#AYUMI & JUNKO

[minorururu]

needed some reference images from my switch so i figured i'd post them here for everyone :)

[jpnnewmusicdaily]

キミの赤いほっぺにチューしちゃお (Kimi no Akai Hoppe ni Chuu Shichao) by Junko Hirotani / 広谷順子

Album: その愛に Year: 1979 Label: Pony Canyon (F-Label sublabel) Lyrics: Ayumi Date / 伊達歩 Music: Junko Hirotani / 広谷順子

[lattedecoffee]

Finished Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club aka FMC3 or just Emio and holy shit that was a roller coaster.

Gameplay definitely feels updated from the 2021 remakes but not so much that it feels like a different game.

Those characters holy shit. Kamihara had frat boy vibes during his first scene but his voice actor was so good I started growing attached anyway and eventually started shipping him with the protag (Taro Ninten is the closest we have to a default name).

Taro has two hands: one for Ayumi and one for Kamihara. Anyway here's a break before I do spoilers.

Okay before I talk about the climax and especially the epilogue I want to call out Junko Kuze for trying to murder me and then stealing my fucking boyfriend. I love her and she's a fascinating character but she married Taro's boyfriend and I'm salty about it.

Okay so that ending. I had figured out that Makoto thought he was Minoru but I wasn't sure if he had some amount of amnesia or if Emio had fucked with his mind. Turns out it was mostly the amnesia but Emio certainly didn't help matters. Although it wasn't as intentionally malicious of a thing as I originally thought given...

When the game basically had Utsugi go "yeah the epilogue's gonna be real fucked up so make sure you're ready before you start it" I was concerned. The game hadn't provided a content warning before this point so I wondered what could be so severe that they'd provide one now. Watching it basically right before bed was probably a bad idea but somehow I had no nightmares (I did have an irrational "what if Emio's in the dark hallway" that made me use my phone flashlight more than I usually would but that's typical for me with horror games. Happened when I watched Markiplier play FNAF all those years ago but I handled it much better as an adult than as a child).

It was tragic and certainly extreme but the things that happened to Minoru never felt unrealistic. A child drowning as part of her effort to escape her abusive father, her older brother killing their father, and said older brother delusionally believing she was somehow still alive all feels like it could be a real story. The key here is that nobody ever stepped in to help Minoru. People recognized there was a problem all the way back when the father's abuse ramped up but nobody ever stepped in. The juvenile detention center heard him talk about Emiko as if she was still alive and did nothing. The Todorokis never pried into his personal life, which is generally a good and respectful thing to do, but we know he will open to people he trusts given he told Ayaka everything about his past. Ayaka was really the only person who tried but she was 17 and already going through a lot herself. She did seem to be helping him open up but once he saw she was being physically abused he projected Emiko onto her and only spiraled downward from there.

And yet despite all of this Utsugi reminds you what this guy actually did. He killed Ayaka after she freaked out at seeing him kill her abusive father (she also hated the guy but seeing your older brother figure kill someone with no remorse is understandably terrifying). He killed two more girls the same way simply because they were scared of him. He kidnapped a now amnesiac Makoto and told him they were both Minoru Tsuzuki and needed to find Emiko. He almost killed again 18 years later only to have his head bashed in by Makoto who had finally remembered who he was thanks to Junko's bookmark. I'm skipping over a lot of things but suffice to say the man ruined a lot of lives. His backstory is not an excuse nor does it mean he should be forgiven. It explains why he did these things and shows us how to avoid similar events.

As for Junko, I love her story. You can understand why she said she knew nothing even though it was in her and her brother's best interest for her not to lie. You understand why she makes Eisuke's suicide look like the murders from 18 years prior. You understand why she goes to the abandoned village alone. You understand why she claims to have killed Minoru. You understand why she threatens Taro's life for Makoto's sake. And yet all of those choices were awful. Had she not lied, her brother's disappearance would have been looked into for much longer as it was now a kidnapping. She stole a suicide note and hid it from everyone, including the victim's family and friends. She shuts Kami out of her investigation and leaves both him with doubts he doesn't want to acknowledge (hence why he lashes out at Taro for pointing out all the reasons Junko's behavior is suspicious). She threatens to kill someone who only showed up because he believed she was in danger. She knows all of this was wrong and it's clear the guilt has been eating her alive, especially after what she did to Eisuke's death. She apologizes through tears while holding Taro at gunpoint and after explaining herself to him still can't go through with pulling the trigger. She just wants her older brother back and was doing anything she could. And while she does have him back, he's going to need a lot of support through physical rehab, hopefully intensive therapy, and a reintroduction to society (he was going into town but pretty much only to do construction work and then leave). And she has to apologize to Eisuke's family and friends. And to Taro, though he doesn't seem to be holding a grudge. Also "I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience I may have brought to your lives" is the funniest way to genuinely apologize for almost murdering someone.

Many characters in the game have been through some sort of childhood trauma. Our protagonist, Ayumi, Junko, Makoto, Minoru, Ayaka, Megumi, Eisuke, Kohei, Mama Shoko, and more. Only Minoru ends up being a serial killer. Only Junko and Makoto do terrible non-murder things. All the rest of these characters do nothing of the sort. Some acquire the supports of both peers and the adults around them, others manage to pull through largely on their own, and some we will never know how their story would have gone as it ended far too soon (either of their own volition or not). The game never says that childhood trauma = doing awful things. The game warns that ignoring signs that someone, especially a child, is not okay will often end in tragedy. Someone has to step in. Only a few people are obligated to intervene, but if the people who are supposed to intervene don't or are part of the problem then someone else must.

Eisuke's friends believe he committed suicide until they're told the crime scene doesn't match that. And yet they were right. They were the only ones who noticed something was wrong, but neither of them were able to do anything besides ask him if he was okay (he'd lie and say he was).

One last thing before I stop writing because wow this post is long: I love how Fukuyama was genuinely just a good guy with negative people skills. I was so worried he was doing something to Megumi and finding out that his response to her confession was to try to turn her down gently while clarifying that he did care about her as a teacher is supposed to care about their students. He didn't succeed in explaining that to her and she ended up assuming the harshest possible interpretation, but she seemed to already have a very concerning view on love (someone doesn't return her romantic feelings and her next question is "do you hate me?") so I'm not sure even the best possible wording could've helped there. As for him and Ayumi, it's up to interpretation whether he's interested in her romantically or not, but I choose to see it as him seeing her as his first student to grow up. He never formally taught her, but he was her upperclassman in naginata club. So she's the first person who he helped teach that he gets to see thriving as an adult. And now they're functionally peers, with her being able to comfort him about how Eisuke's death is not his fault as he had no way of knowing how things would go and made the best choices he could (he also literally saves Megumi + the whole case about midway through the game).

[hodgepodgequack]

Emio Demo 2: Electric Boogaloo

So it’s been more than 24 hours since I beat the second part of the demo (I hate that we have to wait 5 days for the next part man) and I have some thoughts.

First of all, I called it when I said that Kuze knows Utsugi from 18 years ago (I was wrong about her being the sibling of one of the female victims though). Instead her connection is through the disappearance of her brother Makoto (haha Danganronpa reference) and Utsugi was in charge of that. Must be tough to see the person who was supposed to bring her brother home (and failed) after a murder that reminds her of the og incident.

