6ZaX53y1tuVn2MACcpdGPPpTR__Vwm3h4w/s320/51T9hAA8gYL.jpg" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">English Kitaro omnibus</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: The
time investment, the literal YEARS, was one thing but getting to the bottom of
these mysteries had a lightening effect on the wallet, too. </span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">:
These bibliography entries were never just a trip to the library away, as much
as we would have liked them to be, even excluding the Mizuki books they came
in. A shotgun approach worked there, but as you dig deeper sentiments like “how
did he even have access to this” become more and more commonplace.</span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">:
Yep. So I had to guess, often incorrectly, about purchasing books I wouldn’t
have easy access to otherwise. And so I’ll be frank. The actual mission of this
whole article is to get Atlus USA’s attention so that we have better, more accurate
localizations going forward, similar to the intent of last year’s
aforementioned Nocturnal Revelations series. The original plan for this one was
also to be a little cheeky/direct and post the monetary cost of researching
these demons’ names and origins, but ultimately I felt that would be a
distraction. You and I both have made some significant purchases in the search
for truth, but that’s less important than making that truth available for
utilization in future SMT games. Compensation and credit are secondary to
seeing a screenshot with the correct names for Tingkat, Roluwi, and the mystery
gang. </span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">:
Yeah, putting the right names to the right faces is what it really comes down
to. We wouldn’t even harbor such expectations if they weren’t such easy fixes:
simple typographical touches, Gurulu instead of “Gurr” etc. It might strike
some as pure semantics, but these names are an important part of representing
elements from a given culture.</span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: So
many mistakes have been grandfathered into current SMT localizations that the
whole demon roster could use a refresh. Accurate depictions and accurate names
are all part of the complete package. <a href="http://castlevania.wikia.com/wiki/File:Maria_-_Sub_Weapons_Harmony_of_Despair.jpg">And if Castlevania can use the right names for Maria’s Chinese pets</a>, so can Shin Megami Tensei. </span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">:
That’s all there is to it. Putting this thing together has been satisfying in
its own right, but if we can get it into the right hands that’ll be something
else entirely. But I’d say this is a good place to put a bow on it.</span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: And
take a bow from the wild hunt for mystery demons. Hopefully someone else out
there can finally figure out Stonka, Forbi, and Holy Ghost. </span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">:
Seriously, feel free to take a whack at those. This is plenty for now though,
and I’m about as satisfied as can be with it. </span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">:
Yeah, we’re done. We’re done? </span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">Soren</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">:
Yup, that’s a wrap. Thanks to anyone who cares enough about this stuff to have
read all the way, and make sure to tune in next time!</span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana";">Eirikr</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: <b><a href="https://youtu.be/H8zg7uQX6No?t=9" target="_blank">We’re done</a></b>! </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Credits
and Special Thanks</span></h2>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/">Dijeh</a></span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: For tons of stuff, as usual</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/iiotenki">Tom James/Pepsiman</a></b> for the bibliography breakthrough </span></li>
<li><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://indecisive-grenadier.tumblr.com/">indecisive-grenadier</a></span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: For Stonka's 'water bull' info, some
Rakcharango info</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><b>Furniture Person</b>: For Father Time </span></li>
<li><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/User:Miwasatoshi">Miwasatoshi</a></span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: For the Rakcharango breakdown</span></li>
<li><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://atmariderjojo.tumblr.com/">atmariderjojo</a></span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">: For Mokoi's info</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><b>Befuddled Mike</b>: For Khyak </span></li>
<li><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">Robert Stack</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"> (1919-2003): RIP</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";">P.S: For a good and
heartfelt retrospective on Mizuki’s life and work, <b>check out folklore scholar
and current Mizuki translator Zack Davisson’s </b></span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://www.tcj.com/the-life-and-death-of-shigeru-mizuki/"><span style="color: #1155cc;">obituary piece</span></a></span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><b> from shortly after his death</b>.</span><br />
<h2>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana";"><br />Update Log</span></h2>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="color: red;"><b>8/16/17</b></span>: Edited the correct name for "Moh Shuvuu" from "Mayu Shibayu" to "Muu Shuwuu", in order to reflect the source: thanks to <b>tinolqa</b> for bringing this little gaffe to our attention! Also improved some formatting.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="color: red;"><b>8/30/17</b></span>: Added "Cyak"/Khyak and "Zaccoum"/Zaqqum!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b><span style="color: red;"><span style="background-color: white;">9/6/17</span></span></b>: Added images, updated the Galleys and Fairies, added Willy, Koropokkur, and Culebre. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="color: red;"><b>9/11/17</b></span>: MOBILE EDITION! </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="color: red;"><b>10/16/17</b></span>: Updated Penanggal with the Kitaro connection. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b><span style="color: red;">8/13/22</span></b>: Updated "Rakcharango" with the correct name (Raksha Lango), sources for Putz, and some general fixes.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Eirikrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708584583156602408noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102004681763150356.post-66389843911596601422017-06-30T22:19:00.000-04:002018-10-25T16:42:21.834-04:00Japanese-Jewish Common Ancestry Theory & Shin Megami Tensei: Pseudohistorical Fantasies into Anti-Semitic Nightmares<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZmoFVu8YaWMyCYTV_Kgsd5WOMLbaoyYI1ihAdTIAs7JrYaRGpllWw2HnvO95wa2XJLsH3sarX7WVQvh4J4IQbHvx_UZcQnOov3a-iU8AqVkN9y9ZLbkqTjKPW_T98ZEJC0NYYouQOZA/s1600/JJCATheader-final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZmoFVu8YaWMyCYTV_Kgsd5WOMLbaoyYI1ihAdTIAs7JrYaRGpllWw2HnvO95wa2XJLsH3sarX7WVQvh4J4IQbHvx_UZcQnOov3a-iU8AqVkN9y9ZLbkqTjKPW_T98ZEJC0NYYouQOZA/s1600/JJCATheader-final.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="Section1">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
<i>"...We used the Japanese-Jewish Common Ancestor Theory as the base</i>." -<b>Yusuke
Miyata, Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse scenario writer</b> (<a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html#more">source</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
"<i>If we were to follow the theory that the [Japanese] Imperial Family is
part of the Hebrew lineage, then [Masakado] would also become the one who
opposed the Jews. The imperfect hero, so to speak. It would be cool if that
kind of man existed</i>." -<b>Kazuma Kaneko, series artist and creative
director</b> (<a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/10/31/the-other-face-of-the-demon-artist-kaneko-kazuma/">source</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Japanese-Jewish common ancestry theory is the most important idea in
Shin
Megami Tensei you've never heard of. Its nature is self-evident,
proposing that the Japanese are secretly descended from an ancient tribe
of Israel. It sounds crazy, but it's no theory that its ideas have
received some serious
endorsements from Atlus staff, from a series scenario writer all the way
up to
top dog Kazuma Kaneko himself.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
This article promises to be the most in-depth investigation possible of Shin
Megami Tensei's usage of Japanese-Jewish common ancestry theory--including a
dark side of anti-Semitism, as alleged by the title. But even as the series
shoots itself in the foot with its handling of certain matters, SMT's
application of Japanese-Jewish common ancestry theory is surprisingly broad and
deserving of the diverse range of discussion topics contained within,
including: </span><br />
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">The history of the
theory and its main arguments, as pertaining to SMT </span></b></li>
<b>
</b>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Elucidating the series'
portrayal of YHVH</span></b></li>
<b>
</b>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">The supernatural force
that actually powers demon summoning in the series</span></b></li>
<b>
</b>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">The significance of
Nocturne's Baal Avatar</span></b></li>
<b>
</b>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Why certain Japanese
demons are Jewish</span></b></li>
<b>
</b>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Explanations of some of
Kaneko's weirder comments</span></b></li>
<b>
</b>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Why Raidou Kuzunoha
actually serves YHVH </span></b></li>
<b>
</b>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">And of course, a full
analysis of the anti-Semitic themes that emerge from misuse of the theory</span></b></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">This is a huge subject, the revelations of
which have huge ramifications for Shin Megami Tensei and Atlus. It is unlikely
you will view SMT the same way again after discovering how the theory permeates
myriad aspects of the series both anticipated and unanticipated. To know
Japanese-Jewish common ancestry theory is to understand Shin Megami Tensei's
inner workings! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
A Brief History of Japanese-Jewish Common Ancestry Theory</span></h2>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Before we get to the "evidence" cited by supporters of
Japanese-Jewish common ancestry theory (hereafter referred to as <b>JJCAT</b>,
for my sanity and yours), a brief history of the idea is in order, to establish
the caliber of thought we're dealing with here. As stated, the basic assertion
of JJCAT is that a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Lost_Tribes">Lost
Tribe (or Tribes) of Israel</a> made its way to Japan where these peoples
disseminated their Hebraic culture and established the Japanese imperial line.
It is, essentially, the stuff of fringe theories and selective interpretations.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVoHptKgFx649hETS_9qtnKZCoxcP4ziyuEjBpBMeaain6eujW0Hg6-dxiabz0m6vWZjTNqHBtATgI_iVLUxQRPcg8_dVJ8o9EDHLsfPGSSr-fgbSG2s2oikHO2m1t4mkYJYoY1ljE8U/s1600/mcleod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVoHptKgFx649hETS_9qtnKZCoxcP4ziyuEjBpBMeaain6eujW0Hg6-dxiabz0m6vWZjTNqHBtATgI_iVLUxQRPcg8_dVJ8o9EDHLsfPGSSr-fgbSG2s2oikHO2m1t4mkYJYoY1ljE8U/s320/mcleod.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">McLeod's <i>Epitome</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The development of JJCAT itself is probably more interesting than the turgid
claims of its proponents. Though there are some limited precedents set by
Christian missionaries in both China and Japan in the 15th and 16th centuries,
according to the book <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=R_PQLj2D1DQC"><i>Jews
in the Japanese Mind</i></a>,</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
<i>The first Japanese-Jewish common ancestry theory was not the brainchild of a
Japanese or a Jew but of a Scot named </i><b>Norman McLeod</b><i>, who
published his </i><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=U2c_AAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false">Epitome
of the Ancient History of Japan</a><i> in 1875. In the preface, McLeod wrote
that he had arrived in Japan in 1867, the last year of the Tokugawa regime, and
that he intended to produce an illustrated, twelve-volume description of the
country similar to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engelbert_Kaempfer">Engelbert
Kaempfer</a>'s famous three-volume chronicle of the 1690s. McLeod explained
that he was publishing the present volume in anticipation of that magnum opus, which
would improve upon Kaempfer's work by giving "a more accurate and detailed
account of the origin of the Japanese, with a description of their Jewish
belongings."</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
<i>"A stout-hearted, frugal, and religious man who started his career in
Scotland in the herring fisheries, and ended up in Japan as an
independent missionary," McLeod
and his theories received short shrift in the foreign community. The
Japan Mail of February 10, 1874, reported, "Oh Wednesday evening last,
Mr. McLeod gave
his lecture upon '</i>Identity of the Mikado, Miya and Kuge Sama etc. with the
Ten Lost Tribes of Israel<i>.' He attracted but a small audience and did not
even contrive to keep them together above a few minutes" His ideas
received even less attention among the Japanese, who ignored them for a hundred
years.</i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
The self-styled missionary McLeod betrays the emergent pattern for JJCAT
supporters: Christian, though a limited number are of other religions as well.
But, by and large, Japanese Christians comprise the majority of the theory's adherents
and they would be the driving force behind its propagation. However, if McLeod
wasn't the direct progenitor of modern JJCAT, how did it gain traction? <i>Jews
in the Japanese Mind</i> offers the idea that it was part of an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnocentrism">ethnocentric</a> trend found
in Western colonial societies:</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
<i>While there is no evidence that McLeod influenced Japanese common
ancestry
theorists directly, it seems likely that he and they were the products
of the
same English tradition of speculation on the fate of the Ten Lost Tribes
of Israel. As early as the 1650s, writers in England had debated
whether the American Indians
were descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes, and that debate continued into
the
twentieth century. In 1822, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Brothers">Richard Brothers</a>,
principal founder of "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Israelism">Anglo-Israelism</a>,"
published his </i>Correct Account of the Invasion of England by the Saxons<i>,
in which he "proved" that the English were descendants of the Ten
Lost Tribes. By the turn of the twentieth century, the theory that the English
were descendants of the Jews had an estimated two million adherents in England
and the United States, and one contemporary authority described the literature
on the subject as "enormous." Proponents of Japanese-Jewish common
ancestry theory were inspired by this same trend.</i></span></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
These brief mentions highlight the nature of religiously-motivated
ethnocentrism. In such a worldview, any undocumented peoples or foreign, yet
sophisticated, cultures whose very existence would seemingly contradict the
biblical narrative are instead attributed a supernatural or extraordinary
origin; what once were contradictions are now reinterpreted in support of the
original narrative, in this case the Christian Bible. Everything must fit into
a neat timeline, like the online fandom discussions of modern times. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWuDEfvAHMEciJytRfhxb8VZvqSbXba6s-LjAC-TAtEF4EqrPyb7_oT-ZgF0QaC-ZI1lIQvbBZ0RS5h1mZMnyHTwY0fESfWxykGoQOFMp2r8fQuUSJZxcxImiLyYQ-9ygiLBUespjxuU/s1600/saeki.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWuDEfvAHMEciJytRfhxb8VZvqSbXba6s-LjAC-TAtEF4EqrPyb7_oT-ZgF0QaC-ZI1lIQvbBZ0RS5h1mZMnyHTwY0fESfWxykGoQOFMp2r8fQuUSJZxcxImiLyYQ-9ygiLBUespjxuU/s1600/saeki.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saeki</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But with the Meiji Restoration the sluices holding back the flood of Western
influence were opened, which importantly included Japanese nationals studying
abroad at Western universities. The rise of Japanese imperialism and
nationalism notwithstanding, the doctrine of Judeo-Christian ethnocentrism
would impact those Japanese who converted to Christianity. One of them was
"<i>a respected scholar</i>" (<i>Jews in the Japanese Mind</i>) by
the name of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._Y._Saeki">Saeki Yoshiro</a>
(1871-1965), who "<i>was one of the first to formally propose the theory
of Japanese-Jewish common ancestry</i>." (<i>Jews in the Japanese Mind</i>)
According to the book <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=OvzPAgAAQBAJ"><i>The
Jews and the Japanese: The Successful Outsiders</i></a>,</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
<i>Over thirty years [after McLeod proposed his theory], in 1908, Saeki
Yoshiro, a Waseda University professor, a Christian, and expert on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_East_in_China">Chinese
Nestorians</a>, published a book in which he developed a somewhat similar
theory. According to Saeki, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hata_clan">Hata clan</a>, which arrived
from Korea and settled in Japan in the third century, was a Jewish-Nestorian
tribe... Saeki's writings spread the theory about "the common ancestry of
the Japanese and the Jews" in Japan, a theory that was endorsed by some
Christian groups.</i></span></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
The Hata clan lived in a Kyoto village named Uzumasa, out of which Saeki
surmised "uzu" to hide a reference to "Ishu/Jesus" and
"masa" to mean "messiah." This theory appears in an
appendix called "Regarding Uzumasa" in his 1908 book about the
Chinese Nestorians. <i>Jews in the Japanese Mind</i> goes on to say about
Saeki,</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
<i>The fact that Saeki concludes that the Hata clan could only have been Jewish
from a torturously derived allusion to "Jesus, the Messiah" indicates
the essentially Christian and rather desparate nature of his theory.
"Regarding Uzumasa" became the cornerstone of all subsequent Japanese
common ancestry theories and set the paradoxical precedent for identifying
purportedly ancient Christian sites in Japan as evidence of early Jewish
settlements in the country. </i></span></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9qeIgtFXkQ9EMTF2G7vXMy-TMsQkwjsY5i0PGI2cEhn8fvRyvjqGz61qEcp3KepapDpa2cFID2uN0ND2-FDm2e64HWF42XQm3GTAOXMxNsJGAwWFbMRgoVB7WZYp4BeNSjg1IZ_mBGlQ/s1600/oyabe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="512" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9qeIgtFXkQ9EMTF2G7vXMy-TMsQkwjsY5i0PGI2cEhn8fvRyvjqGz61qEcp3KepapDpa2cFID2uN0ND2-FDm2e64HWF42XQm3GTAOXMxNsJGAwWFbMRgoVB7WZYp4BeNSjg1IZ_mBGlQ/s200/oyabe.jpg" width="145" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oyabe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Saeki's theories would quickly find favor with other Japanese Christians, such
as Oyabe Zenichiro (1867-1941). <i>"In the late 1920s the theory of the
Jewish origin of the Japanese was taken up by Oyabe Zenichiro, a Japanese
scholar and a Christian pastor who had received his Ph.D. from Yale University
in 1898 and who had spent many years studying the Ainu in Hokkaido." (The
Jews and the Japanese: The Successful Outsiders)</i> Oyabe introduced the idea
that the Japanese people, particularly the Japanese imperial line, were
descended from Jews, namely that the Japanese mythical <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Jimmu">Emperor Jimmu</a> is
actually an allusion to the scattered Jewish tribes. He also proposed that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamoto_no_Yoshitsune">Minamoto no
Yoshitsune</a> escaped death only to flee to the Asian mainland and assume the
identity of Genghis Khan.<i> Jews in the Japanese Mind</i> describes Oyabe's
motivations:</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
<i>As was true for Saeki, [Oyabe's] basic assumption is that Japan is a
holy nation. Christianity, he asserts, had been prefigured in Shinto,
but the
Japanese religion had, for unspecified reasons, failed to keep pace with
the
times. By studying Christianity, Oyabe says he had hoped to bring Shinto
up to
date so that it (as the Japanese national expression of Christianity)
could be
come the salvation of all Japanese.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMWCclTbv_C7FzMnYzIJDzye_ikanhA4fXBLDzXuR9A35fnqKQAEcflp9vmDe9DKBpwYtV_prU4wRjxku5qP0D_PJcDAygh4FpyvXUTrgjeyPmX0MUcfEOIp34oX_5X1QWJtvxFTwgVNk/s1600/tvkubo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="226" data-original-width="300" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMWCclTbv_C7FzMnYzIJDzye_ikanhA4fXBLDzXuR9A35fnqKQAEcflp9vmDe9DKBpwYtV_prU4wRjxku5qP0D_PJcDAygh4FpyvXUTrgjeyPmX0MUcfEOIp34oX_5X1QWJtvxFTwgVNk/s200/tvkubo2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arimasa Kubo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There are a few more names in the dissemination of JJCAT, but the only other
one that needs an introduction is <a href="http://www2.biglobe.ne.jp/~remnant/kuboe.htm">Arimasa Kubo</a> (b.
1955). Kubo, building off of the work of Saeki and Oyabe, is the modern voice
of JJCAT, evidenced by the fact that any search for the topic brings up
websites with his name and work attached to them, most of them mere clones of
some presumed archetype. Kubo is himself a Christian minister, fitting the JJCA
theorist pattern perfectly. It's mostly Kubo's website(s) that I'll be using
when discussing JJCAT in relation to Shin Megami Tensei, under the assumption
that his writings will be the most "up-to-date" in a sense and thus
the most relevant to SMT in the '90s up to the present day.</span><br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />Core Tenets of Japanese-Jewish Common Ancestry Theory Relevant to Shin Megami
Tensei</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
The list of claims said to substantiate JJCAT is fairly lengthy but it will not
be worthwhile to discuss each and every one; instead, I'll only review those
facets of the theory most relevant to Shin Megami Tensei's context. My
primary source for this section will be an archived version of Kubo's web page <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080224063624/http:/www5.ocn.ne.jp/~magi9/isracame.htm">Israelites
Came to Ancient Japan</a> (<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080218220425/http:/www5.ocn.ne.jp:80/~magi9/isracam2.htm">page
2</a>) (<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080219190913/http:/www5.ocn.ne.jp:80/~magi9/isracam3.htm">page
3</a>) (<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080219190918/http:/www5.ocn.ne.jp:80/~magi9/isracam4.htm">page
4</a>), as it seems to have moved around a lot over the years. However, the
information appears to be largely identical between versions. Any other sources
used will be noted appropriately. I'm also not setting out to disprove the
claims, with a few exceptions, because the burden of proof is on these
theorists (and they fail if you look into it at all), plus that's way beyond
the thesis of this article.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">In the words of the wise Titania, queen of
the fairies, "<i>Are you ready</i>?"<b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">1. The Yamabushi and their
accoutrements</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. So here's a term
Kubo mentions a lot: "<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamabushi">yamabushi</a></i>."
Yamabushi are mountain ascestics who practice <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shugend%C5%8D">Shugendo</a>, a syncretic
Japanese religion that combines esoteric Buddhism with some Taoism and Shinto.
Shugendo was said to be founded by none other than famous mystic and Shin
Megami Tensei alum <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/En_no_Gy%C5%8Dja">En
no Ozuno</a>, himself a mountain ascetic. From <a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/shugendou.html">onmarkproductions.com's
Shugendo entry</a>:</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
<i>Says scholar Paul L. Swanson in </i>Shugendō and the Yoshino-Kumano
Pilgrimage<i>: “Shugendō is a religious practice which took the form of
an
organized religion about the end of the Heian period (794-1184) when
Japan's ancient religious practices in the mountains came under the
influence of various
foreign religions. This loosely organized sect includes many types of
ascetics,
including unofficial monks (ubasoku </i></span><i><span style="font-family: "simsun";">優婆塞</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">),
peripatetic holy men (hijiri </span></i><i><span style="font-family: "simsun";">聖</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">), pilgrimage guides (sendatsu </span></i><i><span style="font-family: "simsun";">先達</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">), blink musicians, exorcists, hermits, diviners,
wandering holy men, and others.”</span></i></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
Yes, those <i>hijiri </i>are written the same as <a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2017/01/hijiri-maniacs.html">that Hijiri</a>.
Another source for the historical hijiri can be found in the book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Catalpa-Bow-Shamanistic-Practices-Classics/dp/1873410859"><i>The
Catalpa Bow: A Study of Shamanistic Practices in Japan</i></a>, a <a href="http://i.imgur.com/AayCqSO.jpg">relevant passage of which I've
screencapped here</a>. But enough with the actual factual information!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VDuF_9JcJj27CQzhEl7Hhtz_TelTQIMFUM9E0VGjdemlIfL7C5qSA3nf4aaJkt18EhZOmXlM-s-W12uPpXkTBDAQCZYGz2XN6qs578r__WDMFYUl_By7-_fom-pwqo4WBp_eplUidvY/s1600/yamabushiandshof.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="485" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VDuF_9JcJj27CQzhEl7Hhtz_TelTQIMFUM9E0VGjdemlIfL7C5qSA3nf4aaJkt18EhZOmXlM-s-W12uPpXkTBDAQCZYGz2XN6qs578r__WDMFYUl_By7-_fom-pwqo4WBp_eplUidvY/s320/yamabushiandshof.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japanese <i>tokin</i> and <i>horagai </i>(top),<br />
Jewish <i>tefillin </i>and <i>shofar </i>(bottom)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Yamabushi are notable in JJCAT because of their mysterious origins. Since
historians are not exactly certain how Shugendo or the yamabushi came about,
that leaves plenty of room for interpretation. In JJCAT, that of course means
the yamabushi are descended from a lost Jewish tribe. As no one has ever said,
"the proof is in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phylactery">phylactery</a>,"
and the first example of evidence for this claim rests with certain spiritually
protective headgear. I'll let Kubo do the lecturing here:</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
<i>On the forehead of "Yamabushi," he puts a black small box called a
"</i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokin_(headwear)">tokin</a><i>",
which is tied to his head with a black cord. He greatly resembles a Jew putting
on a phylactery (black box) on his forehead with a black cord. The size of this
black box "tokin" is almost the same as the Jewish phylactery, but
its shape is round and flower-like.</i></span></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
The Jewish forehead adornment is called a <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tefillin">tefillin</a></i> and is not worn
exclusively on the head, as a tefillin is worn on the arm as well. Besides
these phylacteries, Kubo and JJCATists find parallels between religious
instruments:</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
<i>Furthermore, the "yamabushi" use a big seashell as a horn. This is
very similar to Jews blowing a </i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shofar">shofar</a><i>
or ram's horn. The
way it is blown and the sounds of the "yamabushi's" horn are very
similar to those of a shofar. Because there are no sheep in Japan, the
"yamabushi" had to use seashell horns instead of rams' horns.</i></span></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
The Japanese conch horn, or <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horagai">horagai</a></i>,
bears less similarity to the shofar as it does to the Indian conch shell called
<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shankha">Shankha</a></i>. However,
the supposed emigration of the lost tribe to Japan includes a foray into the
Indian subcontinent, so I'm sure JJCAT doesn't exclude the possibility of
ancient Indian peoples being too stupid to blow on naturally acoustic objects,
either. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>2. Tengu.</b> During my initial searches into JJCAT, I was curious to find
image associations with tengu, without any accompanying explanations. For
example, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese-Jewish_common_ancestry_theory#/media/File:KuniyoshiUshiwakaTengu.jpg">the
print of Yoshitsune training with the tengu of Mount Kurama is currently set as
the main image for JJCAT's Wikipedia page</a>. Luckily, Kubo is there to
provide that special JJCAT brand of reasoning:</span><br />
<blockquote>
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">
In Japan, there is the legend of "Tengu" who lives on a mountain and
has the figure of a "yamabushi". He has a pronounced nose and
supernatural capabilities. A "ninja", who was an agent or spy in the
old days, while working for his lord, goes to "Tengu" at the mountain
to get from him supernatural abilities. "Tengu" gives him a
"tora-no-maki" (a scroll of the "tora") after giving him
additional powers. This "scroll of the tora" is regarded as a very
important book which is helpful for any crisis. Japanese use this word
sometimes in their current lives.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">
</span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">
There is no knowledge that a real scroll of a Jewish Torah was ever found in a
Japanese historical site. However, it appears this "scroll of the
tora" is a derivation of the Jewish Torah.</span></i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> </span></blockquote>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZCVAzzDAeFjJV1UTp3JcU6T8xxAYt-XyqI07pHKurqqTNtZOhA7voQegp1xdBLMXtU5gBneIbP0nEPE8pmxvurleLUNMlj6ClRI1eRF9WbFKbqUDlv_u_5sj-tQR8oGMJfe9Lw7ehFk/s1600/tengu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZCVAzzDAeFjJV1UTp3JcU6T8xxAYt-XyqI07pHKurqqTNtZOhA7voQegp1xdBLMXtU5gBneIbP0nEPE8pmxvurleLUNMlj6ClRI1eRF9WbFKbqUDlv_u_5sj-tQR8oGMJfe9Lw7ehFk/s320/tengu.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Statue of tengu with scroll</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The literal meaning of <i>tora-no-maki</i>
(<a href="http://jisho.org/word/%E8%99%8E%E3%81%AE%E5%B7%BB"><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">虎の巻</span></a>) is
"tiger's scroll," a phrase with the approximate idiomatic meaning of
a "crib note" or "cheat sheet," at least by modern
reckoning. Not that any of this would matter to JJCAT adherents when they can
instead ascribe a mystical meaning to the homophonic "tora"! A second
assertion about tengu and JJCAT is attributed to the 20th century Japanese
novelist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morio_Kita">Kita Morio</a>, by
way of another quotation from <i>Jews in the Japanese Mind</i>:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">"I learned that there is a
document in the Butsugen temple in Izu known as 'The Tengu's Apology.' [A local
historian] Kikuchi Banka has studied this document. According to Mr. Kikuchi,
'Like Japanese mountain ascetics, tengu dress like travelers who traverse steep
mountains, and their headgear is shaped the same as Jewish phylacteries. In
addition, their noses are hooked like the Jews. My intuition is that tengu were
Jews who migrated to China and Japan in ancient times. There are documents that
state that the whereabouts of the most pious of the twelve tribes of the Jews
is unknown. Judaism is a religion that worships the sun, and the etymology of
"Zion" is "the place where the sun shines."' In fact, ample
research has been done both in Japan and abroad to identify the Ainu with the
Jews. As evidence, [researchers] point out many similarities in language and
customs." </span></i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Kita Morio, Dokutoru Manbou konchu-ki [Dr. Manbou's Entomology,
1961]</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">So the long-nosed tengu reflect <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_nose">ethnic stereotypes of Jews</a>?
Go ahead, do a double-take. The quality of JJCAT speaks for itself, I think. </span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
3. The Binding of Isaac and the Mishaguji rituals of Suwa-taisha.</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> A few years back <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/96187394397/ophiocephallic-the-convoluted-true-story-of">I
investigated the actual origins of SMT's Mishaguji</a>, inadvertently stumbling
into my first encounter with JJCAT. Of course, the website I found linking the
two was written by none other than Arimasa Kubo and was essentially just a
copy/paste of the slightly more comprehensive archive I'm using for this
article.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">If you're familiar with the story of
Abraham and Isaac--and reading this in English as you are, that's probably a
fair bet--you could probably guess the tenuous connection here even without
much knowledge of the ancient Suwa religion. So it goes, apparently Abraham's
pious near-sacrifice of Isaac bears more than just a passing similarity to the
now abandoned ritual at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suwa_taisha">Suwa-taisha</a>
shrine where a young boy would be tied to a wooden pillar:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">At the festival, a boy is tied up by a
rope to a wooden pillar, and placed on a bamboo carpet. A Shinto priest comes
to him preparing a knife, and he cuts a part of the top of the wooden pillar,
but then a messenger (another priest) comes there, and the boy is released. This
is reminiscent of the Biblical story in which Isaac was released after an angel
came to Abraham.</span></i></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Kubo also mentions that the sacrifice of
deer during this Suwa-taisha ritual is the local equivalent of Abraham's
sacrifice of the ram. He goes on to make a relationship between the names of
Isaac and Mishaguji, a sentence I can't believe I just wrote:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">People call this festival "the
festival for Misakuchi-god". "Misakuchi" might be
"mi-isaku-chi." "Mi" means "great," "isaku"
is most likely Isaac (the Hebrew word "Yitzhak"), and "chi"
is something for the end of the word. It seems that the people of Suwa made
Isaac a god, probably by the influence of idol worshipers.</span></i></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">As far as I've been able to tell, there's
nothing about SMT's Mishaguji that screams JJCAT. Some references to the Suwa
region here and there, but Mishaguji's tendency to stay out of the limelight
means there's no need to follow up in the SMT section below; just thought this
was worth bringing up because otherwise Mishaguji is an obscure fellow (or
gal?).</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj42VnnVY9Q6EOioRHw7Im3IH4Qj66X6-6aFmF55SOS3yWoJJyE93RFexgAz-aZiGWJwb40mVpMFWCuSnO6x6ZqoE6nwTw6IQh2LmvKd5U5YjbtuOke3QRm-tpGHi_Ccn4EOkjWWpLbHuk/s1600/susan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1452" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj42VnnVY9Q6EOioRHw7Im3IH4Qj66X6-6aFmF55SOS3yWoJJyE93RFexgAz-aZiGWJwb40mVpMFWCuSnO6x6ZqoE6nwTw6IQh2LmvKd5U5YjbtuOke3QRm-tpGHi_Ccn4EOkjWWpLbHuk/s320/susan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Susanoo slaying the serpent Yamata no Orochi</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>4. Susanoo, Baal, and aspects of comparative mythology.</b> I myself have
often thought just how well Susanoo fits the mold of the traditional
Proto-Indo-European sky god, one who brandishes thunder to smite a foul
serpent, like Zeus, Baal, or Indra, though the conclusions I've made differ
greatly from those of JJCAT; nonetheless, here I think Kubo finally has a
legitimately fascinating (in a harmless conspiracy theory sense) point of
discussion even if it holds no water:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">The ancient Israelites believed not
only in one true God Yahweh, but also Baal, Ashtaroth, Molech and other pagan
idol-gods. This was true especially among the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Shinto scholars say that a Shinto god
Susanou (Susanou-no-mikoto) in the Japanese mythology resembles Baal in several
aspects, and a goddess Amaterasu (Amaterasu-oomikami) resembles Ashtaroth.</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">While in the Japanese mythology, the
god which appeared first is named <a href="http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=38">Ameno-minaka-nusino-kami</a>,
who is the master god living in the center of the universe, ruling the heaven
and the earth. He is invisible, has no shape, no dying, individual, and the
most central god of all. This god somewhat resembles the God of the Bible. In
fact, a Shintoist <a href="http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=570">Ikarimaru
Watanabe</a> (1837-1915), who is a desciple of a great Shinto philosopher Atsutane
Hirata, thought that this god equals Yahweh, the God of the Bible.</span></i></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">It's fascinating that Kubo aligns more
with modern scholarship than a typical, more conservative Christian would and
admits that the ancient Israelites were polytheists! Of course, that's only
because polytheistic belief conveniently reflects Japanese religion better than
strict monotheism does.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicKptvOpyF-P_Jf8M0hyphenhyphendq-PgHJWXDUdsl_JMCNl1BglS-DSvHhdT4slM8DRm35cbER94f9qFxjsMQD_VXwvOJto5ZlYlTel7M7ET8uJrZP1hWlP3d-9yrqKc4NhyaTnn8x9pau-arbaY/s1600/language.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="500" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicKptvOpyF-P_Jf8M0hyphenhyphendq-PgHJWXDUdsl_JMCNl1BglS-DSvHhdT4slM8DRm35cbER94f9qFxjsMQD_VXwvOJto5ZlYlTel7M7ET8uJrZP1hWlP3d-9yrqKc4NhyaTnn8x9pau-arbaY/s320/language.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Alleged similarities between Hebrew and the<br /> Japanese language, as shown here, are <br />a central argument of JJCAT</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">5. Yamato = Yah?</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> The Yamato were the Japanese peoples who would
dominate ancient Japan socially, politically, and religiously and would
establish the Japanese imperial dynasty, and "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamato_people">Yamato Japanese</a>"
today refers to the majority ethnic group in Japan, distinct from other
indigenous peoples, like the Ainu. Subsequently, "Yamato" has become
synonymous with cultural "Japanese-ness" in terms like "<a href="http://jisho.org/word/%E5%A4%A7%E5%92%8C%E9%AD%82">Yamato-damashii</a>"
(Japanese spirit) and "<a href="http://jisho.org/word/%E5%A4%A7%E5%92%8C%E6%92%AB%E5%AD%90">Yamato-nadeshiko</a>"
(a Japanese woman who represents traditional ideals). Of course, with a term of
such grand, pervasive significance, "Yamato" is ripe for the JJCAT
pickings. Let's leave it to Kubo again:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">It is also interesting to note that the
formal name for the Japanese first Emperor Jinmu is called in Kojiki or in
Nihon-shoki: "Kamu-yamato-iware-biko-sumera-mikoto"</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Kanji letters are adopted in Kojiki and
Nihon-shoki to this, but this pronunciation had existed even before Kanji
letters were imported from China. So the Kanji letters have no connection with
the meaning. This "kamu-yamato-...." has no satisfactory meaning if
we interpret it as Japanese, but Joseph Eidelberg interpreted it as Hebrew. If
we think of slight corruption and interpret it as Hebrew, it would be:
"The founder of the Hebrew nation of Yahweh, the noble (first born) of Samaria his kingdom."</span></i></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">As an aside, before I read Kubo's passage
I totally guessed that the "Ya" of "Yamato" would be
construed to refer to Yahweh and I was quickly validated. Not that I want a pat
on the back or anything (it was low-hanging fruit, let's be honest), but it
illustrates how easy it is to find coincidences between seemingly unrelated
cultures when you're intentionally looking for them! There's one more tidbit relating
to Yahweh's name and it refers to a line in a traditional Japanese folk song
that goes, according to Kubo, anyway, as "<i>Yah-ren so-ran</i>"--and,
you guessed it, the "yah" supposedly refers to Yahweh.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3i3COLG7ZchfDLkCf-EasP5bypch88upbA8WBAR6VqfMVbWnv4P3jemFnUrfXVYqMUTTK7mD-DIek45RAu6pAB64StciK_UxLYkiqBRutOApFju0zcWyGxYVPtxQ6prQw8NwU5mXzrA/s1600/kagome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="654" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3i3COLG7ZchfDLkCf-EasP5bypch88upbA8WBAR6VqfMVbWnv4P3jemFnUrfXVYqMUTTK7mD-DIek45RAu6pAB64StciK_UxLYkiqBRutOApFju0zcWyGxYVPtxQ6prQw8NwU5mXzrA/s200/kagome.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Alleged examples of the Kagome<br /> design on Japanese objects</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">6. The Kagome Crest and the Yata Mirror</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. These two are just barely relevant to the greater
topic of Shin Megami Tensei, but they nonetheless strengthen the Jewish ties
some of the Japanese characters and motifs may be intended to have. The Kagome
Crest is a hexagram shape identical to the Star (or Shield, as Kubo uses) of
David and, according to Kubo:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">In Mie prefecture, Japan, is located <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ise_Grand_Shrine">Ise grand shrine</a>
which was built for the Imperial House of Japan, and a symbol which looks very
much like the Shield of David is carved on all the lamps along the approaches
to the shrine.</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">The Japanese call it Kagome crest,
which means basket reticulation in Japanese. This was named because the crest
looks like the reticulation of Japanese traditinal bamboo basket.</span></i></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">This aspect presupposes the uniqueness of
the Star of David hexagram, even though its shape, the intersection of two
equilateral triangles, is common throughout world art, particularly relevant to
SMT as the Seal of Solomon in occultism. The traditional origin for the Kagome
Crest mentioned by Kubo is a pattern in bamboo weaving, also called a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trihexagonal_tiling#Kagome">Kagome lattice</a>.
In fact, this part of the argument is so weak that Kubo admits that "<i>it
is difficult to judge whether or not the Japanese design of six pointed star
originated from the Jewish Shield of David</i>." Indeed, the <a href="http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/aboutisrael/israelat50/pages/the%20flag%20and%20the%20emblem.aspx">Israel
Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes</a> that "<i>unlike the menora
(candelabrum), the Lion of Judah, the shofar (ram's horn) and the lulav (palm
frond), the Star of David was never a uniquely Jewish symbo</i>l."</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlkWBA7nk9pd4GPXzBeU_CfSNmJSDOAKs65yHqhNyOx11j_z8kZAxrewElSDk3NuQOr9b9iQIUrIc8THBnoQ7HUxxr5opcWqhDoL7bavaNK-JZ_cFySZ8ozDNf6-PaBSpUfkKe2UL9CQ/s1600/japan21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="438" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlkWBA7nk9pd4GPXzBeU_CfSNmJSDOAKs65yHqhNyOx11j_z8kZAxrewElSDk3NuQOr9b9iQIUrIc8THBnoQ7HUxxr5opcWqhDoL7bavaNK-JZ_cFySZ8ozDNf6-PaBSpUfkKe2UL9CQ/s200/japan21.jpg" width="193" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Alleged inscription on the<br />Yata no Kagami</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">As for the other subject, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yata_no_Kagami">Yata no Kagami</a> mirror
is part of the Japanese imperial regalia and thus connected to the gods, in
particular Amaterasu and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amano-Iwato">Ama-no-Iwato</a>
episode where it was used to lure her out of the cave. To JJCAT adherents, this
mysterious object, said to still be enshrined at Ise Grand Shrine, may hide
Hebrew inscriptions on its reverse. In Kubo's words again:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Arinori Mori (1847-1889) was the
Minister of Education, Culture and Science of Japan in the Meiji-era. He
insisted he saw that on the mirror of Yata in Ise grand shrine was written in
Hebrew "eheyeh asher eheyeh" which is God's name written in <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus+3%3A14&version=NIV">Exodus
3:14</a> of the Bible and means "I AM THAT I AM."</span></i></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The original mirror is said to have been
lost in a fire. The current copy, and the illustration of its reverse presented
by Kubo, is said to have been produced by an overly passionate individual who
convinced a priest of Ise to allow him to see the mirror. The individual
supposedly scrawled out the design of the reverse, but came to a different conclusion--that
the letters were representative of the counterfeit "ancient" <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jindai_moji">jinda-moji</a> script, not
Hebrew. It may all be nonsense, but even nonsense can have more than one
interpretation.</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">7. Mikado and the Gad tribe / The Hata</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. Last, but certainly not least as far as SMT is
concerned, we have JJCAT's explanation behind the ancient name of the Japanese
emperor, <a href="http://jisho.org/word/%E5%B8%9D"><i>Mikado</i></a>. It is
notable for, if nothing else, <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/israel/losttribes3.html">nominating the
tribe of Gad</a> as the particular lost tribe that made its way to Japan. Says Kubo:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">And to which tribe do the Japanese
belong? There are those who claim that the Mikado, the Japanese emperor, is a
descendant of the Hebrew tribe of Gad.</span></i></blockquote>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPApDF_J3z1LcbsZEJDMC3ERVhKflawt_vt9KwVw_gosrD8jxdd0umR1c7of81cfU0wZyiu9m-jTHNgcNEMhyphenhyphene3y5YLd6ER2pj42WLV26GwYgs4xU3_P4fi-4bcUkntDXdRDx5Np8ZB7M/s1600/travel+map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="217" data-original-width="348" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPApDF_J3z1LcbsZEJDMC3ERVhKflawt_vt9KwVw_gosrD8jxdd0umR1c7of81cfU0wZyiu9m-jTHNgcNEMhyphenhyphene3y5YLd6ER2pj42WLV26GwYgs4xU3_P4fi-4bcUkntDXdRDx5Np8ZB7M/s320/travel+map.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kubo's map of real and alleged Jewish<br />settlements in Asia, including Japan</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">As noted in the previous section, this
theory was an idea of scholar Oyabe Zenichiro. <i>The Jews and the Japanese: The
Successful Outsiders</i> has more to say about it:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">In 1929 Oyabe published his book, Nihon
oyobi Nihon kokumin no kigen (The Origins of Japan and the Japanese People), in
which he claimed that the Japanese were the descendants of the Jewish tribes of
Gad and Menashe, known for their military valor. The Japanese word mikado,
according to Oyabe, is composed of the prefix mi (honorable) and gaddo, the
Japanese pronunciation of the Hebrew Gad. Therefore the imperial family
descended from the Jewish tribe of Gad, one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.</span></i></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">In support of this claim are examinations
of biblical genealogies with those of Japanese imperial documents like the
Kojiki, but those are largely irrelevant to SMT. However, one to keep in mind
is the aforementioned theory of Saeki about the Hata clan's Jewish origins and
their emigration to Japan, as that will come into play later on. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>Assessing Japanese-Jewish common ancestry theory</b>. It would be generous
to even call JJCAT a pseudoscience. One of its major downfalls is assuming many
things are unique to or originate from Israelite culture when in fact that is
not the case, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_chloride#Religion">such
as the use of salt in purification rituals</a>. But this is one of the bizarre
aspects of JJCAT in that it supposes a Jewish-centric worldview by way of a
Christian interpretation, then goes as far as to make racist claims about
physical appearances.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
JJCAT's proponents are best summed up by an article on an ostensibly Mormon
site called <a href="https://www.morumon.org/japancultureisrael10.htm">24
Parallels Between Old Japan and Ancient Israel</a>, by Mark Riddle. These
parallels not dissimilar from those argued by Kubo, Riddle concludes his work
by calling it "<i>a persuasive argument</i>." He expounds upon the
persuaded in the page's endnotes:</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
<i>A list of persons so persuaded would include Japanese Christian scholars,
Western missionaries who have lived and served in Japan, Jewish rabbis and
scholars, and a host of Japanese authors who yearly produce more books to fuel
popular interest in this topic in Japan.... The late [Latter Day Saints]
comparative religionist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spencer_J._Palmer">Dr. Spencer Palmer</a>,
of Brigham Young University, was another who was persuaded by much, if not all,
of this evidence.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4iHE9KY70_JJTQARO61K1F_Es53dVGc7sCYdXL37G9R9wx_ltDSzMvhnGHeIFqeaxSzQ81ONAsHTFlRCuZbt8HmZgMOcAr03B8mT50gBM-j54gFt_SUt6QYq4RYUptQAFJbzXnH1LoxU/s1600/makuya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4iHE9KY70_JJTQARO61K1F_Es53dVGc7sCYdXL37G9R9wx_ltDSzMvhnGHeIFqeaxSzQ81ONAsHTFlRCuZbt8HmZgMOcAr03B8mT50gBM-j54gFt_SUt6QYq4RYUptQAFJbzXnH1LoxU/s320/makuya.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makuya">Makuya</a> are Japanese Christian<br />
supporters of Israel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Notice the pattern in these supporters. Japanese Christians. Missionaries.
Rabbis. Mormons (who have their own JJCAT/Anglo-Israelism in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamanite">Lamanites</a>). No secular,
"mainstream" scholars, just people who already have dogs in the hunt
for the literal interpretation of Judeo-Christian scriptures and the biblical
narrative, plus potential stakes in assigning a divine significance to Japan's
explosive economy and the primacy of its culture in the West among all other
East Asian (and probably all Asian) countries.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Of course, for the serious scholars and scientists who have examined the
claims, they don't come back with glowing reviews for JJCAT's legitimacy.
Historian of Jewish communities <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tudor_Parfitt">Tudor Parfitt</a> has
eviscerated the theory in his book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Tribes-Israel-History-Myth/dp/1842126652/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497330172&sr=8-1&keywords=the+lost+tribes+of+israel+history+of+a+myth"><i>Lost
Tribes of Israel: the History of a Myth</i></a>, citing it as an invention of
Western colonialism. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_people#Genetics">Genetic studies
of Japanese</a> also confirm that Israelite ancestry is an impossibility.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
If the general details and motivations behind JJCAT sound familiar, it's
because it has a modern descendant in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_astronauts">ancient astronaut</a>
hypothesis; it too makes degrading assumptions about the sophistication of
ancient cultures and human engineering by attributing great works to
extraterrestrial architects, a suitably "extraordinary" claim. Still,
I love the idea that aliens progenitors guided global civilizations not because
I think there's value to even an ounce of it, but because it's entertaining.
JJCAT believers may belong to a similar subjective reality to ancient astronaut
advocates, but so long as no one is being actively harmed or the theory isn't
used as a platform to spread hate, what's the harm? Unfortunately, like the few
aspects of JJCAT's whole that do stoop to racist rhetoric, Shin Megami Tensei's
use of the theory is severely problematic in spots, even if it is mostly
harmless and even illuminating. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<br />
<h2>
<a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2017/06/masakado-history-legend.html"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Taira no Masakado: History vs. Legend</span></a></h2>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4Chn3RqmuDB3XvAiAbO51XtQC-wmzYFvKvMqghyphenhyphencPgcN3YhicMwZGfE9jUnOAbrqlfAX-LLNs7jgc7EAjLXHXlCzokOGhFM9A115ejxDcwqEMKF1DPDhCBRsgP0ewKCvinCG5pUFcdY/s1600/masakado-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="265" data-original-width="400" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4Chn3RqmuDB3XvAiAbO51XtQC-wmzYFvKvMqghyphenhyphencPgcN3YhicMwZGfE9jUnOAbrqlfAX-LLNs7jgc7EAjLXHXlCzokOGhFM9A115ejxDcwqEMKF1DPDhCBRsgP0ewKCvinCG5pUFcdY/s200/masakado-small.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i>"Celebrated as a populist hero, denounced as a rebel and a state criminal, or
feared as an avenging spirit, [Masakado] is the subject of national history, folklore,
literary imagination, and local legends passed down in more than three hundred
fifty places across Japan</i>." -Karl Friday, <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=D7NC4dVU_jcC"><i>The First Samurai: The
Life and Legend of the Warrior Rebel Taira Masakado</i></a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Before we move on: This 10th century Taira samurai, infamous for rebelling
against Japanese imperial authority, will be relevant in the next section, so <a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2017/06/masakado-history-legend.html">please
consider reading this supplementary article for an in-depth look at Masakado in
history, folklore, and Shin Megami Tensei</a>! It's highly recommended to have
at least a passing familiarity with the events of Masakado's life and death
before continuing, but if you're already already up on your Heian-era samurai,
by all means, continue to the next section!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
Japanese-Jewish Common Ancestry Theory in Shin Megami Tensei</span></h2>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Before we submerge ourselves in the
SMT-JJCAT relationship, here is a summary of the JJCAT narrative based on the
points of interest discussed above. Though what pertains to SMT is not a
comprehensive survey of all JJCA theories, a general correspondence to the
broader discourse's main tenets remains intact: </span><br />
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Most tenets of JJCAT are
predicated on biblical literalism; based on its claims, it assumes the
Hebrew Bible is true at least up until the Books of Kings or
Chronicles. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Some time before 660 BC
(the approximate date of Emperor Jimmu's accession), the Israelite tribe
of Gad slowly makes its way east across the Asian continent. They
establish settlements in India and China, among others, before landing in Japan prior to the given date. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">The Gad people quickly
establish hegemony over the native inhabitants of the Japanese islands,
disseminate themselves among the local population, and establish the
Japanese imperial dynasty: The emperor, "Mikado,"
"honorable Gad," ruling over the people and lands called
"Yamato," named after Yahweh. </span></li>
<ul type="circle">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Alternatively, others
become the reclusive mountain monks known as yamabushi, who inspire the
creation of tengu legends by way of their Torah scrolls or
stereotypically large noses. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Still others settle in
the Kyoto area and become the Hata clan. </span></li>
</ul>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">These people bring with
them cultural items both tangible and intangible. </span></li>
<ul type="circle">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Tangible items include
the tefillin, influencing the Japanese tokin, religious horns, the
aforementioned Torah scrolls, and the Star of David. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Intangibles include the
Hebrew language and alphabet and stories, like Abraham and Isaac, which
become recontextualized in local myths and religious rituals. Hebrew
script is also interpreted on the reverse of the imperial Yata mirror and
may influence Japanese script. </span></li>
</ul>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">As a separate
intangible, either cultural memory or active worship by the people
of Gad
brings the concepts of Canaanite deities like Baal and Astarte to
Japan, creating native gods Susanoo and Amaterasu, respectively. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">In modern times,
Japanese Christians descended from Jews await Christ's return and their
elevated status in the New Jerusalem. This highlights the inherently
Christian nature of JJCAT despite the purported Jewish connections.<i> </i></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDeM8F4WoGY"><i>That</i>...is a ton of
pepperoni</a>. As insane as it all sounds, keep this narrative in mind for
what's in store below. Regardless of each and every claim's persuasiveness
(some are no doubt mere coincidences and I'll be sure to admit as such if
that's the case), JJCAT at the very least opens up a new avenue for interpreting
certain idiosyncrasies of Shin Megami Tensei that have otherwise eluded
sensible explanations by other approaches. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
Series-Wide Examples</span></h3>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>1. Angels and Hama</b>. The angels and archangels of SMT all tend to
be
associated with light-elemental skills of the Hama family. So what is
"Hama," anyway? Even though the majority of SMT's skill names are
gibberish
(probably), Hama is one that's easily sourced: In Japanese, "<i>hama</i>" (<a href="http://jisho.org/word/%E7%A0%B4%E9%AD%94"><span style="font-family: "simsun";">破魔</span></a>) means
"exorcism."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbZjOu8GcU5PmVw8_WeFwZuduJWtJzxdIWlCqKhOt2rb_eIw2pmXhAUFsBMByW4gF5QHLLHr5gLKFVPVgMa6kto3Rde7AgVCyOnFvQc13kpc3CYBWtet-GpHOp5qCCXm4Ho0irXb1tMY/s1600/hama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbZjOu8GcU5PmVw8_WeFwZuduJWtJzxdIWlCqKhOt2rb_eIw2pmXhAUFsBMByW4gF5QHLLHr5gLKFVPVgMa6kto3Rde7AgVCyOnFvQc13kpc3CYBWtet-GpHOp5qCCXm4Ho0irXb1tMY/s320/hama.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An angel casting Hama, <i>ofuda </i>visible</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But it's the specific style of exorcism that makes this interesting. <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onmy%C5%8Dd%C5%8D">Onmyodo</a></i>, a
Japanese spiritual and occult practice influenced by Chinese Taoism, utilizes <a href="https://www.google.com/search?biw=1600&bih=791&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=%E9%99%B0%E9%99%BD%E9%81%93+%E3%81%8A%E6%9C%AD&oq=%E9%99%B0%E9%99%BD%E9%81%93++&gs_l=img.1.0.0i30k1l3j0i12i24k1l4.2976.62029.0.63660.2.2.0.0.0.0.141.272.0j2.2.0....0...1.1.64.img..0.2.270.6h0q4HcHFuA#imgrc=_">paper
charms/amulets called <i>ofuda</i></a> in exorcisms and other functions.
Scrawled with kanji and mystic symbols, you've no doubt seen them used in other
games and anime, including SMT's own Hama group, which is what I'm getting at,
of course; the animation routine for Hama skills, 2D or 3D, uses ofuda strips.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Now, there are more light skills than just Hama and other demons besides the
Judeo-Christian angel set use them. But few demon races are more closely tied
to a single element than the Divine and Heralds, making it odd that the visual
representation for them is uniquely Japanese. It's far from conclusive, but an
interesting coincidence at the very least. Remove the possibility of JJCAT and
this would be merely a strange coincidence! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>2. Tokyo, the World Axis</b>. We get it: Tokyo is a big, important city. So
why does almost every supernatural shindig in the series go down there? Well,
there are a couple good, practical reasons for this that have nothing to do
with JJCAT. Initially, SMT1 was going to be <a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/99523128558/interview-with-kaneko-kazuma-and-okada-cozy-from">a
globe-trotting adventure terminating in Israel</a>; budgetary concerns likely
nipped this tantalizing idea in the bud. Second, the Atlus staff were left to
base their game with a modern setting on what they knew, and what they knew was
Tokyo. It's tempting to add JJCAT as an additional layer across all instances
of Tokyo's role as the East Asian Jerusalem, but it's not universally
applicable across every entry in the series--though we'll certainly be getting
to some specific examples shortly. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>3. The Absent Christ / Jewish God, Jewish Satan</b>. A common question that
arises from YHVH's and Law's seemingly odd fascination with Japan/Tokyo is
about the conspicuous absence of Jesus. Why wouldn't Christ get an invitation
to the End Times party when all manner of angels, demons, and even
"The" God himself are regular attendees? Even mother Mary will be
making her first genuine series appearance in Strange Journey Redux.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/151072529857/why-do-you-think-jesus-himself-hasnt-appeared-in">A
previous answer I've given to this question surmises that Jesus is, in fact,
present in the series, just not in that particular form</a>: The player
protagonist dons the mantle of Christ-figure, of "messiah" (sometimes
literally). This is doubly true for Law Heroes, Law endings, and especially
SMT2's hero Aleph. But this doesn't mean that the entity "Jesus"
couldn't appear in the series as a demon--he'd just be unnecessary in most
contexts. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXrLXPv3FDV7TjZiFRz0BLOxIVDawJ7GKmTWibzEh_tV7_MuiLarUNqoPo93Ty6LEXOqdZ_jBc5yVL041rmasgsoxXiRxB_RCplPnOg2YaTkiIDV7aqAmo7ZXncqrVJDhZOeAr8GeqPg/s1600/satan+servant.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXrLXPv3FDV7TjZiFRz0BLOxIVDawJ7GKmTWibzEh_tV7_MuiLarUNqoPo93Ty6LEXOqdZ_jBc5yVL041rmasgsoxXiRxB_RCplPnOg2YaTkiIDV7aqAmo7ZXncqrVJDhZOeAr8GeqPg/s200/satan+servant.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The voice of YHVH in SMT2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A second answer builds off the first, focusing on the often overlooked
structure and dynamics of the Law faction. Most would probably interpret YHVH's
Law forces as being inherently Christian in organization, due to the designs of
the angels and cross motifs on their costumes and banners. That's certainly
true--for the angels. But what about YHVH himself? From the specific spelling
of his name (the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton">Tetragrammaton</a>)
and the fact that YHVH has always, inflexibly, been paired with his Satan as
his "servant" (according to his words in SMT2) and not antagonist
(initially, anyway), one can surmise that the upper echelons of Law represent
Jewish concepts, not Christian ones. Look no further than the Hebrew Bible's
epithets of YHVH --(El) Shaddai, Adonai, Sabaoth seen in SMT2, and Ancient of
Days in SMT4--for more clues that SMT's take on God is meant to portray the
Jewish side of things. This also explains why YHVH is seemingly obsessed with
destruction of "sin," as he invokes that "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_and_brimstone">fire and brimstone</a>"
characteristic of "Old Testament" wrath--something noted by Christians
for centuries in contrast to the "loving father" of the New
Testament!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzLlYUptkcqaE0si8t_uLSgTE0oolZ2sjCtyaiSlEb4DgH2NiT1BJzVg1OPqOHjHVmA3Rou4nloHjInNIAv8or5KtYY05odCPJu4pOWyfdxX78D7oy8Qkt6nTnWc_xoX-M3rLnvhNn2tM/s1600/satan+god.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzLlYUptkcqaE0si8t_uLSgTE0oolZ2sjCtyaiSlEb4DgH2NiT1BJzVg1OPqOHjHVmA3Rou4nloHjInNIAv8or5KtYY05odCPJu4pOWyfdxX78D7oy8Qkt6nTnWc_xoX-M3rLnvhNn2tM/s1600/satan+god.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SMT2 Satan acting as YHVH's judge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As for Satan, being YHVH's "judge" in SMT2 (or "evaluator"
in SMT4A; same difference) is the biggest clue that he is meant to be the
Jewish Satan. This series hallmark is often dismissed in the English-speaking
SMT circles because the idea of God and Satan being on the same team is
completely alien to most in the Christian Western Hemisphere--except, of
course, for Jews. Because Jews view God as the sole, unopposed, absolute divine
power of the universe, this means he is responsible for all the bad along with
all the good. Thus, even though the Jewish Satan is a bad egg, he's nothing
less than a direct agent of God's will (though see <a href="http://www.beingjewish.com/basics/satan.html">this page</a> for a better
explanation of Satan's purpose in Judaism than I could muster in a mere
paragraph). This is also why it's no paradox for Satan and Lucifer to exist
simultaneously; Lucifer represents the Christian "Devil" figure. As
YHVH's servant and "obstructor," SMT's Satan can only be a
representation of Judaism's. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
The Jewish focus is why I never brought up the JJCAT-adjacent idea of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shing%C5%8D,_Aomori#Tomb_of_Jesus_Christ">Jesus
traveling to Japan and/or being buried there</a>. Yes, that's a thing. But
besides the fact that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism%27s_view_of_Jesus">Jewish theology
and eschatology has no place for the Christian Jesus</a>, JJCAT allows
an
alternate explanation for Christ's absence in the series. In those rare
times
that YHVH isn't hurling hot destruction Tokyo's way, be it through
promised
saviors, cocoons, or just from general passivity, the fact that normal
Japanese
people under JJCAT would be considered a lost tribe of Israel could mean
that
YHVH is simply attending to his business and crafting a plan for the
salvation
of his authentic prodigal sheep and their eventual reintroduction into
the
Jewish whole. But while YHVH is preoccupied with his "Gad" business,
on the other side of the world from the Japanese promised land, Jesus
could be,
for all we know, gathering righteous Christian soldiers in America and
Europe to fight seven-headed Beasts. Regardless of any silly headcanons,
SMT's
apocalyptic formula has no real role for Jesus to play, even as
Christian-minded JJCAT interpretations make room in the series for
expressly
Jewish concerns.<b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc5qUaOubYDqXfa55poJ6D1rjf-loQ_GJ3CHc_JKuQteySIbbRpXczFa-hq2G2Q6ppv2Svpyty_9s_mB1jpohE6w532i4SIoHS3rbTzEs_ILZRuNCepNH3bA8LZaZ86i8Fhyphenhyphenxj3jogck0/s1600/hexlok.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="321" data-original-width="417" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc5qUaOubYDqXfa55poJ6D1rjf-loQ_GJ3CHc_JKuQteySIbbRpXczFa-hq2G2Q6ppv2Svpyty_9s_mB1jpohE6w532i4SIoHS3rbTzEs_ILZRuNCepNH3bA8LZaZ86i8Fhyphenhyphenxj3jogck0/s200/hexlok.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">SMT series hexagram logo</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>4. Summoning with Solomon and the Names of God</b>. If you're in the Shin Megami
Tensei universe, how would you summon demons? With the Demon Summoning Program
created by occult nerd Stephen, natch. The Cathedral of Shadows is an extension
of the same idea. So what gives them the power to call forth beings from
outside reality?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg4jy2RnnzY">The very first Shin
Megami Tensei's opening cinematic</a> explains everything, actually. After the
Atlus logo fades out, we see an encircled sigil--the famous Seal of Solomon,
or, more precisely, the <a href="http://i.imgur.com/jSCp29W.jpg">Hexagram of
Solomon</a>, used to control demons, though a slightly embellished, proprietary
version for SMT's use. While the hexagram shape is important, it's the inlaid
letters and words that are of chief interest, specifically the
"TETRAGRAMMATON," "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGLA">AGLA</a>,"
and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_and_Omega">alpha and omega</a>.
These of course refer to God; by drawing the Seal or Hexagram and writing these
divine words, you are in effect invoking the divine power of the prime mover to
bring forth your requested demon. Demons might not listen to humans, but they
certainly have to answer to God.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
However, SMT deviates from tradition with its use of the Hexagram. Usually,
summoning demons in the Cathedral of Shadows sees them emerging from a
Hexagram's central point, instead of appearing within <a href="http://www.sacred-texts.com/grim/lks/lks09.htm">a precise triangle</a>,
as in Solomonic occultism. Grimoires like the Goetia prescribe the Hexagram
with more of an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apotropaic_magic">apotropaic</a>
function; if the summoner wears this sigil (and others) emblazoned with the
names of God, the demons, who are ultimately under God's power, will be unable
to cause them harm. Regardless, the intended effect from occult tradition or
SMT tradition is that the demons listen to the summoner! Most games in the
series have a summoning interface that at least uses the Hexagram and its
words. A notable exception is Nocturne; it eschews the Demon Summoning Program,
Stephen, and Solomon's Hexagram, opting for a more New Age demon fusing
experience on top of some pillars.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtM2BBBicvDaCj0jTOl0YGWhChYH1u3ZF7VA0kq0TdwYK4um1muEKHiAVglzfShA2K_apt-OFb263PfYv1f3e5rlBZyxI5-d2ynmBAR6qgP-Wz4KKm-xPCGcUy3xzuN6AMYKGOoX5IIoU/s1600/baphomet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtM2BBBicvDaCj0jTOl0YGWhChYH1u3ZF7VA0kq0TdwYK4um1muEKHiAVglzfShA2K_apt-OFb263PfYv1f3e5rlBZyxI5-d2ynmBAR6qgP-Wz4KKm-xPCGcUy3xzuN6AMYKGOoX5IIoU/s200/baphomet.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baphomet invoking the <br />
Names in Nocturne</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Next in SMT's opening you see some kind of computer code being compiled, which
ends with the unusual string "EL ELOHIM ELOHO ELOHIM SEBAOTH ELION EIECH
ADIER EIECH ADONAI JAH SADAI TETRAGRAMMATON SADAI AGIOS O THEOS ISCHIROS
ATHANATOS AGLA AMEN." Presumably this is the code of the Demon Summoning
Program, written in-universe by Stephen; while these may appear to be a random
smattering of words, they are anything but. Often referred to as the <a href="http://www.thelemapedia.org/index.php/Barbarous_Names">Barbarous Names</a>,
this particular string is sourced to the <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=QO7iRDMG4nkC&pg=PA19&lpg=PA19&dq=EL+ELOHIM+ELOHO+ELOHIM+SEBAOTH+ELION+EIECH+ADIER+EIECH+ADONAY+JAH+SADAY+TETRAGRAMMATON+SADAY+AGIOS+O+THEOS+ISCHIROS+ATHANATOS+AGLA&source=bl&ots=vTtOg8t6a_&sig=rHXxGya97a7D8WdAWuG-t3uaNB0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjF76CnucbUAhXFHD4KHRUJCfsQ6AEIRzAF#v=onepage&q=EL%20ELOHIM%20ELOHO%20ELOHIM%20SEBAOTH%20ELION%20EIECH%20ADIER%20EIECH%20ADONAY%20JAH%20SADAY%20TETRAGRAMMATON%20SADAY%20AGIOS%20O%20THEOS%20ISCHIROS%20ATHANATOS%20AGLA&f=false">Grimoire
of Armadel</a>, where, like the names on the Hexagram, they serve to force the
hand of the demon or spirit being conjured:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
<i>I (conjurer's name) do Conjure thee (spirit's name) by the virtue of the
Great and Holy Names of God, that immediately and without delay thou art to
appear unto me under an agreeable form, and without noise, nor injury unto my
person, to make answer unto all that I shall command thee; and I do conjure
thee herein by the Great Name of the Living God, and by these Holy Names:</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">
EL ELOHIM ELOHO ELOHIM SEBAOTH ELION EIECH ADIER EIECH ADONAY JAH SADAY
TETRAGRAMMATON SADAY AGIOS O THEOS ISCHIROS ATHANATOS AGLA Amen.</span></i></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglfHsVorUh1S-qV4OPsZXyiNdCyFb_aQi1rarM6PXEehdggDL3ZiqtiLk85aJPL9ebkxfo8iZsAIJwjxxNxapf8-FoNURw1qGRf1YbOLG6LlWutmTRj892gUmj6jh_iIRuZH_J2whJlYE/s1600/1%252850%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglfHsVorUh1S-qV4OPsZXyiNdCyFb_aQi1rarM6PXEehdggDL3ZiqtiLk85aJPL9ebkxfo8iZsAIJwjxxNxapf8-FoNURw1qGRf1YbOLG6LlWutmTRj892gUmj6jh_iIRuZH_J2whJlYE/s200/1%252850%2529.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cathedral of Shadows fusion<br />
sequence with visible hexagram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My objective here is to exhibit that Shin Megami Tensei games that use the Hexagram
or Names summon their demons not through some cockamamie hocus-pocus
(relatively speaking) but via existing occult methods that specifically invoke
the authority of God, or YHVH, in this case. And not just "demon"
demons, like those residing in Hell; no, this means SMT's broader definition of
the term, which includes anything from Hindu gods to Buddhist protectors to
Japanese yokai. Additionally, the diminutive Slimes, the results for failed
summonings of any demon, <a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Slime#Shin_Megami_Tensei:_Strange_Journey">are
described</a> as originating from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atziluth">Atziluth</a> world of Jewish
Kabbalah. You can infer from these examples that all of SMT's supernatural
characters are ultimately subservient to YHVH, a concept very much in line with
the JJCAT worldview; bad news for Chaos players in games where it applies. I empathize if this idea sounds farfetched, but it will
only gain traction as this examination of the series continues.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
Shin Megami Tensei (1992)</span></h3>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>Probably nothing</b>. The only reference to anything even remotely
JJCAT-related seems to be En no Ozuno, but SMT1's hangs out in the Definitely
Buddhist Diamond Realm. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukio_Mishima">Mishima</a>
clone Gotou is a nationalist caricature diametrically opposed to YHVH's Thor.
The game even ends with a struggle between a Christian symbol (Michael) versus a
Japanese Buddhist one (Asura-oh). Tasked with establishing the core conceits of
the series, SMT1 was left with little room for fringe theories.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Speaking of Thor though, is this Norse-Jewish common ancestry theory? Why would
a Norse god side with YHVH? Because at this time, Thor was a Deity, a race then
considered Light-Law. During this fledgling period, Law was an inclusive,
absolute concept and not the codified synonym for purely monotheistic ideals as
it would become, practically as soon as SMT2. Vishnu's sympathy for a
Law-aligned player is another example of SMT1's broader definition of
alignment. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
Shin Megami Tensei II (1994)<b> </b></span></h3>
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCI-KvfZQ8xtoEJI1eS2C6YaUFMbu8LTEurCYQFNXhz-gRHVli7vwY5__ror2pA0NQHIG6rMH_Wf2t6QrICddSeTl4SnbcONBE7NEijqysDOEL4bZEsa3JkWqR_yMUG8-27wD7JXKQGIQ/s1600/masakadohelm-SMT2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="680" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCI-KvfZQ8xtoEJI1eS2C6YaUFMbu8LTEurCYQFNXhz-gRHVli7vwY5__ror2pA0NQHIG6rMH_Wf2t6QrICddSeTl4SnbcONBE7NEijqysDOEL4bZEsa3JkWqR_yMUG8-27wD7JXKQGIQ/s320/masakadohelm-SMT2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Important aside: <a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Shin_Megami_Tensei_II_Items#Armor">Masakado's equipment is inferior to Jesus' in SMT2</a>! </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>1. Anti-JJCAT themes</b>. I didn't include Megami Tensei II not just because
it's outside of purview, but because SMT2 is essentially its thematic remake.
That said, even though SMT2 is the first "Shin" game to feature YHVH
directly, it's difficult to specifically indicate JJCAT themes within its
narrative and themes even as it features a relationship between YHVH and
Japanese demons.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
What I'm talking about is the back room deal struck by the Japanese Kunitsu
gods with YHVH to subjugate the Amatsu. It looks like it might be authentic JJCAT at first glance, but the
details paint a different picture: Bizarrely, Masakado is at least neutral on
the agreement; the arrangement is made with the Kunitsu against the Amatsu
(Yamato) gods, when at the very least JJCAT would require it to be the other
way around. Ultimately, YHVH betrays the Kunitsu and equally seals them away.
Then there's this quote from <a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/08/08/kaneko-cozy-narisawa-shin-megami-tensei-ii-interview-part-i/">an
SMT2 interview</a>:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
<i>Kaneko: Seth was Satan’s predecessor. Seth, Sat, Saton, Satan. Thought I’d
play a little with that. He’s a demon that has been sealed in Makai, and even
Lucifer is afraid he might destroy that place.</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">
Narisawa: That is, so to speak, the plan of the Hebrew deities, isn’t it. It
gets even more complicated when you add the Kunitsukami and Amatsukami into the equation. I have
one problem though; was it ok to separate the locations of the Hebrew and Yamato deities? It ended up kind of suspicious to me.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Kaneko: According to my understanding that part was meant to represent the sides of the Hebrew gods and the local ones
easily. You can also say it’s about the local deities versus intruders.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Okada: Basically, we wanted to show Japanese beings as
monsters in the Underworld.</span></i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> </span></blockquote>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-IW-h-M6czoCd2K0hGNykSHd05EWTRGjAecCywyedV-r5thvp08dSpdtgNAQRCYo2G_kQhb3sZk7kk3jc5Adbx1a9wbPjfLt1s037xZuR0YpR9zgBiVA00xPB7YZT1sXqF0xzOhMabis/s1600/amaterasuhebrew.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-IW-h-M6czoCd2K0hGNykSHd05EWTRGjAecCywyedV-r5thvp08dSpdtgNAQRCYo2G_kQhb3sZk7kk3jc5Adbx1a9wbPjfLt1s037xZuR0YpR9zgBiVA00xPB7YZT1sXqF0xzOhMabis/s200/amaterasuhebrew.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Amaterasu's statement upon<br />rescue refutes JJCAT</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Here, there's a definite contrast between native gods and "intruders."
But also consider that they try to connect Satan to the Egyptian Set(h) with
the false "Set-Sat-Saton-Satan" etymology. Additionally, according to
backstory, Tokyo Millennium, the game's main setting, has become a global
shelter for refugees of a dying world, plus YHVH includes the
"chosen" residents of Tokyo Millennium on his Eden ship. It's highly
likely that JJCAT was never intended here.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Because of this, the one thing that could be considered JJCAT elsewhere with enough context is probably meaningless in SMT2--this is the fact that <a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2017/01/30/yhvh-translation-masterpost/">YHVH's avatars are referred to as his "bunrei</a>." </span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">If you
don't remember that term from the SMT4A interview, <i><a href="http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=1476">bunrei</a>
</i>is a Shinto term denoting a division of a deity for purposes of transporting
its essence for enshrinement at another location. However, without proper corroboration from elsewhere in the game, it was likely included only as a convenient way to refer his "divisions" or "avatars" in Japanese. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>2. The Messiah Project</b>. The angelic rulers of Tokyo Millennium,
desperate for a messiah, take matters into their own hands and set out making
one themselves. The Messiah Project is then established, creating <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superbabies:_Baby_Geniuses_2">superbabies</a>
named after Hebrew letters: Aleph, Beth, Gimmel, Daleth, and Zayin. But because
of the game's strong New Testament themes such as how Hiroko acts as the Virgin
Mary in giving birth to the Jesus-analogue Aleph, I'm really struggling to see
any JJCAT.<b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9WpBzWmn30J3R0Vd_e2RwI3X3ncEIpvUAq7qK-P8tYthXE-5YDGePXPOeqmuKEJEv9d7JOHU3AdrW3BHAnzg61uC-rNoyZiRIspA6plqsNqL6cICoiyiGAF8TSc7eE9pd-BoRCiY1RIE/s1600/kuzu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="239" data-original-width="319" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9WpBzWmn30J3R0Vd_e2RwI3X3ncEIpvUAq7qK-P8tYthXE-5YDGePXPOeqmuKEJEv9d7JOHU3AdrW3BHAnzg61uC-rNoyZiRIspA6plqsNqL6cICoiyiGAF8TSc7eE9pd-BoRCiY1RIE/s200/kuzu.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kuzuryu as a mammoth<br />superweapon</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>3. Kuzuryu and YHVH</b>. Though it's looking like SMT2 predates any JJCAT
fascinations, the whole deal with YHVH using Kuzuryu as a superweapon straddles
the line in a strange way. Because of just how odd it really is, I initially
thought mention of Kuzuryu in JJCAT texts would be easy to come by, since the
nine-headed lake dragon's story bears some superficial resemblance to many
other dragon or water serpent myths the world over, from Japan's own Yamata no
Orochi to the biblical Leviathan. Alas, no dice; apparently, it's just weird!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>4. Is killing YHVH anti-Semitism?</b> This is the big question, isn't it? As
previously described, the YHVH of SMT2 in particular is very much the Jewish
God, right down to his bellicose nature, Satan tolerance, and many Hebrew
appellations. But as this is the most controversial of charges, I might have to
settle for a subjective answer for this one.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
My own response would be "no, not anti-Semitic," because I think
context matters. In my opinion, killing YHVH in a video game is tantamount to
(or even less substantial than) apostatizing from religious belief to atheism
or agnosticism, a change I've personally experienced. But just because I no
longer believe in God/Yahweh/Jehovah and have, to myself, "destroyed"
the possibility of him existing doesn't mean I harbor ill will towards Jews,
nor was my apostasy motivated by prejudice against Jews (or Christians, as
would be more appropriate in my case).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
SMT2's context is a barren world ruled by the Law forces and YHVH himself; an
overarching theme of "Law" is intended by the game's creators. To
make a long story short, test tube messiah-protagonist Aleph is created by
impatient (Christian) angels, against YHVH's wishes; YHVH himself actually
wants to destroy the remnants of the current world and restart with with a
chosen few with a New Eden, yet another iteration in the series of catastrophe
followed by ultimate renewal. But this would be bad for the extant, rejected
humanity, hence the conflict against the Law oppressors.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrrCk-Jn75x-8IRF503Lhr_icUVpr8L2ULIPHq5qGz0LCkD_b7c7IOv3aq9yxxg3zXt5owAQzqEcvV3Sj5POQ5o871SmXJ7K2OdSPGxhX_MHrLhkW-ApL_ZcrHrAaMYsdfwyVg6AtL0U/s1600/YHVH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="241" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrrCk-Jn75x-8IRF503Lhr_icUVpr8L2ULIPHq5qGz0LCkD_b7c7IOv3aq9yxxg3zXt5owAQzqEcvV3Sj5POQ5o871SmXJ7K2OdSPGxhX_MHrLhkW-ApL_ZcrHrAaMYsdfwyVg6AtL0U/s1600/YHVH.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">YHVH upon defeat in SMT2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
However, possessing thematic resonance doesn't mean that everything is handled
well. You fight YHVH on every path, including Law; the justification on Law is
pretty much nonsense, too, as Satan judges YHVH to be contrary to his own
ideals. Like SMT1, if there is any bias to be had in this game, it is its
preference of humanism over religion; alternatively, the foibles of Law lead to
its own downfall. Also considering that Aleph is Just Jesus, the game may very
well involve the theme of the Christian New Testament superseding the Jewish
"Old Testament." But aside from the poor decision to disallow you
from ultimately siding with YHVH there are no themes specific to him present in
SMT2 other than "rejection" for humanist reasons, nor are there
framing devices that completely change the meaning of the game; as shown, I
went looking for JJCAT in SMT2 and largely came up empty. It probably also
helps that SMT2's post-post-apocalyptic world is pretty far removed from
reality.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
So those are my two cents. There's no doubt that not everyone will agree with
this assessment and that's great, even expected! But definitely keep reading,
as the anti-Semitism gets much more noticeable as we delve further into the
series. </span><br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner (1995)<b> </b></span></h3>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTtvr9kTpz91XhJtjjb4YU_fTIFRj-KuThywDVwIstWsHrzPBEXibNd_o3sBoBGt8YjLp127EQAm79Tee-Bu7FXOX7G2su0afiZ2KAYsKb35kEg4tSOyQChCksxg05_p2WUNbPHVjcRWY/s1600/azuma2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="794" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTtvr9kTpz91XhJtjjb4YU_fTIFRj-KuThywDVwIstWsHrzPBEXibNd_o3sBoBGt8YjLp127EQAm79Tee-Bu7FXOX7G2su0afiZ2KAYsKb35kEg4tSOyQChCksxg05_p2WUNbPHVjcRWY/s320/azuma2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Azuma, fringe enthusiast</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Inaruna and the Hata clan.</b> Like the use of Kuzuryu, this example stands
at the threshold of JJCAT, but doesn't quite commit to crossing it; however, it
still has enough elements to make you wonder otherwise. In Devil Summoner's
backstory, a "crazy" professor named Azuma, whose portrait is posed
holding an ancient astronaut theory publication ("UFO</span><span style="font-family: "simsun";">と</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%B6%85%E5%8F%A4%E4%BB%A3%E6%96%87%E6%98%8E"><span style="font-family: "simsun";">超古代文明</span></a>"
[<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoarchaeology">en</a>]), is responsible
for a book called "Theories of Ancient Japanese Civilization," which
posits that an ancient Japanese state used magic and demon summoning to defend
themselves against the conquering forces of emperor Jimmu. This obviously means
he's just a lunatic, right? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Naturally, Azuma turns out to be correct. Within the in-game setting its
"expanded universe" novels, there was indeed an ancient Japanese
country of the Hata clan, ruled by a matriarch, Inaruna. Their occult methods
and demons failed to fend off Jimmu and the Yamato, however, and Inaruna was
executed, turning her into a vengeful spirit that acts as the crux of Devil
Summoner's storyline. Interestingly, Inaruna is depicted as wearing a headdress
that incorporates <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog%C5%AB#Shak.C5.8Dki-dog.C5.AB">the
"goggles" seen on particular types of ancient dogu statues</a>--and
Arahabaki. If not for another point I'll get to next, I would have argued that
this detail plus the fact that Azuma is pictured with the ancient astronaut
book meant that Inaruna and the Hata were part of a tradition that worshipped
memories of ancient aliens in the form of dogu/Arahabaki.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
This aforementioned point has to do with the Hata clan. As mentioned
previously, the Hata are historical, but they are thought to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hata_clan#Origins">be Chinese immigrants
from the state of Qin</a> that lived in Japan from the second century AD
onwards; this means the game's ancient chronology is all kinds of anachronistic
if you take for gospel that Jimmu, considered a legendary figure anyway, lived
circa 660 BC. But considering Inaruna is likely based off of the mostly
historical shaman queen <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himiko">Himiko</a>,
who lived during approximately the same period as the Qin, any conflicts with
the historical record are either deliberate or deliberately hand-waved. Who
knows, maybe the full story hasn't been translated into English, but it doesn't
affect the JJCAT connection in any way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrsQhHZjKyWosMcOnmuZA2hkQ9xSeZvdsiJ9YM6DlEhqmG_r_5QSt5QsrCFI8eOzz3FHFxqYaqZtoqPyVD56duaUwXkFKaeCgsj3SA9Tuaukz6BAuLY57oLMASDjLcroORvWYooI61rdw/s1600/inaruna-fix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="520" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrsQhHZjKyWosMcOnmuZA2hkQ9xSeZvdsiJ9YM6DlEhqmG_r_5QSt5QsrCFI8eOzz3FHFxqYaqZtoqPyVD56duaUwXkFKaeCgsj3SA9Tuaukz6BAuLY57oLMASDjLcroORvWYooI61rdw/s200/inaruna-fix.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inaruna's snout</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And so it goes without saying by now, but Devil Summoner's Hata have to be an
intentional reference to the Hata of history, as they are spelled the same (<a href="http://jisho.org/word/518692d7d5dda7b2c602808e"><span style="font-family: "simsun";">秦氏</span></a>). The protagonist's girlfriend, the last in
Inaruna's line, even bears the surname "Hatano" (</span><span style="font-family: "simsun";">秦野</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">), spelled with the same "hata" kanji. Moreover, the Hata
are presented as the ancestors of the series' Kuzunoha clan; this checks out
as, true to the meaning of "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuzunoha">kuzunoha</a>," Inaruna's
second form has a fox-like snout. But is it JJCAT? It could be, I suppose, but
given the Hata's Chinese roots, it's hard to read the game's intentions without
an external confirmation. But if they are intended to reference the theory, it
presents a paradox; if the Yamato are fighting against the Hata, two groups
with connections to JJCAT, then who would be Jewish? As it turns out, it's
definitely the Yamato--as we'll confirm in Raidou's games, below.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span style="color: red;">UPDATE:</span> Hachiman and YHVH.</b> <a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2018/08/26/kaneko-kazuma-1996-interview/">Courtesy of translation whiz Dijeh we have an explosive JJCAT revelation from Kaneko in a 1996 Sega Saturn Magazine interview.</a> Promoting the then-new Devil Summoner Akuma Zensho/Demon Compendium, Kaneko is asked about his favorite "monsters" from the latest batch and replies thusly: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Hachiman in Devil Summoner, or should I say, The One God in Megaten. So, The One God is the God of Hebrews and there is a theory that says he became known as Hachiman in Japan. That’s why I interpreted him as a big guy. Everyone is familiar with the usual Hachiman, but in reality his original form is perhaps The One God! I really like that concept.</i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1AVSkBAG02Ri3JOvytof3a-BVdswRJxr28yjrskI3Y_PPsRdBF2UcUxQ9x6T71KLLrwDaD28M-iAgKB0D_jcoNZZlUuw5y5WIQLS7qF_aml0PIAjICcSWamI7APEZ-uRp2Urm4KM8CT0/s1600/310+Hachiman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="540" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1AVSkBAG02Ri3JOvytof3a-BVdswRJxr28yjrskI3Y_PPsRdBF2UcUxQ9x6T71KLLrwDaD28M-iAgKB0D_jcoNZZlUuw5y5WIQLS7qF_aml0PIAjICcSWamI7APEZ-uRp2Urm4KM8CT0/s320/310+Hachiman.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">YHVH is Hachiman's <i>cho aniki</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: verdana;">So, Kaneko's Hachiman is more or less a full-body depiction of YHVH, or "The One God" (</span><span style="font-family: SimSun;">唯一神</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">) as he refers to him. This explains why the Demiurge special fusion in Strange Journey and SMT4 is Metatron x Samael x Hachiman: Metatron as an aspect of YHVH, Samael because that is one of the Demiurge's alternate names, and Hachiman because he's literally... well, he's not literally YHVH, but as seen by Kaneko's mind it's close enough. All along I thought Hachiman's inclusion in the fusion was because of his cloud, as Sophia hides the Demiurge in a cloud in some versions of Gnostic myth; maybe the cloud is still part of it, who knows. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;">So what is the Yahweh-Hachiman relationship in JJCA theory? Apparently it's because Hachiman's name in kanji, </span><span style="font-family: SimSun;">八幡</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">, <a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%97%A5%E3%83%A6%E5%90%8C%E7%A5%96%E8%AB%96#%E7%95%99%E6%84%8F%E7%82%B9%EF%BC%88%E7%A7%A6%E6%B0%8F%EF%BC%89">can also be read as "Yawata/Yahata,"</a> the connection to Yahweh of which is easily inferred, and is also a name that is alleged to have been used during the founding of the first and most major Hachiman shrine, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usa_Jing%C5%AB">Usa Shrine in Oita Prefecture, Kyushu</a>. It's typical straw-grasping JJCAT nonsense. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;">Hachiman-YHVH also changes the JJCAT and Atlus staff timeline as originally presented in this article; t</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">his Akuma Zensho interview is from 1996 but if Kaneko was incorporating JJCAT into a Devil Summoner design like Hachiman, this dials back JJCAT first contact to 1995 since the game was published late that year. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Previously, the earliest-known mention of JJCAT by Kaneko was the 1999 Digital Devil Apocalypse interview which, in fact, is the very next topic of discussion and its claim to be first is now struckthrough, just fyi. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
Persona / Soul Hackers / Persona 2 Era (1996-2000)<b> </b></span></h3>
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlv8rqtPuUTO1lp-qVmfcgZA1EJgW28by2-fwlEwhhqfLzx4VRvAUMjGJRMP4DgxB0xYBFIP-8X_0aQSBXIqOiwLccuA6uqo4V10vwV7NMLdESp1RCF9Ya7hLbQBlgnIsv5jaJi0zJAs/s1600/0d97d372cbcce431942c391108651476.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlv8rqtPuUTO1lp-qVmfcgZA1EJgW28by2-fwlEwhhqfLzx4VRvAUMjGJRMP4DgxB0xYBFIP-8X_0aQSBXIqOiwLccuA6uqo4V10vwV7NMLdESp1RCF9Ya7hLbQBlgnIsv5jaJi0zJAs/s200/0d97d372cbcce431942c391108651476.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kazuma Kaneko holding<br />a hexagram</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>The Digital Devil Apocalypse interview</b>. As I've been presenting these
entries chronologically by release date, it's likely been evident that, so far,
there's been a lot of speculation, with only Inaruna's example touching on
anything remotely related to the extant body of JJCA theories. While Persona,
Soul Hackers, and Persona 2 don't contain any either as far as I am aware, the
situation changes after the publication of Kaneko's <a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/10/31/the-other-face-of-the-demon-artist-kaneko-kazuma/">1999
Digital Devil Apocalypse interview</a>, <strike>which contains the earliest known
mentions of Japanese-Jewish common ancestry theory by any Atlus staff member</strike>,
like these:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
<b>(1)</b><i> </i>Do you pray at shrines?</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">
No. I went to visit Taira no Masakado’s head mound while we were working on the
Megaten series, but that is because I personally respect him. A different
matter. There are a lot of facets to this. If we were to follow the theory that
the Imperial Family is part of the Hebrew lineage, then he would also become
the one who opposed the Jews. The imperfect hero, so to speak. It would be cool
if that kind of man existed.</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>(2)</b><i> ...beasts like Kerberos or Yamata-no-orochi are already said to symbolise
certain things. Orochi, for example, is the symbol of the river or of the
antagonistic group of eight men. Apparently, this theory that it is the Ark of
the Covenant has been floating around. The Ark is a rectangular box with eight
angles and three borders extending from each angle. In other words, it ends up
looking like a forked branch. Of course, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kusanagi">having a sword get out of that
box</a> is only natural. I thought it was pretty interesting.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>(3)</b><i> Speaking of Hitokotonushi, his story says that members of the Imperial
Family prostrated themselves before him, so he probably used to be a blood
relation. But this is a being who had to go in the mountains. That is why I
designed this demon with the Shinto tradition in mind: if you can’t see his
form but are in the mountains, then he is the leaves of the trees. I thought it
would be interesting to use Shinto specific elements like shimenawa or shide.
