#Yumihari | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

advancedpottery217x2 · 2 years ago

Text

風景はせはしく明滅し続ける世界の考察について

You can let other people get into the details of the art philosophy discussions and the Naoya/Kei relationship in Sakura no Toki because there will be none of that here. Instead I will talk about one aspect of the game that really elevated it for me and how it made me realize something I love about Tokyo 7th Sisters and other media.

I will tell you right now that I did not expect to enjoy Sakutoki as much as I did. While I did enjoy certain parts of Subarashiki Hibi and Sakura no Uta, there was a lot of stuff to get through before I could feel that way. In that regard Toki hit me like a truck with how much more consistently I found myself thinking it was good, although I will never forgive the scene in Chapter III where Nei declares Mizusu Kei’s murderer and the latter rushes outside where Naoya finds her... trying to pet a cat.

I largely attribute this to how the concept of 刻 is embodied in the game’s atmosphere. On the most basic level, this is natural due to the game continuing the 10 year time skip that happened in Sakuuta Chapter VI. But what really enchanted me was the atmosphere, the ロマン imbued in the very passing of time. This would not have been possible without the foundations of 因果的交流電燈 that were built back in Sakuuta. In that regard between Sakuuta and Sakutoki, I felt the latter to be more of a “main” game. The glimpses shown in Sakuuta VI were more than enough to attune my sensors to it in Sakutoki and eventually find a way to put a concept I had brewed in my head for a long time into words.

This revelation first came in the scene in IV with Kei and Kenichirou on the bike. This scene is also a homage and origin really of the same scene in III with Mizusu and Naoya. I did find that scene fascinating as well but it really hit the second time around due to it taking place after Kenichirou discussing the link between mind and body, as well as the interaction of memory and the self. This was probably also something in Subahibi but I forgot most of that. So with that on the brain, the two of them set off, playing loud rock music as they watch the passing scenery. The term 流れるもの達 comes up again. Both the passing scenery and the music disappear beyond the horizon, making way for new sights, newly visible instants in the field of vision. In that moment my brain formed the connection between having 地続きfor things both visible and not:

時間経過(=連続性があること) + ロマン = 刻

Like all of the concepts swirling around in my brain, it is extremely vague. It’s the notion of cause and effect both realized and subconscious in everyday life and the strength of affections. Having time pass and characters reminisce about the past is not enough by itself. It’s not just talking about ossan things and growing older. Ideas passed from one person or generation to the next is something I would consider to very closely grasp the concept of 刻, but even then there is a measurable gap.These can be the most recognizable forms, but this is a not all rectangles are squares situation. ロマン is a critical factor but it is also much harder to pinpoint. I intend on expanding on this on a future post.

In Sakuuta, two of the scenes that got me the closest to crying were the Kenichirou epitaphs scene and in VI when Makoto makes her first reappearance and headlocks Naoya and Sakurako goes on about the legendary Yumihari art club those two participated in even though Naoya avoided ever talking about it in detail up until that point. つまりそういうものだぞ。（説明になってない）

In the case of Sakutoki, I felt it the most with Mizusu never telling Naoya the identity of her 師匠 while going on about their influence on her while Naoya notices in a brief moment in V, Naoya and Makoto being very casual during the majority of her route while having the last scene maintain that and have a proposal, and of course the evolution of the relationship between Naoya and Ai. The Gauguin quote and its relation to 春の大曲線 is a runner up. It’s absolutely a je ne sais quoi that I arbitrarily decide, and that is exactly why I find it so attractive as a concept.

Now presenting some screenshots with commentary that may or may not be related:

藍、お前……お前……

The presence of legally distinct brand names does portray their increasing ubiquity but I do think your knock off Shimamura shouldn’t have しわ in the name because it is a clothing store.

While Misuzu is this hilariously precocious child with unlimited stat points in art, I like the moments where she shows a certain kindness towards the world and you can tell this stance is possible thanks to her meeting with Kei.

I think this scene is the scene that got me closest to crying in Sakutoki. In the Sakuuta V Ai end, she is doing her best to comfort Naoya as he gives in to his self-loathing in the wake of a traumatic event. In Sakutoki V though, the fact that Naoya has started to move on ever so slightly and the weight of 10 years since that time pushing Ai to practically beg for Naoya to live to watch her final moments is at the same time heartbreaking and filled with a kind of love that is hard to express in words.