So let’s talk about Makoto first. According to the game, Junko had not come home for some reason so he went out to look for her. Junko comes back (clearly shaken) and Makoto is nowhere to be found. I wonder if she came home late because the OG killer was targeting her and M someone managed to find her in time, but something bad happens to him. What happens: Killer kills Makoto and for some reason threatens Junko to not be a snitch otherwise he would come after her. (Also possible he abducts him for some reason and tells J to not tell or she will never see him again)

why this stops the murders completely I don’t know, but it is possible the killer thought he might have been getting caught soon and that’s why he stopped. But if that was the case he could have silenced her permanently right then and there. Unless she sees the act occur, killer knows she’s there but doesn’t see her and makes a bluffing threat saying I know who you are and if you snitch it will bite you in the ass. Hence she survives and comes home scared.

Who did it: Now in order to keep someone silent you need to bribe (or as mentioned beforehand threaten) said person or make them believe that no matter what no one will believe them. Maybe the culprit is a cop. And Utsugi works with the police. Maybe J can’t bring herself to trust anyone in the force (again another reason why he joins because if you want the job done right, you have to do it yourself). And that would explain why she’s standoffish towards U because she still doesn’t trust him.

Another Observation: the game mentions it’s a possibility that Makoto was the original culprit (because the murders didn’t stop until he disappears). He was old enough to pull it off. But that means something would have to have happened to him. Did he run away and leave a note that only J saw? Or did she see him messing with bodies and he asks her to hide his body because he can’t live with the guilt anymore now that she saw him and he offs himself.

Game is also adamant that the mystery man who went missing after the first girls death may know something (was he an accomplice I don’t know) there’s not much info I can theorize about him right now.

Kamis age is still not revealed to us in this chapter. Very very sus. I wonder if he is Makoto and he just has amnesia. Him and J could both be adopted or step siblings. Only problem with this is that J should recognize him.

Additionally the game mentions Kami can’t have a gun because he is a terrible shot. I wonder if at some point you have to pick between him and J to raid a place and the gun makes a huge difference. Hell I wonder if knowing said info can influence the game (because it is completely optional dialogue)

Speaking of potential game mechanics: phones. During some point of my gameplay I used to phone to call everybody that was in my contacts. While playing through Ayumis section, she gets a call from the protagonist (whether or not this is scripted I don’t know) and she doesn’t pick up. There’s also an option at some point if you call the office to leave a voicemail (which I didn’t take, I’m curious to see if anyone else did). I wonder it this is going to be a serious mechanic that at some point you need to call XYZ at this time or something bad is going to happen to them, or if it’s a way for the game to gauge the players playstyle (just like they did in the Girl who Stands Behind).

Now I’m not done talking about the demo part 2, but I’m going to leave this post here for now because it’s getting long and I want to dedicate more time to Kamada and the Taxi Driver is separate posts. See you in a bit.

[white-cat-of-doom]

Griddlebone Playlist

This playlist is meant to outline the complex (and fundamental) emotion of love, and the pitfalls and joys of chasing after something grand that requires another to reciprocate the affection.

More specifically for this set of songs, the want for love while having the feeling that something is not quite right, either with the other individual involved, or within your own mind. Through isolating oneself into hollow emptiness after heartbreak, and due to feeling devoid of being wanted, it is hard to be vulnerable and let anyone back into a place of emotional attachment.

Did you ever actually feel what 'love' was? Are you really deserving of being loved? After everything, wherever can you find it?

川口雅代 (Masayo Kawaguchi) – Melty

ROMY – LOVE コマーシャル (Love Commercial)

越美晴 (Miharu Koshi) – 恋はファニー・フィーリング (Love Is A Funny Feeling)

宮原芽映 (Mebae Miyahara) – 悪魔のように微笑んで (Smiling Like A Devil)

いしだあゆみ & ティン・パン・アレイ・ファミリ(Ayumi Ishida & Tin-Pan-Alley-Family) – 私自身 (Myself)

麗美 (REIMY) – シャドー・ブレイ (Shadow Play)

竹内まりや (Mariya Takeuchi) – プラスティック・ラブ (Plastic Love)

工藤順子 (Junko Kudo) – 夕顔姐さん (Ms. Yugao)

Meow Meow & Thomas Lauderdale – Hotel Amour

Tracks 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 through 7, and 8 and 9, are meant to represent different sections of time in the life of the Queen.

Signature song with playlist: Meow Meow & Thomas Lauderdale – Hotel Amour

Track One: 川口雅代 (Masayo Kawaguchi) – Melty

“ううん･･･ ････何でもないけれど 少し 不安になっただけ" ("Ugh... ...It's nothing, but I just felt a little anxious") 知られた分だけ わたしから 冷めてゆくのが こわいから (I'm afraid that the more you know, the more you'll grow colder from me) "･･･そうよ･･･” (That’s right…”) すき間もない程に 昨夜 ひとつになったの (Last night we became one, with no gaps between us) しがみついたら 微笑うけど どうしていいのか わからない (I smile when I hold on to you, but I don't know what to do) Melty 手を引かれて 溶かし溶かされ 充たされるはずなのに (My hand should be pulled away, melted, melted, and filled up) Melty つかめないの どうしてかしら? 肩すかしされた 気分 (I can't grasp it, why? I feel like I've been ignored) 何にも言わずに 抱き寄せて (Without saying anything, I hold you close) 朝の光が あなたの景色変えないうちに (Before the morning light changes your scenery) “いやよ” ("No, no") ･･･言いかけてやめるのは うまく 言い聞かせるつもりね (...I'm trying to convince you to stop when I say it) 困らせたいの! (I want to embarrass you!) "お見通し” ("Foresight") 小悪魔ぶっても かなわない (Even if I act like a little devil, I can't compete) Melty 手を引かれて 溶かし溶かされ 充たされるはず充たされるはずなのになのに (My hand should be pulled away, melted, melted, and filled up) Melty つかめないの どうしてかしら? (I can't grasp it, why?) 何かが 違ってゆくの 何も言わせず 抱き寄せて (Something is going to be different, don't let me say anything, hold me close) めかくししてね ちぐはぐなこと 言わないうちに (Before I get too confused and say something foolish) Melty 手を引かれて 溶かし溶かされ 充たされるはずなのに (My hand should be pulled away, melted, melted, and filled up) Melty つかめないの どうしてかしら? 肩すかしされた気分 (I can't grasp it, why? I feel like I've been ignored) 何も言わずに 抱き寄せて (Hold me close without saying anything) めかくししててね (Please cover your eyes) 朝の光で 見えないうちに (Before you can see it in the morning light)

The initial apprehension of being more intimately involved, emotionally and physically, with another person comes with the realization that she felt nothing when it happened. She should be able to feel a deeper connection, but something is not right, and instead pretends and acts accordingly like everything is fine.