Shimenawa represents clouds, while shide represents lighting, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+77:18&version=NIV">like
symbols of Yahweh</a>. Not to mention that the clanging you can hear at shrines
resembles the sound of thunder, while the cash box could be the Ark. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>(4)</b><i> Wings however have neither a positive nor a negative meaning. They’re a
symbol of wisdom or an expression of greatness. Well, if we talk about
Yatagarasu, then that’s another story. Even though Yatagarasu is a bird, he is
a considerably different case. He’s got three legs. If it were in the future,
its form would be made more of energy, it would be more of a symbol. Anzu, for
example, is represented as a symbol of obtaining wisdom. He’s an enemy, but he
obtained the wisdom of gods. Yatagarasu is YHVH’s messenger. Like <a href="http://postpet.jp/">PostPet</a>’s Momo-chan. Like an e-mail.</i></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">
You mean explaining a design in accordance with the setting.</span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
For example, the Hebrew Gad clan came to Japan and became the ruling
family. Aren’t there a lot of these kind of wordplays? I want to do some
research and see if this is true or false, but it’s pretty difficult so all I
can do is simplify this information. It’s interesting to think about it, so if
I’ve already gone that far, then I want to design it too.</span></i></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
Because of these quotes, it's now much more plausible to assume that SMT games
made after 1999 may, in fact, contain elements of JJCAT. And unlike certain
previous cases where speculation was the extent of the argument, like Kuzuryu
in SMT2 or Devil Summoner's ancient conflict, a confirmation from a senior
Atlus creative director like Kaneko also allows interpretation in favor of
JJCAT in borderline cases, but only from here on out; no retroactive
reinterpretations are intended, unless an Atlus interview surfaces that mentions
JJCAT prior to 1999. That said, many of the examples to follow are quite
obviously inspired by the theory and could be proven irrespective of Kaneko's
comments. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne (2003 / 2004)<b> </b></span></h3>
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBfvAXQHQQ6161lIMTjQpR3hQE4h-T8wirf3vW7RYnvuq0_FoMh_bTUKCCPgP1GI2GvnpaRh8gDP8VpiHcJpMnOm5oERJ6PF5JmCHtIjXk6L1N_VwIaxkKbAjbVqUNFsNRXsLVTxIW7s/s1600/2232077-2011082100473379b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBfvAXQHQQ6161lIMTjQpR3hQE4h-T8wirf3vW7RYnvuq0_FoMh_bTUKCCPgP1GI2GvnpaRh8gDP8VpiHcJpMnOm5oERJ6PF5JmCHtIjXk6L1N_VwIaxkKbAjbVqUNFsNRXsLVTxIW7s/s320/2232077-2011082100473379b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The face of Kagutsuchi, not unlike<br />the face of YHVH</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>1. Kagutsuchi, avatar of YHVH</b>. No lie, Nocturne has some real JJCAT
zingers. JJCAT also helps explain some otherwise peculiar remarks from Kaneko.
One of those is <a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/08/08/kaneko-kazuma-comments-on-nocturne-demon-design/">about
the Vortex World's unique take on the Japanese fire god, Kagutsuchi</a>:</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
<i>I wanted to make him more geometrical. Point is, he’s the sun. There are
many other names for YHVH all over the world, so one of these concepts is the
god of flames, of sun.</i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
Very nonchalant YHVH namedrop there. As for the point he's making, I would
suppose he means examples of where Christian missionaries appropriated local
terms or gods to describe their <i>capital-G</i> God, like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shangdi">Shangdi</a> in China or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunab_Ku">Hunab Ku</a> in Mexico. Kagutsuchi was
never involved in missionaries' efforts in Japan (he was sliced into bits,
after all), so what's the link, then? The simplest explanation is that Kaneko
was interpreting through JJCAT. Though Kagutsuchi's presence in Nocturne
carries strong symbolic significance regardless, and that fire=renewal can
explain his purpose even without the YHVH connection, the fact that this
explicitly Japanese deity was deliberately written to act in a creative role
that's alien to his mythological profile but assumed to be an avatar of YHVH
undoubtedly means Kaneko had JJCAT on the brain. What else could it be?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>2. Kaneko's response to the "why is YHVH the villain" question. </b>From
the English Nocturne guide. <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/nocturne-guide-interview/">You
know the one</a>:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
<i>(darknobiyuki) </i>My question has to do more with the ideology behind the
series. In Shin Megami Tensei II (and a few vague references in Nocturne),the
Judeo-Christian God is portrayed as the prominent villain in the series. I was
curious what influenced the Japanese team to make such a controversial choice
in series villain.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">
This is a delicate question, but as mentioned in the last question there are
many mysterious common motifs, like the flood legend, in mythology, so I like
to investigate mythology from all around the world. For instance, the
aforementioned flood legend, the creation process at the beginning of the
universe, a hero going on a journey to overcome trials, and sights at the end
of the world, etc etc.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
It’s almost like a shared memory of the events that happened in ancient times
has remained to make people draw up the same motifs. One way of thinking is
that there was one mythology in the ancient past, and then as the races moved
and the continents drifted they customized it to the special geography and
topography of where they lived until we got the unique region myths we know
today. However, the basis is the same, so even though there are differences in
these myths due to geography, topography, and culture, their motif and theme
remain very similar. And when I thought about which mythology served as the
basis, I concluded that it was the Old Testament. Which means YHWH, the god of the
Old Testament, is the basis for all the gods around the world, from a
folklorist’s standpoint. Now, I would like you to know that in Megaten, YHWH is
not portrayed as the embodiment of evil. -Kaneko</span></i></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
I trimmed it down to the pertinent bits, apologies to darknobiyuki and Kaneko.
Admittedly, Kaneko's answer is still somewhat of a head-scratcher even when
considering JJCAT. But of key interest are the "<i>when I thought about
which mythology served as the basis, I concluded that it was the Old Testament</i>"
quote and his ludicrous explanation that the biblical narrative and YHVH are
the basis of all religions and folklore around the world. It's obvious, as he
says himself by calling the subject "<i>delicate</i>," that he's
skirting around the issue at hand. But where do we see an instance of exactly
what Kaneko describes, of the Hebrew Bible influencing a distant culture in a
past age? JJCAT, of course. It also resembles <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisca_theologia"><i>prisca theologia</i></a>,
but its conclusion isn't too dissimilar from JJCAT's worldview, plus we don't
have a direct Kaneko quote talking about it. JJCAT is simply the easiest
explanation for the bonkers religious dissemination scenario Kaneko describes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
There's also an oblique mention of JJCAT in another response. Replying to a
question about his influences, Kaneko includes "<i>Scientific theory from
all times and places: This encompasses ones I can’t begin to comprehend, and
even obviously ludicrous ones</i>." "<i>Obviously ludicrous</i>"
theories, huh? At least this proves he never took JJCAT too seriously...<b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMoNhWoCzWIQgvhS-xCs9VNI6_7jH3e0HZBOYXF3nGWOhK87daHbOyQPNXjT2bksRHb3eLMBLfCBkecsh_INBL6mexlKFKYENf5pUy_38QoPr5qx54LLUfKOvyLbxuFr2ZhRLL7_OGJ3Y/s1600/koppa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="1015" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMoNhWoCzWIQgvhS-xCs9VNI6_7jH3e0HZBOYXF3nGWOhK87daHbOyQPNXjT2bksRHb3eLMBLfCBkecsh_INBL6mexlKFKYENf5pUy_38QoPr5qx54LLUfKOvyLbxuFr2ZhRLL7_OGJ3Y/s320/koppa.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3D model of Koppa Tengu; notice the <br />tokin/kippah and scroll</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>3. Jewish tengu</b>. If you're still unconvinced by the influence of JJCAT
on SMT, this is the one that'll persuade you. Kaneko's older tengu designs from
<a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/File:TenguSMT.jpg">SMT1</a> and <a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/File:Tengu3.JPG">Devil Summoner</a>
are depicted in typical Shugendo or yamabushi garb; both wear tokin on their
foreheads. Similarly, Nocturne's Karasu Tengu has a traditional look,
brandishing a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khakkhara">shakujou</a>;
the veil covering its presumed "beak" sadly obscures the
"crow" tengu's defining feature, however--if it's even there at all. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
But Nocturne's two other tengu designs embrace JJCAT wholeheartedly. First, the
innocuous Koppa Tengu (</span><span style="font-family: "simsun";">木っ端天狗</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> or "konoha tengu," <a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9C%A8%E3%81%AE%E8%91%89%E5%A4%A9%E7%8B%97"><span style="font-family: "simsun";">木の葉天狗</span></a>).
This diminutive guy has the tengu hallmarks, like the long-nosed mask
(ironically, none of Nocturne's tengu may actually have naturally long
sniffers) and the oddly flat tokin that resembles a Jewish <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kippah">kippah</a> (or yarmulke) but is too far forward on
the head and has a crimped, segmented pattern, so let's still call it a tokin
(though consider its appearance on the 3D model). Regardless, the scroll
hanging off his neck may be the smoking gun, likely meant to represent a
"tora-no-maki." Its single-roller design doesn't match the two
rollers of actual Torah scrolls, but it's nonetheless a conspicuous feature as
koppa tengu are too weak to dispense training or knowledge; however, as their
histories do suggest subservience to higher tengu, it's likely that the scroll
is meant to belong to the Koppa's superior, the ones truly implicated in
JJCAT's tora/Torah claim.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8NIpjTFdhDeXTGcGut4CjopRztlfjhdKniAA53Dbx8AmpVaGXUUO7L19gDNBO8qU2nGv5o223TQGsRENY6B6BYnSD0k6dFJbfmyII52SEyJA2Ll3u4tOYex1JsXuhOzJ2IVel9Cngds/s1600/kurama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="615" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8NIpjTFdhDeXTGcGut4CjopRztlfjhdKniAA53Dbx8AmpVaGXUUO7L19gDNBO8qU2nGv5o223TQGsRENY6B6BYnSD0k6dFJbfmyII52SEyJA2Ll3u4tOYex1JsXuhOzJ2IVel9Cngds/s320/kurama.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kurama Tengu wears a conspicuous<br />
tefillin and kippah</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Speaking of superiors, Kurama Tengu. Right off the bat, you can see that Kurama
wears yamabushi attire but also distinctly Jewish accessories, both a tefillin and a kippah. Kaneko isn't
even trying to obscure the distinct box shape of the tefillin, which is pretty
amazing. Kurama is also seen blowing on a horagai conch, but one has to wonder
if a prototype of the design wasn't using a shofar ram's horn instead, not that
the difference matters to JJCAT enthusiasts. This design choice is so blatant
there's not much more to add, but it is worth mentioning that Kurama Tengu was
initially named Izuna in an early build of the game, using the same model. <a href="http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=193">Izuna
Gongen</a> was offered cult worship as a powerful martial deity, but Kurama
doesn't physically resemble his descriptions too closely. It's possible,
therefore, that the Kurama model was intended as a substitute for an unrendered
Izuna because, based on <a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/08/08/kaneko-kazuma-comments-on-nocturne-demon-design/">more
Kaneko design comments</a>, the initial plan was to design "<i>a lot of Tengu,
including the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurama-dera#Object_of_worship">Defender
Lord</a>, but it would have been too much. Cooler Tengu will appear from now
on, so please look forward to them</i>." Alas, these cooler tengu have yet
to surface.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>4. Baal Avatar, Gozu-Tennoh, and comparative mythology</b>. Exactly what the
enigmatic Baal Avatar is meant to be has been difficult to determine. An avatar
of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baal">Baal</a>, obviously. But what does that even mean? Luckily, JJCAT and Kubo's
tenuous Canaanite-Japanese comparative study have come to the rescue; however,
note that this entry has more to do with comparative mythology than JJCAT
specifically.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdvaT-P9XVVMcbvYUutD56vhk23Dl5YxOhNc8iBvHhX4IXagneb3psPBVNNchQlo-U-HSmW6EQ9vlQvAdYBgpgStpoidd_hfG40qMKsINKxDlOrCmhh6PX1fy-8GRmKBi23gI9X-aCv8/s1600/stormgroup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="833" data-original-width="984" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdvaT-P9XVVMcbvYUutD56vhk23Dl5YxOhNc8iBvHhX4IXagneb3psPBVNNchQlo-U-HSmW6EQ9vlQvAdYBgpgStpoidd_hfG40qMKsINKxDlOrCmhh6PX1fy-8GRmKBi23gI9X-aCv8/s320/stormgroup.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top row: Yam vs. Baal, Baal into Beelzebub<br />
Bottom: Orochi vs. Susanoo, <br />
Susanoo equated with Gozu-Tennoh</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's straightforward to explain how Kubo concluded that Baal and <a href="http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=143">Susanoo</a> were
one and the same. Undoubtedly, the comparisons came because they are both storm
gods and probably also because they rumbled with antagonists associated with
water (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yam_(god)">Yam</a> for Baal, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamata_no_Orochi">Yamata no Orochi</a> for Susanoo; compare their names, even!). There are definite
similarities, but, from an empirical point of view, that doesn't also mean
direct connections between the two exist.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
They also share a similarity that's far less known. Baal is sadly most famous
(or infamous) in the West for being a conquered, "false" god who
became (or always was) a demon, going by names like Beelzebub, Bael,
Baalberith, etc.; was this history's most successful smear campaign or what? As
for Susanoo, he eventually merged with the ox-headed pestilence deity <a href="http://k-amc.kokugakuin.ac.jp/DM/dbSearchList.do;jsessionid=9B5D65209B36633ED3068E2BD36EEE33?class_name=col_eos&search_condition_type=1&db_search_condition_type=0&View=0&focus_type=0&startNo=1&searchFreeword=gozu&searchRangeType=0">Gozu-Tennoh</a>,
enshrined at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasaka_Shrine">Yasaka shrine</a>.
So here we have two storm gods with counterparts possessing commonalities
related to disease, filth, and other nastiness. Baal also used the bull as a
symbol, similar to the bovine-headed Gozu-Tennoh; in real life that means
almost nothing, but for this particular comparison it's meaningful.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The identity of Nocturne's Baal Avatar thrives off these comparative
similarities, as seen in Chiaki's side of the story. Power-hungry, she accepts
from the defeated Gozu-Tennoh the remnants of his essence and transforms.
Later, having squeezed enough Plot Device Juice from Manikins' heads, she
finally summons her Reason god, Baal Avatar, in a flash of lightning. From
here, you could say the narrative told is an evolution from a negative deity to
a positive one--but this would be a premature judgment. When you fight Baal
Avatar later in the final dungeon, she has the irritating, Curse-element skill
Bael's Bane, which turns you into a fly, evoking both Bael and Beelzebub in a
single move. Chiaki's arc isn't about discrete transformations, but instead
represents the same kind of syncretization that saw Susanoo absorb Gozu-Tennoh
in Japanese religion. Baal Avatar is a representation of the "Baal"
concept in totality, from the heights of a god of storms and fertility to the
depths of demons and death.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmNrWarE1JahaDOnXAQMmNYfNxic6kfoYKFZM6lrnSmtzoYng0SaibPYZAEdcDU45_FjeTcvDFBF1Oi6PRkipTbhNtp9AXdxvZ3MIwLI19LrXcNGylHgBvgQjiE8ZuRFJSfmFarY7bcfM/s1600/baalavatar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmNrWarE1JahaDOnXAQMmNYfNxic6kfoYKFZM6lrnSmtzoYng0SaibPYZAEdcDU45_FjeTcvDFBF1Oi6PRkipTbhNtp9AXdxvZ3MIwLI19LrXcNGylHgBvgQjiE8ZuRFJSfmFarY7bcfM/s1600/baalavatar.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Baal Avatar is born with a flash of lightning, exits with a flash of lightning, and summons lightning in battle</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Note that Susanoo doesn't appear in Nocturne; presumably, Gozu-Tennoh was meant
to be his proxy. And who is Gozu-Tennoh's right-hand man? None other than Thor,
the thunderer. Nocturne's writers knew what they were doing, that much is
certain. Surprisingly, the Baal/Beelzebub and Susanoo/Gozu-Tennoh connection
resurfaces in a Shin Megami Tensei IV questline where, before he turns into
Beelzebub, Baal is worshipped by locals under the name "Gozutennou."
SMT4's quest writers also knew what they were doing!<b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWeLB4ZwanfQZURrNqEDQvASTzcVOBAj6j4BfmLCr9nbpzaOyK8hOgxZvproQIDGAeVHpQ2_ZOH_yrh8I2TJS22pbjz8joiXWQsaSqRDv2ZDNhONeWaSsnlqfbNaoZomiZnsLKpE7CmaU/s1600/masa+mount.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWeLB4ZwanfQZURrNqEDQvASTzcVOBAj6j4BfmLCr9nbpzaOyK8hOgxZvproQIDGAeVHpQ2_ZOH_yrh8I2TJS22pbjz8joiXWQsaSqRDv2ZDNhONeWaSsnlqfbNaoZomiZnsLKpE7CmaU/s320/masa+mount.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Masakado's kubizuka in Nocturne</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>5. Masakados, the True Demon Enabler</b>. That quote of Kaneko's from the
Digital Devil Apocalypse interview about Masakado as the "imperfect
hero" for opposing a Jewish imperial court is too outrageous to ignore.
Yeesh. At least Kaneko acknowledges Masakado's "imperfection" for
donning such a role, even if it doesn't fully absolve him of the implications.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Regardless of what Kaneko actually meant by "imperfect hero," it's the JJCAT context provided by the quote that becomes vital for understanding
Masakado's purpose and motivations in certain games and we get the first
instance of its questionable application here in Nocturne, though the Maniacs
version specifically. In the original version, sans the True Demon Ending
content, the Masakados magatama you get for collecting all the others was just
a nice, completely optional, bonus. Kagutsuchi isn't that difficult of a boss,
but the nigh-invulnerability of the magatama still made it highly desirable. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
In that version, acquiring and using Masakados is innocuous. Masakado
bequeaths
the magatama to the Demi-fiend, ostensibly passing his spirit of Tokyo
protector to the boy. Besides passively voiding all elements but
Almighty, the
magatama teaches you every Repel elemental skill and Megidolaon. And, as
stated, it's not necessary to complete the game. It's a glorified cameo
for
Masakado, who is otherwise pretty unimportant to the game's plot. And
even if
Kagutsuchi is a YHVH avatar, the most elaborate, and thus most
desirable,
outcome available in this initial release of Nocturne is the Freedom
ending
that resets the world to its pre-Conception state, bearing the
humanistic angle
seen in SMT2 (and SMT1's Neutral ending). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4BC7zMR_feW9bEcp-8mzisE5nBHqaJq13sS0IfbnBkWfoha2taeq8I1Jqn4xhpLP6Kt4HXnTQdiEAPY8ruii-zqUOlaViQ-Rr3ACRrEHZ9F4UBd833aLxZ6uEdmxwOxY5pCmQT489Q7w/s1600/ultimatepowerfantasy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="650" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4BC7zMR_feW9bEcp-8mzisE5nBHqaJq13sS0IfbnBkWfoha2taeq8I1Jqn4xhpLP6Kt4HXnTQdiEAPY8ruii-zqUOlaViQ-Rr3ACRrEHZ9F4UBd833aLxZ6uEdmxwOxY5pCmQT489Q7w/s320/ultimatepowerfantasy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ultimate power trip</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
However, Maniacs alters the context. First, attaining the True Demon Ending by slaying
Lucifer is easiest with Masakados. It's probably not as important as the Pierce
skill, but is still vital for surviving what for many is a long, tough battle.
With this "canonization," in a sense, of Masakados (and it would
actually get legitimately canonized later in the series), it means that the
player is now wearing the mantle of Masakado himself, killing a Jewish
Kagutsuchi before squaring off with Lucifer in preparation for the ultimate
foe: YHVH. The True Demon Ending is by far the most popular of Nocturne's
outcomes with fans, so this hidden subtext is concerning.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Further, the abilities of the Masakados magatama, with its defensive Repels and
top-tier Almighty offense, would seemingly be the inspiration for the series'
future interpretations of Masakado, rather than history or folklore. Think it's
just coincidence? Probably not when the internal Atlus team that would be
responsible for future SMT titles is quite literally named after this Nocturne
expansion. But all in due time!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Devil Summoner Raidou: Soulless Army / King Abaddon (2006 / 2008-9)</span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> </span></b></h3>
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9XfkNu7nJ_jovankceFvI-3ZlkVA8E6BAZJKXmoED8saYy-JkEFPvrLyEuCJ_ZWEX5fX_r1w21DsV-8keu0VEeHnJx3NckCE27-OU2CHS5S16XdNeBniKXJW0Uqt3-8ZmVJH8b7pBEb0/s1600/raidou1suk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="800" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9XfkNu7nJ_jovankceFvI-3ZlkVA8E6BAZJKXmoED8saYy-JkEFPvrLyEuCJ_ZWEX5fX_r1w21DsV-8keu0VEeHnJx3NckCE27-OU2CHS5S16XdNeBniKXJW0Uqt3-8ZmVJH8b7pBEb0/s320/raidou1suk.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sukuna-hikona in Soulless Army</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">1. Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Superfluous Retcon Maniacs</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. This one is the result of a single, seemingly
throwaway, reference but it mucks things up like you wouldn't believe. The
"fun" begins in Soulless Army, where at the end you learn that the
Kunitsu god Sukuna-hikona manipulated General Munakata into creating the Super
Soldier project and, ultimately, the Soulless God with the intention of
destroying Tokyo, all because Sukuna-hikona harbors millennia-old animosity
towards the Yamato Amatsu gods for displacing the Kunitsu; his aversion
includes "<i>servants of the Amatsu</i>," i.e., the Capital citizens
and Raidou alike. Since <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_mythology#Ninigi.27s_descent_to_the_Middle_World">the
subjugation of the Kunitsu by the Amatsu did actually happen in Japanese
mythological sources like the Kojiki</a>, this is actually a logical
motivation, albeit essentially a replication of what happened between the two
groups in SMT2.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
And then, with a single line of dialogue implicating JJCAT, King Abaddon
recontextualizes at least three games. In the case file "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9sS1km0G_k">Return of the Dead</a>,"
Sukuna-hikona's best bud Okuninushi is stirring up trouble via the unbridled
anger of the Kunitsu, similar to the previous game. While in gameplay terms
this just means a series of successive battles against Kunitsu gods,
Okuninushi's dialogue reveals much more: First, he mentions being in cahoots
with a previous case's "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRUtFtv2gEg">prince of darkness</a>"
(Canaanite death god Mot), because he wants to kill the world; second, in
reiterating the hegemony of the Amatsu, he reveals the Amatsu were allied with
the "Hebraic gods" during their subjugation campaign, which
apparently meant they were impossible for the Kunitsu to overcome; lastly,
after his defeat, Okuninushi says that the "curse" (i.e., anger) of
the Kunitsu can never fully dissipate and seals it away for 100 years.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI9qJxEAL6QrZBjZy3vEcOEa7Giu5sin_A4DkStjuCUx68xPI_uFcXiy2FQO3pwYBryc3rceIshHQFVYdSAvhLi7g4ipLEOqBM9K-h24wMBeSVk2lbgTbJizSHIAegMlLRUijZx4wRvpY/s1600/raidou2_oki.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="587" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI9qJxEAL6QrZBjZy3vEcOEa7Giu5sin_A4DkStjuCUx68xPI_uFcXiy2FQO3pwYBryc3rceIshHQFVYdSAvhLi7g4ipLEOqBM9K-h24wMBeSVk2lbgTbJizSHIAegMlLRUijZx4wRvpY/s320/raidou2_oki.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The line of lines</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The most important line of course is about the
Hebrew-Amatsu alliance, which is pure, unfiltered JJCAT. It confirms that
Jimmu's Yamato faction, as mentioned in Devil Summoner's backstory, is, at the
very least, YHVH-condoned; keep in mind the mythological episode in which the
Kunitsu concede to the Amatsu gods is all so that Amaterasu's grandson, Ninigi,
can descend to earth and beget the Japanese imperial dynasty. Even though Okuninushi
draws a distinction between Hebrew and Amatsu, it won't matter because
assuredly this still implies that YHVH approves the actions of the Yamato clan,
Jimmu included. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Also retconned are Sukuna-hikona's actions and even appearance in Soulless Army
as an effect of the "Kunitsu anger" curse. But in King Abaddon's
present, the Kunitsu's collaboration with Mot is fascinating because it draws
an interesting comparative line between the Kunitsu/Canaanite underdogs and the
Amatsu/Hebrew favorites; no JJCAT is explicitly implied here, but the previous
Baal-Susanoo connections leave the door open for other considerations.
Unfortunately, since Mot is earlier handed a decisive defeat, this thread
doesn't go anywhere.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
But aside from the changes to the game's (or the series', really) entire
ancient backstory, the biggest retcon introduced by this quest has to do with
the Kunitsu curse's approximate 100-year sealing. Since the Raidou games take
place in the early 1930s, the passage of about 100 years would unleash the
curse around 2030, canonically after the events of SMT1 and during the lead-up
to SMT2. Surely no coincidence, this otherwise completely arbitrary number
means it's intended to provide an alternate explanation for why the Kunitsu
betrayed the Amatsu with YHVH in that game, as discussed prior. But as
explained above, this retcon is completely unnecessary because mythology
already has a built-in reason why the Kunitsu might act that way, given the
chance. Additionally, read between the lines of this curse and you'll find that
it exonerates the Kunitsu with an insanity defense, characterizing them as
essentially good little deities who only experienced a lapse of rationality
because their brethren cavorted with a foreign pantheon to gain the upper hand.
<i>Ahhhh</i>, that good ol' Maniacs Team nationalism and xenophobia!<b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>2. Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Three-Legged Solar Bird of God</b>. So sayeth
Kaneko, "<i>Yatagarasu is YHVH’s messenger</i>"; the fat from this
succulent quote will feed the fire of multiple entries. But as for Raidou, he
operates under the <a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Herald_of_Yatagarasu">Herald of
Yatagarasu</a>, who herself is the representative of the eponymous Avian. And
why is <a href="http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=183">Yatagarasu</a>
important, exactly? Because it was sent by the gods (either Amaterasu or <a href="http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=148">Takagi
no kami</a>) to lead founding figure Jimmu to the Yamato promised land,
establishing divine rule on earth.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4q0iCYlLvEjFjPsD5kJiC3iNMYmDuMXN3LpWPQalSNgWd8L94VBqkaA80dwijg6UGDliN9buV7Edpjt1eOn_iQEyCitMhVwm4W7L6Q-Up679z9ROSRRguGFNiGCLKAb8YOUpf-mn8Nk/s1600/jimmu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="651" data-original-width="1200" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk4q0iCYlLvEjFjPsD5kJiC3iNMYmDuMXN3LpWPQalSNgWd8L94VBqkaA80dwijg6UGDliN9buV7Edpjt1eOn_iQEyCitMhVwm4W7L6Q-Up679z9ROSRRguGFNiGCLKAb8YOUpf-mn8Nk/s320/jimmu.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Japanese print of Yatagarasu <br />lighting the way for Jimmu</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">But as we've seen, Shin Megami Tensei and Kaneko like to associate this
founding Yamato myth with YHVH and JJCAT. As Yatagarasu itself is central to
the myth, SMT's interpretation of events would mean that the bird is at the
very least involved with the Hebraic Law faction, if not somehow reinterpreted
to be part of it. Outlandish as this seems, there is a comparative parallel in
the Hebrew Bible, as Yahweh's Pillars of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillar_of_Cloud">Cloud</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillar_of_Fire_(theophany)">Fire</a>
guide Moses and the Israelites to the Promised Land during the Exodus; so here,
under the auspices of JJCAT, is Yatagarasu not acting as a similar divine
guide to Jimmu? Or, with a more liberal interpretation, could it possibly even represent
the Holy Spirit itself which, in Christianity, is typically depicted as a bird?
But since Kaneko calls him a messenger, and that's the literal meaning of
"angel," that is probably the more logical conclusion.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Anyway, no matter how you interpret the precise provenance of Yatagarasu, the
fact remains that it is a Yamato mythological figure, and the Yamato are the
torch-bearers of JJCAT in SMT. So, bizarrely, this implicates Raidou, and other
Kuzunoha line errand-boys for Yatagarasu, as servants of the Law of YHVH even
though they are also descendants of the Hata clan who feuded with the Yamato;
not all of them turned into angry spirits like Inaruna, I suppose. But whether
Yamato or Hata, the Kuzunohas are absolutely filthy with JJCAT! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
Devil Survivor (2009)</span></h3>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>Cain and Abel</b>. Just because one's "a Bel," Adam's and Eve's
first children reincarnate as two Japanese youths, Naoya and the protagonist,
respectively; however, given the game's devotion to its central "Bel"
theme, it's doubtful JJCAT is the primary motivation for that revelation. While
this tenuous example was worth mentioning for thoroughness' sake, that's
probably it for even remote instances of JJCAT in the Devil Survivor series. I
mean, you could always cite the Tokyo axis mundi clause, YHVH's involvement,
etc., but, without any direct evidence, examples like these are not so much evidence
for deliberate JJCAT as they are mere perpetuations of series traditions.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey (2009/2010)</span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> </span></b></h3>
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFKvlVi04gNZ81PP8XUCWr9A38wYMJsVUIpW4xZ9PRM_cPnlED-3NRgBQRabn2JAgPN6C0PZ9W0mLyFgh9ZpYWTBmSYwwzV_4VYgCOaLAm-JYNAQg_EBDnHW3RtbI5Igj2cx7uNqGvMw/s1600/yatapg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="261" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFKvlVi04gNZ81PP8XUCWr9A38wYMJsVUIpW4xZ9PRM_cPnlED-3NRgBQRabn2JAgPN6C0PZ9W0mLyFgh9ZpYWTBmSYwwzV_4VYgCOaLAm-JYNAQg_EBDnHW3RtbI5Igj2cx7uNqGvMw/s200/yatapg.png" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kaneko's Yatagarasu</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">1. Yatagarasu(el), the crow angel</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">.
Believe it or not, Strange Journey gives us more crow to chew. Yatagarasu
appears in the late game Cosmic Egg fetching sequence on the Law and Chaos
paths, guarding Bootes' egg (Zelenin is there on Neutral). I'll let the bird
speak for itself:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<a href="https://youtu.be/q-8mP8djbGI?t=330">Law route</a>:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
<i>Humble, humble...I welcome you, [MC]. My brothers and I have obtained the
Cosmic Egg Mem Aleph seeks so desperately. It was no mean feat...but I hoped to
be of service to you. I came to offer you this, that you might create a world
driven by the Holy Spirit. Please take it...</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">
There will be demons after the Egg, no doubt. But I have had a vision... I see
you marching on, striking down their evil... You will use this to create a
perfect world, between your power and Mistress Zelenin's...</span></i></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkSEkGqEnuk&feature=youtu.be&t=735">Chaos
route</a>:</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
<i>My, my. You are [MC], he who has cast his lot with the demons of
destruction, I presume? What breed of hatred drives you to fill the human world
with demons...? Most regrettable. I, Yatagarasu, shall deliver this Cosmic Egg
to Mistress Zelenin. But I have one other errand first. I shall deliver you to
your death!</i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYF3Wl24HZX8xgp8e3ATUCXkF9D64QyELwfUM4mP8HVj6HSGdy1F-P0V87DR8MJZ-hsKgWj8jmVt54ZMa02CDADHYGgKDuNhR2XpHgETf9g8PxLp0csDIBuAbdIXww29MA-_Y5W9gqj2Y/s1600/yata_SJ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1294" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYF3Wl24HZX8xgp8e3ATUCXkF9D64QyELwfUM4mP8HVj6HSGdy1F-P0V87DR8MJZ-hsKgWj8jmVt54ZMa02CDADHYGgKDuNhR2XpHgETf9g8PxLp0csDIBuAbdIXww29MA-_Y5W9gqj2Y/s200/yata_SJ.jpg" width="154" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Kashikomi" entry<br />
in the SJ guide</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Some curious choices for dialogue here. "<i>A world driven by the Holy
Spirit</i>," "<i>use this to create a perfect world</i>," "<i>what
breed of hatred drives you to fill the human world with demons</i>," and
so on and so forth. Yatagarasu has cast its lot with Zelenin and Law to an
extreme you only typically see with the angelic host. There's a potential
translation issue with his use of "Holy Spirit"--the Japanese uses
the much less specific phrase "<a href="https://youtu.be/Njw6eDQTKSo?t=179"><span style="font-family: "simsun";">善き霊</span></a>," or
"spirit of goodness"--but what else could it be referring to, really?
As a related aside, Yatagarasu's "humble, humble" phrase is also
bizarre, but for a completely different reason: The equivalent Japanese phrase
is "kashikomi, kashikomi" (<a href="https://youtu.be/Njw6eDQTKSo?t=163"><span style="font-family: "simsun";">かしこみ</span>,
<span style="font-family: "simsun";">かしこみ</span></a>),
which is apparently from a Shinto prayer. It must be obscure because the
Japanese Strange Journey guide has an extra topic about the phrase, as seen in
the adjacent image.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
But there's more to Yatagarasu's presence than idle chit-chat. Consider the
other Cosmic Egg guardians: Wu Kong in Antlia, Zhuyin in Carina, and Cherub in
Delphinus. Two Chinese Chaos demons, one angel of Law. Just because there's
correlation between one pair doesn't imply the same for the other, but it sure
looks like a slam dunk when you take the potential Cherub + Yatagarasu duo
with Yatagarasu's talk about the Holy Spirit and "perfect" worlds.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
The one wrinkle here is that Strange Journey more or less returns to the SMT1
idea of alignments as inclusive absolutes rather than the grand-scale
schoolroom cliques we typically see. For example, on the way to Yatagarasu in
Bootes you can run into a Pallas Athena that is enraptured by Zelenin's song;
like Yatagarasu, Athena wouldn't normally be considered part of YHVH & The
Boys even though she's Light-Law. Still, the difference here may be the effects
of Zelenin's voice: Athena seems brainwashed, while Yatagarasu remains composed.
Overall, Strange Journey's incorporation of Yatagarasu is intriguing, if not
definitive, evidence of JJCAT, especially when married with that incredible
"<i>Yatagarasu is YHVH's messenger</i>" quote from Kaneko. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>2. Mem Aleph</b>. The name. The third eye. The recumbent, Buddha-like pose.
Golden aureolae with delicate rays accentuating a golden body, calling to mind
the thousandfold Kannon statues at Kyoto's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanj%C5%ABsangen-d%C5%8D">Sanjusangendo</a>.
Mem Aleph is the embodiment of JJCAT, with nominal and iconographic features
from all purported stops of the tribe of Gad's mythical eastward journey.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOAFw44kkRKXuHYX7HsGKH_l0E30FhrCoJbXunoV4mRnB4z1bACSVyPAfjkpHwnvTpgw4y9YuyYxqHvieHe6yW77LmAruZvNPN-UIcMi23sxmU96_IIE0DqkD6cpAzhxLUuAPhE5l7dVs/s1600/mem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="1000" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOAFw44kkRKXuHYX7HsGKH_l0E30FhrCoJbXunoV4mRnB4z1bACSVyPAfjkpHwnvTpgw4y9YuyYxqHvieHe6yW77LmAruZvNPN-UIcMi23sxmU96_IIE0DqkD6cpAzhxLUuAPhE5l7dVs/s320/mem.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mem Aleph</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Comparative observations seem to be the genesis of Mem Aleph herself. The
Strange Journey books I have, the <a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/4047262587/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Perfect
Guide</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/4047265578/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Schwarzwelt
Reminiscences</a>, both relate to Mem Aleph the common or approximate <b>/ma/</b>
sound for words denoting "mother" or motherhood in Indo-European
languages, hence the creation of her name using the Hebrew "mem"
& "aleph" to signify the <b>/m/</b> and <b>/a/</b> phonemes
respectively (as, at least to Kaneko & JJCAT, YHVH is the progenitor of
gods and thus Hebrew would be the original language). Also, and this is not
mentioned anywhere in these Japanese books as far as I can tell, in Jewish
mysticism, particularly <a href="http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/yetzirah.htm">chapter
three of the Sefer Yetzirah</a>, the Hebrew letters "shin," (</span><span style="font-family: "arial";">ש</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">)
"aleph," (</span><b><span style="font-family: "arial";">א</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">) and "mem" (</span><span style="font-family: "arial";">מ</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">) are
called the "mother letters" and represent the feminine, fecund powers
of Yahweh's creation; in the creation of woman, Yahweh specifically infused the
effects of these letters in the order Shin-Mem-Aleph, the reverse of men's
Aleph-Mem-Shin. While that may lend extra, if coincidental, meaning to how
Kaneko or whomever devised Mem Aleph's name, a shame there's nothing else in <i>Shin
</i>Megami Tensei to explain what happened to the "shin." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
The Strange Journey Perfect Guide's extra materials also take special note of
how <a href="http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/alphabet_letters_mem.html">the
letter "mem" was derived from the Hebrew word for water,
"mayim,"</a> curiously illustrated through the latter's use in the
Israeli folk song "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayim_Mayim">Mayim
Mayim</a>" which incorporates the words of Isaiah 12:3, "<i><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=isaiah+12%3A3&version=NIV">with
joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation</a></i>" (JP just
because I went to the trouble: "</span><span style="font-family: "simsun";">喜びをもって井戸の水を汲む</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">"). The significance of this to Mem Aleph is
probably twofold. First, the fact that "water" is contained at the
root of her name is important because water is the chief primordial chaos in
both evolutionary biology and mythology and is referenced by Mem Aleph in her
skill Great Flood. Second, there appears to be a concerted, if dubious, effort
to highlight how even "mayim" contains "ma," but, then
again, Shin Megami Tensei has a predilection for grasping at etymological
straws; I mean, this is the same game that where Asura evolves into Asherah
because of their shared "as" particle. Similarly, <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/104021841812/the-mystery-of-%E9%AD%94">a
previous observation of mine noted Mem Aleph's "ma" connections
probably include the "ma"/"demon" kanji</a> (</span><span style="font-family: "simsun";">魔</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">)
incorporated into much of the series' Japanese terminology, which is too
conspicuous to have gone unnoticed, particularly for "<i>the mother of
demons</i>." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Additionally, the game's other Big Mamas like Tiamat and Maya are described in
Schwarzwelt Reminiscences as the "bunrei" of Mem Aleph. Like the Names of YHVH in SMT2, this implies that the other Mothers are
meant to be Mem Aleph's avatars or her extensions. Unlike SMT2, here the term appears in a game with additional JJCAT thematics, used in tandem with Hebrew and Ancient Near Eastern concepts to
justify what is otherwise a bog standard exercise in comparative mythology
between mother goddesses. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
In short, Mem Aleph is the Mother Earth principle or the primordial goddess of
the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goddess_movement">Goddess movement</a>,
yet given a form that corresponds to JJCAT. Her profile also fits Kaneko's
Nocturne-era comment about YHVH being the source of everything as well, if her
Hebrew name in relation to the dissemination of the "ma" particle
around the world is anything to go by. However, just by being Chaotic and
female, she is intrinsically YHVH's inverse even as she is also, by JJCAT
reckoning, his "bunrei."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
Shin Megami Tensei IV / Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse<b> </b>(2013 / 2016)<b> </b></span></h3>
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMauMIRov6qPMe6w76IHLEJpxMkOusG7qrTyTgWtltaQ8e0OkjrYog80Q4KJUYJSdKdr0Bw-xjgVvuVYUxeRn8Vt887cVy-4K2qkkOMcyxDkTsxajHfSFdENLsAqZ1CGwHPPg79ayOujU/s1600/creator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="400" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMauMIRov6qPMe6w76IHLEJpxMkOusG7qrTyTgWtltaQ8e0OkjrYog80Q4KJUYJSdKdr0Bw-xjgVvuVYUxeRn8Vt887cVy-4K2qkkOMcyxDkTsxajHfSFdENLsAqZ1CGwHPPg79ayOujU/s320/creator.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Stephen in SMT4A, literally an <br />interdimensional know-it-all</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>1. The JJCAT manifesto</b>. Because of Shin Megami Tensei IV's and Shin
Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse's shared world and backstory, it will be
impossible to talk about one without the other, so I've combined the duology
into a single category. Unfortunately, not all of 4A's retcons mesh perfectly
with SMT4's establishments and there are some blatant contradictions, some of
which will be discussed. But, for starters, let's review the JJCAT-related
comments made by 4A's scenario writer Yusuke Miyata and SMT4 director and 4A
producer Kazuyuki Yamai in the <a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html#more">4A
artbook interview</a>:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
<b>(1)</b><i> Yamai: In SMT4, you gain the Navagraha crest and Masakado’s power becomes the
key, while this time you get Kuzuryuu and use Masakado’s power to go to YHVH’s
universe.</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
<b>(2)</b><i> Miyata: Besides Law and Chaos existing in the first place, contrast cannot
exist without opposing forces. Lucifer needed to be born from YHVH, the root of
everything...</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>(3)</b><i> Miyata: The Ark [containing Krishna] is at the Kanda Shrine because we used
the Japanese-Jewish Common Ancestor Theory as the base.</i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
While these admissions from Miyata directly confirm 4A is based around JJCAT
(in-game dialogue also supports it, such as the almighty, all-wise Stephen
calling YHVH the definitive "Creator"), there's no equivalent
acknowledgement for its predecessor. But this will hardly matter for SMT4, as
we'll find out in the next entry. Also, this is your final reminder to check out
<a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2017/06/masakado-history-legend.html">the
related Masakado article</a> if you need a refresher on the guy's history, as
his tortured soul is soon to become quite relevant.<b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIE3k7M_HMkTZEiyPuabi1hHYoz-uhitPCOwnJ3olkI2Pih9V14wTaDkaPAOTVYUWJ2WSfXQOQ8-hFJAPXj3RSklO0YR_l1xKL7ObJrK62gQ-yId2ZSVAaqhi5T5f9yOey_XM-vTLWXIs/s1600/mikado_cast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="830" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIE3k7M_HMkTZEiyPuabi1hHYoz-uhitPCOwnJ3olkI2Pih9V14wTaDkaPAOTVYUWJ2WSfXQOQ8-hFJAPXj3RSklO0YR_l1xKL7ObJrK62gQ-yId2ZSVAaqhi5T5f9yOey_XM-vTLWXIs/s320/mikado_cast.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Eastern Kingdom of Honorable Gad</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>2. The Eastern Kingdom of "Mikado."</b> I'm sure this connection
occured to some of you while reading the related entry in the first section.
While there is no direct confirmation that SMT4's Mikado is specifically named
in reference to JJCAT, it's a place nonetheless populated with strikingly suggestive
evidence. The kingdom's official backstory chronicles that the original Akira
broke through to the surface of the Tokyo dome, only to establish Mikado as
King "Aquila" alongside the forces of Law. The prime detail is that
Mikado is further populated by former Tokyoites--"chosen ones"
carried away in special cocoons by Law, to avoid the nuclear judgment and thus
begin the world anew.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Even though these people are still ethnically Japanese (Japanese remains the
spoken language of Mikado according to 4A materials, even though signs in
Naraku are written in English), the customs that emerge in Mikado are not.
These include:</span><br />
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">use of Western or
Biblical given names, like Jonathan and Issachar</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">writing with Roman
script</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">architecture that is
medieval European in styling</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">use of a
"Gregorian" calendar</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">its current king is
Ahazuya, a mistranslation of the Japanese name (<a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A2%E3%83%8F%E3%82%BA%E3%83%A4"><span style="font-family: "simsun";">アハズヤ</span></a>)
for two biblical kings: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahaziah_of_Israel">Ahaziah of Israel</a>
and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahaziah_of_Judah">Ahaziah of
Judah</a>; it is likely meant to be Ahaziah of Israel (the son of Jezebel)
as the game's Ahazuya, like his namesake, consorts with Baal/Beelzebub and
this action is likewise portrayed as causing his downfall/death </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">and, on top of it all,
Mikado is secretly governed by a literal archangel</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The Mikadoans are a tribe of "God's
people" who are Japanese but follow decidedly Western rituals and habits,
and their human ruler is a direct allusion to an Israelite king; consequently,
it doesn't feel like much of a stretch to say that the the name of the city is
in reference to the JJCA theory about Mikado and the people of Gad. Heck, if
Kaneko was the one to conceptualize Mikado, and he is indeed credited with
SMT4's early scenario drafts, one need look no further than that direct quote
of his from the Digital Devil Apocalypse interview where he mentions the Gad
theory. But even beyond the name, the Mikado scenario as a whole is sound
evidence for JJCAT influence.</span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> </span></b><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQO94g8kfT9Ubg8n_AUOqpWdhN2l2W_zVJSaF7F8RH9AT-HyB2qblB7uVM80nBLZXe-6s61al10h8xonUdPz83JfHOHjfxpwRWJ-JFEEMhaEr6jyVdocAp8X8qXEJU7cYF127PUFIb3U/s1600/memsmt4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="512" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQO94g8kfT9Ubg8n_AUOqpWdhN2l2W_zVJSaF7F8RH9AT-HyB2qblB7uVM80nBLZXe-6s61al10h8xonUdPz83JfHOHjfxpwRWJ-JFEEMhaEr6jyVdocAp8X8qXEJU7cYF127PUFIb3U/s320/memsmt4.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Gaean sanctuary of Mem Aleph in SMT4</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">3. Mem Aleph, the Gaean goddess</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">.
Though largely a minor detail, the Chaotic Gaeans worshipping Mem Aleph makes a
lot of sense given her functions in Strange Journey, but this nevertheless means
that we have yet another group of Japanese people intertwined with a JJCAT
concept. Even so, because she's just background decoration and isn't named at
all in the story, her appearance is little more than a cameo. However, it would
be remiss to overlook the additional details provided by the SMT4 artbook about
the Gaeans' golden icon:</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
<i>The members of the Ring of Gaea can be seen worshipping Mem Aleph in [the
image], giving the impression of some primeval religion. This is another
reference to "Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey." (laughs) Early
versions of the Ring of Gaea had its members as more earthy, primitive-looking
people who dug out a cave to use as their temple... But in the game, they just
take over a famous real-life temple and use it to worship their own god.</i></span></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
The artwork and comments are both from SMT4's art director, Eiji Ishida, who
also directed Strange Journey--thus he's someone fully aware of her
significance. Though he seems to be giddy just to have inserted another SJ
reference in the game (like the Demonica), Mem Aleph's statue is anything but a
haphazardly placed callback. He knew what he was doing!<b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoqp4DLsPv0nmpY_pcnrUL0TSW2wyJ-alYUGSK__4s4-F6eT73FcME1GBthyCioEfj1kXIoIdkAVEZgb3AWby93UdHntHxFpMU1yEV3XNNpDjFvzuiOPdOAR1AHUjAuh34dY_K5UmtyRw/s1600/birdcage.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="512" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoqp4DLsPv0nmpY_pcnrUL0TSW2wyJ-alYUGSK__4s4-F6eT73FcME1GBthyCioEfj1kXIoIdkAVEZgb3AWby93UdHntHxFpMU1yEV3XNNpDjFvzuiOPdOAR1AHUjAuh34dY_K5UmtyRw/s320/birdcage.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One of Kagome Tower's "birdcages"</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>4. Kagome Tower</b>. The name of this tower has always been a bit
conspicuous to me, as if it is supposed to be immediately recognized. I believe
that's still the case, only you might have to be Japanese to understand. It
likely refers to the children's song and game "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kagome_Kagome">Kagome Kagome</a>,"
also called the "<a href="http://jisho.org/word/%E7%B1%A0%E7%9B%AE%E7%B1%A0%E7%9B%AE">bird-in-the-cage</a>"
song; considering that the tower exists so that you can rescue angels from
their cages, this seems intentional. But what about JJCAT? If you remember, "kagome"
refers to the basket weaving pattern in the hexagon/Star of David shape, and
not only is this meaning not overlooked in the traditional song (the basket
being the "cage"), SMT4's Kagome Tower isn't just a prison for
angels, it's also a hideout mostly for fallen angels like Asmodeus, Halphas,
Gemori, Dantalian, Murmur, and Orias--demons typically invoked with the
hexagon/Seal of Solomon sigil. The only demon not a fallen angel is
Okiku-mushi, who is nonetheless bound and suspended from an unseen ceiling,
much like the angel cages. For such a dinky dungeon, Kagome Tower has a lot
going on--and it seems to be intentional, too.<b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ONxV7iwHfFAjOsz86ZDAhs0Bx_IVEuPehO2zylxWOAWX_C8GwiO7ZCGivsvD7iQRYID77ZMnqAyirjvWxddTei4iQof0YkF_vJMKo714sSnojvq4ITPiosRUYke42YuvI4aBwxf2vhg/s1600/odin3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="400" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ONxV7iwHfFAjOsz86ZDAhs0Bx_IVEuPehO2zylxWOAWX_C8GwiO7ZCGivsvD7iQRYID77ZMnqAyirjvWxddTei4iQof0YkF_vJMKo714sSnojvq4ITPiosRUYke42YuvI4aBwxf2vhg/s320/odin3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">4A's Odin and Dagda </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>5. Apocalypse's comparative myth freewheeling</b>. Shin Megami Tensei IV:
Apocalypse is notable for its <i>liberal</i>, let's say, interpretation of
various mythical elements, like the relationships it implies for certain
demons. Some have basis in real-world anthropology, like the Gallo-Celtic
Dagda's similarities to the Germanic Odin/Wotan. But many others stretch the
limits of credulity, such as Danu being an echo of Inanna, or whatever the hell
is happening with Maitreya's transition to Mitra Bosatsu. Of course, this isn't
the first time Shin Megami Tensei has pulled some of these comparisons out of
its you-know-where (nor is it even the first time with Mitra), and it won't be
the last. However, JJCAT makes SMT's fascinations with tenuous connections
easier to swallow, as 4A's proprietary setting of biblical literalism means
that all other gods are derivative of YHVH; therefore, everyone is connected,
somehow.</span><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> </span></b><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBylA3hScReSRpJ7UQmQQjx35IKfIxsQVkBnNJq-f1UJmnhibEd_UF6auTwWgm_t8s7oTZmXeJLAFLueBzBNdvtFAu9tNqtfeGqJUjOBA1WNjG3qjJsEs0TL60rGeqcrNJB10bTZ_ZFzY/s1600/satangram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="400" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBylA3hScReSRpJ7UQmQQjx35IKfIxsQVkBnNJq-f1UJmnhibEd_UF6auTwWgm_t8s7oTZmXeJLAFLueBzBNdvtFAu9tNqtfeGqJUjOBA1WNjG3qjJsEs0TL60rGeqcrNJB10bTZ_ZFzY/s320/satangram.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A Satan who doesn't know his own symbols</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">6. Things that might seem like JJCAT, but aren't</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">. Before we get to the single worst implementation
of JJCAT in the series, let's review a handful of ideas that might seem like
they give off that JJCAT odor but instead reek of something else altogether.
For example, when you finally reach the end of YHVH's Universe, Satan's fusion
animation curiously includes an upright pentagram. Of course, it's the inverted
pentagram that's actually associated with Satan in occultism (and a very modern
symbol at that, which belies the game's intention for Satan to be a
"primeval angel," <a href="http://jisho.org/word/%E5%8E%9F"><span style="font-family: "simsun";">原</span></a><a href="http://jisho.org/word/%E5%A4%A9%E4%BD%BF"><span style="font-family: "simsun";">天使</span></a>),
but are they trying to say something else with it? In Japanese onmyodo, the
famous onmyoji <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abe_no_Seimei">Abe no
Seimei</a>'s symbol was that of an upright pentagram; is Seimei the power
behind Satan? The upright pentagram or pentacle is also a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca">Wiccan</a> symbol; is Satan really a
witch? The answer to all of these questions is "of course not";
whoever was in charge of this animation had a general idea of what to do but
not the actual knowledge needed for accurate implementation. It's a minor
blunder, but a revealing one. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Silly, one-off blunders are one thing; rampant nationalism is another. As I
talked at length about in <a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2015/09/SMT-identity-crisis-final.html">Part
3 of Shin Megami Tensei's Identity Crisis</a>, SMT4's xenophobic undertones are
a blight upon the game's already uneven narrative. But cringeworthy as they
are, the anti-Chinese sentiment, the "foreign" demons, a reactor
called "Yamato," and jingoist National Defense Divinities have no
relation to JJCAT--except for one big name specifically, who is the subject of the
next entry.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUtb44qHW3tHuXxDJgBFElS_RvJoXECTPH18AkmhdNZ32RdR0yks9JsGJGekT-3uQ8-WlUodFexB31Ygg38MASScrhuAWldFU4blzhyphenhyphenjEFa_noZyOQKDPEX_TENnSsCFBI9IruA6xoBzU/s1600/ndd-patrio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUtb44qHW3tHuXxDJgBFElS_RvJoXECTPH18AkmhdNZ32RdR0yks9JsGJGekT-3uQ8-WlUodFexB31Ygg38MASScrhuAWldFU4blzhyphenhyphenjEFa_noZyOQKDPEX_TENnSsCFBI9IruA6xoBzU/s200/ndd-patrio.jpg" width="166" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4A's "Patriots"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
4A tries to atone for the nationalism, and in the process admits it was a
problem, with its questline about the "Patriots" and the extant brain
of a man named Tamagami, a racist who was secretly behind every instance of
xenophobia in the previous game (except the Sinophobia and "foreign"
demons; those are apparently still OK). It even goes so far as to demonize (no
pun intended) the National Defense Divinities, who are now the result of cruel
experiments on humans. Needless to say, these retcons contradict aspects of
SMT4's established narrative, the basis of which is still "canon" in
4A; given that SMT4 featured a noticeable quality disparity in mythological
portrayals between the lows of its main scenario and highs of its sub-scenario
quests, it's possible that this questline was spearheaded by the sub-scenario
writers to address something they saw as "<a href="http://talking-time.net/showthread.php?t=17319&page=25#723">not in
the spirit of Megaten</a>." Regardless of who was responsible, it's
laudable that someone on the staff went to these course-correcting lengths even
though it's alarming that these cringeworthy themes weren't addressed during
the production of SMT4.<b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81eVcqWQPBotdGmBS7nBNyxbJ1KreMnA0oACHy-KQNMmlPctxhufo7F45OdqntUh8g00wGLcFpwuhFYQJHW4xshdFp7D9VQ1TauJwFkoCZVHd9M8u8WJf95NS_w0Rb3LDe_a-HZnq9uc/s1600/masakdo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="433" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81eVcqWQPBotdGmBS7nBNyxbJ1KreMnA0oACHy-KQNMmlPctxhufo7F45OdqntUh8g00wGLcFpwuhFYQJHW4xshdFp7D9VQ1TauJwFkoCZVHd9M8u8WJf95NS_w0Rb3LDe_a-HZnq9uc/s200/masakdo.png" width="168" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">SMT4's Masakado</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>7. Masakado, the anti-Semitic "hero."</b> Taira no Masakado, I'm
so, so sorry. Though, historically speaking, you got yourself in way over your
head and beyond your abilities and resources, any notion of justice you may
have once possessed has now been twisted by JJCAT and Shin Megami Tensei,
turning your legacy into quite literally a sinewy mass of bigoted nationalism.
Next time I stop by your grave, I'll leave you a small bottle of C.C. Lemon,
unopened, as an offer of sympathy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Anyway, for an article whose subtitle claims charges of anti-Semitism, there
really hasn't been too much of it to show thus far--the debatable bit about
YHVH, but not much else. That changes here. While Masakado has never been
mentioned in JJCAT as far as I researched, he could very easily belong within
its framework, as evidenced by Kaneko's scandalous Digital Devil Apocalypse
quote. We've seen it many times before already, but one last time:</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
<i>If we were to follow the theory that the Imperial Family is part of the
Hebrew lineage, then he would also become the one who opposed the Jews. The
imperfect hero, so to speak. It would be cool if that kind of man existed. </i></span></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
The full Masakado-JJCAT story would go like this. If the Japanese imperial
family is Jewish, and Masakado is a rebel against its authority, then it
follows that he represents defiance against Jewish rule; he would be a
nationalist hero striving to "purify" the land of foreign influence
and reestablish native ideals. And no, it doesn't seem to matter too much that
the historical Masakado had a smidgen of imperial blood him, because most
Japanese people under JJCAT are said to ultimately be descended from the lost
Jewish tribe anyway. This recontextualization of Masakado is crucial to
understanding his significance in Shin Megami Tensei IV and Apocalypse.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
And so, Masakado is practically the spiritual epicenter of the SMT4 universe,
evidenced by the hyperbolized magnitude of his role in both games. Let's have a
little thought exercise to express just how favorably SMT4's writers portrayed
Masakado. Imagine you were in the games' 25-years-prior backstory, in a Tokyo
where you could summon gods and creatures of all kinds into literal existence,
and a YHVH-approved nuclear barrage was heading your way. Which deity or
deities would you summon to protect the city and yourself?</span><br />
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Would you try to match
YHVH's almighty authority and call forth the supreme Zoroastrian god <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahura_Mazda">Ahura Mazda</a>? </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">What about a Buddha of
cosmic dimension like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vairocana">Vairocana</a>
or a compassionate, far-reaching Bodhisattva like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avalokite%C5%9Bvara#Thousand-armed_Avalokite.C5.9Bvara">the
thousand-armed Kannon</a>? Instead, why not a powerful grouping of Buddhist
deities, like the five wrathful <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom_King">Wisdom Kings</a>? </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">How about summoning the
absolute powers of the Hindu <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnu">Vishnu</a>
or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva">Shiva</a>, both with
expansive mythical repertoires that could summarily handle physical
inter-continental ballistic missiles?</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Or, would you summon a
dead samurai with a spooky floating head who maybe overturned a bulldozer
one time?</span></li>
</ul>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfPB91OgXqzEFrfUK04dy4T6n-UDpxEVNLRILHHQ4Mhvxx7IHqPmOD8Pjsbg68nQxdzy78tTGj_d7nPwkaGaceyJTgz5hKBRRkHtakTaTvgu-CIfWIUgZQTc2j74GNkXEOJeKIelLkKk/s1600/WVW69jrz2cUdARJFA7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="400" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfPB91OgXqzEFrfUK04dy4T6n-UDpxEVNLRILHHQ4Mhvxx7IHqPmOD8Pjsbg68nQxdzy78tTGj_d7nPwkaGaceyJTgz5hKBRRkHtakTaTvgu-CIfWIUgZQTc2j74GNkXEOJeKIelLkKk/s320/WVW69jrz2cUdARJFA7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Masakado, the shield against "God's Plan"</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">If you are Shin Megami Tensei IV, you pick
the latter. And because Masakado never possesses that large of a frame, even in
legendary accounts that peg him as a 7-foot tall iron giant, SMT4
overcompensates by literally turning him into a towering colossus, not to
mention naming him as one of the National Defense Divinities. You see, Masakado
isn't some puny, inconsequential spirit. He's <i>yuge</i>. He's a tremendous,
tremendous figure who does amazing work and we're all safer now that he built
his big, beautiful wall to protect us from the Jewish hordes, because you know
they aren't sending their best ICBMs. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
In all fairness, the apotheosized Masakado of real life <i>is</i> something of
a tutelary deity, even if SMT4 goes overboard with its invented embellishments
by transforming him further into the big, beautiful wa...er, dome of bedrock
that endures the brunt of the nuclear strike but seals Tokyo underground.
However, it's as the Tokyo dome that Masakado exhibits his most curious, most
blatantly fabricated ability, at least according to a 4A retcon; but before I
make it explicit, let's ponder the situation with another thought exercise.
Imagine you're in the backstory again as Flynn's previous incarnation. You're
about to sacrifice yourself to aid Masakado in forming the dome, but you have a
final wish: The preservation of Tokyo as it stands in your present. How do you
accomplish this? By calling on the power of the universal preserver, Vishnu?
Nope. By manipulating time and space with temporal gods like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aion_(deity)">Aion</a> or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zurvanism">Zurvan</a>? Getting warmer. By
having Masakado slow time for some reason? Bingo. Being a rebel samurai is good
enough to give you permanent bullet time, it seems. And if that's not enough,
it is implied in the 4A interview that Masakado's maintenance of Tokyo supplies
it with potable water.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
With just a few strokes of a writer's pen, Masakado is upgraded from vengeful
spirit to chthonic protector, god of time, and even a preserver of life. Along
with his newly-designed, titan-sized frame, he's a deity to challenge the
actual creator of the universe (again, in Stephen's--the Author's/Atlus'--
words, not mine), but yet he
plays second fiddle to the Tokyo Goddess, the most exalted and contrived deity,
though that's old news from Identity Crisis. So that's where Masakado stands as
the game begins; more precisely, a pile of rocks representing his head sits in
the middle of a Ginza intersection, awaiting the reincarnation of a Neutral
Hero Boy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">At the risk of reiterating Identity Crisis' skewering of Masakado's behavior in
SMT4's Neutral path, the implications of JJCAT build on the connotations of its
ultra-nationalist diatribe about the elimination of foreign influences in
Tokyo, but not in the ways you might think. To that end, the act of destroying
Merkabah and Lucifer, thus earning Masakado his magical MacGuffin Viagra pills
so he can become big again, doesn't have much to do with it, even if this
directive still reeks of very heavy bias towards Masakado (a deity whose
motivations are never, ever questioned). This questline is ethnocentric,
nationalist, xenophobic, etc. in its portrayal, but at its nucleus it remains a
Law/Neutral/Chaos ideological conflict, so, despite the obvious bias, the
inherent disparities and choices lend the perspective needed to understand it
was doubtlessly intended to imitate traditional SMT alignment discord; to the
game's credit, you can completely destroy Tokyo on the Law path if you so
choose--and Masakado can't do a thing about it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi8RMyazpFmHVrAHrGZlz76cAF2pxK4G3s0foDbwyfYW2eE27Gf2j5EC-xaR_CjDZrZnHfO2oNqJh5Y2HA6FzRxC1Q1e_bD5grVnbieWVkdAxQcQlRRSyTYQNqFIuK-4BxqfhnBUznM-M/s1600/patriots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi8RMyazpFmHVrAHrGZlz76cAF2pxK4G3s0foDbwyfYW2eE27Gf2j5EC-xaR_CjDZrZnHfO2oNqJh5Y2HA6FzRxC1Q1e_bD5grVnbieWVkdAxQcQlRRSyTYQNqFIuK-4BxqfhnBUznM-M/s320/patriots.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Masakado being called "patriot" is a<br />
positive in the same game where<br />
American patriotism is literally <br />
demonized and "haunts" the <br />
Japanese survivors of an area<br />
destroyed by American(/YHVH's) ICBMs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Instead, the JJCAT dynamics affect the intentions of the SMT4 Neutral ending.
Before we get into that, however, there's a couple things to remember. First,
that Masakado is considered a "patriotic warrior" (JP: <a href="http://jisho.org/word/%E6%86%82%E5%9B%BD"><span style="font-family: "simsun";">憂国</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "simsun";">の</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://jisho.org/word/%E5%A3%AB"><span style="font-family: "simsun";">士</span></a>,
lit., "samurai with patriotic concern for the future of his country")
by "good guys" Fujiwara and Skins, so, subsequently, any of his
actions are endorsed as morally upstanding and pro-Japanese (and not
Japanese-Jewish) by the game and its writers. Second, that the Eastern Kingdom
of Mikado is a JJCAT refuge; and if you want to throw in 4A's commentary into
the mix, it further defines its universe as one where JJCAT serves as its
basis, where apparently the Bible (or Old Testament, more likely) is actually
100% truthful, where Japanese are descended from Israelites and, you know,
anything else that's been previously discussed about the theory.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
It just so happens that both of these elements intersect in the SMT4 Neutral
ending cutscene. The defeat of all other gods before him restores Masakado to
full power, enabling removal of the ceiling--his body--containing Tokyo. While
the Tokyoites get to see the sun for the first time in 25 years (the sun itself
a symbol of Japan), it's bad news for the city built on top of Masakado; while
its citizens had all been led safely to the Tokyo underground beforehand,
Mikado is completely destroyed as the ceiling recedes. The Mikadoans, now
effectively refugees, are treated to front row seats to watch their city and
civilization crumble to dust before their eyes, and must forthwith assimilate
to the culture that judged their way of life as illegitimate; if this statement
sounds overly dramatic, that's only because Mikado's representatives in the
ending, like Hugo and K, seem all too happy to finally be free of their home
and native land--in a reversal of a JJCAT conceit, it's the
"Jewish"-Japanese "lost tribe" that is folded back into the
Tokyo whole. The final shot of the ending is Masakado towering over the remains
of Tokyo as supreme deity of the world; this is no exaggeration, as 4A reveals,
or rather confirms, that everyone on Earth not under Masakado's protection died
in nuclear fire or by demons' hands.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNovs3NYUp9uiCsEjB5kpvm0fimu6llZ0cGAK2mIG6A48CtBfOPlLPQY6VgPIMIC4TU2a1N4ik4VG22nXWs5thLXkOzf7U8RRDok8_YgZbNS33fBMDLVfGjo7YeFHutPjtwao_v03yquw/s1600/MlWA77uUdAMjdDAFRY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="400" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNovs3NYUp9uiCsEjB5kpvm0fimu6llZ0cGAK2mIG6A48CtBfOPlLPQY6VgPIMIC4TU2a1N4ik4VG22nXWs5thLXkOzf7U8RRDok8_YgZbNS33fBMDLVfGjo7YeFHutPjtwao_v03yquw/s320/MlWA77uUdAMjdDAFRY.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The victorious Masakado: "<i>I will say of the <br />Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: <br />my God; in Him will I trus</i>t." -Psalm 91:2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This is literally what happens in the ending, and it's the surrounding context
that makes it so problematic: Masakado, emphasized as a Japanese
"patriot" and thus expressly representing Japan as a nation and
people, annihilates expressly Judeo-Christian concepts that would otherwise
pollute his Tokyo, a city portrayed as precious and fragile. This is not an
ideological battle; those against Merkabah and Lucifer have already been won by
Masakado. No, the admittedly senseless eradication of Mikado represents a
nationalist assertion of cultural and ethnic superiority over an alien
insurgency. Really, there was no saving Mikado, not just because it was built
on Masakado's back and thus "oppressing" him, but because its elimination
is a highly symbolic act, one explicit of Masakado's own symbolism as rebel
against authority. But here in SMT4 it carries a double meaning, the first
signifying his historical rebellion against Japanese authority (going by the
literal meaning of "<a href="http://jisho.org/word/%E5%B8%9D">mikado</a>":
"emperor"), and the second the Kaneko-suggested JJCAT connotation of
rebellion against "Jewishness." The game and its writers are emphatic
that no compromises are to be made with entities representing Jews and
Christians and, most of all, that "Japaneseness" is an assumptive
virtue superior to other philosophies and customs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
All that trouble from a word (patriot) and implications of setting. But, as
noted in the previous section, Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse rolls back
much of its nationalist and racist subtext through retcons and outright
purging. In fact, Mikado is not destroyed in its unequivocally "good"
ending; Mikadoan and Tokyoite alike are seen harnessing demons to renovate the
medieval city. As stated before, these changes seem like an admission that the
previous game's content could easily be interpreted negatively. Unfortunately,
these would only be half-measures; Apocalypse's approach to these issues is one
step forward, two Masakado-sized steps backward.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Since Apocalypse splits off of SMT4 before its Neutral conclusion, its
circumstances naturally diverge, though Masakado remains a vital player. He
never appears during gameplay in any specific form other than the rock
formation in Ginza; a Doi redesign of him wasn't in the cards, apparently. But
that matters little, as Masakado has another transformation and power up his
sleeve.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUElU_Nps9bsmSIFC3piK5KQTHIcCyORdOte8BORNPqNE_StCJ3TJpO6q2jqHIk3_3xAkKA31A5qazNnfK41BtK1-xkzJ_QnhUVHnOJksn9lLn3WAzOKgbEoNJ2ae7N17GwN6ADdySw5o/s1600/monolith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="800" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUElU_Nps9bsmSIFC3piK5KQTHIcCyORdOte8BORNPqNE_StCJ3TJpO6q2jqHIk3_3xAkKA31A5qazNnfK41BtK1-xkzJ_QnhUVHnOJksn9lLn3WAzOKgbEoNJ2ae7N17GwN6ADdySw5o/s320/monolith.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "power" of the Masakado monolith (top right)<br />
is what allows transport to and the defeat of YHVH</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After the conclusion of the Cosmic Egg sequence on the Bonds route, Flynn
intercedes with Masakado for help in rebuilding the world, itself another
ridiculous aggrandizement of the Taira spirit. However, Masakado refuses on the
grounds that he is no longer needed by Tokyo because it has two messiahs, Flynn
and the protagonist; the soul of Masakado then departs the rock via a beam of
pure light, and that is not a joke. Enter Stephen, who tells you in a dream to
kill YHVH or never enjoy true freedom. Meeting at Ginza, the nine pillars from
the Cosmic Egg are absorbed into Masakado's seemingly lifeless rock, which
metamorphoses it into a flat, shiny 2001-style monolith. But it's not just for
looks, as the new Masakado monolith has the power to transport the party to
YHVH's secluded universe, for no good reason other than because Stephen says
so. Masakado is already a master of time in SMT4--so why not space as well,
yeah? On the Massacre route, no direct mention of Masakado is made at all, but
the rock still becomes the monolith; so unless he turns tail off-camera because
he's spooked of a pair of teenagers, one can presume Masakado's spirit remains
within the rock, as his reason for withdrawing in Bonds, the messiahs, is
invalid on Massacre. Moreover, the game's producer Yamai confirms in the interview that it is
"<i>Masakado's power</i>" that transports you to YHVH's Universe. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
I'm quite happy the scope of this article means I can largely avoid talking
about what happens in YHVH's Universe, but I can't ignore 4A's, uh,
"different" take on the big guy himself. According to Stephen, who,
in the words of the game's creators, is practically a Buddha and therefore to
be trusted without question, YHVH is both the Great Architect of the Universe and a
being who uses human Observation and Law/Chaos conflict with the sole purpose
of perpetuating his own existence. However, even though he is the supreme being
of the universe, YHVH becomes uniquely vulnerable to Observation-based logic
strings introduced at the eleventh hour, is portrayed as a bit of a moron after
his angelic robot creation Satan turns on him (gotta have that SMT2 reference),
and is ultimately transformed into a chimeric mess of biblical plagues and a
gecko to "give him a taste of his own medicine," all of which allows
for a convenient human victory. Even through SMT2 portrays YHVH as the Old
Testament's wrathful and jealous destructor, he at least had a plan to begin
creation anew somewhere else. 4A's YHVH is characterized as an entirely
egotistic entity and master manipulator, in the style of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitic_canard">anti-Semitic canards</a>
like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protocols_of_the_Elders_of_Zion"><i>The
Protocols of the Elders of Zion</i></a> that purport a self-serving Jewish
cabal secretly runs the world. In trying to put a new spin on Megami Tensei
II's and Shin Megami Tensei II's conclusions, they succeeded only in adding
shameful insult to embarrassing injury. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQju_xjSrfHOh5Nc1WmED0hGFLvp7wv8to3r8nMF2InchF3DXtD9gmQg8VzK_JiFaLidG8VHG08r8pyvdihibuXFRCGLTBt9jR1klaYtUDkhXL6V7NxyfUa00C69Q2JCR0OIVk5Qt5rXw/s1600/YHVH2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="400" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQju_xjSrfHOh5Nc1WmED0hGFLvp7wv8to3r8nMF2InchF3DXtD9gmQg8VzK_JiFaLidG8VHG08r8pyvdihibuXFRCGLTBt9jR1klaYtUDkhXL6V7NxyfUa00C69Q2JCR0OIVk5Qt5rXw/s320/YHVH2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">YHVH has seen better days in SMT</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So whether or not his spirit actually departs the rock, Masakado's body and
"power" is the vehicle that aids and abets deicide of an
unambiguously Jewish God, according to how Shin Megami Tensei portrays
YHVH. In a game that goes to convoluted lengths to explain certain things,
like Observation, there is precisely no explanation for why Masakado's rock
transforms into a monolith and why it can warp you across the universe; it
could have been written or justified any other way (utilizing elements
established within the game world like Purgatorium as a gateway to
"Heaven," something to do with the Yamato Reactor and the Expanse,
uncovering some arcane gateway hidden somewhere in Mikado, whatever the hell is
happening in the Massacre route Cosmic Egg and its space backdrop, or even
riding the Shene Duque cocoon that's otherwise sitting there doing nothing),
but the Maniacs Team staff specifically chose to incorporate the infamous
samurai rebel, Kazuma Kaneko's anti-Semitic JJCAT "hero." They...knew
what they were doing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqxwkthumf4hMlUiudXPoOj26maEvaKNvPm_tQM8COfodw6hSVa5inzesyjmSmQAMa8Mi19wZAd4J4SrHgIxfDEnTsYnLWV-QtwYWeV9FqsxSGwSoq-hHUP2A8Q1QXTgy65UUnqPDONQ/s1600/demifiend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="400" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqxwkthumf4hMlUiudXPoOj26maEvaKNvPm_tQM8COfodw6hSVa5inzesyjmSmQAMa8Mi19wZAd4J4SrHgIxfDEnTsYnLWV-QtwYWeV9FqsxSGwSoq-hHUP2A8Q1QXTgy65UUnqPDONQ/s320/demifiend.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a bit too late for that defense</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Outside of the main scenario, there's an extra Masakado miscue, alluded to
earlier, that I almost overlooked. In the game's "Messiahs of the Diamond
Realm" DLC that unites all the series' heroes, <a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Demi-fiend#Shin_Megami_Tensei_IV_Apocalypse_2">the
Demi-fiend's given elemental defenses void everything but Gun and Almighty</a>.
Almighty is a given and Gun wasn't present in Nocturne--this means that he has
the Masakados magatama equipped! This is an official endorsement of the
Demi-fiend as Heir of Masakado, slayer of YHVH avatar Kagutsuchi (since this
Demi-fiend dies in the subsequent Lucifer battle), and presumed future opponent
of the Jewish God; the spiritual superiority of an anti-Jewish Japanese ghost
is irrefutable, according to the game's authors. While this mostly affects and
illuminates how we perceive Nocturne itself, whoever wrote this DLC scenario
had other options, like the Neutral Freedom ending, that wouldn't read so
poorly with JJCAT even if the Demi-fiend was still using Masakados.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Before we leave Apocalypse entirely behind, there's just one more anecdote
about the game's development cycle that needs to be brought to light. <a href="http://personacentral.com/shin-megami-tensei-iv-final-first-trailer/">In
October 2015, shortly after the game's announcement, Atlus teased a special
event</a> planned for the end of that month at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanda_Shrine">Kanda Shrine</a>, and
encouraged Tokyoites to apply for invites. So what was the event? <a href="http://ch.nicovideo.jp/shoyofilms/blomaga/ar897964">On October 28, 2015</a>,
a prayer ceremony was held for the game's successful completion; this a
tradition, as Kaneko makes mention of them in the Digital Devil Apocalypse
interview. However, Kanda Shrine just happens to be where Masakado is enshrined
as a deity, meaning that Atlus organized a group prayer meeting to extend
invocations to the very spirit at the center of this entire problematic
scenario, in a game where Masakado is expressed to be superior to YHVH. What
would otherwise be innocuous prayers wrapped around a marketing gimmick is
transformed by the implications and subtext of JJCAT into a creepy, cult-like
show of worship. Does no one at Atlus Japan realize their Japanese-language
materials and events are still scrutinized by their overseas audience? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbH7EbnUoyKVezJeIA1HW68pJgD_BAKZI7flF69HMfM8L7vlNfucC8juQLuoBPFcBih9ppoHEjvzMT1U-WhxUfWqPQ6_evKLyFdefJv3V4uVg6sGrOgbYxdPgqHK_AIQW7CilQhpzB-8/s1600/Masakado2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="835" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbH7EbnUoyKVezJeIA1HW68pJgD_BAKZI7flF69HMfM8L7vlNfucC8juQLuoBPFcBih9ppoHEjvzMT1U-WhxUfWqPQ6_evKLyFdefJv3V4uVg6sGrOgbYxdPgqHK_AIQW7CilQhpzB-8/s200/Masakado2.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Irony or JJCAT revelation: Masakado<br />
has the "kado" of "Gad" in his name;<br />
is he a "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ1u9Fno3jU">self-loathing Jew</a>"?</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Without the additional context of scenario writer Yusuke Miyata's comments
about the game's JJCAT foundations and the particulars of Masakado's character,
we would largely have another ambiguous, SMT2-like situation on our hands.
However, any story that considers JJCAT valid, contains someone like Masakado
who was famed for opposing something primary to that theory (like the imperial
line/Jewish "interlopers"), and utilizes said character to assist in
opposing the ultimate cause of JJCAT itself has absolutely had all of these
pieces intentionally placed by its author. Taken along with the overt
nationalism in SMT4 proper, Atlus' Maniacs Team has a serious problem with
their approach to the series--if nothing else!</span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">SMT HD and the Future</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxalHtMDQ-NgFeTQYdFnK1PB8GysaCFKJ-4PI57l1_b62B8sTCHgNmUfgt9NfrpmmmS4pQFTZir99c2p4kEQihX0PPBJAmqnLPq3960_JTRZYFDbhTuRreXy3elXGTX49vPxX_IZb7BIw/s1600/YHV_MAS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="628" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxalHtMDQ-NgFeTQYdFnK1PB8GysaCFKJ-4PI57l1_b62B8sTCHgNmUfgt9NfrpmmmS4pQFTZir99c2p4kEQihX0PPBJAmqnLPq3960_JTRZYFDbhTuRreXy3elXGTX49vPxX_IZb7BIw/s320/YHV_MAS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooperation is still possible</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The SMT HD project for Nintendo Switch currently exists only as a
minute-and-a-half trailer for an Ultraman collaboration, but it's probably a
safe bet that Japanese-Jewish common ancestry theory could rear its head
somewhere in its scenario, and elsewhere down the line. Given the form it's
taken with the last couple of Maniacs Team's games, this could be cause for
concern. On the bright side though, surely they got Masakado and YHVH out of
their systems, meaning there's no way they could drop the ball as hard as they
did previously, right? For some reason, I'm not exactly beaming with
confidence.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
To conclude this extended survey of Japanese-Jewish common ancestry theory and
SMT, let me try to iron out an irony that may have emerged to some: The fact
that many of my claims about JJCAT-SMT links contain evidence that's merely
circumstantial rather than empirical, something for which I damned JJCAT and
its proponents. While not every example has been compelling, and I've admitted
as such, this would be a false equivalency; a video game's fictional history is
a complete fabrication by living authors who can provide direct quotes and
admissions of influences, while a theory about history obligates its theorists
to provide credible proof since the peoples in question are far too dead to
speak for themselves. JJCAT is the epitome of the aphorism "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagan_standard">extraordinary claims
require extraordinary evidence</a>," and thus far lacks the extraordinary
evidence needed for it to be taken seriously. So while JJCAT itself may lack a
smoking gun, the words of the likes of Miyata, Kaneko, and the others involved
surely count as empirical proof that this alternate take on SMT is more than a
mere coincidence.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
Promised Land of the Rising Sun</span></h2>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7ftSTIU7X6ZYuzRytc1gTC2z86UctMae1OGcwlCx1fojzXIJZeeUCwvmcJ2grINIfuk8brPdJlaUCTHf_bbXTx9z2StXLB_XaokxF89yljb2xas4vQuCEZCl6zRawK01gK6wiiqCHh4/s1600/takenouchi_bunken_jews-japanese-mind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="713" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl7ftSTIU7X6ZYuzRytc1gTC2z86UctMae1OGcwlCx1fojzXIJZeeUCwvmcJ2grINIfuk8brPdJlaUCTHf_bbXTx9z2StXLB_XaokxF89yljb2xas4vQuCEZCl6zRawK01gK6wiiqCHh4/s320/takenouchi_bunken_jews-japanese-mind.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let us hope Atlus never finds the <i>Takenouchi<br />bunken</i>; footnote from <i>Jews in the Japanese Mind</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Japanese-Jewish common ancestry theory is your classic crackpot belief system, offering
an alternate "hyperreality" intrinsically more exciting or mystical
than our own, hence its appeal. I've already compared it to ancient astronaut
theory, but JJCAT is apt to rub shoulders with other fringe all-stars like the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_Earth">flat Earth</a> myth, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reptilians">Reptilian conspiracies</a> and
the works of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Icke">David Icke</a>,
and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Order_(conspiracy_theory)">New World Order conspiracy theories</a>. There is a religious-like zeal common to
all of these systems that hinges on selective evidence to be even remotely
plausible. JJCAT's religious bent is more plain to see, but it offers little of
value except to Japanese Christians, to artificially exalt their standing in
the Christian world. Paradoxically, Jews are both primary and ancillary to
JJCAT, a theory that, through ethnocentrism, also diminishes the historical
accomplishments of<b> </b>Japan's own people. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
This article's mission was to explore the question, "How pervasive is
JJCAT in SMT?" I believe I have sufficiently answered that question with a
resounding "elephant in the room." But, as a corollary, I discovered
other issues related to JJCAT and SMT's usage, like "Does JJCAT contain
racist elements?" (answer: there are absolutely some) and, subsequently,
"Is SMT racist for including JJCAT?" But that's not a very
useful question, as not everything about JJCAT is inherently racist, and SMT
doesn't incorporate the elements that are, like the "tengu noses," so
I'd have to answer it with "no." I'm going to sound like a broken
record with this, but context matters. Regrettably, SMT4 and 4A have their own
original spin on the subject that's just plain gross and shouldn't be ignored. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
But keeping Masakado's symbolism and role in mind, that leads us to the final
issue: "Do established anti-Semitic JJCAT themes imply intentional
anti-Semitism on the part of Atlus?" In other words, were Atlus' writers
and staff completely aware of how the games' messages would read, particularly
to Western eyes, or were these undercurrents present through sheer ignorance?
Let's weigh the evidence.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Some obvious examples for the "intentional" cause include SMT4's
deplorable anti-Chinese scenario and general Japanese nationalist overtones,
Maniacs Team retcons as seen in Raidou and 4A's DLC, and Kaneko's controversial
"Jew-opposing hero" quote. The "unintentional" defense is
naturally more difficult to qualify. But consider that the biggest offending
games, SMT4 and 4A, had difficulty keeping their mythical figures accurately
represented, whether SMT4's "evil" Sanat Kumara or 4A's bodhisattva
brawler Maitreya and death metal Dagda, and it's suddenly not too difficult to
believe that the sloppiness could extend to the thematics and the treatment of
JJCAT.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
My own take leans towards a combination of both explanations. On one hand,
Japanese writers would completely understand the political subtext of SMT4's
Ikebukuro Chinatown "cleansing"; so if this was no accident, it's
entirely possible that, under Kaneko's influence, the "patriot"
Masakado's anti-Jewish purpose in SMT4 and 4A was no accident either. On the
other hand, being Japanese games made by Japanese people for primarily a
Japanese audience in a Japan that has had a tumultuous history with
monotheistic religions, it's quite obvious to see that their interpretations of
these "foreign" ideas may be quite different than ours, and may
naturally focus on perceived contrasts with their native Shinto-Buddhism. In
other words, SMT4's and 4A's writers were making an intentional statement of
Japanese ethnic and/or religious supremacy, but were ignorant to any interpretation
of this statement other than the one informed by their own Japanese views. For
a series defined by religious imagery from around the world, ethnically-charged
Masakado fanfiction was the worst decision possible.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Bedeviling Japanese products once again is that old bugaboo of "lack of
perspective"; usually this manifests in circumscribed cultural
stereotypes, like the typical American being white, blonde, wearing American
flag clothing, and eating hamburger(s), or, in an actually offensive example,
the use of the "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackface">Darky</a>"
image of people of African descent. But a lack of awareness of other cultural
contexts is no defense for writers and artists from any country, especially
when what they are making is a product intended to be sold globally. Similarly,
just because something like JJCAT is preposterous in reality doesn't exonerate
the authors who employ it without proper consideration for its implications, in
SMT4 and 4A especially. If you're going to play around with other people's
cultures, you need to be culturally informed.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDsHJjJ63YyXDp3cNPW7YR6PoRAl_Whis13y7VBKOzRdhnXxaFIWUFYbZ4nX4a2CDNtJv-jMqT_3vPXcrRtwr-a5ZzCz877uquLUp95xH2efwPgm_7ziqGlvO3JpaNspm22iXdZB3ZZ54/s1600/SMT_bellcurve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDsHJjJ63YyXDp3cNPW7YR6PoRAl_Whis13y7VBKOzRdhnXxaFIWUFYbZ4nX4a2CDNtJv-jMqT_3vPXcrRtwr-a5ZzCz877uquLUp95xH2efwPgm_7ziqGlvO3JpaNspm22iXdZB3ZZ54/s320/SMT_bellcurve.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Stupid Asura...</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">It's sobering to find a skeleton in the closet of something you love, and
uncovering Japanese-Jewish common ancestry theory in Shin Megami Tensei has
been no different. But it follows the pattern that the more time you spend with
a long-running franchise, the more likely you are to discover the not-so-great
things that may be hiding somewhere within it, here illustrated in what I call
the "Shin Megami Tensei Bell Curve," seen adjacent. Digging through
SMT's crust reveals the true character of demons; braving the mantle nets you
the series' rewarding spectrum of mythical symbolism; however, by the time you
get closer to the center and the perplexing etymological obsessions, JJCAT is
just around the corner, waiting to turn your brain into mush with a final strike. The best I can
spin Shin Megami Tensei and its relationship with Japanese-Jewish common
ancestry theory is "hey, at least Baal Avatar finally makes sense"
and "that Yatagarasu stuff is pretty weird, right?" But there's no
looking past the sheer ignorance of its racism, xenophobia, and the fact that
the most harmful, specifically anti-Semitic instances of it have occurred in Maniacs Team games, leaving
me with the impression that Shin Megami Tensei's future may not be in the most
capable hands. I want to be proven wrong in SMT HD. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/">-<b>Eirikr Jonathan Smith</b></a> [<a href="https://twitter.com/EirikrJS">Twitter</a>] </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /><b>
If there are any examples of JJCAT in the series you think I missed, let me
know in the comments! </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Special thanks to <b>Soren</b> and <b>Anonymous Furniture</b> for proofreading and
suggestions, and to <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/156697894627/the-yamato-and-emperor-jinmu-deal-is-more-devil">the
Anon who pushed me in the right direction with Yatagarasu</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
This article would have never been written without the translation skills of
<b><a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/">Dijeh</a></b>! <a href="https://ko-fi.com/dijehehe"><b>Please show your appreciation by buying this beleaguered soul a coffee at this link</b></a>!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
The Tumblr blog post that initially inspired this investigation can be found <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/156513437192/to-respond-to-the-claim-that-smtiv-has-xenophobia">here</a>.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Primary sources:</span><br />
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Arimasa Kubo, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080224063624/http:/www5.ocn.ne.jp/~magi9/isracame.htm">Israelites
Came to Ancient Japan.</a></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">David G. Goodman,
Masanori Miyazawa. <i><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=R_PQLj2D1DQC">Jews in the Japanese
Mind: The History and Uses of a Cultural Stereotype</a></i>. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Ben-Ami Shillory. <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=OvzPAgAAQBAJ"><i>The Jews and the
Japanese: The Successful Outsiders</i></a>. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Karl Friday. <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=D7NC4dVU_jcC"><i>The First
Samurai: The Life and Legend of the Warrior Rebel Taira Masakado</i></a>.
