#I didn’t wanna leave Akira out so 😭

[tobytheeggo]

Hate to do this do her 💔💔 but, as Knives says:

“I’m too cool for you anyways.”

SHE ATEEEEE

[sumerun]

[thoughts and small analysis on kazuha’s GAA domain, Kazuha’s story quest spoilers warning too]

(has not been proof-read so good luck LMAO)

Ooooh boyyyy his quest was unexpectedly really long. It was really good, however! I would consider it in the S tier hehe

I just want to talk about the design of the domain first because WOW. The domain looking different every time you enter to represent the different times in Kazuha’s life/story. The mechanics were very interesting (despite it giving me vertigo and a headache NSJSJ 😭😭😭). There’s just a lot of care that went into this domain. I was pleasantly surprised when they tossed in that old akira kurosawa film filter and locked the camera. It was a small design choice but it added a lot to the experience.

And regarding the actual story and execution, I really preferred the domain over his story quest. However, now that I look back, I think this was more of a personal preference than how good it was objectively. The two quest serves separate purposes. His story quest was more focused on reconnecting with his clan’s legacy meanwhile not letting this define who he is in the present. Essentially, how will he bring honor to his clan while maintaining his current self and ideals. Meanwhile, the domain is a FAT summary of his story since he was young and all the way to the present. It was more of an introspection dump, a story of healing and reconciliation of the past and the present. There’s no ACTUAL development of his character, but more of a deeper delve into how he developed his emotional maturity and how he accepted his past.

We already know his story (him carrying his family legacy, fleeing Inazuma, becoming a hero essentially overnight, blah blah) so I’m glad they focused on what he felt in the moment and how learned to leave everything behind and move on. It was really moving to listen to his dialogues with his father and him wanting better for his son ;~; it was especially bad when Kazuha was convinced he was a disappointment to his clan PLEASE. I was so shocked to hear him raise his voice like that. Normally, he’s so tranquil and polite. So it clearly weighed his mind a lot. I could’ve cried right there. And the small detail of the seelie representing Tomo…. god. 💀 let me die in peace….. the Alcor being his last destination of the domain is just so beautiful. He really is at home and out here enjoying his life!!!!! 😭

This is more of a side thought I have so feel free to skip but when I played this domain, I just can’t help but think about this game that I played called Ghost of Tsushima. The protagonist of that game (Jin), I thought, was somewhat similar to Kazuha. Very different plot but shared some nice parallel. They both come from prominent clans and had a bright future ahead of them. But they eventually faced obstacles that led them to reassess their identity and learn to let go of the past. Jin is afraid to abandon his samurai ways in fears of losing his father figure while Kazuha was torn between honoring his clan/past and living how he truly wants to. I personally think it’s such a wonderful trope. Watching characters liberate themselves from their past yet still remain so kind-hearted and humble is 👩🏻‍🍳💋

One of the things that I didn’t like about the domain and moments that lead up to it was that so many things were rehashed. Some of the characters repeated what happened at the inazuma festival and when Raiden Shogun still reigned. It might have been for new players but for me, it just hogged so much time that could’ve been spent for more Kazuha’s monologue or something. I already knew that the domain was gonna repeat aspect of Kazuha’s story but please I don’t wanna hear word for word what happened at the festival again 💀

But this domain just shows that Kazuha is the ultimate comfort character lmao he is so sympathetic and so patient with himself. His emotional maturity is something to be envious of, especially for someone his age. His life was so tumultuous yet he still held his head high and continues to anticipate for the future, not consumed by any extreme emotions. And the latter COULD’VE happened bc he literally lost everyone he loved in his life. He is the epitome of “live in the moment” and “home is where the heart is” signs that you would hang in the washroom LOL

I love that we are starting Inazuma with Kazuha and also ending with him. His story is a counterpart to Raiden’s old desire for eternity. Raiden is about stagnation and absolute stasis. Kazuha is about forgiveness, trauma acceptance and moving on with one’s life. They’re the polar opposites of each other (at least pre-archon quest Raiden anyway). It feels like the opening and closing of a chapter, which we are doing with Sumeru!

Anyways this GAA is already a banger and probably gonna be even better than last years. I’m SO excited for everybody else’s domain. Idk how they’ll do Xinyan bc we know so little of her and HYV always shove her in random events LOL. This was amazing so I can’t wait for more lore dump.