Track Two: ROMY – LOVE コマーシャル (Love Commercial)

指の中で タバコふかし 何もないのに 愛にまみれた (I smoked a cigarette in my fingers and was covered in love, even though there was nothing there) 気にするコトが 自分以外の あの人に対する 愛の神経 (What I worry about is the nerves of love for someone other than myself) いつか見た あの人はいない 私の人には ならなかった (That person I saw someday wasn't the same person I was) 私はなまけて ただならぬ犬より (I'm better than a lazy dog) ただの人を 選んでみただけ (I just picked a person) 私のコントロール あえてコントロール こわくてコントロール あえてコントロール 心に 私まかせ コントロール (My control, dare to control, I'm afraid to control, dare to control, leave it to my heart to control me) 頭の中で おもいふかし 何があるのか 夢のざわめき (I wonder what's going on inside my head, The buzz of dreams) ただならぬ人だから あえて こわがって あの人に対する 愛の恐怖 (Because he is an extraordinary person, I dare to be afraid of him, and the fear of love towards him) 抱かれる日は 心 うきあし もうひとりの私 かくしきれない (The days when I'm held in your arms, I feel happy, and I can't hide my other self) 私のコントロール あえてコントロール こわくてコントロール あえてコントロール 心に 私まかせ コントロール (My control, dare to control, I'm afraid to control, dare to control, leave it to my heart to control me)

A reflection on not feeling love when, or to the level, you think you should, while worrying how it will affect your partner. There is a comfort in being together with someone, but that surface level connection will eventually face the challenge of it being something more for them, and she is not prepared or ready for that.

Ultimately, it is up to Griddlebone to move forward in the best way that makes sense to her, and that path is one alone.

Track Three: 越美晴 (Miharu Koshi) – 恋はファニー・フィーリング (Love Is A Funny Feeling)

彼は時間に遅れて 私は指輪を忘れた だけど ゴメンも言わずに つまらぬ言い訳ごっこ 空は春 時は今 幸せですと言わんばかり だけど 二人の心は ちぎれ雲 (He was late and I forgot my ring But we don't say sorry, we make boring excuses, And the sky keeps saying that we're happy now in spring but our hearts are torn apart by clouds) 恋はファニー・フィーリング かまわず回る 恋はファニー・フィーリング 慣れっ子 だけど (Love revolves around funny feelings, but love is used to funny feelings) 彼は口笛吹きながら 私 ため息つきながら 通り過ぎる 街角 小鳥の歌だけ響く (He was whistling, I pass by with a sigh, Only the song of a small bird echoes on the street corner) いろんなことが あったけど みんないい思い出ばかり だから ここらでピリオド それがいい (A lot has happened, but we all have only good memories, So it's good to have the end around here) 恋はファニー・フィーリング 手を振りながら 恋はファニー・フィーリング 深刻ぶらず 歌いながら 笑ってサヨナラするわ オー ファニー オー ファニー ファニ ファニ オー フィーリング オー ファニー オー ファニー ファニ ファニ オー フィーリング (Love is a funny feeling, while waving, Love is a funny feeling, don't take it seriously, I'll laugh and say goodbye while singing Oh Funny Oh Funny Funny funny oh feeling Oh Funny Oh Funny Funny funny oh feeling)

In a goal to subside the loneliness and longing to feel proper love, Griddlebone moves through relationships over time to find the elusive 'love' she believes is out there. Scared of getting too involved with someone she holds minimal emotion for, she breaks off any connection before feelings develop from the other party, and plays it off as something lighthearted.

Despite her efforts, she cannot find someone who fulfills her inside the way she thinks love should be.

Track Four: 宮原芽映 (Mebae Miyahara) – 悪魔のように微笑んで (Smiling Like A Devil)

罠をしかけ待ってるん 悪魔のように 微笑んで (I'm setting a trap up and waiting for you, smiling like a devil) さあ ドアを 叩いて ドアを ひらいて (Come on, knock on the door, open the door) 泣きまねの 電話 かけて 街灯り 胸はずませ (I made a phone call imitating crying, and the street lights made my heart flutter) あの人を 呼び出したの (I called that person) 数えては 時間をかせぐ (Counting the time to buy myself some) 優しさを 言い訳して 赤い血が 流れる前に (Kindness, before I make excuses and red blood flows) 嘘をつく ずるいあなた 忘れてよ あの娘の事は (Forget about lying You're so cunning about that girl) 罠をしかけ待ってるん 悪魔のように 微笑んで (I'm setting a trap up and waiting for you, smiling like a devil) さあ ドアを 叩いて ドアを ひらいて (Come on, knock on the door, open the door) 待つだけの 女なんて さよならよ 今夜こそは (Say goodbye to the woman who only waits, tonight) 愛の 糸 足にからませ あの人を もう逃がさない (I'll let the thread of love entwine around my legs and never let that person slip away again) 罠をしかけ待ってるん 悪魔のように 微笑んで (I'm setting a trap up and waiting for you, smiling like a devil) さあ ドアを 叩いて ドアを ひらいて (Come on, knock on the door, open the door)

A new connection with someone shows promise, but she discovers that her partner is a cheater, something that hurts Griddlebone in a way that she has not experienced before. Not used to being treated as a second thought, and feeling like she is not worthy of love if made so inconsequential, she plots to destroy and expose her partner for what they have done to her.

All the joy and hope that she felt in locating a person that is right for her is now crushed, and she vows to not let herself be taken advantage of ever again in the pursuit of love.

Track Five: いしだあゆみ & ティン・パン・アレイ・ファミリ(Ayumi Ishida & Tin-Pan-Alley-Family) – 私自身 (Myself)

ひとりソファーに寝ころんで 恋の歌聞くでもなし 歌うでもなし (I lie alone on the sofa and listen to love songs, but I don't sing them) 私は日暮れを見つめています (I'm staring at the sunset) 部屋の窓には東京湾の 船の灯が小さく揺れて (In the window of the room, the lights of the ships in Tokyo Bay sway slightly) 一人ぐらしに疲れた時は 結婚なんか考えてます (When I get tired of living alone, I think about marriage) 夜汽車で旅に出る時は 色のない写真のように 素顔のままで 東京駅から出かけています (When I travel by night train, I leave Tokyo Station with my bare face, just like a colourless photograph) 幾度か恋にこの身を灼いて 歌を忘れた私だけれど (I have forgotten how to sing because my body has been burnt by love many times) 淋しさだけを心に積んで 今日もぽつんと歌っています (But today, I sing alone once again with only loneliness in my heart) くちづけ交す恋人にさえ 私の気持は言えないでしょう (I can't even tell my feelings to my lover who kisses me) 人に知られず流した涙 (The tears I shed without anyone knowing) 私は今日も歌っています････ (I'm still singing today...)

Moving on from her heartbreak, Griddlebone refrains from being involved with anyone else for a lengthy period of time, as that means she cannot be hurt once again. However, she cannot help but feel that the emptiness inside her continues to grow as time passes, even if she tries to remain strong willed. Her thinking is that she does not need anyone to sustain her happiness if she keeps the love she has to give tightly held internally.

Track Six: 麗美 (REIMY) – シャドー・ブレイ (Shadow Play)

淋しい笑顔と 言われるのに馴れても (Even if I get used to being told that my smile is lonely) 真夜中の鏡 覗けばつぶやくの (When I look into the mirror in the middle of the night, I whisper) Say, Love is the shadow play, shadow play Love is the shadow play 恋しても (Even if I fall in love) Love is the shadow play, shadow play, shadow play ひとりぼっちじゃ怖い (I'm scared of being alone) 街角の華やかさに 気がつけば急ぎ足 (If you notice the glamour on the street corner, hurry up) 片思いのままなら 恋も失くさず済むでしょう (If you keep your love unrequited, you won't lose your love) Say, Love is the shadow play, shadow play, shadow play Love is the shadow play, 密やかに (Secretly) Love is the shadow play, shadow play, shadow play 遠くあなた見てる (I'm watching you from afar) 気づかないで (Don't notice) darling 壊さないで (Don't break it) wow wow Love Love Love Love Love Love, darling, Love Love Love Love is the shadow play

Her loneliness begins to swell to a point of action, and Griddlebone cannot ignore it or remain dormant for much longer. She is unhappy being completely alone, and wants to feel any form of connection with another, but does not want to be hurt again.