(for Masakado article) </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
Eirikrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708584583156602408noreply@blogger.com113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102004681763150356.post-31510916942708066542017-06-28T18:55:00.001-04:002017-07-02T16:41:16.111-04:00Taira no Masakado: History vs. Legend (vs. Lemon)<h2>
</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8-_MfFRDgA6HU10z2iIgxxP8gUGHLxWrk8LdJBAwyavatkRsbFTF8lnsjOzyAcIUIw_IlSsh9-bva-Nlz7RjS4VI6oHE4igZA0cmqjDAtnwfa5PQGC3MUSlpOpj8pG3fie45f1KHvUU/s1600/masakado-1000-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8-_MfFRDgA6HU10z2iIgxxP8gUGHLxWrk8LdJBAwyavatkRsbFTF8lnsjOzyAcIUIw_IlSsh9-bva-Nlz7RjS4VI6oHE4igZA0cmqjDAtnwfa5PQGC3MUSlpOpj8pG3fie45f1KHvUU/s1600/masakado-1000-2.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Taira no Masakado has been variously depicted as an iron giant, a rebellious demon worthy of divine retribution, a vengeful floating head, a cosmic deity, and the bellwether of Tokyo's fortunes. All of these fantastical descriptions speak to a grand personality of great importance, but what of the historical Masakado, the 10th century samurai? What exactly did he do to deserve such mythical aggrandizement?</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And because
of Masakado's prominence in Shin Megami Tensei, it's useful, even essential, to survey
the beheaded samurai's biography and the superstitions that
quickly surrounded his posthumous image. Though not meant to be comprehensive, the following examination of his fabled life nonetheless reveals where the lines are drawn between Masakado the man and Masakado the angry spirit of folklore and SMT--plus a little "extra," let's say.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Bottom line: You just can't keep a good samurai lich down.</span></span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Masakado in the Historical Record</span></span></h3>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-XYd7rPiFJpYg3myvL_7sd4hl_NDQUj-jRePISF2d0scvs0NYoZAb0iz3Ce4ACr4ENEb5oyRYD6C1HzyKc9uoNG0FgEIl7LkmKE-E__OtJUTBFMdiHPoCOtWeLhzp33msDf_ycbTCeo/s1600/first-samurai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1111" data-original-width="700" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-XYd7rPiFJpYg3myvL_7sd4hl_NDQUj-jRePISF2d0scvs0NYoZAb0iz3Ce4ACr4ENEb5oyRYD6C1HzyKc9uoNG0FgEIl7LkmKE-E__OtJUTBFMdiHPoCOtWeLhzp33msDf_ycbTCeo/s200/first-samurai.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The information for the following two sections comes from the only English-language biography
of Masakado, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/First-Samurai-Legend-Warrior-Masakado-ebook/dp/B00HQ4LO3U/"><i>The First Samurai: The Life and Legend of the Warrior Rebel Taira Masakado</i></a>, by Karl Friday (any direct quotes in this article are from Friday's book and are italicized). As the only readily available treatise on Masakado in English, it's somewhat of a default recommendation if you are interested in learning more about his life and times. That said, I can personally give it thumbs up for greatly expanding my previously narrow perspective on Tokyo's favorite guardian. Here's a bullet-point rundown of the essentials:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Masakado was
of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taira_clan">Taira warrior clan</a>, who were scions of the noble class; Masakado
himself was a fifth-generation descendant of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Kanmu">Emperor Kanmu</a>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takano_no_Niigasa">Kanmu's mother</a> was a 10th-generation descendant of Korean king <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muryeong_of_Baekje">Muryeong of Baekje</a>.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">No records exist of his birth, but he was probably
born around the year 900. He served in the Kyoto imperial court as a
youth, but did not climb up the ranks despite the influence of his
wealthy noble father. He then married a cousin and "<i>settled down to the
life of a country gentleman</i>" around the historical <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shim%C5%8Dsa_Province">Shimosa Province</a>, located in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kant%C5%8D_region">Kanto region</a> just to the northeast of where Tokyo stands
today. </span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Shimosa and its neighboring provinces are the<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRY_Z8OpBzVrZOUqyYRoTMnjkD0Mc7YBfr-nh4imfCv5-8seJjFw-UbkfCKkOKILSopfcLBxqc3bmbT5EJeNegopCwF5Yq5eH0Xre7NNOyTcYaksMJqyJ2SHx3Xq3zjktJI5GUiuwD83k/s1600/map-shim-yedoapproximate-site-tokyo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="695" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRY_Z8OpBzVrZOUqyYRoTMnjkD0Mc7YBfr-nh4imfCv5-8seJjFw-UbkfCKkOKILSopfcLBxqc3bmbT5EJeNegopCwF5Yq5eH0Xre7NNOyTcYaksMJqyJ2SHx3Xq3zjktJI5GUiuwD83k/s320/map-shim-yedoapproximate-site-tokyo.jpg" width="319" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shimosa and its surroundings; "Yedo"/Edo is<br />
of course where Tokyo stands today</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
stage for most of the action during Masakado's insurrection. See the adjacent map for context. </span></span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The best records of the events leading up to
Masakado's insurrection (the period between 935-940) are in a text
called the <i>Shomonki</i> ("The Masakado Records"). It was probably written shortly after the insurrection and does not paint a favorable picture of Masakado, even going so far as to describe him suffering in Buddhist hell. The <i>Shomonki</i> was <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/shomonki-the-story-of-masakados-rebellion/oclc/672994113">translated into English</a> in 1986, but given its narrow
academic specialist interest, good luck finding it unless you can access a university library!</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In
935, Masakado became involved in a conflict with a regional chieftain,
<b>Minamoto no Mamoru</b>, the latter's forces ambushing him for reasons
unrecorded. Masakado and his forces fended off the attack and in
response raided and razed the Minamoto lands, destroying fields and
buildings and supposedly killing thousands. While the number of deaths
is probably an exaggeration on the part of the court scribes, the
destruction was a common tactic of the period.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As a
result of this skirmish, Masakado became the target of retaliation by
Mamoru's sons-in-law: <b>Taira no Yoshimasa</b>, Masakado's uncle or cousin,
and eventually <b>Taira no Yoshikane</b>, Masakado's uncle and father-in-law.
Masakado spent the better part of 935 evading and feinting Yoshimasa's
advances before finally routing his forces 8 months later. Yoshimasa
then formed an alliance with Yoshikane, the both of them brothers, the
latter of whom had taken umbrage with Masakado in the past. Another
Masakado relative, cousin <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taira_no_Sadamori"><b>Taira no Sadamori</b></a>, also joined Yoshikane after
Yoshimasa effectively retired once the campaign was in his brother's
hands.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Masakado repelled the attacks of Yoshikane and
Sadamori, then traveled to the imperial court in Kyoto to answer charges filed against him by
Mamoru. By 937 he left the capital not only fully pardoned but had
shifted criminal charges away from himself to the other Taira in the
process, gaining a warrant to apprehend them. After returning home,
Masakado would foil other attacks by Yoshikane, who then gave up the
campaign and died a year and a half later. He would then begin feuding
with Sadamori, who fled to Kyoto to clear his own name and implicate
Masakado as a criminal, which he achieved, but returned to the northeast region only to hide from Masakado. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">According to the book, Masakado's
successes in <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnoFehDYDHgtLRRgBh5NP0eDTUeuWg7DCBjdXtUnNSPHOF4jdKVlxwv-fQWb5JL3kxhBk7yY8IoPRzstzY7gAmiZDn6fQCjTngS2fILiKtwN5_oVRxV4s6Hf2O5IIb2TtTfx_tc4JfRpw/s1600/Bando_Civic_Concert_Hall_Taira_no_Masakado_statue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnoFehDYDHgtLRRgBh5NP0eDTUeuWg7DCBjdXtUnNSPHOF4jdKVlxwv-fQWb5JL3kxhBk7yY8IoPRzstzY7gAmiZDn6fQCjTngS2fILiKtwN5_oVRxV4s6Hf2O5IIb2TtTfx_tc4JfRpw/s320/Bando_Civic_Concert_Hall_Taira_no_Masakado_statue.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Masakado statue</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
both battle and legal maneuverings may have made him
overconfident, explaining his next action: intervening in a local
gubernatorial quarrel involving a respected regent, <b>Musashi Takeshiba</b>,
and one <b>Prince Okiyo</b>. The other subject in the quarrel, <b>Minamoto no
Tsunemoto</b>, fled to Kyoto to press charges but would these would not be
investigated.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Later in 938, fluke natural phenomena in
Kyoto such as earthquakes and swarms of butterflies (the butterfly was the emblem of the Taira clan) were afforded
supernatural significance by diviners as portents of "<i>warrior
insurrections in the east and west</i>," the east of which implicated
Masakado, the west the pirate <b>Fujiwara Sumitono</b>.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the
winter of 939, Masakado became a state criminal by capturing nine
eastern provincial government offices in as many provinces and
installing his own kin as governors. Explanations for Masakado's
ultimate goal vary, but according to the embellished <i>Shomonki </i>account, Prince Okiyo
is the one to suggest Masakado take the eastern provinces, to which
Masakado agrees, noting his own imperial blood as justification. Then,
an "Oracle of the <a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/tsurugaoka-hachiman.shtml">Great Bodhisattva Hachiman</a>" interrupts them to speak
on behalf of the god, saying, "<i>we confer imperial rank upon our child
Taira Masakado .... The Great Bodhisattva Hachiman calls forth an army
of eighty thousand and bestows this rank upon him</i>." At this, Masakado's
followers now refer to him as "<b>The New Emperor</b>," and plan to build him
an imperial palace. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">However, "<i>the title of New
Emperor, the oracle proclaiming Masakado's ascension, the building of a
new imperial palace, and the naming of new central government officials
appear only in the </i>Shomonki <i>and texts derived from it</i>." Of the
<i>Shomonki</i>'s account, the book says, "<i>hitherto portrayed as the righteous
hero of an unsought feud with uncles and cousins, Masakado is treated
therefore as the villain of a scandalous rebellion against the divinely
ordained order of the emperor's realm</i>."</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="goog_1231112293"></span><span id="goog_1231112294"></span><span id="goog_1231112295"></span><span id="goog_1231112296"></span>A letter penned
by Masakado that appears in the <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUzXDyMEFz8_w6z9bW2iuC8KTQY9qTLfHeQ-rnG86ObjcwGARo8F1qjtIuZdIREH8QhTfj_vaoPj0GhwNX8AEK82lWvN9mdtnnGHUslLiA1Z9ddET9fge-kfKu5k_IupF3x-bPWAkthM/s1600/masakado-hidesato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="600" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUzXDyMEFz8_w6z9bW2iuC8KTQY9qTLfHeQ-rnG86ObjcwGARo8F1qjtIuZdIREH8QhTfj_vaoPj0GhwNX8AEK82lWvN9mdtnnGHUslLiA1Z9ddET9fge-kfKu5k_IupF3x-bPWAkthM/s320/masakado-hidesato.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hidesato (left) in combat with Masakado (right)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>Shomonki</i> is believed to be an authentic
document, portraying the warrior as a man acting in accordance with
laws, in contrast to the rest of the imperial account. "<i>Like an ancient
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_Dangerfield">Rodney Dangerfield</a> [not afforded the due respect of the court]</i>," the
historical Masakado's real ambition was likely not to take over the
entire country but to reconcile the charges levied against him by making
"himself too prodigious to be dealt with like an ordinary criminal."
The "insurrection" may have just been a roundabout way of gaining the
attention, and eventual favor, of a court too far away to know every
granular detail firsthand.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Whatever Masakado's true
motivations were, he was now an enemy of the state. In early 940,
Masakado sought to eliminate Sadamori, who eluded him. Sadamori then
allied with a warrior named <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fujiwara_no_Hidesato"><b>Fujiwara no Hidesato</b></a>, who may have only
joined the battle for the imperial rewards.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Masakado's weak forces clashed with the armies of Sadamori and Hidesato, where he
found himself downwind of archers and met his end "<i>struck by a divine
arrow, shot blindly</i>," according to the <i>Shomonki</i>. Masakado was beheaded,
the head displayed in Kyoto hanging from a tree some months after the final battle. And so, in the words of the <i>Shomonki</i>,
"<i>in the end, </i>[Masakado]<i> was destroyed .... and bequeathed to posterity
the name of a rebel</i>."</span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Masakado in Folklore and Beyond</span></span></h3>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ71GI2nfYIMCe3Q-z4aQX9_gix1ezagbHD01m5PpKlCTwxZkQbpP2ChOQpd6m1mDLu7ELsfBhSTg135vVvimxX-mmvdBOHupSe3hD6vf9CPcU_0Pnd8qPJlmla9Xwou6qV8KhVq5Y2fM/s1600/tairanomasakado_ran_bushi_02b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="986" data-original-width="660" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ71GI2nfYIMCe3Q-z4aQX9_gix1ezagbHD01m5PpKlCTwxZkQbpP2ChOQpd6m1mDLu7ELsfBhSTg135vVvimxX-mmvdBOHupSe3hD6vf9CPcU_0Pnd8qPJlmla9Xwou6qV8KhVq5Y2fM/s320/tairanomasakado_ran_bushi_02b.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Onlookers gawk at <br />Masakado's head</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And so it was in ignominious death that Masakado would be catapulted to true fame. His was just too good of a story for the masses to ignore! <i>The First Samurai</i> details some of the legends that emerged in the years and centuries following his demise.</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The earliest tales seem to be about Masakado's displayed head in Kyoto. For three months afterward, the head was said to never close its eyes and constantly moan, asking where its body was. When someone finally told him where, the head "<i>grinned wistfully</i>," closed its eyes, and ceased making noise. Not long afterward, the head flew off towards Shimosa.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">However, it suffered a temporary setback over modern <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gifu_Prefecture">Gifu Prefecture</a> when it was shot down with an arrow. The spot where it fell is now <a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%BE%A1%E9%A6%96%E7%A5%9E%E7%A4%BE">Mikubi Shrine</a>, dedicated to Masakado's spirit and subsequently said to remedy ailments related to the head and neck. </span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Also, of SMT interest, the abortive first child of Izanagi and Izanami, <a href="http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=62">Hiruko</a>, is also enshrined at Mikubi, which could possibly explain why Hiruko appears as Masakado's attendant in Shin Megami Tensei II (if they also aren't paired elsewhere). </span></span></li>
</ul>
<li>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="goog_1231112333"></span><span id="goog_1231112334"></span>The head apparently didn't mind getting shot and calmly continued on its way east, eventually landing in what is now <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%8Ctemachi">Otemachi</a>, Tokyo. It immediately caused trouble for the locals with earthquakes and an ominous sky; they "washed the head and buried it on the grounds of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanda_Shrine">Kanda Myojin</a> shrine." This grave came to be known as the <i>kubizuka</i> (<a href="http://jisho.org/word/%E9%A6%96%E5%A1%9A">首塚</a>), or "severed head burial mound," and has roughly existed in the same place up to the present day. A decade after the burial, in 950, "an eerie cry issued from this grave site, the darkness was rendered by a flash of light, and a strange warrior appeared--and then vanished." Attributed to Masakado's restless spirit, the locals began practicing rites to appease him. However, in the following centuries the condition of Kanda Shrine deteriorated and Masakado's fury was blamed for natural disasters and general bad fortune in the area, until a Buddhist monk repaired the shrine and gave Masakado a Buddhist name, Hasuamida-butsu.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1P10dog0htUgEVnth7ldHzFC0JFHAr1djH3ufT17uY-5dv8dSThta6kP3eS1S6KOpt8a1OrE5khFzDzCXwJVam1PC6US0K0cDZnYCSlIz3ZSYHIXffBCtwGHM0gjSmLMm6f1DBdsYqI/s1600/masakado-shadow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="250" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1P10dog0htUgEVnth7ldHzFC0JFHAr1djH3ufT17uY-5dv8dSThta6kP3eS1S6KOpt8a1OrE5khFzDzCXwJVam1PC6US0K0cDZnYCSlIz3ZSYHIXffBCtwGHM0gjSmLMm6f1DBdsYqI/s320/masakado-shadow.jpg" width="97" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Depiction of Masakado<br />
and his shadows</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Legends of Masakado also began to circulate in </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">literature. One Masakado story is in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otogiz%C5%8Dshi">otogizoshi</a> <i>Tawara Toda monogatari</i>, Tawara
Toda being the mythical name of Masakado-slayer Hidesato. In this
legendary account, Hidesato joins Masakado's cause, but finds him a
literal slob and regrets the decision. Masakado is described as "<i>'over
seven feet tall, his corporeal form was all of iron, and he had two
pupils in his left eye.' What is more, he was accompanied on the field
by six other warriors of identical appearance, 'and no one could discern
which was the real Masakado.</i>'" Though intimidated by Masakado's
impressive form, while in his court Hidesato falls in love with one of
Masakado's concubines, who tells him that Masakado has a weak point
below the ear and that only "<i>his true form casts a shadow</i>." Hidesato of
course fires an arrow at the weak point and the real Masakado is slain
as the other "shadow Masakados" disappear.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At the beginning of the Edo period in the 17th century, shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu moved Kanda Shrine to its present location in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiyoda,_Tokyo">Chiyoda</a>, near Akihabara, but left the Masakado <i>kubizuka</i> where it still stands. An estate of the Sakai clan was built next to the mound. </span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Also in the Edo period (and into the Meiji), ukiyo-e prints circulated of Masakado-related stories including the famous work of his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takiyasha_the_Witch_and_the_Skeleton_Spectre">sorceress daughter Takiyasha summoning a gashadokuro</a>. </span></span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1868 saw the beginning of the Meiji era and a new dawn for imperial rule in Japan. In 1871, the Sakai estate was razed to build offices for the new Ministry of Finance; the <i>kubizuka </i>was left untouched. But in 1874, right before the Meiji Emperor visited Kanda Shrine, Masakado was removed from the shrine's roster of deities due his rebellious actions against imperial authority during his lifetime. Oddly, he didn't seem to mind. In 1908 the <i>kubizuka </i>was described as "<i>7 meters high and about 30 meters in circumference</i>."<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1ZOM_nuLKlQ7ZO5XrEEIvqo2L1e0EJOO563kYn37wkV9VbY3wkCURlJOviL-A8bSjJG8WNBNm5LFhX4Mb_ru4MlniJRo90EWQl0sn86qz5lMP3CkNIOwsY7OjMIOYecfqNOeEcqNOTo/s1600/kubizuka-mound.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1ZOM_nuLKlQ7ZO5XrEEIvqo2L1e0EJOO563kYn37wkV9VbY3wkCURlJOviL-A8bSjJG8WNBNm5LFhX4Mb_ru4MlniJRo90EWQl0sn86qz5lMP3CkNIOwsY7OjMIOYecfqNOeEcqNOTo/s320/kubizuka-mound.jpg" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <i>kubizuka </i>in the Edo period</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Masakado's modern legend begins with the 1923 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1923_Great_Kant%C5%8D_earthquake">Great Kanto earthquake</a>. The Ministry of Finance offices were completely destroyed and the <i>kubizuka</i> damaged. Officials excavated the mound "<i>but found only an empty stone chamber</i>." Sure that Masakado's head was never there in the first place, the <i>kubizuka</i> was leveled and new buildings were built on top of its grounds. </span></span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This was widely considered to be a bad move, as within two years fourteen people related to the construction had died, "<i>including the minster of finance, Sasoku Seiji</i>." Of course, "rumors spread that Masakado's vengeful spirit was being the troubles." In 1928 the buildings were torn down and the <i>kubizuka </i>restored (though now more a typical stone monument-style grave than a mound, see bottom image), along with the performance of a pacification ceremony. </span></span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In June 1940, "<i>very nearly a thousand years to the day following Masakado's death</i>," a bolt of lightning hit the Communications Ministry offices and the subsequent fire burned much of Otemachi to the ground, the Ministry of Finance building included. More pacification rites were immediately attempted. </span></span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">During World War II, American bombing raids obliterated most of Tokyo, including Otemachi--but the <i>kubizuka</i> managed to escape the destruction. In 1945, during the Occupation of Japan, the <i>kubizuka </i>site was planned to be turned into an Allied parking garage. However, a bulldozer "<i>struck the kubizuka foundation stone and overturned suddenly, killing its operator</i>." Japanese officials pleaded to the Allied forces not to stir the pot any further, to which they agreed. This appears to have ended the modern era of Masakado's wrath.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A 1976 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiga_drama">NHK drama</a> about Masakado's rebellion <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqBEI-4fpCvCk37T6bExKvQsq3u97JBYfdOvt0j91InLUuje-uiGHSEA-ZKQxRJPG_3avrDg8khkaJCEVQaFQ9wvPpRBEBvIaw6jAliwj8lJAsFlOk_ZGigg7zxiKZG9WWtFNnkQUyjdI/s1600/c295785c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="237" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqBEI-4fpCvCk37T6bExKvQsq3u97JBYfdOvt0j91InLUuje-uiGHSEA-ZKQxRJPG_3avrDg8khkaJCEVQaFQ9wvPpRBEBvIaw6jAliwj8lJAsFlOk_ZGigg7zxiKZG9WWtFNnkQUyjdI/s200/c295785c.jpg" width="143" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Go Kato as Masakado</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
called <i>Kaze to Kumo to Niji to</i> (<a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%A2%A8%E3%81%A8%E9%9B%B2%E3%81%A8%E8%99%B9%E3%81%A8">風と雲と虹と</a>,"Wind, Cloud, and Rainbow") helped popularize him among the Japanese public,
leading directly to his spirit's re-dedication within Kanda Shrine in 1984
after its removal 110 years prior. Masakado was played by actor <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_Kato">Go Kato</a>. The drama is 50 episodes long and completely beyond the
interests of the average English subtitling circle, but at least check out
<a href="https://youtu.be/b45asSjxQ0g?t=1179">Masakado's death scene</a>, which needs no translation.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Masakado's next appearance in Japanese pop culture has probably been his most influential: The mid-80s novel series <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teito_Monogatari">Teito Monogatari</a></i> by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshi_Aramata">Hiroshi Aramata</a>. Masakado appears in the story as a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onry%C5%8D">vengeful spirit</a> invoked by villain and occultist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasunori_Kat%C5%8D">Yasunori Kato</a> to destroy Tokyo. In the 1988 film adaptation, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHwRHSsypT0&feature=youtu.be&t=5858">the last quarter of the running time</a> is devoted to supernatural events caused by Kato including disturbing the <i>kubizuka</i> mound (which looks identical to the illustration as seen above, including the tree).</span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My journey to find the "real" Masakado has been enlightening. While his supposed supernatural escapades are fascinating and it's easy to see how they continue to capture the Japanese imagination, reading the historical account of Masakado's life has helped to humanize him in my eyes, making him a more compelling character as a result. This is undoubtedly due to Shin Megami Tensei's biased filter providing most of my Masakado context; as usual, it's a bad idea to form an opinion of something multi-faceted from only a single source.</span></span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Shin Megami Tensei's Masakado</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Following the influence of <i>Teito Monogatari</i>, SMT endorses the supernatural Masakado. However, in most cases he tends not to follow the vengeful spirit mold, and is instead typically depicted more favorably as a guardian of the city or the personification (or voice) of Tokyo itself. Here's a breakdown of his notable appearances and designs:</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Megami Tensei II</span></span></h4>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSLmpJLolW9SU6kFSDIi2IGMOfG5jBkNPZxR9bXTOS698JuIgJqTw28YoHGKbap_I4pq5Au82G-ir9_KeQFSbQVP5zc7AeZ3OvJ-bKiQKEzr1Yr_2inUw7E2RHxDkra-HGVVMTxeqAZ78/s1600/masakado-mt2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="834" data-original-width="653" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSLmpJLolW9SU6kFSDIi2IGMOfG5jBkNPZxR9bXTOS698JuIgJqTw28YoHGKbap_I4pq5Au82G-ir9_KeQFSbQVP5zc7AeZ3OvJ-bKiQKEzr1Yr_2inUw7E2RHxDkra-HGVVMTxeqAZ78/s200/masakado-mt2.jpg" width="156" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Megami Tensei II's<br />Masakado</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The first appearance of Masakado in the series is as a disembodied, purple head (with early Kaneko art, pictured!). As the guardian of Tokyo, he warps you to the Expanse once you have all of the required pillars.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Shin Megami Tensei</span></span></h4>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Little more than a cameo, SMT1's Masakado is found after the Flood on a newly-formed island made of the imperial palace and its grounds, where he bemoans the state of the city and bequeaths his sword to a Neutral protagonist. His presence a sprite edit of Momunofu/Sarutahiko, no Kaneko art of Masakado was produced for this game.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Shin Megami Tensei II</span></span></h4>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mGMPHJ9RaZgWoHhBEgi8fvV8j_HWGqrVcHaW7UdPUaGRHGUJ7gHOhfrLfzwTAO6ym0Qki2Z9cIGh5QkiItYVKStXpXoNs0n3DPxpUr1RJOHMzTJM0be5qXkR_FyCvUhybe5TmrcQssA/s1600/masakado-smt2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mGMPHJ9RaZgWoHhBEgi8fvV8j_HWGqrVcHaW7UdPUaGRHGUJ7gHOhfrLfzwTAO6ym0Qki2Z9cIGh5QkiItYVKStXpXoNs0n3DPxpUr1RJOHMzTJM0be5qXkR_FyCvUhybe5TmrcQssA/s200/masakado-smt2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Masakado in SMT2</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the backstory, the definitely not omnipotent Masakado gets ripped into pieces after he allows the Japanese Kunitsu gods to subdue their Amatsu fellows after aligning with YHVH, who subsequently betrays them. His body parts are held by the Kunitsu but once they are freed from their own imprisonment, the player can fuse the parts together to bring Masakado back to life as a soulless fiend. Masakado's associate, Hiruko, possesses his soul which, when fused to the body, fully restores Tokyo's tutelary deity to life. Masakado's power then helps free the Amatsu deities.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">SMT2 provides the series' first lasting designs for Masakado. The "soulless" Masakado design shows parallels to the villainous, iron-bodied Masakado from the Tawara Toda myth, while the "Lord" Masakado transformation resembles a kabuki actor portraying a Japanese god. In fact, both designs wear kabuki stage makeup, called <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumadori">kumadori</a></i>; the bright red stripes symbolize heroism. The Soulless Angryman version also appears in Raidou 2.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Soul Hackers / Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne</span></span></h4>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Masakado doesn't make an appearance in Soul Hackers' narrative, but as one of the special Zoma fusions he's notable as the only demon capable of having all of his stats maxed out at 40 points with mitama doubling, as all of his parameters start at 20. But more interesting is his redesign, which evolves the "Lord" Masakado design from SMT2 into a full-fledged kabuki hero. He not only retains the red kumadori stripes on his face but gains a costume and wig to match. Compare the familiar Kaneko design to a portrayal of Masakado from an actual kabuki play in the image below; Kaneko's has some embellishments, but something like it is clearly the inspiration at play here.</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPptlbFTSpn4MobPLAIbJtQZfY2ipshLhNN0bntKk6pI42Hp0HOUBFe4G4OC0w9CH129n8_euwtARoV8dYAmlbGB8Q98sIuOKxQ34FS7DW2U3kSuIUrQx2rEVPvfwWn0zSFAiWVjB_1kA/s1600/masakabuki.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPptlbFTSpn4MobPLAIbJtQZfY2ipshLhNN0bntKk6pI42Hp0HOUBFe4G4OC0w9CH129n8_euwtARoV8dYAmlbGB8Q98sIuOKxQ34FS7DW2U3kSuIUrQx2rEVPvfwWn0zSFAiWVjB_1kA/s640/masakabuki.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Soul Hackers' Masakado; Masakado in the kabuki production <i>Onmyoji </i>(<a href="http://www.kabuki-bito.jp/theaters/kabukiza/play/29">陰陽師</a>), upper left</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In Nocturne, this version of Masakado awaits not at Kanda Shrine but Bandou Shrine (<span class="st"><a href="http://jisho.org/word/%E5%9D%82%E6%9D%B1">坂東</a>宮</span>). This "Bandou" seems mysterious but it likely refers to modern <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Band%C5%8D,_Ibaraki">Bando, Ibaraki</a> which is located in what was the historical Shimosa Province, Masakado's home turf. Bando has its own <a href="http://www.city.bando.lg.jp/page/page001796.html">Masakado Festival</a> and its <a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%9B%BD%E7%8E%8B%E7%A5%9E%E7%A4%BE">Kokuo Shrine</a> dedicated to Masakado. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Anyway, after collecting all of the game's magatama, the Cathedral of Shadows minister gives you Masakado's sword, which is used at Masakado's <i>kubizuka </i>to whisk you away to Bandou. Inside, the Four Heavenly Kings each guard a cardinal pillar supporting Bandou's main hall. After all four are subjugated and the pillars are lowered, Masakado can be approached in the main hall, tasking you with the role of Tokyo guardian by giving you the practically invulnerable Masakados magatama.</span></span><br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Shin Megami Tensei IV / Apocalypse</span></span></h4>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Merely calling Masakado's role in the SMT4 duology the "guardian of Tokyo" would be a massive understatement; he's practically the most powerful being in its whole universe. In the games' past, Flynn's former self allows Masakado to take over his body, growing to gargantuan proportions in response to an ICBM threat that threatens the city, his colossal frame forming a dome that protects the city, but isolates it from the rest of the world; over time, the Law faction builds the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado on his back as Tokyo languishes underground in decelerated dilated time ostensibly produced by Masakado himself. A huge boulder resting in the main Ginza intersection is all that remains of Masakado's body.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the Neutral ending to SMT4, the weakened Masakado, awakened by his own sword, requires various incredibly contrived plot devices (hey, I am the guy who wrote <a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2015/09/SMT-identity-crisis-final.html">Identity Crisis</a>, after all) to regain his strength; he initially appears only as disembodied head, which is still powerful enough to overcome barriers set by the angels and demons guardian the entrances of their respective realms. Once the plot devices are acquired, Masakado regains his full size and strength and removes the Tokyo dome, destroying Mikado in the process but saving his apparently precious Tokyo Goddess. In SMT4A, Masakado doesn't actually appear beyond his boulder form (outside of a flashback cutscene), though he does transform into a 2001-style black monolith once he "interfaces" with seven pillars gained from the gods of the Cosmic Egg, opening up the way to YHVH's Universe.</span></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkaBdiTRlsXla6JMw5vmttqCU1vssUXyO5kHknsPzuVkXrVILC5m5KutfZNQV4Cv-ycMNMUbsdoj-QGrb1hiNOeX01JKubmVQJ-kMKdvWjkumVsIujxb5ClTbFzGoNatmgwx7EXWPQ1G4/s1600/masakado-smt4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="880" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkaBdiTRlsXla6JMw5vmttqCU1vssUXyO5kHknsPzuVkXrVILC5m5KutfZNQV4Cv-ycMNMUbsdoj-QGrb1hiNOeX01JKubmVQJ-kMKdvWjkumVsIujxb5ClTbFzGoNatmgwx7EXWPQ1G4/s320/masakado-smt4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nirasawa's Masakado designs</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">SMT4's
Masakado is also represented with two new designs courtesy of guest
artist Yasushi Nirasawa and they aren't really that bad, considering
some of lows of the new demon roster. The first, Masakado's head, might
even rank as one of the best; its relative simplicity probably has
something to do with it, but, regardless, it captures a menacing aura.
The giant Masakado, called "Masakado's Shadow," is an intricate
explosion of detail that nonetheless appropriately matches his role in
the story. Besides its name, the profile of this second form also refers
back to the legendary tale of the iron-skinned Masakado with the shadow
clones as mentioned above.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Until I laid out these side-by-side comparisons, I wasn't aware of just how minor most of Masakado's roles are throughout the series. He's still no small fry, but he's not as plot-crucial as demons like Michael, Lilith, Izanami, Cerberus, or Thor, to say nothing of Lucifer or YHVH. That's why it's so striking that, compared to the previous games and even to the figure of folklore, Masakado in the SMT4 universe is both more important and more powerful by several magnitudes, to an extent that it feels like his portrayal was inspired more by an invented "fan perception" of him (stemming from the almighty near-invulnerability of Nocturne's Masakados, the "perfect" Masakado that can be created in Soul Hackers, etc.) than any actual source or connection to tradition. But the Maniacs Team's all-in bet on Masakado would backfire, for reasons that will be explored in the next article. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Masakado and Me (and C.C.) </span></span></h3>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My own opinion of SMT's use of Masakado has waxed and waned over the years, but, as I said previously, my recent familiarization with the historical Masakado gave me my first genuine appreciation for him, as it characterizes the man as simply an ambitious, if not hubristic, warrior who may have only failed, and thus become a figure of legend, because of some bad luck. This is in contrast to SMT, where at "worst" he is portrayed as something of an invincible deity who thrives off the series' tiresome Tokyo solipsism and at "best" he just seems to be rubbing shoulders with deities far out of his league. For example, why, oh why is Masakado the second-highest level demon in Strange Journey behind only the Demiurge, specifically in the Schwarzwelt, a place that is intentionally not Tokyo? Perhaps the answer lies not in his role as megalopolis protector, but as a god of superstition.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJy0xz7hGYKugtXYke3T9IuUQrWH0VEwQ9gLz73EwOFs1OyQThiUXSkbUbIV2fDz6g9lacWOhVd6G0GdwM7QxQyEl6NsKATL-Lgnr32DsoLbLrNI8GsfjJqZiqJPllcluYA7KUhJS6j58/s1600/2015-07-07-153110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="500" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJy0xz7hGYKugtXYke3T9IuUQrWH0VEwQ9gLz73EwOFs1OyQThiUXSkbUbIV2fDz6g9lacWOhVd6G0GdwM7QxQyEl6NsKATL-Lgnr32DsoLbLrNI8GsfjJqZiqJPllcluYA7KUhJS6j58/s320/2015-07-07-153110.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bottles of C.C. Lemon</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Besides the bad luck faced by Tokyo's Ministry of Finance, I have a personal story to help illustrate this claim. The day before I left Japan, three years ago, I was staying in Tokyo and made it a point to visit Masakado's (head's) grave in Otemachi. This was long before I developed any shred of respect for him, and so I had a plan weeks in the making: In protest of his prominence in the series over many other more historically important gods and culture heroes, my final action in Japan would be a premeditated symbolic showing of disrespect towards Masakado and the <i>kubizuka</i>, involving a bottle of the superlative Japanese soda C.C. Lemon. Like the <a href="http://www.cc.com/video-clips/zpuyqq/upright-citizens-brigade-ass-pennies">Upright Citizens Brigade's Ass Pennies</a> sketch, whenever SMT would prattle on about Masakado's supposed spiritual superiority, I could think back to the fact that my iconoclastic sentiment had saturated the ground around his skull (which apparently isn't even there, anyway) and have a condescending laugh. Liquid revenge in the name of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Elk">Black Elk</a>: "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st39G8ukD7I">The center is everywhere</a>." </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Of course, I didn't go through with it. It was a much less juvenile plan living as a flight of fancy rather than how it reads in writing as a sad, pathetic admission of meaningless rebellion. Being 31 at the time and not 13 probably had something to do with it, too (hopefully). I never even bought a C.C. Lemon during the Tokyo stay, I don't think--the whole idea was in shambles from the moment I stepped in the city. The reason why? Despite my agnostic lack of belief in anything supernatural, I still fall prey to superstitious behavior from time to time. During my lifetime, I have experienced what I have unavoidably internalized as "meaningful coincidences" (Jung called them "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronicity">synchronicities</a>") revolving around certain dates of the year and numbers, to the point that they sometimes alter my behavior if I notice them. That silly, unrelated cognitive bias aside, I didn't go through with my grand Masakado plan mostly because I have a fear of flying and didn't want to draw any bad mojo my way; I would be leaving the country out of Narita International the next day, after all. Like the American superstitions of building houses on Indian burial grounds, the best way to win a battle of wills with Masakado would be to avoid one entirely. <i>[And another coincidence I only just realized: Mere months before my Tokyo stay, I visited a friend in Gifu who lived only blocks away from Mikubi Shrine; I probably walked right by it, completely unaware!]</i></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHeYrcJR1V2UJJnzAN0Q-TYv8vjl9PpyPlhBXvZX26oZETo2bRH8uw0lCrBxSe014rQuyHcM73MjAcDwf1IJ1NVj4uK-n2eN51qsPdipM_tdxf-pfGL7su2z21B05Q8SkvL6ykYP2IxMk/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHeYrcJR1V2UJJnzAN0Q-TYv8vjl9PpyPlhBXvZX26oZETo2bRH8uw0lCrBxSe014rQuyHcM73MjAcDwf1IJ1NVj4uK-n2eN51qsPdipM_tdxf-pfGL7su2z21B05Q8SkvL6ykYP2IxMk/s320/001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My picture of Masakado's <i>kubizuka</i></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So the day came when I visited Masakado's grave, and it was completely unremarkable compared to my initial vision. I silently stared at the grave marker, took a picture, and read the mostly acceptable English on the nearby tourist inscription; I hung around probably no more than ten minutes. I was also the only one there, though there was a construction worker within eyeshot fiddling with something on his curbside truck. Atlus interviews have remarked that staff members would visit the <i>kubizuka </i>and Kanda Shrine to pay their respects to him; I, on the other hand, wasn't there out of respect or reverence, and if I had to give a reason why I did, I'd probably say "curiosity." But my curiosity was tempered by superstition of a type that linked me to a long line of Japanese folks similarly intimidated by the legend of Masakado, whether it was religious in nature or attributing "meaningful coincidences," like the deaths of finance ministers or bulldozer operators, to his vengeful spirit. As I can attest, irrational beliefs can be powerful stimuli--maybe not as comparatively potent as Gnostic creators or cosmic Hindu deities, but entirely capable of suspending reason all the same. </span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-<a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/">Eirikr J(onathan) S(mith)</a> </span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Some additional Masakado links: </span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Articles: </span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/06/30/japan-is-full-of-ghosts-visiting-the-grave-of-taira-no-masakados-head/">Masakado, the spooky ghost</a></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2002/08/11/general/chill-out-in-tokyos-favourite-haunts">Japan Times article</a></span></span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Videos: </span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ganmN6mF7w">Japanese TV show about the kubizuka</a></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoOoD1zChAM">Another Japanese program about Masakado</a> </span></span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />Next</span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">: <a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2017/06/jjcat.html"><b>Exposing Shin Megami Tensei's controversial underlying theory</b></a> </span></span>Eirikrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708584583156602408noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102004681763150356.post-30403944165878026792017-02-10T20:54:00.002-05:002021-08-02T14:44:20.638-04:00Dissecting Dagda<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCEFuuC3usfsC7D3FMXF7jRJGGRoSMVfsqJ9-Yz9-5zNSuTtc6s4fz9ZrPin0qFvsGb6dUc8ZPAKtn8RHsokrbyDGNV8bY2dVweLSme6V52_CUwdAB1LfFObfrjnNXqAcohyphenhyphengY2COiGlI/s1600/dd_header2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCEFuuC3usfsC7D3FMXF7jRJGGRoSMVfsqJ9-Yz9-5zNSuTtc6s4fz9ZrPin0qFvsGb6dUc8ZPAKtn8RHsokrbyDGNV8bY2dVweLSme6V52_CUwdAB1LfFObfrjnNXqAcohyphenhyphengY2COiGlI/s1600/dd_header2.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><h2>
</h2><span style="font-family: verdana;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">"<i>Role-wise there was a discrepancy in the game with the generally transmitted image of a good, food-loving god, so I broadened the definition</i>." -Masayuki Doi, from </span><i><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse Official World Setting Collection + Journey Towards the World of Mythology</span></a><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">. </span></i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">This <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">was Doi's initial comment describing </span></span>Dagda's <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>: </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>Apocalypse</i> </span></span></span>design. And what <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">was</span> the first thing mentioned? A "<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">d</span>iscrepancy."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">I myself glossed over the juicy implications of this quote while editing <a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/">Dijeh</a>'s translations of the artbook contents, as <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">this</span> was before the release of <i>SMT4A</i>'s English version and with it the definitive information about the game's <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">"br<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">oadened" version of Dagda</span></span>. Still, it was right there, plain as day, and from a key member of the development team, no less!<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">So just h<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ow</span> <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">profound must the differences</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> be</span> if even <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Shin Megami T<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ensei</span></span>'s new main artist has to admit right off the bat that <i>SMT4A</i>'s <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ta<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ke on </span></span>Dagda is at odds with the mythological version? </span></span></span><br />
<br />
</span><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">[For <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">clarity's sake, <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">this article will<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> dis<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">tinguish between two <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Dagdas: When I refer to the <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">original Ce<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ltic deity I'll <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">use</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> the mo<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">dern rendering "<b>Daghdha</b>," and when <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">I specifically talk about 4A's version, I'll of course just call him "<b>Dagda</b>." <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Also note that the big D<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">often carries the definite article in source material, i.e., "<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">the Daghdha"; I probably won't use it but it's bound to pop<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> up in qu<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">otations<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">.] </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </i><br />
<br />
</span><h2>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Who is Daghdha?</span></span></span></span></span><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span></span> </span></span></span></i></span></h2><span style="font-family: verdana;">
<br />
</span><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>"There was a famous king of Ireland of the race of the Tuatha Dé, Eochaid Ollathair his name. He was also named the Daghdha, i.e. good god, for it was he that used to work wonders for them and control the weather and the crops</i>." </span></span></span></span></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana;">
<br />
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpeNHX7O7S5j4IA05U-oa2vMtgGay54Fg5Q4FiM3LGMaXmYvbj3cdM_cVDK5pup4jVnCp0J0mgZ2P1ceqnXZbMQwbKAKckXt5tDbTX34_56z6p4thC1OpMDoxAY5rsC7o0eHnHRLY1pHY/s1600/16609396399.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpeNHX7O7S5j4IA05U-oa2vMtgGay54Fg5Q4FiM3LGMaXmYvbj3cdM_cVDK5pup4jVnCp0J0mgZ2P1ceqnXZbMQwbKAKckXt5tDbTX34_56z6p4thC1OpMDoxAY5rsC7o0eHnHRLY1pHY/s200/16609396399.jpg" width="148" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">We ha<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ve <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">a<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> det<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ail<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ed picture of Daghdha's character from <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Celtic myth thanks to survi<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ving texts.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">First, because I'm holding it in my hands, we'll take a look at what the book <i>Celtic Mythology</i> by Dr. Proinsias MacCana has to say about him (the quotes <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">that follow are from MacCana)</span>. This book is fairl</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">y old (1970), <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/785762.Celtic_Mythology#other_reviews">but reliable</a>. Some bullet points:</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span></span><br />
<br />
</span><ul>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Dag<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">hd<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ha is the "<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>chief god of the Irish</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>.</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">"</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Daghdha owns magical t<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">reasures including a cauldr<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">on, a <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">c<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">lub<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">/staff, a<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">n<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">d a harp. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><ul>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The cauldron is described as </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">"<i>the</i></span><i> character</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>istic vessel of </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>plent</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>y
of the Celtic otherworld 'from which no company ever went unsatisfied.'
Its possession identifies him as lord of the otherworld and its eternal
abundance, and it was no doubt in this capacity that he was reputed </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>'</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>to control the </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>weather and the crops</i>.'" <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The club<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">/s<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">taff </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">"</span><i>killed the living</i>" with one <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">end and</span> "<i>revived the dea</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>d</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">" with the other<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">, "</span></span><i>and when he dragged it behind him, it left a track as deep as the
boundary ditch between two provinces. It corresponds to Thor's hammer
and the vajra or 'thunderbolt' of Indra, and it also suggests a comparison between t</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>he Daghdha and the G</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>aulish <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucellus">Sucellos</a>,</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>'The Good Striker' (?). In battle it strewed the bones of the enemy upon the ground </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>'as n</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>umer</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>ous</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> as hail</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>stones under the hooves of horses</i>.'" <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Daghdha's harp, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uaithne">Uaithne</a>, <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">can fly to his<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> hand and, when played, <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/gafm/gafm07.htm">has power over the bodies and minds of others</a><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">; <a href="http://bardmythologies.com/the-dagdas-harp/">it <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">also has control over the seasons. </span></a></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Daghd<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ha <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">has a tryst with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boann">Boann</a>, wife of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nechtan_(mythology)">Nechtan</a> (or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elcmar">Elcmar</a>), conceiving the god <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aengus">Oenghus/Aengus</a>; to hide the p<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">r<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">egnancy, Daghdha and Boann <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">"<i>cause t</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>he sun to stand still for </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>full nine </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>months, so that Oenghus </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>is con</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>ceived and </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>born on the same day</i>.<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">" </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Daghd<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ha is also the father of the g<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">o<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ddess <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigid">Brigid</a>, who was appr<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">o<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">priated <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">b<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">y Christ<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ianity as <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigid_of_Kildare">St. Brigid</a>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">During <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">the events leading <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">to the <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">cr<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ucial myth of the <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cath_Maige_Tuired#The_Second_Battle_of_Mag_Tuired">Second Battle of Magh Tuiredh</a>, the corrupt rule of <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bres">Bres</a> causes <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Daghdha to be "<i>redu</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>ce</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>d to digging and building a f</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>ort for Bres and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogma">Oghma</a> [and] fetching f</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>irewo</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>od</i>." </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Later in the chronology of the <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythological_Cycle">Mythological Cycle</a><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">, Daghdha a<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">s<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">s<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">igns <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aos_S%C3%AD#The_s.C3.ADdhe:_abodes_of_the_aes_s.C3.ADdhe">sidh</a> (fairy mounds) to <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">the chiefs of the Tuatha De D<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">anaan, who have descended un<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">derground</span> <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">after b<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">equeathing the <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">above ground to the <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">invading Gaels, t<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">he </span>ancestors of the current inhabitants of Ireland.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span></span></span></span></li>
</ul><span style="font-family: verdana;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Some <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">of the more detailed information about Daghdha from the book is worth quoting directly: </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
</span><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">"<i>The </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>Daghdha, literally the </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>'Good God,</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>' was </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>[the </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>Tuatha De Danaan]'s doyen and king and was known a</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>lso as Eochaidh Ollathair, 'Eochaidh the Great Father.'</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> He was credited with much wisdom, and <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">another</span> of his names o</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>r titles des</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>cribes him as the Rua</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>dh Rofhessa, 'The Mighty One of Great Knowledge.' It is fitting therefore that he should also be quali</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>fied, as he is on several occasions, as a god of druidism</i>...</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">"<i>The Daghdha provides a striking instance of the ancient tendency to treat gods and father-f</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>igures as objects of fun and ridicule. Though short garments were the mark of the churl and the va</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>gabond entertaine</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>r the Daghdha's tunic barely reached as far as his rump. A<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">n</span>d if his dress was uncouth, his behavior at </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>t</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>im</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>es was even more so. Before the Second Battle of Magh Tuiredh he was s</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>ent by Lugh to spy out the enemy position and </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>to delay</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> the engagement. The Fomorians granted him a truce and prepared for him a prodigious p</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>orridge-</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>-'and this was done to mock him, for he had a great weakness for porridge.' They filled the king's cauldron with eighty measures of milk an</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>d the same of milk and fa</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>t, and to this they added goats and sheep and swi</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>ne. When the contents were boiled, they were poured into a hole in the ground--an</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> ef</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>fective <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">caricature</span> of the cauldron of abundance--and the Daghdha was orde</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>red to eat the lot or be s</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>lain. S<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">o</span> he took up his ladle, 'which was so big that a man and woman could have lain together in it,' and began to eat</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>; and when he was </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>fin</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>ished he scraped the grav</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>elly bottom of the hole with his finger and then dozed off to sleep. There follows a humorously grote</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>sque account of his love-making with the d</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>aughter of one of the Fomorians, as a result of which she promises to turn her magic arts agai</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>nst her own people. This paral</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>lels an earlier episode in which the Daghdha goes on a t</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>ryst with a </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>woman on</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> the feast of Samhain</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>. H<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">e</span> finds her standing astride the river Unius in Connacht, washing, and h</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>as intercourse with her, and she promises her assistance in the coming battle. The text identifies her as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Morr%C3%ADgan">the Morrighan</a>, the goddess of war, but in any event it is</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> already clear from the circumstance in which the Daghdha finds her that she is in fact the war fury, here in the familiar guise of the dead female who is seen before a battle washing the mangled heads and lim</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>bs of th</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>ose who are destined to die</i>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">"<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>These incidents are a testimony--perha</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>ps an unconscious one on the part of the redactor--to the sta</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>tus of the Daghdha; paradox</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>ical as it may appear, it is by virtue of his seniority that he is made </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>a fi</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>gure of fun. In the eating episode there is obvious comedy in his making a pleasure, if not a virtue, of necessity</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>, and this the </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>redactor has pointed up neatly, but in the light of <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">the</span> evidence for ritual over-eating in other parts of the world it can </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>hardly be doubted that the Daghdha's </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>voracity </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>derives from myth and </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>not from some monastic storyteller's fertile imagination. His tryst with the M</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>orrighan is still more significant. She is the goddess of slaughter who prefigures and in certain measure decides the outcome of</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i> battle, and by his physical union with her he ensures victory and security for his people. Nothing could </i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>more clearly un</i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>derline his role of father-figure among the gods</i>." </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana;">
<br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Daghdha also features in other stories, including: </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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</span><ul>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/dagda.html">How the Dag[h]d[h]a Got His Magic Staff/Club</a>: Dag<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">hd<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ha borrows the implement from three lads, giving it a test drive <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">in <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">the process</span>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T300012/index.html">The Wooing of Etain</a>: Includes the aforementioned episode of the conception of Oenghus with Boann, plus Daghdha's mediation when Oenghus tricks Elcmar out of possession of </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Br%C3%BA_na_B%C3%B3inne">Brú na Bóinne</a>; <a href="http://www.voicesfromthedawn.com/newgrange/">however, in another version of that story, Oenghus tricks Daghdha out of its possession</a>. Daghdha also helps Oenghus claim the hand of the eponymous Etain for his foster father Midir, by manipulating the land and sea.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="http://www.ucc.ie/celt/indexLG.html">The Book of Invasions</a>: Details the death of Daghdha, which came as a result of a wound received in the </span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Second Ba<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">t<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">tle of Magh Tu<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">iredh<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">"<i>Eighty to The Dagda, till he died of the gory javelin wherewith Cetlenn gave him a mortal wound in the great battle of Mag Tuired.</i>" "...<i>in spite of which he finally dies of wounds that have been inflicted upon him in the second battle of Mag Tuired – 120 years before!</i>" "<i>Over him did the men of Ireland make the mound of the Brug</i>..."<span style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span></span></span></span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br />S</span>o that's what <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Iri<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">sh traditions have to say about <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Daghdha. I'll sum <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">up the <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">crucial aspects of his character:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp7-3lk2pecVr8rneuojTvWmke1fIYsKnGyxEzldWsZnmrdyjvAOsu-LokAT-pMTb1kP5R99Jhvm83KJlkFBzBWWE6Myi18ihqobGe0mrfMEZfu9byJEaHojkkecJyk-bXSN6GfDlT_ok/s1600/dagda.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp7-3lk2pecVr8rneuojTvWmke1fIYsKnGyxEzldWsZnmrdyjvAOsu-LokAT-pMTb1kP5R99Jhvm83KJlkFBzBWWE6Myi18ihqobGe0mrfMEZfu9byJEaHojkkecJyk-bXSN6GfDlT_ok/s320/dagda.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Daghdha illustration from <a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/4569665519?ie=UTF8&tag=zoujimusho-22&linkCode=as2&camp=247&creative=1211&creativeASIN=4569665519">a Japanese myth book</a></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span><ul>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">He is called the "Good God," <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">not because of his upstanding morality<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> bu<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">t because he i<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">s "good" at everything<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">; however, <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">much of what <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Dag<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">hdha </span></span>did was still for the "good" of his people</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>.<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The Dag<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">hd<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ha's status as a father god<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">, reflected in his name Eochai<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">d (or Eochu) Ollathair, <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">shows his age a<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">nd high stat<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">us <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">within t<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">he </span></span>Tuatha De<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">. This elder status carries with it his role as a god of wisdom<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">, a benefit that can only come with age<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">;<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> Daghdha <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">uses <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">his wisdom as most patria<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">rchs in m<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">yth do, either to settle disp<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">utes within the communit<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">y or to out<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">wit enemies. Similarly, Daghdha's magical cauldron<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">, club, and harp are <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">symbols of power and prestige<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">How<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ever, just because he's wise and good at everything doesn't mean he's perfect; in fact,<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Daghdha</span></span> is occa<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">s<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ionally outwitted hi<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">mself</span>, as evidenced by the version of Oenghus'<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> story when he tricks <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Daghdha, <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">in </span>Magh Tuiredh when the Fo<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">morians <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">successfully tempt him with</span> porridge, and when Bres emasculates him with m<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">enial tasks. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Daghdha is <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">DTF<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">. What else <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">is there to say about that</span>? </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Speaking of Daghdha getting</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> some, the g</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">uy basically stopped time so that Oeng</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">hus</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> could be born in a day. But even if it's not </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">a temporal matter, he still displayed dominion over the sun,</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> the most important celest</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ial object.</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span></span></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">And, later in <i><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">T</span>he Wooing of Etain</i>, <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Daghdha</span> levels <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">the earth and draws in the sea, completing his trifecta of influence over the natural world.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Lastly, <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>The Book of Invasions</i> accounts that Daghdha eventually dies. However, that text, like mos<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">t of what survives of <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ancient Celtic myths, was compi<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">led <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">in<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> a Christian I<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">reland</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> with an agenda to </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">make illegitimate t</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">he </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">indigenous</span> mythic past.</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;">Because o<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">f this, </span>Daghdha's death may be a result of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euhemerism">euhemerism</a>. </span> </span></span></li>
</ul><span style="font-family: verdana;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">If<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> Daghdha</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> w<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ere to manifest <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">in<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">to our world right now, how would he act<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">? <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">He would basically be a stereotypical <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">older dad</span>, but one who could beat you at any game of skill unless you thought outside of the box. He would eat a l<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ot and then doze of<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">f in a corner. </span>If he were to get ho<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">rny<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">, <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">it would be a<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">dvisable to exit <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">the county or state, just to be safe</span></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">.<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> He might be analogous to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AloNERbBXcc">Alan Arkin's character in <i>Little Miss Sunshine</i></a>. Overall, <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">he would be quite a character<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> but </span>a pretty nice guy, so long as he <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">was <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">part of your family. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">A<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">nd </span></span>that's Daghdha in a <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">la<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">rge</span></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> nutshell.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"> <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">With that out of the way, it's finally time to move on to <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i><i>: A</i><i>pocaly</i><i>pse</i>'s Dagda and the <i>alleged </i>discrepancies. Puh-lease. I mean, just how different could they be?</span></span><br />
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</span><h2>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse</i>'s Dagda</span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h2><span style="font-family: verdana;">
<br />
</span><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;">"<i>Known as the 'Lord of Great Knowledge,' this demon made a contract with Nanashi and forced him to unseal Krishna.</i></span></span><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Despite his involvement in the unsealing of Krishna, it is unknown what Dagda's relation to the Divine Powers is</i>." -<i>SMT4A</i>'s log entry on Dagda</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span></span></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The story of <i>SMT4A</i>’s Dagda follows the usual cliché: Demon
kills boy, boy meets god, god revives boy, boy and god fall in love and secure the home of their dreams with a low interest rate mortgage. Stale, but a classic yarn all the same. Hallmark Channel movie adaptation coming soon. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLL9nxFGWfA4aGG3Q_NkKZIG8r4hoHlSN5xuEOMvG2ZT7RSuLuzJB0KcYGPvmPlfyJTXEbjgGzavRJSj-ohGAru6Vosj48w03JTyIMghBdVACwvvtCeZ_cE2_pvy88FMVAhIU08lWctpE/s1600/WVW69j692WsjvpRM-D.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLL9nxFGWfA4aGG3Q_NkKZIG8r4hoHlSN5xuEOMvG2ZT7RSuLuzJB0KcYGPvmPlfyJTXEbjgGzavRJSj-ohGAru6Vosj48w03JTyIMghBdVACwvvtCeZ_cE2_pvy88FMVAhIU08lWctpE/s320/WVW69j692WsjvpRM-D.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Looks like someone needs a Snickers</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">If only that were the long and short of it. Take another gander
at Dagda’s log entry. What’s noticeable about it? Besides the fact that it doesn't say a whole lot. What is its focus? Instead of providing
information about Dagda as a mythological being, it’s about his role in the
unfolding drama. No, that’s not an object of criticism; the other demons in the
log are described the same way, and you need look no further than their
compendium entries for the mythical profiles (one of which Dagda DOES actually have;
we’ll get to that). However, the log entry nonetheless represents a microcosm
of 4A’s approach to the "Good God": Plot first, myth last. </span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Dagda's Character, Ideology, and Motivation</span></span></span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-3jP7dLAfPdFi3zZNWeTVwQbKB6I-BO_Yhtsh3lAxwW2-6_uESUsJLwJGRyFe2F99UNe5nuV35-4gzUlo2WRWHvDed1jB7VEymCmH0RosuGJS9B9HFM-zPNMVvXe7g_43TC5TiKaxRM/s1600/WVW69jpkc7EO1XT8qh.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-3jP7dLAfPdFi3zZNWeTVwQbKB6I-BO_Yhtsh3lAxwW2-6_uESUsJLwJGRyFe2F99UNe5nuV35-4gzUlo2WRWHvDed1jB7VEymCmH0RosuGJS9B9HFM-zPNMVvXe7g_43TC5TiKaxRM/s320/WVW69jpkc7EO1XT8qh.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The quintessential Dagda</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Normally it would behoove me to begin with the design when
talking about an SMT demon. But Dagda is a special case, as it will become apparent that his grim frame was informed primarily by his personality and role in the game. Speaking of his role, let's briefly review (for real) what purposes Dagda serves in the narrative and, to a lesser extent, gameplay:</span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
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<li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The protagonist is killed by Adramelech and sent to Japanese hell. Dagda is there for some reason and offers to revive him, but at a price: becoming Dagda's Godslayer, essentially turning him into Demi-fiend 2.0. Dagda will also revive the player after any gameplay death at no cost. (You can hear the sound of Flynn snapping his finger and saying, "Gee willikers!")</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Dagda is ostensibly the replacement for Burroughs as navigator.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">A voice of extreme dissent, Dagda exists in the story mostly to be the sole representative of his destructive ideology and does so by deprecating everyone and everything around him. But this is exactly how he intends on ending the war between Law and Chaos unfolding in Tokyo: Wiping out existence itself.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Dagda has a further agenda that's revealed much later in the game: YHVH gave humans the ability to observe their environment and create gods based on natural phenomena; Dagda wants to be free of these confining god-shaped "shells" and return to nature.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">After the protagonist kills YHVH and ascends to his tyrant's meat seat, Dagda spirits away, satisfied (at least on Anarchy/Genocide).</span></span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">First, I suppose it would be best to discuss Dagda's character and personality. And...look, I can’t even muster a sarcastic response here: Dagda doesn’t
resemble Daghdha at all! This is the very essence of Doi’s original comment about a "discrepancy." There
are absolutely no traces of a god who would want to destroy the universe in the original
myths—if anything, Daghdha was a symbol of fertility who reveled in the pleasures of life! As shown in the previous section, these pleasures manifested for Daghdha in feasts and liberal sex; he had access to an abundance of the most basic human needs, whether carnal or alimentary, and would simply be too satisfied on either front to develop an adverse disposition, to say nothing of his symbolic significance to Celtic societies.<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span></span></span><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6PWO4qhlvtx9VN5WXgM5Rc83tEGH7nB3cfwXOdNeFYNw5ZivCBArogOwKfLBwlXrritNxvruV6qiDXvCAGpzXRrM1qUkH39gFu6oWrUn_ey092MLgdb4FJLHEhffN3uiUDEhSFbCZ00/s1600/WVW69jtUwHkiGdCbnm.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6PWO4qhlvtx9VN5WXgM5Rc83tEGH7nB3cfwXOdNeFYNw5ZivCBArogOwKfLBwlXrritNxvruV6qiDXvCAGpzXRrM1qUkH39gFu6oWrUn_ey092MLgdb4FJLHEhffN3uiUDEhSFbCZ00/s320/WVW69jtUwHkiGdCbnm.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">A categorization that's <br />"Light" on internal consistency </span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">U</span>nfortunately,
Dagda’s nihilistic tendencies end up consuming his entire character. He’s there
to disagree with what everyone else does and owns a superiority complex which
he uses to fire off smartass quips to anyone in range. As a result, he’s more of a
personality than a character. Normally that’d be something I’d defend as
appropriate for SMT because demons shouldn’t change or grow as humans should,
but in this case a negative temperament is entirely inappropriate for the god chosen. It's especially laughable that Dagda is categorized as a Light-Neutral Deity when his alignment should be Dark, at the very least. </span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Shuichi Ikeda and Xander Mobus</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Irritatingly, Dagda’s personality also underwent a slight change in
localization. <a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/154817102058/that-one-post-of-eirikrjs-s-with-proto-dagda-and">As another translation from Dijeh proves</a>, the language of English Dagda
is a bit more juvenile than Japanese Dagda, who retains an
older, more authoritative tone. This change was probably made to account for
the 40+ year age difference between the two regions’ voice actors: <a href="http://megaten4f.jp/topics/222/">Shuichi Ikeda</a> was born <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%ABichi_Ikeda">in 1949</a>, while Xander Mobus was born in 1992 (apparently; I can't find a definitive source that says so, but I'm inclined to believe it). I guess that
Irish accent was a priority over an age-appropriate voice</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">—</span></span>which is not meant to slam Mobus’ fine performance of a flawed script! </span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Being tech-savvy =/= wisdom (though I guess you could<br /> argue he'd be "good" at fixing cell phones, so whatever)</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>SMT4A</i> appears to get one thing right, in that it calls Dagda a “<i>Lord of Great Knowledge</i>.” While that’s certainly reflective of Daghdha's wisdom, what actions or
decisions of Dagda’s are construed as wise or knowledgeable? That he tells you that friends are
worthless? Because he tells you to kick in the faces of other gods? Or because
he had the foresight to revive YOU, the reincarnation of significant personage
Akira? Maybe the last one has some validity, but isn’t there some inevitable
player bias packaged along with it? Whatever, I’ll give it to ‘em. They deserve
at least one gold star for the new skill affinities and revised Smirks! </span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">What a wiseguy!</span></span></span> </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Still, none of these examples are what traditional wisdom
figures are about. Daghdha is wise because he’s old. With age comes experience.
Wisdom is that experience. There are very few wisdom gods in myths that are
portrayed as young; one of the few may be Gnosticm’s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophia_(Gnosticism)">Sophia</a>, the very
personification of wisdom, who is among the youngest of the emanations of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monad_(Gnosticism)">the Godh<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ea</span>d</a>. However, Sophia’s “fall” and the subsequent birth of the Demiurge—her
“mistake”—is the catalyst of the mythical drama and presumably she learns from
that mistake, never to make it again. But, in general, characters in myths defer
to the older, wiser gods when they are in predicaments precisely because they have
lived longer and therefore may have been in the same situation and can offer an
instant solution; this is meaningful to human societies because it parallels
our relationships with parents or grandparents. Daghdha was sought just for those
reasons in the example of Oenghus tricking Elcmar given above. A more famous example of wisdom
in Western culture would be that of King Solomon and his decree to cut a baby
in half to solve a quarrel between two would-be mothers; he knew the real
mother would rather give up the baby than see it harmed.</span></span><br /></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">SMT's <i>MonsterVision</i></span></span></span> </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">On motivation, what is Dagda’s actual reason for wanting to bring
everything to nothing? No, besides the bit about Observation and the shells—literally ANY god could be
written to be mad about that. Instead, what would personally drive a party
animal like Daghdha to such extreme measures? Well, the game never actually
says. In fact, Danu implies he may have been created this way when she is
repulsed by how she "<i>could give birth to such a horror</i>.” Demons should rarely
change in character, anyway, if they are based on the identities given to them
at “birth” by their home cultures, or, within <i>SMT4A</i>’s own logic, by what Dagda
says about the confining limits of Observation. In conclusion, we just have to
assume that Dagda has always had a universe-sized chip on his shoulder. </span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">One fewer thing to be angry about<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">, I guess</span></span></span></span> </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2016/08/08/659/">The Dagda-themed entry from SMT4A’s special pre-release topics does offer one possible personal motivation</a>: The “conversion” of his daughter
Brigid to Christian sainthood. However, this is never brought up in the game
and, if we are to assume he was "normal" Daghdha before that event, such a comprehensive change in character
should be theoretically impossible either by SMT’s general rules (aside from an evolution into a different deity) or by <i>SMT4A</i>’s
Observation. Interestingly, <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i> proper does have a quest
where you must retrieve Dagda’s cauldron and bring it to Brigid, who
eagerly anticipates the revival of Danu and the Tuatha De Danaan--meaning she's very much a Celtic deity in the <i>SMT4 </i>universe. The
circumstances stacked against the idea, it’s little wonder Dagda never mentions
Brigid in the game. </span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Dada Dagda</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Further, the game goes out of its way to portray Dagda’s
ideals as illegitimate by being, in no uncertain terms, biased towards the
Peace/Bonds path; from mechanics to narrative, everything in the game, besides
Dagda himself, supports themes of camaraderie. The Bonds path even goes so far as to
replace the “old” Dagda with a “new” Dagda, since the old was being
uncooperative, a wholly contrived concept that really doesn't need to be analyzed further. On the other hand, Dagda’s Genocide
path ends with you brainwashing Flynn and sitting on your sovereign pastrami throne, looking into the camera with a smirk
and the gleam of yellow, evil eyes. Unsubtle, one might say.</span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Main character concept, </span></span><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">with his strange left arm</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Now for the big question: Why is Dagda so different compared to Daghdha? I would say
the simplest answer is that the story and character were written before the
identity of the main god was chosen. The game’s apparently immutable premise demanded the
protagonist die and be revived, and in this second life he would essentially be
a slave to this god’s nihilistic machinations. The number of gods with both
traits is effectively zero, only because there are no figures of
traditional world myths who could raise the dead and also want to erase all of existence. There are
certainly villains and antagonists in nearly all pantheons who are responsible
for corrupting the earth or inflicting worldwide-scale calamities, but…they’re
obviously bad guys; none of them would have vivifying powers over life, just
the putrid hand of death. Reciprocally, there are myriad deities of health and medicine, though relatively few that can resurrect the dead (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepius">Asclepius</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%8Ckuninushi#Vengeance_of_rivals">the goddesses involved in Okuninushi's revivals</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raising_of_Lazarus">and of course a more famous example that wouldn't work given the game's conflicts</a>). </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Another god from Celtic myth that could have worked in a healing capacity is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dian_Cecht">Dian Cecht</a>. Dian Cecht is most noted for crafting an arm of silver for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuada_Airgetl%C3%A1m">Nuada</a>, the first king of the Tuatha De Danaan, after he had lost his in battle. In fact, there may be some evidence in <i>SMT4A</i>'s concept art that Dian Cecht may have been considered for this role: The alternate, adult design for the protagonist features an inorganic, metallic-looking left arm distinct from <i>SMT4</i>'s gauntlets, but, unfortunately, speculation is really all we have. </span></span><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">However, by virtue of their benevolent mythological roles, these gods have no desire for life itself to cease. I can’t help but think they wrote themselves into a
corner with the scenario concept and couldn’t find exactly what they needed,
but because Nozomi’s presence in the game meant Danu would appear, Dagda was a convenient choice that would satisfy one out of the two needed traits, even if they had to invent an "anti-bonds" intra-pantheon conflict. Honestly, if they absolutely,
positively had to treat the final scenario concept as gospel, Dagda was probably the
best choice they could have made—but that doesn't absolve the rotten core of poor planning and writing.</span></span><br /></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Excerpt from one of Dagda's <br />term papers (100% real quotes)</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Because he has no believable motivation for his bleak goals
and doesn’t evolve in character throughout the story (even the “new”
Dagda on Bonds doesn’t so much change as just shut up), Dagda ends up being nothing
more than a shallow personality attached to a D- undergraduate paper about Nietzsche;
this is one of <i>Apocalypse</i>’s biggest flubs, as far as playing with the
mythological source material goes. Despite this critical flaw, it may have been
possible to tell largely the same story with Daghdha, even with the drastically
different overtones and motivation: Boy dies, but Daghdha revives him to be his
warrior-servant as the Tuatha De Danaan fairy folk brace themselves for the coming war. Daghdha could also provide ample, in-character comic relief by expressing his desires to eat Katakirauwa bacon and shag Nozomi. Further, there'd be no reason to get rid of the Divine Powers (though one of them would
have to be the Genocide replacement; <i>see also the following paragraph</i>) or, really, anything else, notwithstanding needed improvements in certain final chapters. This malleability may be an
effect of what little actually happens in <i>Apocalypse</i>!</span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6eebomTwJJANVGn0I7m9cTmw8bpZlWat7BF40hkv8PalDuBECLZIeId17brZ_0TLJhRSfJn9s-UGS2SnIDwU7B707CG-a3spBINFkxa_f_3Pb22olhwFlNUNxv-P7raoxJ-K2ESy5jO0/s1600/dagda_roles.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6eebomTwJJANVGn0I7m9cTmw8bpZlWat7BF40hkv8PalDuBECLZIeId17brZ_0TLJhRSfJn9s-UGS2SnIDwU7B707CG-a3spBINFkxa_f_3Pb22olhwFlNUNxv-P7raoxJ-K2ESy5jO0/s320/dagda_roles.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Who then, exactly, assigned <br />Dagda this phony role?</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">But if we’re going to spout off pie-in-the-sky
coulda-shoulda-wouldas, the fundamental flaw to Dagda’s portrayal is
that his
character is defined by philosophy, not mythology. And which beings in
SMT are
usually defined by their individual philosophies? The human characters
and/or
alignment heroes. While the Bonds route has copious amounts of human
representation in the game, Genocide only has Dagda—and probably would
have
been elevated in legitimacy if it had a human representative. After all,
wouldn’t
it be wholly believable if a human character, confined for so long to
Tokyo’s putrid conditions, was affected to espouse such a spiteful,
misanthropic
worldview? On the other hand, it’s hard to bear much sympathy for
demons, as,
ontologically speaking, we can’t relate to their collective condition: They
appear in three different places at once, they die, they get fused and
appear
again—but they never change. It then comes as little surprise that
Dagda’s <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">u</span>nauthentic
philosophy comes off as the wet dream of a teenaged <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">antitheist</span>. Even the
game
thinks so!</span></span><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvgzoiaM_f2eefFWtUlubBJhuhfCf1uAM30-tn71KNoGb4a6cH57xIMHr-P0GwPP0scxi0Z0FQL8hNTHL6zJYu6zNr-YSw_ibXdPR9BvSgo0iX2ZODsNxDrwSE3MCZJYJtrhfDDBwdEQ/s1600/dagda_cronus.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvgzoiaM_f2eefFWtUlubBJhuhfCf1uAM30-tn71KNoGb4a6cH57xIMHr-P0GwPP0scxi0Z0FQL8hNTHL6zJYu6zNr-YSw_ibXdPR9BvSgo0iX2ZODsNxDrwSE3MCZJYJtrhfDDBwdEQ/s320/dagda_cronus.jpg" width="201" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">With only a few minor alterations, <br />Dagda could just as well pass as Cronus</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">But if we confine our search for a Dagda replacement to the mythic realm, who would have made for a better
Killjoy Godslayer-maker? Which figures of mythology would
actually want
to destroy everything, but could reasonably have sway over life and
death?
Well, there’s always Lovecraftian deities like Nyarlathotep or
Yog-Sothoth. Who knows what deceptive shape-shifting antics and untold
destruction they could get into? But a better example yet would probably
be <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cronus">Cronus</a>. He would have a reason to be angry, after being defeated by
Zeus
and subsequently chained in Tartarus. How would the protagonist become a
Godslayer? Cronus
could swallow him or something—who knows exactly what happens in a
divine being's stomach! This is a perfect example of an ambiguous
situation that provides flexibility without undermining the mythological
character. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Lastly, let's bring things full circle, to in-game descriptions. <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/156866640582/a-pair-of-smt4a-secrets">Digging for hidden treasures within Apocalypse’s game files will yield an unexpected bounty</a>: An actual compendium profile for Dagda, one separate
from his log file. It’s found along all the other demon profiles in the game,
so it could suggest he was meant to be a summonable ally at some point during
development, even fairly late if they went to the trouble of writing him one!
Check it out, along with a rough translation:</span></span><br /></span>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ケルト神話に登場する神であり、トゥアハ・デ・ダナーンの最高神。その名は「善き神」を意味する。お粥が好物の大食漢であり、性格は温厚。武芸にも秀でていると言われ、破壊と再生の両方の力を持った巨大な棍棒や天候を自在に操る金の竪琴、無限に食料を供給する大釜を持っているとされる。</span></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>"The supreme god of the Tuatha De Danaan, from Celtic myth. His name means 'good god'. He has a good-natured personality and loves to eat porridge. It is said that he is exceptionally skilled in the art of combat. He also owns three magical treasures: A club with the power to both take away life and resurrect the dead, a golden harp that can freely manipulate the weather, and a cauldron that never goes empty."</i> </span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">As you can see, this profile is trying to pass off this
character as <i>Daghdha</i>! Humorous as this is, it’s not without precedent, as some
of SMT4’s guest demons also had profiles that contradicted their given artwork.
For example, whatever the crimson, bony monstrosity that was Asmodeus was
trying to accomplish, his profile instead described his “normal,” multi-headed
form from the Goetia. Whoever at Atlus writes those things must be especially dedicated to
the myths, passive-aggressive, or both!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Designing Dagda </span></span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">With all that silly character business resolved, the spotlight turns back to Doi and how he "broadened the definition" of Dagda for <i>Apocalypse</i>'s design.
However, I wouldn’t hold Doi responsible for the mistakes made. We know, thanks
to <i>Apocalypse</i>’s artbook, that he initially attempted to make a <i>Daghdha</i> instead
of, well, a <i>Dagda</i>! </span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaF-oUa5oZSTqaVrioFc0SX5CNCW2PMW52sZR7gey7OaYDnTbyPujmGQvuWJToZopE66QOFmncOHKeJW9j1zX7OcYAiCKI-Pyslhv95g0mngKNWunPNv5BPr-xPgaaBYOO5LcZlTXrPaA/s1600/1+Dagda+concept+1.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaF-oUa5oZSTqaVrioFc0SX5CNCW2PMW52sZR7gey7OaYDnTbyPujmGQvuWJToZopE66QOFmncOHKeJW9j1zX7OcYAiCKI-Pyslhv95g0mngKNWunPNv5BPr-xPgaaBYOO5LcZlTXrPaA/s200/1+Dagda+concept+1.jpg" width="166" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Definitely a good god</span></span></span> </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Doi’s initial Dagda concept depicts a stout, bearded figure brandishing
a giant club. It’s about as simple as can be but is nonetheless an appropriate image
of the mythic figure! It’s not too hard to imagine this Dagda distributing advice,
getting drunk, or wandering around the woods looking to score with random
goddesses. It’s the kind of design you wish you hadn’t seen, because it just
makes you wonder what executive meddling is squandering Doi’s potential. </span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHk1JXIfsqIj2Ofwzse4gLrkga_eS23jlKMq1WseHk6KhE1g2Vgs61on5VJfzOSXaXdx0MIUyRLN-0nIdpVmVU7NGQsndEAuQ9P9RoLDl5CiPOTG2tsPMCYrHS6hWznaRtXETKvFY73I/s1600/dagda_reskin.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHk1JXIfsqIj2Ofwzse4gLrkga_eS23jlKMq1WseHk6KhE1g2Vgs61on5VJfzOSXaXdx0MIUyRLN-0nIdpVmVU7NGQsndEAuQ9P9RoLDl5CiPOTG2tsPMCYrHS6hWznaRtXETKvFY73I/s320/dagda_reskin.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Good Dagda, with Good Danu</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Alas, it’s likely that Good Dagda was never to be part of
<i>Apocalypse</i> anyway, due to Dagda’s dour personality and ideals. As shown in the
adjacent image, attempting to marry Dagda’s nihilistic nature with a portrait
that resembles a Celtic Santa Claus would be severely incongruous. Sure,
Good Dagda only exists in a rough sketch and maybe he could have been given
Angry Kirby eyes or even a scowl, but an irritated expression offers no real
visual correspondence to Dagda’s given character. Doi really had no choice but to
design the most un-Daghdha-like Dagda he possibly could! </span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Compared to the discussion on Dagda’s character, there’s far
less to say about the design itself. I can’t deny that “ginger skeleton face”
is an appropriate look for the Dagda they chose to portray, but it’s
astonishing just how little it resembles anything about Daghdha. Sure, he’s got a
red mane and neckbeard because of Irish stereotypes, absolutely. He’s got the
triskelion motif on his belt. That’s great! But there’s little
else to remark about it, because it’s evident what their direction was for the
character. There was simply no place for a belly that shook like a bowlful of
jelly, magical cauldrons, or any human features at all. </span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsQvU1YZDhx97_6vxzMPPQ2n4wXfN3vpnKmrxuBRg-CGLz2jChlLbjeYAIPsfQZc55MPnpsMmMZvFVkrxMeAsJJ9HJyhNu29F5ghiYemvtfS4jvTe-tn73cA7EnDu_XiSEB-sH2aBBR4/s1600/1+Dagda.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUsQvU1YZDhx97_6vxzMPPQ2n4wXfN3vpnKmrxuBRg-CGLz2jChlLbjeYAIPsfQZc55MPnpsMmMZvFVkrxMeAsJJ9HJyhNu29F5ghiYemvtfS4jvTe-tn73cA7EnDu_XiSEB-sH2aBBR4/s320/1+Dagda.jpg" width="202" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">If there’s one claim you can levy against Dagda’s design it’s
that it resembles a persona more than a demon, because it takes one trait and
exaggerates it. This one trait of Dagda’s, his disdain for life in general, is expressed
through his Skeletor skull face and carcass-like body of an earthen hue; he doesn’t just wish for death, he <i>is</i> the figure of
Death itself. There are spikes on his shoulders because they weren’t doing
anything else, apparently. Though his skull looks to be a reasonable facsimile of a human’s,
Dagda’s bare hands are something else entirely, not quite skeletal but more like those of an
articulated wooden figure or puppet, which doesn’t make sense because he is the
protagonist’s puppet <i>master</i>! He also has those nonsensical orbs inlaid
in his body like some of the <i>SMT4</i> guest designs had, which are presumably for
accentuation and contrast (or parity with the final Danu design, which also has them), but also serve to emphasize how inorganic he
appears. Lastly, some billowing rags complete the look. </span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The total Dagda package, replete with his crossed arms and
piercing gaze, is actually an imposing figure, even in silhouette. It would
probably even look “cool” to most people, which was probably a priority for the
design. With that attitude in mind, imagine if Dagda looked like the Good Dagda design instead—and
this fat, red-headed barbarian fellow swinging a club was emblazoned on the
game’s boxart and promotional materials. Would that image really sell the game
to its target audience(s)? Revulsion or bewilderment don’t sell video games, but exuding that intangible, invaluable coolness factor might just earn a second glance, even if the result, a
design with “dark” or “mysterious” visual motifs, is achieved by the most hackneyed methods used in the industry (or, they could have just NOT placed Good Dagda on the cover, just sayin'). To me, this is yet another example of Shin
Megami Tensei “selling out” its design heritage in an attempt to cast the widest net possible. </span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMCHJ-BKYJdSKryTZ5bETGQ_fgm2RLMXn98nH-_14_Qurjcjwv11UcfVrAMPrIuoh1iR2Gvj3Wu69NmO6y8HtQRN9o9UxhTHqntT8xf8DSf7T42m26pO8mKdmMCNjeuLF3Z01IWY0DJU/s1600/WVW69jpoTL8RVrOIMc.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMCHJ-BKYJdSKryTZ5bETGQ_fgm2RLMXn98nH-_14_Qurjcjwv11UcfVrAMPrIuoh1iR2Gvj3Wu69NmO6y8HtQRN9o9UxhTHqntT8xf8DSf7T42m26pO8mKdmMCNjeuLF3Z01IWY0DJU/s320/WVW69jpoTL8RVrOIMc.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Like a psychopomp who never <br />lets you cross the river Styx! </span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Though there's practically no reason to defend <i>Apocalypse</i>'s portrayal of Dagda, a common apologetic I nevertheless see for his Fiendish figure is
that he’s a “god of death.” But as the extended discourse on Daghdha showed, and if I may repeat myself here, he’s a god of life and abundance! Just because he has a magical implement that can
instantly kill living things with its pointy end doesn’t mean that is his
defining characteristic (also, said implement, the object with the actual death
power, was not seen to be important enough to be incorporated into the final
design, making the death associations even more spurious). Of equal or superior
significance to Daghdha’s magic club is his cauldron, which provides endless
life-giving sustenance. Daghdha’s harp controls emotions and seasons, the latter of which can equally symbolize both fertility and death, so let's call this one a wash. But based on two out of three of Daghdha’s
magical possessions, the majority of their functions sustain life rather than deprive
it. </span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Our Doi-Boy did his best with Dagda. Sadly, the
circumstances were stacked against him from the very beginning, in no small part from an apparent lack of clout in the production process. But one feature of Dagda's design I haven't mentioned yet may be a cognizant commentary on Doi's part:</span></span><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-UxAj-mjlE6VQazgd0y29szIVpJT5Lq9sGkT8q5OCv3fylf7AcFs5dgl7DeJm195xPWroHTu4EoaCf3FcN07J_D2wu2lk4IPDs1z3KbU_CCX0QLBH01LredzEATOiDLB_ryoeNsJIvA/s1600/dagda_close.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-UxAj-mjlE6VQazgd0y29szIVpJT5Lq9sGkT8q5OCv3fylf7AcFs5dgl7DeJm195xPWroHTu4EoaCf3FcN07J_D2wu2lk4IPDs1z3KbU_CCX0QLBH01LredzEATOiDLB_ryoeNsJIvA/s1600/dagda_close.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: verdana;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">A big, fat question mark right between the eyes, one that boldly asks, "who the hell is this guy supposed to be, anyway?" Not exactly a vote of confidence. Mitra-Buddha is another example of Doi not knowing what to
do, by being given something that doesn’t exist: A Buddhist version of an ancient Iranian god that also incorporates aspects of its dissemination from East to West. In his own words, he had to
defer to other staff members to understand how to approach the design: "<i>I used M<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">aitreya</span> as a base and collaborated on finding a design for Mitra with the staff that was more well-versed in mythology</i>." While Mitra-Buddha
may have been another demon design flop, it's only because the other, supposedly senior staff members at Atlus
don’t know how myths and gods work. You know, the things the series is about? </span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Scourge Me with a Shillelagh</span></span></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Despite his myriad inadequacies, I don’t think it would be a stretch to call
Dagda one of <i>Apocalypse</i>’s more popular characters. Even if he's a living Sour
Patch Kid, Dagda’s personality provides a stark contrast to the rest of the
cast, who, if you aren’t into their bonds shtick, cast a suffocating paling of
anime stereotypes over the rest of the game. Yes, the other characters are so
bad they make Debbie Downer Dagda seem like a breath of fresh air in
comparison. That’s quite a feat! </span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDTnVieiPolhj1CLZCRP-xySfzEpNiZGcj74v8hLgrI9ztQodeZkM2JtathyphenhyphenRH6nwobzrzP9qr_eBhqD_qtPWnjCeyazWqXapJayuSdVGuA9DNqpNzjkwh1Ao-8fZkGaehSbTSQzVZVA/s1600/zlCfzSvP_eUkOC2pF_.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDTnVieiPolhj1CLZCRP-xySfzEpNiZGcj74v8hLgrI9ztQodeZkM2JtathyphenhyphenRH6nwobzrzP9qr_eBhqD_qtPWnjCeyazWqXapJayuSdVGuA9DNqpNzjkwh1Ao-8fZkGaehSbTSQzVZVA/s320/zlCfzSvP_eUkOC2pF_.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Flat, but with a distinctive trait? Hmm...</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Dagda is also representative of a different trend for
character development in fiction, in that being rounded or fully developed isn't a prerequisite for a character’s popularity. A character could
be flat as a board but have one or two easily digested traits that have appeal
to a particular audience and an attachment to them will still grow. These
traits could be personal interests or hobbies, behavioral tics, catchphrases,
or anything else that individualizes them
without lending authentic character depth of the kind gained from a
character’s actions and choices within the context of the narrative. </span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">For instance, Dagda's popularity seems to hinge on examples like talking about Lucifer’s balls, to the
latter’s face, and emoting the more cynical player’s thoughts when the
other cast members begin to climax over the power of friendship. However, these speak to
personality traits, not character depth or growth. Now, again, I would of course defend this
“flat” approach as appropriate for a demon under most circumstances, but
Dagda has been given central story prominence to an extent that very few other
demons in the series have been afforded, reaching a point where you could argue that
having such a major, static presence harms the overall narrative. This returns to the suggestion of transplanting Dagda’s personality and philosophy
to a human character actually capable of change. </span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdvIwOTHkXPFLpQ45GT1n5n3HhTY8wFDg_z0y76ou2ObWJaArgNz7JkhyM5CLOy09jjqW1DVcsQO2zvlW_sGIQO41j619wlcyzbF5-_6-f0XK0xOTSJGR6Fd_dROM8PtYJoLW6pgUxs0/s1600/pies.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdvIwOTHkXPFLpQ45GT1n5n3HhTY8wFDg_z0y76ou2ObWJaArgNz7JkhyM5CLOy09jjqW1DVcsQO2zvlW_sGIQO41j619wlcyzbF5-_6-f0XK0xOTSJGR6Fd_dROM8PtYJoLW6pgUxs0/s320/pies.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Mikey also told me to contract<br /> type 2 diabetes, but I didn't comply</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">I’m fully aware of the fact that shallow, yet popular,
characters are nothing new. Multiple generations of kids have grown up with the
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and probably most have a favorite turtle based on
completely arbitrary reasoning. Mine is Michelangelo, not necessarily just
because he’s the “party dude” (though that’s still important), but because to
me he was always the most consistently excited about constantly eating
pizza—a trait I shared with him. Pizza was (and is) the event
meal, no matter how many times a week you ate it or how mediocre <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellio%27s_Pizza">Ellio’s cheese-and-cardboard slices</a> were.</span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Thus, I'd also say that very few people would be completely
immune to these superficial attachments, though, by the TMNT example, it stands
to reason that they develop mostly within younger demographics, towards
entertainment primarily aimed at kids or teenagers (which <i>Apocalypse</i> definitely
is). These properties usually don't have lofty or even moderate narrative goals, and this is especially true if the franchise harbors the ulterior motive of moving mass merchandise. As someone formerly between the ages of 16-21 who played Japanese RPGs
heavily during that epoch, I know from first-hand experience that I liked characters primarily for what types of
weapons they used, how cool their designs were, or how "powerful" they were. I also know that no amount of criticism could have convinced me that [X] Final
Fantasy character was dramatically weak, because personal preferences and
projections were involved. I would imagine it’d be the same for others as
well. </span></span><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWE1hfQPhyphenhyphenltA-0GT85jyeNbxGa0C057ljuIOLDo9f_wHH-Kqh8QKawFssDA_1rDycDKBrn8KxKfycr2ScNB-MmnAblrEafpVLEPi3g7dXilwHeYV55CKUhV8yVBlP8pYl4Dwf_Yhyphenhyphen8G4/s1600/kool1.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWE1hfQPhyphenhyphenltA-0GT85jyeNbxGa0C057ljuIOLDo9f_wHH-Kqh8QKawFssDA_1rDycDKBrn8KxKfycr2ScNB-MmnAblrEafpVLEPi3g7dXilwHeYV55CKUhV8yVBlP8pYl4Dwf_Yhyphenhyphen8G4/s320/kool1.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The Original Revolutionary</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">That's also not to suggest these attachments can't happen as you grow older: I have an adult-sized love for the Kool-Aid Man and, while I would be
loath to call him flat, he’s nothing but a walking, demolishing catchphrase.
But the difference between the Kool-Aid Man and Dagda is that one was only ever
meant to be an advertisement mascot, while the other is a main player in a
fictional narrative. Both have different purposes and sets of expectations. Could you adapt the Kool-Aid Man to fit into a traditional dramatic structure? It wouldn't be impossible, but you would basically need to "broaden the definition" of the character, so to speak; he would, in effect, stop being the Kool-Aid Man, a personality best suited to simple stories about <a href="http://oldtimefamilybaseball.com/post/48927158658/kool-aid-versus-the-thirsties-baseball-game-comic-book">rescuing baseball-playing kids from the clutches of evil thirst monsters</a> or <a href="http://www.misterkitty.org/extras/stupidcovers/stupidcomics81.html">going back in time to meet Benjamin Franklin</a>. But if the Kool-Aid Man, as-is, were to appear in a Shin Megami Tensei game in a major role, part of me might be squealing in delight but I would eventually have to admit that a giant, talking pitcher filled with red fluid would not optimally augment the story being told. And so the same could be said of Dagda, a shallow and largely invented character ill-suited to SMT's narrative needs.</span></span><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Anyway, the topic of character development in modern media, Japanese character archetypes, fan expectations, etc. is so complex and expansive it really deserves its own spotlight someday. So, in closing, I hope you enjoyed this comprehensive analysis about
why a single character from a video game is completely terrible. Like, they
got almost nothing right. It’s kind of amazing, even impressive! </span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">But I kid. The actual reason why I went to great lengths to dissect
Dag(h)d(h)a goes beyond mere amateurish writing in a video game aimed at
Japanese kids: It’s a matter of advocating culture and learning. Because
Shin Megami Tensei incorporates figures of religion and myth from around the
world, concepts Atlus didn’t create themselves, it’s essential they get them
right; respect is involved, sure, but there’s also the consideration that SMT
will be the introduction for many people to any number of obscure deities or
folkloric heroes (something I could definitely claim), so the series serves a
pedagogical function as well<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">.<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span></span></span></span><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5P25JiMN5enPJKCovKRiZ7Jl-3-rjr77VRsVfz-Nx-APBiy2CNptc-h9Dg-GwfnODoVZU1xIpVT5N1tN3DRlVlFF8tkHBpYUr7KU5ZQCs9JQ03LzIgEC_lC31-SGo-MIsG13KCov5zM/s1600/ap88.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5P25JiMN5enPJKCovKRiZ7Jl-3-rjr77VRsVfz-Nx-APBiy2CNptc-h9Dg-GwfnODoVZU1xIpVT5N1tN3DRlVlFF8tkHBpYUr7KU5ZQCs9JQ03LzIgEC_lC31-SGo-MIsG13KCov5zM/s320/ap88.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">We hope you do for <i>Shin Megami Tensei V</i>!</span></span></span> </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The importance of this function cannot be understated, as engaging with
cultures beyond our own can change how we perceive our tiny, shared
world; the potential danger of cultural disengagement is that humans
tend to grow intolerant of others if they consume media exclusively to
confirm biases or conform to myopic perspectives. Shin Megami Tensei is suited to this task in ways relatively few video game series are, through its design work, portrayals of characters from civilizations
past and present, and their incorporation into a larger narrative. That's why it makes no sense to have a proprietary, Final
Fantasy-like "Dagda" character in one corner and a host of actual Celtic
deities in the other; the series can't be noncommittal like this and
expect to foster a distinct identity. I'm not saying SMT will create world peace, nor is it a replacement for a good book, college course, or an immersive homestay abroad, but the potential it has to introduce an audience to different modes of thinking is worth preserving over characters with one-dimensional appeal and zero cultural relevance.</span></span><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Special thanks to </b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><a href="http://sorenblr.tumblr.com/">Soren</a> for so</b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>me keen suggestions.</b> </span></span></span></span></span><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>UPDATE</b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b> 2/11/17</b>: Also thanks t<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">o Soren for informing me that Ellio's <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Pizza is regional to the N<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ortheastern United States<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">. I have now emb<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">edded a link in the article for those unfamiliar with the brand.<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">I regret the omission.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span>Eirikrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708584583156602408noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102004681763150356.post-22059141250937484822017-01-27T23:30:00.004-05:002022-06-07T01:08:55.024-04:00Hijiri, Candles, Freedom: Maniacs' Retcon Woes (and the Atlus "Enhanced" Edition Formula)<div class="Section1">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi1Usvo-ZZjzZS6YxZHkzbOGz3xyXemR7Xfn8tCXnNipA6iyAt5dHHUatDTfACdC-1tSFXZtCkHoBqfLeLykDrn51mwdHSJxNp1TfZ84yQioKgo2CVa-ZROWXAHz4WC9hN-wlmvNXhr_I/s1600/maniacs-header.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi1Usvo-ZZjzZS6YxZHkzbOGz3xyXemR7Xfn8tCXnNipA6iyAt5dHHUatDTfACdC-1tSFXZtCkHoBqfLeLykDrn51mwdHSJxNp1TfZ84yQioKgo2CVa-ZROWXAHz4WC9hN-wlmvNXhr_I/s1600/maniacs-header.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">For many years it seemed
almost unthinkable to criticize the seminal and influential <b>Shin Megami
Tensei: Nocturne</b> in any way. Besides, any such criticisms could be easily excused. Re-rolling fusion skills? It just makes it all
that more intense and satisfying to get exactly what you want. Random
negotiation? It's just, uh, more fun that way, <i>yeah</i>! No story? Okay,
that one is seriously illegitimate. Point is, an epoch-making, 15-year-old game
like Nocturne will survive having its flaws exposed since it has a lot more to
offer than RNG insanity. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The same goes for the
vaunted Maniacs additions. Flat out, Maniacs made Nocturne a more fun game to
play. Most of us across the Pacific or further will never know the difference,
but I can't imagine a Nocturne with <i>more </i>ambushes and instant death and <i>less
</i>Matador and Daisoujou becoming a cult hit. Its plot and backstory additions, though? It's
open season. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">I should state up front
that this is article consists mostly of old material. It is the original survey of the writing inconsistencies of <b>Hijiri</b>'s character (which the post permalink will continue to reflect) appended with two other older posts that dealt with iffy Maniacs creative decisions, like the guiding figures of the <b>Freedom ending</b> (a close reading of which contradicts Maniacs retcons of Aradia) and the <b>kabbalistic theming attached to the Fiends' candelabra</b>. Also, <b>a new, <i>somewhat</i> meaty conclusion</b> about the quality of the Atlus enhanced editions (re-releases, ports, whatever you want to call them) we'll continue receiving until the heat death of the universe. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">And as of this update (December 2019),
it's an extremely boring time to be a Shin Megami Tensei fan, so why not spend
a quick 30 minutes reuniting with the writing tendencies of the team that will
(eventually) bring us Shin Megami Tensei V? Hey, at least you know those improved gameplay mechanics are going to be pretty good... </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">1. Jyoji Hijiri: Tragic
Asshole (Jan. 27, 2017) <i>[Updated Jun. 6, 2022]</i><br /></span></b></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqvbsCRaeaAXuepvNcKgulEAqNIjYqRksdeWk7eaMGMaXHDnF1ek36Ll00LrZN0nRRG37K9N1UGg1xPxHJfhA-m336vpascmZs4WeqNzD_TWmpZuSL0nMa1A1qxsas39pv-XYl8LWMug/s1600/hijij2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqvbsCRaeaAXuepvNcKgulEAqNIjYqRksdeWk7eaMGMaXHDnF1ek36Ll00LrZN0nRRG37K9N1UGg1xPxHJfhA-m336vpascmZs4WeqNzD_TWmpZuSL0nMa1A1qxsas39pv-XYl8LWMug/s640/hijij2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">What follows is a response
written to answer <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/156430105972/hi-you-mentionned-in-a-post-that-hijiris-extra">this
ask on Tumblr wondering what I meant by a previous statement</a>, that Hijiri's
expanded backstory in the Maniacs version of Nocturne conflicts with other
aspects of the game's narrative. </span></div>
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My response got so long that I thought it best to post here rather than Tumblr,
for better legibility. But click beyond and you’ll find a complete summary of
Hijiri’s cutscenes, the Lady in Black’s extra backstory for him, and my
comments! I never thought I’d get vibes of SMT4/A-level shenanigans from
Nocturne, but some of the story additions from Maniacs are suspect...and I
think I know exactly why. First, here’s a complete (for our purposes) game
script: <a href="http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps2/582958-shin-megami-tensei-nocturne/faqs/54926">http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps2/582958-shin-megami-tensei-nocturne/faqs/54926</a></span></div>
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And here is a summary of the scenes in which Hijiri appears and his actions
within them. These should reflect everything that happens in the original,
pre-Maniacs script (except once, where noted):</span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Prologue, Yoyogi Park:</b> Introduction to him as journalist; namedrops things like the Gaea cult,
Scripture of Miroku, and the strange things happening at the hospital. Gives
you issue of Ayakashi Monthly. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>Immediately after
Conception, inside first Terminal room:</b> Confirmation of Conception and that
Hikawa used the Amala drums. As he’s too apprehensive about leaving the safety
of the Terminal room, he asks you to be his informant on what’s happening in
the Vortex World.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">After meeting Chiaki
in Shibuya:</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> An introduction
to the warp feature of Terminals, the Terminals as “devices,” and the
existence of the Amala Network. Persuades you to warp to Ginza. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Amala Network 1:</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> Helps you cross the Network into Ginza by manipulating the Terminal. (Possible edit to script to account for the first
Labyrinth of Amala event when Hijiri says he “lost track of you for a
while?” I honestly have no way of verifying this.) When you reach Ginza, he says he wants to track down Hikawa. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">At Assembly of
Nihilo, after Mantra attack:</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">
Tells you about the Assembly’s purpose, collecting Magatsuhi, and where to
find Hikawa. Seems to be gleaning information directly from the Amala
Network. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">After Kabuki-cho, in Ginza:</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> Now he’s definitely getting information
from the Amala Network (he says “I heard...” twice. suspicious for a guy
who never leaves the room), as he knows not only about Hikawa’s Nightmare
System but also about the Manikins rebuilding Asakusa and tells you to go
there to get to a Terminal outside the reach of the Nihilo. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">At Asakusa:</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> Manages to reach the Terminal “after all” and
is there when you arrive. What a dope. Tells you that the Manikins are
made from local black mud and that he’s spying on Hikawa’s activities,
using the Terminal and Amala Network like one would use a computer and the
internet, true to his journalistic integrity. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">After meeting
Sakahagi, Asakusa:</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> Tells you
about the Obelisk, the Nightmare System inside of it, and the “Maiden”
said to be operating it. Commands you to go there and destroy the
Nightmare System and restore the flow of Magatsuhi to normal. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">After Obelisk,
Asakusa:</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> Jubilant at your
success. Gives you an infodump about how Reasons work and the use of
Magatsuhi. Says he met Isamu inside the Amala Network and warps you to
him. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Amala Network 2:</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> Says he will go after Isamu within the Amala
Network. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">After events with
Hikawa and Futomimi, Asakusa:</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">
Scuttlebutt about Mantra and Futomimi. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">After Yoyogi Park, Asakusa: </span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Says he can’t find
Isamu, hints that something (Chiaki) is happening in Ikebukuro. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">After Chiaki’s
transformation event, Asakusa:</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">
Goes cuckoo. Says the Terminal gives him omniscience and shows you other
major events happening currently in the Vortex. Intends on keeping the
power of the Amala’s information to himself and says he is the only one
worthy of a Reason and creating a new world. Senses Isamu’s presence, who
sucks Hijiri into the Network. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">At Amala Temple: </span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Isamu reveals the truth about
Hijiri, that he was manipulating you and intended on sacrificing you to
access all the Temple’s Magatsuhi. Hijiri accepts his fate and is
sacrificed by Isamu. </span></li>
</ul>
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And now for the Lady in Black’s “expanded universe” story about Hijiri: </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Let me conclude by
telling you about a human who has crossed your path...one who is drifting,
being kept alive by fate. It is my master's wish that you listen before
deciding upon a path to take.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">The man I am referring
to was known as Hijiri in your previous world. He died, but as fate would have
it, he carried on in the Vortex World. Think back to when you first met him, to
when the Conception occurred. Yes, he did lose his life like all the others. As
he was heading to the hospital, where you already were, the Conception
began...and his life ended. Did it not seem odd to you, that he was in the
Vortex World unaffected, unchanged? </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">It was all because of
the mortal sin which he committed... He was a being toyed with by fate,
condemned to carry the burden of atonement forever. His punishment was to see
with his own eyes all that happens in the world, to record the balance of
events through all the ages. A task as endless as scooping water out of the sea
with a cup... He was condemned to wander the infinite span of time. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Man can change the
course of his next life, by his karma... But, that privilege was taken away
from Hijiri. Though his body may perish, his soul will remain unsaved: he must
continue on with his task. He lives a cursed eternal life, just like a demon. </span></i></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">'Watch, and record the
history of the world... Witness the entirety of the endless war between order
and chaos... That is your punishment for your unforgivable sin...' Do you
understand now? By the will of Amala, he was given a life of torment...and
emerged in the Vortex World, without realizing that he had died.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Soon after, your paths
crossed again... That is probably because you have the potential to affect the
course of the new world. So by accompanying you, he has unknowingly been
fulfilling his destiny.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Tragically, he has no
memory of his sin, his punishment, or even his death. He believes that he
survived the Conception, and has acted accordingly. As for the result of his
efforts... you already know the outcome. In the body of a Manikin, Hijiri
challenged those vying for creation...and he lost his body once again.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">He is now on a journey
to a new land of suffering, but his will can never be freed, and his sin never
redeemed...</span></i></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Okay. There’s a LOT of stupid stuff here. But I’ll begin by mentioning that vanilla Nocturne credits Shogo
Isogai and Nakaji Kimura as its scenario writers, while the Maniacs version
credits for its additions Shogo Isogai, Shigeo Komori, and none other than
Kazuyuki Yamai. Only Yamai’s name is important here. Let’s move on. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgIjzbvgAmVSJ4qKj3X7ZjEAjE_Vv0j2HrEiuvP98AQ6L9s80rczRkaU5417ZOlUMAf48xTsz-h2N80xqnK0Ywf6Bso4jlCZgjB8WlcEPgpQNzfxwCZRGLcpV36Ad9Csz4pGIRWUiW6wU/s1600/maniacs+credits.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="908" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgIjzbvgAmVSJ4qKj3X7ZjEAjE_Vv0j2HrEiuvP98AQ6L9s80rczRkaU5417ZOlUMAf48xTsz-h2N80xqnK0Ywf6Bso4jlCZgjB8WlcEPgpQNzfxwCZRGLcpV36Ad9Csz4pGIRWUiW6wU/s640/maniacs+credits.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Left: Nocturne's original writers and planners / right: the Maniacs version's writers (Isogai is also credited later as planner)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
I would guess that Hijiri's background was chosen for expansion because he's
probably the least fleshed-out among the other human characters. But that's
just the thing--he's a supporting character. He exists to give you information,
point you in the right direction, and act as a rival for Isamu, raising the
stakes with his death. Though, since the knowledge of the Amala Network turns
him into a grade-A megalomaniac, you don't exactly lament his demise; Hijiri
is, again, just a Magatsuhi sponge for Isamu. He exists only to support you
(and Isamu). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
The first obvious contrast between Main Scenario Hijiri and Backstory Hijiri is
that the backstory doesn’t expound at all on his in-game character and has zero
bearing on the main plot. In other words, it is the epitome of “contrived” as
it adds NOTHING of value to the narrative or his character. Let’s be honest,
Hijiri is a total dickweed, and the backstory attempts to paint him as a
sympathetic, “tragic” character. That’s completely silly when he is clearly
shown to be a deceptive schemer! He is no more or less crazy than anyone else
who made it to the Vortex World, and, like the others, is shown to change
because of his experiences there, not some stupid event in the past he has no
control over. Hijiri’s backstory as a journalist is much more meaningful to the
plot than some invented eternal punishment. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUeTtH_ZVkmgR91v9-Xfadau5nnAarqjro2D4nc7UZENsGpqKrw_SobjaVC8PHkkoO8uNImFK69daAZHdL4HEsf16y7swDRlUOp7mlwo3rvEBDsnachbQI62ihVCGg5Cai1fmJv-ScDO4/s1600/77-SMT3-2643.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="640" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUeTtH_ZVkmgR91v9-Xfadau5nnAarqjro2D4nc7UZENsGpqKrw_SobjaVC8PHkkoO8uNImFK69daAZHdL4HEsf16y7swDRlUOp7mlwo3rvEBDsnachbQI62ihVCGg5Cai1fmJv-ScDO4/s320/77-SMT3-2643.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">"Yeah, he tells me all about<br /> the plot that's definitely not there!"</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The backstory also
attempts to primp his entry into the Vortex World. According to the Lady in
Black, Hijiri actually died with all the other humans because he didn't make it
into the hospital before the Conception. She then asks a moronic question:
"<i>Did it not seem odd to you, that he was in the Vortex World
unaffected, unchanged</i>?" No...because he doesn't seem any different
compared to other characters when you first meet them, like Chiaki or Hikawa.
He undergoes a personality change just like the others, too. He's also a coward
who hides in the Terminal rooms because of the demons stalking outside. Whoever
wrote this was really reaching here.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
It’s worth noting that Nocturne deliberately threw a lot of traditions under
the bus, namely Law and Chaos, as Okada and Kaneko knew they were creative dead
ends. Some Reasons have shades of those philosophies, with a twist. For
example, Chiaki’s Yosuga is ostensibly Chaotic, yet Lawful angels are the
demons that side with her. The point is that the Vortex World doesn’t operate
by those exact principles! Something is "off." I understand though
that the intentionally topsy-turvy nature of Nocturne isn't particularly easy
to grasp for players on our side of the Pacific, because it was our first game
in the series and those traditions it was abandoning hadn't yet been
established here. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
So, of course, when Nocturne didn't live up to sales expectations (so the
stories go), the Maniacs content added in LAW and CHAOS by the bucketload.
Hence, the Lady in Black says of Hijiri's fate: "<i>'Watch, and record the
history of the world... Witness the entirety of the endless war between order
and chaos... That is your punishment for your unforgivable sin...</i>'" So
Hijiri was sent to the Vortex World to record another Law/Chaos war...even
though neither have any bearing on what happens there. What does Law affect
when the angels have become the representatives of Darwinism? Additionally,
Hijiri also isn’t privy to the actual Law/Chaos conflict going on with
Lucifer’s scheme in the Labyrinth.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
But wait! There's more nonsense with Hijiri's role as a witness! So his
punishment is to record what happens for eternity, right? But just a few
sentences after the Lady in Black says that, she notes: "<i>Tragically, he
has no memory of his sin, his punishment, or even his death</i>." In other
words, Hijiri has no idea what he's doing. He cannot recall his purpose. You
might even say that this completely undermines this entire backstory, but it
(surprisingly) doesn't explain what happens to Hijiri's soul after death--does
he experience a recap of events like you'd see at the beginning of a TV show,
which he then feverishly scrawls on parchment before being reincarnated again?
Either way, another problem with this idea is that Hijiri dies before he can
witness the resolution of the Vortex World's conflicts! It's like he was sent
off to sea before the airing of the season finale, adrift in a vessel with no
satellite signal, let alone a VCR or TiVo (hey, this is 2003). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlW_pzjvvIC6suZ1_CM5j7sbqQfRCdibKfxrAc3FL05V6dlpiUcq7QQblsO-QIXGg01OtjSr5qXNd2Ybv9sKXvstVqu1kTAEtZfgoSgE8dEm7b0Z31FMnhUNJIpdfoyaBoRYI6bi2eJGs/s1600/22-SMT3-0808.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlW_pzjvvIC6suZ1_CM5j7sbqQfRCdibKfxrAc3FL05V6dlpiUcq7QQblsO-QIXGg01OtjSr5qXNd2Ybv9sKXvstVqu1kTAEtZfgoSgE8dEm7b0Z31FMnhUNJIpdfoyaBoRYI6bi2eJGs/s320/22-SMT3-0808.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The face of integrity and impartiality</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: verdana;">Moreover, the Lady in Black says Hijiri's actual form is that of a Manikin. This contradicts multiple things Hijiri says himself. He says of the Manikins' genesis, "<i>Oh yeah, I found out something interesting about Asakusa. This is where the Manikins are created. They're made from the black mud that's scooped up from a river around here</i>." However, Hijiri says of his Conception experience that "<i>all of a sudden, I was blinded by a bright light and the next thing I knew, I was here in this room. I took a quick look around, and it looks like I'm in a hospital...Since you're here too, does that mean this is Shinjuku Medical Center?</i>"</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">First, there are no other
Manikins in the game that don't know they are Manikins. It would also be odd
that Hijiri ended up in the hospital after being created in Asakusa, though the
way things in the Vortex World are established it makes it seem that certain
demon factions and the Manikins themselves existed for far longer than the few
hours it takes you to be introduced to them. Nonetheless, Hijiri experiences
the Conception in an instant and winds up in the hospital Terminal room. There
is precedent for bodily transport, as you experience the Conception with Ms.
Takao on the roof and wake up in the basement after being transformed; however,
Lucifer may have moved you to the basement for symbolic "rebirth"
purposes. (Come on, you know he would do something like that.) Overall, this
bit of the extra scenario just seems unlikely for logistical reasons. The
simpler explanation is that Hijiri, someone aware of the occult happenings at
the hospital, followed your lead to investigate and got transported to the
Terminal room when the Conception occurred, so he's still unsettled when he
arrives. I mean, teleportation is associated with him, after all! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
One last thing that would be remiss to go unmentioned. Though I’m
anti-Hijiri-is-Aleph, I have to admit that during my Nocturne playthrough, the
Lady in Black’s story definitely seemed to imply such a connection. I mean, who
else could it be? Why mention a “mortal sin” without explaining what it is? And
considering how the Maniacs content is eager to reference past games and offer
the fanservice and traditions the original release intentionally denied, I
honestly can’t dismiss it as a possibility. But does YHVH actually curse Aleph
for defeating him? Check out his relevant dialogue from SMT2 for each route,
expertly translated by <a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/">Dijeh</a>:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">LAW:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>Pre-battle, after Satan's betrayal:</b> <i>Judge Satan! Thou sayest thou
shalt judge me, thou created being! If that be so, ye shalt be stricken by my
lightning and fall in Hell! Burn in the eternal flames of Hell! Ye demons! Ye
humans who walk by the side of demons!</i> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>Post-battle:</b> <i>Being judged by my own creation means that ye have
already let go of my hand. Think ye that ye shall be able to find your way
without the help of my unseen hand? Remember well. Humans can live with nothing
to trust or rely on. But humans are not strong. Every time humans shall seek my
help, the Great Will of the Universe shalt bring me forth countless times...</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>NEUTRAL: </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>Pre-battle:</b> <i>Praise my name! There is no one to rival my glory. Praise
my name! Ye have finally showed to me. Accursed child of man, Aleph! Thou art a
wicked human, a created being that cannot go against my law. Hiroko! Thou hast
offered thy body to create an accursed human. Not only have ye both violated my
laws, ye have even come to stand before me. The many sins ye have committed are
worth certain death. Still, after that irredeemable death, after the continuous
persecutions in Hell, your reincarnations shall be stricken by calamities and
divine retribution until the very last!</i> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>Post-battle:</b> <i>Ye accursed humans! Ye have finally committed the
ultimate sin. Now there is nothing left for ye who have destroyed me, the
Creator, the father of all, nothing to trust, nothing to rely on. Ye have even
killed the Demon King Lucifer. What shall ye do by yourselves? Remember well.
Humans can live with nothing to trust or rely on. But humans are not strong.
Every time humans shall seek my help, the Great Will of the Universe shalt
bring me forth countless times...</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>CHAOS: </b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>Pre-battle:</b> <i>Humans, demons...in the end, they are all my creations.
Your blades cannot even scratch me. If that be so, ye shall be stricken by my
lightning and fall in Hell! Burn in the eternal flames of Hell! Ye demons! Ye
humans who walk by the side of demons!</i> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>Post-battle:</b> <i>It is your victory. The Creator defeated by his own
creations shall now vanish. I cannot bear to see the world that used to move
under my law descend into chaos. Who shall be the leader of the new but chaotic
world? Lucifer? Shall Aleph and Hiroko be worshipped as saviors? Remember well.
Humans can live with nothing to trust or rely on. But humans are not strong.
Every time humans shall seek my help, the Great Will of the Universe shalt
bring me forth countless times... </i></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
The most tantalizing of YHVH's lines are those before the Neutral final battle.
This is probably the entire basis for the Hijiri = Aleph hypothesis. However,
this appears to be an empty threat unless YHVH actually kills Aleph which, due
to our bias as players, we assume doesn't happen. On the other paths, he
threatens Aleph and company to eternal torture in Hell...yet we never hear any
crazy theories about those ramifications. The common threat all three paths
share is that, after defeat, YHVH says the Great Will (through human desire)
will revive him. This is probably the actual "punishment": Humans
need to tread carefully and depend on each other rather than the supernatural,
as the specter of Law/Neutral/Chaos looms ever large. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
But refuting the Hijiri-Aleph connection is that Japanese commentary on the
subject, as I’ve researched, tends to be light and what few mentions exist
could be influenced by the English fanbase; I have <a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E7%9C%9F-%E5%A5%B3%E7%A5%9E%E8%BB%A2%E7%94%9F3-NOCTURNE%E3%83%9E%E3%83%8B%E3%82%A2%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B9-%E5%85%AC%E5%BC%8F%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%83%B3%E3%83%96%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF-Abyss-MANIAX-PlayStation2/dp/4797326719/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1485576263&sr=8-4&keywords=NOCTURNE%2F%E3%83%9E%E3%83%8B%E3%82%A2%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B9">a
Japanese Nocturne: Maniacs fanbook</a> that, as far as I can tell, makes no
overt mention of the connection even though the journalist Hijiri is used as a
framing device to introduce the content of each chapter. There’s also the fact
that SMT4, a game even more eager than Nocturne’s bonus content to reference
the past, offers no clear Aleph analogue/infinite water scooper. There was even
a perfect opportunity in SMT4A’s Heroes DLC for the Demi-fiend to say to Aleph
that he “seems familiar,” but that didn’t happen. And speaking of that DLC,
Aleph mentions that he was killed by the Megiddo Ark, which only fires on
Law--meaning they incorporated the Aleph that would be damned to eternal
punishment in Hell rather than reincarnated torture. Clearly this connection
has never been important to Atlus. Hijiri's past self could just as well
describe an original character as much as Aleph. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVvDYmtu7khMSv00wFODvkDNEeEgBufMedwXzqknCwSGJslEwIDQazYxbWJu4DAmvevakDXHtAWMLYzrVgxLOJdrHmw6qmtli7erjMznQP-6QdAjLJRtZza6mK9YkZNBWiG565uP5OWOc/s1600/Hijiri_next_to_a_terminal.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVvDYmtu7khMSv00wFODvkDNEeEgBufMedwXzqknCwSGJslEwIDQazYxbWJu4DAmvevakDXHtAWMLYzrVgxLOJdrHmw6qmtli7erjMznQP-6QdAjLJRtZza6mK9YkZNBWiG565uP5OWOc/s320/Hijiri_next_to_a_terminal.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Just a dude and his oversized <br />Buddhist prayer wheel</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Speaking of Hijiri's
"mortal sin," if killing YHVH is truly what that is describing, then
Lucifer and the Lady in Black are trying to recruit the Demi-fiend to do the
very same thing, even if the initial goal is to stop the cycle of creation.
Wouldn't the Demi-fiend be consigned to the same fate, then? The Lady in Black
doesn't think so, as she says in the concluding lines of her Hijiri dialogue,
"<i>Do you want your life to be predestined as well, or would you rather
choose your own actions? If you do not wish to be ruled by destiny... If you
would prefer to walk with demons on a new, untrodden path, then please come
visit my master. You can open the door ahead with the candelabrum I gave you...
Will you come meet my master?</i>" She is implying that the Demi-fiend's
path as a True Demon will not come at a cost like Hijiri and that this new path
will be unique to him. Of course, this hinges on Lucifer being a sympathetic,
trustworthy character. LUCIFER. I'll pull a Shin Megami Tensei and let you
interpret that yourself. But the answer could very well be that the "mortal
sin" was never killing YHVH in the first place. <i>Maybe you were meant to
come to your own conclusion</i>? Hmm.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Anyway, this is all why I
think the Lady in Black’s commentary about Hijiri is just backstory for
backstory’s sake! It’s supposed to sound cool--and that’s it. No thought given
to what else it impacts. You could substitute Hijiri for Futomimi or Sakahagi
and it would affect nothing. Sloppy writing at the conceptual level! What else
is there to say?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">This sloppiness is also
why Hijiri’s extra origin story reminds me of SMT4, because it seems every bit
as contrived and overwrought as that game’s worst bits. And honestly, it’s the
only one of the Lady in Black’s dialogues that’s even particularly egregious,
but it all has to do with how little it has to do with the actual narrative.
And given that Yamai is the only one of the Maniacs writers to also have a hand
in SMT4, I’m seeing a connection. It’s sad to say, but I think Yamai, the guy
in charge, might be the weak link in the Maniacs Team chain.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><i><b>UPDATE</b></i>: Even before publishing this initial version in 2017 there was something about the Hijiri-Aleph theory worming through my brain that I couldn't quite place and it took until compiling last year's Fan Myths articles to we know: we know exactly where the theory came from. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Turns out that it originated from the author of Nocturne's most monumental FAQ from back in the day, Ian Kelley. <a href="https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps2/582958-shin-megami-tensei-nocturne/faqs/23739" target="_blank">Here's what he wrote in his FAQ</a>: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span></div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><b>It's never said what Hijiri's crime exactly was, but I strongly suspect that he is a reincarnation of Aleph, the hero of Shin Megami Tensei II. </b>Reason being, the description of the torture that he's going through sounds EXACTLY like what YHVH (ie, God) threatens Aleph with in the Neutral Path in SMTII. A short synopsis for those that haven't played SMTII and don't mind being spoiled--at the end of the Neutral path in SMTII, Aleph thwarts YHVH's plan to wipe out all life on Earth and kills Satan, his instrument of destruction. YHVH is royally pissed at this and summons Aleph directly up to him, where he says that he will kill him, torture him in Hell, reincarnate him and torture him and his descendants in life, then torture his soul in Hell some more, reincarnate him again for more living torture, etc. This is a pretty good parallel to what's happening to Hijiri. Of course, in SMTII, Aleph normally goes on to kill YHVH (who's the last boss) but in his death-speech YHVH accuses Aleph of committing the "ultimate sin" (as per Hijiri's "ultimate sin") and claims that the universe will bring him back to life so long as people keep believing in him. One can only assume that if Hijiri really is an incarnation of Aleph, that YHVH either came back to life and is getting revenge on Aleph, or that he killed Aleph in the final battle of SMTII in the official" SMT canon. <b>And of course, all the stuff that went on in Aleph's world would have to be in a different Vortex than the one in SMTIII. </b>Keep in mind, there's a high probability that I'm dead wrong on this. :P </span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";"></span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Bolded emphases my own. This bit was written no later than August 2004, the last time Kelley's FAQ was updated, and at the time just a fun thing to think about, not gospel to take as fact. This means it predates even the English release of Nocturne the following October. It can't be overstated how good Kelley's FAQ actually was, in these days before 99.99% of the people interested in the series had even heard of it (or were born yet). In the demons index, he even got Gurulu's name correct! In 2003/4! Kelley also contributed to the English Nocturne guide by DoubleJump books, though sadly not its localization. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">But seeing as Kelley didn't seem to take the Hijiri/Aleph theory all that seriously to begin with, he had the following to say about it on the SomethingAwful forums nearly a decade later in 2013, as the series had ballooned in popularity: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfkLZGjaR1KC-_WI3F_O5l4ZkUrgms2lYVefjmfB0Ad1pmi867Rs9BV7VWWzv4J0HFPKw-JcEh9sP_ipO2d3kGKmsIHPTwG2mUV_Yu0-fU4KOQ01J_bgqUJrV5snbRNlt_JSq5ksibxdYk28GmZ-KITYW9uj4HhvKDpdCNo-j8y8aQapFsUDsa0Vwt/s1401/kelley-SA.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1401" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfkLZGjaR1KC-_WI3F_O5l4ZkUrgms2lYVefjmfB0Ad1pmi867Rs9BV7VWWzv4J0HFPKw-JcEh9sP_ipO2d3kGKmsIHPTwG2mUV_Yu0-fU4KOQ01J_bgqUJrV5snbRNlt_JSq5ksibxdYk28GmZ-KITYW9uj4HhvKDpdCNo-j8y8aQapFsUDsa0Vwt/w640-h486/kelley-SA.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Kelley is "Masakado" here, just as he was in his credited email in the FAQ. Amongst other things, he says of the theory, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">“<i>I was never really serious about it in the first place and never expected people to latch onto it but welp.</i>” Between how poorly Nocturne retcons the extra backstory of Hijiri and this provable provenance of the theory itself, it's quite clear that "Hijiri is Aleph" was never intended by anyone at Atlus. And let's say even if it was--based on what we have, it's not something particularly rewarding or worth your precious time, anyway! <br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">2. Skeletons and Their
Not-Menorahs (<a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/164432862987/a-long-time-agolast-summer-in-facti-was-asked">Aug. 20, 2017</a>)</span></b></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh34VK0W1ZKrX-KOffp-np-hDVrGt1LEKbjG_4b9OPspbYIdV3_f2FH-D33VnBEQOp4Pqu-iwnLUpc1vSxoye-PuvTBfV3tCbtlWQaWGERZkbDHL506MD0nD3Nsok0DACC3idTl6Fm5BbA/s1600/sefi-fiends_combo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1168" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh34VK0W1ZKrX-KOffp-np-hDVrGt1LEKbjG_4b9OPspbYIdV3_f2FH-D33VnBEQOp4Pqu-iwnLUpc1vSxoye-PuvTBfV3tCbtlWQaWGERZkbDHL506MD0nD3Nsok0DACC3idTl6Fm5BbA/s640/sefi-fiends_combo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">A long time ago I was asked by <a href="https://tmblr.co/mz93xljNJ1cB75PB1sXgR8A">@nagabenang</a> about Nocturne’s use of Kabbalistic
elements, mainly the names representing the candelabra/menorahs. I was
interested as well, so I looked up how the names corresponded but unfortunately
had to shelve the idea of diving any deeper… until now.<br />
<br />
Here’s how the candelabra and their Fiends match up to their respective
sephirot on the Tree of Life, as seen above:</span></div>
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<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Demi-fiend</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Sovereignty (</span><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">王国のメノラー</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">); <b>Malkuth</b></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Matador</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Foundation (</span><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">基礎のメノラー</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">); <b>Yesod</b></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Daisoujou</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Eternity (</span><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">永遠のメノラー</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">); <b>Netzach</b></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Hell Biker</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Dignity (</span><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">威厳のメノラー</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">[</span><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">栄光</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">]); <b>Hod</b></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">White Rider</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Compassion (</span><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">慈悲のメノラー</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">); <b>Chesed</b></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Red Rider</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Insight (</span><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">理解のメノラー</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> ); <b>Binah</b></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Black Rider</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Wisdom (</span><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">知恵のメノラー</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">); <b>Chokhmah</b></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Dante</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Knowledge (</span><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">知識のメノラー</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">); <b>Daath</b></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Pale Rider</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Majesty (</span><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">王冠のメノラー</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">); <b>Kether</b></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Mother Harlot</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Beauty (</span><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">美のメノラー</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">); <b>Tiferet</b></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Trumpeter</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">: Godliness (</span><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">神威のメノラー</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">[</span><span style="font-family: "ms gothic";">神々しい力</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";">]); <b>Gevurah</b></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">The assumption you might
make (I know I always did) with the incorporation of sephirot symbolism is that
Nocturne is making a statement about the Demi-fiend’s journey or overall
spiritual development as a result of Lucifer’s candelabra game. With the
Candelabrum of Sovereignty given to him by Lucifer, representing Malkuth, the
lowest sephira and the one farthest away from Kether, the “crown” and highest
emanation, you infer that the Demi-fiend is at the bottom of the pecking order
but expected to move along the “board,” so to speak, in a way that reflects
internal development as the physical struggle illustrates external development.<br />
<br />
But to save myself some writing and you some reading: this doesn’t actually
work, sadly. It seems to be on the right track up until White Rider at Chesed,
but the idea of some secret, ordered kabbalistic subtext falls apart at Pale
Rider’s placement via his candelabrum. It just doesn’t make sense for him to be
at the highest level of the Tree when he isn’t the last one you fight;
Trumpeter should have been the Majesty/Kether rep instead.<br />
<br />
I also included and analyzed two other “journeys,” also included in the
photoset, that show the orders in which you can collect the candelabra (based
on earliest possible opportunity) and the placement of the candelabra on each
of the five pedestals in the Labyrinth of Amala. The collection order shows
just how weird the intended fight order is while the placement order reveals
that there is no adherence to the <a href="https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSefirot%23Scriptural.2C_numerological_and_spiritual_associations_of_the_sefirotic_tree&t=OGZkMGVhOGY5NWFhOTVkZGI0ZDk5MzFhOTRhZTQ1Yjc1MjFmYzk1NixBMDFNdWp3cQ%3D%3D&b=t%3ACQIXA_VQQjxrrCETP">22
paths of the Tree of Life</a> or even a linear advancement on the Tree’s
“rows.”<br />
<br />
All told, this was a neat concept but inconsistently executed. I am by no means
a Kabbalah expert, as there’s a density and intensity to the subject of which I
can’t match from my mere casual interest, but I do know that you wouldn’t reach
the goal (Kether) and then take a sharp turn around to a lower level. A little
more careful placement and consideration and this could have been as resonant
as as some of the themes found in the core game. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">3. Baby Lucifer, Freedom,
and How It's Easy to Forget Dialogue from 30 Hours Ago in RPGs (Jan. 28, 2019)</span></b></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSmoqCSzypIZRaHP68ObS_MDZjGISAepXru0ydfRp6pkpuQLWpAHszjD6WvCJNz-MxvmpDsY7XWkxD7tYALreMqz1raA0QMsdpHCijBCieOBu_KGDmBiXGPpP-Gpc_WjTpPLYwUQnlj5c/s1600/demon-end.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSmoqCSzypIZRaHP68ObS_MDZjGISAepXru0ydfRp6pkpuQLWpAHszjD6WvCJNz-MxvmpDsY7XWkxD7tYALreMqz1raA0QMsdpHCijBCieOBu_KGDmBiXGPpP-Gpc_WjTpPLYwUQnlj5c/s640/demon-end.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Early in 2019, <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/182263114307/its-been-awhile-since-i-played-it-so-im-rusty-on">I
was asked about the soundness of Nocturne’s Maniacs additions</a> and my reply
prompted multiple responses. Those responses in turn prompted me to deep dive
into certain aspects of Nocturne’s narrative, resulting in this mini-analysis. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">To start, in the vein of
the <a href="https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2017/01/hijiri-maniacs.html">Hijiri
character breakdown</a> I wanted to run through <a href="https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps2/582958-shin-megami-tensei-nocturne/faqs/54926">Nocturne’s
script</a> and summarize the appearances of the Old Woman and Child (or any
aspect of Lucifer) in the original, non-Maniacs version:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0bgt0DmmLmH-FviNq3Cw43WJTzr3x9VTUBCcs86G6xX2BQC4xKkTeWy5ZfG8J2I_H4XEsIaf_nS9TGmGbu9NHSiXtZH9m8BmFOVqgwlsNTsU3MCDyqNnLSPvILuEHzJ4Oad9AQ3cA1Dw/s1600/533-Lucifer.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0bgt0DmmLmH-FviNq3Cw43WJTzr3x9VTUBCcs86G6xX2BQC4xKkTeWy5ZfG8J2I_H4XEsIaf_nS9TGmGbu9NHSiXtZH9m8BmFOVqgwlsNTsU3MCDyqNnLSPvILuEHzJ4Oad9AQ3cA1Dw/s200/533-Lucifer.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>1. Vision in the hospital, pre-Conception.</b> A mere introduction to both.</span></div>
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<b>2. Immediately post-Conception.</b> Child feeds you the magatama. Old Woman
says the “little master” watches you.</span></div>
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<b>3. After exiting the hospital. </b>Introduction to Kagutsuchi, the Vortex
World environment, and the idea of creation.</span></div>
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<b>4. After Aradia appears in the Obelisk.</b> The Old Woman says Aradia is
trouble. That’s honestly kind of a weird line, we’ll come back to it. But it’s
worth copying most of her subsequent dialogue verbatim:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">The time of creation for
this Vortex World is near. War will erupt amongst those who spread their
Reason in hopes of shaping the new world. As a demon, you are forbidden
to conceive your own Reason... Which Reason will you side with? Which will you
oppose? Will the Reason you choose persevere, or fail? Your
suffering is my little master's delight. Struggle as hard as you can; You are
free to follow whichever Reason you like. My only wish is that you do not
disappoint my little master with a dull ending...</span></i></div>
</blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>5. Activating the way to the Tower of Kagutsuchi at Amala Temple.</b> The Old Woman explains what the tower is and that it’s creation time. However, she
also shills for the True Demon Ending, which feels like it’s appended to the
original expository dialogue. <strike>I don’t feel like finding and comparing the
Japanese vanilla version dialogue now, so let’s just ignore this appearance for
the time being.</strike> With a bit of extra time, I looked into it and her dialogue is
indeed different. I've screencapped the dialogue and provided videos
below: </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VdUI8oA7qLQ6ISblt-TDQfA3sw753WCv0132g7hS_KaugbNGe5gtYuE7DPH67DmKeVNQXtSA_4qm7WnCbTlzzCVwa3QIO9rMNvMRIC4bsk7PqAqAVPZb5kWNa2B5-0MLxsS6ZaDKl5A/s1600/OW_dial_comp.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VdUI8oA7qLQ6ISblt-TDQfA3sw753WCv0132g7hS_KaugbNGe5gtYuE7DPH67DmKeVNQXtSA_4qm7WnCbTlzzCVwa3QIO9rMNvMRIC4bsk7PqAqAVPZb5kWNa2B5-0MLxsS6ZaDKl5A/s640/OW_dial_comp.jpg" width="576" /></a></div>
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<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Original JP:</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> <a href="https://youtu.be/YZbWKJgcGkk?t=1h51m58s">https://youtu.be/YZbWKJgcGkk?t=1h51m58s</a>
</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Maniacs JP:</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> <a href="https://youtu.be/X9FLKychZWM?t=16m42s">https://youtu.be/X9FLKychZWM?t=16m42s</a></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">English:</span></b><span style="font-family: "verdana";"> <a href="https://youtu.be/VlXBLL6QWbY?t=1m25s">https://youtu.be/VlXBLL6QWbY?t=1m25s</a></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
Diverging after the <a href="https://jisho.org/word/%E3%81%9E%E3%82%8D%E3%81%9E%E3%82%8D"><span style="font-family: "simsun";">ゾロゾロ</span></a>
(streaming) line, it's most obvious that Maniacs adds significantly more
dialogue to the scene, while the original version has three extra text boxes
that weren't ported over. <strike>If someone is willing to provide a translation of
those three additionals, I'd appreciate it! Just from the little I can
understand it does look like there is a little bit of overlap with the Maniacs
dialogue that doesn't specifically mention the new content.</strike> <a href="https://sorenblr.tumblr.com/"><b>Soren</b></a> was kind enough to provide a rough summary for these three boxes: "She says that you've done well up to this point, cautions that the final act begins now, and wonders what the end will be like for you." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>6. After the regular Demon ending.</b> Noteworthy that this is the ONLY time
the Child speaks directly outside of the TDE. He says:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana";">A demon born in exchange
for the world... There's no other quite like you. Kagutsuchi may have cursed
you, but I give you my blessing. Light no longer shines upon you. But, you can
do without it, can't you? Darkness is the source of your power now... I'm
afraid I have to go now. I won't forget you, though. We'll definitely meet
again... You should get going, too. Chaos will reign, as you desired, since no
new world was forged. Indeed, it shall be the millennial kingdom of demons...</span></i></div>
</blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
<b>7. In the Neutral Human / Freedom ending.</b> An unspecified but absolutely
Lucifer voice says: “<i>You have chosen to follow your will and tread the path
of thorns... like myself. In time, your true adversary will appear before
you. Until that day, stay strong</i>...”</span></div>
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Now, to the asks! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Note that the rest of this
section is basically just a rambling answer to all three even beyond their initial
questions as there was a lot more to investigate under the hood. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">For #1, I honestly feel
like it’s the opposite, that the Demon ending has the stronger appearance of
Lucifer; for one, the Child actually appears and says something, and not for
something insignificant but the heralding of a continued chaotic existence for
demons. For #2, yes, the Demon ending is technically Neutral I think, but maybe
only on a technicality. It’s otherwise very Chaos-friendly or, at the very
least, strongly anti-Law. I also agree that it represents an indecisive, vacillating
stance--and is basically an indictment of the Isabeau School of Neutrality. #3,
before looking up the dialogue I might have agreed but since there are multiple
references to Child merely wanting entertainment with no real goal (other than
possibly screwing things up, see below), the idea of Lucifer desiring the
Demi-fiend emulate him seems more Maniacs. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
When you consider the reaction Aradia earned from the Old Woman, Freedom
doesn't seem like it was a goal for the Child either. While she says the
“little master” wants to see any ending the Demi-fiend can achieve, Aradia’s
appearance “can only mean trouble.” Bizarre, right? But even though it’s
ultimately abortive, Aradia is Yuko’s Reason sponsor and influencer of the
Freedom ending; to get it, you must answer both of Aradia's "flag"
questions correctly, in addition to rejecting Isamu, Chiaki, and Hikawa when
they go full demon. Another way to look at earning the Freedom ending is:</span></div>
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<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Initially agreeing with
Isamu, Chiaki, Hikawa while they’re human to at least show them you’re
listening (i.e., even though you’re a demon, you haven’t lost your
humanity)</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Sympathizing with Yuko
(it’s ultimately her Reason, you’re just its agent)</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Disagree when Isamu,
Chiaki, Hikawa go off the deep end (reject their demonic selves)</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtmEqJfgPEDfs-qXm_n0u3HaTib_ft99T1BN9Oci_er6i3L7kTbQfxvIjdhh9BoZs2RuKAgyHCN-sDEIKdWhQwcJe9Efu52wIviGEcvWDUHT9IlzFbdlw1Ag-ZEy15FCzmWEiM1UBFaI/s1600/aradia.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtmEqJfgPEDfs-qXm_n0u3HaTib_ft99T1BN9Oci_er6i3L7kTbQfxvIjdhh9BoZs2RuKAgyHCN-sDEIKdWhQwcJe9Efu52wIviGEcvWDUHT9IlzFbdlw1Ag-ZEy15FCzmWEiM1UBFaI/s320/aradia.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">So, Aradia appearing means Freedom is possible, meaning that the world might
just turn back to the way it was; the Old Woman’s reaction also implying that
this result was unexpected. Even though Probably Lucifer interjects in the
Freedom ending with some vague warning about the future that is probably more
about humanity screwing itself over again than anything supernatural (SJ has
something similar, IIRC), returning to reality’s status quo is a big loss for
the demonic, as to have free rein again they have to wait and hope that some
dunce reads a banned book or opens a dimensional portal. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
It’s also worth noting that Maniacs’ backstory retcon for Aradia is--
completely expected at this point--mostly rubbish that contradicts what happens
in the main story. The Lady in Black names her an outsider from another Vortex
World, an intruder; “<i>There is little that she can do in a Vortex World where
her existence is forbidden</i>.” This ignores a few things:</span></div>
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<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Aradia affects Yuko, who
can affect you and the outcome.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Aradia powers you up,
giving you two more demon slots. The game literally says: “> You
received power from Aradia. > You can now employ 2 additional demons.”
I think this one’s hilarious.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Aradia has either foresight
or omniscience, as she informs you to find Chiaki in Ikebukuro before she
fuses with Gozu-Tennoh.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">In the showdown with
Hikawa in the Diet Building he calls Aradia “powerless in this warded
area” where he summons Ahriman. You know, the cool one that looks like an
acid trip. This appears to be true, as Aradia sets off of her own volition
after Yuko refuses to go with her. He then calls her a “false god,” which
allows the spicier takes to enter the ring but hardly implies
extra-dimensional being; indeed, from Hikawa’s perspective it’s also a
true statement since Aradia herself was not powerful enough to pair with
Yuko and establish a Reason--the whole point of the Vortex World exercise.
But because she’s “powerless” in a specific area, the implication is that
she could have achieved more if the circumstances were different or she
had a home field advantage.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">
This may seem like minor stuff in the grand scheme of things. But what are Baal
Avatar, Noah, or Ahriman affecting? They have more potency and are actual
bosses, but they have a far weaker impact on the unfolding narrative than
Aradia. Aradia only appears “weak” because she is reflective of Yuko’s own
state and her influence on the Vortex World, which seems insignificant compared
to the others at the surface level. Isamu is using the Amala Network to his
advantage (i.e., guzzling Magatsuhi), Chiaki is just beating up fools (guzzling
Magatsuhi), and Hikawa is the Man with the Plan and the Magatsuhi. Yuko is less
of a guzzler but nonetheless remains the human link to the most important
player in the story--you, of course; she somehow has the Magatsuhi-filled
Yahirono Himorogi (she's the sacrificial Maiden, I guess is why), which she
gives you after she's already dead... somehow. It’s meaningful that Aradia’s
representation is just Yuko with a Rorschach inkblot over her face--the game is
asking you to interpret Yuko’s words and place in the story, which is crucial
for a sane outcome. Yuko and Aradia have power than transcends raw strength.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br />
This is why the Maniacs content has emerged to me as a clumsy dog and pony
show. It basically just casts aside all this awesome, carefully planned story
for the sake of another rote power fantasy. I say that only because the TDE has
effectively subjugated all other endings in the discourse and even received
official validation with 4A’s DLC. It’s all quite discouraging for those who
want just a tad more complexity or variety from their RPG stories--not asking
for Moby Dick or Finnegans Wake here, just something more ambitious or
differently flavored than Shonenpunch Godwars!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Some extras: </span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">It hit me while writing
this that the Lucifer avatars in Nocturne don't have heterochromatic eyes like
SMT1's Louis Bowie has. This seemed significant (was the Child even originally
envisioned as Lucifer or was it a red herring?) but then Soren reminded me that
all subsequent Kaneko Lucifer avatars just have two grey eyes, too, until Doi's
Lucigirl revived blue and red.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wMkUH_PuOSSbcxbmHkXmhIeQDzcbNENY_9cmiyxrwHCvEmnIAhHOfP8y1piP-JpyykSfQH7_9aTI2m_UrNrRZM2h_0sGq6IBdxB8Xv-AKNP9aL03zR1cYwdU0Apy6qB3V43-Hw63PP0/s1600/luci-eyes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="409" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wMkUH_PuOSSbcxbmHkXmhIeQDzcbNENY_9cmiyxrwHCvEmnIAhHOfP8y1piP-JpyykSfQH7_9aTI2m_UrNrRZM2h_0sGq6IBdxB8Xv-AKNP9aL03zR1cYwdU0Apy6qB3V43-Hw63PP0/s400/luci-eyes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">And lastly, I want to say
it’s amazing how that, even in a game you’ve played a half dozen times, you
obtain a much clearer picture of plot details by just reading the script or
watching a movie of the cutscenes. It seems it's a real challenge for the brain
to recall seemingly minor but ultimately significant details when they are
separated by dozens of hours of gameplay! I would have never remembered these
finer details of Nocturne cutscenes on my own.</span></div>
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<h3>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana";">4. And Now, the All-New Conclusion: Patterns
in Atlus Enhanced Edition Content (Dec. 11, 2019) [UPDATED 6/7/22 with commentary in brackets] <br /></span></b></h3></div><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">We've weathered how many
Atlus special expanded editions now? One-dozen... thousand? Seems like that many. Most follow a
disturbingly similar formula: new dungeon/path with new final boss, new girl related to new
dungeon/path. Oh, and some polish to the gameplay mechanics + new
demons/personas. </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8TROI7NWodT4vLdLXKnKJP6n7FmNDHakLBHzGdkc6kv1uRsGikdovOWUvHdiIRCP_qAudEPdVOco3LAg4WC_wUWWBX9CulT2-by1MWXzwd7TeW2q5f2w5TTI4HuhPcC3Pyci1e8OO7uk/s1600/WVW69jp7Ah8Hlf3ucm.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="400" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8TROI7NWodT4vLdLXKnKJP6n7FmNDHakLBHzGdkc6kv1uRsGikdovOWUvHdiIRCP_qAudEPdVOco3LAg4WC_wUWWBX9CulT2-by1MWXzwd7TeW2q5f2w5TTI4HuhPcC3Pyci1e8OO7uk/s320/WVW69jp7Ah8Hlf3ucm.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Toki, an Atlus Enhanced Edition Girl in a game <br />that's (technically) not an enhanced version</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">It's great when gameplay
is improved and such refinements are where Atlus excels. However, as this post compilation shows, it's the added story
that falters more often than not. It can feel unnaturally grafted on without concern
for the original script (Maniacs), intrusive to the original narrative (Strange
Journey Redux, Persona 4 Golden), or just plain unnecessary (take your pick of
games). It's extra content for extra content's sake, to encourage double
dipping or provide a few more bullet-points to persuade fence-sitters to
shell out for the full-priced special edition instead of the discounted original.
And since these editions are like clockwork, there's honestly little risk at
this point to wait for the upgrade. That we constantly fail at waiting is why
Atlus keeps getting away with it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">But back to Nocturne. It
already has one special version under its belt, two if you count the Raidou Chronicle one. However, it's undoubtedly
going to be re-released again for modern consoles sooner or later. The question
is, will they stuff it with even more garbage? <i><b>[This was written half a year before Nocturne HD was announced!]</b></i> <br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Maybe we could get off
easy and they'll only tinker with the mechanics, some of which could really use a tune-up. Here are some ideas: </span></div>
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<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Skill selection during
fusion <i><b>[We got it! In a post-release update!]</b></i> <br /></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Field icon battles
instead of random battles; or maybe some other way of addressing the
random battles because Nocturne environments without complete emptiness
just wouldn't be Nocturne! <i><b>[Nope, too much work!] </b></i><br /></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Demi-fiend's learned
skills infinitely swappable instead of disappearing forever once swapped
out <i><b>[Nope!]</b></i> <br /></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">New magatama and skills, the latter including the now requisite severe almighty + debuff (Jihad, Antichthon) <i><b>[There's a pattern forming...]</b></i> <br /></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">The demon conversation quality of life improvements from SMT4 and 4A; or some kind of "app" system like
those games or Strange Journey <i><b>[Of course not] </b></i><br /></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Maybe a good dozen or so
extra Kaneko demons; Mara, Alice, Moh Shuvuu worth it if we can get some
actually interesting faces like Lugh, Zaou Gongen, etc. <i><b>[Sadly...] </b></i><br /></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">A new, well-designed
demon or two <i><b>[It was a lot to ask for, really]</b></i> <br /></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">The option to turn off
the inevitable story voice acting without it affecting the amazing
original demon battle voices (this is such a small thing that will be
tragic to lose and inevitably so because I can't help but feel the acting
in any language will be rote and mismatched to the game's tone) <i><b>[Yes! This was possible! Monkey paw: the demon voices were mostly re-recorded for the worse] </b></i><br /></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Unsure about the
Demi-fiend's death not being an instant game over, but making that at
least an option would be welcome; or, make that a feature of a new Easy mode that would allow more people to experience the game <i><b>[Easy mode was added!] </b></i><br /></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Similarly, save
anywhere? The palpable tension between save points and healing springs
would be lost, but that's probably no big deal <i><b>[Suspend save added!] </b></i><br /></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "verdana";">Fuse anywhere? I miss
the atmosphere and commitment of the Cathedral of Shadows as a location
and I doubt they'd completely expunge it from the game where the
protagonist has no COMP, but a limited capability version for convenience
could work <i><b>[Nope, would have required something new]</b></i> <br /></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana";">There's potentially more,
but that's plenty. Any of these ideas would objectively improve the gameplay
experience for one or all. </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpuRh-_sOHuPaVq3lEroaFZnA1VJLw_LQPhmZ_FRa_4N0jJELCfr0_SU9PEy3c_tjXuLw_NJu3LGXIwlDiTz2DwZ3Si6wzb90HqeWSXrQJFfb-tY7kIwpdRNRD6pNlA3zF_yrZ54w19M/s1600/223.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpuRh-_sOHuPaVq3lEroaFZnA1VJLw_LQPhmZ_FRa_4N0jJELCfr0_SU9PEy3c_tjXuLw_NJu3LGXIwlDiTz2DwZ3Si6wzb90HqeWSXrQJFfb-tY7kIwpdRNRD6pNlA3zF_yrZ54w19M/s320/223.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Atlus USA on janitorial duty, but covering up <br />for Atlus Japan's sins in the process</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">But let's be real, we
won't get off easy. The human characters will be slightly redesigned to match Doi's
own style for the inevitable new girl. It doesn't even seem possible for Nocturne
but they will shoehorn her in somehow. But where? They can't pull an Alex or
Marie because the Amala subquest and the Fiends are already using the
"intrusion" gimmick. Don't expect a female Demi-fiend either; Atlus'
tendency to avoid easily-implemented character customization in their largely silent
protagonist-filled games is legendary. And never forget that the last time an internally-developed Megami Tensei game gave players a gender selection--P3P--its Japanese script allowed the
female protagonist implied pedophilia with a 10-year-old boy. At a loss for words here. </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Still, I think there are two
possibilities for a Nocturne new girl: a new friend or a girl sick in the
hospital. It wouldn't take too much effort to add an introduction to a new
friend pre-Conception, either on the Tokyo map or somewhere else in the
hospital; Chiaki and Isamu never interact in the hospital and with an extra line
from both mentioning this new friend, she could be quickly established. Sick girl
would make less sense but there are a lot of rooms in the hospital and maybe
one was... locked? And Hikawa and Yoko overlooked it? But post-Conception, bam,
she's no longer sick and wanders the Vortex World. Either girl adds a new
Reason and a new world map location and dungeon that unlocks the Reason (and post-Kagutsuchi final boss),
hopefully different enough from the Labyrinth to feel distinct. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Maybe this hypothetical is
a bit overly-optimistic for one of Atlus' worst trends, but imagining it
this way honestly doesn't seem that bad. It's unnecessary, yes, and new girl's
Reason and the philosophy behind it will probably poorly match the original script and story, yes, and... well, that's still the entire point. How much restraint can
they show? How much faith do they have that the Maniacs Team's eponymous
product is worth re-releasing as-is (excluding gameplay fixes) 15+ years later?