Feeling unworthy of being loved due to her faults, her past pursuit of love becomes less of a task to complete and more of a buried burden she has to carry.

In order to protect herself from emotional suffering, she develops a cold façade to protect herself with.

Track Seven: 竹内まりや (Mariya Takeuchi) – プラスティック・ラブ (Plastic Love)

突然のキスや 熱いまなざしで (With a sudden kiss and a passionate gaze) 恋のプログラムを 狂わせないでね (Do not cause a malfunction to the love program) 出逢いと別れ 上手に打ち込んで (Type in encounters and separations well) 時間がくれば終わる (When the time comes, it ends) Don't hurry! 愛に傷ついた あの日からずっと (Since the day I was heartbroken, I've been having a life) 昼と夜が逆の 暮らしを続けて (That's been reversed between day and night) はやりのDiscoで 踊り明かすうちに (While dancing the nights away at the popular disco) おぼえた魔術なのよ (There is a magic I've learned) I'm sorry! わたしのことを決して 本気で愛さないで (Never love me seriously) 恋なんてただのゲーム 楽しめばそれでいいの (Love is just a game, all I need is to have fun with it) 閉ざした心を飾る 派手なドレスも靴も (The showy dresses and shoes decorating my closed heart) 孤独な友達 (Are my lonely friends) わたしを誘う人は 皮肉なものね いつも 彼に似てるわなぜか 思い出と重なり合う (The men who flirt with me are Ironically always similar to him for some reason My memories with him are overlapped) グラスを落として急に 涙ぐんでも わけは尋ねないでね (Don’t ask me why even if I drop my glass and suddenly glisten with tears) 夜更けの高速で 眠りにつくころ (When I fall asleep by the highway at dawn) ハロゲンライトだけ 妖しく輝く (Only halogen lights are mysteriously shining) 氷のように冷たい女だと ささやく声がしても (Although somebody is whispering that I’m an icy cold woman) Don't worry! I'm just playing games I know that's plastic love Dance to the plastic beat Another morning comes

Relationships become more of a pursuit of pleasure, rather than meaningful connection, for Griddlebone. A cycle of one night encounters to keep her company before the new day begins and she starts over again with someone new. Her self-worth starts to become tied with being seen as attractive and desirable by another person. She has convinced herself that this lifestyle will quell the void inside of her, although she knows in her heart that she is still painfully lonely. The isolation does not cease, no matter how many individuals she crosses path with.

Maybe one day she will not feel this way, but she believes it is her fault that everything turned out the way it has to this point.

Track Eight: 工藤順子 (Junko Kudo) – 夕顔姐さん (Ms. Yugao)

夕顔姐さん 部屋には 夏でもね (Yugao-san, even if it's summer in your room) こたつが置いてある 束ねたコードを つついてる 退屈な 白い猫が家族 (A bored white cat is pecking at the bundled cords next to the kotatsu table) 今夜のお座敷 長過ぎる いつもなら (The tatami room tonight is too long, as normal) 帰ってる時間 (Time to go home) お勝手の隅の 猫メシは 山盛りで (In the corner of the kitchen, there is a mountain of cat food) とても食べきれない (I can't eat it all) 明かりは点いてても 時計の音ばかり そろそろ聞こえて来る はずなのに (Even though the lights are on, all I can hear is the ticking of the clock) 夕顔姐さんの下駄の音 (The sound of Yugao-nee’s geta) 夕顔姐さんの下駄の音 (The sound of Yugao-nee’s geta) 夕顔姐さん 来年 数えでね 六十三になる (Yugao-san, I'll be turning 63 next year) 近頃男はダメだね 粋じゃない それが口ぐせです (Men are no good these days. It's not classy. That's what they say.) 衣ずれの裾は 萩の花 つい昨日 かけたパーマネント (The hem of my clothes was like a clover flower, a permanence that I wore just yesterday) 西に傾いた 大きな お月様 帰りを急がせる (The big moon leaning to the west hurries my return home) 浮かれ足の男 物欲し気な女 (A playful man, a wistful woman) 若いネオンの街に カラコロと (In a young neon city, colourfully) 夕顔姐さんの下駄の音 (The sound of Yugao-nee’s geta) 夕顔姐さんの下駄の音 (The sound of Yugao-nee’s geta) 細い路地に入ると 犬達が吠えだす 待ちくたびれた猫は夢で聞く (When I enter a narrow alley, the dogs start barking, and the tired cat hears it in a dream) 夕顔姐さんの下駄の音 (The sound of Yugao-nee’s geta) 夕顔姐さんの下駄の音 (The sound of Yugao-nee’s geta)

Years removed from the emotional low point of her life, the empty hedonism to fill the void inside her, Griddlebone has taken up residence with an older, single woman that has mirrored her own experiences in the search of love. The familiar sounds of geta beckon the arrival of her human home to Griddlebone, and her days are spent resting in the sun and keeping busy through the house, all while reminiscing of a past of incomplete love. She has become accustomed to a quiet, uneventful life where she is loved by Ms. Yugao as a sweet pet and taken care of like the beautiful Queen she is.

Still, there is an unshakable feeling that she has missed out on true love in her life, despite her current, content happiness.

Track Nine: Meow Meow & Thomas Lauderdale – Hotel Amour

Fun fact: Meow Meow played Griddlebone in the 2019 movie!

I looked for Love in the beautiful cities I looked for Love up in the air I looked underground though I knew that I shouldn't And still, no Love was anywhere I went to the place they call Heaven I went to the Hotel Amour I sat still and wrote Love some letters But Love doesn't read anymore I sang Love into my stories And I danced Love into my dreams But Love didn't find me Let alone blind me Love is nowhere it seems I looked for Love by pretending I wasn't I looked for Love close to the bone I fixed up some wings and I bought all the permits So Love could take flight when it was grown I followed the maps, I read all the signs I bought Love a building called "Home" I filled in the forms and I paid all the taxes Still, Love left me alone... My heart's still jumping out of my skin I've nothing to keep the feeling in I've nothing to do to make Love stay I've nothing to keep the darkness away You're all in the grandness of little things A leaf that's shaped like a heart A simple breeze, a feather Morning light, evening star And I'm singing to you my stories And I'm dancing with you in my dreams... Love... Love is everywhere... it seems

Throughout her life, Griddlebone has done everything she thought was correct to find and feel a form of love that made her feel complete, but could be deemed as unsuccessful in that pursuit.

Although it never manifested for her as love with another, she has felt the unconditional love of someone that cares for her as the most important thing in her life.

Looking back on her life now as a senior Queen, Griddlebone comes to a realization that love can now be found all around her. It was never her fault for not finding the idea of 'love' that she felt she needed, and there may never have been an instance where she felt that she had found the prize she was after, but love was always with her in the little things of life.

@the-cat-at-the-theatre-door I am not sure if you are still interested in these after all this time, but in case you are, enjoy :).

[cru5h-cascades]

Quick run through of some of the other swapped character roles and minor personality changes for the Doll Woman AU. I don't have sketches for a good chunk of the characters in this post since their designs are pretty much the same as they are in the actual game.

In the Doll Woman AU, Ayumi and the Protagonist's roles are swapped with Junko and Dice's.

Junko - Junko now serves the protagonist's role. In this AU, her search for Makoto takes place during the events of the Missing Heir (how the search would play out differently idk I'm still working on that). She's still a bit hot headed but is a bit more relaxed than she is in Emio. Her and Dice get along well and will throw shots at each other from time to time.

Dice - Dice now serves Ayumi's role. He's still a bit unprofessional but still takes his job seriously.

Taro (FDC Protagonist) - Taro now serves Junko's role. Instead of looking for a missing sibling, Taro is trying to figure out what happened to his parents many years ago (they got killed by the Doll Woman). Taro would have been a Doll Woman victim if his parents hadn't found him before Emiko could do some real damage to him. Taro got knocked out during the encounter, resulting in him getting amnesia, with him only vaguely remembering the Doll Woman. He maintains a small scar on his left cheek from where Emiko was starting to slit his mouth. Taro's personality remains pretty much the same in this AU except he gets a bit uncomfortable when the victims of the Doll Woman are brought up.

Ayumi - Ayumi now serves Dice's role. Her personality stays pretty much the same in this AU.

[tempo-tales]

AU Tempo Reference Voices🎙️⏰

Tempo/Alicia De La Estrella: Junko Iwao

Christopher Leggero: Yuki Kaji

Elicia Gutiérrez: Atzumi Tanezaki

Margaret Fuentes: Motoko Kumai

Omar de la Estrella: Yūichi Nakamura

Kid Omar: Junko Sanpei

Rosario Gutiérrez: Momoko Kikuchi

Valeria Martínez: Ayumi Fujimura

Brad Highway: Toru Furuwa

Johan D' Angelo: Akira Ishida

Akiko Saito: Reina Ueda

Oskar III (Oskar Leon Aksel Kristoffersen Bakken): Ayumi Murase

[fostersffff]

Well, I didn’t liveblog as much of that as I would’ve liked, especially since I didn't anticipate how rapidly the ending would come, so instead: let's review! (spoilers directly beneath the break)

Fucking radical reveal of the dual logo in the end.

I really liked the general structure of the events: a detective, searching for her brother, manipulates the scene of a teenager's suicide to look like the serial killings that she narrowly escaped as a child to draw out the murderer and get a lead on her brother. That's great!

I have largely forgiven Sakamoto for Other M on account of Metroid Dread, but I think the way Junko's story wraps up is like "ah, yes, of course, the Other M guy is still in there."

I wish there was even slightly more justification for why Minoru murdered Ayaka in the first place. Like, you get the impression in the moment it's because she made him confront the fact that she's wasn't Emiko, but then in his notes he's like "if a crying girl keeps crying when she see's my mask then she'll be sad forever". Feels like it would've strung together more naturally if instead the note said "if they keep crying when they see my mask, they're not Emiko", but that would complicate what happened with Mama Shoko, because then he would just think she was Emiko.

It can, of course, be hand-waved with "he was fucking crazy", but that's not especially satisfying. Especially since he had the wherewithal to cover his own face and make Makoto wear a mask when he went into town to work.

It also feels like, once you step back to view the story as a whole, Main Character-kun and Ayumi Tachibana didn't really... do anything. Junko's doing her own thing the whole time, Kamihara was already keeping tabs on her so telling him about the motorcycle and tie didn't actually contribute anything, Utsugi was apparently circling the source of the Emio legend by the time you tell him the specific village name, and even that didn't really contribute to solving the mystery, it was just to provide resolution. I feel like if they had just had the player call Kamihara once he heard the gunshot it would've made everything to that point feel worth it. Alas.

Some of the translation feels... weirdly stilted? Maybe it's a consequence of the way some characters are written, but Fukuyama is a real like... either the dialogue or the idea of this character conceptually is translated poorly

Most of this is negative, or at least not positive, but I did rather enjoy this! I don't know if I'd spend $50 again (it really should be priced at $40 tops), but I would definitely like to check out those first two games some day.

[despair-to-future-arcs]

How’s Junko?

Yeah, actually given how Junko was did you... did you ever interact with her at all?

Honestly... I only interacted with her once...

It was around the time I was spending time with Chihiro, Hifumi and Ayumi and when I took my leave.

And that's when she appear in front of me...

...

...

...

Heeey, I think I heard of you - your the Ultimate Gamer of Class 77-B, Nagi Nanami, right? I'm Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Fashionista!

Oh... I heard about you from Chihiro and Hifumi, how are you?

Just fine! But well I am just a bit curious of you is all, figure I get to know you.

So given you attended that class; how are you towards your teacher?

My teacher...?

Oh right, her... Honestly I just don't interact with her at all or just avoid her, honestly she comes off as a bitch and annoying.

I see, I guess I heard a lot from your class seem to not like her but does she give you any trouble or maybe cause you the worse type of despair?

But maybe I can help you show you a world to bring gaming to life.

*holds her hand out* How about it?

Huh? Bring gaming to life...?

Y'know, like death games and-.

Wait so like Saw and those edgy games that kill people, sorry but I'm not interested.

Huh? Your... not interested?

Well yeah, I play video games as a hobby and even then I already got some career in mind.

Plus why bring up death games and other gloomy stuff, are you secretly an edgelord or one of those chicks that is getting into creepypastas? I'm rather surprise that you as a fashionista would be interested in that stuff.

Unless you like horror games I can play a couple of horror games with you! Want to come?

... (What the hell? Why... why isn't she agreeing, is she...?)

... (I better see what I can pick up, given she's in that class - I need to learn more about her.)

...

...

...

Annnd I think after a while; she realize she couldn't find anything and gave up.

I guess when she realize I was working on become a therapist and I started to notice certain mental health related issues with her, she realize how bad it was and avoided me.

...

I'm not sure what's more hilarious here; the fact you call her an 'edgelord' and you didn't die or how scared her off.

Well I think given how flat and boring her personality is; she knew I would of helped her so she didn't want that.

[minorururu]

recent silly little project… base by

EmoDJCrystal on Deviantart lol

[salty-dracon]

Continuing Famicom Detective Club 3- Emio: The Smiling Man.

Starting from the beginning of Chapter 3.

My theory (and I have a little less faith in this now) based on Chapter 2 was that Utsugi was possibly involved in the original string of murders 18 years prior. They're featuring him prominently on the box art this time, so I was wondering if he would be a more important character. (I NEVER trust suited up men with brown hair in these murder mystery games, even if they're the best people ever.)

I was spoiled on something rather big unfortunately. I'll try to keep that bias out of this liveblog.

So what we have so far is that the victim is a middle schooler named Eisuke, and he had many friends, but there's one in particular we still don't know a teensy little bit about. Regarding the 18 years prior case, all victims had bags over their heads, but that wasn't publicized. Kuze's brother Makoto disappeared. And there was a suspect, but he also disappeared, leaving a huge bloodstain in his apartment.

my guy's still a grasshopper chasing kid at heart.