The answer to both: very little. <i><b>[This prediction of new "Atlus girl" in Nocturne's "inevitable remaster" had its biggest failing in assuming they would want to spend a lot of money on it... obviously, this didn't come to pass, and for the better. But based on the trends at the time, it seemed like an easy bet. In fact, Yamai said of SMT3HD that its concept was that of "</b></i><a href="https://dijehtranslations.wordpress.com/2022/06/06/yamai-kazuyuki-saitou-yuuki-interview-about-nocturne-hd-remaster-cm-4gamer-26-11-2020/" target="_blank"><b>respect for the original work</b></a><i><b>," which seems pretty fair overall.]</b></i><br /></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKV6OVCXDTjMncSsXTBmbmTP2DxbFiwvSqjJRU5OrrZCupulpBcV4s5FpH8Gwcyhdv0TuN_KkTn9RKSM4o4oFWWg6THz-3hjxI2iQWNSiwWyi6MfORsCmWeL5b8WqyBppLgqMctlcnhyI/s1600/PERSONA5-the-Animation_nesoberi01.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKV6OVCXDTjMncSsXTBmbmTP2DxbFiwvSqjJRU5OrrZCupulpBcV4s5FpH8Gwcyhdv0TuN_KkTn9RKSM4o4oFWWg6THz-3hjxI2iQWNSiwWyi6MfORsCmWeL5b8WqyBppLgqMctlcnhyI/s400/PERSONA5-the-Animation_nesoberi01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">What an adorable rapist Atlus/Sega have available for sale!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">More than plot, mechanics,
music, etc., Atlus is in the character business. Their characters drive their
games' (read: Persona's) popularity in spite of <a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/188555560457/sure-that-explains-the-arsene-mephisto-switch-but">weak narratives and/or unsatisfying conclusions with questionable execution</a> and bare minimum character development where one change
is all characters tend to (canonically) get. And
Atlus is very happy to oblige with character merchandise and character-focused
spinoffs like the Persona Q series or Strikers, which will probably have more cutscenes
than the average Musou game (which would only be respectful to the original IP). </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">To put this into
perspective, think of Shin Megami Tensei IV or Apocalypse and how different
their characters seemed from traditional SMT characters, <i>particularly</i>
Apocalypse's. It's the same philosophy of excessive dialogue to make the
characters seem more personable but really to hide the lack of genuine
growth, vignettes with attempted humor or awkward sexual innuendo, and trait-based characterizations and
motivations to give a cast "character"--but not depth. So far, this
hasn't really panned out for Shin Megami Tensei, from Atlus' perspective or
from ours, probably because of the series' extremely unrealistic setting. But
will they keep trying? You betcha. SMT5 just needs to sell 3.2 million copies and
its characters will automatically become iconic. Them's just the rules. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">All this is to say that
when Atlus has an opportunity to sell another character, they're gonna take it. Quantity over quality--surely one or more will stick eventually. And art isn't
art when the "wrong" art doesn't follow current company values and
could impede product sales; Strange Journey Redux proved that nothing is
sacred. Historical sales failure Nocturne is just asking to be profaned.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";">Skill selection, though? A sanctification. </span></div>
</div>
Eirikrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708584583156602408noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102004681763150356.post-81493502607329329922016-11-20T21:29:00.001-05:002018-08-14T00:27:12.266-04:00Nocturnal Revelations: In Review<h2>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNQxjaZOoU5wlETYxZYpJndu80gAyxgBSeRNNwa4T7P8qjbr0y_zsEa3XMshh0c8XFZrapYO1kRSjTwP1n6BcV-WWSRLkCS8o2oKJCFvEd4VYqi372eEZeEcTg-s98Qn-yZbzTcyIR18/s1600/FINAL_1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNQxjaZOoU5wlETYxZYpJndu80gAyxgBSeRNNwa4T7P8qjbr0y_zsEa3XMshh0c8XFZrapYO1kRSjTwP1n6BcV-WWSRLkCS8o2oKJCFvEd4VYqi372eEZeEcTg-s98Qn-yZbzTcyIR18/s1600/FINAL_1000.jpg" /></a></h2>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Now that <b>Nocturnal Revelations: The Legacy of Shin Megami Tensei's First Localization</b> ha<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s</span> been<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> fully completed and</span> published on Persona Central, it's time to put <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">it</span> to work! </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not familiar with <b>Nocturnal Revelations</b>? It's an exhaustive look at the best and worst of Nocturne's journey into English, with a special focus on how <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">the choices made over a decade ago have</span> affected the Shin Megami Tensei series' localizations going forward.<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Short des<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">cription<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s</span> a<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">nd links to a<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ll three parts are available below! </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZyj70LeSQWfPqyYWUCjPLsw2BuppFLgLoSN-hdCXpOW6hAPF08HSnVxRBvh0gGiLKLKQ3Nap16O-jKfW1PEDf3tKTQ9o2UpGlSpIOsEBuxo3rTu45FOCqSfpLzM2tpGFW1SUVZb7pAM/s1600/1a.jpg" /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> <a href="http://personacentral.com/nocturnal-revelations-the-legacy-of-shin-megami-tenseis-first-localization-part-1/">Part 1: The Demons</a></span></span></span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The outstanding hits and misses of Nocturne's demonic compendium. Includes: </span></span></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Basic primer on common issues faced in localization</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Mithra problem</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The real names of Chinese four holy beasts</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Who are demons like Gurr, Purski, and A(l)ciel?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Why it's great to be Bishamonten, and more</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLjzapj7ZxmlFNlPeWEw8eB-5zS5AS5WWHm0SrcXMNIgPdoLTaCxIQsgOcwsNODDwrTcynAMG6Y0-wlR_ZmOoyrQq_jiCmPAnD_8cMlj46Zjhj1k_42GaFwVd3UQFtyFpXaheswBTsE0g/s1600/2a.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://personacentral.com/nocturnal-revelations-the-legacy-of-shin-megami-tenseis-first-localization-part-2/">Part 2: Demon Races</a></span></span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The inevitable losses in demon race translation and why that can sometimes work out for the better. Includes: </span></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The importance of demon races in the series</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Why "Deity" is better than its Japanese equivalent</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Why some races were left untranslated--and suggested translations for them</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Patterns of demon race localization, and more</span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-GIZhDkKFLXLZCOlzSlq3BwQuul2nmfQ_vR2ugVydak3_WZ1FK1B-wDYjfzm-gpc8lttUvcIn6NZUjSYAHRQkdpNA3s_VvOwRfMvLwNeD2FmTZkGpT4BatEaVYkRcnC4zdwfgd4PfVuA/s1600/3a.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> <a href="http://personacentral.com/nocturnal-revelations-the-legacy-of-shin-megami-tenseis-first-localization-part-3/">Part 3: Characters, Story Terminology, and <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">O</span>ther Miscellany</a> </span></span></span></h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Discusses the rest of <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nocturne's terminology <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">deserving</span> closer analysis, like character names, skill terminology, locations, <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">etc.<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span>Inclu<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">des: </span></span></span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Am<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ala" or "Amara<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"?</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nocturne's one possible instance of censorship</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why we're better off without "nakama" </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why "Freikugel" was such an ingenious localization choice</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A reveal of S<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">hin Megami Tensei's biggest l<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ocalization<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> secret</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
Eirikrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708584583156602408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102004681763150356.post-35830678917821272802016-11-04T01:22:00.001-04:002019-04-23T23:34:43.184-04:00Eirikr's Personal Canon<div class="post_title">
<h2>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSaWSVYxFTuzcoR4LdRnub93QkO3a5b_6wa6OsX54NkO7FfuNN90C6exGMHAHboXLOFIZlk6CH7wA3jaXtkOmuHAn5hYaXXw9wzKfmYFlvNw3olHJNvotGgFiXfJb7q_jD3T9DpYQHLk/s1600/hikawacat_1000B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSaWSVYxFTuzcoR4LdRnub93QkO3a5b_6wa6OsX54NkO7FfuNN90C6exGMHAHboXLOFIZlk6CH7wA3jaXtkOmuHAn5hYaXXw9wzKfmYFlvNw3olHJNvotGgFiXfJb7q_jD3T9DpYQHLk/s1600/hikawacat_1000B.jpg" /></a></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let’s face it, Tumblr sucks as an archive. A shame, as there have been some good questions and discussions over the years and it would be a shame for them to be lost forever to the ether. So what better way to protest the ephemeral nature of Internet content than to make my own archive? </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Below are links to just about every major thing I've written online, including website articles, Tumblr asks, etc. It will be updated periodically as warranted! Right now consider it a work-in-progress (formatting is a little rough), but all the links should be live. </span></span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>LATEST UPDATE</b>: 4<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">/1</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">/18! <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The latest <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a</span>dditions are in <b>boldface</b>. </span></span></span></span></span> <br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Obvious Stuff</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Let's get these out of the way. </span></span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/">My Tumblr</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— My soapbox. Currently filled with more asks than soap. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://twitter.com/eirikrjs">My Twitter</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— I mostly use it for retweeting Japanese stuff I find. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://talking-time.net/tags.php?tag=cu+chulainn">The "Cu Chulainn" tag on Talking Time</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— Almost a decade's worth of SMT threads.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://kanekocribs.tumblr.com/">Kaneko's Crib Notes</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— So there's this guy named Kaneko and he sometimes lays his influences bare... </span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The BIG Articles</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">100% genuine. Feels redundant listing them here when they live on this same blog, but you gotta be comprehensive. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Shin Megami Tensei's Identity Crisis <a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2015/08/SMT-identity-crisis-pt1.html">Pt 1</a>, <a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2015/08/smt-identity-crisis-pt2.html">Pt 2</a>, <a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2015/09/SMT-identity-crisis-final.html">Pt 3</a> | <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/128280530412/smts-identity-crisis-pt-3-of-3-false">Follow up about J&W in Pt 3</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— You probably already know what this is.</span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/130597841292/my-personal-smt-identity-crisis">My Personal SMT Identity Crisis</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— Peek behind the curtain into the making of SMT's IC. </span></span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Nocturnal Revelations: T</i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>he Legacy of Shin Megami Tensei's First Localization</i> <a href="http://personacentral.com/nocturnal-revelations-the-legacy-of-shin-megami-tenseis-first-localization-part-1/">Pt 1</a>, <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://personacentral.com/nocturnal-revelations-the-legacy-of-shin-megami-tenseis-first-localization-part-2/">Pt 2</a>, <a href="http://personacentral.com/nocturnal-revelations-the-legacy-of-shin-megami-tenseis-first-localization-part-3/">Pt 3</a> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Apparently<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I enjoy writing <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">three-part articles. And wishing the four Chinese holy beasts used their correct <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Chinese names.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mizuki, Master of Mysteries </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>A Robert Stack attack. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></li>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/165311505317/smt-mystery-demon-extras-1-penanggal-before-we">Mystery demon extras #1: Penanggal</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>— Forgot I even wrote this and it was initially unpopular so I didn't write any others. Can't even remember what it even goes into that the main article didn't cover. Deserves a pity click, don't you think</b>? </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Odin one </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </li>
</ul>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Hardcore Gaming 101 articles</span></span></h2>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/vagrantstory/vagrantstory.htm">Vagrant Story</a> | <a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/author.htm#ericjonathansmith">Other articles</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— From the good old days, when I still cared abo<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ut being fluent in video games. </span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Giant Bomb contributions</span></span></h3>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.giantbomb.com/profile/eirikr/lists/top-ten-genital-demons-in-shin-megami-tensei/15347/">Top Ten Genital Demons in Shin Megami Tensei</a> | <a href="http://www.giantbomb.com/profile/eirikr/lists/">Other lists</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— Ra<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ising awareness of penises and vaginas in games since 2009. </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.giantbomb.com/shin-megami-tensei-strange-journey/3030-27402/user-reviews/2200-11454/">Strange Journey review</a> | <a href="http://www.giantbomb.com/shin-megami-tensei-iv/3030-31809/user-reviews/2200-26130/">Shin Megami Tensei IV review</a> | <a href="http://www.giantbomb.com/profile/eirikr/reviews/">Other reviews</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— "Hey Persona<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">-lov<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ing crowd, <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Atl<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">us makes other games<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, too"<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> -Me, to a brick wall. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.giantbomb.com/cu-chulainn/3005-10399/">Cu Chulainn</a> | <a href="http://www.giantbomb.com/demon/3015-7650/">Demon</a> | <a href="http://www.giantbomb.com/profile/eirikr/wiki-contributions/">Other wiki contributions</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— Many a featured wiki article! </span></span></li>
</ul>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Commentary/Analysis: </span></span></h2>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/59652427161/smts-depictions-of-certain-zoroastrian-figures">Zoroastrian demons and insectile wings</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> Patterns in demon design. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/64192797182/kazuma-kanekos-depictions-of-nebiros-also-known">The true identity of Nebiros</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> Is SMT's Nebiros from the Goetia or somewhere else? <b><br /></b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/69183848412/morax-and-the-importance-of-gesturing">Morax and the Importance of Gesturing</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> Subtlety in art and demon design. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/93565461727/whither-girimekhala">Whither ‘Girimekhala’?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> What do scholars have to say about Mara's elephant?<b><br /></b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/96187394397/ophiocephallic-the-convoluted-true-story-of">Ophiocephallic: The Convoluted True Story of Mishaguji</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> Mishaguji in the record of ancient Japanese religion.<b> </b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/104021841812/the-mystery-of">The Mystery of 魔</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> Why some Japanese terms may not be inten<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ded to be<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> interpreted literally. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/119781897437/maras-design-has-become-a-distraction">Mara’s Design Has Become a Distraction</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> PENIS</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/120567275182/littlemercury-eirikrjs-littlemercury">Why SMTIV’s archangels do not vibe with Biblical tradition or SMT’s design rules</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> As stated. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Demons I Wanna See: <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/70492313981/demons-i-wanna-see-neither-costanza-nor-foreman">George</a>, <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/70295657160/demons-i-wanna-see-sunburned-edition">Icarus</a>, <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/74163924998/demons-i-wanna-see-catch-him-if-you-can">Gingerbread Man</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> A short series that could have gone somewhere, but didn't. Ah well. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/78020651338/shin-manga-tensei">Shin Manga Tensei</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> Short bit on Isabeau's shortcomings as a character; was reworked and became part of Identity Crisis Pt. 3. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://sorenblr.tumblr.com/post/91772696019/smtiv-callback-compendium">The SMTIV Callback Compendium</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> A collab between Soren and me.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/127267886372/secrets-of-the-shin-megami-tensei-trading-card">Secrets of the SMT Trading Card Game</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> Follow-up: <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/145177284512/some-meh-scans-of-smt-tcg-cards-but-good-enough">Closer looks at some cards</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> A topic almost undocumented in English, the SMT TCG has some very interesting remasterings of early Kaneko artwork. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/128716362547/nagabenang-eirikrjs-i-continually-get">The Angel Experiment</a> | <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/128747510257/here-are-the-responses-to-the-angel-survey-i-got">Follow-up with results</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> Eight different looking angels, one group bible study. Would actual Christians really believe that SMT4's archangels are "canon"?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/130787799782/final-examined">Final Examined</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> Soren and I comment on SMT4F/A's pre-release media. Dated now, but it might be funny to see how wrong we were! </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/135732381537/do-you-plan-on-making-a-follow-up-post-to-your">Why I won't be writing a follow-up to SMT's IC</a> | Follow-up: <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/130559068297/i-know-its-early-but-do-you-plan-on-making-a">How parts of IC were prophetic</a> | Further follow-up: <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/143241168507/just-to-let-you-know-i-have-been-playing-megaten">Anon notices changes in Japan's pop culture over two decades</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> I'm no Nostradamus, but I'm not the only one to notice or predict changes in the content of Japan's cultural exports. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/141853712462/almighty-spoilers">Why SMT4A's YHVH 2 isn't meant to be the Demiurge</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> I mean, we know that for sure now, but...</span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/164765134687/yhvhs-second-form-in-iva-isnt-nonsense-at-all">The adventure continues</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>— Months later...</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/164775818297/almighty-spoilers">The adventure keeps going</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>— We are ALL the Demiurge</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/164806252187/sooooooo-where-to-begin-here-this-is-in-response"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The adventure never ends</span></span></span></span></span></span></a></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b> — Gaston's Michael's spear does not say "archon" as in Gnostic archon</b>!</span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/144529947627/mokoi">A source for Mokoi!</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> Actually a submission by <a href="https://tmblr.co/mY0hpyS0eMzCHu3F7Je_NnA">atmariderjojo</a>.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/145075105612/orcushorkos-infodump-theres-a-lot-to-digest">Orcus/Horkos Infodump</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> This little piggy became a gate to Hell, and that's where everything went. With plenty of evidence, I make a case for who they actually represent and why "Horkos" probably has nothing to do with either.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/144522239172/alciels-true-name-and-sources-have-been-found">"Alciel's" true name found</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> Yep, it's <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">r...wait, I can't just give it away!</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/145233380737/i-might-or-might-not-be-the-only-one-whos-a">Queen Mab, the composite figure</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> Enough with the composites, SMT! </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/153283372257/plotholes-shall-reign-for-ever-and-ever">Plotholes shall reign forever and ever</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> | <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/153308807237/obviously-the-name-hallelujah-is-falls-under-his">Follow-up</a> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— Hallelujah's name gives glory to ignorance of etymologies. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/155506428012/ive-been-playing-nocturne-and">Reuniting with Nocturne</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— Some <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">observations </span>on <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nocturne after playing it for the first time i<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">n almost 10 years. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/159161213641/atlus-what-happened">Atlus: What Happened?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Early April 2017 <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">may be the <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">period historians mark as the final <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">stage of Atlus' transition from small "<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">punk" <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">dev to faceless corporate entit<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">y. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/162024177082/quick-and-dirty-kazuma-kaneko-works-iv-review">Review of Kaneko Works IV</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>A lower standard, but not a poor standard</b>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/167182377457/a-deep-strange-week">A Deep, Strange Week</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>After a stressful DC excursion with Japanese folks, comments on Strange Journey Redux content seemed like the real vacation</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/167281519187/somewhat-prime-minister">Somewhat, Prime Minister</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span>The Demi-fiend just hates prime ministers. They ain't got no edge</b>!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/169664572502/tenkai-cant-catch-a-localization-break-smt4a">SMT4A English ver. commentary</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> It's amazing how understanding everything makes it all so much worse</b>! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/170966208507/giving-credit-where-its-due">Demon foreshadowing in SMT4A</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span>A great, easily overlooked detail</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/172057989132/shin-megami-tensei-very-bad">"Shin Megami Tensei - very bad": 2004 impressions of Nocturne from a Christian forum</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>— Satanic Panic 2.0</b>. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/172468730762/dx2-the-heretic">Dx2: The Heretic</a> </span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span>Mobile game localization foibles that lead to proof that Atlus' sources for myth information are as musty as 8-track tapes</b>. </span></span></span></span> </li>
</ul>
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<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Non-SMT:</span></span></h2>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/98272329387/better-dogether">Better Dogether</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> The weird history of Castlevania's Dogether. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/120735761087/ovaltine-stained">Ovaltine-Stained</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> I figured out the script used in Bloodstained's early campaign.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/135456168430/long-before-i-played-shin-megami-tensei-or-read">Star Wars and the Magic of Myth</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> Life prepped me for myths. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/136551711447/non-smt-related-but-have-you-seen-the-new-star">Thoughts on The Force Awakens</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> I've actually grown fonder of it since writing this.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/152566040227/haunted-hanover">Mastema haunting a house</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> He also loves potato chips, apparently. </span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/169517012727/teardrops-are-falling">Teardrops Are Falling</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>— What I thought of Devilman: Crybaby</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/169526990642/nagai-had-an-interesting-reason-for-becoming-a">Go Nagai's demiurgical diarrhea</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span>It can happen to anyone</b>!</span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/170886913982/jesus-one-weakness-cum-from-tree-of-souls-the">What is Jesus' Achilles heel?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span>According to Jewish folklore. The answer may shock you</b>!</span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Random photos and photosets </span></span></h2>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/67366837916/the-angel-gabriel-from-heaven-came-his-wings-as">The “angel” Gabriel</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> Perfect for a nativity scene. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/72959989721/thou-shalt-have-no-other-gods-before-me-exodus">“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” </a></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> What an egomaniac! </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/82384335835/fanmade-smt-figures-and-trinkets-of-course">Japanese custom goods #1 </a></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span> Custom figures! </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/105416014177/more-japanese-smt-custom-goods-for-us-to-salivate">Japanese custom goods #2</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span>Norn clocks and iPhone Samurai gauntlets! </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/85750301202/dual-wielding-brothers-separated-at-birth">Dual-wielding brothers</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course, the dumbest thing ever has my single highest note count. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/92200247802/heres-a-strange-one-the-profile-of-holy-ghost-a">Holy Ghost in DeSu2</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> What exactly is that thing?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/99868037122/turn-it-off-turn-it-off-turn-it">TURN IT OFF</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Some dork took his SNES out on the road on a misty night. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/102217818552/phallic-kazuma-kaneko-collage-mixed-digital">The Kaneko phallus collage</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> This is when I officially became an artist. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/111896792972/with-shin-megami-tensei-x-fire-emblem-all-but">Shin Megami Tensei X Prime Time TV</a><b> </b></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> The SMT crossover possibilities are endless...</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/120966733492/he-still-exists-kaneko-spotted-by-a-fan-on-may-15">KANEKO ALIVE</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Kaneko spotted by a former Atlus employee in May '15.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/121065102412/otakon-dealers-room-simulator-2015">Otakon Dealer's Room Simulator 2015</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Sheer indulgence in nostalgia.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/139432634892/aaugh-my-unofficial-shin-megami-tensei-iv">My unofficial Shin Megami Tensei IV Final review</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Ew, dog breath! </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/143145155267/context-atlus-usa-thing-actual-game-content">Ejaculating Sea Cucumbers</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> The new SMT standard. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/144972768287/shin-megami-tensei-holy-grail-figure-acquired">The Cait Sith "holy grail" figure</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Probably worth its meager weight in gold. Well, maybe silver. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/145783331997/a-collection-of-shin-megami-tensei-trpg-covers">SMT TRPG covers</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Artwork from the SMT tabletop game. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/149488528067/eirikrjs-a-headline-thats-better-the-less-you">A baseball accident</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> You never knew America's pastime was so occult. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/151261154727/medusa">Medusa & expletives</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Lose your shit or <i>lose your sheet</i>?</span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/160601393237/exclusive-scoop-atlus-art-works-thanks-to-an">Atlus Art Works</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>The announcement of Strange Journey Redux really caused me to crack for a bit there in 2017</b>. </span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/160717416832/in-progress-looks-at-devil-summoners-mothman-and">Unfinished concept art of Mothman and Ocelotl</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>Devil Summoner preview from an old Famitsu</b>.</span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/167259357747/this-was-the-final-shin-megami-tensei-screenshot">"Another future..."</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>The final SMT screenshot posted to Miiverse before it was shutdown. I'm gonna cry</b>... </span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/168908805126/tis-the-season">Meowy Christmas</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>I bought something terrible and manipulated people to care. I'm not sorry</b>!</span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/170444948107/if-youve-been-waiting-for-approximately-180-off">A Joke of a Dick</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>— Atlus' hubristic $500 Mara figure was a bomb and we <i>laughed</i></b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/171154089822/strange-journey-ms-paint-fanart-drawn-by-me-on">My vintage Strange Journey fanart</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>— Authentic and terrible</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/171226715232">Historical Japanese fashions x Mega Man</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>Can't beat Edo Woman</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/171812903557/kazuma-kanekos-work-computer-circa-1998">Kaneko's '90s work computer</a>. Vintage cyber-chic</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Scans </span></span></h2>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/39566143489/portraits-of-japanese-gods-from-a-japanese">Portraits of Japanese gods</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> From a Nihongo Japanese myth book. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/62784973163/hot-on-the-heels-of-the-megami-tensei-ii-scans">Kyuuyaku MT Greek demons</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b> </b>Obscure Kaneko art. <b><br /></b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/67929061887/at-last-here-they-are-an-orgy-of-scans-of-all">DDS Megami Tensei II Kaneko art</a><b> </b></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span><b> </b>Complete scans of Kaneko's demon artwork from Megami Tensei II. <b><br /></b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/108378970461/part-twenty-four-of-oh-thank-god-i-can-stop-saying">Demons Bible guest artist designs</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> This link contains further links to the previous 23 entries.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/136841995507/kazuma-kaneko-graphics-pandemonium-scans-the">Kazuma Kaneko Pandemonium Scans</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> This link contains further links to all previous entries. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Not scans, but high-res digital assets of demons released for Strange Journey Redux: <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/166787494202/some-hi-res-digital-demon-assets-released-for-deep">Gallery 1</a> | <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/166787512357/another-batch-of-digital-demon-assets-some-of">Gallery 2</a></b>. </span></span></li>
</ul>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Shin Megami Tensei IV demon scans</span></span></h3>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/120403379857/high-quality-version-of-keita-amemiyas-lilith">Lilith</a> | <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/120503704002/high-quality-scans-of-shin-megami-tensei-ivs">Gabriel, Raphael, Michael, and Uriel </a>|<a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/120662702557/high-resolution-scans-of-both-forms-of-keita"> Merkabah </a>| <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/121068850277/yoshihiro-nishimuras-models-of-omoikane-pluto">Omoikane, Pluto, Pluto Soldier, Yaso-Magatsuhi</a> | <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/121312635847/high-quality-scans-of-tamotsu-shinoharas-napaea">Napaea, Ancient of Days, Sanat</a> | <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/144732588222/here-in-his-full-glory-is-shin-megami-tensei-ivs">Lucifer, second form</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> I find it funny that I of all people ultimately supplied these scans.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Soundtrack liner notes</i></span></span></h3>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/92777237202/i-finally-completed-a-complete-set-of-scans-for">Megami Tensei I & II</a> | <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/100292534822/i-finally-got-to-scanning-the-smt1-ost-law-disc">Shin Megami Tensei</a> | <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/109047445057/shin-megami-tensei-ii-sound-relation-scans-are">Shin Megami Tensei II</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Tsukasa Masuko and crew. </span></span></li>
</ul>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Personal/Other </span></span></h2>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/43138098049/today-was-the-final-day-of-classes-at-the-japanese">A postcard from a demon-loving student </a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strike>An object that, sadly, was lost when I moved back to the US from Japan.</strike> I found it sometime last year--it had been safely nestled in my Nocturne case since I moved back from Japan--and it's been displayed on the fridge since. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/70463474135/may-the-neutral-chaos-of-the-star-guide-you-this">Decarabia on a Christmas tree</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Get in the spirit! </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/77803482541/i-went-to-ise-grand-shrine-and-fused-amaterasu">Fusing Amaterasu at Ise Grand Shrine</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> The nerdiest thing I've ever done...? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/80276335520/i-dont-think-ive-shared-this-here-before-but">The Nocturne Tokyo Tour</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> ...No, this probably is. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/97086203347/its-really-happening-im-sending-a-letter-to">My letter to Atlus Japan</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Who is Tenong Cut? <strike>We'll never know.</strike> See below!</span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/159868442312/my-friends-today-april-22-2017-is-a-momentous">The Day I Found "Tenong"</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> </span></span>A excruciatingly long journey ends. </span></span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ask: <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/123100634292/so-besides-smt-since-you-brought-it-up-lmao-what">My favorite non-SMT games</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> So I like Castlevania, do I?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ask: <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/129449433922/wait-exactly-how-many-rpgs-have-you-destroyed">Which games have I "destroyed"?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Itself a follow-up to <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/130179519587/my-quinquennial-chrono-series-marathon-begins">my Chrono Trigger habits</a>.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/132770805457/stolas-is-the-perfect-complement-to-my-bookshelf">My framed Stolas</a>, by <a href="http://davidhoskins.com/">David Hoskins</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Love this so much. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/134546272132/one-could-say-with-a-little-exaggeration-that">Carl Jung's persona cash quote</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> I have no idea why this would be here...</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/134687017422/as-i-was-just-telling-dijeh-last-night-i-had-a">My Cu Chulainn statue dream</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> What happens when you're obsessed. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/135136995400/i-missed-the-actual-date-by-a-couple-of-days-but">My decade of Shin Megami Tensei</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> It all began with a fusion chart. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/138957073507/i-finally-found-among-my-possessions-from-the-20th">"Modest evil as its most profound" P2:IS OST English ad</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> The state of Megami Tensei in English in the '90s. </span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/166166536112/hope-youre-gonna-have-a-nice-halloween">Halloween greeting from artaxdies + my Halloween memories at UMBC</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>— The kool times and the salty times</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/166207815022/granted-i-was-class-of-2015-so-im-sure-things">Formative UMBC experiences</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>Among the most life-changing I've ever had</b>! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/170215768937/im-sure-people-have-asked-but-how-did-you-come">The story behind "Eirikr"</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>Why I chose that name as my online identity</b>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/170822615962/how-old-is-sammy">Sammy's tale</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>— How she became our second cat</b>! </span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Gameplay </span></span></h2>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/48489326624/just-some-demons-i-made-in-strange-journey-a-while">Strange Journey password demons #1</a> (variety pack) </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> My Schwarzwelt stompers. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/48524226535/do-you-like-cu-chulainn-no-well-too-effin-bad">Strange Journey password DEMON</a> (non-variety pack) </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span>My Schwarzwelt stomper. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/81388942316/youve-probably-heard-it-by-now-but-an-amazing">The Greatest Strange Journey Demon</a> || Follow-up: <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/135955386662/why-is-kool-aid-man-a-fury">Why is he a Fury?</a><b> </b></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> 100% real. <b> </b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/89176464632/as-i-am-in-the-process-of-subjecting-myself-to-two">Maxed out SJ Demonica-N</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> No, actually, this is 100% real. <b><br /></b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/90708193712/it-is-finished-twenty-four-red-riders-one">Maxed out SMTIV Cu Chulainn: THE GOLDEN 999s</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> I can't believe this is 100% real. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/66656731536/the-saga-of-fusing-tokisada-tokisaga-in-an">Tokisada and fusing Famed demons in SMTIV</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> What a pain! </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://talking-time.net/showthread.php?t=9975&page=27#797">Insane Nocturne fusion mechanics Part 1 (Amaterasu)</a> | <a href="http://talking-time.net/showthread.php?t=9975&page=28#835">Part 2 (Arahabaki)</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> So crazy, I think I've forever scared myself away from playing Nocturne ever again.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tokyo Sabbath</span></span></h2>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/137916713107/what-is-tokyo-sabbath">What is Tokyo Sabbath?</a> | <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/137994295952/what-is-tokyo-sabbath">1/24/16 UPDATE</a><b> |</b> <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/137840122942/evtrained-hologramblue-evtrained">No demons in Baltimore?</a> <b>| </b><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/137845941537/im-sorry-one-more-tokyo-sabbath-post-then-ill">US East Coast: Demon central</a><b> | </b><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/138635471547/what-is-tokyo-sabbath">2/3 UPDATE</a><b> | </b><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/138953868772/what-is-tokyo-sabbath">SUPER BOWL UPDATE</a><b> </b></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Tokyo
Sabbath was a clicker game in promotion of the Japanese release of
SMT4A. Intended only for the Japanese market, we kinda swept the rug out
from under them and "won." Updates are attached to reblogs of the
initial post. This thing's really silly and inessential, but memorable
because we probably sent Atlus Japan PR into a tizzy because we "beat"
Tokyo.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Asks</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tumblr asks are the bread and butter of my online output these days. Some of these I put a lot of thought and research into! I hope they are still relevant for some. I've also tried to organize them as sensibly as I could.</span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Asks about Japan<b> </b></span></span></h3>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/91122083677/hi-i-have-always-been-kind-of-on-the-fence-about">Commentary about working and living in Japan</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— Some brief thoughts on exi<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">sting in t<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">he liminal state known as the Land of the Rising Sun. </span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/121735603427/this-is-a-mass-produced-product-designed-to">Commentary on Japan’s perception of otaku culture</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> A follow up ask to a post about #FE; who in Japan would actually play a game like that?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/129545405882/anon-japan-asks-im-answering-all-in-one-go-1">A hodgepodge of specific Japan questions</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> People tend to be curious about the Japanese lifestyle. </span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/170028040667/honeslty-id-consider-most-shooting-games-worse">Are JRPGs really "juvenile"?</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span></span></span> I explain what I mean with some personal examples. Follow-up: <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/170068403987/what-if-the-superficial-parts-of-japanese-culture">Why Tokyo is unquestionably the center of the Japan gaming universe</a></b>. </span></span></li>
</ul>
<h3>
<b>
</b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Asks about theology, demonology, etc. in general</span> </b></span></span></h3>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/160469087107/apologies-if-i-sound-very-annoying-but-do-you">Defining Satan</a></b> </span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> </span></span>The Satans of different religions helped me formulate important concepts for WE</b>!</span></span></span><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/159658330087/is-it-me-or-does-goetias-buer-sound-like-a-good">Is Buer a good guy? Plus the 72 demons</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>— A complete breakdown of Goetia personalities that became one of my most popular posts</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Asks about the SMT series in general<b> </b></span></span></h3>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/119568874987/do-you-think-all-canonical-smt-are-connected-in">Is there a unifying SMT canon?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> I'd rather unify my head into a lit cannon. <b><br /></b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/120727352597/how-satanic-are-smt-games">How Satanic are SMT games?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> 666 reasons to play SMT. <b><br /></b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/123098283202/in-the-sidequests-in-sj-and-iv-there-are-a-number">Why do some demons relive their own myths?</a> | Follow up: <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/123224591582/its-curious-that-smt-demons-are-fixed-echoes-of">The fluidity of demon identities and demons as cultural memes</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> The Eternal Return. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://pepsimangb.tumblr.com/post/75545849654/do-you-have-any-thoughts-on-atlus-usas">Thoughts on Atlus USA’s localizations compared to Japanese</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Includes Pepsiman's comments. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/120980118747/hi-in-your-mind-who-do-you-think-is-really-lady">Who is Nocturne’s Lady in Black?</a> | <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/121047258322/about-lilithlady-in-black-in-the-making-of-and">Follow-up</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Why the Lady in Black probably has no extra significance.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/123216878682/do-you-think-lucifer-is-really-any-morally-better">Who has the moral high ground in SMT?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Is Lucifer really any "better" than YHVH? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/125801360887/what-exactly-is-the-position-of-heaven-and-hell-in">Where are Heaven and Hell in SMT?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Not just above and below. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/125803315642/do-you-have-any-ideas-on-why-the-text-in-the">Was there a change to Nocturne's opening text between the JP and US releases?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Contains links to each opening movie iteration. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/129606950557/how-do-you-feel-about-the-general-inability-to">Gender inequality in SMT protagonists</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Lack of diversity in player choices. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/133768536462/what-do-you-think-of-the-representation-of-lgbt-in">LGBT in SMT</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Even MORE lack of diversity. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/129459646422/still-dont-understant-your-fetish-with">Nocturne doesn't have a plot you cray cray</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Literally nothing happens in Nocturne...right? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/130995129227/yhvh-was-actually-on-the-giant-screen-in-shinjuku">My friend was present in Shinjuku when YHVH prefaced SMT4F's launch stream</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Brief comments.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/133624987272/sorry-for-being-rude-but-the-criticism-about">Miniskirts and thighs in SMT</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> A grand tradition! </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/138592574457/speaking-of-nocturne-i-always-wondered-about-the">The Nocturne battle lyrics</a> | Follow-up: <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/138633871422/re-fierce-battle-lyrics-what-do-you-think-about">Fierce Battle and Revelation</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> I'm still positive the interpreted lyrics have nothing to do with the "real" thing, but I've since become convinced there is something to the Revelation mentions in Fierce Battle.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/148728723877/do-you-think-we-will-ever-get-a-game-with-as-cool">Is cyberpunk dead?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Am I a replicant? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/153249249477/i-dont-know-if-this-has-been-asked-already-but">Which guest artists might be appropriate for SMT?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— They absolutely exist! Like elves! </span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/155545620967/why-isnt-there-more-non-purseowner-megaten-merch">Why isn't there more merchandise produced for the SMT main series?</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— The Animate Effect and much more. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/155654113187/why-are-the-apocalypse-main-characters-considered">Why are Apocalypse's characters considered to be bad?</a> |<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Follow-up: </span><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/155752598657/making-superficial-jokes-isnt-inherently-bad">The effects of <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">v</span>icariousness and <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">projection</span></a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— Parts 1 and 2 of <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5</span>99.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/159254319272/dagda-being-a-god-of-knowledge-is-the-real-focus">Dagda and the Thermian argument</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>— It's always stronger to consider fiction as the work of human authors</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/165890544782/do-you-think-that-the-law-factions-general">Opinions on Law's unpopularity</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>When I talk about fanbases here I believe I specifically mean Western ones</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/165920928047/you-really-think-people-dislike-law-mainly-because">Follow-up 1</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>— Some real-life analogues</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/165993982722/i-dont-think-they-necessarily-had-to-course">Follow-up 2</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>— Do Nocturne's factions really make no sense</b>? </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/167364782612/will-you-maybe-eventually-play-persona-5-it">Will I ever play Persona 5?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>Probably not. Especially not for the following</b>: </span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/168022303817/i-know-you-dont-want-to-but-please-please-please">Anon tries to sell me on Persona 5 because it has "lots of implied rape"</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>This <i>actually </i>happened</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/170398516517/yo-dude-you-know-whats-the-meaning-behind-the">What does the name "Luster Candy" mean?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>— I'm tired and can't think of anything clever for this one. Delete this blog</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lists and personal opinions</span></span></h3>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/100028134817/hi-i-want-to-play-this-series-but-i-dont-know">My recommendations on where to start with the SMT series</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Just don't play Nocturne, it has no story! </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/137264174167/so-i-know-you-think-the-popularity-of-persona-3">My thoughts on Persona 3 and Persona 4</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> I did have a good time playing those games. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/144180755692/i-was-wondering-are-there-any-creatures-youd">Creatures I'd like to see in SMT?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Folkloric beasts that deserve a shot. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/121323598912/we-know-cuchu-is-your-favourite-but-what-demon-is">Who is your most hated demon?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Oh, I have an idea or two...</span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/165782943182/you-dont-like-alice-i-hope-you-get-swallowed-up">More of why I dislike her</a> </b></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>This is getting personal, indeed...</b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/165820039212/what-are-some-real-loli-gods-they-can-choose-other">Real loli gods they can use instead?</a> </b></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></span>Gods of Akihabara? </b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/165884001722/why-are-you-a-loli-hater">Why do I hate lolis?</a> </b></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></span>Because they are lolis (in games mostly aimed at teen-adult men, specifically)! </b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/171118280602/interested-you-gave-a-list-of-your-favorite">Another ask about my least favorites</a> </b></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— Slightly different, ree-ally cold-hearted choices this time, ho! </span></span></span></span></span></span> </b> </span></span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/122128854142/while-were-at-it-talking-about-designs-are">Demons that need redesigns?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> The shabbiest demons around. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/122060250107/what-demons-do-you-think-jonathan-and-walter-would">Which demons would Jonathan and Walter have used?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Shame we never got to see them. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/122085885077/what-do-you-think-of-non-mythological-demons-in">My opinion on SMT's non-mythological demons</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> BETELGEUSE, BETELGEUSE, BETELGEUSE</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/121403784717/what-demons-do-you-feel-is-very-underrated-or">Which demons are underrated?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> I initially missed the point of this ask, but that just means MORE CONTENT for you!</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/133847711447/what-are-your-top-5-demon-designs-by-kaneko">My Top 5 Kaneko Demons</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Some of them weren't even redesigned for SMT4A!</span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/171471171762/you-probably-has-been-asked-this-question-a">Another Top 5</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>Makes it a top ten! Amazing</b>! </span></span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/134772646537/what-are-your-favourite-female-demons">My favorite female demons</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> My personal goddesses. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/150555206572/what-newer-pop-culture-stuff-would-make-good">What newer pop culture stuff would make good demons or bosses?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Should Chaos truly reign? </span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/160572937647/do-you-think-sometimes-that-nocturne-is-overrated">Is Nocturne overrated?</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>True Demon Ending, definitely</b>. </span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/163411295162/did-you-see-the-another-new-doi-demon-reveal-for">The initial Strange Journey Redux Demeter reveal</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>Plus the weird idea that Metatron's design is somehow pandering. It also lead to the following</b>: </span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/163417303817/ive-seen-plenty-of-people-talking-about-how">Metatron and UFOs</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>When sleek robots are <i>too</i> sleek</b>. </span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/163437330397/we-already-had-the-naked-cupid-boy-angel-aniel-in">Haniel is a naked little boy, checkmate</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>— Not all nudity is the same</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/163438926432/my-top-5-pandering-designs-in-shin-megami-tensei">My Top 5 Pandering Designs in SMT</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span></span></span> This thread's logical conclusion</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/162965800277/what-is-your-least-favorite-smt-game-as-a-whole">What is my least favorite SMT game?</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>The fox has it</b>. </span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/164797106212/hei-eirikr-since-you-said-in-the-tags-that-the">What are my favorite volumes of Kaneko's Crib Notes?</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>Like picking favorite children</b>!</span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/164472069502/do-you-think-african-deities-could-have-more-space">Should (so and so) be in Shin Megami Tensei?</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>The answer is usually "yes"</b>! </span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/167648582017/i-would-give-an-arm-and-a-leg-to-see-raijin-or">A wish for Fujin and Raijin designed by Kaneko</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>Maybe one day we'll be able to peer into alternate realities and see them. Ya never know</b>! </span></span></li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/165389402052/hi-there-im-omega-maelstrom-x-i-would-like-to">Omega Maelstrom X's need for compelling monsters and moments</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>I never found out what this was for, maybe I never will</b>! </span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/165464723917/i-have-2-questions-do-you-think-that-nirasawa">Could the SMT4 guest artists have produced better demons with better direction? And my favorite from each.</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>I actually have to <i>choose</i></b>?</span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/166419375012/appearently-we-are-doing-this-honest-opinion">My take on Shoji Meguro?</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>My Meguro Era has passed, I think</b>. </span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/167581235577/i-thought-the-bug-sex-luck-stuff-was-well-done">Bug Sex leads to vintage Raidou 2 thoughts</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>My original take on King Abaddon and how my stance has changed since</b>. </span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/172188651212/opinion-on-digital-devil-saga">What do I think of Digital Devil Saga?</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>Memories of my Megami Tensei infancy</b>. </span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Asks about demon races </span></span></h3>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/106807482287/i-dont-get-the-holy-classification-it-just">Explanation of Holy race demons</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> The clues are in the kanji. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/125713733282/what-are-the-entity-race-exactly">What is the Entity race?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Albion, Alilat, and their ilk. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/136760159362/what-is-a-tenma-and-how-are-they-different-from-a">What is a Tenma and how are they different from a Fury?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Umm, one is in Japanese and one is in English? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/127122394522/foul-seems-to-be-a-hard-race-to-get-right-dont">Fouls and Frank Zappa</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Over-Nite Sensation is a great album.</span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/171780366442/do-you-feel-as-though-there-is-perhaps-a-bit-too">Are there too many Japanese-exclusive races?</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>Doesn't appear to be</b>! </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></li>
</ul>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Trolling & Drolling </span></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">SMT is a very serious series. </span></span></span></h3>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/98606673802/i-was-looking-through-your-posts-when-i-saw-that">Voiding Troll attacks</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span>Try another strategy. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/126177325022/xenogears-xenosaga-is-better-than-all-the-smt">Xenogears+Xenosaga is better than all the SMT...</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> <span style="color: red;">ALL THE SMT</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/128351362432/all-i-ever-see-you-do-is-complain-about-the-state">A load of bull</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> *sizzle*</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/135212349542/play-a-real-shimmy-gumi-woomy">Play a REAL SHIMMY GUMI WOOMY</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">T<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">his just made me smile. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/135404634107/so-how-long-do-you-think-itll-be-before-we-see-a">I am TRASH</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Garbage! </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/136502959087/what-are-your-thoughts-on-shin-megami-tensei-nine">My opinion of SMT: NINE</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> I would actually never do that to a limited edition. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/136843403667/why-does-smts-cerberus-have-only-one-head-as">Why does Cerberus have only one head instead of three?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> He hasn't been feeling like himself lately. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/137772977402/doi-needs-to-chill-with-the-warm-tones-why-is">What is the internal feedback process like at Atlus?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Remarkably silly, apparently.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/129166107992/any-good-news-about-megaten">Any good news about Megaten?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Mark my words on this one. Mark my words.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/137953479362/is-there-a-way-to-spice-up-yatagarasu-or-other">Spicing up bird designs</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Add according to taste. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/136615176982/what-kind-of-outfit-is-mastema-wearing">What kind of outfit is Mastema wearing?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> It might be on sale. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/140473527587/religion-is-a-sham-humanity-must-be-freed-of-the">Trump-eter</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> *toot* </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/141722743372/i-miss-smt">Shin Megami Tensei Simulator 17</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Choose Devilman every time. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/141798109432/youre-so-jaded-just-wow-was-smt4f-that-bad">you're so jaded just wow was smt4f that bad</a><b> </b></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Every game is sacred, every game is great, if you criticize a game, someone on the internet will get quite irate<b>. </b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/143554107307/one-thing-i-dont-like-about-smtiva-is-how">Krishna's dank reactions</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> He wants everyone online to know about them. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/144082990752/im-personally-pretty-fond-of-mad-libs-goetia">Goetia Mad Libs</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> I am [NOCTURNE STRATEGY GUIDE] and I command [1973] legions of demons. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/149153907157/in-your-opinion-what-is-the-greatest-video-game">What is my pick for greatest game of all time?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> I knew it immediately. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/148613832912/how-do-you-feel-about-people-considering-your">Am I an elitist?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> One of many results when you criticize something and the people who disagree don't have a proper counterargument. </span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/159666544527/you-probably-wont-respond-to-this-question-but">Am I a "Nostalgia Hog?"</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>— I was a North American Fall Webworm in my former life</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/151080014267/well-it-sure-would-be-silly-if-people-thought-an">Do people think Agony is literally Jesus?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Get results fast! </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/151265413887/i-honestly-dont-see-why-you-are-still-so-obsess">Why am I still so obsess with this series?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> It's almost as if there are actual <i>dimensions </i>to liking something!</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/153847663212/the-only-true-smt-games-take-place-in-tokyo">My top 3 Sin Megoomi Woomi games</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/153976118347/trying-to-save-you-some-future-headaches-here-i">Remember when the "Megami Tensei" franchise umbrella didn't exist?</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/154700756732/just-curious-whats-no252-piece-of-shits-actual">Who is the biggest piece of shit of them all?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>It really does cause <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">headaches!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/156559009712/why-does-rmegaten-hate-you-so-much">Why does r/Megaten hate me?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— They're <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">just jea<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">lous of my empty box <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">collection. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/162651374432/a-rather-tame-ask-but-ive-always-been">Inspirational</a> and <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/162654914347/those-uplifting-screenshots-were-really-great">uplifting</a> screenshots </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>SMT4 and 4A quotes to get you into the right moods</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/163551652022/review-skyrim">Skyrim review</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>Lucifer scales a sheer cliff on a horse</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/162682002447/why-is-intentionally-old-testament-emphasized">Why does Jewish YHVH quote Jesus?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Because nothing matters when you don't care</b>! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/163722255502/dont-you-want-a-rhythm-game-featuring-flynn-and">Everyone loves a rhythm game spinoff!</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Sick burnin' up the dance floor</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/164352149722/are-there-megaten-coloring-books">Are there Megaten coloring books?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> You know, For Your Health</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/164961135657/how-can-they-top-polytheism-vs-monotheism-in-smtv">How can they top mono v. poly in SMT5?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>They're big in Japan</b>! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/165228451797/do-you-think-well-finally-get-to-see-kool-aid-man">Kool-Aid Man in SMT5?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> In a form made with modern Atlus sensibilities</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/165319287282/i-get-the-distressing-feeling-that-the-only-way">Will SMT get the Sonic Mania treatment?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>It's back, in Werehog form</b>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/165348680397/werehog-territory-less-than-a-decade-away">What is the Werehog?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>It's the SMT circle of life</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/167258753762/i-hereby-dub-thee-grumpy-smt-grandpa">I am the Grumpy SMT Grandpa</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>Joe and Professor E would be proud of me</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">People really want to know where Kaneko is<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> and what he's been doing / other Atlus staff</span></span></span></h3>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/133477255692/have-you-any-ideas-about-why-kaneko-is-so-out-of">One</a> | <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/130570062477/so-is-there-any-particular-reason-for-kanekos">Two</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Where is this guy hiding? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/136238762802/do-you-think-kaneko-no-longer-features-as-a">Did Kaneko's designs themselves have something to do with his departure?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Is Kaneko too distinct for his own good? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/135156802027/do-you-think-theres-a-chance-in-hell-that-well">Will we ever see Kaneko Works IV?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> This one's from December 2015, way before it was actually announced.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/154496659937/i-hope-kaneko-works-4-isnt-just-devil-summoner">What will be in Kaneko Works IV and beyond?</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— They will be found next to Joseph Smith's golden tablets. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/153977567292/did-kaneko-draw-for-eva-fan-artbook-once">Did Kaneko produce Evangelion fanart?</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A cruel artist's t<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">he<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">sis. (<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Short answer is "no," b<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">tw)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/155823617647/do-we-still-not-have-a-shred-of-information-as-to">Will Kaneko be involved with future Atlus projects?</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why it might actually be bad for the company if he made a sudden return.</span></span></span><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span> </span></b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/157345490687/why-isnt-there-any-official-artwork-for-yhvh">Why isn't there official artwork for SMT2 YHVH and some other bosses?</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I can tell by the pixels.<b> </b></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/165205679792/i-came-across-an-interview-with-some-of-the-staff">Kaneko appears! ...For a Lost Child interview</a> </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>He lives, but for another company's game. Honestly, that's totally Kaneko</b>.</span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/172023613457/i-was-looking-through-some-official-art-for">Whose are the "MEG" and "SOE" signatures on some Kaneko art?</a> </span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span></span></span> Key players of the Atlus art union</b>. </span> </span></span></li>
</ul>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The theology of Shin Megami Tensei <i><br /></i></span></span></h3>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/137072744827/if-seth-is-a-god-of-chaos-like-the-compendium">If Seth is a god of chaos, why is he Law?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Can "chaos" sometimes be Lawful? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/134149193227/any-idea-why-mithra-is-usually-chaotic">Why are Mithra and Mithras usually chaotic?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Oh, these guys again. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/146283674707/why-does-shiva-require-a-special-fusion-of-barong">Why does Barong + Rangda = Shiva?</a> | <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/146285224447/the-barong-ranga-shiva-explanation-makes-no">Follow-up</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Why is this a tradition? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/134872181142/can-you-shed-some-light-on-uriel-for-me">Elemental affinities and archangels</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Angels and occultism. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/133112469027/elaboration-on-satan-and-lucifers-ability-to">Why do Lucifer and Satan co-exist?</a> | Follow-up: <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/144883551587/ive-heard-so-many-confusing-things-about-satan">Who is the serpent and who is the rebel?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Their differences in role and definition. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/133087435307/what-do-you-think-of-the-theory-that-some-unknown">Why is YHVH the way he is?</a> | Follow-up: <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/137052934657/so-im-sorry-i-had-another-yhvh-question-in">YHVH and Jehovah?</a> | Further follow-up: <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/147912480987/yhvh-has-always-been-evil-theres-just-a">Is YHVH evil</a>? </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> The Granddaddy of all SMT topics. </span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/167757353792/in-your-opinion-if-smt-tried-to-explore-the">Should SMT take a different approach to God?</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Not before it truly understands the basics</b>! </span></span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">SMT4A's weird theological constructs and other things that went wrong with SMT4A's sense of myth: </span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/151225185552/so-you-kill-the-old-dagda-and-danu-made-a-nicer">Nihilistic Dagda?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A prelude to <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">D<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">issecting Dagda. </span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/151597790062/so-how-come-balor-and-the-fomorians-werent-the">Nihilistic and supposedly Light-Neutral?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— "Light" means "positive" in SMT, not "light this <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">garbage on fire.<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">" </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/152517721102/from-what-i-understood-ingame-it-sounds-like">Mitra and 4A's other "greatest hits"</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What is a "Mitra B<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">odhisattva<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">," anyway?</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/141634972852/any-more-gods-that-have-a-grudge-against">Krishna, the...monotheist?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A thrilling conflict of monotheism vs. monotheism, from a certain point of view. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/155014654427/all-gods-are-born-of-observation-in-iv-and-thus">SMT4A's Observation and why it was poorly implemented</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— From the mythical to the technical. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/156325662082/rather-than-looking-to-outside-manga-for">Is Apocalypse's take on YHVH incestuously inspired? </a> —</span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Was this version of YHVH more inspired by the Bible or fan-like preconceptions<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> or </span>misinterpretations of SMT2's Y<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">HVH?</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/122030783987/do-you-think-there-are-any-taboo-topics-for-future">Which myths would be taboo for SMT? </a></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Boy, I sure was off-base about one of those...</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/151072529857/why-do-you-think-jesus-himself-hasnt-appeared-in">Why has Jesus not appeared in SMT?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Jesus saves...often. He must fuse a lot, like me. </span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/164432862987/a-long-time-agolast-summer-in-facti-was-asked">The Kabbalah and Nocturne's Fiends</a> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span></span></span> Do the "Candelabra" correspond to or mean anything</b>? </span></span></li>
</ul>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Asks about individual demons and/or identities</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/118342740567/hello-mr-eirikrjs-i-was-wondering-since-you-are">Who is Otogo-douji?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Some little kid on a wheel? WTF</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/118327893257/whats-the-deal-with-ippon-datara-in-japanese">Ippon-datara</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> The one-legged yokai. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/119459972412/you-wouldnt-happen-to-know-anything-about">Kinmamon and Aramisaki</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Obscure Japanese gods. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/121649860832/so-i-was-researching-about-gozu-tennoh-nocturnes">Gozu-Tennoh</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> The ox-headed pestilence god. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/123387207122/who-exactly-is-ocelot-from-devil-summoner">Who is Devil Summoner’s Ocelot(l)?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Another obscurity, this time from Mexico. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/119732494532/mara-since-raidou-vs-king-abaddon-has-been">Is Mara actually female?</a> | Follow-up: <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/148319165217/why-is-mara-female-in-strange-journey">What do the Japanese versions say?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> A one-time joke that has turned into a pervasive misidentification. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/123853132352/would-you-happen-to-know-whos-ifs-little-rama">SMT if...'s "Little Rama"?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> This demon's true name.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/122383463892/im-going-through-strange-journey-and-found-out">Why did they use Demiurge rather than Yaldabaoth in Strange Journey?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Why does SMT not always use the "better" design when there's a choice? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/125052222827/something-i-remembered-now-that-ive-never">SJ's Ouroborus and the "child," "skull," "frog," and "dragon"</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> What could these possibly mean?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/123910671042/the-recent-talk-about-the-archangels-in-smt4-got">What the heck is SMT's Tammuz?</a> | <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/133030584677/are-there-good-demon-designs-from-the-original">Follow-up</a> | Further follow-up: <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/145741099912/why-are-tammuz-and-pabilsag-scorpions-palbisag">+Pabilsag</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> To be clear, I still don't have an answer about Tammuz. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/125723089927/any-clue-as-to-why-es-was-put-under-wood">Es and Freudian symbolism</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Demon inspiration comes from the weirdest places. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/135197669512/any-more-luck-on-any-of-those-mystery-demons">The demon "Volvo" = BOMBO</a> | Follow-up: <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/144356258107/revisiting-the-mystery-demons">Revisting the Mystery Demons</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> How did Japanese get "Volvo," anyway? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/143877375217/i-really-hope-this-isnt-pushy-but-i-see-the">Where exactly does Silky come from?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> The housekeeping fairy gets a source.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/145807869252/so-while-were-on-mystery-demons-do-you-know-what">Atsuyu = Yayu?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> A really obscure SMT1 demon might be Chinese.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/134424150457/why-is-kazfiel-a-herald-or-divine-instead-of-a">Why is Kazfiel a Herald when the compendium says he fell from grace?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> An angel's complicated history. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/147850956557/master-therion-is-a-beast-of-revelation-as-he">Master Therion = Aleister Crowley's "Great Beast" of Thelema</a> | <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/151676730352/i-recall-seeing-way-back-some-stuff-about-you">Follow-up</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The proof's all here. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/154349201357/ok-i-found-something-strange-while-playing-strange">Why is Baphomet a Law-aligned demon?</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— A<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">nd it has nothing to do with the claim that his name is a<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> corruption of <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Muhammad's</span>! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/165963207047/eirikrjs-heres-a-picture-of-the-spinning-face">Strange Journey Redux's "Face Wheel"</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>I predicted Shekinah! Yay me</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/166208725537/have-you-ever-talked-about-any-of-nocturnes">Nocturne's cutting room floor Amaterasu + would she have been a good fit?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Proof that there are demons Kaneko designed that never saw the light of day</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/166715006612/what-could-those-red-headed-demons-at-the-end-of">Shin Megami Tensei V's little trailer devils</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>Predicting what the only-yet-known design from Doi might be</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/169719444032/wanna-go-for-food-soon-im-thinking-dead-lobster">Megami Tensei II's Dead Lobster</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>It's named after Red Lobster, apparently. ...<i>I know</i>, right</b>? </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/170771183422/from-what-i-know-about-if-and-hazamas-chapter">Zurvan and retcons in SMT</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>+ <a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/170778610577/i-think-they-get-the-original-story-plenty-when">follow-up</a> — Atlus' post-release story additions usually aren't up to the standards of the original</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/171708685882/ive-wanted-to-ask-you-something-as-i-imagine-you">Should Baal or Beelzebub have the edge on power?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>Death Battle vs. blitzkrieg</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/172193328627/ive-heard-that-often-in-the-japanese-releases">Do the Japanese versions of SMT use the Japanese names of Hindu and Buddhist deities?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span>A question of nomenclature for Krishna, Maitreya, and more</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/172433791047/kitsune-guy-here-again-im-using-submit-because"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The identity of Shin Megami Tensei if...'s Chefei / </span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/172433791047/kitsune-guy-here-again-im-using-submit-because">チェフェイ</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>— This was a submission. Sheds new light on that sly fox deity</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span> </li>
</ul>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Asks about demon designs</span></span></h3>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/107063179237/how-come-tam-lin-is-a-recolor-of-cu-chulainn">Why is Tam Lin a Cu Chulainn recolor?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> He's green with envy. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/112191072792/white-rider-is-practically-everyones-favorite-of">Why is White Rider’s horse covered in eyes?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> The better to see you with, my dear. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/123095425092/so-scathach-design-i-like-the-mask-and-hat-but">Scathach’s design</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Red isn't a very shadowy color! </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/125795337057/i-know-this-is-kind-of-an-absurd-question-but">What is written on Seraph's hand fans?</a> | <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/125823929432/its-just-random-letters-in-hebrew-that-are">Follow-up</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> A Hebrew speaker chimes in. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/147714173812/regardless-of-smt4s-yhvh-design-abortion-that">Isn't it underwhelming that YHVH is just a head?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> No "a head" puns here! </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/134878900032/could-you-elaborate-on-tsukuyomis-design">Tsukuyomi's design</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> One cool swirling mass. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/135958560492/since-its-the-holiday-season-tell-us-about-jack">How did Jack Frost become the series mascot?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Was his rise to the top the result of natural talent? Or were there "favors" involved? </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/135212267342/so-who-is-the-guy-on-belberiths-upper-left">Devil Survivor's Belberith incorporates SMT2 Bael, not Pabilsag</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Seems SMT2 Bael is easily overlooked. I can empathize. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/137708341592/could-you-elaborate-on-why-inanna-looks-more-like">Why Inanna's design looks more like a persona than demon</a> | Follow-up: <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/137798025477/not-to-be-rude-but-you-are-way-too-hard-on-doi">Too hard on Doi?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Inanna dontwanna. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/143719013252/i-noticed-that-anubis-is-holding-a-caduceus-in">Why does SMT2 Anubis hold a caduceus?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> Mythological syncreticism in action. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/152281241597/so-what-is-lailah-holding-in-her-hands-it-looks">What is Lailah holding in her hands?</a> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">YHVH's </span>baby-maker. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/154484172517/i-have-a-question-about-mithrathe-lion-and">Mitra and the leontocephaline design</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— Mitra, Mithra, and Mithras have 99 prob<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">lems and the <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">lion-h<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ead is all of them. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/155046131087/concerning-your-question-about-lucifers-12-wings">Why does Atlus say Lucifer's true form has 12 wings?</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The real answer is that this appears to be a Devil<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">man reference. </span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/155702062197/are-you-ever-planning-to-write-up-some-thoughts-on">Commentary on Doi's Shesha, Miroku, and Satan concept designs</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span>T<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">hese are definitely <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">cleverer</span> than <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">what we got. </span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why I find Doi's Odin underwhelming: <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/155934573602/holy-crap-apocalypse-odin-looks-like-solaris">Part 1</a>, <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/155953898847/honestly-its-just-my-opinion-but-purple-odin-is">Part 2</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/156049399532/you-touched-on-doiodin-as-being-a-weird-contrast">Part 3</a>, <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/156114460777/doesnt-nocturne-thor-also-wear-a-persona-like">Part 4</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— I will probably exp<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and these into a larger post! (After Dagda's<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
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<li><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/164623533027/not-to-dogpile-on-people-disliking-the-zeus">Dogpiling Doi's Zeus</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>To think Doi exceeded Odin...</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></li>
<li><b><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/164961737047/im-not-sure-why-odin-looking-like-a-power-rangers"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why is </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/164961737047/im-not-sure-why-odin-looking-like-a-power-rangers">Ultra Odin a big deal?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Don't know why I'm archiving these posts when the Odin article these evolved into already exists</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/165885244987/the-amount-of-complaining-you-have-done-on-sentai">How to improve Zeus and Demeter</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b>It's easy! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></li>
<li><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/166768395937/i-think-dois-zeus-comes-close-to-being-good-the">Zeus comes close to being good?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b>The only reason I'm archiving these is because they were used in the Odin article, honest! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/158866436282/since-marias-second-form-came-up-id-like-to">Why does NINE's Mary's second form have a dinosaur (and a fish)?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— I feel li<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ke I'm wrong about this, but also that<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> i<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t's a fairly good guess. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/161704439892/do-you-have-any-idea-why-seth-is-a-dragon">Why is Set a dragon?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>He's one Great Beast</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/162338769742/hey-i-appreciate-that-there-are-other-ppl-out">Why am I so critical of demon designs that stray from the source?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> The ones that do are a dime a dozen</b>!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/166281026902/jesus-im-a-huge-fan-of-your-blog-but-i-never">What are my standards?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>So I did publish those demon design categories before the Odin article, huh</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/164902245727/why-alice-and-djinn-have-disney-designs">Why are Alice and Djinn "Disney'd"?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>For Djinn, it has to do with Robin Williams</b>! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/164938583802/im-not-sure-if-youve-already-talked-about-this">Why are Metatron and Sandalphon robots?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>This has been addressed elsewhere, but I want to be able to easily remind myself of that TT post included here where I talk about how demon designs are now sometimes interpreted diegetically, which is not great</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/165679165382/are-dick-jokes-the-norm-for-maras-japanese">Will Mara always be just a dick joke?</a> </b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Speaking of design diegesis... </b> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/164960496782/ok-humour-me-but-i-cant-be-the-only-one-who-thinks">Adramelech is pretty as a peacock</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>From Sept. 2017. It's relevant to this</b>: </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/164996518437/as-a-woman-i-consider-some-demons-cute-or-even">The value of "cute" or "sexy" demons</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>A woman's take on the subject, which I find valuable to know</b>!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/165251341367/im-a-girl-and-while-i-am-a-big-sucker-for-sexy">Cool, sexy women, but having to interact with them as a male avatar</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">—</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> Representation is not one of Atlus' concerns</b>. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/167531474777/it-were-a-doi-design-id-be-giving-it-high-praise">The secret dichotomy of Demeter and Inanna</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Is this Freaky Friday or something</b>? </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/168033374932/i-dont-understand-your-love-of-the-original">Why do I love Kaneko's Satan?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">— </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Because it's pandering, obviously. Look at all those boobs</b>! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/170405098157/i-dont-understand-whats-wrong-with-dois-mermaid">How do Doi's "pandering" demons like Mermaid or Demeter differ from Kaneko's Angel?</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>— This tends to be a heated topic</b>! </span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
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Eirikrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708584583156602408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102004681763150356.post-58477942737474683612016-09-14T19:08:00.000-04:002018-08-14T00:50:16.107-04:00From the Precipice of the Garbage Can: Musings About Ann Takamaki <h2>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESgYptQ7EMZviw2dGC3NlyoM31nM6Be-UQ_6WW71qAlG9nLgBOwhPiquwBUwJSSJ1epFl-MBDfGR5suGSp0-MlUtNaeCPUWSItI_vF_cEyJW55DXOWJDvfubD2d17dJngn8XR9Eh-PtQ/s1600/anne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESgYptQ7EMZviw2dGC3NlyoM31nM6Be-UQ_6WW71qAlG9nLgBOwhPiquwBUwJSSJ1epFl-MBDfGR5suGSp0-MlUtNaeCPUWSItI_vF_cEyJW55DXOWJDvfubD2d17dJngn8XR9Eh-PtQ/s1600/anne.jpg" /></span></a></h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><i><b>[IMPORTANT INTRODUCTORY NOTE: </b>PERSONA 5 is happening, so it wouldn’t make sense not to have something to say about it, right? As a matter of fact, I almost did a number of months ago, only you didn’t hear about it because, well, I didn’t think it was quite up to snuff. Intended to be published to <a href="http://personacentral.com/">Persona Central</a>, the following article examines Ann’s mixed-race heritage and how Persona 5 could frame it within the discriminatory context of modern Japanese culture. (A different article on Nocturne--more my speed--will be available shortly.)<br /><br />Even though this Ann article is missing that</i> je ne sais quoi <i>(probably due to my lack of passion for the plight of a unfamiliar character from a game I’ve never played), there’s still some stuff I like about it, particularly the conclusion, which forced me to change some of my existing assumptions. Seeing as this is probably the final day anything about its content could even hope to be relevant, it was time to release the article into the wild or delete it forever. Hopefully it’s worthwhile for at least one of you!<b>]</b></i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Of the scant information released thus far about <i>Persona 5</i>, the tidbits concerning party member Ann Takamaki in particular caught my attention: Described as “one-quarter American,” that ethnic split, and the resulting personality trait stereotypes, allegedly make her unable to gel with her Japanese peers. Upon hearing that for the first time, I thought it was a joke. How could a small fraction of a particular ethnicity (especially as potentially nebulous as “American” can be) not only define a character but also elicit such severe discrimination? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Nevertheless, this is an issue that will likely define much of Ann’s early characterization and her persona arc, so it was worth investigating further: Was it plausible or not? Armed with my own contrary experiences from teaching for two years in a Japanese public high school, I went looking for evidence that Ann’s scenario wasn’t just an ignorant attempt to acknowledge the series’ burgeoning overseas fanbase. What I found, however, was at once surprising and, sadly, predictable. </span></span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So who exactly is Ann Takamaki? The Japanese Persona 5 website gives her backstory thusly: <i>A 16-year old, three quarters Japanese girl with American roots that attends Shûjin gakuen. At school, she appears to be unable to blend in and lonely due to her striking looks. She is being observed acting together with the youth assumed to be the leader and Sakamoto Ryûji. At school, strange rumors are spreading about her, but whether these are true or not is still being investigated. </i>This is all minimal, obligatory promotional copy that is unlikely to be expounded upon before the game's release. So why does being one-quarter American matter? </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">To be certain, the issue is not that racism or personal prejudices exist, but that they could plausibly exist over such fraction-of-a-fraction differences. To name one of Japan’s more politically-charged examples, a vocal minority of Japanese, usually of a conservative mindset, positively loathe their East Asian neighbors China and <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinYrE8XqRBXTqPjGrcR-gzxyUNW_-WVoF5NzZySdThzL0o-RZ_nI2lHtaM6r6qehzuc156iqQ1UDyImPGkeNYTqqD5a_fpl2ZQrb_Vy8SVS-2H24OnBaxLpPbJv-ymX9e5hMT9u4tzjqw/s1600/AnneSmile.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinYrE8XqRBXTqPjGrcR-gzxyUNW_-WVoF5NzZySdThzL0o-RZ_nI2lHtaM6r6qehzuc156iqQ1UDyImPGkeNYTqqD5a_fpl2ZQrb_Vy8SVS-2H24OnBaxLpPbJv-ymX9e5hMT9u4tzjqw/s200/AnneSmile.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Relevant picture of Anne</td></tr>
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Korea for reasons ranging from regional friction to outright racism. I myself witnessed such polemic firsthand while waiting for friends at an Osaka train station, <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/62789897041/and-now-for-something-completely-different-a-few">when a member of a small group of picketers handed me an (English language, no less) anti-Korean, anti-Chinese flyer</a>. Another time I was teaching at an elementary school and a boy thought it necessary to tell me that two of his classmates were Chinese, hardly relevant information. Of course, this is the kind of petty garbage you might see manifest anywhere in the world. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">While racism against Chinese and Koreans in Japan is undeniable, would the same occur to people with blonde hair and blue eyes, like Ann? Though I’m not fair-haired, I would often be complimented on my blue eyes, apparently a rare phenomenon for Japanese to see with theirs. This fascination is certainly an effect of Japan's 99% homogeneous population; yes, I can personally confirm that approximately 99 out of every 100 people I saw in Japan were Japanese. Living as a foreigner in Japan means your experience will be different than that of the native population, though to what degree will fluctuate according to individual experience. As an American of European descent, I definitely stuck out like a sore thumb, but I was far from the only white dude in a major city like Osaka; I’m sure most of the inner city natives saw foreigners daily. On the other hand, my apartment was located nearer the outskirts of the Osakan urban sprawl, and just the sight of me seemed to be a notable event for the local elementary school kids. I can’t complain, as their staring and bashful utterances of “hello” kind of made me feel like a celebrity. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But that doesn’t mean I was free from passive prejudices, such as the affectionately named “gaijin bubble.” This is where, even on busy trains, Japanese would refrain from seating themselves next to <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOS-nGWPCTw1GloeVY_Y5CNaxUJ53VkmYMsVOv3MArxvlFOwB1Smy34Jt0KZ7fS24QGRBLQm-1oOSjcBa0kAaiyD9dfB5kOAwmXW23P6IOfG46baOK_xNFhwiH4E9olsgr5lJSfSHHAs/s1600/Depositphotos_11331458_m-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOS-nGWPCTw1GloeVY_Y5CNaxUJ53VkmYMsVOv3MArxvlFOwB1Smy34Jt0KZ7fS24QGRBLQm-1oOSjcBa0kAaiyD9dfB5kOAwmXW23P6IOfG46baOK_xNFhwiH4E9olsgr5lJSfSHHAs/s200/Depositphotos_11331458_m-2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PICTURE OF JAPAN</td></tr>
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me—an experience shared by all of my fellow expat friends. It’s something I laughed off because it only gave me more room to breathe in a cramped space, not to mention their motives may not have been malicious: Most Japanese people are too shy to speak to foreigners because they are not confident in their English abilities, and sitting next to a foreigner only increases their chances of making an embarrassing mistake in public. It sounds silly, but this crippling language anxiety is real—to use a personal example, I still can’t convince my Osaka-native girlfriend to talk to my parents over Skype, as she doesn’t think her English is good enough (even though it totally is). </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Japanese general public is one thing, but what about the high schoolers? Would Japanese teenagers really reject someone with foreign characteristics? In my experience as a Japanese high school English teacher? <i>Highly unlikely</i>. Though my high school was never privy to foreign exchange students during my tenure, if I had to venture a guess based on the handful of students I regularly interacted with, I would have to say any obviously foreign kids would have been welcomed, even celebrated. My “regulars”—the students with the highest-level English proficiency—weren’t just capable of holding conversations with me, they were also familiar with Western culture through movies, TV, and music, with many expressing interest in living or working in English-speaking countries. In fact, one such student informed me recently that she will be attending college in England. Though I feel it’s true that a foreign student might be seen by the majority as a kind of novelty, I very much doubt he or she would have faced any outright hostility like Ann is purported to suffer. Supporting this claim is the fact that one of the more popular students at my school was Korean—the same nationality I saw demonized by the Osaka picketers. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsD-ooM-z-7AgYPJb9-AJ6Ep9eguNtVnW5hY1vaw7K6ztPw52BMJT4m42l7LACgPOecW1KvwxKUs_oQqq7T8LpvI2nZDChEXjAHKYaNydvUthmASzetDtAx4bkUf8oRNrz7o3Fy5CFUXU/s1600/currychips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsD-ooM-z-7AgYPJb9-AJ6Ep9eguNtVnW5hY1vaw7K6ztPw52BMJT4m42l7LACgPOecW1KvwxKUs_oQqq7T8LpvI2nZDChEXjAHKYaNydvUthmASzetDtAx4bkUf8oRNrz7o3Fy5CFUXU/s200/currychips.jpg" width="175" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cheese curry pizza chips,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the perfect visual metaphor</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But a vast gulf separates the anecdotes of a foreign expat and the experiences of a native-born Japanese citizen. It is unclear if Ann was born in Japan or America; however, at the very least, trailers show she has fluent command of Japanese, so she must have spent the majority of her life there; otherwise, the complexity of her speech and subtitles (or lack thereof) would go out of their way to peg her as non-native, as foreign characters in Japanese-language media are often characterized with elementary-level speech and/or majority katakana script. As a major character with presumably heavy story involvement, the logistics basically require Ann to have such fluency. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you’re at all familiar with contemporary Japanese culture, Ann’s plight may sound familiar, as it most closely resembles the experiences of Japanese with one native parent and one foreign parent, whom are dubbed “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C4%81fu">hafu</a>” (literally “half”). With more and more foreigners immigrating to Japan, the numbers of hafu have increased exponentially in recent decades. But even though most hafu are native-born and identify as Japanese, Japanese society as a whole has had difficulties coming to grips with their placement within that society: Are hafu truly Japanese? Or does their “other side” prevent their true integration into the in-group? </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On one hand, the mixed features of hafu can be seen as desirable or stylish. For instance, it is common for hafu to appear as models, especially in fashion magazines. This extends to children, for better or worse—my girlfriend has related to me that her younger sister wanted to marry a foreign man, with a partial motivation being babies with the preferred biracial features (ultimately, she married a Japanese). </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the other hand, hafu do face discrimination. And it’s not necessarily just their mixed looks in a notably homogeneous country, but those perceived differences of culture and language perpetuated by stereotypes. For example, Americans as a whole may be seen through the Japanese cultural lens as particularly loud and/or honest (heck, it might even be true). How can someone “predisposed” to loudness and frankness be representative of Japanese ideals of respect and modesty? </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">One notable example in recent news is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariana_Miyamoto">Ariana Miyamoto</a>, the current holder of the Miss Japan crown[<i><a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37283518">not anymore</a>! 2016's is, guess what, another hafu! -Eirikr</i>], who has an African-American father and a Japanese mother. She may look different than most of the population, but Miyamoto nonetheless self-identifies as Japanese. Sadly, her nomination as Miss Japan provoked considerable controversy and criticism, with many predictable instances of “She’s not Japanese!” lobbed her way. But aside from the world of tabloids, there are also many hafu who feel alienated by a society that won’t fully accept them, enough to inspire the creation of a documentary, simply titled <i>Hafu</i>, exploring life on Japan’s fringes. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6j_wQQZY-OE/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6j_wQQZY-OE?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So what about people like Ann, who are “hafu-hafu”? Predictably, there is a term for those with one foreign grandparent, too: “<a href="http://jisho.org/word/%E3%82%AF%E3%82%A9%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BF">kuota</a>” (“quarter”), though it doesn’t seem to be in common use, perhaps due to it not being standard usage or there just not being enough people in Japan yet with one-quarter foreign ancestry to warrant widespread adoption. Curious, I took it upon myself to search for notable “kuota” in the Japanese public eye to get an idea if they faced similar discrimination to hafu, to prove or disprove the legitimacy of Ann’s example. As expected, it was far more difficult to find three-quarters Japanese/one-quarter foreign people compared to hafu, but I did find the following notables: </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namie_Amuro">Namie Amuro</a></b>. Amuro is a hugely popular J-pop artist with album sales in the tens of millions; one of my favorite high school pupils idolized Amuro and attended her concerts whenever she could. Amuro is also three-quarters Japanese and one-quarter Italian, from her half-Japanese, half-Italian mother. There are no records to suggest that Amuro faced hardship because of her “kuota” status. On a whim, I also asked my girlfriend if she knew that Amuro was one-quarter Italian—she did not! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayumi_Sada">Mayumi Sada</a></b>. A model and actress, Sada is three-quarters Japanese, one-quarter American. There is no evidence to suggest she suffered discrimination because of her ethnicity. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sowelu">Sowelu</a></b>. A J-pop and R&B artist, Sowelu's non-Japanese quarter is Irish, with no evidence of discrimination that I could find. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">4. <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lena_Fujii">Lena Fujii</a></b>. A commercial model and actress, Fujii is also one-quarter American. There is no evi…</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">…Okay, finding Fujii forced me to rewrite this entire article, toning down what were innumerable assumptions. Very much unlike the others, Fujii was bullied in high school for looking different yet lacking English fluency. Even worse, she went abroad to Switzerland to study English but faced racist bullying there, as well. The happy ending of course is that she did find personal success.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Though it was a challenge searching for “kuota” with public <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyb9OTlScKqfVx_8u8at17jfOI0NBplf7B8GmapEeEZpjZDevaJc1ciybR4t0cCiVJdiAGnbhSlzfcwqW0vDbhkf30PZbp8q3ynk0jGwrK5bHDaOVgggIHdu3Y0TGSaiD63l3ALaIk7ic/s1600/snapshot20090619212722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyb9OTlScKqfVx_8u8at17jfOI0NBplf7B8GmapEeEZpjZDevaJc1ciybR4t0cCiVJdiAGnbhSlzfcwqW0vDbhkf30PZbp8q3ynk0jGwrK5bHDaOVgggIHdu3Y0TGSaiD63l3ALaIk7ic/s320/snapshot20090619212722.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lena Fujii</td></tr>
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presence, Lena Fujii's example nonetheless provides a close analogue to Ann's—possibly even a direct influence, though I can't say for sure. More relevantly, her scrapes with bullying completely vindicate Ann’s scenario, despite my own experiences to the contrary and a seemingly uncommon rate of occurrence. It also speaks to something that should have been obvious from the beginning: People can be assholes, especially when drawing attention to the minutest differences between one's group and another's (such as being one-quarter of any ethnicity). I guess it shouldn't have seemed so far-fetched. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Issues of race in Japan are of course far more complicated and political than needs to be discussed here. But whether you are a foreigner, native Japanese of mixed ethnicity, or generally anything beyond the homogeneous majority, in Japan you will undoubtedly face discrimination or prejudice along a wildly varying scale. My hope is that <i>Persona 5</i> is able to use Ann's example to explore the issue in a meaningful way, beyond stereotypes, caricatures, hackneyed one-liners, or even gameplay-related concepts like shadow acceptance or (especially!) S. Links, where her problems will ultimately be quantified, “solved,” and pushed aside. To address the issue in Persona's psychological parlance: Much like a Jungian Shadow, admitting that an unwanted aspect is nonetheless part of you is the first step towards integrating it into the whole. </span></span>Eirikrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708584583156602408noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102004681763150356.post-33524396243873745242016-08-06T18:45:00.002-04:002020-12-18T19:35:38.620-05:00Selected Translations from: Shin Megami Tensei IV Final/Apocalypse Official World Setting Collection + Journey Towards the World of Mythology <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7jPMgnBtd98G4JrLxsDYAOMg2wXdd7jyrZEwE-M1X4Y_E7tdzimH69sH7B4X9n7_hT82tFnpENy3isNmxmy_Oz3XQHAvoJXApTo6OHeHksAFWUnWJOYrhOV9ENr5UmnyiM9y_NXzaTg/s1600/translation_BG.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7jPMgnBtd98G4JrLxsDYAOMg2wXdd7jyrZEwE-M1X4Y_E7tdzimH69sH7B4X9n7_hT82tFnpENy3isNmxmy_Oz3XQHAvoJXApTo6OHeHksAFWUnWJOYrhOV9ENr5UmnyiM9y_NXzaTg/s1600/translation_BG.jpg" /></a></div>
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<h2> <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span><b><span class="a-size-large" id="productTitle">(<a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/IV-FINAL/dp/4758014957/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr="><i>真・女神転生IV FINAL 公式設定資料集+神話世界への旅</i></a>)</span></b></h2>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-large;">Translated by Dijeh [<a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a>]</span></h1><p>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Produced by Eirikr [<a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a>] [<a href="https://twitter.com/EirikrJS">twitter</a>] ...and <b>YOU </b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Thanks to the SMT community on Tumblr, our <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">premier </span>polyglot, Dijeh, was able to expertly translate certain sections of the recently released Japanese SMT4F/A artbook. <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Precisely, this </span>includes Masayuki Doi's commentary on each of his new demon designs plus a full-length interview with the game's producer, Kazuyuki Yamai, and its scenario writer, Yusuke Miyata. There's a lot to unpack here!</span><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">As a bonus, I have meticulously scanned and edited most of the book's new demon artwork, which entails both the official game art AND Doi's unused concepts, the latter of which are as great in number as the finalized designs. Of course, <b>FULL SPOILERS</b> will be out in the open from the start, so only click through or scroll down if you're prepared for them. Please enjoy this exclusive English foray behind the scenes of Shin Megami Tensei IV Final/Apocalypse! </span><br />
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</b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Oh, and <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">d</span></span>id you know that <a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/">Dijeh</a> translated these materials, not me? Just making sure. :) </b></span><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>UPDATE 1/2<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">8/17: Dijeh translated the profiles for BOTH forms of 4A's final boss. Check them out under their related entries! </span></b></span></span></p><p><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">UPDATE... some months before 12/18/20: Dijeh has polished the entire translation! </span> </b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRT1Qt7IX-Te8_LgbgHcs33aBL4WzG_SlO7rLvZCb9wTfoQqwt0ClVaKRsIkmP-UGbqCIqAcdy47YES-vGbfwW6U87tkj14Wjf9iqWRBs29blpvpO87WI2j8yGdS1OSG0kUJLdIZb4_18/s1600/pt1.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRT1Qt7IX-Te8_LgbgHcs33aBL4WzG_SlO7rLvZCb9wTfoQqwt0ClVaKRsIkmP-UGbqCIqAcdy47YES-vGbfwW6U87tkj14Wjf9iqWRBs29blpvpO87WI2j8yGdS1OSG0kUJLdIZb4_18/s1600/pt1.png" /></a></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">What follows is Masa<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">yuki Doi's demon design commentary<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">.</span> While most of the images are my s<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">cans, some of them are <a href="http://primaeros.tumblr.com/post/142786862411/high-resolution-rips-dagda-3636x5760-lady-danu">high-quality rips by Prim</a><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="http://primaeros.tumblr.com/post/142786862411/high-resolution-rips-dagda-3636x5760-lady-danu">aeros</a>; please check out the link <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">for images bigger than Blogger can handle</span>. Enjoy! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5Gao5mm0zf-HbAMcYNJqnV4fFA2h0e9qXbmzAuY9pvJH3aXAhq3wpkXgeV27BOw2Kg44ZA3-wfPFyL5PFBo1-HDLqsDi-03DqGyZuEO2XLklTDZaAja7IbaXSOlp-sosQ4jmK39yte8/s1600/1+Dagda.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5Gao5mm0zf-HbAMcYNJqnV4fFA2h0e9qXbmzAuY9pvJH3aXAhq3wpkXgeV27BOw2Kg44ZA3-wfPFyL5PFBo1-HDLqsDi-03DqGyZuEO2XLklTDZaAja7IbaXSOlp-sosQ4jmK39yte8/s320/1+Dagda.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Dadga</span></span></h3>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Role-wise there was a discrepancy in the game with the generally
transmitted image of a good, food-loving god, so I broadened the
definition. I strengthened his image as a god ruling over life and
death, emphasised the death aspect even on the inside, and heightened
the god of death element. I gave the belt the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triskelion" rel="noopener" target="_blank">triskeles</a> inspired
by anecdotes about his big round belly. I preferred the four-leaf
clover to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamrock">shamrock</a> because the idea of trinity has been overtaken by
Christianity and this was supposed to be a sort of rebellion against
history.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_CwtzTeRaDtwOUUDPDk6Dpyy80Pp8xzs53IR5R7mr9HB04zImJVDJpS8CZ6YoneuJvRGVFWst3GOJXYGte1VYQDahuF6HR0YYp0BMrtm-kOYPebz3wEVmeIvpi54Yk7lauacHI_AlLw/s1600/1+Dagda+concept+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_CwtzTeRaDtwOUUDPDk6Dpyy80Pp8xzs53IR5R7mr9HB04zImJVDJpS8CZ6YoneuJvRGVFWst3GOJXYGte1VYQDahuF6HR0YYp0BMrtm-kOYPebz3wEVmeIvpi54Yk7lauacHI_AlLw/s320/1+Dagda+concept+1.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dagda concept 1</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXG-YYgE0wC378YKt6GIRRGP4JFS1Scbz1Ab7x-ELFOPdqJrOFcfxhwAJukwXsLXv53bi53PY7h2dYq4gMT2Jjkboh9ePwNBABDAEXb8lXtnUY8HmYUbDiuMq5GHBEwVExjnHepwSH5Q/s1600/1+Dagda+concept+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXG-YYgE0wC378YKt6GIRRGP4JFS1Scbz1Ab7x-ELFOPdqJrOFcfxhwAJukwXsLXv53bi53PY7h2dYq4gMT2Jjkboh9ePwNBABDAEXb8lXtnUY8HmYUbDiuMq5GHBEwVExjnHepwSH5Q/s320/1+Dagda+concept+2.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dagda concept 2</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPRfx215mEbWuCFbXIiWTzWFHiRlYzChGDeGEtJMZ8Af1lCKG4RePyGheLE70I_b6N6DEryH00sggRKkgixJR2STG76YqWrTACV5KwnmE3Hhw12eRCnob4S9IOlhqf0GjQIuQXuDreB1M/s1600/2+Danu.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPRfx215mEbWuCFbXIiWTzWFHiRlYzChGDeGEtJMZ8Af1lCKG4RePyGheLE70I_b6N6DEryH00sggRKkgixJR2STG76YqWrTACV5KwnmE3Hhw12eRCnob4S9IOlhqf0GjQIuQXuDreB1M/s320/2+Danu.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Danu</span></span></h3>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Besides being the earth goddess ancestor of her clan, she has very
few actual descriptions, so I used my imagination a lot. The flowers and
green on her head signify overflowing life, while her body is a tree
trunk and the earth, showing the flow of life. Her abundant hair is
water, and all in all, I included everything that encompassed the
Druidic faith. Her role is different from Dagda’s and she’s more
tolerant when it comes to Christianity, so I gave her the shamrock as a
symbol, which became associated with the propagation of Christianity.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqAmzFsbvuJxRF1xopgBdp4jC0A9dSrEa_G6w4b88-tXOq2-sI1ySVY8hvuOPSq9ppjWctY7uxO-bm0bXucLJ9R1a-TRYDb9vx-EPliW4kMNK7cjgdb9zuiTaxK6wvbmjANLHCbsTksY/s1600/2+Danu+concept.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqAmzFsbvuJxRF1xopgBdp4jC0A9dSrEa_G6w4b88-tXOq2-sI1ySVY8hvuOPSq9ppjWctY7uxO-bm0bXucLJ9R1a-TRYDb9vx-EPliW4kMNK7cjgdb9zuiTaxK6wvbmjANLHCbsTksY/s320/2+Danu+concept.jpg" width="172" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danu concept</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Merkabah</span></span></h3>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">A refining of the original. It was already <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGQVYW9cMNE">breathtaking</a> as a 2D
design, so refining it was difficult. The pose is almost symmetrical and
I did not change it, since it was perfect that way. Still, I followed
the basic form and took a very long time working on it. I made use of an
excellent illustrator’s talent, and applying my own touch was much
harder than anyone would think. I did my best.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Lucifer</span></span></h3>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I refined the design, the same as I did with Merkabah, but I had
trouble deciding what to do exactly. There were many voices saying it
should look cool, but the original model was standing and it was
difficult for me to make him look menacing like that. I had a lot of
trouble with that, so I ended up creating the chair but as a designer I
felt defeated…I added the light at the back of the chair and the twelve
wings of Lucifer. Did anyone notice?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9ohvVBSrmvdKBB1uf57KmkYEdWoCCA7IzuUGguVzzbmi4KUZthT2weP-_It07wRF_0e9e4Q8sN6gP97zKVa6qiSLMmDx94sIminasqjGaNT5W5RleEvD2FUxT0-hE0rcDx6B8EEGk6A/s1600/5+Krishna.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9ohvVBSrmvdKBB1uf57KmkYEdWoCCA7IzuUGguVzzbmi4KUZthT2weP-_It07wRF_0e9e4Q8sN6gP97zKVa6qiSLMmDx94sIminasqjGaNT5W5RleEvD2FUxT0-hE0rcDx6B8EEGk6A/s320/5+Krishna.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Krishna</span></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="de1">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Krishna is the main figure of the Divine Powers [previously known as
the Polytheistic Alliance] and proposes salvation for humans. I gave him
a familiar human design, hence the Western style clothes. There are
many indigenous Hindu gods with dark skin who are depicted as blue.
Black, the colour of uncleanliness, was presented as blue, but in the
game, I turned it into dark brown for the reasons mentioned above. The
colour blue in itself remained in the game, also used for his hair
colour, in order to emphasise an air of mystery.</span></div>
<div class="de1">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsMTCUQUURrC9E3iSbTRBUNAzToIhEi1NjFxehSUpVYVFmcH9CtWbSi_HqnR8zkcmBL8FhOGP1zGw8L1x8sSimEfB3K1DTORc9CRCJl9fM6rVuTJiCIVgcmgTIGhmVlKCyAAlLFh0xg1A/s1600/5+Krishna+concept.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsMTCUQUURrC9E3iSbTRBUNAzToIhEi1NjFxehSUpVYVFmcH9CtWbSi_HqnR8zkcmBL8FhOGP1zGw8L1x8sSimEfB3K1DTORc9CRCJl9fM6rVuTJiCIVgcmgTIGhmVlKCyAAlLFh0xg1A/s320/5+Krishna+concept.jpg" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Krishna concept</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEalnhACZEzycuG-vXD_VdlWytxhWS15co7mcTdAzfckGVVeKXexNaGB6Fqql6PhdoGPljhcNcA6nxylz5pS68KmDjkDu4_ZBbUpftenDP-Fdl614dp5v5EQNl_XtRXaK3uS5FjUl9O4/s1600/6+Odin.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEalnhACZEzycuG-vXD_VdlWytxhWS15co7mcTdAzfckGVVeKXexNaGB6Fqql6PhdoGPljhcNcA6nxylz5pS68KmDjkDu4_ZBbUpftenDP-Fdl614dp5v5EQNl_XtRXaK3uS5FjUl9O4/s320/6+Odin.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Odin</span></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="de1">
<div class="de1">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">A god usually seen under the guise of a one-eyed old man wearing a
hat, who has appeared since the very first days of Megaten. I wanted to
draw his updated design as him in his battle attire, golden, with a blue
mantle, ready to show his face on the battlefield. I was also inspired
by movies about Norse mythology and I thought that portraying Thor and
the other Norse gods as aliens was an interesting idea, so I emphasised
the alien (for the Japanese) image of the <a href="https://ultra.fandom.com/wiki/Ultra_Hero_Series">Ultra Hero</a>.</span></div>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA76brqZPxWDYnnbmeXo8uVHyf8eS-JYP-zl4G4MBJDErAXcbR6CT44XkJGGpwCSOZBMl_RNJxGVijV2HZZg-qW1ky_vu8MvMwXhba_VVRlayEhfH4KI4l9vQguqTr5GaoHoeRx7W0FaU/s1600/7+Miroku.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA76brqZPxWDYnnbmeXo8uVHyf8eS-JYP-zl4G4MBJDErAXcbR6CT44XkJGGpwCSOZBMl_RNJxGVijV2HZZg-qW1ky_vu8MvMwXhba_VVRlayEhfH4KI4l9vQguqTr5GaoHoeRx7W0FaU/s320/7+Miroku.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Miroku Bo<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">dhisattva</span></span></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="de1">
<div class="de1">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I originally wanted to give Maitreya <a href="http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/bodhisattva.shtml">Bodhisattva</a> a feminine image.
Something along the lines of Bodhisattva as the mother,
while Nyorai [historical Buddha] would be the father. I focused on the
androgynous aspect, and tried all kinds of appearances, but I also had
to think about the balance between the three gods of the Divine Powers,
so in the end I settled on a large version. The historical Maitreya was
depicted in medieval China as a fat figure, there are also details where
he was altered and became Hotei [semi-historical Chinese monk who is
venerated as Maitreya Buddha in Chan Buddhism], so I figured this type
of design would also be interesting. I’d still like to try my hand at
drawing an androgynous pretty Maitreya one day.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_aGcr3jRUTXRjcwuEymNfQ8P1wLNCs4jTEd-76McclXd-XrhZqnjuLxdfkYFU0ZM24259pJ_5qwQESmChtBiTFF8CB90KKMulykXkwKX_KcA2QuxwxICmehTFV1njFMLnxOpDbHrsUaQ/s1600/7+Miroku+concept+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_aGcr3jRUTXRjcwuEymNfQ8P1wLNCs4jTEd-76McclXd-XrhZqnjuLxdfkYFU0ZM24259pJ_5qwQESmChtBiTFF8CB90KKMulykXkwKX_KcA2QuxwxICmehTFV1njFMLnxOpDbHrsUaQ/s320/7+Miroku+concept+1.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miroku concept 1</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcS8a-58WTAHkhoycdCpgoMla1zQ7oNMhiNamb1KuNWQjGxvDnRoIqsbdjzoaTKQ9iLsjtKLWnmRJsOd8YJU5MEhm2m5KgPbRIvl02BbUv0VSgigDYgZmvjJ6Ciunw9nIYJtoDU-5hfo/s1600/7+Miroku+concept+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcS8a-58WTAHkhoycdCpgoMla1zQ7oNMhiNamb1KuNWQjGxvDnRoIqsbdjzoaTKQ9iLsjtKLWnmRJsOd8YJU5MEhm2m5KgPbRIvl02BbUv0VSgigDYgZmvjJ6Ciunw9nIYJtoDU-5hfo/s320/7+Miroku+concept+2.jpg" width="168" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miroku concept 2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAigdEkYqzHsBrhtGePJ9dNa9mBR_F_pNIXPMv-7yW6JM_tH0eSl1jaXlPHistudPENw7Kk0xLEyqaHEumrb00P7KKz-Esib2yLhDdgd_VzUP-8ohARgZBuZkn_6_OWVi_TOShK7tL_o8/s1600/7+Miroku+concept+3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAigdEkYqzHsBrhtGePJ9dNa9mBR_F_pNIXPMv-7yW6JM_tH0eSl1jaXlPHistudPENw7Kk0xLEyqaHEumrb00P7KKz-Esib2yLhDdgd_VzUP-8ohARgZBuZkn_6_OWVi_TOShK7tL_o8/s320/7+Miroku+concept+3.jpg" width="187" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miroku concept 3</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGrT57pvZHPbqq04nKdF0QZ9vKDMDblBBiLu1V9W4axARHQUhzX9SHpBm2SRYqPAapp5D4WHPHDJPI49ei12wTKKnIcwwmKCBGDpjau3b5fNQ-azazWHO9K-6dnVBdLJM2rBbI7v2XfgQ/s1600/8+Mitra+Bosatsu.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGrT57pvZHPbqq04nKdF0QZ9vKDMDblBBiLu1V9W4axARHQUhzX9SHpBm2SRYqPAapp5D4WHPHDJPI49ei12wTKKnIcwwmKCBGDpjau3b5fNQ-azazWHO9K-6dnVBdLJM2rBbI7v2XfgQ/s320/8+Mitra+Bosatsu.jpg" width="274" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Mitra <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Bodhisattva</span></span></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="de1">
<div class="de1">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I used Miroku as a base and collaborated on finding a design for
Mitra with the staff that was more well-versed in mythology. The Mitra
of ancient times is such an old god that he has spawned numerous
variations, and yet there are very few descriptions of him. That is why
his design in this game reflects the changes suffered historically by
Mitra himself. Among the things I wanted the god of contracts to reflect
were the principle of Christian salvation or the revered cow.</span></div>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2iUOnxZMK83NPmDSsB3O0Yzwk1U4ypm8RPuOHFTjAI2Z21W7g7V37tCX-B1v9XsJlmmq60Y9GWJOAQxrbTIhqamRzS6EBrb31adOHhlVQBgRCgbiDYAAhxWh8eT6Tm_Uj535LuMRvCYs/s1600/9+Adramelech.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2iUOnxZMK83NPmDSsB3O0Yzwk1U4ypm8RPuOHFTjAI2Z21W7g7V37tCX-B1v9XsJlmmq60Y9GWJOAQxrbTIhqamRzS6EBrb31adOHhlVQBgRCgbiDYAAhxWh8eT6Tm_Uj535LuMRvCYs/s320/9+Adramelech.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Adramelech</span></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="de1">
<div class="de1">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">A design done in the early stages, back when I decided to draw the
demons. The reason for this selection was that I wanted to release a
proper looking demon, so I consulted the ‘Dictionnaire Infernal’. While
looking over the illustration, I realised the peacock wings on his back
definitely needed to have eyes. He then ended up with a drag queen image
in my mind, so it’s kind of doubtful whether the presumed demonic image
has come to pass (laughs). By the way, what he’s holding in his hand is
an iron.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivt_BXe0SHBenDThViAMqWtBNSXKI4IFSqBnWxf0NUGI12dIbsKyRYIQhgl_Kj7s7k9igYOvTd4HA6tKODQ7w0wS3IKpbzjek7_swrYIPA3HypOSeSGOF6QDXx5tNhvQrzhymcXlnMVZQ/s1600/9+Adramelech+concept.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivt_BXe0SHBenDThViAMqWtBNSXKI4IFSqBnWxf0NUGI12dIbsKyRYIQhgl_Kj7s7k9igYOvTd4HA6tKODQ7w0wS3IKpbzjek7_swrYIPA3HypOSeSGOF6QDXx5tNhvQrzhymcXlnMVZQ/s320/9+Adramelech+concept.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adramelech concept</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJjexglkuO832wbZKXu7XRJHdJGcUYtNeMHWZUTHLJXTcEe03nG6QbPcRGGyyclvTV7ZsASPJAE3XZ8gQmkvwqbD-euNSUMa4iel5CgF76cKqF_kHXpD4flYu3QQWLz63KjQUnoS60Ck/s1600/10+Medusa.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJjexglkuO832wbZKXu7XRJHdJGcUYtNeMHWZUTHLJXTcEe03nG6QbPcRGGyyclvTV7ZsASPJAE3XZ8gQmkvwqbD-euNSUMa4iel5CgF76cKqF_kHXpD4flYu3QQWLz63KjQUnoS60Ck/s320/10+Medusa.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Medusa</span></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="de1">
<div class="de1">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The first demon from the original game I decided to refine. The
original was worthwhile in itself, so I tried to highlight its good
points, while also bringing my own improvements. The skulls I left
alone, and focused on the sense of harmony. She had an offense pose in
the original game, so I emphasised her tempting side in this game. I
have a feeling I’ve been called a pervert more often since this Medusa
and Mermaid were revealed (bitter laugh).</span></div>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtcHSP5Lr5nX8jhMqA29PaAoKIzj7uCPOw3M938_vAdfHNyKbrlHnbJIGv4KSrcmTaqf6x97bNJd_LjzERhH_BkSsWMh6WrF0O5AuxqPCgt0BlY6_Oc76PXb19A_v8hNGCXsPEXNTQ4k/s1600/11+Mermaid.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtcHSP5Lr5nX8jhMqA29PaAoKIzj7uCPOw3M938_vAdfHNyKbrlHnbJIGv4KSrcmTaqf6x97bNJd_LjzERhH_BkSsWMh6WrF0O5AuxqPCgt0BlY6_Oc76PXb19A_v8hNGCXsPEXNTQ4k/s320/11+Mermaid.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Mermaid</span></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="de2">
<div class="de2">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">To be honest, this Mermaid is the first demon I drew. It came from my
desire to have a cute girl demon, so I picked her. However, at this
point I hadn’t chosen the demon design concept and turned all kinds of
ideas in my head. In the end, she turned into a classical mermaid
without too much colour. I was really particular about the way the
opening of her tail would end, even if it didn’t start from her hips.</span></div>
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzRhL-aBAch4kNz4YYXxwkvmraZZ0lGUlEHceKIJZKNiRkkYQQl6jU2UJaYWXttrtjAtxfRVi9wDTJ7xS85rFKVW9jnBZxc83Q9_KFFZTouW1ekPMp0rAU_ZSGwzQlty0Sc1tCz_WNwo/s1600/11+Mermaid+concept+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzRhL-aBAch4kNz4YYXxwkvmraZZ0lGUlEHceKIJZKNiRkkYQQl6jU2UJaYWXttrtjAtxfRVi9wDTJ7xS85rFKVW9jnBZxc83Q9_KFFZTouW1ekPMp0rAU_ZSGwzQlty0Sc1tCz_WNwo/s320/11+Mermaid+concept+1.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mermaid concept 1</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLN5P1-75Un9VeLZlNXi6t9H-ORdmbh-JiyccufT4vwbQhNbutzZbKY1ouKJfAeYbyUELpgiWeKmTHVs1zVaZ1Fz_jm3-bsBaOigoTULPnjkILfklQ1Yww07Vdt62Co5I92B9MmBpdWho/s1600/11+Mermaid+concept+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLN5P1-75Un9VeLZlNXi6t9H-ORdmbh-JiyccufT4vwbQhNbutzZbKY1ouKJfAeYbyUELpgiWeKmTHVs1zVaZ1Fz_jm3-bsBaOigoTULPnjkILfklQ1Yww07Vdt62Co5I92B9MmBpdWho/s320/11+Mermaid+concept+2.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mermaid concept 2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_hLReCOTdOO4Zt0MeSwKlkLJUAoSTXbN1IXn8n9J0y60T4wkRS3NNKCx6r-gUZGwG_B_9Avt9ZhbekrcbKFO5rK9U1i6eSMLz5RloWO6iFEEcDklDu7-2F57PoPV-i3M5PHuueclXB8/s1600/11+Mermaid+concept+3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_hLReCOTdOO4Zt0MeSwKlkLJUAoSTXbN1IXn8n9J0y60T4wkRS3NNKCx6r-gUZGwG_B_9Avt9ZhbekrcbKFO5rK9U1i6eSMLz5RloWO6iFEEcDklDu7-2F57PoPV-i3M5PHuueclXB8/s320/11+Mermaid+concept+3.jpg" width="207" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mermaid concept 3</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRn-j3C5xv0UUAooSy_aOIUv46RDuqy6lXpblgHIlnkF7wGJru5MCDOkyH9_u_b84cYQcfgUAdCiGs0O0NoO-Ij_WLW3dB2d2-ITDr8FX-TRh7jxw_2wg0-84jaJtHxJ7B_C2l6N1cEI/s1600/sukunahikona.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRn-j3C5xv0UUAooSy_aOIUv46RDuqy6lXpblgHIlnkF7wGJru5MCDOkyH9_u_b84cYQcfgUAdCiGs0O0NoO-Ij_WLW3dB2d2-ITDr8FX-TRh7jxw_2wg0-84jaJtHxJ7B_C2l6N1cEI/s320/sukunahikona.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Sukuna-<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">H</span>ikona</span></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="de1">
<div class="de1">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">This is from the time I settled on my own demon design style.
According to legend, Sukuna-Hikona wears around his body the wings of a
wren or a moth’s skin, but that’s based on what the Japanese back then
believed. The original traditional god design was arbitrarily commented
on, and starting from that idea I ended up having fun trying to figure
out what it was actually supposed to look like.</span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCBb0-45ahuBgiaelTBfE6A0sEZhS4U8alyBekXG5SkEWOLGRlMbl51GbYeLe1uqJ_U5b5CvVGXEvfT0dEArOA9DZC8vKjraYcHQmipTp1mL8YSDyrwW_MYybUGapYWaq2yUtI9i2fQs/s1600/12+Sukuna+Hikona+concept.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCBb0-45ahuBgiaelTBfE6A0sEZhS4U8alyBekXG5SkEWOLGRlMbl51GbYeLe1uqJ_U5b5CvVGXEvfT0dEArOA9DZC8vKjraYcHQmipTp1mL8YSDyrwW_MYybUGapYWaq2yUtI9i2fQs/s320/12+Sukuna+Hikona+concept.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sukuna-Hikona concept</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span></span>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpp2qAYTUNjX_16jb4kGOb1HJmls-JrrS1tb92lVDiAJ-Ju1VIUXx9dCB73DH2BuEji5ws1ksPskTzgm1k_tA1zr0lXzAhF6yZI0M0us7Z21jSE0ewdszg4EGNZuJo0QZFwWgNZFOjVeM/s1600/chironup.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpp2qAYTUNjX_16jb4kGOb1HJmls-JrrS1tb92lVDiAJ-Ju1VIUXx9dCB73DH2BuEji5ws1ksPskTzgm1k_tA1zr0lXzAhF6yZI0M0us7Z21jSE0ewdszg4EGNZuJo0QZFwWgNZFOjVeM/s320/chironup.jpg" width="306" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Chironnup</span></span></h3><span style="font-size: large;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 115%;">Chironnup’s
first design came about because the game needed a mascot. It obviously
wasn’t going to be a normally cute demon, but something overflowing with
the Megaten ‘cuteness’. There are very few legends surrounding
Chironnup, so I used words like ‘Ainu’, ‘fox’, ‘spirit’, ‘hunting’ as
inspiration and didn’t draw him as just a fox, but turned him into a
very young spirit wearing a wooden mask.</span></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9jOWQjQmrG8cJy5YJx-0EecWjbeYkU62ZWA9-qWO6zavYOxcvuClq5vHh2mf2COYxVQ6GQQcXAxcaTxZsex5vOYUaLoVvXDwEWRHLEaPZOrq_YQQzCo3Re4xdkmMRwyer56Nr3M7kkM/s1600/CH_Chironup+concept.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9jOWQjQmrG8cJy5YJx-0EecWjbeYkU62ZWA9-qWO6zavYOxcvuClq5vHh2mf2COYxVQ6GQQcXAxcaTxZsex5vOYUaLoVvXDwEWRHLEaPZOrq_YQQzCo3Re4xdkmMRwyer56Nr3M7kkM/s320/CH_Chironup+concept.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chironnup concept</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"></span></div>
</div>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5FPuMvLBQrdAOF6dZ5T13b0V4gaTRQ4AuVQiqNHDnsVdFd6aO52gzv5EG2RNIWAbkdzAqusC0ZbFO4BnK7_xLkWxg6TNARyN4KpKSb0QJ4Pq-Zy9Ejj0xkOF-9Uc5Q5aNSVv-90CU20/s1600/napaea.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5FPuMvLBQrdAOF6dZ5T13b0V4gaTRQ4AuVQiqNHDnsVdFd6aO52gzv5EG2RNIWAbkdzAqusC0ZbFO4BnK7_xLkWxg6TNARyN4KpKSb0QJ4Pq-Zy9Ejj0xkOF-9Uc5Q5aNSVv-90CU20/s320/napaea.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Napaea</span></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="de1">
<div class="de1">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">From a low level demon to an active role, she received an upgrade
both design and story wise. I added green to the white of her eyes
because I wanted to exaggerate her features as a non-human creature. I
also used her posing and camera angle to show she was floating, so I
changed her position sideways. Can you tell she is floating?</span></div>
</div>
<div class="de2">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">
</span></span><br />
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK6yQu-cIGiJ_XD33rl_y9DKGyHRydzBpYlNmCYh1lqlt742JFwaQ0XYbcRFkz-uZHL9L5X4v97NgM1NQmOrxDZX-jWGVlaNTUZbZ6qfRcBxqfQRTw391nhFuzkNaOFQbZ-vqZizYEyzo/s1600/14+Centaur.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK6yQu-cIGiJ_XD33rl_y9DKGyHRydzBpYlNmCYh1lqlt742JFwaQ0XYbcRFkz-uZHL9L5X4v97NgM1NQmOrxDZX-jWGVlaNTUZbZ6qfRcBxqfQRTw391nhFuzkNaOFQbZ-vqZizYEyzo/s320/14+Centaur.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Centaur</span></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="de1">
<div class="de1">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">It was chosen for refining since it’s a low level demon that showed
up in the opening. It’s touching to see him become your ally from the
beginning, similar to the previous game. The symmetric design was
impressive and difficult to break, but I wanted to emphasise the horse
element of Centaur, so I dared change the posing. This is not limited to
this illustration, but the work of refining allows the characteristics
and particularities of the artist stand out, so there’s a lot to learn.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="de1">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">
</span></span><br />
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</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLp0U58UJmEjeVh7yaNAorRlh89nh2UL_Wgujw_fcFvrFWRVOAn74F-5EhcIYhdCkkqf82MXXvVKCwEhweiBn1NHafJn4w2YmNyxYv1WWBr170FKMk8bds6dy_SEzts7vYF-geuELvB_8/s1600/15+Tenkai.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLp0U58UJmEjeVh7yaNAorRlh89nh2UL_Wgujw_fcFvrFWRVOAn74F-5EhcIYhdCkkqf82MXXvVKCwEhweiBn1NHafJn4w2YmNyxYv1WWBr170FKMk8bds6dy_SEzts7vYF-geuELvB_8/s320/15+Tenkai.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Tenkai</span></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="de1">
<div class="de1">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">This demon was refined towards the end, since I didn’t have any plans
for him until then. The previous game had a sense of unity, so I
figured I should add him together with everyone else. Tenkai being the
only one unchanged would have been strange, so I had to work on him too,
but somehow made it in the end. Posing wise, I changed the direction of
his gaze and emphasised his nature as a monk, so there wasn’t a big
change from the original.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_yZBS_TMIF6nl3UmKzpjLD_NU8bv7gOAn3HjNN2Q3EicUBb1jgwj1SZayks-61V7I38sFVc6hSQdSZhnKAG1a5eVUl1GTA7R5XtUMaQ5glCJRHO9e8mZuAaLCRTC8RK5S1qn7VUFFus/s1600/16+Inanna.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_yZBS_TMIF6nl3UmKzpjLD_NU8bv7gOAn3HjNN2Q3EicUBb1jgwj1SZayks-61V7I38sFVc6hSQdSZhnKAG1a5eVUl1GTA7R5XtUMaQ5glCJRHO9e8mZuAaLCRTC8RK5S1qn7VUFFus/s320/16+Inanna.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Inanna</span></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="de2"><span style="font-size: large;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The original idea had her as a sky goddess, but her role as a birther
of gods evolved in the story, so her appearance came to reflect this. I
used old Sumerian clothing as a reference for her face, and since she’s
an old god, I gave her a mask to show she had been forgotten. Same
style as Danu. I kept the wings and bird legs, since she’s a sky
goddess, while her multiple breasts and the size of her belly greatly
emphasise her mother goddess side.</span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAOkihen_VF1pOdbDTJ9Ev6FKUz7s-QxTVybvSIT5fr0xB34Smm8fOUxxk5qP-sdYUVxQDfCWbhnUxCMfJUAlboWvU4RvVuWPQM-MMcMbG1UywD_Djoj2_ZqmvM-xLblW6Mz3pYEZT8M/s1600/16+Inanna+concept+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAOkihen_VF1pOdbDTJ9Ev6FKUz7s-QxTVybvSIT5fr0xB34Smm8fOUxxk5qP-sdYUVxQDfCWbhnUxCMfJUAlboWvU4RvVuWPQM-MMcMbG1UywD_Djoj2_ZqmvM-xLblW6Mz3pYEZT8M/s320/16+Inanna+concept+1.jpg" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inanna concept 1</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkHqHoeAWxLMQf6ZiFH7JeDtbjtRa0vH4D0CMEHdHPnrFc5DEZ4-vSp0cJHqU97XbUC2VvSYH0AIvyJB_fOalBLNu6nVQfbUdqdbyTTTnktO3N8Tws7LZUKBHOevfunbgO6IYR4FMimo/s1600/16+Inanna+concept+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBkHqHoeAWxLMQf6ZiFH7JeDtbjtRa0vH4D0CMEHdHPnrFc5DEZ4-vSp0cJHqU97XbUC2VvSYH0AIvyJB_fOalBLNu6nVQfbUdqdbyTTTnktO3N8Tws7LZUKBHOevfunbgO6IYR4FMimo/s320/16+Inanna+concept+2.jpg" width="259" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inanna concept 2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Shesha, First Form </span></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="de1">
<div class="de1">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Vasuki, Ananta and others are similar looking entities that show up
in the previous games, so I decided to do something different this time.
It actually moves the inside of the earth and used its power in the
creation of the world, so I used an energy similar to the pulse of the
earth and magma as the basis of his design. The cow head is inspired by
tradition and I had it come directly out of the body, like a sprout
blooming. The head design is deeply linked to Vishnu and his lotus
flower.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrAb08KCbdVMpRYuvq3LnjnPEoHMQjMQqkN2hHiahAKrXrFQoKB9lzdXd8yFB2dq_SfrHPQfEma54KHGOEr4eEXiLdxGafsMpI3YXglxQ1PzUren0zOvXCJQVb7fdQj1ubwdpY9o6b7Ao/s1600/17+Shesha_A+concept.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrAb08KCbdVMpRYuvq3LnjnPEoHMQjMQqkN2hHiahAKrXrFQoKB9lzdXd8yFB2dq_SfrHPQfEma54KHGOEr4eEXiLdxGafsMpI3YXglxQ1PzUren0zOvXCJQVb7fdQj1ubwdpY9o6b7Ao/s320/17+Shesha_A+concept.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shesha, first form concept</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_SXzuXwOJBKxy9L24jBllETfhsQ4mmBhAqN3NLVD-ZhuKYErXEHDiZv8avwuS8438hcCZUI2YXZJcIeJ3S3II-irSaOSRrMVK_ldedoK5wpawHGlFzyiG2QabkzM3_c2ZVfQm0vPJsw/s1600/18+Shesha_B.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_SXzuXwOJBKxy9L24jBllETfhsQ4mmBhAqN3NLVD-ZhuKYErXEHDiZv8avwuS8438hcCZUI2YXZJcIeJ3S3II-irSaOSRrMVK_ldedoK5wpawHGlFzyiG2QabkzM3_c2ZVfQm0vPJsw/s320/18+Shesha_B.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Shesha, Second Form </span></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="de1">
<div class="de1">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I made the evolution of the first form similar to a human in order to
make it more obvious that he was an intelligent being. A giant snake
man. The first form had the pretty straightforward traditional cow head,
but the second has a certain red light glowing inside and numerous eye
like heads. The stages of the design were supposed to hint at the
evolution from snake to human and I had ideas about a spherical
transformation, but I’m glad it ended up looking straightforward.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDpUGDYTyRnYnNsnznXv84ZyqvqcI5g-UnXAHFmjzZFxXdsEHjLkxMiWlmPawRenrxuaL87JPNodrKb1oI4-3wcdJM0bqfRQHu33KIx-1qwB1ofrG4z3POew7RowvEO8eJ8S-TFDU83Nk/s1600/18+Shesha_B+concept+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDpUGDYTyRnYnNsnznXv84ZyqvqcI5g-UnXAHFmjzZFxXdsEHjLkxMiWlmPawRenrxuaL87JPNodrKb1oI4-3wcdJM0bqfRQHu33KIx-1qwB1ofrG4z3POew7RowvEO8eJ8S-TFDU83Nk/s320/18+Shesha_B+concept+1.jpg" width="307" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shesha, second form concept 1</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZy4fgzdAGCEt-qse78gP8VjdWNSfVQm_QObynZT_ZjhdnGPjno4mHuHVoe7W30GZU66WZYJ3LXvWjqrjghVpKezy4uXNejHHO4CoghyphenhyphenE53lw-jswFn9Is-P1UKctuU6M4iRQS3mytgmI/s1600/18+Shesha_B+concept+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZy4fgzdAGCEt-qse78gP8VjdWNSfVQm_QObynZT_ZjhdnGPjno4mHuHVoe7W30GZU66WZYJ3LXvWjqrjghVpKezy4uXNejHHO4CoghyphenhyphenE53lw-jswFn9Is-P1UKctuU6M4iRQS3mytgmI/s320/18+Shesha_B+concept+2.jpg" width="303" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shesha, second form concept 2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIcBLXwJ_od3efX56Hxjh2osGO8Px_aUdvhEcVJVQpA9jnIxMebnr136eidH9dzvyvscZAFlB7bTT45N6Hm5X3Ya0aINhn15ElGdLGKZ25aBE4ZCMtScvakWikFmRV5GKIUIQfHuz3kU8/s1600/19+Satan.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIcBLXwJ_od3efX56Hxjh2osGO8Px_aUdvhEcVJVQpA9jnIxMebnr136eidH9dzvyvscZAFlB7bTT45N6Hm5X3Ya0aINhn15ElGdLGKZ25aBE4ZCMtScvakWikFmRV5GKIUIQfHuz3kU8/s320/19+Satan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Satan</span></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="de1">
<div class="de1">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I’ve been thinking for a long time that I’d like to see a demon
illustration of Satan as the red dragon described by John in the Book of
Revelation. I never thought I’d actually be the one to draw him, but
this was a good opportunity, so I took it as a challenge. I didn’t want
him to be mistaken for the Beast of the Harlot, so I only used the
description of its head and emphasised the rest as a demon design. The
details on his hands and legs are vestiges of his imprisonment in Hell.
To me, this design is my biggest wish fulfilled.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkPOypDl53vTnG18Ase9_ExXlPKdjPnV-xNuvQqsfqX4rqZc-i6D2CnqGJFPQGcnBkwFJK0ZWBun0O2Kx0uLvkyN70RSBE7Zp1LHJ1AO8Kcij1-OoBZ-FTSQ3F5saFqU7E7asrzcggmU/s1600/19+Satan+concept+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkPOypDl53vTnG18Ase9_ExXlPKdjPnV-xNuvQqsfqX4rqZc-i6D2CnqGJFPQGcnBkwFJK0ZWBun0O2Kx0uLvkyN70RSBE7Zp1LHJ1AO8Kcij1-OoBZ-FTSQ3F5saFqU7E7asrzcggmU/s320/19+Satan+concept+1.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Satan concept 1</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEZzbl6cBHbmkYA-lQmFuz_aHHAIw069VJD-Rt7BkIs0LqdqYbF6tmtjMsVjKvlla6yVtYg_RZSovrbH2Swc2QAwpfQG14E5uaAJRvX7sF1H8IR6W-ehP3JeRIDpAf2bJ8szd8mtIoC8/s1600/19+Satan+concept+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEZzbl6cBHbmkYA-lQmFuz_aHHAIw069VJD-Rt7BkIs0LqdqYbF6tmtjMsVjKvlla6yVtYg_RZSovrbH2Swc2QAwpfQG14E5uaAJRvX7sF1H8IR6W-ehP3JeRIDpAf2bJ8szd8mtIoC8/s320/19+Satan+concept+2.jpg" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Satan concept 2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA35epezhA-G1FkyepYBQh5xSFOJRb0Q8KcEc1TFye12wEXYkKAYRleAnebyLRUwAdII8rmAZsaZI1-nQjzYMO1z7rFS-m-KFgec5iaDewnYtFXPFbt9brRtTQar7LKz_WU79uP1DbwDc/s1600/20+Vishnuflynn.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA35epezhA-G1FkyepYBQh5xSFOJRb0Q8KcEc1TFye12wEXYkKAYRleAnebyLRUwAdII8rmAZsaZI1-nQjzYMO1z7rFS-m-KFgec5iaDewnYtFXPFbt9brRtTQar7LKz_WU79uP1DbwDc/s320/20+Vishnuflynn.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">VISHNUFLYNN, second form</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">VISHNUFLYNN</span></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="de1">
<div class="de1">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The form of Flynn absorbed by Krishna, different from the usual
Vishnu design. This design is also originally from this game, so I had
it reflect elements of both Vishnu and Flynn. I also based it on the
Vishnu side of the Trimurti [triple supreme deity in Hinduism typically
formed from Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva] and included elements of all three
gods. Since he is on the offensive, Vishnu becomes the dominant side,
leading to his dark colour. The swords are glowing red because they’re
based on original details of the Samurai design.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="de1">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVBlqaFw7M_q0u-JXR6gHSxzIbBiJutkux1mBNYPbVNplbnPwqKa6O69HqRW4U1G_H1nERe4__u4mDe06Dhd1jn1ygxKQp8QjoAxO6zyX81U7CRhvDcCtsFtJREtjwtXMFLANlf6CDP0/s1600/20+Vishnuflynn_B.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVBlqaFw7M_q0u-JXR6gHSxzIbBiJutkux1mBNYPbVNplbnPwqKa6O69HqRW4U1G_H1nERe4__u4mDe06Dhd1jn1ygxKQp8QjoAxO6zyX81U7CRhvDcCtsFtJREtjwtXMFLANlf6CDP0/s320/20+Vishnuflynn_B.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">VISHNUFLYNN, first form</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
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<div class="de1">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-cxC5-_z0JXmNfQRXCFSyNsMDIHhhCrFCd_X7sBKuGOtojj2DcWXrAyXLwwCxvhJX6gkYrxZBoKUkhQnWlRUgwGy9p4zxpzb-y5rJwMKMfuTY-fSSUH8D7DPyVF69Rj6PJgTk3iQQ5I/s1600/21+YHVH_A.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-cxC5-_z0JXmNfQRXCFSyNsMDIHhhCrFCd_X7sBKuGOtojj2DcWXrAyXLwwCxvhJX6gkYrxZBoKUkhQnWlRUgwGy9p4zxpzb-y5rJwMKMfuTY-fSSUH8D7DPyVF69Rj6PJgTk3iQQ5I/s320/21+YHVH_A.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">YHVH, First Form </span></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="de1">
<div class="de1">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">He had a strong impact in the previous games, so I just followed the
basic model. His image as the Father and main god was emphasised by the
stern expression on his aged face. The panels with three angles in the
middle of his face are there to portray him as a 3D representation. I
showed multiple faces every time he appeared, in order to show he has
all the universes under his rule. The true number of these faces is the
number of stars, rather than just the number of lives we can observe.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Profile:</b> The actual One God of monotheism. The One
God praised by Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He is the omnipotent
existence that created heaven and earth and made man in his own image,
but this also means that together with the angels, his bunrei
[subparts], he also gave birth to demons. By giving humans bodies of
flesh and bone, their lives and fears were repeated in the endless cycle
of death and rebirth, restricting their range of observation.</span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85LxwOSU05FsYouqSrzZEoiXbPjNYo6LyTMudkwApkSbjUUXdzo0TeEJyWc4ljuVzrR_CvNCX_felrJpOOFeJCRhTwK4X_fgERKejD0Xi4nSqbb_21q6T2VYroMzC6TAFyc5VuHrzyC0/s1600/21+YHVH_A+concept.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85LxwOSU05FsYouqSrzZEoiXbPjNYo6LyTMudkwApkSbjUUXdzo0TeEJyWc4ljuVzrR_CvNCX_felrJpOOFeJCRhTwK4X_fgERKejD0Xi4nSqbb_21q6T2VYroMzC6TAFyc5VuHrzyC0/s200/21+YHVH_A+concept.jpg" width="175" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">YHVH, first form concept</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="de1">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span></span>
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<div class="de1">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMY-_WomzRQdKJBUX71IUTWzQjWdfch557YtjTlR4JmW9l7NakNjHbME2KLy5FcRcNoLrvyaWFDw1nGFB2aohGudZXkFb4FU01U1cNFCcoWYYWmT6SM4vYfVeL9SyWzGj1xfVBDveng5U/s1600/22+YHVH_B.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMY-_WomzRQdKJBUX71IUTWzQjWdfch557YtjTlR4JmW9l7NakNjHbME2KLy5FcRcNoLrvyaWFDw1nGFB2aohGudZXkFb4FU01U1cNFCcoWYYWmT6SM4vYfVeL9SyWzGj1xfVBDveng5U/s320/22+YHVH_B.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">YHVH, Second Form</span></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="de2">
<div class="de2">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">The corrupted figure that appears depending on the player’s choices;
it is, therefore, not the true god’s form. Depending on the way
Christianity was propagated, the inconvenient local gods were slandered
and degraded. These gods were given the extreme forms of demons, the
animals and reptiles they disliked, but in this game irony has it that
YHVH’s second form is degraded by the very entities he hated.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Profile: </b>The first form was the head of the first
man, Adam, created in his own image. However, the second form turns into
a strange chimera that resembles a demon. The goat wanted by god in the
Scriptures, the snake that tempted Eve in Eden or the swarm of locusts
that appeared in the Exodus, threatening the Pharaoh if he refused to
free the Jews, all can be seen in this form. Each part of the chimera is
connected to the other.</span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Va6YQMS1wbpNo-hrOopSkUGcl5BC9hYkZDt082hj3FxXA8QJkuvQuuyqf7KAZ-UtwnIAbWw66kbxFWphVRNXbaOUcnouWnCl307IaTedP3rwFY_zW-uv0qJLBieIdat8PpvbbafEhqI/s1600/22+YHVH_B+concept+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Va6YQMS1wbpNo-hrOopSkUGcl5BC9hYkZDt082hj3FxXA8QJkuvQuuyqf7KAZ-UtwnIAbWw66kbxFWphVRNXbaOUcnouWnCl307IaTedP3rwFY_zW-uv0qJLBieIdat8PpvbbafEhqI/s320/22+YHVH_B+concept+1.jpg" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">YHVH, second form concept 1</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeD2mEFKpzoWW3TWJ6QLgqC7Y6_oEesTbyIOTrq3e2OXqu-fiPQPPI7SwHK_jSTSRkS0q2JfyvfLj06Y3d5hO4LllFAHx8TOfJ_wiXOjSh3tWA5pj2ECAQHR47kfF_J3TVZ8g-3SY4ASQ/s1600/22+YHVH_B+concept+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeD2mEFKpzoWW3TWJ6QLgqC7Y6_oEesTbyIOTrq3e2OXqu-fiPQPPI7SwHK_jSTSRkS0q2JfyvfLj06Y3d5hO4LllFAHx8TOfJ_wiXOjSh3tWA5pj2ECAQHR47kfF_J3TVZ8g-3SY4ASQ/s320/22+YHVH_B+concept+2.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">YHVH, second form concept 2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkvnqNDglyG3i9pt0tyhzdl8suWXYtdWWlFGRQkVoFZuUSHjqIC-2uBY1nNUmQkgRDfXFLg8Os_Logg5klvq6TrJ45YZGs42n6RrbYyRigu3YpYQ2iTNtAhFMgy8gcMmcO03Yvg9pFmE/s1600/23+Mephisto.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkvnqNDglyG3i9pt0tyhzdl8suWXYtdWWlFGRQkVoFZuUSHjqIC-2uBY1nNUmQkgRDfXFLg8Os_Logg5klvq6TrJ45YZGs42n6RrbYyRigu3YpYQ2iTNtAhFMgy8gcMmcO03Yvg9pFmE/s200/23+Mephisto.jpg" width="137" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Mephisto</span></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="de1">
<div class="de1">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Mephistopheles is a character from the legend of Faust who has been
often interpreted in various plays, movies and so on, so people already
have a certain image for him. I chose to respect that, but also add my
own original points. The tears under his eye stand out by showing a
certain number of people, but are also proof that he is a demon.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTq86L5WdHsUHfmA8xXU98fspH9ZUizDT5kqvk_UZsQFzKCFFk1Ha4r-aiIFrv1bROnWSvMC2nEEpK-CVmBpjxdPI35ykiERlkbeLh8iwyWEDEUtjgkZlDMsIlON7i1e93scYzBH1hBRQ/s1600/24+Cleopatra.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTq86L5WdHsUHfmA8xXU98fspH9ZUizDT5kqvk_UZsQFzKCFFk1Ha4r-aiIFrv1bROnWSvMC2nEEpK-CVmBpjxdPI35ykiERlkbeLh8iwyWEDEUtjgkZlDMsIlON7i1e93scYzBH1hBRQ/s320/24+Cleopatra.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Cleopatra</span></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="de2">
<div class="de2">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">I had a lot of trouble with Cleopatra, since she’s the demonisation
of a historical character. First, I made use of her Greek origins to
give her pale skin. Then I added factors that would underline her
‘peerless beauty’, like the exaggerated proportions and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_skin_in_Japanese_culture">paleness</a>. There
are also numerous anecdotes containing the snake, so I made her head
ornament out of live snakes and added a few more to coil around her
arms, so she would be able to use them as whips in order to make men or
her enemies submit to her.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKJTpr_Cf7oWemQ9vo_JjTMqp48S_a4AISE5y0J4E6nySUACvsxuHOl6O1xrQEDLXzJkEuoJgQqVYdcY_lWZs4t6fiu2KiCANPytLCmtAFEtVBVxKSa68IzU2iCKr8CBjlkgs2dKsNwM/s1600/24+Cleopatra+concept.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKJTpr_Cf7oWemQ9vo_JjTMqp48S_a4AISE5y0J4E6nySUACvsxuHOl6O1xrQEDLXzJkEuoJgQqVYdcY_lWZs4t6fiu2KiCANPytLCmtAFEtVBVxKSa68IzU2iCKr8CBjlkgs2dKsNwM/s320/24+Cleopatra+concept.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cleopatra concept</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgqgYOOrJy6t8UjzEgFIoG7rEWezkU55A66x9IK0XHXVPRQYcen-3nXHjlYxrl47NXGJQNaE8zZm3KMzrthr2LLezym1APD_5EBgEQ84k0M4fzwnoKSgj2Y_BA7rQYw3zjVNC4VyGKIo/s1600/pt2-3.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgqgYOOrJy6t8UjzEgFIoG7rEWezkU55A66x9IK0XHXVPRQYcen-3nXHjlYxrl47NXGJQNaE8zZm3KMzrthr2LLezym1APD_5EBgEQ84k0M4fzwnoKSgj2Y_BA7rQYw3zjVNC4VyGKIo/s1600/pt2-3.png" /></a></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span>
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-large;">Professor Matsuda and <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Stephen</span></span></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF845F-awmwUACu1u2xg-30iniUGGa1cOWCLkS-VBXTZ8HA8o5iqbn5bbO-Rk7zx6dJJwtYVO7_CWX9ZRU9UVnrBppflwuq_NmBgN0QaIO2xG7jITzQ9aPDb8o1B0D_p6wJiPaG3GiUTM/s1600/WVW69jHcIeMRiox1pq.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF845F-awmwUACu1u2xg-30iniUGGa1cOWCLkS-VBXTZ8HA8o5iqbn5bbO-Rk7zx6dJJwtYVO7_CWX9ZRU9UVnrBppflwuq_NmBgN0QaIO2xG7jITzQ9aPDb8o1B0D_p6wJiPaG3GiUTM/s1600/WVW69jHcIeMRiox1pq.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Shioda</b>: Professor Matsuda didn’t even have a character design in the preliminary stages.<br />
<br />
<b>Miyata</b>: It’s shocking that so few people realised professor Matsuda was actually Stephen.<br />
<br />
<b>Shioda</b>: That was shocking indeed, and they even had the same voice actor (laughs). What kind of device is the Shesha radar in Hibiya?<br />
<br />
<b>Miyata</b>: I saw news the other day about the success
of the detection of gravitational waves and this radar works on the same
principle. There is a huge empty lot underneath Hibiya named
‘multi-purpose underground utility conduit’ and it is presumed that that
is where Stephen built his detector.<br />
<br />
<b>Yamai</b>: Because the device related to the elementary particles is extremely big.<br />
<br />
<b>Miyata</b>: He also needed a secure place, and the
underground was much safer than the streets dominated by demons. It is
explained in the beginning of SMT4A that the multi-purpose underground
utility conduit has been abandoned because of the battle of gods and the
underground empty space remained as it is. I figured it was just right,
since the new headquarters of the Hunter Association in Kasumigaseki is
close enough, but I didn’t think gravitational waves would be
discovered so fast when I was writing the setting.<br />
<br />
<b>Yamai</b>: Stephen travels through various parallel
worlds, so I believe it is possible for him to discover gravitational
waves, since he makes contact with all kinds of technological
developments.<br />
<br />
<b>Miyata</b>: Gravitational waves appear anywhere in the
universe when stars reach the end of their lives and explode, but every
time Shesha warped to a different universe and a different dimension,
there were weak gravitational waves released possible to detect.<br />
<br />
<b>Shioda</b>: Since Stephen is also the creator of the
terminals and the Demon Summoning Program, related to the Yamato
Perpetual Reactor, it’s easy to say he is the biggest mystery of the
Megaten series.<br />
<br />
<b>Yamai</b>: What is clear is that Stephen is the same
person across the series. Shin Megami Tensei and Shin Megami Tensei II
are related, while Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne and Shin Megami Tensei
IV are each in their own universes, but we can argue that he is the only
one to cross space and time and visit each universe. I think the
beginning was the universe created in Shin Megami Tensei, but we have no
intention to give a clear answer on such a personal matter. As for the
details of his arrival in the Shin Megami Tensei IV world, when he was
researching the Demon Summoning Program and the Matter Transfer System
he got connected by coincidence to the Expanse, demons showed up and
hurt him badly, which led to him being now dependent on a wheelchair.<br />
<br />
<b>Shioda</b>: This time he talks about the aim of the Great Reason in the end. Do you think he has met the Great Reason?<br />
<br />
<span><i>*</i>From Dijeh: <i>T</i><i>he term used here is NOT the Great Will. The Japanese for
Great Will [of the Universe] is either “宇宙の大いなる意志” or just “大いなる意志” in
previous games in the series, while in SMT4F and this interview, the
term is 大いなる理; the kanji used are easily distinguishable: <span class="text"><a href="http://jisho.org/word/%E6%84%8F%E5%BF%97">意志</a> vs. </span><span class="text"><a href="http://jisho.org/word/%E7%90%86">理</a>. For more about the distinction, see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_%28philosophy%29">Will</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_%28Neo-Confucianism%29">Li</a>.</span></i></span><br />
<br />
<b>Yamai</b>: From the perspective of Shin Megami Tensei,
the Stephen of Shin Megami Tensei IV is one of the possibilities, but we
can say it was possible for him to have met the Great Reason. Of
course, from the perspective of Shin Megami Tensei IV’s Stephen, I think
we can say Shin Megami Tensei is also a possibility.<br />
<br />
<b>Miyata</b>: Stephen’s position allows him to catch a
glimpse of a small part of the Great Reason’s movement. When he passed
through time and space and made contact with the Great Reason, he
interpreted things in his own way.<br />
<br />
<b>Yamai</b>: When you reach the battle with VISHNUFLYNN,
there is a reference point of the soul, where it either enters or
departs from the circle of transmigration. Nanashi is in the middle of
that circle, he is a human just like us. That is the reference. Beings
like Stephen, Mido, or the Count of Saint Germain left the circle of
transmigration, and I think that is why they could get in contact with
the Great Reason.<br />
<br />
<b>Shioda</b>: In Buddhism, leaving the circle of transmigration equals reaching Nirvana and becoming a buddha.<br />
<br />
<b>Yamai</b>: That’s right. This tim<span style="font-family: inherit;">e, in order for
the Divine Powers to succeed, various currents of thought from all kinds
of countries and religions come into play. The Buddhist view on
reincarnation is one of them and our setting is not biased towards it,
but the soul itself is something important for the gods. Shin Megami
Tensei IV adopts a quantum theory approach according to which gods exist
thanks to human perception, and religiou</span>s beliefs are one part of that.<br />
</span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUtVWPEEMlnui3-MOlD-6eWNGaQchHy6Z-Mm2HikeMZS8Sha7YBNoV7JbSCeAtPp8LICtSXTsKC7lNtCnvYVJiKRQOnY8xWFtj_EatOI7YYJ8bFeKk9laJVz98i9xKk3p2I8HS8L0nTT4/s1600/WVW69jXKEqshCga7gD.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUtVWPEEMlnui3-MOlD-6eWNGaQchHy6Z-Mm2HikeMZS8Sha7YBNoV7JbSCeAtPp8LICtSXTsKC7lNtCnvYVJiKRQOnY8xWFtj_EatOI7YYJ8bFeKk9laJVz98i9xKk3p2I8HS8L0nTT4/s200/WVW69jXKEqshCga7gD.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Picture unrelated to text at left</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span><span>
</span><br />
<span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Shioda</b>: Speaking of quantum theory, <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Stephen</span> reminds me of professor Stephen Hawking.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Miyata</b>: Their connection to Physics at least. </span></span></span><br />
</span><br />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"> </span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-large;">The <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Cosmic Egg</span> and What the Gods Want</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBf2-yWkH8nZSvIUTQ4PWmBbGl_66YyC3GRUmSLx6kUd-nZA6jTcOjjFh7CUVLcgS7ajOR8jcMlyfo1tnTx3Dn17cnQWBP05ye34bNrCuaOQl77zYbiBROx8iO66wZvM6cn_w36HilNi8/s1600/EV_4.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBf2-yWkH8nZSvIUTQ4PWmBbGl_66YyC3GRUmSLx6kUd-nZA6jTcOjjFh7CUVLcgS7ajOR8jcMlyfo1tnTx3Dn17cnQWBP05ye34bNrCuaOQl77zYbiBROx8iO66wZvM6cn_w36HilNi8/s320/EV_4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cosmic Egg concept</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Shioda</b>: The game’s equivalent of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_egg">world egg</a> motif is the Cosmic Egg; was it inspired by Hindu mythology?<br />
</span></div><span style="font-size: large;">
</span><div class="de2"><span style="font-size: large;">
<b>Yamai</b>: Not necessarily, but it perhaps looks like this since Vishnu and Krishna make an appearance.<br />
<br />
<b>Shioda</b>: I see. The Hindu current of thought says
that Kali Yuga [last world stage according to Sanskrit
scriptures] itself lasts for more than 430,000 years, but I have a
feeling that the story mentions it can hatch out at any time.<br />
<br />
<b>Miyata</b>: It hatches on the full moon, but there is
the implication that it is not necessary to reach the first or second
form for this to happen. Once Shesha’s belly is full, his role as the
egg is fulfilled, the “cycle of death” is completed during the battle
with the protagonist and he changes his form. That is something else
though. I’ll try to explain this short and simple. He would have still
become the egg even if Nanashi and his gang hadn’t had to kill him.<br />
<br />
<b>Yamai</b>: The concept of Kali Yuga was not introduced
simply because of how long it would have taken. The game would have
otherwise stretched over hundreds of hours and it still wouldn’t have
been enough (laughs).<br />
<br />
<b>Miyata</b>: Originally Shesha had nine heads as well. As
seen previously in the Megaten series, Ananta had seven heads, but
according to legend, he’s supposed to have one thousand. We had this
idea in the beginning, that the nine heads of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuzury%C5%AB#Kuzury.C5.AB_and_Buddhism">Kuzuryuu</a> would sprout from
nine different places in the city and every time you defeated one, you
would enter it and it would turn out to be a dungeon inside his body.<br />
<br />
<b>Yamai</b>: There was the problem of adding too much, and
there had already been a dungeon inside Abaddon in SMT2 anyway, so I
wanted to avoid that. In SMT4 you gain the <a href="https://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/navagrahas.asp">Navagraha</a> crest and
Masakado’s power becomes the key, while this time you get Kuzuryuu and
use Masakado’s power to go to YHVH’s universe. The gods want the souls
of humans in order to recreate the world, but to them creating the
Cosmic Egg would be fine whenever because the Divine Powers believe the
number of those souls is enough. On the other hand, if they didn’t think
the number was enough, it would be believed that there are 430,000
years until the end of Kali Yuga. This time we emphasized the dramatic
elements, and had it not happen until the full moon, but if humanity
collapses, souls would perhaps disappear, so maybe that time limit is
essential (laughs).<br />
<br />
<b>Shioda</b>: If the Egg hatched and a new universe were
born, it would take the souls with it and have them reincarnate. Does
reincarnation mean the souls themselves would become immortal?<br />
<br />
<b>Yamai</b>: Exactly. If the souls disappeared, the gods
wouldn’t exist anymore either. The idea of the immortality of souls
through the circle of transmigration is Buddhist and, even from YHVH’s
position, (this is starting to sound a bit like Gnosticism) the
existence of the circle of transmigration is a good thing, so the Great
Reason created that system which perhaps YHVH too took part in.</span><br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-large;">The Great Reason as Creator</span></h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Y8F7ti0VKDyMVNNdweZx8Mv5B2dCBi1qqoRhXdWi9EPmyoENiuS88XcIGt8b0LgKpccG4JCB5iGflh9WK1E5URPu2iBuVIMGDElSTF2DzLPC6pONuZ4lVXnQgzZdYa_TkHWGMrrUBUI/s1600/EV_3.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Y8F7ti0VKDyMVNNdweZx8Mv5B2dCBi1qqoRhXdWi9EPmyoENiuS88XcIGt8b0LgKpccG4JCB5iGflh9WK1E5URPu2iBuVIMGDElSTF2DzLPC6pONuZ4lVXnQgzZdYa_TkHWGMrrUBUI/s320/EV_3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unused scenario concept</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Shioda</b>: Is it correct to think that humanity was created by the Great Reason rather than by the gods?<br />
<br />
<b>Yamai</b>: In the beginning, I believe, pure humans were
made as observers of the universe. Then, as time passed, gods and
polytheism appeared as the result of their perception of the surrounding
world.<br />
<br />
<b>Miyata</b>: Nozomi says at some point that it’s all
right for people to be unsure, but in the underground it is believed
that the gods are one of the answers hypothesised by humans. From her
point of view, the gods are a symbol of the ideal imagined by humans and
the perfect form envisioned by them as their target, their final point.
Monotheism, on the other hand, only has one final target, but there are
many ideals to pursue. This is tied to Nozomi’s lines above. It’s all
right if there are bad guys and if there are good people, there will
also be fickle ones. Nozomi’s credo is that everyone should choose their
own destination.<br />
<br />
<b>Yamai</b>: Even when talking about the creation of the
universe, I think the birth of the Great Reason is beyond our ideals.
The universe we can observe stretches over 130 billion light years, but
we don’t know how it managed to appear from nothing. Gods like Izanagi,
who birthed out of his eyes and nose, were perhaps a symbol of a farming
culture, but they had a power that surpassed the humans’ power of
understanding and I dare say that in the case of the Great Reason too,
if emotions were to arise, those emotions themselves would become gods.
I’m talking about that kind of creation. For example, the wish to be
worshipped gave birth to YHVH, or seeing the fights between humans
signified the appearance of Lucifer. I think this is similar to the
trends and movements born out of people’s shared consciousness nowadays.
Let’s look at Japan’s concept of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawaii">cuteness</a>: if it spread throughout the
whole world, maybe it would lead to the birth of a new god. I had this
vague thought that the backbone of the Great Reason would begin like a
pure baby who would pick up various emotions through touch, gradually
learning about its surroundings.<br />
<br />
<b>Shioda</b>: So it’s something along the lines of a god born out of the collective unconscious which came from shared awareness?<br />
<br />
<b>Yamai</b>: That’s right, don’t you all just love it? (laughs)<br />
<br />
<b>Miyata</b>: I certainly think there is some sort of huge
collective unconscious, but I never really thought it might be
connected to the Great Reason. And speaking of shared awareness, the
scale would be quite small depending on the surroundings; the Japanese
would have their shared awareness, but it would be different from that
of foreigners. For example, even if the Japanese saw themselves as
without religion, they’d look Buddhist to foreigners. This kind of thing
leads me to think that the Great Reason is not at the surface of shared
awareness, but belongs instead to an extremely deep part of the origin.<br />
<br />
<b>Shioda</b>: I personally think that the term ‘<a href="http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=1476">bunrei</a>’
[spirit divisions] often used to name gods in the story is extremely
important in this game. The Great Reason is the origin. Does that make
YHVH and all the other gods ‘bunrei’?<br />
<br />
<b>Yamai</b>: Yes, it does. I think we can explain the
existence of ‘bunrei’ through polytheism resulted from human perception.
In the Celtic world, the druids saw Dagda as the forefather of
sorcerers, but this was different for the Norse people or the Germanic
culture. The people of each civilisation would see things as it fit
them, so we got Odin instead. ‘Bunrei’ are born like this, but then
again, treating Dagda and Odin as identical is wrong. Their powers and
responsibilities are different, so it’s better for them to be thought of
as different entities. Let’s have a look at YHVH: when he was born,
humans perhaps observed YHVH himself, but once the scriptures were
written, Uriel would be the one to be noticed and maybe that’s why he
made so many appearances in their pages. Uriel frequently appearing as
YHVH’s messenger also kind of feels like an accessory that comes to the
front in order to preserve YHVH’s solemnity. But that is the result of
the perception of later people, so we can also say that Uriel is a part
[bunrei] of YHVH.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-large;">The "Bunrei" Satan and Lucifer</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbZHyGFXytZ4dc7lwEm7titWmA2CZTx7I5ihypPf8UyGcnjNqhKYcJeD_Ckgtf3sMDPp18av7IqljUs0auJRRM_InCncFDqKZpjqjqiqShdbpdJTgXuRTymd-4MWy_KBI-qsOtBoCvhY/s1600/EV_2.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbZHyGFXytZ4dc7lwEm7titWmA2CZTx7I5ihypPf8UyGcnjNqhKYcJeD_Ckgtf3sMDPp18av7IqljUs0auJRRM_InCncFDqKZpjqjqiqShdbpdJTgXuRTymd-4MWy_KBI-qsOtBoCvhY/s320/EV_2.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unused scenario concept</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Shioda</b>: Lucifer’s idea that Chaos can exist because YHVH exists is also interesting.<br />
<br />
<b>Miyata</b>: Besides Law and Chaos existing in the first
place, contrast cannot exist without opposing forces. Lucifer needed to
be born from YHVH, the root of everything, but that was YHVH’s
intention, in order to maintain the balance between Law and Chaos. That
is why Lucifer moves as YHVH intends. In SMT4A, Lucifer is again dancing
in YHVH’s palm and his presence was in the latter’s plans. We would
normally think that YHVH is on the Lawful side, but if we stop and think
about it, he created Chaos in the ‘evil role’ so that Law could be
sustainable.<br />
<br />
<b>Yamai</b>: A correct way of thinking and definitive
ending do not exist in the Megaten series, and Lucifer’s existence being
conditioned by YHVH’s isn’t necessarily exact either, but just Odin’s
point of view. The most important thing is to observe all the ways of
thinking, and choose and appreciate the one you think is correct. That
is why I had absolutely no intention to show contempt for Lucifer in
this game, although it looks like this from the point of view of the
other faiths. I think this might also be a facet of the antithesis of
monotheism: polytheism. Also, this time I took into account Satan from
the Book of Job. The Satan of SMT2 was the ‘Judge’, while here he is the
‘Evaluator’. Lucifer of the Old Testament lived in a different time and
place where it was possible that he was a god, a primeval angel.
Lucifer has inherited the ‘negative role’ Satan had in the scriptures
back then, so if we look at it in chronological order, the concept of
Satan appeared earlier, then the ideology of Kabbalah interfered, and if
Merkabah and Lucifer fused, they would return to their roots, Satan.
You can feel that Lucifer’s underdog attitude comes from Satan.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-large;">The Background of the Krishna Seal</span></h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinFWxUEdzJIbgEgIRQojWDawZMGEomDsIxYzacKW2IaRWL-P3gjGMPpIT4gvxshoL74gDdPtZ8yqoPm0LJ_9gmrY-RQfh9OANyCf8avohrvsNHVu59vh7RsWYQ6e0WnVkxjRvK5IMa4GI/s1600/EV_1.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinFWxUEdzJIbgEgIRQojWDawZMGEomDsIxYzacKW2IaRWL-P3gjGMPpIT4gvxshoL74gDdPtZ8yqoPm0LJ_9gmrY-RQfh9OANyCf8avohrvsNHVu59vh7RsWYQ6e0WnVkxjRvK5IMa4GI/s320/EV_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unused scenario concept</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><b>Shioda</b>: It’s impossible to leave out Krishna if
we’re talking about the demons in this game. Why did he become a central
figure of the story?</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Yamai</b>: We picked him when we were trying to decide
on members of the Divine Powers; this was back when we created the
concept of polytheism versus monotheism. Other options were Japan’s
Arahabaki or Bali’s Rangda and Barong, famous names in the Megaten
series, but they would have had little chance to stand against a
religion with one billion followers worldwide, so we settled on
Hinduism. We thought about Vishnu, Shiva or Brahma, the fusion <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardhanarishvara">Ardha</a>, or
maybe even a fusion of all those figures, but we figured we could look
into the history of those who lost their power then regained it. That’s
how we came across Krishna while looking over Shiva’s and Vishnu’s
avatars. Originally, Krishna was a hero god revered separately, but he
really gave off the air of a rascal and his religious representations
can be found in various epics. I think that’s how we ended up making our
choice.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Shioda</b>: When you talked about lost power, did you
mean him becoming one of Vishnu’s avatars? Does that mean he’s getting
his revenge on Vishnu who stole his power?</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Yamai</b>: The explanation here is that Vishnu is the
arrival point, in the end Krishna becomes Vishnu. So by becoming Vishnu
he is able to regain his lost power, rides Shesha and still as Vishnu
attempts to recreate the Universe. That is why he also has the facet of
the god of destruction, the facet of Shiva. I was thinking to
myself, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_cycle_of_the_universe">what if he himself wishes to destroy the world in one breath with Brahma emerging from his navel</a>? (laughs) Of course, even in
Hinduism there are different views of the creation of the world on the
Vishnu side and the Shiva side; this time we featured Krishna and based
his story on the world concept of the Vishnu side.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Shioda</b>: Krishna was sealed in the game’s story within <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanda_Shrine">Kanda Shrine</a>,
but the details can be found in a short story in this book. However,
originally there was a different setting behind this.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Miyata</b>: The Ark [containing Krishna] is at the Kanda
Shrine because we used the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese-Jewish_common_ancestry_theory">Japanese-Jewish Common Ancestor Theory</a> as
the base. Basically it started from the interpretation that you capture
Krishna together with Daikokuten and this also involves Okuninushi and
Sukuna-Hikona.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Shioda</b>: The enshrined deities of the Kanda Shrine
are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daikokuten">Daikokuten</a>, who is identified with Onamuchi, aka Okuninushi, and
Sukuna-Hikona or Ebisu, together with Taira no Masakado.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Miyata</b>: There are three crests on the shrine of
Kanda; if you gather the crests and insert them into the rock, the
waterfall will split in two and allow you to advance, but each crest
applies to the deities enshrined there, Okuninushi, Sukuna-Hikona and
Masakado. You can also find an area protected by angels inside the
dungeon if you let the crests guide you; there’s also an area protected
by demons and only demons NPCs appear around there.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Yamai</b>: It becomes submerged because the cold water
ablutions or water used for hand washing turned into a barrier from a
purifying spiritual power point of view. It’s the same thing in Buddhism
or Shinto, where you purify with water and calm down with alcohol.
Water acted as a seal. Perhaps you are protected from colds by the
barrier of ions (laughs). I suppose the Kanda Shrine was chosen due to
Masakado who, as Tokyo’s guardian, was enshrined together with other
harmful gods in order to seal them. As the saying goes, fighting fire
with fire.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Shioda</b>: Thereupon, Krishna came to Japan together with imported Buddhism.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Miyata</b>: Since he came along back then, he was
quickly sealed by exorcists and came to be known as Kokuten/Kuroten
[黒天], but the short story shows that after the seal was broken, Kuroten
was active all around Japan; when he reached <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanda_Shrine#History">the relocated Kanda Shrine</a>,
he was sealed once more. In the beginning of the Edo period, Tenkai
raised the Tokugawa Mandala with the help of <a href="https://hyakumonogatari.com/2015/02/26/goshiki-fudo-the-five-fudo-temples-of-tokyo/">Goshiki Fudou</a>, but he also
happened to get sealed in the process. The seal in Goshiki Fudou is
thereby magnetite, and the ‘colour’ is absorbed. You can’t summon demons
in that area because the magnetite is absorbed when you are about to
summon them. The magnetite that was originally there didn’t work, so
during those times the demons in Japan were either defeated or sealed,
ending in a clean situation as ordered by the shogunate.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Shioda</b>: In the early setting I saw an exorcist ancestor of Flynn had sealed him.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Miyata</b>: But if we assume he was sealed in the Heian
era, the huge rock would have had to be moved together with the
relocation of the Kanda Shrine, so we decided to change this early
draft. I think the Tokugawa Shogunate created the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oniwaban">O-niwaban</a>* rather
late, but it already had a predecessor in the Oniwaban, a group of
practitioners similar to exorcists who could summon demons; the Tokugawa
Mandala was completed when these practitioners, among them the man
Flynn had been in a previous life, risked their lives to seal Krishna.
That is also the beginning of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakoku">closed borders policy</a>. Short stories
also have certain limits, so I couldn’t really include this, but the
crucifixion of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/26_Martyrs_of_Japan">Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan</a> or the oppression of
Christianity were conducted by him who was not called Krishna at the
time. He met Dagda during this period and he knew that there was another
target he had to destroy, but as a result he was sealed by Flynn’s
previous self. The incident in this game is the result of the various
schemes concocted since back then.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><i>*</i><i>Oh boy, language time! Both names are read the same, but
the kanji are obviously different, so I tried to differentiate them in a
way that makes some sense. The real life Oniwaban (御庭番衆 Oniwabanshuu)
literally meant ‘the people (衆 shuu) of the guard (番 ban) of the great
(御 o) inner garden (庭 niwa)’. The ‘o’ is supposed to be a honorific
prefix, so I wrote it separately. Think O-Ren Ishii. The fictional
Oniwaban (鬼倭番衆 Oniwabanshuu), on the other hand, means ‘the people of
the guard of the demons (鬼 oni) of Yamato (倭 wa/Yamato) or something
along those lines. And no, they’re not guarding the demons.</i></span></span><br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-large;">The Relationship Between Toki and Inanna</span></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktxUDUdUr1ZV8Y3EHoFqZE01wm6bbZI9_chTOGxbK-Hecspec5CRbOTcxdEU5Qk-InucigsjyNgD4xbXbSHe5JVR_RHYoBl8OjAyIUiGn0eB7GdXMD6svBbhXEUbGHmeLpQRx5QUQM2k/s1600/CH_Toki_concept+3.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktxUDUdUr1ZV8Y3EHoFqZE01wm6bbZI9_chTOGxbK-Hecspec5CRbOTcxdEU5Qk-InucigsjyNgD4xbXbSHe5JVR_RHYoBl8OjAyIUiGn0eB7GdXMD6svBbhXEUbGHmeLpQRx5QUQM2k/s320/CH_Toki_concept+3.jpg" width="176" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toki concept</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><b>Shioda</b>: Speaking of Goshiki Fudou, Toki’s lines when
Inanna got inside her were a bit different from her usual style of
speech and functioned as foreshadowing. After that, Inanna was basically
asleep inside Toki, right?</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Miyata</b>: Inanna was absorbing the Magnetite, or
better said ‘colour’, inside her. She is exerting her influence by
producing all that desire in Toki. She has Toki’s feelings manifest
themselves because of that desire, the same way someone who catches a
cold will come down with a fever. Up until then, Toki had no means of
cultivating any type of elegance, so the influence expressed itself
directly through her preference for Nanashi. Basically, these are
feelings that exist deep inside Toki, but they are revealed in a rather
exaggerated form. She’s normally held back from expressing her affection
for the opposite sex, but even then she might end up unable to hold
back, so she either enters Nanashi’s room any time she wants or starts
bickering with Asahi. This comes to an end when Asahi dies and Inanna is
able to return.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Shioda</b>: I vividly remember a comment next to this
part back when I read the scenario saying ‘This might not be in the
spirit of Megaten’.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Yamai</b>: We want to write about people who feel
realistic, and this is not limited to Toki. Among RPGs, the Megaten
series too shows a certain part of reality, but I believe that the
reality we are living in nowadays is a bit different. When something
changes or when we encounter a different situation we tend to look for
the cause, or we might succumb to temptation and get drunk but it’s the
alcohol’s fault, or…Either way, we have this tendency to put the blame
on others. This happens in Toki’s case too: those are her real feelings,
but she received a certain education from the Gaeans and that acted as a
restraint for her.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Shioda</b>: Inanna becomes a Polytheistic force, but does she act according to their principles?</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Yamai</b>: The only common principle of the Polytheistic
forces is to defeat YHVH. I also wanted to add some conflicts among the
Divine Powers, but had to cut those parts.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Miyata</b>: You can see some traces of that in Odin’s case, like when he suggests each soul be equally split.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Yamai</b>: Inanna is worshipped as a mother goddess and
this time she is portrayed especially as a symbol of fertility, being
the mother of various gods. I think she is attached to this idea of
having multiple children. The group ideology of the Divine Powers is not
united like the Japanese <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliamentary_opposition">opposition government</a> (laughs), but changes
when it’s convenient to them, and there are also moments when Krishna
and the others make use of it as they like. There might also be demons
who give up and join the Divine Powers, like simple party members who
normally only vote in presidential elections. There are also many
individual forces who aren’t monotheistic, but aren’t clearly opposed to
the polytheistic forces either, and they’d rather wait and see what
happens to the Divine Powers, like the trickster of Norse mythology,
Loki. Inanna is a goddess of prosperity and the image of birthing and
multiplication is strong, I believe, but this is very similar to other
mythologies of ancient times. In the old days, baby survival rates were
low, and so was life expectancy in general, while childbirth itself was
regarded as a mystery. A goddess with this type of background is
basically a subclass of the Divine Powers.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Shioda</b>: This reminds me, there’s a monotheistic
tendency in Shinto to treat Amaterasu like she’s the only god; what is
SMT4A’s approach?</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Yamai</b>: This is not the Japanese-Jewish Common
Ancestor Theory, but Amaterasu, who is the equivalent of Judaism’s One
God, undoubtedly belongs to the Law faction. The Kunitsukami [spirits/gods native to the land of Japan] belong to the
Polytheistic camp, but if we think about ‘kunitsukuri’ [‘nation
building’] and the ‘<a href="https://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/141677532043/another-topic-for-today-which-is-more-history">eastern expedition</a>’ [conquering of the eastern lands
of Japan], they’re rather, and more strongly, ‘against Amatsukami’.
They are temporarily part of the Divine Powers and don’t actually agree
with the Powers’ ideas, but it feels more like they are there according
to their own interpretations and principles. Susanoo is against the
Amatsukami [spirits/gods residing in the sky/heavens], but there aren’t
any references to point that out exactly; however, he is the same type
of trickster god as Loki, so they have certain common points, I think.</span><br />
</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-large;">The Flow of Time in Tokyo and in the Kingdom of Mikado</span></h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1S0tmYrTbVSrYkMLlGaLxlGUHdYGtvcb5nDmYv13BYiNM9axO4SR8tWFxkRDefH0K-nVdRKO-uFmmZGBAQjKHfJDUSjFWxn8I6I_p9hwwkc97UQEpAcdbMYVui5pjnkA4J7LnW8tFEQ/s1600/CH_Gaston+concept.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1S0tmYrTbVSrYkMLlGaLxlGUHdYGtvcb5nDmYv13BYiNM9axO4SR8tWFxkRDefH0K-nVdRKO-uFmmZGBAQjKHfJDUSjFWxn8I6I_p9hwwkc97UQEpAcdbMYVui5pjnkA4J7LnW8tFEQ/s320/CH_Gaston+concept.jpg" width="234" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gaston concepts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Shioda</b>: This is getting more sci-fi than
mythological, but this time the flow of time in Tokyo and the Eastern
Kingdom of Mikado is the same. The Samurai in the previous game were in a
sort of ‘<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urashima_Tar%C5%8D">Urashima time travel situation</a>’ in Tokyo, but I’d say this had
happened because of the hole in the ceiling caused by Shesha.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span>
<span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Miyata</b>: Time flowed differently because of Masakado.
That is why, rather than saying that time outside Tokyo was faster,
it’s better to say that time flowed slower only in Tokyo. This was
needed so people could continue their way of life from before the War of
the Gods, and is also the reason the water and electricity
infrastructure hadn’t really changed. The whole thing happened because
the boy who had been Flynn’s previous self was influenced by Masakado
and wished he could protect the Tokyo of that exact moment. Then Shesha
opened the hole in the ceiling and they became unable to preserve the
place. Nine years pass in the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado between Shin
Megami Tensei IV and Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse, with Navarre
being in a daze all that time. This means he was 18 in the beginning and
his brother Gaston was 9. The flow of time from the start of each game
is minutely calculated by the mission. We had lengthy discussions about
this during development, but the game had a text limit, so people might
have understood things differently. When Masakado says in the ending
‘I’ll leave this to you’, the flow of time returns, Nanashi comes back
and there are now two Messiahs, so he decides everything will be all
right. Masakado couldn’t have been revived without the ‘Great Spirit of
Goodwill’ and the ‘Great Spirit of Spite’, so perhaps he would have had
to turn the power to restrain the flow of time into something else, like
the maintenance of oxygen.</span></span><br />
</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-large;">Shin Megami Tensei <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">IV</span> Apocalypse and the <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">U</span>nfolding <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">D</span>rama</span></h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsQs7x3u32h3YtixJpp_NChSdOcn084390HMdtnB7YLwVunFqx0ZdmBfL7PjzL2hS5xo7F_f1aux7Ne7XwsKo2LpoDpOh0V41a3n_8GQxTa0vhrck2kFRWAFkqohq-PTkueMTF9b0bwmc/s1600/CH_Hallelujah+concept.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsQs7x3u32h3YtixJpp_NChSdOcn084390HMdtnB7YLwVunFqx0ZdmBfL7PjzL2hS5xo7F_f1aux7Ne7XwsKo2LpoDpOh0V41a3n_8GQxTa0vhrck2kFRWAFkqohq-PTkueMTF9b0bwmc/s320/CH_Hallelujah+concept.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hallelujah concepts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Shioda</b>: I have one more question for you. The scenario this time has many more indications and more theatrics. Was this on purpose?</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span>
<span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Miyata</b>: Yes. In the end Shesha reaches his final
form, while Krishna uses the piety of humans to attempt to collect their
souls. A dramatic method that completely manages to grab your
attention. Sunlight trickling through the ceiling breach is another
flashy part, and all kinds of actions are designed in order to stand out
as much as possible. Following this point of view, Krishna is shown
more like a human character rather than a god or a demon. This is
underlined by the lack of effects for his voice, as well as his
appearance, close to an actual human. Other theatrical moments were the
irony surrounding YHVH’s existence, as well as Dagda’s catchphrase ‘What
a farce’. Besides Dagda and Krishna, Lucifer and Adramelech too had
similar dramatic lines added for numerous character quirks. The ‘Aah’
and ‘Hmm’ at the beginning of Adramelech’s lines were interjections and
conjunctions I wanted to try adding somewhere. Adramelech has the
personality of someone in charge with fashion in the Expanse, so these
came naturally. Dagda and Krishna were heading towards similar
directions, sharing the desire to create a real ‘Godslayer’. Krishna
becomes a ‘Great One’ and heads towards a different universe, while
Dagda doesn’t really wish to die, but wants to destroy this entire world
and rebuild one anew, to recommence the observation once more. I
figured the desire to use the Godslayer added the feeling of a puppet
show to the story, so dramatic elements kept building thanks to each
character.</span></span><br />
<span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span>
<span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Yamai</b>: I was thinking about this when I sent the
summary and received the plot, but characters who tend to stray from a
plot which has been already decided might become tempters. You might
have those strict rules where you wake up in the morning and go to sleep
at night at certain hours, but there’s always the temptation to sit up
late at night. This is like the snake who tempted Eve in the Garden of
Eden (that is, a demon–Satan and Lucifer), but can also be applied to
Krishna. Or take Odin the tempter turning into an old man, or <a href="https://pantheon.org/articles/k/kvasir.html">the legend where he turns into a snake</a>. The snake slithers inside the walls
through a small hole, and this gives him both a cowardly and an
extremely devious image. These types of characters give off the feeling
of actors laying their spell on humans with their performances. I’ve
thought about this before, so the theatrics in this game’s story were
very interesting to me.</span></span><br />
<span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span>
<span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Miyata</b>: Even the fact that gods and demons exist as a
result of the humans’ role as observers has a certain dramatic feeling
to it. There’s the relationship built between the ones who observe and
the ones who are observed, with Krishna’s modus operandi to have them
see in a certain way, while Dagda doesn’t want them to see at all.
Another theatrical factor was the different readings of kanji. Like
writing ‘<a href="http://japan-travelers-eyes.blogspot.com/2013/08/natsume-soseki.html">The moon is beautiful</a>’ and reading ‘I love you’ (laughs) [love
confession, Japanese style]. It’s rare to not be aware of the dramatic
results of exaggeration and characters like Krishna are especially prone
to it.</span></span><br />
<span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span>
<span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Shioda</b>: And finally, we can also talk about the position of the player as an observer.</span></span><br />
<span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span>
<span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Yamai</b>: I’d love it if this happened.</span></span><br />
<span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span>
<span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Miyata</b>: I personally believe that from a certain
point of view, the ending where you kill everyone is actually a good
one. That is a result that adhered to your own scale of legitimacy,
without denying anyone. You are in the same position as YHVH and are
also preserving the bond with the partners who turned into demons. Well,
this is just the way I see things though, nothing definitive.</span></span><br />
<span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span>
<span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Yamai</b>: Since you mentioned that, I feel like I can’t
avoid talking about the meaning of ‘bonds’ in Megaten. We thought about
the reason we’d do this in Megaten ever since we started the first
draft of the story and we came to the conclusion that it’s worth it as
long as we could express, approximately, the fear of changing the view
that bonds tie you down.</span></span><br />
<span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span>
<span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Shioda</b>: Gods who only say beautiful things are
indeed suspicious and truly a Megaten brand. Thank you for sparing a few
hours of your busy day!</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgg3pChrWQWsFtthnftcGb8c0G9X_7LOxBty5Nox9fnNghsPQRyMdA6w_Js2SX0mhBp6nvfLpWiAeRJ2UG3MfT0eL8SJuzhyphenhyphenB-nJZnqBDL2Q0pElg0XsJnWB2R1mnoAIXdLz5QR2zPXQQ/s1600/pt3.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgg3pChrWQWsFtthnftcGb8c0G9X_7LOxBty5Nox9fnNghsPQRyMdA6w_Js2SX0mhBp6nvfLpWiAeRJ2UG3MfT0eL8SJuzhyphenhyphenB-nJZnqBDL2Q0pElg0XsJnWB2R1mnoAIXdLz5QR2zPXQQ/s1600/pt3.png" /></a></div>
<h2>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span></span></h2>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The rest of the <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">book consists of Nobuyuki Shioda's mythology topi<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">cs. Di<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">jeh has translated most of them<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> and you can find <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">links to each below. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span><br /></span>
<br />
</span><ul>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span>First topic - <b><a data-ytta-id="-" href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/133678242063/writing-summaries-is-hard-anyway-thanks-to-the">Monotheism and Polytheism</a></b></span></span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span>Second topic - <b><a data-ytta-id="-" href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/134614917848/a-couple-of-weeks-ago-i-summarised-the-first-info">Dagda and Celtic Mythology</a></b></span></span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span>Third topic - <b><a data-ytta-id="-" href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/136002503353/im-suspiciously-productive-this-month-so-have">Krishna and the Mythology of India</a></b></span></span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span>Fourth topic - <b><a data-ytta-id="-" href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/136285737468/ending-the-year-on-a-high-note-heres-another">Mysticism and Satan</a></b></span></span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span>Fifth topic - <b><a data-ytta-id="-" href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/136977998723/2015-ended-with-a-megaten-translation-so-its">Medusa and Greek Mythology</a></b></span></span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span>Sixth topic - <b><a data-ytta-id="-" href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/138558420413/this-ones-for-the-anon-who-was-asking-me-to">Miroku and the Concept of Salvation in Buddhism</a></b></span></span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span>Seventh topic - <b><a data-ytta-id="-" href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/139447533758/its-no-news-that-im-seriously-bad-at-respecting">Odin and Germanic Deities</a></b></span></span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span>Eighth topic - <b><a data-ytta-id="-" href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/139622769438/a-topic-thats-short-but-full-of-information">Sukunahikona and the Mythology of the Powers in Ancient Japan</a></b></span></span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span>Ninth topic - <b><a data-ytta-id="-" href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/141618826513/its-been-a-while-since-the-previous-topic-but">Taotie and the Myths of China</a></b></span></span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span>Tenth topic - <b><a data-ytta-id="-" href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/141677532043/another-topic-for-today-which-is-more-history">Chironnup and Ainu Mythology</a></b></span></span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span>Eleventh topic </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span>- <a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/143398469648/wow-a-translation-todays-topic-talks-about">The Birth of Humans and the Birth of Gods</a></span></span> </b></span></li>
</ul><span style="font-size: large;">
<span><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Thanks again to <a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/">Dijeh</a> for <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">the marvelous translation work and the<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> Tumblr SMT community for making <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">it </span>happen! S<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">ee you again...<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">maybe? </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Eirikrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708584583156602408noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102004681763150356.post-48020602448638264042015-09-01T20:45:00.004-04:002021-09-01T20:41:22.023-04:00Shin Megami Tensei's Identity Crisis (Part 3 of 3): False Reincarnation<div class="Section1">
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">by <b>Eirikr</b></span></span> [<a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a>] [<a href="https://twitter.com/EirikrJS">twitter</a>]</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">(<a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2015/08/smt-identity-crisis-pt2.html">continued from Part 2</a>) (<b><a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2015/08/SMT-identity-crisis-pt1.html">Part 1 is recommended to read prior to Part 3</a></b>)</span></span><br /><br /><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey</span></span></i><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> might be one of
the greatest examples of fanservice ever made. In a genre where “fanservice”
usually means crass pandering with skimpy outfits for female characters or
other brazen titillation, <i>Strange Journey</i> instead provided its ravenous
fans with more of what they already loved about Shin Megami Tensei: creative
direction from Kazuma Kaneko, more demons, mature characters, an original
setting, and proper apocalyptic atmosphere—a true SMT game in every sense. Neither
the limits of the Nintendo DS hardware nor the series’ usual rough edges would
suppress <i>Strange Journey</i>’s understanding that the greatest fanservice is
respect for its audience. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">There’s just one big problem: <i>Strange Journey</i> under-performed at retail relative to other games in the franchise and in spite
of being on a platform with a large install base, moving only 127,946 copies in
Japan. <a href="http://geimin.net/da/db/2009_ne_fa/index.php"><b>[1]</b></a> To add insult to injury, <i>Persona 3 Portable</i>, the
second re-release of <i>Persona 3</i>, was released in Japan only a few weeks after <i>Strange Journey</i>’s launch and completely outclassed it with
183,283 in sales. <a href="http://geimin.net/da/db/2009_ne_fa/index.php"><b>[1]</b></a> The niche Shin Megami Tensei had always relied on
was apparently eroding away. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">It was in this climate that development of <i>Shin Megami Tensei
IV</i> began.<b> </b>"<i>I first started thinking about [SMT4] once Strange
Journey, which came out October 2009, was finished</i>," said <i>SMT4</i>’s
director, Kazuyuki Yamai. "<i>I've been hearing from fans who wanted an
'official' SMT sequel for ages, and we thought that we were finally at the
point as a team where we were mature enough to tackle the job, so that's how it
got started</i>."<b> <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2013/4/24/4260254/shin-megami-tensei-ivs-director-talks-about-the-series-and-its-punk">[2]</a> </b>So much like what happened with Persona, a
new generation of creators would take hold of Shin Megami Tensei with a fresh,
modern approach. But amid changing tastes, how much of SMT’s old identity would
have to be sacrificed to bridge the series to the new players it so desperately
needed? </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Fusion</span></span></span></span></h1>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span>We don't know many specifics of <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i>'s
development, other than Yamai's quote above confirming it was the next project
for him and his team following <i>Strange Journey</i>'s release. However, there would
be a significant event that would have certainly impacted its early
development: In August 2010, Atlus was dissolved into its parent company, Index
Holdings.<b> <a href="http://www.1up.com/news/atlus-disolved-parent-company">[3]</a> </b>The idea of a beloved company losing its independence to a
purely for-profit holdings firm with a alarmingly generic name like “Index”
certainly seemed troublesome, but Atlus was quick to reassure fans that this
change would not affect their games' development.<b> <a href="http://www.1up.com/news/atlus-assures-fans-company-lives">[4]</a> </b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span>While this dissolution came as a shock to fans, what is just
as surprising is that ownership of Atlus had been bouncing around for quite a
while; toy maker Takara had acquired the company in 2003<b> <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/takara-to-buy-atlus/1100-6076883/">[5]</a> </b>before
selling it to Index in 2006.<b> <a href="http://www.rpgfan.com/news/2006/1572.html">[6]</a></b> So while corporate oversight was
nothing new to Atlus and its development teams, the concern now was the
possibility of direct involvement, as it’s reasonable to assume that Index
wanted to make good (i.e., money) on its IPs beyond the snowballing performance
of Persona. Shin Megami Tensei is a storied franchise—why couldn’t it be just
as much of a success? Again, without direct sources it’s impossible to know the
truth, but the ambiguous starting date of <i>SMT4</i>’s development and Atlus’
folding into Index are close enough to suggest a possible correlation.<br /></span></span></span></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPrh4CtWiFgG5AoAv6FSCkJn_dmIiNCzmMXLT2n9kbp26ywDvEQyPS62fH6OOWDcZWH-7oFPLIyCNafLy03IU_Q5yGS6KNWMMajbKCiOSiNVa3UndOUClS5fNyBASxRA9cRfAbtwKNjfY/s1600/the+guys.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPrh4CtWiFgG5AoAv6FSCkJn_dmIiNCzmMXLT2n9kbp26ywDvEQyPS62fH6OOWDcZWH-7oFPLIyCNafLy03IU_Q5yGS6KNWMMajbKCiOSiNVa3UndOUClS5fNyBASxRA9cRfAbtwKNjfY/s640/the+guys.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The Shin Megami Tensei Four (from left): Masayuki Doi, Kazuyuki Yamai, Ryota Kozuka, Eiji Ishida</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br />So who would be in charge of <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i>? Not
Kazuma Kaneko; as <i>Strange Journey</i> was a kind of creative pet project for him,
its modest results either earned him the fabled “window seat” of Japanese
corporate politics or perhaps convinced him to step aside in favor of others. Much
of <i>Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne</i>’s staff was now inseparable from Persona-related
development, so they would be out, too. Instead, the responsibility would fall
on the shoulders of the so-called “Maniacs Team,” so named because many of them
worked on the <i>Maniacs </i>re-release of <i>Nocturne </i>(and the <i>Devil Summoner: Raidou
series</i>), including director Kazuyuki Yamai. Joining him would be character
designer Masayuki Doi, who did design work for the Trauma series and Persona
PSP ports; concept artist Eiji Ishida, who also directed <i>Strange Journey</i>; and
finally, relative Atlus newcomer and composer Ryota Kozuka, who contributed to
the soundtracks of <i>Persona 4</i> and the <i>Devil Survivor</i> series. Importantly, these
leads each had previous Megami Tensei titles under their belts and, along with
working for so long under people like Kaneko, it’s reasonable to expect they "understood"
SMT.<br /><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Initial photo of the <i>SMT4 </i>announcement teaser from May 30, 2012</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><i><br />Shin Megami Tensei IV</i> was first announced on May 30, 2012,
with only a vague two-page magazine teaser. However, that was more than enough
to send fans into a frenzy; finally, after nearly 10 years, the next mainline
Shin Megami Tensei game was soon to come. The fervor reached its zenith with a teaser
trailer included with the Nintendo 3DS <i>Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers</i> port, which
offered tantalizing glimpses at the game’s mysterious medieval kingdom and
presumed Tokyo sprawl. The sheer possibilities of what could lay ahead
absolutely reinvigorated the excitement of main series fans who may have felt
they had been left behind. With the benefit of hindsight, the final game would
meet these expectations in some important ways. Here’s what <i>SMT4 </i>did right: </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><b>Music. </b><i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i>’s soundtrack is
absolutely one of its strongest aspects, performing the double duty of living
up to the atmospheric spirit of its predecessors while also sounding fresh.
This is no doubt due to <i>SMT4 </i>being Ryota Kozuka’s first work as a lead
composer, leaving his style comparatively unproven to the likes of Shoji
Meguro’s domineering acoustics. Stylistic comparisons aside, <i>SMT4</i>’s music is
just <i>good</i>, filled with moody (and sometimes sinister) technopop and synth
that’s just right for the game’s setting. The best part of all, there’s a lot
of it, too: <i>SMT4</i>’s official soundtrack release fills four discs, dwarfing the
musical content of just about every stand alone SMT game except for <i>Nocturne</i>.
Kozuka and <i>SMT4</i>'s sub-composers, fellow Atlus initiate Toshiki Konishi and veteran
Atlus sound designer Kenichi Tsuchiya, deserve a lot more recognition than
they’ve received for their stellar contributions to the game.<b> </b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><b>Environment and character concepts</b>. From Tokyo’s dead streets to the limits of Purgatorium or Lucifer Palace, <i>SMT4</i>'s environments
reflect its excellent and creative art direction. Some of the concept work of
Eiji Ishida (and freelance artists) can also literally be seen in-game in the
many static 2D backgrounds used throughout. While <i>SMT4</i>’s particular version of
Tokyo restricts the game from going as far out with its locations as, say,
<i>Nocturne </i>or <i>Strange Journey</i> there’s no lack of interesting sights. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span>Additionally, Masayuki Doi's character designs succeed in
Kaneko's absence. In Yamai's words, "<i>[Doi] is capable of making these
simple-looking characters that still strike a major presence...We worked
closely together, exchanging opinions as we tried to keep the characters as
simple and free of excess frills as possible.</i>" <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2013/4/24/4260254/shin-megami-tensei-ivs-director-talks-about-the-series-and-its-punk"><b>[2]</b></a> That they
strove to keep away "excess frills" shows the two recognize the
series aesthetic, resulting in Doi's conception of a main cast very much in
line with the rest of the series.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>SMTIV </i>is just a lot of fun to actually play</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><b>Progressive changes to gameplay</b>. <i>Shin Megami Tensei
IV</i> features numerous gameplay enhancements, both major and minor. These
include: Fusion search, allowing you to search your demon stock and compendium
for specific demons or skills you want for a particular fusion; freeform skill
selection in fusion; saving anywhere; improvements to the user interface, with
one of the least clunky menus in any SMT game; and the app system, which doles
out gameplay modifiers as permanent upgrades. Then there are the little things,
such as demons telling you the results of their skill mutations before
committing (whereas previously the player would have to roll the dice on an
unknown outcome). While not every change or addition <i>SMT4</i> presented was
successful, most of them were modernizations the series desperately needed. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><b>Strength of specific narrative choices</b>. <i>Shin
Megami Tensei
IV</i>’s backstory and the ways in which it intersects with its main plot
are
simultaneously the most ambitious and successful parts of the game’s
narrative.
In short, <i>SMT4</i>’s picks up after the conclusion of a previous “game,” so
that
its own world is merely an effect of the choices of a previous set of
heroes.
For better or worse, information about the plot’s previous “cycle” is
mostly
pieced together from random NPCs, throwaway lines from important
characters,
and alignment-specific cutscenes, but its broad strokes and the
underground Tokyo that results from it are both fresh and in the spirit
of past SMT games. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span>Particularly effective are <i>SMT4</i>’s Blasted and Infernal
Tokyo segments. Though both are relatively brief, in tandem they serve as
<i>SMT4</i>’s climax, not just for their narrative impact but because they have so
much to offer visually and conceptually. However, because the Tokyos aren't
drawn out more than they're needed, their brevity may explain their impact. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><b>Kaneko’s “punk” fingerprints. </b>At the release of
<i>SMT4</i>'s first trailers, Kazuma Kaneko’s name was waved like a banner to
prove his involvement and thus “legitimize” the game. In fact, his is the first
name you see in the game’s opening credits. However, Kaneko ultimately took
a mostly hands-off role, credited only for his legacy demon designs
and the “scenario concept” of the Samurai and the kingdom of Mikado. These latter concepts Yamai proudly admits were "<i>Kaneko's idea,</i>" <b><a href="http://www.polygon.com/2013/4/24/4260254/shin-megami-tensei-ivs-director-talks-about-the-series-and-its-punk">[2]</a>
</b>explaining, "w<i>e received the original draft of the scenario, with Samurai
and Mikado, from Kaneko</i>." <b><a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/117968513898/ive-seen-quotes-from-this-interview-with-the">[7]</a></b></span></span><br /></span></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5pD3UUvyowhi15rvbeIL03mHAmQF16J6WHY8OdQnAX1ArvF3o4EIc7hLRoWaPIN68l9lVTrRKWx4AW_95yIZNAA_WTdfi46SF3V8jDvLv8OgaB2VIHC2RZIxbpRZ2sqYLEeONTqWCtBc/s1600/zlCfzSoLgSEJNDjkk6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5pD3UUvyowhi15rvbeIL03mHAmQF16J6WHY8OdQnAX1ArvF3o4EIc7hLRoWaPIN68l9lVTrRKWx4AW_95yIZNAA_WTdfi46SF3V8jDvLv8OgaB2VIHC2RZIxbpRZ2sqYLEeONTqWCtBc/s320/zlCfzSoLgSEJNDjkk6.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Kaneko's prime position in the game's opening credits</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span>But there may be a message hidden within his original drafts.
As Kaneko would often describe Shin Megami Tensei as “punk” or
“anti-establishment” in interviews, the conceit of the Samurai of the ostensibly
medieval European Mikado experiencing Tokyo as a “foreign” land may have a
cleverer meaning. Considering that, as of the <i>SMT4'</i>s development, the
swords-and-sorcery RPGs of yesteryear had been largely surmounted by those with
high schools or otherwise modern settings, Mikado’s castles and castes may be a
sly, very deliberate commentary about contemporaneous trends in the Japanese
game industry. Though it doesn’t take long for the game to break Mikado’s
medieval illusion, the irony of SMT retaining its edge by mimicking former
rivals (i.e., Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy) would surely not be lost on
Kaneko. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<h1 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Fission</span></span></span></span></h1>
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</span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3vxqHFBNyUvpPnkHbbO50dX6RGZXTCUxyO3rQ0UqyDVytDI0n7Uw9HkoQkMpMhd7pQa4Fed9GpHWgcJP88MzXtuM_75GxsoUCSjgVz01blk7YsKq7oOCUwz7vFyWZBpzUUQoXBPoHI0/s1600/XE2XM.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3vxqHFBNyUvpPnkHbbO50dX6RGZXTCUxyO3rQ0UqyDVytDI0n7Uw9HkoQkMpMhd7pQa4Fed9GpHWgcJP88MzXtuM_75GxsoUCSjgVz01blk7YsKq7oOCUwz7vFyWZBpzUUQoXBPoHI0/s640/XE2XM.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Expectation-tempering two-page spread from the TGS 2012 issue of Famitsu</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The excitement around <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i>’s
teasers would
be tested in September of 2012, with the media blitz of Tokyo Game Show.
The event
brought with it an extended trailer and magazine spreads that revealed
some conspicuous
deviations from past games. However, any gnashing of teeth or rending
of
garments that resulted would be invalid until the game was finally in
players’
hands. And after exactly 51 weeks of hype, <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i> was
released in Japan on May 23, 2013. It was only then (and especially now,
2 years later) that <i>SMT4'</i>s
problems could be realized. So where did <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i> go wrong,
and
how were its changes at odds with the series identity? </span></span></span></span></div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>1. Blatant Disregard for Demon Design Rules</b></span></span></span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Without a doubt the most obvious of <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i>'s
changes, its infamous cadre of new demons spawned controversy the moment they
were teased in Japanese magazines. However, the arguments surrounding these
demons and the guest artists who designed them have run their course and it
would take a scrupulous analysis to bring anything new to the table. But aside
from unsound arguments like "<i>they aren't Kaneko!</i>" or "<i>the art is
bad!</i>", why are the majority of <i>SMT4</i>'s original demons such a poor fit for
the series? </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">It's simple: most of the artists did not heed of the series'
demon design philosophy of using source material and collective interpretation.
No wonder, as, according to Yamai, "<i>We didn’t give any instructions on
the demon designs themselves though, so we left the artists make their own
decisions</i>." <a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/121046500453/in-july-2013-famitsu-had-an-interview-with-several"><b>[8]</b></a> As a result, the worst of the lot have a
"generic RPG monster" appearance and lack the fundamental design
motifs unique to the series. They also clash horrifically with the existing
Kaneko catalogue, even though <i>SMT4 </i>already uses Kaneko demons of varying proficiency
from every period of his career. Again, it's all about the eminence of
conceptual quality over artistic competence. There are absolute gems in the
new roster like Minotaur and Chemtrail, but a scant few can't compensate for
critical misses like the four archangels or Lucifer.<br /></span></span><br /></span></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivmmCKJ9lpGD7O6V7Fhz1PyGTs3R7k-IC2IsjTVYXnQVOnhD5UFavyDjTCO-yaQ7p5g2WQc9CuAO2U3jRpi7_YD9jw4LbrMjdvNAnzgK1WdCL9v-GqyelTNwc9vbh2HsDa4wHwJL0UXiA/s1600/smt4demonswork.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivmmCKJ9lpGD7O6V7Fhz1PyGTs3R7k-IC2IsjTVYXnQVOnhD5UFavyDjTCO-yaQ7p5g2WQc9CuAO2U3jRpi7_YD9jw4LbrMjdvNAnzgK1WdCL9v-GqyelTNwc9vbh2HsDa4wHwJL0UXiA/s1600/smt4demonswork.jpg" /></a></span></span></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The Good...and the Ugly</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />Commentary from the guest artists highlights their
predilection for style over substance. When asked whether he begins the design
process considering the "shape" or "meaning," Yasushi
Nirasawa, who designed Lucifer, says that he begins with the "shape."
<a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/121046500453/in-july-2013-famitsu-had-an-interview-with-several"><b>[8]</b></a> In an exchange between Nirasawa and Tamotsu Shinohara about the
latter's Minotaur design, aesthetics appear more important than the successful
combination of man and bull:</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Shinohara</b>: <i>Minotaur...had already appeared in SMT
in the past, and I figured I had to draw it differently; I couldn’t remove the
bull head, so after racking my brain for a while, I realized I should draw him
as ‘two-in-one.’ I really like designs where the face has another face.</i></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Nirasawa</b>: <i>They’re great, I like them too</i>. <a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/121046500453/in-july-2013-famitsu-had-an-interview-with-several"><b>[8]</b></a></span></span></span></span>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Keita Amemiya injected his personal opinion into his
archangel designs, explaining, "<i>I believe that, since demons and angels
are embodiments of humans’ thoughts, they will still be artificial beings, no
matter how much they resemble living creatures...I am not good with consulting
materials and data, so I constantly feel that I am not suited for ‘realistic’
designs</i>." <a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/121046500453/in-july-2013-famitsu-had-an-interview-with-several"><b>[8]</b></a> Kuebiko, the Japanese god of wisdom who is
traditionally depicted as a scarecrow, is seen in <i>SMT4 </i>as a hulking mass with
a fearsome maw of teeth, which designer Kyouma Aki justifies by saying, "<i>using
the motif of a scarecrow would have made him look like a Western horror B movie
monster</i>." <a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/121046500453/in-july-2013-famitsu-had-an-interview-with-several"><b>[8]</b></a></span></span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">But you can't really fault the guest artists for not
familiarizing themselves with 20 years of demon design rules. Most of the five artists
courted for the project are quite notable from Japan's evergreen Tokusatsu
live-action genre, particularly Nirasawa and Amemiya, who are known from their decades
of work on the long-running Kamen Rider series, among others, so it's
unsurprising that they didn't try to adapt to the series' design MO. Nirasawa admits that he "<i>was careful to provide demons
drawn in [his] own style</i>" <a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/121046500453/in-july-2013-famitsu-had-an-interview-with-several"><b>[8]</b></a>, which is likely so firmly
entrenched that it would betray his name to do otherwise.<b> </b>Even
Shinohara, whose Minotaur design was the Kaneko-like hit of the game, had some
critical misses of his own like Napaea and Sanat in terms of straying from
source material; hilariously, according to Shinohara himself, his son prefers
Kaneko's demon designs, saying his father's "<i>were all too jumbled</i>."
<a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/121046500453/in-july-2013-famitsu-had-an-interview-with-several"><b>[8]</b></a> This reinforces Kaneko's philosophy that the fewer features a design
has, the more memorable it will be. <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/kazuma-kaneko-works-iii-interview/"><b>[9]<br /><br /></b></a></span></span></span></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6P6Z6KO-D0eFm7ZBZrzpLYl25sOP8LFwSX_I6UANGln7SL28iVyEzqmbXZDBo2oAY0DupPnviWx4jfdpwzOWY5HAc-2e7H3K8Yhc_M4MEe5glRtpnmJz4wb8jJkdigcWCUDXZYx8b8Io/s1600/gabriel.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6P6Z6KO-D0eFm7ZBZrzpLYl25sOP8LFwSX_I6UANGln7SL28iVyEzqmbXZDBo2oAY0DupPnviWx4jfdpwzOWY5HAc-2e7H3K8Yhc_M4MEe5glRtpnmJz4wb8jJkdigcWCUDXZYx8b8Io/s640/gabriel.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Comparison of Paolo de Matteis' <i>Annunciation</i> (center) with its archangel Gabriel edited to include Keita Amemiya's version (left) and Kaneko's version (right); only Kaneko's approaches congruence with the original, sharing details like Gabriel holding a lily</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />The most disappointing part of this situation is that Atlus
already employs an artist aware of what makes Kaneko's designs tick:
Masayuki Doi. In an article about fashion's impact on the series' aesthetic,
Doi states, "<i>Kazuma Kaneko['s]...approach to design is not about just
replicating these demonic creatures, but more about looking at their origins in
mythology and seeing how he can modernize those beings into something that fits
in our real world, [using] a lot of modern fashion design techniques to shape
those designs. It’s a mix of both the new and the old. That’s something I felt
very close to. It may seem like fashion design and demon design are completely
opposite or different, but the way Atlus does things, they’re actually very
close to each other</i>." <a href="http://www.usgamer.net/articles/the-fashionable-apocalypse-of-shin-megami-tensei-iv"><b>[10]</b></a></span></span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">While it's a shame Doi was not given the opportunity, it's exceedingly
clear that the guest artists were hired on the strength of their names alone<i>
</i>as a way of bringing some extra notoriety—and new players—to the game. There
is scant evidence available to explain why this decision was made, though it's
easy to point fingers at Index. But whatever happened behind-the-scenes, the
outcome speaks the message that a defining feature of Shin Megami Tensei was
considered expendable in the face of marketing potential. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>2. World-Building in a City of Plotholes</b></span></span></span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">A Shin Megami Tensei game’s setting and metaphysical rules
steer its plot, lending needed directives and consistency to what would
otherwise be implausible events. In the first <i>Shin Megami Tensei</i>, the
accidental opening of the extra-dimensional Expanse floods a "concrete"
reality with demons, leading to Tokyo’s nuclear destruction; <i>Shin Megami
Tensei II</i> builds on this Tokyo and its premise of demons from a lateral
dimension existing in reality. <i>Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne</i>’s
self-contained, "abstract" Vortex World is a demon-centric
environment that defies mundane laws; <i>Strange Journey</i>’s chaotic
Schwarzwelt possesses similar traits. Conceptually, the dichotomy between <i>Shin
Megami Tensei IV</i>’s Eastern Kingdom of Mikado and subterranean Tokyo seems
rich, with a plot and concepts that skew closer to the concrete otherworldly
invasion scenarios of <i>SMTI&II</i>. Unfortunately,
any deeper inspection reveals that its scenario’s foundations are rife with
critical inconsistencies that undermine both the plot’s internal logic and
effectiveness of suspending disbelief. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvrpYnuSnkFT_NmF_zS-zd8j9vLzTb-IK2AOkj2_vgUEU_OA0-2a4YxwgAGp2au-j4yI9IAi45qvPOxUwMz-X4ajMvhNH2iv5E9Y6uw-8Jho3PCV_dzkamVcsZXoXdPow4sHryYiV5CPA/s1600/mikado.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvrpYnuSnkFT_NmF_zS-zd8j9vLzTb-IK2AOkj2_vgUEU_OA0-2a4YxwgAGp2au-j4yI9IAi45qvPOxUwMz-X4ajMvhNH2iv5E9Y6uw-8Jho3PCV_dzkamVcsZXoXdPow4sHryYiV5CPA/s640/mikado.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Mikado, the forgotten land</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br />The Eastern Kingdom of Mikado, the first of <i>SMT4</i>'s
major
settings, is both crucial to the narrative and woefully underutilized.
Mikado
is given ample establishment during the game’s early hours, which is
vital to
the perspective of the Samurai as “outsiders” and the impact of the
Tokyo reveal. But despite its apparent importance, Mikado quickly
becomes completely
overshadowed by Tokyo. One unabashed admission of this fact is that the
game
only requires you to return to Mikado a handful of times after stepping
foot
into Tokyo; even issues like the “evil” books that turned your best
friend into
a demon and are supposedly rotting away Mikado from the inside are
little more
than justification for chasing Lilith around Tokyo. The castes of
Casualries
and Luxurors also seem significant at first since they define Mikado’s
society,
but in practice they matter little except to provide basic, archetypal
backgrounds
for Walter and Jonathan, an ultimately negligible effect for a
relatively
thoughtful setup. Even director Yamai seems aware of Mikado’s fleeting
importance as he admits, "<i>I believe that there are some people who
forget that they’re Samurai from the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado during their
playthrough. (laughs) I hope that some of you guys will occasionally return to
your hometown</i>.” <a href="http://www.siliconera.com/2013/06/25/shin-megami-tensei-iv-developers-talk-difficulty-multiple-routes-and-dlc/"><b>[11]</b></a> Mikado and its problems are swiftly forgotten
in terms of gameplay and story. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Tayama hamming it up</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span>Ironically, Mikado’s obsolescence paves the way for
spotlighting the major flaws of <i>SMT4</i>’s Tokyo. Something immediately apparent
from the first step into Tokyo is that <i>SMT4</i> has a lot of humans to
interact with, far beyond any other title in the series. Many
able-bodied humans compete as demon hunters throughout the city, as the putrid,
eternal night of Tokyo drives others to desperation. The Ashura-kai
organization provides what order it can with a heavy, violent hand. The chaotic Ring of Gaea
exists and no one likes them. Sure enough, this comparatively significant
population exists due to the events of the game’s backstory, as the compromised
city and human society within are the result of a "Neutral" ending 25
years prior to the start. But even if the backstory allows it, the game
subsequently trips all over itself providing the substantiation required for
over two decades of human proliferation in a demon-infested world. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span>Leading the plot’s issues are the Reds. These little pills
are the nucleus of Ashura-kai head honcho Tayama’s goal of bartering a “utopia”
where humans and demons will co-exist, so they have a lot riding on them. Their
essential purpose is to justify why a fragile human population has survived for
25 years in such a harsh environment. Tayama’s arrangement with the demons
supposedly ensures that the Tokyoites, should they encounter a demon on the
streets, only need to slip a pill to keep their heads attached. It’s a
straightforward plan, but, within the context of the setting, practically
welcomes obvious questions that the game makes no effort to answer. These
include:</span></span><br /></span></span>
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<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span>Aren't many of the demons extremely chaotic? Why would
they be willing to settle on this agreement when there are vulnerable
human children literally ambling around near wide-open subway entrances?
The negotiation gameplay further establishes demons' volatility, as they
may run away or slash your throat even if you give them what they want.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span>At what intervals are the demons given Reds? Are they
satisfied with one pill a week or month? With the huge number of demons in
Tokyo, that would require an equally large amount of pills. Won't some demons
be greedy and demand extra pills?</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span>Do all demons want Reds? Clearly the National Defense
Divinities are against them. Does that mean that not all demons are
“hungry” in the same way? Which demons are the exceptions?</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span>Similarly, it is the goal of certain Tokyoites to reach
the upper surface, but demons like Medusa and angel hordes are said to
block their way. Why could the Reds not be given to Medusa or the angels?
Are "bosses" and angels distinct from normal demons? Why are
they distinct?</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span>If Reds are so useful for the Tokyoites in mitigating the
demon threat, why are none ever given to the player as consumable items?</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Demons will <i>surely </i>read and follow the orders of bulletins instead of preying on unsuspecting, vulnerable children</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><br />Et cetera. It doesn't take long to realize that the
Reds are implausible as a plot device. The pretenses of Tayama's over-complicated deal with the demons are weighed so heavily in the favor
of
humans' survival that it is neither convincing nor sustainable within
Tokyo's environment. This is especially damning considering the Reds are
the load-bearing
support of the entire setting and its human population that has
persisted for
25 years. The game's lack of information about the logistics of the Reds
raises
the possibility that its scenario planners intended for players to think
about
Reds abstractly (or not at all), even though their effects cause just
the
opposite. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">No GMOs!</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">There's also a plot twist associated with Reds, and it’s
about as predictable as they come: the pills are made of human brain matter.