The protagonist takes some unnatural pauses after any mention of Kuze's parents or grandparents. I'm not sure if that's supposed to signify that the protagonist thinks there's something suspicious about their behavior.

That flashback with Junko in her old house makes me wonder if Junko really did have all good memories back there. I wonder if either her own parents or her grandparents were abusive.

So re: Makoto, they found him at home alone, Junko Kuze wasn't there, with flower petals scattered on the ground. Suddenly, he ran away, and a few hours later, Junko returned, crying. There's a good chance she saw something, but won't admit it.

Junko cried a lot as a child, and Makoto seemed to love her a lot. Any mention of the parents is sort of scrutinized. I wonder if there was something darker at work though.

Part of me's wondering if the reason we never saw Ayumi's POV when she went to go talk with the Sasaki family (Eisuke's family) is that she picked up on some suspicious things regarding that family.

oh god the eggplant flower incident auuuuuuughh oh nooooooo

Okay, so, basically, Junko spent months growing eggplants in her garden for Makoto. When the eggplants were near ready, their flowers bloomed. On Junko's ninth birthday, Makoto collected them and gave them to her as a present, which made Junko upset as she'd been growing the eggplants for him. She threw down the petals and ran out of the house. When the parents came home, they saw Makoto looking really depressed, before he ran out of the house. A few hours later, Junko returned home, but Makoto was nowhere to be seen. This does sound like a basic sibling fight, but I wonder if there's more to it. Like, I know I at nine would get pretty upset over someone ruining something I worked hard on, but I wonder if there's more to the story.

"Eggplant flowers represent hope." So was hope scattered for some reason?

... Wait.

utsugi in particular said he recognized kuze from somewhere. oh fuck is HE-

Oh yeah, that is weird. The murder was two days ago, and Kuze was there three days ago to collect something, after which she left and said she'd have an early workday the next day. Which she did, because Eisuke's body showed up that morning. Is she precognitive, was she just making excuses, or did she somehow have an inkling that someone was going to die in that area?

Thank goodness we have the Internet for reading news stories these days. Poor protagonist had to read through a lot of clippings manually...

So it sounds like basically every victim was going through something really bad when they were strangled. One of them had their house burn down (completely unrelated) and there was a related missing person. One was from a troubled home. One had a bad falling out with friends. Then all were strangled to death, and though the media never found out, had paper bags with smiley faces placed over their heads. It sounds to me like all of those girls had reasons to be sad, and were made "happy".

So that related missing person is indeed the suspect who disappeared.

meanwhile, while the protagonist is getting paper cuts, ayumi is coddling fukuyama who just really really REALLY wants to help

he either really cares about these kids or he's really using them as an excuse to not talk about the case

this weird ass senpai is so fucking funny. (five minutes later) actually this guy is suspicious as fuck, what is he doing

ayumi is so fucking funny. she's just sitting there normally and she's already unnerving her lying senpai to death

So, Megumi, who's Eisuke's friend he may have been interested in romantically, is also missing, and has been missing since before they announced Eisuke's murder.

Okay. Current theory. I think Megumi has a bad home life, which is why Fukuyama is so scared to talk about her family. Eisuke has been trying to support Megumi, which is why his grades were slipping, but he didn't care at all. The phone call before he died was to Megumi, who was supposed to die. But somehow, Megumi got Eisuke to go to the scene of the murder instead, which is why he died instead.

shooting the breeze with the detective that someone called "my beloved" in a review or something. he's such a silly guy, and i'm 90% sure he's related to the case in some way. he has such a cute personality and i'm so sus

interesting, the police didn't know about the motorcycle.

WHAT

okay. okay so. basically, out of the four victims' paper bags, the first did not match the second and third. but the fourth in the present matches the second and third from the past which means something REALLY weird is going on.

So, there's a good chance that the first victim's death was not committed by the same killer, but the second, third, and fourth were. Kamihara knows a lot about Makoto from Kuze, and it's also known that he has a motorcycle license, so it's possible that the motorcycle at the scene of the crime belonged to him.

... Huh. "I need you to look into a certain man." ... Why would Inspector Kamada be asking me this privately if he didn't want someone knowing? Either we're looking into someone from the police like Kamihara, or we're looking into someone who the wider agency can't know about, like Utsugi. And there is still the plot point that Kuze knows Utsugi from somewhere, but won't say where or why.

UTSUGI POV??? HELL YEAH!!! I WANNA KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON IN HIS HEAD AND I ALSO LOWKEY KINDA WOULDTM

... that was short. he just went to a town hall and... that's it

"even the pharmacy mascots are wearing paper bags" and i hear him giggling about it awww

THAT WAS CREEPY AS FUCK BRO HOLY SHIT WAS THAT THE ACTUAL KILLLER- ... damn utsugi you got fucked up-

The protagonist's relationship with Ayumi is really so sweet. I'm glad they also remember that Ayumi lost her best friend Yoko in high school during The Girl Who Stands Behind, and she's probably using her emotions in that case to connect to this one.

Also one very cute thing about this series that I love, is how it's part of the mechanics that "call" "think" and "look" mean different things depending on what the plot requires, like "call" meaning "call a taxi out loud" and "call" meaning "shout Ayumi's name to break her out of her sadness".

This review is good for piecing together bits of the plot. Eisuke's cause of death was strangulation via a cord or rope, while the others were strangled with their bare hands. There are two missing persons from the serial girl murders- one was Makoto Kuze, the other was a man who disappeared with a lot of blood in his apartment. Finally, the first victim had a different type of paper bag than the other two victims and Eisuke for some reason. I think at this point, the best thing to believe is that the case of the first girl, including her related missing person, was committed by a different person than the other two and Eisuke.

Ohhhhh, Kamada asked him to look into the missing guy. And he's... missing. That's not good.

Ayumi's POV. Now she's chatting with Megumi's mother. Megumi's apparently super depressed (but well enough alive). When the school called about Eisuke, she began shaking and crying.

There was something wrong with Megumi even the night before, and she didn't go to school of her own choice, not even taking a bath. Yes, something's weird.

Okay, Kohei Takiguchi... That's the name of the third friend between Eisuke and Megumi. Supposedly they're in a love triangle with both of the boys in love with Megumi.

WHATDOYOUMEANSHESMISSING

OHMYGODPLEASEDONTBEDEADPLEASEPLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

Fukuyama heard Megumi was going to the bus stop behind the school, near the pump station where Eisuke was found, and ran in the opposite direction...? And now she's crying in his arms. Something weird is happening. Fukuyama is being highly suspicious.

.... are you serious??? oh nooooo

megumi literally confessed to her teacher (she's fourteen, her teacher's like 21) and that's why he's been so nervous around her, it's because she actually fucking confessed to him on the rooftop and he tried to let her down easy because he was an adult and she was a child

and then eisuke (who supposedly has a crush on her) heard about it, threatened to tell everyone if she didn't tell him what was going on, the two had a bad 14 year old esque fight about it, and then they split. i remember being 14, we would have fought about this.

she realized he liked her, felt bad about it, and then he died the next day. megumi thought eisuke had killed herself, so she was absolutely despondent, until she had a dream about him where he told her to get back up. upon watching a news report about emio, she realized that he was killed, and thought that emio was behind it. she believed that there was a spell she could recite to save eisuke's soul, since she thought he wouldn't be able to get to heaven if she didn't do it. AND THEN THE SMILING MAN ACTUALLY SHOWED UP?! and furthermore, the paper bag that megumi saw had the same scribbled-on face as the paper bag that eisuke ended up with.

Minoru Tsuzuki is the name of the man who disappeared 18 years ago. He was 25 then, he'd be 43 now.

Is Kamada somehow being pressured? He's being forced into being really tight-lipped about this whole case, and it's scary... Or maybe he's in a lot of pain, in which case something is definitely weird.

AYUMI!!!

oh not this guy again. what are you doing kamihara

I wonder if it's going to be the twist that Kamihara is actually Makoto. But I feel like this newest plot point does dash my hopes a bit, because wouldn't Kuze recognize Makoto in him if he were? But there's something weird. And I still do think there's something weird with their relationship.

Weird. Kuze never shared any information about a bike with Kamihara. Does she suspect him of being Eisuke's killer?

FUKUYAMA THAT WAS WEIRD AS HELL BRO...

Aww, he cares about her even though she put him in a really, really awkward position :(

Okay, so the story of Emio, a paper bag with a smiley face on it, may not actually be from the 18 years ago case. There's a good chance it's actually a local tale- a sad story that Fukuyama heard from his own father. From Irumo village, in the region that Utsugi was visiting. Did he already make the connection?

Time to meet with Kohei... I guess he's just like Eisuke, but more reserved.

this fucking protagonist he is so JELLY of fukuyama, what do you mean "show -> superior friendship with ayumi" LMAO

Fukuyama has been hiding something this whole damn time, and I just have no idea what it is. It sounds like he's trying to control the other students' conversations about something, and he keeps saying that he's glad that he's a teacher. I wonder if it's something like, the killer only kills people who are having trouble so they won't have to do it themselves? Because according to Kohei, Eisuke secretly was feeling quite depressed with his grades slipping.

Actually, now that I think about it, I think there's a good chance that Fukuyama is the Smiling Man. He didn't think of the Smiling Man as the urban legend, he only knew it from his dad's tales as a "sad story". So the tale he was trying to emulate may not have been the Smiling Man, it may have been that story. It would explain why Megumi saw the smiling man, but Fukuyama was first on the scene- because they're one and the same.

The scene where Yoshie laughs while looking through the photo album is so cute. I have a cute picture of myself when I was in New York. If I have kids someday, I hope to pass it on to them.

after kamihara's most annoying senpai quiz yet.

Kuze is being followed by someone?

Oh, interesting. An old woman working in this bar actually SAW Emio, or had a run-in with him when she was 17. She was crying in an alley after something bad had happened when a man with a paper bag on his head appeared. She began laughing out of despair, and he walked away.

"Emiko". Why would Emio call his victim Emiko?

Oh shit! Kuze WAS being followed!

So Emio started following her home and actually appeared in front of her door.

Why does she have a tie and an envelope? Aaagh, wish we'd looked in them.

WHAT THE FUCK??? Emio returned the hairclip she lost the night Makoto disappeared and addressed it to "Emiko"? Maybe Makoto still has amnesia, and followed Kuze around for a chance to give her the clip back, only calling her "Emiko" because he couldn't remember her name.

I was thinking, that tie must be for Minami Daisan, and there's a good chance it came from the victim. Why would Kuze have that, though?

the "kids with paper bags" scene LMAO

Minoru was adopted 20 years ago by a couple who ran a garage, but two years later he suddenly disappeared. He was like family to them. He also said his dream was to give his sister a ride in his own car. According to Utsugi, he's also tied to the source of the Emio legend from 30 years ago, and it could be the reason he was in juvenile detention.

The protagonist is now interrogating Kamihara about the possibility that Kuze is the killer. I don't think it's the case. We still don't know what was in that envelope, for example. But it is true that for some reason, Kuze never told Kamihara that a motorcycle was seen at the scene of the crime, and there's no conceivable reason that the victim's tie would end up in police custody without some explanation. She's hiding something big.

What the hell? A construction guy says that the face of Makoto Kuze belongs to Minoru Tsuzuki. That's weird as hell. Why would Makoto steal Minoru's name?

I wonder if they met at night when Makoto disappeared or something, then agreed to swap places for some reason.

oof that sequence where the motor shop family tells you to leave because you suspect their son of murder hurrrrts

I want to say I praised this about the previous two games, but the real hallmark of the Famiclub games is that you get to really get down into the nitty gritty and interview all sorts of people. It's not like ace attorney which has sprites for only important people, even minor characters are fleshed out through your many lines of inquiry. Out of all of the mystery games I've picked up, this one has the world I would consider to be the most lived-in. And same with the more important witnesses- you can upset them, hurt their feelings, and feel their hurt and pain.

fuckin'. old man dementia is the REAL final boss of this game. there was a man there in a mask covered in blood.

Minoru and Makoto. The construction workers say that Minoru had Makoto's face. But the auto shop employees say that Minoru had Minoru's face before he disappeared. Then there's Makoto's disappearance. I think that, for some reason, Makoto is using Minoru's identity- or maybe they're both using each others' identities for some reason. But how does that connect to Emio, and most importantly, who is Emio?

Minoru lives on a mountain somewhere. Hmm.

FINAL CHAPTER????

This is getting intense!!! This is getting super intense!!!

KUZE JUMPSCARE!

... Kamihara is coming? But we're in the mountains, how did you get signal? Unless you called him from below I guess.

ohhhh cool, it once again does the meta "in this situation, this action means something different" and it's "quit investigation" to literally quit your investigation of the smiling man.

KUZE?!

girl you are covered in blood this is NOT good

oh GOD she SPLIT HIS HEAD OPEN?!

oh no. because she ruined his face, that means that we'll never know what this minoru tsuzuki actually looks like...

Dude, there's something super fucking wrong here. The protagonist is right. If she cut him open, where's the weapon? And if she fired one gunshot, why did we hear two?

GIRL YOU ARE COVERED IN BLOOD THIS IS NOT GOOD. AND ALSO POINTING A GUN AT ME

OH GOD... oh god...

oh no... that's so fucking sad and fucked up...

the real minoru kidnapped makoto and took him away when he tried to attack a young junko. she's been traumatized ever since.

and the reason she knew utsugi was because he interviewed her, and she knew that he could see right through her, and knew that she was hiding the whole truth.

and now, she came face to face with minoru, but he realized that she wasn't the "emiko" he was looking for.

*scene where a blood-soaked makoto attacks a terrified protagonist while a blood-soaked kuze tries to defend him* *the next day, a cute and happy ayumi walks into the office*

ah, and makoto was the one who attacked minoru with the machete from behind.

damn, and eisuke's death was actually suicide, which kuze made to look like a homocide. i thought she messed with the crime scene in some way, probably with the paper bag, but i thought the original death was a homocide too. and the hidden envelope contained a suicide note.

and she did that to... draw her brother out of hiding? :/ that's... okay like, kuze was obviously off her rocker for the whole thing, but YIKES??? that's SO MESSED UP????

at least the family's all back together. that's good

hey dad what's up

utsugi: hey uhhhh massive trigger warning for dark and heavy stuff.

okay so i did hear about a secret ending, some people said it was a good thing and yet others said it was bad. it's kinda cool that it'll probably be the full utsugi pov.

thanks for the trigger warning because YIKESSSS poor kids...

so minoru came from a really abusive childhood, and the emiko he kept mentioning was in reference to his little sister.

why the hell is this so depressinggggg. she drowned because of his father's actions, and he killed him in turn before being sent to juvie.