This reveal is played to be shocking, but is laughably cliché to anyone
familiar with <i>Soylent Green</i> and its own infamous plot twist (and
in a
society where hunters can kill each other for sport in tournaments to
bloodthirsty
crowds, is the sanctity of human life really a concern of the
Tokyoites?). Another
reason the Reds reveal is so ineffectual is because the player has no
connection
to the victims. We are told, but barely shown, the Reds' manufacturing
process,
where Tayama's Ashura-kai kidnap children, raise them to be wunderkinds,
and
extract the needed matter from the adult "seedbeds" to make the
pills. The stakes are never personal, such as having a known NPC like
Navarre held hostage as a seedbed. Subsequently, the situation also
lacks an ethical
dilemma; we are expected to accept that Reds are evil without question,
just
because of the assumption that "humans taking advantage of other humans =
bad." This would also be an opportune time to present the emerging
ideological conflicts between the Samurai, but not a single character
expresses
anything but revulsion at the situation. While the Reds' secret might be
"evil" in a normal context, Shin Megami Tensei's nuclear holocausts
and demon mass genocides dwarf the impact of a select few humans forced
to be
neurological guinea pigs. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCW0B28mycNsObg8IrtfPyz_Sijw3xqYRMSGwLP04sex24c6FIxjdgzx0neNeICdXLNqwW_YxMZWgZW2EO2-r-r7UaRLy2Y0-kyBbtrkzo8hYo6pfgtWJa7wsH36pKpRvwbAFDtzsVjEU/s1600/demonsouls.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCW0B28mycNsObg8IrtfPyz_Sijw3xqYRMSGwLP04sex24c6FIxjdgzx0neNeICdXLNqwW_YxMZWgZW2EO2-r-r7UaRLy2Y0-kyBbtrkzo8hYo6pfgtWJa7wsH36pKpRvwbAFDtzsVjEU/s320/demonsouls.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Demons defined in <i>Nocturne</i></span></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">But beyond far-fetched plans and hackneyed
revelations, Reds
have a further effect: they literalize the demons and scenario to a
concrete
level. In other words, since the demons can be appeased at large by
tangible,
ordinary matter like human brains, this causes the “rules” of the
subterranean Tokyo to be balanced more in favor of the rational than
supernatural. This is actually
completely acceptable if the game reliably held to these rules. After
all, the
first <i>Shin Megami Tensei</i> has a concrete apocalypse and more or less
handwaves
the existence of demons by using the inter-dimensional Expanse as a plot
device.
Unfortunately, elegant simplicity is beyond the reach of <i>SMT4</i>'s
overwrought
justifications, as the Reds are only one of a rogues' gallery of demon
summoning methods that inject unneeded inconsistency into <i>SMT4</i>’s
definition of
what demons are. In total, based on story beats and questlines, demons
in <i>SMT4
</i>can originate from any one of the following:</span></span></span></span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Reds</i>. Human consumption of Reds transforms them
into demons. This is a known quality to the populace, as the pills are
taken by despaired humans who wish to integrate themselves into the
majority demon population. However, instead of turning them into
traditional half-human/half-demon demonoids, they become named compendium
demons like Dullahan or Rakshasa that could technically also be encountered
in the field or summoned via the Cathedral of Shadows.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Reading</i><i> banned books/gaining knowledge</i>. A
method exclusive to Mikado where the knowledge within books from the
"real" world, distributed by the Black Samurai/Lilith, turns
humans into demons. Sometimes the humans turn into named compendium
demons, like the baker who becomes Dantalian or the citizens of
Kiccigiorgi who are implied to be the demons in their infested forest. Inconsistently, this knowledge may also merely contort one's face, as
in Issachar's case. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Inter-dimensional portals</i>. Gates to the Expanse,
from where demons originate in most games in the series. <i>SMT4</i>'s is the
Yamato Perpetual Reactor. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Cathedral of Shadows</i>. The demon-summoning cell
phone app which streamlines demons and occult rituals into a digital
program. Presumably has some connection to the Expanse. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Human emotions</i>. General or specific human dispositions
that can manifest as demons. Nihilism results in the White, spite as
Lucifer, goodwill as Merkabah. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Spiritual mediums</i>. Physical objects that have
spiritual connections to specific demons. Exclusive to the National
Defense Divinities. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Sacrifices</i>. Ancient rituals of death used to
appease fickle gods. Some humans become sacrifices for Baal in a late game
quest. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Magic summoning circles and rituals</i>. Traditional
occult methods like those used to summon Astaroth in a New Game+ quest. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Human apotheosis</i>. The transformation of a human
into a deity, seemingly by the will of demons. Happens to the NPC hunter
Nozomi, who is implied to eventually become the goddess Danu. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Demonoids</i>. While, strictly speaking, they are not
actual demons, the demonoids of Blasted Tokyo nonetheless result from the
fusion of a human and a demon. </span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Pork: Be Uninspired</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Even though this is much more complicated than it needs to
be, most of these methods, to varying degrees, are actually cross-compatible
and consistent with other games in the series—except, of course, the illogic of
the Reds and books. This is because of an inherent ontological paradox that
these two methods introduce, where we are supposed to accept that a demon that transformed
from a flesh-and-blood human is equal to one summoned from a metaphysical
dimension. Explained another way, the game does cite demons as originating from a metaphysical dimension (Expanse, Cathedral of Shadows app, etc.), while in contrast, the Reds and books
demons result from a physical medium (human being) and physical cause (pills,
books). Exacerbating the issues is that humans retain their consciousness when
transformed. Then, what is the point of changing into a mythological entity
when its personality isn’t present? Is it not actually the same even if all
evidence says otherwise? This leads to some unintentionally humorous
situations, such as the Tokyoite who became the pig demon Katakirauwa, who,
incidentally, is also one of the Food race demons the population uses for
sustenance. So, then, are some of those pigs former humans? By the logic of
this world, would eating a pig who was formerly a human also turn someone into
a demon? It’s frankly nonsensical. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The game tries to offer some explanations for the Reds and
books methods. For the books, Lilith talks at length how they are imparting
"knowledge and wisdom" to the Mikadoans. However, these books, such
as what the baker reads, are merely novels from the real world, making their
"knowledge" within actual information about the world as it actually
is (or was). Admittedly, this could be dangerous within the context of the
Mikado kingdom; it would even be clever if the idea stopped short of the demon
transformations. But don't the Samurai effectively receive that same
"knowledge" the moment they step into Tokyo and its true "reality"? Why don't they
immediately transform into demons? Why does abstract knowledge affect your
physical body? Is there something special about the books? Lilith also posits
an explanation for the latter question: according to her, the transformations
result from "humans suppressing their own desires." If this can be
taken at face value, then the books and Reds are nothing but placebos. After
all, again, how can a physical book or pill with brain matter affect a human's
physiology so drastically? Presumably, if you have the will, you could turn
into a demon. But this never happens, and every demon transformation occurs with the books or Reds as a cause.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4wHLvv9aXlQyXTFRSG9SNswxq6I3O6E1dmHsMEhtKCUoi6M0BUJyNI7ayV3OnAXc5oopN9MsLyL1Wp-ccLTJpDDASKUy4LYzY-QlWreizr6TylvKxKTnHBu7LxWLXf39TYg85Cqd8dIw/s1600/books.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4wHLvv9aXlQyXTFRSG9SNswxq6I3O6E1dmHsMEhtKCUoi6M0BUJyNI7ayV3OnAXc5oopN9MsLyL1Wp-ccLTJpDDASKUy4LYzY-QlWreizr6TylvKxKTnHBu7LxWLXf39TYg85Cqd8dIw/s640/books.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"Knowledge and wisdom"</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />The Reds also hide a potentially unnatural element that
may be intended to explain their transformations. Besides tangible brain
matter, Reds contain trace amounts of gaseous excretions from the demon
Yaso-Magatsuhi. But what is the nature of this gas? The initial assumption is
that it must be noxious because the Reverse Hills workers all wear gas masks,
but the Samurai are sprayed directly by Yaso-Magatsuhi and are only charmed
briefly before it wears off. So if having direct contact with a pure stream of
gas only causes a temporary effect, the trace amount in a pill couldn’t
possibly be responsible for the demon transformations. The possibilities
regress to Lilith’s words about “human desires,” but that has already been
proven to hold no water. It may just be another instance of poor scenario
writing. This whole problem could have been avoided if the transformed humans
all turned into demonoids instead, as an altered human is easier to accept in
this context than a headache-inducing series of complicated threads that may or
may not attempt parity with supernatural beings. Considering that demons are of
central importance to the series, advocating contrasting explanations for them
is not just a misstep but a violation of series essentials.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGRo5zvldpRm8sTtL5Q0NDqcriT5mR8WRnWrFjJEZgjwzSbBA4W6ePaGDhWDiEop22libpEIBhLxDLynd1hJFpB8vU2ByhWZIybiPtKOP8MyG28byNu-18eIjNvu25Q5cmotgE0T6yhgk/s1600/meowjonathan.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGRo5zvldpRm8sTtL5Q0NDqcriT5mR8WRnWrFjJEZgjwzSbBA4W6ePaGDhWDiEop22libpEIBhLxDLynd1hJFpB8vU2ByhWZIybiPtKOP8MyG28byNu-18eIjNvu25Q5cmotgE0T6yhgk/s640/meowjonathan.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The primary effect of the Yaso-Magatsuhi gas is to cause a sudden tonal shift with key characters who will soon be fighting over the fate of the world</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />Amid these plot blunders, <i>SMT4 </i>wants its Tokyo to be seen
as a savage, deadly place. It certainly can be for the player; the ruthlessness
of the enemies and the toxic squalor of the whole environment certainly speak
to this. It's also easy to find NPCs talking about their suffering or Tayama
chewing the scenery about the rotten state of the city, but what of their
actions or behaviors? Even though these last remnants of humanity are
supposedly on the brink of elimination, many nonetheless spend their days
hamming it up in bars, staging the aforementioned tournaments where hunters can
literally murder each other, taking up photography, or banking on the
card-based economy of Ginza's luxury district. (It's worth noting that these
particular examples are all included in Neutrality's critical quest path, which
"canonizes" them, in a sense.) While it's true there are cases like
the Ikebukuro woman contemplating suicide and, of course, the Reds-takers,
these are relatively few. The environment may show pandemonium, but its
efficacy is undermined by the actions of the general population. </span></span><br /></span></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEV_IC-6xtw7YFHs0egchyapB4EdMUvo2NIVC8kTijGYkFWKY0_gaE98tHUpCk5mjjH5NlWzyYDTTkGELwQ4qao5XMapFhiAb_QSkQe5VZaD3vHe1I8CnSZn1RCHwHb8jkqAYeyVSL8pw/s1600/people.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEV_IC-6xtw7YFHs0egchyapB4EdMUvo2NIVC8kTijGYkFWKY0_gaE98tHUpCk5mjjH5NlWzyYDTTkGELwQ4qao5XMapFhiAb_QSkQe5VZaD3vHe1I8CnSZn1RCHwHb8jkqAYeyVSL8pw/s640/people.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The original <i>SMT </i>has a large number of human NPCs, but most fill the ranks of the opposing Messian and Gaean clans and will ultimately serve as floaters in the great flood; <i>SMT4</i>'s humans seem to have the privilege of hobbies in a similarly devastated environment</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />This proliferation of human society, despite its plot
justifications, is precisely why <i>SMT4 </i>leaves itself open to questions and
reasoning that would be invalid in other SMT games. The problem lies with our
own knowledge of being human—and the limits that come with it. Even though none
of us have ever experienced a demon apocalypse, and therefore can't know of the
"right" way to react, we are certainly aware of the "wrong"
way. We understand that tone or genre establishes these acceptable limits for fiction,
be it a serious drama or supernatural fantasy; introduce ideas that contradict
these limits and it's all too easy to shatter suspension of disbelief. Clearly
unnatural things happen in both <i>Nocturne </i>and <i>Strange Journey</i>, but their respective
settings, the Vortex World and Schwarzwelt, are just as clearly
extraterrestrial, like stepping into Alice's Wonderland. On the other hand,
<i>SMT4 </i>wants its fantastical, demon-beset Tokyo to be taken seriously as a bleak
and dangerous environment akin to the future world of <i>The Terminator</i>, but is simultaneously grounded and disputed by the erratic behaviors of
its human society. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOoBglp719yB7zdBBktY7h3xu6b-U2rFENciXj0kXXze-hNa4D2ih59MpwaHZGuEPqLmjsIbQreQq-A6kiog9A23WGU81YIDQ7EmVriO1a1apO1JYnPsoujWpIZ78YLFuaYGZ6OvcKCho/s1600/fragile1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOoBglp719yB7zdBBktY7h3xu6b-U2rFENciXj0kXXze-hNa4D2ih59MpwaHZGuEPqLmjsIbQreQq-A6kiog9A23WGU81YIDQ7EmVriO1a1apO1JYnPsoujWpIZ78YLFuaYGZ6OvcKCho/s1600/fragile1.jpg" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">We know how frail humans are from gameplay feedback: even though the main character is "special," even he can only withstand a few hits from enemies; the game also has an entire death mechanic in anticipation of inevitable failure</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />There's probably a practical explanation for <i>SMT4</i>'s human
throngs: making the city seem "alive" to new players unaccustomed or
turned off by Shin Megami Tensei's desolate atmosphere. This comes with a high
price, as the irregular tone of the game pegs it closer to a spinoff like <i>Devil
Summoner</i> rather than the main series games before it. The ideas behind <i>Shin
Megami Tensei IV</i>'s Tokyo Dome are solid, but a deficient narrative that
requires implausible justifications litters plotholes far and wide. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>3. Oversimplification of Mythological Themes and Content
</b></span></span></span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Demons’ centrality to the series tends for them to appear in
Shin Megami Tensei topics across the board. But perhaps nothing is more
important than the acuity with which demons (and the mythological and religious
themes they represent) are utilized as part of an SMT game’s narrative and
themes. At a minimum, the series consistently displays an understanding of
demons’ source definitions and characteristics; the best case scenarios involve
a seamless weaving of a demon’s role or symbolism into a game’s own narrative. Examples
of past successes are too numerous to list, but include: <i>SMT1'</i>s reenactment of
<i>The Ramayana'</i>s climatic conflict between Rama (using Vishnu as a stand-in) and
Ravana; <i>SMT2’</i>s use of YHVH as an unapologetic and wrathful lawgiver in
the Old Testament sense, with pre-fall Satan among his Lawful retinue; <i>Nocturne</i>,
aware of the symbolic renewing properties of fire, giving the Japanese fire god
Kagutsuchi a unique role as the spark of a new world’s creation; and in <i>Strange
Journey</i>, where the Ouroboros, symbol of eternity, guards infinite space.
Without this understanding, Shin Megami Tensei would be like any common property
that cribs mythological names or ideas while neglecting the deeper meaning
behind them.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUOEejeMz6SoeY4oYF5xIgmt73pYNBaJfZGfFPrwl1NjL2dQxAX85ymaqtf2cTdZ3b3J_MoTdmRGXNvEAEX5WyQB7gwHAR0-b4xSMTcuxeT7J9ahYNS16crNitpsM55rBAUjLyjUbaEI/s1600/WVW69iTTiFcoEmxZTY.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUOEejeMz6SoeY4oYF5xIgmt73pYNBaJfZGfFPrwl1NjL2dQxAX85ymaqtf2cTdZ3b3J_MoTdmRGXNvEAEX5WyQB7gwHAR0-b4xSMTcuxeT7J9ahYNS16crNitpsM55rBAUjLyjUbaEI/s320/WVW69iTTiFcoEmxZTY.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Minotaur, a total highlight</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">With regard to <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i>’s grade on this topic,
the good news is that it does find some success. The game’s multitude of
optional challenge quests play fast and loose with demons and their myths, to
great effect. Some examples</span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> include the Maya suicide goddess Ixtab’s influence
in the desolate Blasted Tokyo, the hunt for the dismembered body parts of the
Egyptian god Osiris, and <span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">a fetch quest <span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">to retrieve the cauldr<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">on </span></span></span></span></span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">of the Irish father
god Dagda <span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">for his daughter, <span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Brigid.</span></span> Then there are main quest demons who
appear in appropriate places, such as the Minotaur, the master of the Naraku
labyrinth. There’s plenty of logical, obvious use as well, like angels as
bosses in Purgatorium and demons as the same in Lucifer Palace. Truthfully,
these are the kinds of simple things you expect at the minimum from Shin Megami
Tensei. </span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFb-s8Yc4DxQAU8CgG9EC2qcL1gTd1dnaLHBuxz-Hl1vra2kMRiclXkHpcpKsLOc1uxGWUgTS1HA-x2UhStdvDmJg1U51Hcxd98N0RbrbrsATF33iqdiIxIIA-Ms5ax3cU-yVD49uasL0/s1600/white.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFb-s8Yc4DxQAU8CgG9EC2qcL1gTd1dnaLHBuxz-Hl1vra2kMRiclXkHpcpKsLOc1uxGWUgTS1HA-x2UhStdvDmJg1U51Hcxd98N0RbrbrsATF33iqdiIxIIA-Ms5ax3cU-yVD49uasL0/s320/white.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The White and their motives</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">More substantially, <i>SMT4</i>’s narrative includes themes from Theosophy
<a href="http://sorenblr.tumblr.com/post/90537872163/smt-iv-notably-incorporates-elements-of-theosophy"><b>[12]</b></a>, an esoteric, pan-religious philosophy popular at the turn of the
20<sup>th</sup> century. These Theosophic themes are primarily represented by the White, a transcendent, nihilistic force that professes the futility of
choice and free will, and are allegedly the creation of mankind’s hopeless
state. They bear definite similarity to Theosophy’s Great White Brotherhood, a
fraternity of supernatural beings who impart knowledge to select humans. Though
their motivations are sinister instead, the White certainly share a similar
relationship with the main character, particularly if you interpret the Blasted
and Infernal Tokyo sequences as visions or “teachings” of higher spiritual
beings. The White aren’t anything more than flat, narrow-minded villains and
they even present one of <i>SMT4</i>’s many logic-bending, paradoxical questions (they
apparently built the physical Yamato Perpetual Reactor, even though they
themselves are constructs of human thoughts), but these matter little in the
face of some of the game’s other shortcomings. The White are, simply, good
enough.</span></span><br /></span></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtV0AQahJ51QqYsRtz3Nu3RTbGgsoaZcdzGDfgt_6tEfcM6_Zn1-AXqTIiUkxzcWbJdQh6aGJrfj4WBz54kJX10sqEgFhV51TqL5XKvYI037X-jf_e17M0KSDXG5CU9GEFTDoWurhTnFY/s1600/zlCfzTTBPDgBjn6ZuQ.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtV0AQahJ51QqYsRtz3Nu3RTbGgsoaZcdzGDfgt_6tEfcM6_Zn1-AXqTIiUkxzcWbJdQh6aGJrfj4WBz54kJX10sqEgFhV51TqL5XKvYI037X-jf_e17M0KSDXG5CU9GEFTDoWurhTnFY/s320/zlCfzTTBPDgBjn6ZuQ.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"Dear diary...God is a poo-poo head"</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Standing in the way of <i>SMT4</i>’s other major Theosophic
element is the game’s treatment of Lucifer. A major character in the series,
Lucifer always harbors a motivation to oppose YHVH's Law and sway protagonists
to his side, but does so with conniving Faustian deceptions that include
thematically appropriate guises, like <i>Nocturne</i>’s old man or young boy and
<i>Strange Journey</i>’s Louisa Ferre. Instead of this nuanced approach, <i>SMT4 </i>opts to
depict Lucifer as a simple-minded foil to God, personally obsessed with the
symbolism and meaning of his own name, the “Morning Star,” a self-delusion so
strong he clings to any related associations, such as the planet Venus and
"light" itself—as tenuous or irrelevant to his actual character they may be. Even
the names of the areas within his Lucifer Palace refer to light, though the
swirling black vortex that surrounds the structure is anything but. Unlike
other series depictions of Lucifer, <i>SMT4</i>’s version does not seem the least bit
self-aware. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">But aside from his crass, ugly artwork as a pallid bald man wearing
the <i>traje de luces</i> (“suit of lights” of matadors) with an embryonic
Walter-tumor hanging off his arm, Lucifer’s other preferred form in <i>SMT4 </i>is
Hikaru, a cute, smiling Japanese high school girl whose name is as
conspicuous as “Louis Cyphre”—in Japanese, “hikaru” means “to shine.” <a href="http://jisho.org/word/%E5%85%89%E3%82%8B"><b>[13]</b></a> While this
seemingly pandering, thoughtless disguise just goes to show how much <i>SMT4
</i>lacks a solid thematic core, Hikaru at least displays some of the tendencies of
“old” Lucifer, even if only to act as a plot device, like giving you the
matchbook needed to access Café Florida. Unfortunately, Hikaru also commits a
grave narrative sin: her presence is acknowledged by her Florida compatriots
Skins and Fujiwara only for them later to have no recollection of her, an
intentionally cheap deception that serves no purpose. But such is the pattern for <i>SMT4</i>’s uninspired portrayal
of Lucifer, a straightforward villain who ironically represents the black of
the game’s black-and-white motif.<br /><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"<i>The finest trick of the devil is to persuade you that [she] does not exist</i>"</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />This leads to <i>SMT4</i>’s other Theosophic character, the figure
of Sanat Kumara, who appears in a DLC-exclusive quest. In Theosophy, Sanat is
an "eternal youth" from Venus who guides the spiritual development of
Earth from his higher plane of existence. But because of this relationship to
Venus, critics of Theosophy, particularly Christians, latched on to the connection
to Lucifer and deemed Sanat the Devil in disguise. <i>SMT4</i>'s Sanat, through
words, form, and Chaotic alignment, is based on the critics' misinformed
interpretation rather than the actual source material. Contrast this with the
series’ impartial, origin-based portrayal of Baal, who is unfairly villainized
in the Bible and beyond. But <i>SMT4</i>, in its zeal to equate anything having to do
with Venus directly to Lucifer, would cast a being of light as one of chaos rather
than abiding by the design rules that set SMT apart from other properties. Perhaps
the gnarled mess of <i>SMT4</i>'s Sanat makes for a more imposing "boss"
than Theosophy's "hippie" Sanat, though that is an inappropriate
justification at best when there’s literally a world of myths from which to choose
a character that wouldn’t need such a drastic reinterpretation. </span></span><br /></span></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Left: Theosophy's Sanat, a being of light; Right: <i>SMT4</i>'s Sanat, a being of chaos</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />The Law faction fares slightly better, though still shows
little concern for acuity or consistency. Chief representatives Merkabah and
Ancient of Days are obscure and just far enough removed from YHVH himself to avoid a complete rehashing, yet are still meaningful choices on paper. But while the real-world theological ideas behind Merkabah, the chariot of God, are fascinating, neither <i>SMT4</i>'s Merkabah's garish design nor its invented correlation to the four archangels have much do
with the original concept from Jewish mysticism, other than its very general
“likeness of a man.” Likewise, Ancient of Days in scriptures represents eons of time and the spark of initial creation, not the human exterminator he is in the game. Merkabah and Ancient of Days just seem like they were available names to cross
off on a list of Yahweh’s hitherto unused retinue. </span></span><br /></span></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">A chariot sans wheels and a wrathful, divine baseball</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />Similarly, <i>SMT4</i>’s concluding interpretation of angels as
robots devoid of free will is unwarranted. Laying groundwork with the monotonous dialogue of Blasted Tokyo’s
Pluto, who actually is an automaton, the angel bosses of Purgatorium also endlessly
spout the same line, with either Burroughs or Lucifer patronizingly identifying
that they “are like machines.” It’s obvious that the game is trying to make a
point that to be Lawful is to be orderly at the cost of ego or personality and fairly enough. However,
SMT’s demons are probably the wrong medium with which to attempt such incisive
commentary, as, by definition, they remain “digital devils.” In other words,
demons themselves are not far removed from computer executables and thus cannot act beyond
their programmed means, going so far as to be systematized into collections of
archetypes (the demon races). <i>[See also: the Nocturne screenshot in the previous section.]</i> Moreover, other angels in the game like Mastema,
the archangels, and Seraph all talk normally—but why are they the exceptions when
other named angels such as Kazfiel and Azrael fall under the robotic spell? <i>SMT4</i>’s
mechanical angel idea isn't completely terrible, but it's redundant within the series' framework and lacks internal consistency. </span></span><br /></span></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"Please understand"</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Between the highs of some of the challenge quests and the
lows prevalent within the main storyline, it’s apparent that the <i>SMT4</i>’s main scenario
writers and sub-scenario writers each had different goals when it came to
demons and mythological content. Compared to other games in the series, the
ideas behind <i>SMT4</i>'s main scenario are diluted in complexity and its demons
afforded minimal plot participation, no doubt due to the needs of establishing
the human population and two major locations. While this is unfortunate enough,
<i>SMT4 </i>also harbors a completely different issue with its portrayal of demons that's deserving of separate attention. </span></span></span></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size: large;">4. Themes of Xenophobia and Nationalism</span><br /></b></span></span></span></span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Gotou in<i> Shin Megami Tensei</i></span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Politics and Shin Megami Tensei you’d think would be strange
bedfellows, but this is not actually the case. <i>Shin Megami Tensei 1</i> more or
less begins with one of the more effective mixtures of politics and fantasy
situations in games, with the fanatical Gotou, a proxy for real-life author and
government coup stager Yukio Mishima, wishing to use the flood of demons for
the advantage of his nation, while the American ambassador Thorman, the Norse
god Thor hiding in plain sight, is actually a puppet of extreme Law and order
figurehead, YHVH. Both characters are pragmatic, trying to make the best of a
calamitous situation as they see fit, but, more importantly, they also represent
the Platonic ideals of SMT alignment heroes. But, in true revolutionary fashion, the
temporal struggle between Gotou and Thorman ends with a complete upheaval
of the system—a nuclear strike that wipes the slate clean, making
room for the Law Hero and Chaos hero to fill their shoes. The politics of <i>SMT1</i>’s first act don’t
just set up the rest of the game, they provide meaningful thematic resonance
for the story’s eventual outcome. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"Peallaidh Extermination"</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i>’s attempts at similar socio-political
themes are not just unsuccessful but imply a bewildering and pervasive
xenophobia. Much of it has to do with some poor word choices, the main culprit being
the term<b> </b>“<span>外来の悪魔</span>,”
“gairai no akuma,” literally “foreign demon,” which is how it is translated in
the English script. This phrase is first used in the early game Peallaidh
extermination quest to describe that demon’s relation to the Ueno area, as it
had recently emigrated there. While Peallaidh is a Scottish demon, the use of
the word “foreign” here is merely bizarre instead of xenophobic, another way
the game begs the player to ask the wrong questions. What makes a demon
foreign? Aren’t they all foreign bodies? Are only Japanese demons considered
native? If not, does each region have an observed demonic ecosystem that has
never changed in 25 years? If Peallaidh is causing problems, being labeled a
“troublemaker” or “dangerous” is all the relevant information the player needs,
not a qualifier that makes no sense in the setting. </span></span><br /></span></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The strength of "a god of the land" (i.e., the Japanese god Kuebiko) is required to overpower a Chinese goddess, who initially defeats but eventually succumbs to the "Yamato-damashii" of Kaga</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />Unfortunately, there’s another instance of a “foreign demon”
where the xenophobic undertones are much more explicit. Before the arrival of
the Samurai, the ward of Ikebukuro was taken over by the Chinese mother goddess
Xi Wangmu, subsequently filling her areas of dominion with demons of
exclusively Chinese origin, like Tuofei or Bai Suzhen. In real life, Ikebukuro is
the location of Tokyo’s Chinatown <a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2008/11/18/national/merchants-plan-for-chinatown-in-ikebukuro-faces-resistance/#.VPs8ZuF-W-c"><b>[14]</b></a> and, in recent history, Japan's and China's relationship has been tumultuous, to say the least. So in <i>SMTIV</i>, this “foreign”
Chinese demon delegation has turned Ikebukuro into a depressing, nearly
lifeless area where NPCs can literally be talked into committing suicide. Naturally,
the Tokyo native Ring of Gaea wants Xi Wangmu and her “gairai” hordes gone; as
you attempt this quasi-ethnic cleansing with them, almost all of the Gaea
members, including special NPC Kaga, are swallowed whole by Xi Wangmu’s
monstrous maw. Then you, also a foreigner, defeat Xi Wangmu, after which the
whole episode is swiftly forgotten, as it was only an unrelated speedbump on
the way to the main quest. The only effects are window dressings that speak to
the nationalist themes: the areas past Xi Wangmu's domain, the east entrance of
Ikebukuro and the Juraku bookstore, are filled exclusively with Japanese
demons, like Karasu Tengu and Yuki Jyorou, as if they were primed to retake
their territory after the fall of the "foreign" hordes. Though the
anti-Chinese sentiments of this sequence are very clear, if it was intended
as sly commentary on Sino-Japanese relations rather than just a hostile jab,
the confused tone and lack of plot consequences don’t convince. And, like
Peallaidh, calling Ikebukuro’s Chinese demons “foreign” makes no sense as 80%
or more of the demons in the game are non-Japanese, including the one the
Gaeans worship at their base of Tsukiji Hongwanji—if you take it at face value
that their colossal, central icon is <i>Strange Journey</i>’s Mem Aleph, a concept of
Jewish origin.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEacZVTKyvVew1DYnbLI0ZRbBvj32HoJKy3Pi76CFD371QKvlfgmBnoSt4ADfqOI8DutJJkcUmk5BOHjENxUHMR2-ajxQXp7ogHJBY9QLJg4hRp5CE74LVW7DWHEa3OSrMN9eeNKYMJDo/s2000/ikebukuro-wars.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="2000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEacZVTKyvVew1DYnbLI0ZRbBvj32HoJKy3Pi76CFD371QKvlfgmBnoSt4ADfqOI8DutJJkcUmk5BOHjENxUHMR2-ajxQXp7ogHJBY9QLJg4hRp5CE74LVW7DWHEa3OSrMN9eeNKYMJDo/w640-h320/ikebukuro-wars.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map of Ikebukuro areas showing their full demon population; Chinese demons<br /> live in Sunshine Front (Xi Wangmu's "HQ") and the Underground District<br />while Japanese demons wait outside at the east entrance<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbCQ6Dd7qFkEZCxUnMowWFbJmrpwK4793NlRDU2UbUOK8Z7DCe4N-4spvsMEB7j6fg0EJzHQrjLSXz9kMxT9TdcJvIYS7xapbNW0M8qx0XBPX3-myUVdK13qHTHVuVWuee6kvWydfNbxY/s800/NDDs.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbCQ6Dd7qFkEZCxUnMowWFbJmrpwK4793NlRDU2UbUOK8Z7DCe4N-4spvsMEB7j6fg0EJzHQrjLSXz9kMxT9TdcJvIYS7xapbNW0M8qx0XBPX3-myUVdK13qHTHVuVWuee6kvWydfNbxY/s320/NDDs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The complex Japanese title of the NDDs, <br />必殺の霊的国防兵器, means "deadly <br />spiritual national defense weapon"</td></tr></tbody></table>If the Xi Wangmu event reeks of the Japanese right-wing, the
sad part is that its occurrence leaves other parts of the game open to the same
scrutiny. An obvious instance is with the National Defense Divinities, a group
of exclusively Japanese demons with central plot significance. This group, who
are honestly a rather random smattering of Japanese deities and heroes, was
summoned by the Counter-Demon Force 25 years prior to the start of the game for
the eponymous purpose of protecting Japan; in the present, they are controlled
by Tayama and the Ashura-Kai, a fate these demons detest. If you stop
here, there’s really nothing wrong about this setup; it’s easy to accept that
the other countries in this situation might defer to the deities of local
belief systems, and the angle that the National Defense Divinities are being used
against their will adds some internal conflict. But once again, the problem
with the NDDs is that their whole concept raises many unanswered questions: While
NPCs call them "badass," "fierce," and "deadly,"
why does more than half of the NDD roster consist of gods of knowledge
(Omoikane), wisdom (Kuebiko), learning (Michizane), and a mere mortal monk
(Tenkai)? Wouldn’t more violence-oriented Japanese gods like Susano-o,
Hachiman, or even Buddhist guardians have been more effective at repelling the
demon hordes? For that matter, why not summon a more transcendent god like
Vishnu instead, if the Japanese gods couldn’t pull their weight? And if demons
are capable of personally caring about their homelands as the NDDs do, in what
is presumable a worldwide crisis, then why are the myriad other gods in Japan
instead of protecting their places of origin? Why are physical mediums needed
to control the NDDs when no other demons, Japanese or otherwise, require
something similar? Et cetera. </span></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">While bad writing and planning are what really plague the
National Defense Divinities, even they can’t get away from the game’s bizarre
nationalistic undertones. In a sidequest, the Japanese thunder god Take-Mikazuchi, who
apparently had been waiting around in a Tokyo Midtown room for 100 years even
though that building has only existed since 2007 <a href="http://www.tokyo-midtown.com/en/about/development_history.html"><b>[15]</b></a>, says that he and
the NDDs were summoned to fight “a great war” 100 years ago, i.e., World War II
(as <i>SMT4</i>'s "present" is the year 2037). Even though he implies they could not fend off
the Americans, given <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_women">Japan’s controversial track record over the perception ofits military’s actions in WWII</a>, maybe this was one anecdote best left on the
cutting room floor.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlDtaDo3jP3tWbwzWXdRIbOsRHKst3JiMrBWeoBYPiiXQIdadPgRp5t753HH3gV9D53Jd36NvsLBgKfLMkfsVJ5mgySRdWbgI19Nulqgz6-YtE0yBO7v8S3cMGphOjGpo-9cMpMUDkyc/s1600/masakado1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlDtaDo3jP3tWbwzWXdRIbOsRHKst3JiMrBWeoBYPiiXQIdadPgRp5t753HH3gV9D53Jd36NvsLBgKfLMkfsVJ5mgySRdWbgI19Nulqgz6-YtE0yBO7v8S3cMGphOjGpo-9cMpMUDkyc/s640/masakado1.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>A True Patriot</i>: Masakado says NIMBY, or rather, "NOMB"</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />And then there’s Masakado, whose motivations in <i>SMT4 </i>are
not outwardly xenophobic but can certainly be interpreted as such subtextually,
thanks to the influence of the previous instances. Besides his role in the
backstory as the firmament protecting Tokyo against “God’s” (read: foreign)
ICBM attack, after his reawakening in the present, he has a singular focus: the
extermination of the foreign powers, Merkabah and Lucifer, that are corrupting
the city and restricting his own power. While you can call the elimination of
the Law and Chaos elements mere Neutral tradition or a cognizant criticism of two
obviously Western, Judeo-Christian concepts, Masakado’s true intent might be
betrayed by his lack of leniency for the Western-influenced Mikado built on his
back. Even though Mikado and its intact districts seem like an ideal place for
the humans to live, because it’s not part of the archetypal Tokyo, it’s fated to
be destroyed as Masakado’s firmament recedes, ironically causing further damage
to the already ruined city as the huge slabs and parapets of the castle crash
down below. Whether or not Masakado harbors specific resentment at the Western
powers in his city, he certainly lacks common sense. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Shin Megami Tensei games always feature a cosmopolitan demon
roster. <i>SMT4 </i>is no different. Thus, trying to peg certain demons as foreign
just doesn’t work within series establishment. Political commentary can
absolutely fit within the SMT framework, but it needs to be a little bit more
substantial than a petty, one-sided argument in reference to a regional
rivalry. Once again, whether these story concepts were systematically planned
or merely sloppy, they leave <i>SMT4 </i>with an unstable foundation begging for
inquiry it can’t support. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>5. Poor Characterization of Alignment Heroes</b></span></span></span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Shin Megami Tensei's main supporting characters, its
alignment heroes, begin as normal people but become representatives of inhuman
extremes; thus, their development is atypical compared to similar characters in
other RPGs. Straightforward personal motivations may explain their initial
actions and ultimate choices, while their transformations into "heroes"
resonate with the dogmas of their respective ideologies. <i>SMT1</i>'s alignment
heroes crystallize this approach. Law Hero's motivation in the story is to find
his girlfriend, but when he fails and is subsequently killed by a demon, he is
resurrected against his will for the benefit of a group, the Messians; Chaos
Hero wants nothing more than to enact revenge on a bully and, when given the
chance, makes the decision himself to fuse with a demon to gain power. It may
seem simple, but this formula nonetheless develops characters along dramatic
arcs.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3pjdjAv_XBHAAADaqFz8P943qzPhUCapk_iMb25Nmc1o02c-vX1DPe5ebllCFwAsmmS4wbBs1XgEWnM2YnIvAxnMwhY4q05QzbKpiqZEbuWhd99UduK4m0eCHt3rXgdnfCl2LJ58NUpY/s1600/heroes.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3pjdjAv_XBHAAADaqFz8P943qzPhUCapk_iMb25Nmc1o02c-vX1DPe5ebllCFwAsmmS4wbBs1XgEWnM2YnIvAxnMwhY4q05QzbKpiqZEbuWhd99UduK4m0eCHt3rXgdnfCl2LJ58NUpY/s1600/heroes.jpg" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The basic, but effective, motivations of <i>SMT1</i>'s heroes (top); Jonathan and Walter lack convincing motivations, compensating by telegraphing their alignments at the beginning of the game</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />The problems with <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i>'s heroes, Jonathan
and Walter, begin during the game's opening minutes, which include a <i>SMT1</i>-style
dream sequence that explicitly telegraphs Jonathan and Walter as the Law Hero
and Chaos Hero, respectively. If that weren't enough, two additional, nearly
identical dream sequences follow over the course of the prologue, which
directly reveal their ideological slants. This could be an interesting setup
for a reversal, but the game never attempts to deviate the two from the limits
it immediately imposes on them. Subtlety is not one of <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i>'s
virtues. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The two also lack sufficient personal motivations. Part of
the blame is shouldered by the scenario: because the Samurai group is under the
orders of various superiors for most of the game, Jonathan and Walter aren’t
afforded room for individual action. Instead, the game expects motives to be
inferred from the characters’ backstories. Each belongs to one of Mikado's segregated
castes: Jonathan an exalted Luxuror, Walter a lowly Casualry. While Jonathan
rarely makes mention of his birth class, Walter does occasionally grumble about
his humbler roots. However, avenging his downtrodden fellows never seems to be
a concern for him, as Walter mentions that he is glad he doesn't have to
continue his family's business, not to mention being selected as a Samurai
automatically makes one a Luxuror. As the Luxuror/Casualry divide is one of the
Mikado elements quickly swept under the rug, its primary purpose is then
shifted to being a springboard for Jonathan and Walter, for which it is almost
completely ineffective. The only conclusion possible is that the motivations
that drive them towards their inevitable transformations don't exist. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This has a profoundly negative effect on their character
development. With no motivations, their actions under strict order, and a
central setting that’s unfamiliar to them, Jonathan’s and Walter’s dialogue up
until the capture of the Black Samurai (a third of the way into the game) is
mostly reactionary exposition intended to move the plot along, not personal
insight. With so little to build off of, the plot has to rush their development.
Between the two, only Walter displays some semblance of character evolution, as
he expresses interest in the Gaean cult because they have physical power; it’s
not much, but it’s there. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Vvm8H70mhDRplO6vDrCyWiENLH71xdg1NHP87wL7bbpPxjuGgHmYsNFEqZebIbK18c1Kz-HUVXFK8WrfZ8qU9_C2yKnajc-FGMVPGG80k4U_jcuMTEVgkMhXCIBRDgZeOGoVwB-X0rc/s1600/zlCfzSpHzwINf7nKSz.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Vvm8H70mhDRplO6vDrCyWiENLH71xdg1NHP87wL7bbpPxjuGgHmYsNFEqZebIbK18c1Kz-HUVXFK8WrfZ8qU9_C2yKnajc-FGMVPGG80k4U_jcuMTEVgkMhXCIBRDgZeOGoVwB-X0rc/s320/zlCfzSpHzwINf7nKSz.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Forced confrontation</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Eventually, Jonathan and Walter clash over Lilith when she
is confronted in Tsukiji Hongwanji, even though it has no plot justification
whatsoever. Are we supposed to accept it just because their "inevitable" alignment schism
has been alluded to throughout the entire game? Or because Jonathan has been
acting to a reserved, demure archetype and Walter to a brash, impulsive one? (Though Walter still has a more polite demeanor than most Tokyoites.) Without
sufficient context, their crossing of swords seems to have happened just
because the plot needed to escalate. Dream images, social classes, or
personality types are no substitute for the personal actions and motivations
that develop rounded, believable characters. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The game’s dramatic climax occurs after Tayama, Gabriel, and
Lilith show their hands. Of course, because Jonathan has a reserved demeanor and
was a born Luxuror, he wants a world of order and Lilith dead, siding with
the archangels; because Walter is (sometimes) overzealous, is impressed by the
Gaeans’ workout routine, and can’t decide whether he has a grudge against the
Luxurors or is relieved to be in their ranks, he is swayed by a talking bug
lady into wanting to create a world that “humans can shape as they please,”
going on a murderous rampage as a result. It goes without saying, but each
shift is abrupt and unsubstantiated. After the player sides with one or the
other, the party is sent through the Yamato Perpetual Reactor to view Blasted
Tokyo and Infernal Tokyo. Confusingly, the two are no longer at each others'
throats, instead cooperating and joking throughout this extended sequence, in
the process destroying any tension their already tenuously established opposing
philosophies might have had. Once concluded, with neither character deeply
affected by what transpired, Jonathan and Walter then “go off the deep end”
without much in the way of reflective reasoning, transforming, like Japanese
kids’ superhero villains, into Merkabah and “true” Lucifer, respectively. While
going nuts has always been a rite of passage for SMT heroes, it’s usually padded
out with some amount of gradual philosophical weight. In <i>SMT4</i>, these
transformations seemed to happen, again, "because they had to." </span></span><br /></span></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1sRR-aqJCTBSbyEfJdlIgkIMCKBPg1j7wKRpXHArNGFh4jLLp-foHhdjx0msRYVQB5WpFZ6D1dadxV-OHUszUnXNhCp9xddsbeweioP_FdGGEMePz3XaLjKSPL11ajwsbYGRih-nT9E/s1600/transform.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1sRR-aqJCTBSbyEfJdlIgkIMCKBPg1j7wKRpXHArNGFh4jLLp-foHhdjx0msRYVQB5WpFZ6D1dadxV-OHUszUnXNhCp9xddsbeweioP_FdGGEMePz3XaLjKSPL11ajwsbYGRih-nT9E/s1600/transform.jpg" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Jonathan's and Walter's completely demonic metamorphoses may bend series rules, but mainly lack the impact of seeing former allies' likenesses become irrevocably changed, as with previous alignment hero transformations</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />Unfortunately, it gets even worse for Jonathan and Walter.
Even though <i>SMT4 </i>goes to great lengths to pigeonhole them, both characters
suffer from multiple instances of contrary actions and dialogue. Among them: </span></span></span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Even though Walter is "supposed" to be the one who defers to
violence, Jonathan physically assaults a man at Club Milton.</span></span></span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Walter repeatedly apologizes and acts remorseful for his impulsiveness, including after being taken in by Lilith’s initial words.</span></span></span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Immediately after Walter’s homicidal spree, where he slices
the throats of Ashura-kai guards and kills Tayama, he suddenly remembers
his Mikadoan manners in the discussion over who should hold the Yamato
Perpetual Reactor remote.</span></span></span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Even though the Mikado Monastery calls the Tokyo population the "Unclean Ones," Jonathan, who should be in line with their
opinion, harbors no prejudice against them.</span></span></span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">After agreeing to kill Pluto for Akira in Blasted Tokyo, Walter
dismisses the requests of other survivors, deferring to a Law mindset when
he says, “We mustn’t forget our duty.”</span></span></span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Jonathan is completely okay with destroying Pluto even
though it describes itself as God's tool. </span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaxJ2Ov09cR0du4oqg2OCKOGyAbe1xdrpReQZAzF36CWZo7e9uo2Ebge0pfS5gbInCR33sYeuJU5KZqiVq2e_8X_nPX5fVlKeyS2wzlC0nx8LvyF_m6N8Fyon8PKEOLvoN-_0GFS73P9c/s1600/jonwaltbla.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaxJ2Ov09cR0du4oqg2OCKOGyAbe1xdrpReQZAzF36CWZo7e9uo2Ebge0pfS5gbInCR33sYeuJU5KZqiVq2e_8X_nPX5fVlKeyS2wzlC0nx8LvyF_m6N8Fyon8PKEOLvoN-_0GFS73P9c/s640/jonwaltbla.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Jonathan sassing a machine that just described itself as a "tool of the Lord," even though he is about an hour away from becoming a "tool of the Lord" himself; Walter appears apprehensive about committing violence even though he has already murdered Ashura-kai members and is himself a few minutes away from becoming the wrist-baby of Lucifer</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
</ul>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span><div class="Section1">
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">But besides bad writing and story planning, responsibility
for Jonathan’s and Walter’s poor representation is shared by their constant
presence. <i>SMT4 </i>is arguably the first game in the main series with something
resembling a traditional RPG "party"; the older games usually
featured at least one human companion for battle support, but here the cast
exists throughout to reinforce plot developments and constantly quip during demon
encounters. Taken along with Burroughs as an omnipresent
navigational AI, they make <i>SMT4 </i>into the most sociable apocalypse, another way
the setting’s purported severity is diminished. The ample dialogue may give
Jonathan and Walter the illusion of depth, but the reality is that these
opportunities are mostly spent acting as silent protagonist spokespersons
instead of growing their characters. Because the setting is so literal and
requires so much substantiation, the development of <i>SMT4</i>s alignment heroes
has to happen in concerted, inorganic intervals as the plot requires. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Not everyone in <i>SMT4 </i>is as poorly handled as Walter and
Jonathan. Many of the minor characters fulfill their one-dimensional roles well,
like Hugo, Issachar, Kiyoharu or Kenji. Akira has just as complex a backstory
as the protagonist, with clear motivations across all three of his forms. But because
they are so critical to what unfolds and since you spend so much time with
them, Jonathan’s and Walter’s “alignment rush” is one of the game’s bigger
stumbles. The two are likeable at a glance, but are unfortunately simplified
caricatures of what alignment heroes should be. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>6. Isabeau: Tone-Destroyer and Tension-Dissolver</b></span></span></span></span></h3>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Pandering exists in all forms, in all kinds of media.
Sometimes it can come in the form of crass fanservice, including types common
to Japanese games like hot springs scenes, panty shots, or really any chance to
see female characters with less clothing. Thankfully, <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i>
doesn't contain anything that blatant, but instead has something that's subtler,
yet still out-of-place and manipulative: Isabeau.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZ-D4-GI8wjgqV8Cq8w-67I5T3av1qQ23nGDGrAA3B_ZYoE2oelHv5WqbSUsbCM7MgJ1HiYpaG9IrN-vHi9Td18ffqf208MNlZRBsasLlh5lsjh5CfD397TSmMdB3NnAB6uImF9Y2lxw/s1600/heroines.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZ-D4-GI8wjgqV8Cq8w-67I5T3av1qQ23nGDGrAA3B_ZYoE2oelHv5WqbSUsbCM7MgJ1HiYpaG9IrN-vHi9Td18ffqf208MNlZRBsasLlh5lsjh5CfD397TSmMdB3NnAB6uImF9Y2lxw/s640/heroines.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Heroines of past SMT games like Beth and Yuko deconstructed <i>SMT1</i>'s "eternal partner" archetype; Isabeau reconstructs it but without the plot significance of the original</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />Isabeau's character has many problems with agency and plot
significance, made particularly apparent in comparison to previous series
heroines: she's nothing close to a reincarnated partner, a mother of a savior, or
a wizened mentor. Much like with Walter and Jonathan up to their alignment
events, Isabeau mostly exists to add another voice to cutscenes or expound on
events for the benefit for the player—and to sometimes be "cute." Her
major contribution to <i>SMT4</i>'s plot is to be indecisive and—confusingly—to
illustrate how that leads to Neutrality. At the first crucial alignment fork
between Walter and Jonathan, she interjects that she can't follow the party due
to lacking a definitive opinion about either choice, likely a self-aware
implication of the illegitimacy of the Law and Chaos paths (though the player
lacks the same ability to reject both paths). Isabeau rejoins if Neutral is
achieved, though she still doesn't accomplish anything important; she's there to
serve as a battle companion and voice for the silent protagonist and leaves
after the first of the two final dungeons. Her most significant action, "persuading" the people of Mikado to move to Tokyo, happens off-screen and is only accomplished by her convincing Hugo and Hope to organize the exodus instead; even here her agency is negligible. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">To compensate for her lack of meaningful
characterization,
Isabeau was given a particular trait: an interest in manga. This
actually
provides effective world-building early on, as through her words we
learn that
the people of Mikado have a skewed reality, one that sees France as a
"fictional country" via relics of a previous civilization now unknown to
them.
Unfortunately, her interest doesn't mature but remains a mere infantile
fascination, causing sudden, inappropriate tonal shifts during multiple
major
dramatic scenes, best illustrated from Isabeau's own perspective:</span></span><br /></span></span>
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</span></span></span></span>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In the search for the Black Samurai, who is actually an ancient demoness, the
party
finds a city hidden for "centuries" beneath their own, one that is
strewn
with demonic atrocities, pockmarked by huge poison pools, and marred by decrepit living conditions with its survivors (supposedly) living on the brink; when the
party
finally confronts their quarry, Isabeau is apparently so unaffected by the extraordinary things she witnessed that being trolled by manga spoilers causes her to cover her ears and say "Tralalala" to avoid hearing them.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOAXwT-jxfAg8u9jjX0yE0kn1KWV1YffMsQlVS4-0ESShVDqXPxE4Jw_jGXT6mNgr114MWF7E4llV2aq99gFeTVOoxfss1zusHn4afvXggK0qTAxqURT-bLC5MfSOVsOpoquumjVasJ0E/s1600/tralala.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOAXwT-jxfAg8u9jjX0yE0kn1KWV1YffMsQlVS4-0ESShVDqXPxE4Jw_jGXT6mNgr114MWF7E4llV2aq99gFeTVOoxfss1zusHn4afvXggK0qTAxqURT-bLC5MfSOVsOpoquumjVasJ0E/s640/tralala.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">If the characters don't take the situation seriously, why should the player?</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Much later, after trekking alone through a dying world to find her purpose, Isabeau confronts the protagonist at Ichigaya, who has now sided with either Law or Chaos. With nothing else to talk about, she then brings up the topic of her manga before the Demon Lord of Hell himself; alternately, an emanation of the God of
Israel, who cares enough about Japanese comics to specifically name
the genre,
will chide her for reading their "unclean" pages. </span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzJDmBpMom0EFuYDb7bNXLpgkpyPFjBV-VWnT9y92fxNyBZiFPihJ_gU7Fh2f0V-4NL9SWn0sbe1dbgYqdh-905jxLSL7WAnBsLyUCWiJFYLzmhMv_0T3U6P6sRNeUmDoo3bzN_M6eaM/s1600/throatcutter.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzJDmBpMom0EFuYDb7bNXLpgkpyPFjBV-VWnT9y92fxNyBZiFPihJ_gU7Fh2f0V-4NL9SWn0sbe1dbgYqdh-905jxLSL7WAnBsLyUCWiJFYLzmhMv_0T3U6P6sRNeUmDoo3bzN_M6eaM/s640/throatcutter.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">A massive tonal shift within a single scene</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />These two instances are simply some of the
worst tonal dissonance in the game, with the additional effect of
severely
weakening tension, as the ordeals of a world beset by literal
pandemonium are
seemingly less pressing than the conclusion of a comic book. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Isabeau's manga subplot tries to develop in parallel with her
own, but since most of her growth only happens in relation to how the manga's
own plotline develops, this trait only affords her character the illusion of
depth. While it's been established that Shin Megami Tensei characters aren't
overly complex, they still have measured arcs and meaningful transformations
that Isabeau fails to equal convincingly. In contrast to Isabeau is Nozomi, a
sidequest hunter character who has a better arc than most of the major
characters. She does more than Isabeau, is more hands-on with demons, has a
more interesting motivation, and her quests are even required for the Neutral
path (though don't intersect with the main plot). It's actually a shame that
Nozomi doesn't have a bigger role in the game; if she were the Neutral heroine
instead, she would also provide the perspective of a pragmatic Tokyoite that
the game otherwise lacks. Comparing Isabeau and Nozomi is another example of
how the main scenario writers and sub scenario writers didn't see eye-to-eye with the series' standard themes and tone.
Even Hikaru has more significance to the
plot despite at first glance only existing to meet a modern Japanese games quota
for schoolgirl characters. </span></span><br /></span></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZujX4AtCP8B_v0SFUHuByqHdI2NdoUItOsmrLzAX_K5zoQgPRxwXplZUb-VB7sN6Sb1-5c0qnIobBDYKMKUPiUU8UrPeh4WfwZgCmOT79o4eeozgB_lU__ZHqYw86rSvmcypCp7E2pM4/s1600/contrastisabeau.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZujX4AtCP8B_v0SFUHuByqHdI2NdoUItOsmrLzAX_K5zoQgPRxwXplZUb-VB7sN6Sb1-5c0qnIobBDYKMKUPiUU8UrPeh4WfwZgCmOT79o4eeozgB_lU__ZHqYw86rSvmcypCp7E2pM4/s640/contrastisabeau.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">A contrast of priorities</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />Though a flat character, Isabeau manages to be manipulative
of players' sympathies due to her manga interest (which has a high chance of
being shared by the game's target demographic), cute appearance, and general innocence. This is evidenced by how many players seemed affected by her suicide
on the Law and Chaos paths, despite her failing to generate any genuine pathos
from legitimate character growth. But similar to how images of malnourished children or
maltreated animals can manipulate people to donate money to unknown causes, so can
seeing a cute, manga-reading girl slice her own throat cheaply sway emotions. Isabeau
may be a horrible match for the Shin Megami Tensei universe, but tonal
consistency was apparently meaningless compared to the modern, un-SMT-like need
of a character who can appeal to the base senses. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>7. The Contrivances of Neutrality </b></span></span></span></span></h3>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">A Shin Megami Tensei game's Neutral path is commonly the
target goal for most players, as its rejection of both Law and Chaos carries
the most weight for both story and gameplay. But <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i>'s Neutral
has a string of contrived plot points that fit poorly within Shin Megami
Tensei's context and go so far as to alter the significance of an important
recurring character. While SMT has never been immune to clichés, never before
have Neutrality's consequences been so watered down and hackneyed as in <i>SMT4</i>.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_BhLXwhwWzy8tMIsssftZ4FKF8qgW8het3SvxhoMg2Aqmz8H5vmk7o8_LelVc9Vdn-tmqmgnyOTAZaCj-xsHpsDeJSBiMmpRswXk7dc3MCMvOSW-quM5rZ4DNa28cxMzbreq0Tm59RwQ/s1600/neutral1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_BhLXwhwWzy8tMIsssftZ4FKF8qgW8het3SvxhoMg2Aqmz8H5vmk7o8_LelVc9Vdn-tmqmgnyOTAZaCj-xsHpsDeJSBiMmpRswXk7dc3MCMvOSW-quM5rZ4DNa28cxMzbreq0Tm59RwQ/s640/neutral1.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Heralds of Neutrality: being scolded for finding binary choices unappealing; a girl who needs reviving</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />Neutral's problems begin with the alignment system itself,
stemming from the fact that the major choices in <i>SMTIV </i>are always binary. Early
in the game, Jonathan and Walter discuss the merits of being a Samurai,
resulting in a prompt where you must agree with one, the other, or say "I
don't know." If you shrug both off, Burroughs reprimands you for being
unable to form your own opinion, even though the other two possible responses
are spoon-fed to you. Having absolutely nothing to say might be one thing, but
being uncertain or skeptical instead of being peer-pressured into mimicry may
be the genesis of rejecting both. Even though such a mixed message makes little
sense in context, Burroughs' words portend the game's dyadic choices. Later on,
the first major alignment conflict is deciding whether to kill Lilith with Jonathan
or deal with Tayama with Walter. It would be fairly compelling if not for the
fact that the obvious assertion, that both Tayama and Lilith are loons, and the
obvious course of action, dispatching both of them, are not both on the table. This is
puzzling in light of the setup resembling <i>SMT1</i>'s first act, where
killing both Gotou and Thor is available as the Neutral action. The most
sensible explanation is that the game's planners wanted Neutral to be more
difficult to achieve compared to previous games and the good and bad of
each alignment to be precipitously balanced. That's fair enough. But in trying to
achieve that Neutrality, you will in turn have to agree with psychotic extremes
from both sides of the spectrum that may not reflect your own opinion or even
the most sensible outcome. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Should you be lucky enough to balance the correct
number of
murdered babies with adequate hours of volunteer service at children's
cancer
hospitals, you'll end up Neutral. <i>SMT4</i>'s Neutral path begins by meeting
Stephen,
Shin Megami Tensei’s infamous Stephen Hawking analogue, after the
alternate Tokyo events. He’s a character that has been absent from the
series for many entries, so
the announcement of his return was welcomed. He begins by telling you
that for
humanity to be saved the “Goddess of Tokyo” must be revived—a directive
that
immediately raises red flags. Stephen was originally included in the
first Shin
Megami Tensei to represent a humanistic Neutral view that rejected the
esoteric, supernatural outcomes of Law and Chaos; he was meant to
present
“science as a candle in the dark” in a “demon haunted world”:</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"<i>The famous theoretical physicist Hawking […] became
a sensation in the West because he said God wasn’t the one who created the
Universe and everything was based on physical principles. He maintained in his
books that the Universe wasn’t created by God, but even if we Japanese read the
translations of his works, we think this is something obvious. The Japanese
aren’t monotheists, so that train of thought is interesting to us. We had
Stephen appear in the Shin Megami Tensei series in order to visually present
that ideology...So the story of Shin Megami Tensei isn’t just one of gods and
demons, but the base concept is that you have to head in a direction different
from both of them, and the one who becomes that guide is none other than
Stephen</i>." <a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/88995324523/part-three-and-last-of-the-smt-ii-interview"><b>[16]</b></a></span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"<i>What I have done is to show that it is possible for the way the universe
began to be determined by the laws of science. In that case, it would
not be necessary to appeal to God to decide how the universe began. This
doesn't prove that there is no God, only that God is not necessary.</i>" -Stephen Hawking
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />While he’s still Neutral with humanity in focus, doing so by
aligning himself with a goddess is like the actual Stephen Hawking explaining
the universe by using the “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_of_the_gaps">God of the gaps</a>” concept—i.e., something
antithetical to his actual position. Unfortunately, the desire for Stephen’s
presence to uphold “series tradition” was met without grasping his actual
significance. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">So, to revive the Goddess of Tokyo, the firmament that
encases Tokyo must be removed. It just so happens that the firmament is the
body of Masakado, guardian of the capital, who took on this form in
the game’s backstory to protect the city from nuclear annihilation. For some
reason he lacks the capability to remove the ceiling himself, and to do that
will need "hope." Literally. As in the feeling.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Hope and its effects</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">To carry out this task, Masakado gives you a magic chalice that
needs to be filled with quantified hope gained by "inspiring" the
remnants of humanity. In a contrivance to end all contrivances, immediately
after Masakado tasks you, the hunter association changes the rules of its
ranking system in favor of one that will crown an ultimate
"Champion." Once you have completed enough arbitrary, tension-and-momentum-killing
quests to reach the Champion's rank, the crowds quickly gather to gawk at how
you, a foreigner, are able to rise through the ranks so quickly, even though these
same ranks had been randomly fluctuating, sometimes with the Samurai characters
in very high positions, throughout the rest of the game. Regardless, the
people's hope, now embodied in a glowing sphere, restores enough of Masakado’s
power that he helps you to conquer the other two sentiments that "buttress
hope": goodwill, personified by Merkabah, and spite, personified by
Lucifer. Compare these to <i>Strange Journey</i>’s MacGuffins, the Cosmic Eggs, which
also needed to be collected near its end; they sound silly but
are actually a mythological motif that meshes with the game’s maternal themes. Goodwill,
hope, and spite on the other hand are so literal as to be patronizing, to say
nothing of how the concept of the hope collectathon seems like a magical girl
anime cliché that fits the tone of the series like a square peg into a round hole.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The invented goddess</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">So who is the Goddess of Tokyo? Besides being the little
girl you see in hallucinations throughout the game, it turns out that your
trusty AI, Burroughs, was actually a Stephen-created personality he
based on this Goddess. She’s not a goddess from mythology or folklore, just one
invented for the game. This, too, raises red flags. SMT does have a large
stable of original demons, but all of them relatively minor and certainly not
of central plot significance, save for some cases in spinoffs like <i>Devil
Summoner</i>’s Inaruna (who is more of an avenging spirit within the game’s
original setting). SMT doesn’t need to invent to meet specific plot demands
because it recognizes world mythology, which probably already contains the needed
element somewhere in its traditions. Case in point: Masakado, already a
historical guardian deity of sorts for Tokyo. Redundant as she is contrived, the
reveal of Burroughs the Goddess is also superfluous from a plot standpoint; it
adds little to the game’s denouement and doesn’t affect the outcome of the
ending at all. The best possible explanation for the twist is that provides
justification for Stephen’s presence (despite it being in opposition to his
purpose) and of course to make Burroughs herself the “Megami
Tensei”—reincarnated goddess, even if that has traditionally never been a
priority in previous games.</span></span><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Neutral should be the most gratifying path to take in SMT,
not a series of events that would be more appropriate within the context of
Final Fantasy melodrama. The strange part is that the Law and Chaos paths don’t
have setups nearly as contrived, both playing out as one would expect. There’s
nothing wrong with an actual “hopeful” Neutral ending, but <i>SMT4</i>’s literalized
sentiments, made-up goddesses, and lack of symbolic awareness read like the
simplified, young adult version of a greater, more meticulously crafted work. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>8. Self-Belittling Callbacks and References<br /></b></span></span></span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The original Japanese release of <i>Shin Megami Tensei:
Nocturne</i>, in an attempt to reinvent the SMT wheel, tried to free itself from
creatively confining "traditions" such as strict Law/Neutral/Chaos
alignments and related factions. However, it may have rocked the boat a little
too hard, as the game's subsequent <i>Maniacs</i> re-release added a substantial
amount of new content, much of it restoring those lost references to SMT's
past. These include a decidedly Chaos path (with Lucifer), Law and Chaos bosses
(Metatron and Beelzebub, respectively), Fiends, and even the appearance of
Izanagi and Izanami, to name a few. It's sheer fanservice, but since the
majority of it exists in a separate, optional dungeon, it actually relatively easy to ignore. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Such references and in-jokes are inevitable, almost natural,
for any long-running series. Used sparingly or smartly (like in <i>Nocturne
Maniacs</i>) and they can be a rewarding wink for long-time fans. Used excessively
and they will appear as an obvious ploy to score cheap nostalgia appeal, with
the worst case scenario being that the constant references rob the new product
of its individuality. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN1f9Y2JxWQ2SSTnexxCS8F3Ud0A99EVeyeCZ2oKtJa46StFQ7Wvc_7cvGecpDy6leFwlivIIcZD2JXS5fIrPRnhYWC3h1fLGfHdsBDoscLlCXigNHRqsH_1FHc_kz8Awrk-HIoMxbU9Q/s1600/refs.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN1f9Y2JxWQ2SSTnexxCS8F3Ud0A99EVeyeCZ2oKtJa46StFQ7Wvc_7cvGecpDy6leFwlivIIcZD2JXS5fIrPRnhYWC3h1fLGfHdsBDoscLlCXigNHRqsH_1FHc_kz8Awrk-HIoMxbU9Q/s1600/refs.jpg" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Just a few of <i>SMT4</i>'s bevy of series callbacks</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />With <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i> the product of that same Maniacs
team, one would expect some level of series callbacks. Unfortunately, they are
so numerous in <i>SMT4 </i>that it edges the game closest to the latter,
"excessive" category. While most are minor, innocuous nods, <i>SMT4
</i>commits the sin of having major story beats or world-building elements directly
retread those seen previously, such as Yuriko/Lilith, ICBM attacks against
Tokyo, the Demon Summoning Program distributed as shareware, and Mikado as a
1000-Year Kingdom; these are just a few among many more that have been
exhaustively compiled. <a href="http://sorenblr.tumblr.com/post/91772696019/smtiv-callback-compendium"><b>[17]</b></a> Certain references, such as Stephen's
reappearance, seem keen to reestablish dormant traditions even though games
like <i>Nocturne </i>and <i>Strange Journey</i> deemed his presence unnecessary. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">As if cognizant of its many un-SMT-like elements (like those
already discussed), <i>SMT4</i>'s overindulgence in references seems like a facade worn in an
attempt to tout its "understanding" of the series and to help
legitimize itself as an SMT title. Of course, even when previous games got
referential, they approached nowhere near the volume present in <i>SMT4 </i>and, on
the subject of "understanding the series," one needs to look no
further than the botching of Stephen's role to realize even that understanding
may be feigned. While most of the callbacks can be dismissed as simple fanservice,
what can't be ignored so easily are the major plot reruns that not only give
deja vu but also keep the fantastic original aspects of <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i>
from truly becoming their own. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Fallout</span></span></span></b></span></span></h1></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The movie industry is filled with modern sequels and remakes of old franchises that fail to capture the artistry and significance of the originals, yet some continue to make serious money at the box office. Similarly, any under-the-hood issues did not deter
interested parties in <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i>. By the end of its run on the Japanese sales charts, <i>SMT4</i> had<b> </b>sold 252,572<b> </b>units in Japan,<b> <a href="http://dengekionline.com/elem/000/000/674/674468/">[18]</a></b> about twice the sales of <i>Strange Journey</i>, and a total of over 600,000 worldwide<b> <a href="http://pepsimangb.tumblr.com/post/125138021089/this-atlus-tweet-announcing-a-greatest-hits">[19]</a>
</b>—revitalizing numbers for a series potentially in decline. But unlike
movies, a video game like <i>SMT4 </i>has something unique that can potentially
compensate for narrative shortfalls: gameplay. Despite some severe, potentially
off-putting balance issues in the game's opening hours, the quality of <i>SMT4</i>'s
gameplay is high, enough to earn it accolades in the Western press <a href="http://www.metacritic.com/game/3ds/shin-megami-tensei-iv"><b>[20]</b></a>;
it’s still a good game if divorced from its issues of SMT identity. Nonetheless,
critical voices can be found among reviewers more familiar with series,
commenting, "<i>the plot is full of holes, inconsistencies, and
unbelievable character actions and reactions</i>." <a href="http://www.rpgamer.com/games/megten/smt4/reviews/smt4strev1.html"><b>[21]</b></a> Likewise,
once fans were able to play the final release, it became easier (though far
from unanimous) to find more negative reactions, calling <i>SMT4 </i>a “<i>joyless
slog</i>” <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/RD36JKSG92T69/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00C1ZBFTW"><b>[22]</b></a> to “<i>simplified" </i>and <i>"superficial</i>.” <a href="http://ameblo.jp/mecca-of-all-guitarists/entry-11746125340.html"><b>[23]</b></a> Comments
like the former tend to come from players who are more familiar with the
Persona games, with the latter more common from series veterans.</span></span><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">So what happened? How did a capable staff familiar with Shin
Megami Tensei produce a game with such a compromised and conflicted identity? The
true intentions are potentially evidenced by something exclusive to the
Japanese version of <i>SMT4</i>: furigana. Furigana are a reading aid written above
Japanese kanji with multiple contexts for usage, but most relevant is its use
in materials for children still learning kanji <b><a href="http://japanese.about.com/library/blqow45.htm">[24]</a>; </b>"<i>it's
normal to see furigana in stuff aimed at kids</i>," like manga or games. <b><a href="http://legendsoflocalization.com/why-do-japanese-games-have-like-double-text/">[25]</a>
</b>Naturally, this includes the "shounen" genre of action-oriented
manga for boys, with notable examples being <i>Dragonball </i>or <i>One Piece</i>. While Shin
Megami Tensei has always had the makings of a boy's power fantasy with its
computer-aided summonings of gods and demons, previous games in the series
(with the necessary screen resolution required for text augmentation, like
<i>Nocturne</i>) don't use furigana, suggesting they may have been intended for at
least a high school audience. For that matter, Atlus' contemporaneous games on
the 3DS like <i>Etrian Odyssey Untold</i> or <i>Persona Q</i> don't use
furigana either, making <i>SMT4</i> an outlier.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLbISJ8Z7XdVKz8j-KQSAzCEBigKCScq2BXGLIuhSrfIkPBhobz1OWETK52LzHfChe7LHHZtFfJY3-CgXTRkTDMaw4I4LIBPeHb2OGw3w54AHXmOicSnUWRB8mSvReebL_jqaI4lZ1QYA/s1600/furigana.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLbISJ8Z7XdVKz8j-KQSAzCEBigKCScq2BXGLIuhSrfIkPBhobz1OWETK52LzHfChe7LHHZtFfJY3-CgXTRkTDMaw4I4LIBPeHb2OGw3w54AHXmOicSnUWRB8mSvReebL_jqaI4lZ1QYA/s1600/furigana.jpg" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Examples of furigana in the Japanese version of <i>SMT4 </i>and <i>One Piece</i></span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />But when you consider the furigana along with the tokusatsu
guest designers, the explicitly sentai-like "transformations" of
Reds-takers or Jonathan or Walter, the Samurai team's scarf colors resembling
those of a sentai squad, the simplified thematic content, the Goddess of Tokyo
acting as little more than a damsel in distress cliché, etc., it becomes
apparent that <i>SMT4</i>'s target demographic was pre-teen or early-teen boys. The
game's Japanese rating is CERO C (15+) with a content descriptor for violence,
presumably for the gruesome demon death animations; this is not a
retail-restrictive rating, and likely had little bearing in reaching those
younger than 15. Something else to consider is that not long after <i>SMT4</i>'s
release, Masayuki Doi gave an interview that stirred controversy for comments
that male characters are more suited for an SMT apocalypse than female
characters would be, though he admits, "<i>there are traditionalists on
the development team that see the series from the past to present and all of
the protagonists have been male. To keep that tradition, there is feedback I’ve
been hearing saying that if there is a new <i>SMT</i> title we should keep
the tradition of having a male lead</i>." <a href="http://www.siliconera.com/2013/06/21/shin-megami-tensei-iv-interview-making-law-and-chaos-heroes"><b>[26]</b></a> Considering SMT's
tabula rasa silent protagonists, this "tradition" is transparently
about demographics, as the Atlus number-crunchers probably knew the specific boy
audience they were trying to attract would identify more closely, or
exclusively, with a male character. Still sexist, though? Absolutely. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The Samurai's distinct scarf colors and arrangement in promo images bear similarity to children's sentai teams</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />And why shouldn't it try and target that entirely different
demographic? Releases like <i>Strange Journey</i> proved that Persona players (in
Japan and overseas) were not willing to migrate to the main series just because
of a common heritage, and Japan's contracted game console environment means
that the hardcore SMT players of previous generations likely don't exist in
sufficient numbers to support just the "same old."<b> </b>Appealing
to the tastes of the young Pokemon and Monster Hunter players who already own
the 3DS is at least smart from a business perspective, even if the series has
to contort itself to do it. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">But being intended for children can’t be blamed for all of
<i>SMT4</i>’s ails. The sloppiness inherent in its characterization and
world-building would be unacceptable in fiction for any age, and if the game
had any production issues or disagreements the tight-lipped nature of the
Japanese game industry will never tell; yet, the resultant product undeniably
displays creative compromises. Of <i>Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne,</i> Kazuma Kaneko
once said, "<i>if the game were to be pulled apart into its various
components—gameplay, storyline, designs, and illustrations—all of those would
contain some aspect contributed by me, [therefore] you can consider the game as
a whole to be my artwork</i>." <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/1up-shin-megami-tensei-nocturne/"><b>[27]</b></a> <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i>’s
incongruous demons from disparate designers, confused thematics, and skewed
understanding of its own legacy simply cannot claim a similar unified artistic
vision, instead possessing the soul of a formulaic product with conservative ambitions. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">What Does Shin Megami Tensei's Future Hold?</span></span></span></b></span></span></h1></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In a cutthroat era for the industry, there are a surprising
number of positives for a small developer like Atlus. The most obvious is their acquisition by Sega in September 2013 <b><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-09-18/sega-said-to-win-auction-to-buy-bankrupt-japan-gamemaker-index">[28]</a> </b>and
a subsequent corporate restructuring in April 2014 <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/persona-developer-atlus-secured-in-sega-restructuring/1100-6417808/"><b>[29]</b></a> that saw them
reemerge as a distinct arm separate from the parasitic Index; it’s currently
unknown how this will affect future releases, but on paper it certainly sounds
better. Then there’s the undeniable fact that<b> </b><i>SMT4 </i>even exists and was
a modest success, though Persona is clearly the money-making priority, with
<i>Persona 5</i> gearing up for a massive launch. And, for better or worse, there’s Etrian
Odyssey, which has become Atlus’ milked dungeon-crawling series. While it began
with the noblest of minimalist retro intentions, EO has become a vehicle for
typical fanservice, including expanded story modes for its remakes and DLC
cheesecake; nonetheless, it seems to be a healthy and reliable seller. Atlus is
going to be around for a while yet. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Persona 5 </i>returns to having demons as enemies; will it truly be a game for every type of Megami Tensei fan?</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />As for the future of Shin Megami Tensei itself, it’s much
more difficult to predict. If <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i> was considered to have sold sufficiently (and it probably did), upcoming games may be iterations on its model, meaning straightforward
stories for younger audiences, character interaction emphasis, lessening of
mythological scope, demon designs that play only to the whims of their
individual guest creators, and probably fantastic soundtracks; in other words,
the potential for more great games, but they might as well be classified as
another spinoff. If it wasn’t considered a success, then it’s either back to
the drawing board or another long hiatus. Or, if <i>SMT4'</i>s faults were the result
of Index’s hand, the buffer gained from the Sega buyout could allow the Maniacs
team the room to blossom creatively. On the other hand, Sega’s own classic RPG
franchises, Phantasy Star and Shining Force, have both left their roots behind:
Phantasy Star iterates exclusively on its successful online action-RPG
Dreamcast makeover while the Shining series has become a vehicle for the softcore porn of Tony Taka. It may all come down to how Sega interprets the value of the
SMT IP. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem</i>: the potential; the reality</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />However, a recent disappointment for main series fans may
have already divulged SMT’s worth. A few months before <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i>’s
Japanese release in May 2013, Atlus and Nintendo announced an unexpected
collaboration: <i>Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem</i>. Though unveiled with only a
brief trailer, it nonetheless teased the inclusion of most SMT main series
characters, from <i>Shin Megami Tensei II</i>’s Aleph to <i>Shin Megami Tensei if…</i>’s
Tamaki Uchida, fueling wild speculation as to what this crossover would
actually be. Fast-forward to April 2015 and the game’s actual form, <i>Genei Ibun
Roku (Tokyo Mirage Sessions) #FE</i>, was revealed, resembling nothing insinuated by the teaser. Any notion
of SMT main series characters or influence was replaced by bright, cheerful
colors and UI, high school students acting as pop music idols (replete with
female characters donning skimpy clothing), dungeons with giant maid outfits,
and Fire Emblem characters serving as personas. It’s a game very honest about
its intentions of appealing to a specific, otaku-oriented demographic. But, more
importantly, it proved that Persona’s style, moreso than SMT’s, was the more
valuable of Atlus’ potential contributions to the collaboration.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The reality that’s likely difficult for main series SMT
fans to accept is that Persona may very well be the ultimate evolution of the
franchise, the one that will keep it relevant in the contemporary milieu and
carry the series’ legacy the furthest. "Niche" might be the way SMT can
remain true to itself, but niche series have also had a notoriously difficult
time treading water for the past two console generations. In an era of
declining sales that “retired” classic franchises of yesteryear like Mega Man,
Castlevania, Gradius, and Contra and where low interest keeps even Dragon Quest
games from being localized, the falling sales between <i>Nocturne</i> and <i>Strange
Journey</i> potentially heralded a similar fate for the main series and—were it not
for the breakout successes of <i>Personas 3&4</i>—potentially Atlus
themselves. Maybe it won't be in the form its original creators intended or in
the manner longtime fans want, but the Persona connection will all but ensure
Shin Megami Tensei endures, even as a perpetually lower budget release intended
to keep players content until the next major Persona title.</span></span><br /></span></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Many games are technically or artistically exceptional, but almost none provide an experience similar to Shin Megami Tensei</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />Mythology is timeless. Even when specific stories are not
recreated verbatim, their pervasive archetypes and motifs will still cast shadows on the
wall for us to interpret. Individual Shin Megami Tensei games are not so
timeless, as it's turned out, as some of its boldest ideas are locked behind titles that haven't aged gracefully. But, as a series, its concepts are as malleable and
adaptable as the myths themselves. You don’t need Kaneko’s art or Cozy Okada’s
oversight to make a “real” Shin Megami Tensei game, it just requires
understanding of what separates SMT from the rest. The consequence of SMT
becoming indistinguishable from other RPG series, even its own spinoffs, is
that there is nothing else that could fill the void it would leave behind. Shin
Megami Tensei’s greatest asset is its sheer creative potential, and the most
disappointing outcome of all would be to see it squandered.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><i>Cozy Okada</i></b><i>: I'm confident to say that
Atlus' world of Shin Megami Tensei is very distinct from others; its
originality has been firmly established. Whether [through] storyline, theme, or
game system, the players can experience something they can't experience
anywhere else. </i></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><i>Kazuma Kaneko</i></b><i>: People come across something
that doesn't work out for them, or think "this isn't the real me" on
a daily basis. They continually yearn for an alternative, a different life. I
guess the brain wants excitement. Shin Megami Tensei is a piece of work that
contains a lot of those stimuli. Its themes are very familiar to us, so that
makes them easy for the brain to comprehend. And that, in turn, expands the
players' minds beyond their expectations. In other words, it's good for your
brain...Whatever that means. (laughs) </i><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/113553415922/i-needed-a-transcription-of-this-persona-2-ep"><b>[30]</b></a></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCkdfXVud3fHBLOGk0RQY1YSl1JntE23ne76JOON0p1B7SgRHetS7xTEdTKhse0WUB2k9uMa5BzVU8eZGAOhM8nEaHCRTSpdMwiZcyxX88RONt85ca8ajvtIfTZ0reKTOEuMRE-LfOsQI/s1600/cozkaz1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCkdfXVud3fHBLOGk0RQY1YSl1JntE23ne76JOON0p1B7SgRHetS7xTEdTKhse0WUB2k9uMa5BzVU8eZGAOhM8nEaHCRTSpdMwiZcyxX88RONt85ca8ajvtIfTZ0reKTOEuMRE-LfOsQI/s1600/cozkaz1.png" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><span>Special Thanks</span></b></span></span><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">This piece would never have been written without the aid of the following individuals:</span></span><br /></span></span>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="http://sorenblr.tumblr.com/"><b>Soren</b></a>, for always being on the same wavelength</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/"><b>Dijeh</b></a>, for translating on a whim</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="http://pepsimangb.tumblr.com/"><b>Pepsiman</b></a>, for translation and insight</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="http://gu4n.tumblr.com/"><b>Gu4n</b></a>, for archiving and translating so much on <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/">Megatengaku</a></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Belmont</b>, for not reading past the 3rd page </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>TK</b>, for constructive criticism</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Jesus</b>, thanks for the tips<br /></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Emerson, Lake & Palmer</b>, R.I.P Emerson & Lake<br /></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Nodal</b>, for being [a nice guy] and prompting me to write this extra-long rebuttal you'll never read</span></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">And <b>all my followers</b> over the years! <br /></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Corrections & Updates: </b></span></span><br /></span></span>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Originally, Isabeau's section implied that she brings up her manga before Merkabah on the Law path. This is not the case, as she mentions it before Lucifer on the Chaos path. The text has now been updated to accurately reflect both instances. Thanks to <a href="http://messiaharisato.tumblr.com/">messiaharisato </a>for the correction. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In the Myth section, it was <span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">stated that Dagda make<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">s a "<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">voice-only" appearance in the game, but this is not true. He's just name<span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">-dropped with the cauldron. The text has been updated. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Updated 9/1/21</b> with typo corrections, a few rewritten passages, and a new image! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">________________________________________________________</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>References: </b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[1] Geimin.net.</b> <a href="http://geimin.net/da/db/2009_ne_fa/index.php">Famitsu's 100 Bestselling Games of 2009</a>.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[2] Polygon.com.</b> <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2013/4/24/4260254/shin-megami-tensei-ivs-director-talks-about-the-series-and-its-punk"><i>Shin Megami Tensei 4's director talks about the series and its 'punk' ethos</i></a>.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[3] 1UP.com.</b> <a href="http://www.1up.com/news/atlus-disolved-parent-company"><i>Atlus Dissolved by Parent Company</i></a>.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[4] 1UP.com. </b><i><a href="http://www.1up.com/news/atlus-assures-fans-company-lives">Atlus U.S. President Assures Fans Company Lives On After Merger</a></i>.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[5] Gamespot.com. </b><i><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/takara-to-buy-atlus/1100-6076883/">Takara to buy Atlus</a></i>. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[6] RPGfan.com.
</b><span class="headline"><i><a href="http://www.rpgfan.com/news/2006/1572.html">Index Becomes Atlus' New Parent Company</a></i>. </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[7] Dengekionline.com. </b><i><a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/117968513898/ive-seen-quotes-from-this-interview-with-the">Kazuyuki Yamai Interview</a></i>. (translated by dijeh)</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[8] Famitsu.com.</b> <i><a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/121046500453/in-july-2013-famitsu-had-an-interview-with-several">Shin Megami Tensei IV: Recollections of the New Demon Designers</a></i>. (translated by dijeh) </span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[9]</b> <b>Kazuma Kaneko Works III. (archived on Megatengaku) </b><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/kazuma-kaneko-works-iii-interview/"><i>Interview</i></a><b>.</b></span></span><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[10] USGamer.net.</b> <a href="http://www.usgamer.net/articles/the-fashionable-apocalypse-of-shin-megami-tensei-iv"><i>The Fashionable Apocalypse of Shin Megami Tensei IV</i></a>. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[11] Siliconera.com.</b> <a href="http://www.siliconera.com/2013/06/25/shin-megami-tensei-iv-developers-talk-difficulty-multiple-routes-and-dlc/"><i>Shin Megami Tensei IV Developers Talk Difficulty, Multiple Routes And DLC</i></a>.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[12] Sorenblr.tumblr.com. </b><a href="http://sorenblr.tumblr.com/post/90537872163/smt-iv-notably-incorporates-elements-of-theosophy"><i>Shin Megami Tensei IV and Theosophy</i></a>. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[13] Jisho.org.</b> "<span class="text"><a href="http://jisho.org/word/%E5%85%89%E3%82%8B">光</a><a href="http://jisho.org/word/%E5%85%89%E3%82%8B">る</a>."</span></span></span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[14] Japantimes.co.jp.</b> <a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2008/11/18/national/merchants-plan-for-chinatown-in-ikebukuro-faces-resistance/#.VPs8ZuF-W-c"><i>Merchants’ plan for Chinatown in Ikebukuro faces resistance</i></a>.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[15] Tokyo-midtown.com.</b> <a href="http://www.tokyo-midtown.com/en/about/development_history.html"><i>Development & History</i></a>.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[16] <a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/88995324523/part-three-and-last-of-the-smt-ii-interview">Shin Megami Tensei II Staff Interview</a>.</b> (translated by dijeh)</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[17] Sorenblr.tumblr.com.</b> <a href="http://sorenblr.tumblr.com/post/91772696019/smtiv-callback-compendium"><i>Shin Megami Tensei IV Callback Compendium</i></a>.<span style="color: blue;"><i><b> </b></i></span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[18] Dengekionline.com.</b> <i><a href="http://dengekionline.com/elem/000/000/674/674468/">【週間ソフト販売ランキング TOP50】Wii U『ピクミン3』が首位を獲得! Wii U本体の販売実績は前週比2.9倍増(7月8日~14日)</a></i>.</span></span><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[19] Twitter.com/Atlus_jp</b>. <a href="http://pepsimangb.tumblr.com/post/125138021089/this-atlus-tweet-announcing-a-greatest-hits"><i>『真・女神転生IV アトラス・ベストコレクション』発売決定!全世界で60万本以上を売り上げた大ヒットRPGが遂にベスト化です。10月8日(木)発売、価格は2,980円(税別)です。</i></a> (translated by Pepsiman) </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[20] Metacritic.com</b>. <a href="http://www.metacritic.com/game/3ds/shin-megami-tensei-iv"><i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i></a>. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[21] RPGamer.com.</b><span style="color: white;"><b> </b></span><a href="http://www.rpgamer.com/games/megten/smt4/reviews/smt4strev1.html"><i>Shin Megami Tensei IV - Staff Review</i></a>. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[22] Amazon.com Customer Review.</b> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/RD36JKSG92T69/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00C1ZBFTW"><i>Joyless Slog</i></a>. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[23]
Ameblo.jp/mecca-of-all-guitarists</b>. <a href="http://ameblo.jp/mecca-of-all-guitarists/entry-11746125340.html"><i>Shin Megami Tensei IV~incompatibility</i></a>. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[24] Japanese.about.com.</b> <a href="http://japanese.about.com/library/blqow45.htm"><i>What is Furigana in Japanese?</i></a> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[25] Legendsoflocalization.com</b>. <a href="http://legendsoflocalization.com/why-do-japanese-games-have-like-double-text/"><i>Why Do Japanese Games Have,Like, Double Text?</i></a></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[26] Siliconera.com.</b> <a href="http://www.siliconera.com/2013/06/21/shin-megami-tensei-iv-interview-making-law-and-chaos-heroes"><i>Shin Megami Tensei IV Interview: Making Law and Chaos Heroes</i></a>. </span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[27] 1UP.com</b> (archived on Megatengaku) <i><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/1up-shin-megami-tensei-nocturne/">Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne</a></i>.</span></span><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[28] Bloomberg.com. </b><i><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-09-18/sega-said-to-win-auction-to-buy-bankrupt-japan-gamemaker-index">Sega Said to Win Auction to Buy Bankrupt Gamemaker Index</a></i>. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[29] Gamespot.com.</b> <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/persona-developer-atlus-secured-in-sega-restructuring/1100-6417808/"><i>Persona developer Atlus secured in Sega restructuring</i></a>. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>[30] Persona 2: Eternal Punishment Bonus Disc.</b> <i><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/113553415922/i-needed-a-transcription-of-this-persona-2-ep">Kazuma
Kaneko and Cozy Okada Interview</a></i>.</span></span></span></span></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">
</span></span>Eirikrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708584583156602408noreply@blogger.com64tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102004681763150356.post-26558141824874317652015-08-28T20:45:00.000-04:002018-08-14T01:04:06.442-04:00Shin Megami Tensei's Identity Crisis (Part 2 of 3): That Which Leads to Intimacy <div class="Section1">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKBuSYxiJ9gGduwI6GmiPQ24gxLPIGCNOUiGHvjwp-nkKOZ5nJd7bzCZpfqM1AedyZLotI9FzpnruRi1j8vlPBXySF3k_0dVsbVqaLAxwWAAxPCJ2c7SpXERUCPSVEh5xi1Y8iSE8Wp0/s1600/persona1000_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKBuSYxiJ9gGduwI6GmiPQ24gxLPIGCNOUiGHvjwp-nkKOZ5nJd7bzCZpfqM1AedyZLotI9FzpnruRi1j8vlPBXySF3k_0dVsbVqaLAxwWAAxPCJ2c7SpXERUCPSVEh5xi1Y8iSE8Wp0/s1600/persona1000_500.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">by <b>Eirikr J.S.</b></span> [<a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a>] [<a href="https://twitter.com/EirikrJS">twitter</a>]</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">(<a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2015/08/SMT-identity-crisis-pt1.html">continued from Part 1</a>)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Though Shin Megami Tensei is far from mainstream, it wasn't
long into its history that it began experimenting with spinoffs to reach
different audiences. <i>Shin Megami Tensei if…</i>’s 1994 release traded nuclear
devastation for a high school setting that served as a hub for abstract
dungeons and a focus on the eroding psychological health of its villain—a much
more intimate subject than previous games, establishing that “<i>the side
games… [treated] smaller themes compared to mainline [SMT].” </i><b><a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/112061547953/with-the-occasion-of-shin-megami-tensei-iii">[1]</a> </b>The
second major spinoff was 1995’s <i>Devil Summoner</i>, a mix of detective pulp and
occult matter which<b> “</b><i>was kept relatively simple and straightforward
so that players could enjoy the story as it unfolded."</i><b> <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/1up-shin-megami-tensei-nocturne/">[2]</a> </b>Though
narrower in scope, these spinoffs were still clearly cut from SMT’s cloth.<b> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course, there was another spinoff, 1996’s <i>Persona</i>,
which saw the potential of <i>SMT: if...</i>'s high school setting and
psychoanalytical concepts and ran with them. Its very title and central concept
refer to the work of Carl Gustav Jung, famed psychoanalyst, and don’t stop
there: terms like Shadows, Philemon, personas originating from a "sea of
the soul," and many other premises and interpretations derive from Jung's
work. The psych angle was a natural fit for the Megami Tensei franchise, as
Jung is still known for popularizing the psychological interpretation of myths
and the religious experience. What were once gods and monsters physically
manifesting through computers could now be personality-changing
"masks" originating from internal rather than external sources,
without the need of technology.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But it would be naive to say that the creation of Persona
was entirely for the purpose of exploring psychological matters. Kaneko
admits that, compared to the main series, “<i>Persona was geared towards a
younger audience." </i><b><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/1up-shin-megami-tensei-nocturne/">[2]</a> </b>The<b> </b>switch to casts of high
schoolers and a heavier story and dialogue focus was all about appealing to
different demographics. This turned out to be a seemingly magic formula, as adding
a more relatable human element to Megami Tensei's modern settings paved the way
for the breakout hits of <i>Persona 3 </i>and <i>Persona 4.</i> But what exactly is
behind the popularity of these modern Persona games, and how would their
success impact Atlus and the Shin Megami Tensei series as a whole?</span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From Fool to Magician</span></span></b></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Obviously, <i>Personas 3 and 4</i> didn't happen overnight. Their
legacy begins with the fact that Shin Megami Tensei's concepts are
malleable and easily suited to any number of scenarios. The creative leads
responsible for molding SMT into its new form were Atlus cornerstone and
producer/director Cozy Okada, writer Tadashi Satomi, and, of course, artist
Kazuma Kaneko. Their talents lead to the creation of the PlayStation's <i>Persona</i> and the <i>Persona
2</i> duology of <i>Innocent Sin</i> and <i>Eternal Punishment</i>. For Okada,
taking the series back to school was a natural move: </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Put simply, given the popularity of the PlayStation with
more casual game players, too, we wanted to make a game that they could ease
themselves into as well. Like our other games, we're still about making players
the actual protagonist in terms of how things proceed, but we tried to make it
a bit more of an emotionally approachable game, one that players would be able
to more readily relate to. We tried to target a bunch of different potential
audiences in making that move, from kids still in school themselves all the way
up to working adults who want to go back to that time in their lives and
reminisce a little.</i> <a href="http://atlusatlas.tumblr.com/post/111724547998/here-we-are-at-last-about-two-months-in-the"><b>[3]</b></a><i> Pretty much everybody experiences being a
student at some point in their lives. It's something everybody can relate to,
including myself, and it was a time when we absorbed everything...In that
sense, I believe it helps the players to accept the theme and the variety of
ideas that we've proposed. </i> <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/113553415922/i-needed-a-transcription-of-this-persona-2-ep"><b>[4]</b></a></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRobJYSVmiYfqhh3Fq-cxwX2OF5tqdTb4q-noepo_G-y5Ak3kIJfq0l1MpXNdn2L5xR9sEyqzMRq8ArKSpSoUitogL0jMQJccXcnCGOoUQsRFtInHNq_HWruY2w7Xq5lVIWNYdKC99Vig/s1600/3guys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="sex doll in the background mostly cropped for your protection" border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRobJYSVmiYfqhh3Fq-cxwX2OF5tqdTb4q-noepo_G-y5Ak3kIJfq0l1MpXNdn2L5xR9sEyqzMRq8ArKSpSoUitogL0jMQJccXcnCGOoUQsRFtInHNq_HWruY2w7Xq5lVIWNYdKC99Vig/s640/3guys.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From left: Cozy Okada, Tadashi Satomi, Kazuma Kaneko</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Similar to Shin Megami Tensei and its mythological bent,
psychological themes would be deliberately integrated throughout <i>Persona</i>’s and
<i>Persona </i>2’s narrative and gameplay, including places of inner meditation like
the Velvet Room, where the player creates new personas. Kaneko speaks proudly of this
first era of Persona games, commenting, "<i>In Persona</i> <i>we
concentrated on the emotional and psychological aspects of the characters so
much that it was comparable to a work of literature</i>." <b><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/1up-shin-megami-tensei-nocturne/">[2]</a> </b>Tadashi
Satomi’s scenario writing would share this ambition, culminating in the
creatively insane <i>Persona 2</i> duology, which is layered with complex character
relationships.<b> </b>Getting the characters right was of paramount importance
for the fledgling series. Of the first game, Satomi notes,<b> “</b><i>In terms
of actual narrative content, the thing I worked on most was depicting the
characters' psychology well, especially on an existential level</i>.” <b><a href="http://atlusatlas.tumblr.com/post/111724547998/here-we-are-at-last-about-two-months-in-the">[3]</a> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It could be said that the original generation of Persona
titles hewed closer to their JRPG contemporaries than other SMT games, with a
simplified structure though perhaps not simplified content. One of the most
apparent differences is that Persona uses a more typical character-based party
structure: “<i>The Megami Tensei series has traditionally featured the main
character employing demons in his/her party. Persona, in which several main
characters form a party, is actually the one that’s unusual</i>.” <b><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/1up-shin-megami-tensei-nocturne/">[2]</a> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This
doesn’t mean demons are completely absent, as they were adapted to fill the
roles of the personas summoned in battle by the characters, many using the
basics of their mainline SMT designs. However, the personas specifically
created for the Persona series have a design aesthetic and rules in contrast to
the main series; whereas SMT utilizes the “collective interpretation” of neutrality
with its demons, Persona’s personas are designed with a “personal
interpretation” that is intended to be reflective of the individual summoning
them. Kaneko touches on this difference: <i>“For example, [the design of] Kali
follows mythology in the Shin Megami Tensei series, but in Persona 1 I had to
redraw features of her costume to prioritize her image.” </i><b><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/kazuma-kaneko-works-iii-interview/">[5]</a> </b>Particularly
in <i>Persona 2</i>, Kaneko’s persona designs have a<b> </b>distinct influence
of fashion and haute couture. They no longer resembled gods and demons of
traditional art, but more of costumes from a play or runway.<i> </i></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwgD6FS_fHsZMoHeLA1JnrweWiX4h3sbkTI0ABQ1WEIPY0qGKNxUGLYc_iyGttFaz6QDZPYpIapzizf_2Vd3db-jpspuIkla6oN3K9g8b0_dMtlQXVDhJ467-otuxtHK2kv9jYEWxKQY8/s1600/rhadamich.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="I think this is about SEX" border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwgD6FS_fHsZMoHeLA1JnrweWiX4h3sbkTI0ABQ1WEIPY0qGKNxUGLYc_iyGttFaz6QDZPYpIapzizf_2Vd3db-jpspuIkla6oN3K9g8b0_dMtlQXVDhJ467-otuxtHK2kv9jYEWxKQY8/s640/rhadamich.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Persona 2</i>'s Rhadamanthys (left) was inspired by a costume from the George Michael video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ2DVwSVIIo"><i>Too Funky</i></a></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Evidence suggests that Atlus’ experiment of audience
outreach was successful, by the company’s modest standards. In Japan, <i>Persona</i> moved 391,556 units, <a href="http://geimin.net/da/db/1996_ne_fa/index.php"><b>[6]</b></a> <i>Persona 2: Innocent Sin</i>
reached 274,798 lifetime, <a href="http://geimin.net/da/db/1999_ne_fa/index.php"><b>[7]</b></a> and <i>Persona 2: Eternal Punishment</i>
sold 200,103. <a href="http://geimin.net/da/db/2000_ne_fa/index.php"><b>[8]</b></a> Persona’s more grounded settings and strong characters
surely helped it win over players who wouldn't otherwise be interested in
apocalyptic doom and gloom.</span></span> </div>
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<h2>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From Hanged Man to Death</span></span></b></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A new era would await Atlus on the PlayStation 2. After
focusing on spinoff titles for nearly a decade, Atlus returned its sights to
the SMT main series in 2003 with <i>Shin</i> <i>Megami Tensei III: Nocturne</i>.
A true paradigm shift, <i>Nocturne</i> brought the series’ presentation and
gameplay into the 21<sup>st</sup> century and gave Atlus an engine framework
from which to iterate further PS2 titles. <i>Nocturne</i> sold 245,520 copies
in Japan <a href="http://geimin.net/da/db/2003_ne_fa/index.php"><b>[9]</b></a>; its expanded re-release, <i>SMTIII: Nocturne Maniacs</i>,
sold 77,791. <a href="http://geimin.net/da/db/2004_ne_fa/index.php"><b>[10]</b></a> However, Cozy Okada, who, beyond his creative roles,
was one of Atlus’ founders, departed the company in late 2003. Why he left is
unknown, though it possibly had to do with the failure of the half-baked <i>Shin
Megami Tensei: NINE</i>, the ambitious (read: expensive) <i>Nocturne</i> not
meeting sales projections, or other internal strife that will never be made
public. Okada subsequently formed an independent studio, Gaia, which developed
two SMT clones before shuttering in 2010. <a href="http://www.siliconera.com/2010/10/06/gaia-cozy-okadas-studio-is-gone/"><b>[11]</b></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For Atlus, the three years after Okada’s departure would
turn out to be a transitional period. 2004 would see the SMT mainline series' first international
release when <i>SMTIII</i> was released in North America in October of that
year, under the name <i>Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne</i>. 2004 would also see
another major release in Japan, the Tadashi Satomi-penned <i>Digital Devil Saga</i>
duology, with its second half releasing in 2005; both would be released in
North America in 2005, the beginning of a consistent trend for Atlus USA's
localization process. However, even though <i>Digital Devil Saga</i> was the
most Final Fantasy-like Megami Tensei product yet, evident in its colorful cast
and straightforward character-based progression trees, its sales disappointed. Year-end sales in Japan for 2004 peg <i>Digital Devil Saga</i>
at a modest 153,421 <a href="http://geimin.net/da/db/2004_ne_fa/index.php"><b>[10]</b></a>; only 90,812 <a href="http://geimin.net/da/db/2005_ne_fa/index.php"><b>[12]</b></a> returned for<i> Digital
Devil Saga 2 </i>in 2005. The 2006 revival of the Devil Summoner series, <i>Raidou
Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army</i>, only managed 91,008. <a href="http://geimin.net/da/db/2006_ne_fa/index.php"><b>[13]</b></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Amid these lagging sales, 2006 also saw the Japanese release
of <i>Persona 3</i>, a game that remixed ideas and assets from <i>Nocturne </i>and previous Persona titles to different aims, under the auspices of the
younger Atlus staff. Names like director Katsura Hashino, designer Shigenori
Soejima, and composer Shoji Meguro would be the new creative leads. The members
of the "old guard" like Tadashi Satomi would disappear into the ether
that claimed Cozy Okada, while Kaneko himself elected not to have direct involvement
in this new project: </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>Kaneko</i></b><i>: I wanted to let the newer, younger
staff grow and gain experience. I tried not to, you know, push my own view or
anything on Persona. That's because there's the sort of fan that likes the
dark, colder atmosphere of the core [Shin Megami Tensei] series--</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>Persona's a lot lighter. </i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>Kaneko</i></b><i>: Yes, exactly. And that's where I
want Persona to be...for a wider audience to appreciate Megami Tensei. It's like a
separate branch. I'd like to make it more distinguished by having someone other
than myself working on it.</i> <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/otaku-usa-an-interview-with-kazuma-kaneko/"><b>[14]</b></a><i> <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_bCmL8VdzYBLzULhDtopaO2xAgbv4TCWy3Y3aNeJmLMRnyZikZikfWe7VQxeq2rMVpqtxxDFNxj2H5f13BlAJy7B6jy1-y_j8uTd2kwy1uYKu36u-gjgKICOwEwSe-dHAI2jDKyq-B8/s1600/trio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Who would you want to share a beer with?" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_bCmL8VdzYBLzULhDtopaO2xAgbv4TCWy3Y3aNeJmLMRnyZikZikfWe7VQxeq2rMVpqtxxDFNxj2H5f13BlAJy7B6jy1-y_j8uTd2kwy1uYKu36u-gjgKICOwEwSe-dHAI2jDKyq-B8/s1600/trio.jpg" title="" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The fresh faces: from left, Katsura Hashino, Shigenori Soejima, Shoji Meguro</span></span><i><br /></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</i></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Persona 3</i> was a watershed moment for the company and
the franchise, with sales of around 210,319<b> </b>for the year. <b><a href="http://geimin.net/da/db/2006_ne_fa/index.php">[13]</a> </b>While
that's less than what <i>Nocturne</i> or the original <i>Persona</i> sold, this
new generation of Persona was only getting started; <i>Persona 4</i>, released
two years later in 2008, sold 294,214, <b><a href="http://geimin.net/da/db/2008_ne_fa/index.php">[15]</a> </b>and truly ignited the
Persona phenomenon. Effectively going back to the Megami Tensei drawing board with
a fresh perspective, <i>Persona 3</i>'s and <i>Persona 4</i>'s departures from
other games in the franchise and keen insight on contemporary trends in
Japanese gaming were at the root of their successes. So what were the innovations
that catapulted <i>P3</i> and <i>P4</i> to a level of recognition the other
games of the franchise could not reach? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>1. Primary Focus on Characters and Relationships</b>. Primacy
of character interaction was certainly nothing new to RPGs or the Persona
series, but <i>Personas 3&4</i> introduced a significant innovation: Social
Links. Though the crux of Social Links, relationship vignettes between the
protagonist and other characters, is undeniably similar to preceding concepts
like the <i>Tales </i>series’ skits or aspects of PC dating simulators, <i>P3&4</i>’s
vital development was to quantify a relationship into levels. These levels, or
“S. Link Ranks,” offer incrementally rising experience bonuses for persona
fusion and thus expedite the battle and dungeon-crawling process, so increasing
S. Link Ranks as high as possible (up to a max of Rank 10) becomes a priority
for the player. However, most of their content is separate from the main
storyline: "<i>the Social Links the Hero establishes with people are a
reflection of that [protagonist's] personal values and philosophy, and do not
necessarily hold any particular meaning over the rest of the game</i>." <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/persona-3-official-design-works-interview/"><b>[16]</b></a>
What was once character growth available in other RPGs only through specific
sidequests was now integrally tied to a positive feedback loop that could only
benefit the player, except in the rare case of an easily mended relationship
reversal.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXctFG4Q5ib1PIDxxYvsveWqUgtIlIqdWzMl-d40OP43ZQUhBo-Zo4Q4k8DsKKCGy8EUtvjhZhyyM1fFiYliflTRjALCa8oH9B-zthbRRPX7NSnh78bSa4kJHawrBgOU4CvHh7H2gyQVU/s1600/2013-01-30-190823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXctFG4Q5ib1PIDxxYvsveWqUgtIlIqdWzMl-d40OP43ZQUhBo-Zo4Q4k8DsKKCGy8EUtvjhZhyyM1fFiYliflTRjALCa8oH9B-zthbRRPX7NSnh78bSa4kJHawrBgOU4CvHh7H2gyQVU/s640/2013-01-30-190823.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Character relationships affect <i>P3&4</i>'s major gameplay systems</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">An extra aspect of Social Links is the ability to romance
classmates. A reward for successfully completing a Social Link sequence with
peers of the opposite sex, these romances have almost zero impact elsewhere in
the storyline but have added significantly to the allure of <i>P3&4</i>, particularly
in overseas markets where such features are uncommon on console games. In an anecdote, director
Hashino notes how during early development of <i>Persona 3</i>, a menu-based, visually
minimal Social Link simulation still managed to enrapture staff members with
this possibility: <i>"One of the most unusual things I heard about from
the staff when gathering their thoughts about this simulator was how fun it
suddenly was once a character became your lover! Even with no visuals to go
along with the Social Link and nothing but dialog boxes to work off of, somehow
that allure you feel around the opposite sex as a young adult like in the game
still somehow came through! As a result of all that, this simulator was
indispensable to us as we were working on the feel of the calendar system and
it somehow made Social Links with the girls in the game even more satisfying
than we originally envisioned."</i> <b><a href="http://atlusatlas.tumblr.com/post/112005468123/katsura-hashino-on-developing-and-fine-tuning">[17]</a> </b>Considering their myriad intrinsic
rewards, it's no surprise that Social Links have become one of modern Persona’s
most popular features. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The way <i>P3&4</i> present their S. Links and story
sequences—static
camera angles, large portraits and text boxes, and character models that
puppet
dialogue cues—is a considerable step back from the dynamic, cinematic
cutscenes
of <i>Nocturne </i>and <i>Digital Devil Saga</i>, essentially resembling
PlayStation-era RPGs.
While this presentation style is flexible, it also runs the risk of
cutscenes
being interminable or containing repetitious dialogue, and certainly
neither <i>P3
</i>nor <i>P4 </i>is immune from either. But considering the games’ length and
their
abundance of dialogue, it’s a pragmatic approach that doesn’t eat up
budget that can be expended elsewhere, such as the animated cutscenes
interspersed rarely throughout both games. And, at least in Japan, the
preponderance of visual novels and their aesthetic influence on many
modern RPGs means
that the intended audience has a built-in acceptance of this style. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIKkPKIwmhk5GGrBku_pl0AVqlm_JPMoDuM2yJAWU4kPuZSnzM9fBfMdaJArdL5crELWxb6bSo5fvqglrAUEq4qQmSfTyc77N4njyva1NaPcKRkwSPqkhGvZbzi__jTMZiB8t91mtYCc/s1600/metatron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIKkPKIwmhk5GGrBku_pl0AVqlm_JPMoDuM2yJAWU4kPuZSnzM9fBfMdaJArdL5crELWxb6bSo5fvqglrAUEq4qQmSfTyc77N4njyva1NaPcKRkwSPqkhGvZbzi__jTMZiB8t91mtYCc/s1600/metatron.jpg" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Nocturne</i>'s cinematics were impressive, but to replicate the same effect with <i>P3&4</i>'s copious interactions would have been unfeasible</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Despite a greater focus on dialogue and characters than
either the mainline Shin Megami Tensei series or previous Persona games,
<i>P3&4</i> do not possess plots anywhere near the density of the <i>Persona 2</i>
duology and are instead a better match for the comparatively straightforward,
though not necessarily simple, initial <i>Persona </i>title. This is not necessarily a weakness
and instead may be an inevitable effect of how <i>P3&4</i> are structured,
unfolding day by day and never without your posse of friends to discuss
important events in detail. But even without overwhelming complexity, both
games possess strong central themes and twisting turns such as deducing the
identity of <i>Persona 4</i>’s murderer. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>2. An Entertaining Tone</b>. Persona has never been as
serious in tone as the main SMT series, but P3&4 are seemingly cognizant of
their own fiction, with tonal shifts that swing from absurd to serious over
short periods. Even though both games feature supernatural elements pecking
away at the fringes of the real world, these extreme circumstances do not
preclude fun trips to hot springs, or the male characters trying to peer at
girls on the beach after one experienced personal trauma the night before. Mascot characters like Teddie, who try to inject most moments with
humor, would seem out-of-place in Shin Megami Tensei, but are easily accepted
within the timbre of Persona. Above all, it's apparent that modern Persona knows
its target audience just wants to have fun: "<i>An important
characteristic of the Persona series is that it’s a 'young-adult fiction' work</i>."
<a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/1up-persona-4-afterthoughts/"><b>[18]</b></a></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>3. New Art Style</b>. With Kaneko bowing out of the Persona
series, the torch of art designer was passed onto Shigenori Soejima, who, up until
<i>Persona 3</i>, was most notable for adapting Kaneko’s art into character portraits
for the previous Persona and Devil Summoner games. <i>"Naturally, [Kaneko]
had a large influence on me, since I was his assistant for a long time. So when
I approached the designs [in P3&4], I thought I didn't need to consciously
emulate his style, and if I explored what my own strengths were instead, I
could come up with something new."</i><b> <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/play-the-horrors-of-reality-tv-persona-4/">[19]</a> </b>Even if the approach
was his own,<b> </b>Soejima’s persona designs are nonetheless a close match for
the style and rules Kaneko set for himself with <i>Personas 1 and 2</i>; his human
characters, though less distinct from industry standards compared to Kaneko’s, still
possessed the series' fashionable qualities.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2rp8-uW7-Ks9Fo6nm3ZlM1MztJ0PJvuFMVrD3MlxiPIywLw0c-rjwswSIUGfPSNXO04SK-Ht2CSeNZcSXZBye86weMtJ0219lEl1ON3x-ouM2-RIscB3F66nlT2Pg9zEBq7uDJfe3TU/s1600/cutin-seinfeld.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="George-kun's gettin' upset! " border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2rp8-uW7-Ks9Fo6nm3ZlM1MztJ0PJvuFMVrD3MlxiPIywLw0c-rjwswSIUGfPSNXO04SK-Ht2CSeNZcSXZBye86weMtJ0219lEl1ON3x-ouM2-RIscB3F66nlT2Pg9zEBq7uDJfe3TU/s640/cutin-seinfeld.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mimetic: How many times have you seen the Persona AOA cut-in iterated upon with characters from other franchises?</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In addition, <i>Persona 3</i> began a trend of utilizing theme
colors to paint mood or tone into the menu aesthetics and overall visual
design. <i>"When I work on a title, its theme color is very important to
me. I think when a person remembers things unconsciously, what leaves the
strongest impression isn't words or shape, but color. P3's theme color, blue,
symbolizes adolescence; P4's yellow is the color of happiness. Both meanings
are tied to Japanese culture, so it might be hard for western audiences to
understand."</i><b> <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/play-the-horrors-of-reality-tv-persona-4/">[19]</a> </b>The sleek style resulting from bold colors has become characteristic of Persona. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>4. Use of Vocal Music</b>. Like Soejima, composer Shoji
Meguro joined Atlus in the mid-90s as they were developing their audience
expanding games like <i>Devil Summoner</i> and <i>Persona</i>. In his own words, he felt
constricted by the technical limitations set by console hardware in reproducing
his music: <i>"In Digital Devil Saga, we could use streaming to play about
half the songs. And in P3 and Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless
Army, all the songs were streamed. That was the point at which I was finally
able to express my music without making any compromises, and I felt that I made
it to the starting line."</i> <b><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/play-the-horrors-of-reality-tv-persona-4/">[19]</a> </b>Once the PlayStation 2 and DVD
format permitted CD-quality music in needed amounts, he was free to compose how
he wanted. In <i>Persona 3</i> (and continuing since), this resulted in numerous vocal
tracks, used in a variety of situations throughout the game.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QOymr-CldF24ImuNTo8k4uphny2PNLjxK24lQEJ_poTOxH5AYzZn9lTEWUoifKWxlRwKXf5G4C754tS_Mv3u1cCZLoTHxfHRdFLFb4m_zkl1vrmAvlFLeC1mM2YCXDzsyklbIXi_d_U/s1600/Shoji-Meguro-720x340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QOymr-CldF24ImuNTo8k4uphny2PNLjxK24lQEJ_poTOxH5AYzZn9lTEWUoifKWxlRwKXf5G4C754tS_Mv3u1cCZLoTHxfHRdFLFb4m_zkl1vrmAvlFLeC1mM2YCXDzsyklbIXi_d_U/s1600/Shoji-Meguro-720x340.jpg" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Meguro shredding at a Persona concert</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While vocal music is nothing new to video games—proper songs
have been heard in games since CD-ROMs emerged as a storage medium, usually
in opening movies or the ending credits—what was different in <i>P3&4</i> was
<i>where </i>it was heard. Whether in battle, cruising the town, or hanging out after
school, Meguro’s typically Japanese-pop-infused tracks broke the mold of the
standard orchestral scores heard in other RPGs. And since these games are so
long, chances are the lyrics, unintelligible “Engrish” as they may be, will get
stuck in your head whether you like it or not. It seems to have paid off for
Meguro and Atlus, as frequent P3&4 soundtrack releases and remixes have become the norm, not
to mention the yearly live Persona concerts headlined by Meguro himself
and played in established venues like Tokyo’s Budokan. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>5. Economy of Authentic Settings</b>. While <i>Personas 1 and 2</i> starred
high school students, not a lot of time was actually spent in high schools or
doing high schooler things. Once the setting was established, the young heroes were
swept up into the story’s events like so many other stoic protagonists seen in
Japanese RPGs. But in <i>Personas 3&4</i>, high school is the central location.
Nearly every day of the calendar defaults to school-based activities like
hearing rumors on the way to school, listening to short blurbs from teachers,
encountering friends between classes, or taking tests. It’s also a hub for
Social Link interactions, some of which are explicitly tied to the school, like
those involving school clubs and extracurricular activities. Outside of the
school life, a handful of other areas like malls or shrines add to the
authenticity of the Japanese setting while providing more avenues for Social
Links. According to Hashino, the limited number of locations meant that "<i>the
cost of creating the environment was lower than the standard in RPG
development, allowing us to expand other portions of the game. And staying in
the same location in the perfect way to allow the players to sympathize with
the daily life that passes in the game</i>."<b> <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/play-the-horrors-of-reality-tv-persona-4/">[19]</a> </b></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-g0f5l5wNDqMzhxWzwI7HGJ27x-WmHzaNJJMsnGEKLIIoNnVBbh0IuypGDw7cO_dl2Bqhpla4z6NaPv_uDr5elPUuwQFbx9MeCFXEkbwto-ZSyk0Us8waXUIuRStSeOl0-c9XPUcOIU/s1600/locations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-g0f5l5wNDqMzhxWzwI7HGJ27x-WmHzaNJJMsnGEKLIIoNnVBbh0IuypGDw7cO_dl2Bqhpla4z6NaPv_uDr5elPUuwQFbx9MeCFXEkbwto-ZSyk0Us8waXUIuRStSeOl0-c9XPUcOIU/s640/locations.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The relative few, compact locations available are nonetheless authentically detailed</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But when they do appear in <i>P1&2</i>, high schools are little
more than traditional RPG dungeons with a modern coat of paint; it was merely
novel at that time to navigate mazes intended to be something other than the
customary moldy crypts or haunted castles. And though <i>P1&2</i> staged their
conflicts in varied locations like hospitals and record stores, <i>P3&4</i>
simplified this by each having a singular, clearly delineated “shadow world”
where the actual battles and persona mechanics finally come into play. While
they are relatively simple-looking—each shadow world has mostly procedurally
generated layouts with basic tileset patterns—both <i>Persona 3</i>’s Tartarus and
<i>Persona 4</i>’s Midnight Channel tie into the thematics of their respective games. Tartarus is literally even a nightmare version of <i>P3</i>’s school, makes it
apparent that, even if separated by gameplay mechanics or story delineations, high
school remains the <i>axis mundi</i> of the modern Persona experience. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>6. Time Management and Life Simulation</b>. Nearly all RPGs,
Shin Megami Tensei and previous Persona games included, are strictly paced via
“event flags,” which are simple, usually time-unconstrained triggers that progress
the game, like talking to a specific NPC or defeating a boss. <i>Personas 3&4</i> would
mostly turn this convention on its head with the introduction of a time
management system where the player, living vicariously through the protagonist,
experiences life one day at a time over the course of nearly a year. In the initial
plan for <i>Persona 3</i>, its scenario involved living through all three standard years
of Japanese high school, but was trimmed down to one for players’
considerations.<b> <a href="http://atlusatlas.tumblr.com/post/112005468123/katsura-hashino-on-developing-and-fine-tuning">[17]</a> </b>The calendar year introduces a key element of life
simulation, as during the year responsibilities (i.e., school, plot demands)
must be juggled daily with the joys of free time (Social Links). This time/calendar
system Hashino calls along with Social Links “<i>some of the most drastic
gameplay changes we’ve ever implemented</i>.” <b><a href="http://atlusatlas.tumblr.com/post/112005468123/katsura-hashino-on-developing-and-fine-tuning">[17]</a> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The impetus for this time system was to “<i>replicate
through gameplay the sensation of having a day-to-day life, one that includes actual
weekdays and weekends. The sense of fun you get over the course of a single
week can change depending on what sorts of plans you make and how your goals
are coming along. We figured that if players could get a taste of that sort of
sensation through a game that we’d be on to something enjoyable and that’s how
the calendar system came to be</i>.” <b><a href="http://atlusatlas.tumblr.com/post/112005468123/katsura-hashino-on-developing-and-fine-tuning">[17]</a> </b>The innovation of this system
compared to other RPGs is that progress, as measured by the advancing calendar,
is always being made. <b> </b></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_skjBIIGqkckgTnz1nRvRd0BrdaZakhESRKk4pdkLbpsHlCn-wjmht0HwcP8gw3Gdi9YsltTofofvlU6Nb3-KSFotAmsr9448CMNnT8SmmXvu3satazI8MnJOyJYPi9vu56EskytV6M/s1600/time.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_skjBIIGqkckgTnz1nRvRd0BrdaZakhESRKk4pdkLbpsHlCn-wjmht0HwcP8gw3Gdi9YsltTofofvlU6Nb3-KSFotAmsr9448CMNnT8SmmXvu3satazI8MnJOyJYPi9vu56EskytV6M/s640/time.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Social Links are designed to improve battle efficiency, which then improves time management efficiency, which then improves Social Link management, which then...</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unfortunately, the calendar is not completely open-ended, as
at prescribed times the plots of both games will dictate that event flag bosses
and dungeons be completed by a certain day to bypass sometimes arbitrary
gating; however, the deadlines are usually made clear. But it’s apparent that
modern Persona treats its combat underbelly as “work,” opposed to the “play”
inherent in Social Links, when it is most rewarding in terms of time management
to spend minimal time in dungeons (or completing them in one fell swoop),
leaving the maximum time for the life simulation aspects of the socially
central “real world.” Proper time management means an increased
quality of life for both player and protagonist.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>7. Streamlining of Legacy Systems</b>. For <i>Personas 3&4</i>,
nothing was sacred; if vestigial elements from Shin Megami Tensei or previous
Persona games did not support their collective ambitions, they would either be
refitted or thrown out completely. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Examples of modified concepts include the Press Turn system
and fusion. <i>Nocturne</i>’s innovative Press Turn system provided a model of
benefiting battle gameplay through weakness exploitation for almost all Megami
Tensei games that followed, and in <i>P3&4</i> it was stripped down to the bare
essentials. Whereas <i>Nocturne</i> doled out extra turns for keen offense or
forfeited enemy turns for impenetrable defense, <i>P3&4</i>’s variant shunned the
extra turns and defensive benefits for an offensive-oriented style of play with
“All-Out Attacks,” powerful unblockable attacks that are a reward for hitting
all weaknesses of the enemy party.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vuBFRDo46whRTVabgzoBqxLkFcRXuIB-ceVFeu1V6qFPo2qwsHW9vc62ee-SAvO0mGrq20pTkbAM66c7tMpoy_5n5GTq_wgS966ovRSKRCRqmIIq_Sd4mNQJnf1jQsyITGk_5ZQBvIc/s1600/shadows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vuBFRDo46whRTVabgzoBqxLkFcRXuIB-ceVFeu1V6qFPo2qwsHW9vc62ee-SAvO0mGrq20pTkbAM66c7tMpoy_5n5GTq_wgS966ovRSKRCRqmIIq_Sd4mNQJnf1jQsyITGk_5ZQBvIc/s640/shadows.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Shadows represent little more than their tarot designation</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Previously important elements that were removed in <i>Personas
3&4</i> include demons as battle antagonists and their related conversation
systems. Kaneko-designed demons would now exclusively play the role of the
protagonist’s personas, introducing Soejima’s “Shadows” to the limelight. These
Shadows serve exclusively as one-dimensional “enemies” in the usual RPG sense;
without conversation as an alternate means of battle resolution, the Shadows’
entire purpose is to be defeated—only the handful of boss Shadows are afforded
any plot focus. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5r5eLW9ria2gTwlInLxIQ9fpp9mGZcenWnCelYwftmImddnuETWMIIcfCMtBxJhmYGPB03v3miCZ-nQluUrOfQIIId3N2Sf_arxPsJcvBLgOL1V3CirDBJWcw1THUKp0asgty_-d6eM/s1600/Cu+Cu+Coming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The result is... Cu Chulainn :D" border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5r5eLW9ria2gTwlInLxIQ9fpp9mGZcenWnCelYwftmImddnuETWMIIcfCMtBxJhmYGPB03v3miCZ-nQluUrOfQIIId3N2Sf_arxPsJcvBLgOL1V3CirDBJWcw1THUKp0asgty_-d6eM/s400/Cu+Cu+Coming.jpg" title="" width="400" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Persona cards are gained at regular intervals, encouraging frequent fusion</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And though conversation was the primary method of gaining
fusion materials in <i>P1&2</i>, the complications and randomness of it were
replaced by <i>P3&4</i>’s straightforward “Shuffle Time” where personas, among
other bonuses, could be easily gained after battles by playing relatively
simple timing or memory games. Subsequently, adoption of <i>Nocturne</i>’s modern SMT fusion for <i>P3&4</i>’s personas was
thus streamlining itself. While the original releases of <i>P3&4</i> retained
<i>Nocturne</i>’s random skill inheritances, Social Link experience bonuses ensured
that personas could level up instantaneously and thus gain more desirable
skills much faster. And with re-releases like <i>Persona 3 Portable</i> and <i>Persona 4
Golden</i>, manually selected skills or skill cards would be transferrable in fusion, allowing the easiest
customization yet seen in the series. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Judgement</span></b></span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As a sum of these reworked parts, the new face of
Persona
has become an unprecedented success for Atlus, both in Japan and abroad.
This success was not just in sales but also in total brand awareness,
moving
Persona out of the niche that Shin Megami Tensei had been living in for
more
than a decade. The influence of <i>Persona 3 </i>and <i>Persona 4</i> has without a
doubt
changed the playing field of modern Japanese RPGs, a claim easily
substantiated
by the number of imitators left in their wake. Whether or not Persona was truly at the forefront, trending elements in
Japanese
RPGs released since include high school or academy settings (<i>Valkyria
Chronicles 2</i>, <i>Final Fantasy Type-0</i>), vocal music in gameplay contexts
(<i>Final
Fantasy XIII-2</i>, <i>NieR</i>), and Social Like-style relationship
quantification
(<i>Conception</i>). Other games, like <i>Mind Zero</i>, are total ripoffs. </span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj95tFi26rqR006UWZoWrI96IqgZgwrZb1M7UDBzIdOWiscq6_uDvBSjZODyd27UW3lTuwQrqW2SEnJU34ZKjA_TK0CN9TkEt6cPxUnNjXF1viw2Tc9-9PKvcKbw1tsQhi9PkwNKqK9gvA/s1600/concept.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj95tFi26rqR006UWZoWrI96IqgZgwrZb1M7UDBzIdOWiscq6_uDvBSjZODyd27UW3lTuwQrqW2SEnJU34ZKjA_TK0CN9TkEt6cPxUnNjXF1viw2Tc9-9PKvcKbw1tsQhi9PkwNKqK9gvA/s1600/concept.jpg" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Games like <i>Conception II </i>(left) and <i>Mind Zero</i> are clear imitators of Persona's style</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The triumph of <i>Personas 3&4</i> is even more
remarkable when
you consider the context and climate of their releases. For <i>Persona 4</i> in
particular, it became a breakout hit despite it being a
PlayStation 2
game released in 2008, then already years into the subsequent console
generation. However, the continued popularity of the series in the 2010s
has
been especially striking. In Japan, this has been the decade of
burgeoning
mobile development, whose overwhelming share of the market has
cannibalized
many landmark developers, like Irem or even Konami (whose revenue mostly
comes
from non-gaming sectors). In America, this was a time of growing
suspicion or
distaste for Japanese games, particularly RPGs, with the middling
reception of
2010’s <i>Final Fantasy XIII</i> perceived as proof of a genre's obsolescence. But despite these circumstances, Persona has only
blossomed in Japan and <i>P3&4</i> proved to be critical darlings in the
American press. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So why could Persona breakthrough to mainstream attention
while Shin Megami Tensei could not? Besides the progressive changes listed
above, it's mainly a matter of tone and focus. From SMT's bleak settings to its
meticulous attention to mythological details, it's pretty much the opposite of Persona’s
carefree optimism, despite the series’ shared assets. Where this is most
obvious is in each series' contrasting approach to party members: SMT features
an interchangeable roster of strange "monsters" that don't feature
any character beyond the archetypal personality they're allotted, while Persona
has a more standard cast of friends and fellows who stay and grow along with
the protagonist. It should go without saying that a character defined by a love
of steak or a father complex is going to be more generally palatable than a
stoic god so obscure it might not even have a Wikipedia page. The "human element" is important in order to resonate with an audience, and it's something that's simply stronger in Persona than SMT. </span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudtVKz4Mmq0vHzhK4V_n2A9rixoExDCb6z6mQjhhrdeAOOVOAfa5xXCnqHGH-OQsqIwadKLKpXyefTbtRF_qpi9DAvI51nl5PwBWM11JVEp0-NUiZwWCdunLFcvjrOudyFHwwpv7nvh0/s1600/chieryo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudtVKz4Mmq0vHzhK4V_n2A9rixoExDCb6z6mQjhhrdeAOOVOAfa5xXCnqHGH-OQsqIwadKLKpXyefTbtRF_qpi9DAvI51nl5PwBWM11JVEp0-NUiZwWCdunLFcvjrOudyFHwwpv7nvh0/s640/chieryo.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She loves steak; it...groans</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Between its down-to-earth characters and relationships,
being relatable is at the core of Persona’s popularity, which has approached
levels of comparison with other RPG goliaths. It’s not uncommon for <i>Persona 3,</i> especially,
to be compared to <i>Final Fantasy VII</i>, not because it approached that game’s
multi-million sales but for introducing so many players to the Megami Tensei
series who otherwise overlooked <i>Nocturne </i>or <i>Digital Devil Saga</i>. But this
comparison to Final Fantasy is salient; as one of Persona’s founding principles
was to reach a larger audience, <i>P3&4</i> in particular were not afraid to lean
on the orthodox approaches that SMT opposed. Knowing how important the essence
of “character” is to Persona, perhaps the better analogues are <i>Persona 3</i> to
<i>Final Fantasy VI</i> and <i>Persona 4</i> to <i>Final Fantasy VII</i>. Consider the following
comparisons: </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In <i>Persona 3/Final Fantasy VI</i>, you are thrust among a
ragtag team, one a carefree young lad whose main arc is defined by the
death of his bedridden love interest (Junpei/Locke), a young woman with
daddy issues (Yukari/Terra), a cold young woman of authority who is
eventually encumbered with great responsibility (Mitsuru/Celes), a
non-human who struggles to fit in with the others (Aigis/Terra), a bruiser
of a lad with a brotherly relationship (Akihiko/Sabin), an animal
(Koromaru/Mog), a little kid (Ken/Relm), and a guy who is in the party
briefly and then dies (Leo/Shinjiro); this team opposes an insane
megalomaniac (Ikutsuki/Kefka), even deities (Nyx Avatar/Warring Triad).</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Persona 4/Final Fantasy VII</i> feature a central villain
(Adachi/Sephiroth) whose shadow you chase the whole game but turns out to
be manipulated by a supernatural female force (Jenova/Izanami), a mascot
character (Cait Sith/Teddie), a young woman martial artist with an
inferiority complex (Chie/Tifa), a guy with a tough-as-nails exterior but a
tender center (Kanji/Cid), an endlessly high-spirited lass (Rise/Aeris), and
a few more lesser correspondences. </span></span></li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6XL8oidNb2DRphV5oitw3r2ztYrrbD3WfyGs-DP4qV59KBb9D3kLExVATsb9fYRsFp_Em2GI5S4iKHW6Q7lPRaU2UPr0A76f2mj20xhfiDxxtBt33aQ3nvcYxCDVG7vsgP0UKfhQ5jH8/s1600/cliches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Bless them, Moon!" border="0" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6XL8oidNb2DRphV5oitw3r2ztYrrbD3WfyGs-DP4qV59KBb9D3kLExVATsb9fYRsFp_Em2GI5S4iKHW6Q7lPRaU2UPr0A76f2mj20xhfiDxxtBt33aQ3nvcYxCDVG7vsgP0UKfhQ5jH8/s640/cliches.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For veteran players, <i>P3</i>'s and <i>P4</i>'s characters may seem stale and their emotional climaxes cliché</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course, these similarities are incomplete and superficial. But they work
on a general level as stock characters, archetypes, and clichés—basics of
attributing personality in fiction. They are proven and familiar, and the way
Persona uses them is key in creating varied casts that try to appeal to players’
multitudinous tastes. Says Hashino, "<i>People can’t relate to something
they’ve never seen before, so we actually put more effort into adding common
characteristics — without overdoing it — than we did into differentiating the
characters.</i>" <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/1up-persona-4-afterthoughts/"><b>[18]</b></a> Soejima says about the casts of P4 that he <i>"designed
them so any type of player could find at least one favorite character. This
tendency is especially strong in the design of the female characters...The
protagonist, however, is the player's alter ego in the game, so I had a lot of
trouble making his design appealing to everyone's tastes. "</i><b> <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/play-the-horrors-of-reality-tv-persona-4/">[19]</a> </b>Undeniably,
Shin Megami Tensei’s human characters are also archetypes, but since they
operate in less grounded situations with different aims, they end up being intentionally
less colorful or personable.</span></span><br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The World</span></span></h2>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For these many reasons, the Persona series now possesses the
same kind of impassioned fanbase that Final Fantasy held only a couple
console generations ago. Whereas Final Fantasy’s various missteps over the past decade
have entrenched an air of cynicism among its fanbase and the mainstream gaming
audience it once attracted, Persona now reigns as probably the most genuinely
liked Japanese RPG series of the 2010s, its ragtag parties scratching the persistent itch for a traditional, turn-based,
character-driven RPG experience. Persona has won over hearts like mainline SMT
could only dream of.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejN_ajJWzmZ-9hCd7qA0W1WdUHidrTvedwkAAeqGJv79-y2WSKwfPa7MQ_dkuSNZHabD6C1u2ORPug1YthGcKMNpCv0oVuWakDqzBZ1GoAoLpHFDVkvkyZqPNK454NDc6V0UHmUzWzUI/s1600/classicyukiko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejN_ajJWzmZ-9hCd7qA0W1WdUHidrTvedwkAAeqGJv79-y2WSKwfPa7MQ_dkuSNZHabD6C1u2ORPug1YthGcKMNpCv0oVuWakDqzBZ1GoAoLpHFDVkvkyZqPNK454NDc6V0UHmUzWzUI/s640/classicyukiko.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One looked better and sold better, but which one found near universal acclaim? </span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So if Persona is the new Final Fantasy and if, by Kaneko’s
admission, Shin Megami Tensei exists to be the converse of trends, are the two
series diametrically opposed to one another? Despite the fact that what’s made
Persona into a hot property and what defines SMT are apples and oranges, this
isn’t necessarily true. Persona and SMT live as two sides of a coin; their
strange symbiotic relationship works because each has a discrete identity.
While you could make a post-apocalyptic Persona or a SMT with life sim
mechanics or chatty mascot characters, it would betray the appeal and
individuality of both series. The obvious fact is that Persona’s fresher
outlook and casts of human characters will always garner more attention than
the dourer SMT, particularly from the key demographic of younger players. But
for veteran RPG players who may find modern Persona’s charms to be less unique,
having encountered similar characters in Final Fantasy or elsewhere, Shin
Megami Tensei’s role as an alternate choice from the norm remains as important
as ever. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That said, Persona has subsumed the main series not just in
popularity but in perception. Some effects of this are natural, such as people
thinking that Kaneko’s original demon designs originated from <i>P3&4</i>, the
only games in the series they've played. Then there are instances where the main series is simply perceived as
the inferior product. After all, the cost of being niche is lower sales and
lower budget; this is no problem for most fans because Kaneko's distinct art
style shines through even the most egregious asset reuse, but it may still seem
"cheap" or outright unappealing to the many. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This faces Shin Megami Tensei with a sobering reality: while
remaining one of Atlus' most valuable assets, that also means it is merely a
company's intellectual property and must perform adequately. Too important for
Atlus to shelve entirely, yet facing dwindling returns compared to the Persona
behemoth, something of Shin Megami Tensei had to give. Unfortunately, the core
aspects of SMT that distinguish itself from other games—myth, art style, obtuse
mechanics, alignment characterization—also lack broad appeal and could be
considered expendable in appealing to younger and wider markets. Shin Megami
Tensei's identity as an artwork is unmistakable, but art is trumped by its role
as a consumer product. Could the series transcend its niche without
compromising its distinct identity?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>In 2013, this question would receive its
answer: <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i>. </b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next: <a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2015/09/SMT-identity-crisis-final.html">False Reincarnation</a></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">____________________________________________________</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>References:</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>[1] Dengeki Online. </b><a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/112061547953/with-the-occasion-of-shin-megami-tensei-iii"><i>Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne interview</i></a><b>.</b></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>[2] 1UP.com</b>. (archived on Megatengaku) <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/1up-shin-megami-tensei-nocturne/"><i>Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne</i></a>.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>[3] <a href="http://atlusatlas.tumblr.com/post/111724547998/here-we-are-at-last-about-two-months-in-the">A Roundtable Interview with Cozy Okada, Tadashi Satomi, and Kazuma Kaneko</a>.</b></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>[4] Persona 2: Eternal Punishment Bonus Disc.</b> <i><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/113553415922/i-needed-a-transcription-of-this-persona-2-ep">Kazuma Kaneko and Cozy Okada Interview</a></i>. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>[5] Kazuma Kaneko Works III. </b><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/kazuma-kaneko-works-iii-interview/">Interview</a><b>. </b></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>[6] Geimin.net.</b> <i><a href="http://geimin.net/da/db/1996_ne_fa/index.php">Famitsu's 100 Bestselling Games of 1996</a>.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>[7] Geimin.net</b>. <i><a href="http://geimin.net/da/db/1999_ne_fa/index.php">Famitsu's 100 Bestselling Games of 1999</a>.</i></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>[8] Geimin.net</b>. <i><a href="http://geimin.net/da/db/2000_ne_fa/index.php">Famitsu's 100 Bestselling Games of 2000</a>. </i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>[9] Geimin.net.</b> <i><a href="http://geimin.net/da/db/2003_ne_fa/index.php">Famitsu's 100 Bestselling Games of 2003</a>.</i></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>[10] Geimin.net</b>. <i><a href="http://geimin.net/da/db/2004_ne_fa/index.php">Famitsu's 100 Bestselling Games of 2004</a>.</i></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>[11] Siliconera.com.</b> <a href="http://www.siliconera.com/2010/10/06/gaia-cozy-okadas-studio-is-gone/"><i>Gaia, Cozy Okada's Studio, Is...Gone?</i></a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>[12] Geimin.net. </b><i><a href="http://geimin.net/da/db/2005_ne_fa/index.php">Famitsu's 100 Bestselling Games of 2005</a>.</i></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>[13] Geimin.net.</b> <i><a href="http://geimin.net/da/db/2006_ne_fa/index.php">Famitsu's 100 Bestselling Games of 2006</a>.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>[14] Otaku USA.</b> <i><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/otaku-usa-an-interview-with-kazuma-kaneko/">An Interview with Kazuma Kaneko</a>.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>[15] Geimin.net.</b> <i><a href="http://geimin.net/da/db/2008_ne_fa/index.php">Famitsu's 100 Bestselling Games of 2008</a>.</i> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>[16] Persona 3 Official Design Works. </b><i><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/persona-3-official-design-works-interview/">Interview with Creators About Death and Ties</a></i><b><b><i>.</i></b></b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>[17] <a href="http://atlusatlas.tumblr.com/post/112005468123/katsura-hashino-on-developing-and-fine-tuning"><i>Creator Works: December 20, 2007, Katsura Hashino, Volume 24</i></a></b>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>[18] 1UP.com. </b>(archived on Megatengaku) <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/1up-persona-4-afterthoughts/"><i>Persona 4 Afterthoughts</i></a><b>.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>[19] Play. </b><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/play-the-horrors-of-reality-tv-persona-4/"><i>The Horrors of Reality TV... Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4</i></a><b>.</b></span></span></div>
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Eirikrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708584583156602408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102004681763150356.post-52773304604934220512015-08-25T20:45:00.000-04:002018-08-14T00:56:44.335-04:00Shin Megami Tensei's Identity Crisis (Part 1 of 3): Iconoclasm Incarnate<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">b<span style="font-family: inherit;">y <b>Eirikr J.<span style="font-family: inherit;">S.</span></b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> [</span><a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a>] [<a href="https://twitter.com/EirikrJS">twitter</a>]</span></span></span></span></div>
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</span></span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Shin Megami Tensei</b> has thrived on being different than the RPG standard. Mixing the modern megalopolis with abstract concepts, mythological themes, and at times theologically challenging material, SMT created for itself an identity distinct from its fantasy contemporaries. According to series artist Kazuma Kaneko, “<i>Back then we were in this sort of competition with Dragon Quest and felt the need to do something different from the others. If they were Babyface,</i>[i.e., a well-liked hero] <i>then we felt we could only be Asian mist</i>. [i.e., an illegal move thrown by the hero's rival]” <a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/99523128558/interview-with-kaneko-kazuma-and-okada-cozy-from"><b>[1]</b></a> In another interview, he expounds, <i>"I like to think of Shin Megami Tensei games as rock stars or singers in punk bands whereas blockbuster games like Final Fantasy are more like the Academy Award winners."</i> <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/1up-devil-summoner-1up-interviews-artist-kazuma-kaneko/"><b>[2]</b></a> SMT stood toe-to-toe with a crowded genre’s juggernauts due to unique features and a subversive attitude inherent in its presentation and gameplay—for better or worse. SMT fully embraced that it was neither the prettiest nor the best-selling, earning itself a comfortable niche where its creativity could shine. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">However, the gaming landscape has changed significantly since the days of the Super NES or even PlayStation 2, inside of Japan and out. While Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy are still big, they've also become diluted through their own ubiquity with spinoffs galore and main series releases that seem fewer and farther between. Countless mainstay publishers of yore have either been absorbed, shuttered, or changed focus from games to health clubs. With mobile markets contracting the traditional games business, the way in which the majority of consumers perceive and play games has been substantially impacted. Needless to say, Atlus needs more than Shin Megami Tensei’s niche to survive. But in this uncertain environment, or perhaps because of it, an unexpected RPG star has risen to prominence: <b>Persona</b>. Beyond merely revitalizing a genre, Persona’s expanding popularity has commanded great influence, as evidenced by abundant copycats imitating its style and mechanics. At last, the Megami Tensei franchise, even if only a spinoff, was the one dictating the trends. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But being overshadowed by Persona in every respect has left the Shin Megami Tensei main series in an awkward position. How can it embody a rebellious spirit when its own child is the definition of what’s en vogue, with much of its own DNA in tow? Ostensibly, the answer to that question is <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i>, a paradoxical game eager to follow the trail blazed by Persona’s success, but containing a number of reactionary decisions in its design work and thematics that are contrary to the series’ identity. With the series at a crossroads where some measure of adaptation to survive is inevitable, significant questions emerge: What is Shin Megami Tensei’s identity—and can it survive beyond the niche?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Truly delineating a series’ identity is a complex task. Like Dragon Quest’s slimes and 8-bit sound effects or Final Fantasy’s chocobos and Cids, Shin Megami Tensei has its own host of iconic characters and motifs, but the aspects that actually distinguish the series are an effect of the “punk” attitude mentioned by Kaneko. Alternatively, he explains, <i>"the main point is that [SMT] is 'dark.' More than being actually 'gloomy,' it’s actually being able to say its story in a straightforward manner…show it with no dishonesty</i>." <a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/75036354453/remember-that-meguro-interview-thing-not-soejima"><b>[3]</b></a> Being “punk” means that SMT possesses a raw attitude unafraid to tear down established conventions. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Japan's occult zeitgeist: 1980s titles like <i>Teito Monogatari</i> (left) and <i>Wicked City</i> (center) feature supernatural or demonic plots and were contemporaneous with the seminal <i>Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei</i> novel (right). <i>DDS: Megami Tensei</i>'s more varied use of mythic and folkloric figures and cyberpunk occultism separated itself from its peers. </span></span></td></tr>
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">In practical terms, this meant either inverting the trends of early 1990s Japanese RPGs or completely eschewing them in favor of its own creativity. For example, while DQ and FF have fantasy worlds, SMT’s setting is a real city; whereas DQ and FF feature predestined heroes of legendary bloodlines, SMT’s casts are normal people thrust into extraordinary situations; it’s an RPG cliché to kill “god,” but only in SMT does the actual Judeo-Christian God appear. And that’s just to name a few. Shin Megami Tensei is a true multifaceted diamond in the rough, and the following traits best exemplify its character and essence. </span></span></div>
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>1. Mythological and Religious Thematics.</b> Shin Megami Tensei’s use of mythological and religious themes may very well be its nucleus, and only because the series treats the subjects with a great deal of respect. In the careful hands of staff members like former Atlus producer/director Cozy Okada, an acute understanding of these themes is incorporated into the games’ storylines, character arcs, and, of particular importance, the many demons themselves. While stories about religion or myth are not for everyone, remove them from SMT and you are left with Fallout by way of Dragon Quest—potentially great games, but in dire need of a new hook to stand out from the crowd. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Many properties, video games or otherwise, use mythological figures or names, but none come even close to SMT’s usage or its truly worldly perspective, inclusive of beings from nearly every region on Earth. For instance, Final Fantasy summons like Shiva or Odin obviously crib their names from gods, but are otherwise meant to be original characters, whereas in SMT, the demons that bear those same names are meant to be the gods of human myths. Ironically, because of how central the demons and their portrayals are to the series, much of the content of a Shin Megami Tensei game can be defined as "unoriginal," i.e., composed of a plurality of images, material, and defining concepts from existing sources. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Modern SMT games' demon profiles emphasize their origins. </span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">However, this adherence to demons' origins means that it's valid for SMT to incorporate outside sources into its interpretations. What this means is that you could read a Biblical text or scholarly book and glean relevant information about an SMT game’s themes or demons. In contrast, the narrative scope of most RPG series, or games in general, is limited to what is presented in their stories and dialogue, but SMT's "outside the box" thinking allows it to weave demons' original mythological stories, functions, and symbology throughout its structure. Obvious examples include the likes of Lucifer or Lilith, who appear as bargainers or tempters in human guises. But SMT also excels at obscure references, whether or not they will be noticed. For example, in <i>Shin Megami Tensei II</i> appears Hecate, the triple-headed Greek goddess of crossroads for whom offerings would often be left at a new moon. In <i>SMTII</i>, she guards the Expanse’s Jewish Kabbalah-influenced crossroads of Yesod and can only be fought on a New Moon phase. This is pointed out in a 1994 staff interview: </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><i>Kaneko</i></b><i>: That’s because she is the three-faced god. <br />
<b>[Interviewer]</b>: I was really impressed by this kind of proper symbolic explanation.<br />
<b>Ryutarou</b> <b>Itou (scenario writer)</b>: But the number of people who discover and understand that is really small.</i> <a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/88995324523/part-three-and-last-of-the-smt-ii-interview"><b>[4]</b></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">[*<i>In the Kabbalah's Tree of Life, Yesod is a sephirot that connects to three others: Malkuth, Hod, Netzach, and Tiferet</i>] <b><a href="http://www.aish.com/sp/k/48970221.html">[5]</a> </b></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The triple-headed goddess Hecate, <i>SMTII</i>'s Hecate, and Yesod's position on the Tree of Life. "<i>It is said that [Hecate's] three heads were so disposed that she could keep her attention on all four roads at the same time</i>" <b>[14]</b></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">When utilized correctly, demons are more than just monsters; proper understanding of their personal symbolism and mythological roles can reflect on the plot itself, telling a story within a story. "<i>Gods, demons, and various events that are present in the series can be thought of as metaphors for real-life social structures. The main characters in these games employ demons to fight against powerful enemies. They mature as they overcome the anxieties and anger that they feel towards society. Resistance to society’s norms and growing out of adolescence… A hard rock interpretation of Pinocchio… That’s the basic style of Megami Tensei</i>." <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/1up-shin-megami-tensei-nocturne/"><b>[6]</b></a><span style="color: blue;"> </span>Demons are visual metaphors for the many, often interpretive, things they individually represent, and it's these kernels of meaning which provide vital, defining substance to the whole series. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>2. Source-Based Demon Design Rules. </b>Supplementing SMT's mythological themes is the art of Kazuma Kaneko; indeed, both topics are so intimately tied together it’s extremely difficult to discuss one without the other. But if Shin Megami Tensei’s hundreds upon hundreds of demons are actually meant to be those from human myth and folklore, then their visual portrayals need to reflect that understanding. Such is why, according to Kaneko, <i>"there are numerous rules I have to follow when drawing [demons]... The most important thing to keep in mind when designing [them], which I’ve been doing since the first installment, is to faithfully follow those rules</i>."<b> <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/touch-ds-creators-voice/">[7]</a> </b>These rules include an emphasis on source material, which Kaneko explains in his own words:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"<i>I start by researching their profiles in legends and folklore. Gods and demons that appear in myths greatly reflect the environment, culture and customs of the area they originate from. For example, both Zeus from Greek mythology and Thor from Norse mythology are thunder gods, but their attire and equipment are quite different. I get all that information in my head first, then give the demons new form, sometimes in accordance with their traditional image, and in other times giving them a modern interpretation</i>." <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/the-escapist-interview-behind-the-scenes-of-shin-megami-tensei/"><b>[8]</b></a> "<i>Moreover, I aim to comprehensibly emphasize the places which should be emphasized...and present [them] in an original way." </i><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/touch-ds-creators-voice/"><b>[7]</b></a><i> "However, if there were too many particular features in one design or character, it wouldn’t leave that much of an impression on the player. That’s why we decided to have one characteristic per design as much as possible</i>." <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/kazuma-kaneko-works-iii-interview/"><b>[9]</b></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Beyond a distinctive visual design, the aim of the Shin Megami Tensei main series is to portray the demons neutrally, without outside cultural bias or misinterpretation. This philosophy can be defined as a “collective interpretation,” which intends to reproduce how the original group of believers would have envisioned their local gods or demons, instead of the design being entirely at the artist’s whims or tainted by the biases of an outside group. A perfect example is the Canaanite deity Baal; originally believed to be a heroic sky god in the mold of many others like Zeus, Thor, or Indra, in modern times he is better known for being demonized in the Old Testament. While just about anywhere in modern fiction the name “Baal” is attached to negative portrayals, SMT’s Baal fits the former, neutral description of a mighty benefactor. Truthfully, SMT doesn’t bat 1.000 even under Kaneko’s hand, but even some of the outliers have proven to be just an obscure passage or source image away from justification. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The <i>Baalim</i>: Kazuma Kaneko's Baal (left); Canaanite depiction of Baal (center); <i>Diablo</i>'s Baal</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">If nothing else, Kaneko’s demon design philosophy is made of very deliberate choices, intentionally disregarding "cool-looking" superfluities that would detract from the essential meaning behind a demon. But because of the intimate relationship between SMT's themes and its visual design, this source-based, "collective" philosophy is more important than Kaneko's personal style; with proper understanding, anyone can design Shin Megami Tensei demons. It just so happens that, thus far, nobody does demons better than Kaneko. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>3. Demon Mechanics (Races, Party Structure, Negotiation, and Fusion):</b> Of course, Shin Megami Tensei is a video game series, not a book or art gallery. So if its demons are defined and illustrated as more than mere “monsters,” then this distinction must also be made within the series’ gameplay. Representing this need are gameplay mechanics that have been with the series since its Famicom debut: demon race classifications, an allied demon party structure, demon negotiation, and demon fusion.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Clockwise, from top left: Races in <i>Strange Journey</i>'s compendium; an early game party in <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i>; triple fusion in <i>Shin Megami Tensei</i>; negotiations in <i>Strange Journey</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">In essence, these mechanics are a translation of the mythological themes into gameplay: demons are sorted into races that act approximately as comparative orders of mythological archetypes; pacts like those seen in historical magical grimoires are formed as demons are negotiated with and summoned as allies; and fusion often creates logical results (ex. the Lady race [named "Earth Mother" in Japanese] is elementally upgraded in rank by Erthys or Gnome because of the earth associations of its demons). Though all have received tweaks and upgrades over the years, these fundamentals of demon rearing have remained constants. </span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><i>Races</i></b>: With hundreds of demons in any given SMT game, it’s crucial to keep them organized in an intuitive way. As such, the primary purpose of races is to group demons by their approximations to actual mythological archetypes (groupings like “sky father,” the aforementioned “earth mother,” “trickster,” etc.). This affects other aspects of the gameplay as well, such as fusion results being determined by the races of the parent demons. Races can also signify alignments as, except for a few key exceptions, each corresponds to one of the Law/Neutral/Chaos triad and along the Light/Neutral/Dark affinity scale; this will impact negotiations in certain games, making races an at-a-glance tool. The value of races is such that they are pervasive across all Megami Tensei games and spinoffs, including Persona’s functionally identical Arcana classifications. In certain cases they may even have increased utility, such as the Raidou Kuzunoha series’ race-specific investigative abilities or Devil Survivor’s racial support skills. With just a few letters, demon races express multiple dimensions of information. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><i>Party structure</i></b>: The vast majority of RPGs have battle parties comprised of their core casts of characters, so the concept of Shin Megami Tensei’s demon allies is different by default (though not entirely exclusive to SMT). SMT games do include human allies occasionally, but the majority always consists of the demons you recruit or fuse. Elevating demons to party members also justifies their thematic and narrative focus, in addition to being the mechanic the other gameplay elements revolve around, particularly negotiation and fusion. </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><i>Negotiation</i></b>: The primary function of demon negotiation is to recruit new allies, but it also has a number of secondary uses as well, such as ending battles in a truce or bartering for money or items. “<i>Whenever you encounter a demon you’re unable to compete with, you can get them in good spirits through a conversation to avoid a battle. Of course, you can also befriend your opponent through demon conversation...Such high degree of freedom in a game is also something Megami Tensei-like, I think.” </i><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/touch-ds-creators-voice/">[7]</a> This “freedom” of alternative outcomes adds another layer to Shin Megami Tensei’s battle system compared to other RPG series, where enemies tend to be mere fodder for heroes. SMT spinoff series have experimented with different takes on the same concept, like Devil Survivor’s auction system which trades the multiple outcomes for guaranteed demon recruitment, but as far as the main series is concerned, the choices created by negotiation add the extra depth SMT needs to stand out.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><i>Fusion</i></b>: Negotiation may be the method by which you increase your party ranks, but it’s only through demon fusion that you can customize them to your heart’s content or gain access to the strongest demons. Because either demons cannot level up in older games or don’t scale in effectiveness (compared to higher-level demons) even when newer games allow it, success in Shin Megami Tensei hinges on your willingness to part with your proselytized demons through fusion’s gradual incrementation. Even if you accrue useless demons or need to make room in your limited roster, by fusing, this fodder can potentially transform into something useful. It may be an unorthodox process of character progression, but fusion is nothing if not a trademark of the SMT series.</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Without these mechanics, Shin Megami Tensei’s gameplay would be simple and, honestly, pretty boring. They have not always represented technical ideals, but have also not been fearful of meaningful evolution that doesn’t leave their distinguishing qualities behind. But while successful interactive engagement is one thing, that the mechanics also reflect myths, archetypes, or rituals displays SMT’s deliberate thematic integration between its narrative and gameplay halves. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>4. The Ordinary Meeting the Extraordinary (Apocalypse and tone):</b> The common thread that ties Shin Megami Tensei and its spinoffs together is a simple idea: their relatable modern settings being encroached upon by supernatural forces. But what separates SMT from Devil Summoner or Persona is severity and scope: <i>“ All the titles in the series depict the extraordinary invading our ordinary lives, but the Persona series depicts the end of the world around the protagonist, whereas the main Shin Megami Tensei series depicts the end of the world itself. Also, whereas the Persona series revolves around everyday relationships with people such as friends and lovers, in the main Shin Megami Tensei series you deal with worlds that have fallen apart and godlike entities. The story of a mainline Shin Megami Tensei game tends to be more grand and apocalyptic.” </i><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/nintendo-power-the-demon-whisperer/"><b>[10]</b></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">As past or prologue, the hallmark of Shin Megami Tensei is to begin with some kind of world-upending demon apocalypse. Such desolation easily justifies demons’ presence and the series’ standard focus on the relatively small casts of characters who become embroiled in the pandemonium. But their trials are no mere "Call to Adventure," since for Kaneko the concept of everyday people facing such existential threats is another of the series’ “punk” characteristics: "<i>Another thing that bothered me [about other RPGs] was the trend of the main character always being portrayed as someone special — a legendary warrior, for example. It was the equivalent of saying you can’t succeed unless you’re from a wealthy family, and I just couldn’t stand that. I wasn’t born with special genes, and I’m sure most other players weren’t either. No matter who you are, if you’re given a chance and have the guts to try your best, you can become a hero. That became the concept of Megami Tensei</i>." <b><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/1up-shin-megami-tensei-nocturne/">[6]</a> </b></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The moments before the ICBMs annihilate Tokyo in <i>Shin Megami Tensei </i>(left); <i>Nocturne</i>'s Conception initiates the Vortex World (right)</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">An equally important function for SMT-style apocalypses is to set the “rules” of their settings, particularly in regards to demons and supernatural elements. Given the centrality of these metaphysical aspects, limiting factors are essential to maintaining suspension of disbelief, which the series tends to define in one of two ways: the "concrete" apocalypse and the "abstract" apocalypse. The concrete apocalypse is one that occurs in a clearly terrestrial setting where humans may still exist to some extent, beset by physical destructive causes like nuclear cataclysms or science gone awry; the obvious example of this type is the Tokyo of the first <i>Shin Megami Tensei</i>. In an abstract apocalypse, the setting is clearly extraterrestrial, whose native population is demons, not the humans who are mere “intruders”; examples of this include <i>Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne</i>’s hallucinatory Vortex World or <i>Strange Journey</i>’s physically fluid and ethereal Schwarzwelt. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Each type requires a different approach to its rulesets. A concrete apocalypse, since it is bound by human perspective and some semblance of tangibility, is a balancing act that needs just enough rationalization for demons to be plausible, but without excessive explanation that may cause internal contradictions or susceptibility to plotholes; in older SMT games, for example, this is accomplished sufficiently by having demons originate from an alternate dimension and manifest in the concrete space through an occult substance, magnetite. On the other hand, an abstract apocalypse is already playing by the “demonic” rules, requiring next to no justification (or magnetite) other than the initiating circumstances. Demons may be abstract by nature, but proper consideration can easily validate their existence.</span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Lastly, the other important role of an apocalypse is to set the narrative tone. Given that the key word is "apocalypse," there is a certain expectation for how seriously SMT takes itself, so a consistent tone is crucial for its drama and choices to be effective. Maintaining a consistent seriousness is invariably tasked to SMT's central alignment characters, which is of utmost importance because, in such a high stakes situation, their experiences and opinions of the setting are what will inform the player's own choices, in addition to being the only ones with the opportunities to effect change in their worlds. They need to be able to “sell” the legitimacy of the situation to the player, in other words.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">But SMT isn't absolute grimness. It's common to find minor characters that provide comic relief or levity, but this usually comes at a personal cost: these characters are often "punished" with cruel fates or are made examples of to raise the stakes (ex. the protagonist's mother in <i>SMT1</i>, Daleth in <i>Shin Megami Tensei II</i>, Navarre in <i>Shin Megami Tensei IV</i>). In addition, demons provide a more natural, safer outlet for goofiness or humor. The series takes advantage of this particularly with the demon negotiations that are divorced from the main narrative. Since, by definition, demons are separate from reality, they have free rein to talk or joke about almost anything, from pop culture to the nature of existence itself. Considering some SMT games are light on story dialogue, these unpredictable, cheeky conversations might actually comprise the majority of a player's character interactions. While there's no need to be deadly serious at all times, defining appropriate limits to the usage of humor serves to keep the overall tone of the series consistent. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>5. Choice:</b> An especially iconic aspect of Shin Megami Tensei is its Law/Neutral/Chaos alignment system, and its child Light/Neutral/Dark affinities (for a total of nine true alignments). But behind that system is something more fundamental: choice.<b> </b><i>“What separates the <b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Shin Megami Tensei</span></b> series from most other Japanese RPG franchises is how often the player is called upon to make choices and offer opinions, which usually have significant effects on certain aspects of the storyline.” </i><b><a href="http://telebunny.net/toastywiki/index.php/Games/LawChaosAndTheAmericanWay">[11]</a> </b>These choices have profound effects on character and plot development, determining who allies with your party, who becomes your enemy, and branching ending paths, to name a few. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">SMT’s elements of choice provide the backbone of its dramatic tension, as the opposing philosophies of the Law/Neutral/Chaos dynamic erupt into conflicts of dominion over the fate of existence. In other words, pretty heavy stuff. “<i>Even though humans are part of the universe, nobody knows why the universe exists, or how humans came into being. A philosophical approach is the only way we can reach some kind of conclusion. That’s exactly what myths are--philosophical explanations of the universe and man--and why I love myths so much. The demons in the Megami Tensei series all appear with these questions</i>." <b><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/the-escapist-interview-behind-the-scenes-of-shin-megami-tensei/">[8]</a> </b>Thus is the foundation of each alignment and its discrete features. Law’s inherent order offers safety within the primacy of a central group, at the cost of free will; its demon representatives are almost exclusively the pious angels of Abrahamic faiths. Conversely, Chaos stresses the importance of individual freedom, but under the shadow of a “might makes right” mantra wrought with extreme risk; Lucifer is the de facto leader of the Chaos demons, which may also include Buddhist obstructors. Between them stands Neutrality, which rejects the extremes of Law and Chaos in favor of a more reasonable balance of the virtues of each. As you might expect, the Law and Chaos camps don’t get along with one another, so whether the player aligns with one, the other, or neither is the most important decision in any SMT game. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">It’s also important to clarify that, unlike games with morality systems, SMT’s Law and Chaos alignments do not necessarily represent dualist absolutes like “good” and “evil.”<b> </b><i>"It’s not wrong to put everything into simple “good” and “evil”, like in other games, but what’s right and wrong can be completely different, depending on your position and perspective; it’s very ambiguous. So I say, why not let each player tackle that question of what’s right and wrong?"</i> <b><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/the-escapist-interview-behind-the-scenes-of-shin-megami-tensei/">[8]</a> </b>For example,<span style="font-family: inherit;"> SMT </span>will not judge you as "bad" for<b> </b>siding with Lucifer.<b> </b>The closest the series gets to qualifying good or evil is its Light/Neutral/Dark affinities, but those are generally only used to classify demons and, even then, may not be universal.<b> </b>These definitional ambiguities have been considered since the start of the franchise, as evidenced in a <i>Shin Megami Tensei II </i>interview:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><i>Okada</i></b><i>: Simply calling it good and evil makes it easy to understand, but our games are not like that. Our concepts are on what we may call the same axis, not up or down, but on parallel lines.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><i>[Interviewer]</i></b><i>: It’s simply more of an opposition rather than which is good and which is bad. </i><a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/114339475233/eirikrjs-shared-a-few-pages-from-the-1995-shin"><b>[12]</b></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Choices and alignment conflicts are also at the heart of how the series handles characterization. The principal character in an SMT game is always its protagonist, whom is invariably of a silent disposition. One would think this would make characterization nonexistent, but this is actually a deliberate choice to give the player a vicarious experience and lend extra significance to his or her personal judgments. <b>“</b><i>[SMT]</i><b><i> </i></b><i>games are designed so that the player’s decisions as the protagonist determine the course of the story</i>.” <b><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/the-escapist-interview-behind-the-scenes-of-shin-megami-tensei/">[8]</a> “</b><i>As you proceed through the story, the player is forced to make decisions, just as people do in real life when they come to crossroads. As a result, the biggest difference [between SMT and other RPGs] is that every player will create their own story.</i>” <b><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/1up-shin-megami-tensei-nocturne/">[6]</a> </b>In Shin Megami Tensei, the player is both director and lead actor. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">SMT’s major supporting characters, its so-called “alignment heroes,” also develop out of this non-linearity. Whether as a Law Hero, Chaos Hero, Neutral Heroine, or anything in-between, they have a straightforward purpose: to model the different alignments to the player. This happens as an effect of their character arcs, where, as mere humans in a supernatural environment, they are mostly powerless until circumstances instigate their (often literal) transformations, becoming representative of alignments and possible outcomes. These representations and the potential disagreements that can result from them are what Kaneko calls "<i>metaphors for the real world</i>.” <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/the-escapist-interview-behind-the-scenes-of-shin-megami-tensei/"><b>[8]</b></a></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Shin Megami Tensei</i>'s archetypal alignment heroes and the gulf between their extremes</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Given the restrictions of SMT’s settings, character development for alignment heroes is basic but follows an effective formula, including comprehensible personal motivations (<i>SMT1</i> examples: Law Hero’s search for his girlfriend; Chaos Hero’s wish for revenge against a bully) and arcs that are thematically apt (<i>SMT1</i>: Law Hero, killed in an attempt to save his girlfriend, reincarnates as a “chosen” messiah; Chaos Hero, seizing an opportunity for revenge, volunteers to fuse with a demon to gain power). Any backstory information given about a character will always support why they ultimately come to the conclusions they do, and will not reflect on the person they were before the apocalypse (unless that too has bearing on their choices). Topics that would lend personality to characters in other RPGs like favorite ice cream flavors, preferred comic books, or similar traits are simply irrelevant in SMT’s harsh environment. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">And those who do not ally, antagonize. The inevitability of Shin Megami Tensei is that the alignment heroes whose philosophies you reject will become "villains"; this concept of former friends turning heel and ultimately serving as fodder for the player's demons has become iconic of the series. The open-endedness inherent even in its antagonists is another key difference between SMT and other RPGs, whose central villains are fixed.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Nocturne's Reasons are as topsy-turvy as its Vortex World; Chiaki's Reason of Yosuga is presumably Chaotic, yet her Baal Avatar is Neutral and her greatest allies are Lawful angels </span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Because it affects so much, player choice is inseparable from the series. It even trumps the Law/Neutral/Chaos ternary that usually gives it definition. How? Witness <i>Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne</i>, which eschewed these trademark alignments for its proprietary "Reasons." Though Reasons function identically to alignments, the lack of typical labels allowed Nocturne to explore completely new philosophies. It was a bold message, but one the series would never repeat. Nevertheless, <i>Nocturne</i>'s example illustrates that the basic concept of choice is one of Shin Megami Tensei's greatest traditions. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>6. Tokyo</b>. "<i>The one virtue of [SMT] has to be the setting of battling in the streets of contemporary Tokyo, I think</i>." <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/kazuma-kaneko-works-iii-interview/"><b>[9]</b></a> There is no doubt of Tokyo’s centrality in Shin Megami Tensei. But is it genuine significance or mere solipsism? After all, main series games like <i>Strange Journey</i> proved that you can have an SMT game set outside of Tokyo without sacrificing the series’ spirit. The answer lies with what Tokyo represents: an archetypal metropolis. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Tokyo Tower will remain standing no matter what an apocalypse throws at it</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">While Tokyo’s many landmarks would be easily swappable with those of any other large city’s, like New York’s or London’s, regardless, depicting the high-rises or highways of modern times is crucial in making SMT’s depiction of otherworldly encroachment relatable. “<i>Because <i>[Megami Tensei]</i></i><i><span style="font-style: normal;"> </span></i><i>is all about the ordinary lives becoming inconceivably unordinary, it has to be connected to modern society somehow</i>.” <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/the-escapist-interview-behind-the-scenes-of-shin-megami-tensei/"><b>[8]</b></a><i><span style="color: blue;"> </span></i>Only a megalopolis can provide to the largest audience possible the impact of seeing famous sights beset by chaos. Then, it’s completely natural that Atlus’ Tokyo-based staff would select the city they’re most familiar with to be the series’ central setting (not to mention it being the most populated city in the world, a technological powerhouse, and a world economic center), but there were intentions as early as the first game to have multiple locations:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><i>Kaneko</i></b><i>: In the beginning, the conflict [in SMT1] was going to envelop the whole world.<br />
<b>Okada</b>: Right, right. We figured Tokyo would have been the starting point and it would have spread not only all over Japan but all over the world.<br />
<b>Kaneko</b>: We also talked how Israel should be the ending point.</i> <a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/99523128558/interview-with-kaneko-kazuma-and-okada-cozy-from"><b>[1]</b></a></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">A setting like Tokyo is also another way that set <i>SMT </i>apart from its Super Famicom competition. Compared to the original fantasy worlds of its RPG contemporaries, a real-world locale was a complete 180 degree turn. But even if Shin Megami Tensei may at times seem to over-rely on Tokyo, every game in the main series has its own unique spin on the city, whether it’s <i>SMTII</i>’s Tokyo Millennium or <i>SMTIV</i>’s subterranean Tokyo, so SMT can’t be entirely accused of resting on its laurels. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>7. Miscellany: </b>Naturally, there’s a more to Shin Megami Tensei’s appeal than just the six topics above. In fact, there is a whole legion of hitherto unmentioned recurring elements that nonetheless contribute greatly to the series’ personality. But are they as essential as those above?</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The King of Cool; <i>Nocturne</i>'s Game Over screen; first-person dungeon in <i>Shin Megami Tensei</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Jack Frost</i>. The mascot of Atlus itself, of course Jack Frost and his brothers need mentioning. A Megami Tensei game without his trademark grin would be like a Final Fantasy game without a Chocobo, right? </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />
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Similar to how Chocobos didn't appear until <i>Final Fantasy II</i>, there have been Megami Tensei games without Jack or his brothers, in particular <i>Majin Tensei </i>and <i>Majin Tensei II</i>, which are still considered part of the franchise. Jack is a star, but the show could (technically) go on without him.</span></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Difficulty</i>. Shin Megami Tensei games have an imposing reputation gained from a perceived high difficulty level. After all, this is the home of punishing instant-kill attacks and insurmountable threshold guardians like the Matador. Shouldn't the bleak setting offer matching gameplay resistance to the player?</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">In truth, SMT's general difficulty is highly subjective, though it would be more accurate to say that the series has a high learning curve. At first play, this curve comes from the prerequisite of absorbing systems and skill terminology completely alien compared to other games. But once knowledge of the series' tricks is retained, the tables turn and the difficulty is not significantly higher than other RPGs. Even the older games are not so much difficult as they are obtuse.</span></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>First-person dungeons</i>. Three-dimensional dungeons are a graphical and gameplay style that defined almost every game in the greater Megami Tensei franchise through the 32-bit era. Even Kaneko mentions it among things the series brings to mind when he says, "<i>When talking about the Shin Megami Tensei series, you readily think about conversing with demons, the element of training befriended demons, 3D dungeons, et cetera</i>." <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/touch-ds-creators-voice/"><b>[7]</b></a><span style="color: blue;"> <br />
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</span>But there is the obvious detail that, besides <i>Strange Journey</i>, every Megami Tensei game released on the PlayStation 2 and beyond has adopted a third-person view. Nevertheless, despite this different perspective, dungeon designs have largely remained twisted affairs with predilections for teleporter mazes, true to the sadistic spirit of the series' gridded map past.</span></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“<i>True Goddess Reincarnation</i>." The literal meaning of “Shin Megami Tensei.” Because it’s in the title, the idea of a reincarnating goddess is probably something you would expect to see in just about every game in the series. SMT games always feature central heroines and full rosters of goddesses, after all. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">However, other than in the original Megami Tensei novel/game this really isn’t the case. As Kaneko explains: “<i>I still wonder: why the name "Shin Megami Tensei"? Don't you feel a gap between the name and the content of the series? (laughs) If you just look at the name, you'd think the series is...Well, I don't know what people would think, but I bet it's very different from what it really is.”</i> <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/113553415922/i-needed-a-transcription-of-this-persona-2-ep"><b>[13]</b></a></span></span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Without needing to go into excruciating detail about each and every one, it can be assumed that these aspects and others like recurring soundtrack motifs, the Cathedral of Shadows, etc. provide a lot of character to Shin Megami Tensei. Still, even though they add character, they don't add depth, and that's why these aspects should be considered minor in comparison to the previous six. You can't build the foundation of a game series on mascot characters and camera perspective alone. Minor elements grow around the major ones, not vice versa—like the icing on a multi-layered cake. Of course, some people may very well prefer the icing to the layers underneath.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The identity of Shin Megami Tensei is a multifaceted, complex beast. Its creators have taken great care to ensure it remains consistent and that the games exist as compelling alternate choices in a historically over-saturated genre. But just because SMT does things differently doesn't mean it's automatically worthy of universal acclaim. Indeed, the core aspects of the series can be considered as double-edged swords, where each defining trait has an inherent drawback in its potential appeal to new players. Consider them from the perspective of a Shin Megami Tensei neophyte: </span></span></span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Mythological themes</i>: The focus on myths and demons can sometimes be so dense<span style="font-family: inherit;"> as</span> to be impenetrable to those without outside knowledge of the subject. A game like <i>Nocturne</i>, whose thematics and subtext may overpower narrative transparency, could be perceived (inaccurately) as having no story at all. And, for overseas fans exclusively, the series' acute, Old Testament-based portrayals of Judeo-Christian mythological characters like Satan or YHVH may prove challenging and different than their modern preconceptions.</span></span></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Tokyo</i>: From an in-game navigational perspective, the locations of Tokyo's many wards may already be absorbed through cultural osmosis for Japanese players, but for non-Japanese, the matter-of-fact namedropping of places like Ikebukuro or Roppongi creates a confusing nightmare where they might as well be fantasy names instead. And even if there's a fresh spin on the city every game, Tokyo's constant reuse may seem stale and creatively restrictive. </span></span></span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fair criticisms like these may be why the series has remained niche. While Shin Megami Tensei's fans are incredibly loyal both inside and outside of Japan, such a narrow audience is no guarantee of survival. When asked about relatively low sales numbers in the US for <i> Nocturne </i>and <i>Digital Devil Saga</i>, Kaneko could only bluntly say, "<i>Of course I want our games to sell more</i>." <b><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/1up-devil-summoner-1up-interviews-artist-kazuma-kaneko/">[2]</a> </b>So what was a franchise to do? </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Make friends instead of killing them. </b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Next: <a href="http://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2015/08/smt-identity-crisis-pt2.html">That Which Leads to In<span style="font-family: inherit;">timacy</span></a></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>References</b>: </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>[1] Shin Megami Tensei Character Profile: STEVEN REPORT.</b> <a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/99523128558/interview-with-kaneko-kazuma-and-okada-cozy-from"><i>Kazuma Kaneko and Cozy Okada Interview.</i></a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>[2] 1UP.com. </b>(archived on Megatengaku) <i><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/1up-devil-summoner-1up-interviews-artist-kazuma-kaneko/">Devil Summoner: 1UP Interviews Artist Kazuma Kaneko</a></i>. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>[3]</b> <a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/75036354453/remember-that-meguro-interview-thing-not-soejima">Kazuma Kaneko Digital Devil Saga Interview.</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>[4] </b><a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/88995324523/part-three-and-last-of-the-smt-ii-interview">Shin Megami Tensei II Staff Interview.</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>[5] Aish.com. </b><i><a href="http://www.aish.com/sp/k/48970221.html">Kabbala #21: Yesod: The Translator.</a></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>[6] 1UP.com.</b> (archived on Megatengaku) <i><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/1up-shin-megami-tensei-nocturne/">Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne.</a></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>[7] Touch DS Creator's Voice. </b>(archived on Megatengaku)<b> </b><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/touch-ds-creators-voice/"><i>Kazuma Kaneko</i>.</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>[8] Escapistmagazine.com. </b>(archived on Megatengaku)<i> </i><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/the-escapist-interview-behind-the-scenes-of-shin-megami-tensei/"><i>Behind-the-Scenes of Shin Megami Tensei</i>.</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>[9] Kazuma Kaneko Works III.</b> <a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/kazuma-kaneko-works-iii-interview/">Interview.</a><b> </b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>[10] Nintendo Power, vol. 251. </b><i><a href="https://megatengaku.wordpress.com/readings/interviews/nintendo-power-the-demon-whisperer/">The Demon Whisperer.</a></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>[11] Cole Lastie.</b> <i><a href="http://telebunny.net/toastywiki/index.php/Games/LawChaosAndTheAmericanWay">Shin Megami Tensei: Law, Chaos, and the American Way.</a></i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>[12]</b> <a href="http://dijeh.tumblr.com/post/114339475233/eirikrjs-shared-a-few-pages-from-the-1995-shin">Shin Megami Tensei Fanbook Interview.</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>[13] Persona 2: Eternal Punishment Bonus Disc.</b> <a href="http://eirikrjs.tumblr.com/post/113553415922/i-needed-a-transcription-of-this-persona-2-ep">Kazuma Kaneko and Cozy Okada Interview.</a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>[14] Fred Gettings. </b><i>Dictionary of Demons</i>. Guild Publishing, 1988. </span></span></span></div>
Eirikrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708584583156602408noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5102004681763150356.post-29704219367091029302015-02-17T23:58:00.000-05:002015-02-17T23:58:15.123-05:00FIEND REAGANThis is not a test post at all.<br />
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Nope. <br /><br />Eirikrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12708584583156602408noreply@blogger.com0