It's really cool seeing Utsugi's POV, since he's way more seasoned of a detective than mr. sillypants and ayumi. I half-joked that he might end up being the killer in one of these games. But his POV is basically that of a seasoned and personable professional.

So basically, it sounded like he was a really nice and kind person... up until for some reason (probably trauma) his mind ended up stuck on the day his sister died, making him think she was still alive.

theY ANIMATED ALL OF THIS???

oh. oh that's fucked

oh that's SO fucked

DUDE THAT'S FUUUUCKED

D: that's so fucked.

Like I know that pretty much my two favorite stories sort of have the moral of "don't abuse kids or they'll do insane things instead of getting therapy" but. holy hell dude

Final thoughts on Famicom Detective Club: Emio The Smiling Man:

I really like the Famiclub games. I think their quality of storytelling is fantastic, and good at throwing you little twists you don't expect. This game absolutely stands with the first two in terms of its emotional intensity and the core parts of the first two games that I really enjoyed. If you liked the previous Famiclub games, there's a good chance you'll like this one too.

I'm not sure how I feel about a lot of information being hid behind an epilogue sequence. I think it's a nice wrap-up to what might otherwise be a story with a super abrupt ending (hell, I would have done that myself to expound on Minoru's story, because you sure couldn't drop it right before his actual death in game). I think there really was no better way to do it.

This game is dark as hell. Might be a dealbreaker for some, might be a dealmaker for others, but I think it's important to know going in that it really does not shy away from themes of child abuse and just people plain going through really terrible, tough times.

I'd say this game is better than previous entries at making the whole world feel alive, which I'd say is a hallmark of the series. I loved all of the NPCs, their little personality quirks that you catch when you're just chatting with them (like the lazy coffee-drinking teenager and the woman trying to aggressively market tissues).

The ending will be controversial, I feel. Part of me feels like it was too abrupt, and part of me feels like it should have ended way differently. I wish we as the player had the chance to chat with Makoto and maybe Emio at length the same way we did with characters from the first two games, but I understand that the plot structure means we'll never be able to do that.

The ending really does leave you feeling heavy, doesn't it? Especially with those photos at the end of the credits, where you see Minoru and Emiko having fun together. Minoru's life really was a horrible tragedy, and I think the question at the end, "What do you think?" is a good reminder of the themes of the story. Murder is murder, but the people who commit murder are also people. And people go through tragic things that affect them and cause them to commit heinous crimes. While this may be a sensationalized story, that's just the plain truth for those of us who enjoy murder mystery games. Life is complex, characters are complex, and tragedies happen that you just can't take back.

In conclusion, while this wasn't as much of a thriller as the types of games I tend to enjoy, I really enjoyed Emio and I can see why so many people think it's a masterpiece.

[kazarinn]

The official DigiFes 2022 event (held at the Tachikawa Stage Garden on July 30, 2022) had a pamphlet sold on-site, containing comments from various members of Digimon Frontier and Digimon Adventure 02 -THE BEGINNING- cast and staff:

Comments from the Digimon Frontier voice actors: Junko Takeuchi (Takuya Kanbara), Hiroshi Kamiya (Kouji Minamoto), Michael Shitanda (Junpei Shibayama), Sawa Ishige (Izumi Orimoto), Kumiko Watanabe (Tomoki Himi), and Kenichi Suzumura (Kouichi Kimura)

Comments from the Digimon Adventure 02 -THE BEGINNING- voice actors: Fukujuurou Katayama (Daisuke Motomiya), Junko Noda (V-mon), Megumi Ogata (Rui Owada), and Rie Kugimiya (Ukkomon)

Comments from other event attendees: Hiromi Seki (Digimon Frontier producer), Ayumi Miyazaki (musician), and AiM (musician)

[notokra]

#ジャップ #zyappu #8 #東コレ #トーキョーメトロポリタンラバーズ #24時間ぶっ通し撮影 #hair #野村真一 #makeup #yoboon #stylist #安野ともこ #photo #アリゾナ五郎 #model #Sayuri #ayumitanabe

[zonerz]

LORE! LORE! LORE! LORE! LORE! LO--!

Also Ayumi’s hair is SO FUN TO DRAW,,,, I know its hella stylized but KDSKKJFSK I LOVE HER,,,,

[cru5h-cascades]

DOLL WOMAN AU: Don't Forget about Shoko & Fukuyama!

It's that time of the week again! It's Doll Woman AU lore drop thingy!

Okay since the roles of a majority of the characters are swapped in this AU, we might as well swap these two's roles as well.

Shoko - in this AU, Mama Shoko is more involved in the investigation. She isn't a survivor of a Doll Woman encounter since Emiko doesn't go after girls but she does have a lot of knowledge on local crimes and folklore. In this AU, she's a teacher starting out at the school Akaya went to and an old friend of Dice (the two meet up to talk about the case at a bar in this AU). She has roughly the same personality she does in the main game but she tones it down a bit for her students because of her work environment (she's still pretty laid back and sarcastic though). Shoko isn't aware of what happened between Akaya and her friends but she does demonstrate concern about the effect of Akaya's death on her friends.

Fukuyama - in this AU, Fukuyama runs a cafe. As a teen, Fukuyama encountered the Doll Woman and took the doll without asking any questions, thinking that the Doll Woman was just some lady who was giving out dolls to whoever at the moment. Because of this, Fukuyama was spared. Inspired by the "kindness" of the Doll Woman, Fukuyama kept trying to improve his life and eventually started his cafe to "give others the same warm feeling that woman I met gave me when I was at my worst". In this AU, Junko & Ayumi end up going there for more information about the Doll Woman.

[ayumibellydance]

1/10 (日) Bohemian Jui

コロナ感染拡大の影響に伴い、延期させていただく事になりました。

ご予約いただきました皆さま、ご迷惑をおかけして大変申し訳ございません。

開催日時に関しましては状況をよく判断し、また追ってお知らせいたします。

もう少しお待ちくださいませ🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️

以下、トルコのMilliaちゃんよりーーーーー

Bohemian Jui ご予約頂きました皆様へ

現在もなお、世界中の人々の生活へ

影響を及ぼしているコロナウイルス、

トルコでも去年から引き続き、外出や営業制限等の中で生活が続いています。

こちらでもここ数日で日本での感染者が増加している事が報道されていました。

人ごとでなく、明日は我が身、コロナウイルスはとても身近です。大切な場所や人、そして自身を守る為にも、今回のBohemian Juiの企画方針、東京会場観覧者の皆さんとイスタンブール中継してのトーク、インターネット上の配信のみではないことから、延期という判断をさせて頂きました。

必ず近いお日にちで、開催しますので

ご理解いただけますと嬉しいです。

イスタンブールより、日本の皆さんの健康と、

1日も早く通常の生活が戻って来ることを

お祈り致します。

Milia 💋