You could just describe that love as the kind that entails wanting to growing old with someone but that is something I find myself outright denying when I look at what Naoya and Ai have gone through up to this point. It may be close to 運命共同体 but going into the details makes it more delicious.

Naoya having this quiet reflective moment with Kei’s “origin” near the very end is good.

Some other things I feel execute 刻 well are the 櫻子さんの足下には死体が埋まっている novels and Soukyuu no Fafner. For Sakurako, seeing both Shoutarou and Sakurako grow over the course of the series and dealing with things like the effects of grief and loss over time and ending in a fitting finale was quite the experience that I didn’t think I would get so into after having watched the anime (if you’re reading this kadokawa give us season 2). I was similarly impressed with the lengths Fafner takes with the ここにいる theme and the Exodus 2nd cour opening really makes everything come together; the first time I saw it seeing the Right of Left characters was what really got me. god exodus was pure kino just rewatching this OP for this post makes me emotional uoohhhh (still haven’t finished the beyond here haha...).

There are many other things that partially embody this concept that I like such as the Tears to Tiara series and what the Ace Attorney seven year gap could be if they did more things with it. Honorable mention goes to how finally playing Gyakuten Kenji 2 helped me fully accept Edgeworth becoming the chief prosecutor. Of course 刻 is not a requirement for me to like something but it can considerably raise the chances when it hits.

Now what does this topic have to do with Tokyo 7th Sisters? Before you go any further go read this article reviewing the main story, especially if you have no interest in the game/story otherwise. Even if you do read it anyway because it’s a good article that introduces some of the things I will be talking about. Then go and play the game and read the story for yourself instead of reading this blog post.

If it were not for Tokyo 7th Sisters (aka Nanasis) I may have note even written this, because in my mind it is the number one thing I associate with my previously unarticulated concept of 刻. This is not anything out of the open mind you, as the seeds of this idea first got planted when I was playing Sakuuta.

In Nanasis the words アイドルはアイドルじゃなくてもいい form the backbone of the entire series. It’s a phrase that I’ve thought about a number of times when reading the stories of that game and even now years after the final chapter I still struggle with finding a concrete interpretation of it. While it does deal with both the “outer” aspects of idols seen by others and society at large and the “inner” aspects of the characters’ ideals and visions of the self that clash with those external forces, at the end of the day they are words of affirmation and of the self. The “answers” presented at the end of Episode 6.0 fits in splendidly with the ‘i-DOL n-EW g-ENERATION‘ found in the game’s logo and the concept of ‘ing=進行形’ presented throughout the game.

With that in mind I came across these lines in Sakuuta VI. The first line clearly correlates with the phrasing of アイドルはアイドルじゃなくてもいい and the following ones are very reminiscent of the themes present in Nanasis. And just as in Sakuuta/Sakutoki, these themes are only strengthened by the depiction of 刻.The events of the game occur because the Seventh Sisters broke up two years before the start of the game, and it does not shy away from the overwhelmingly negative effects this brings to idols. I first found myself invested in game’s story with Episode 4U, which is about a band (explicitly not idols, although they do have cards in the game) led by a girl who despises idols after the the advent of the “idol ice age” forced her to realize their innate impermanence. The only other idol game I had played before this was Love Live School Idol Festival so it came as quite the surprise to me. Later on the shady parts of the entertainment industry and the question of if how someone can maintain themselves under the weight of it all come up and while it is easy to sum it up as some “dark idol story unlike the other ones,” I think it is more a matter of the presence of 刻 being a perfect match for the impermanence of idols.

Because idols are impermanent, it is important to keep in mind your own unique relationship to the concept. In Nanasis the role of idols as people who can 一瞬でも誰かの背中を押す is greatly emphasized and the songs are no exception.

The lyrics of 僕らは青空になる

一瞬でも　カケメケルイマは確かに想いと手が重なりあった

and FUNBARE☆RUNNER

いつか誰かの光になるんだ想いのたけ手渡すように君とつなぐバトン終わらない夏の始まりを見てる見上げれば青と入道雲

地続きである想い、明滅するひかりが交流する瞬間がアイドル物で書かれたとk感じ取った途端、より一層ナナシスのことが好きになった。それこそ「たった一つの想いを閉じ込めた、永遠であり、瞬間」を彷彿とさせるくらいのものだ。傲慢な結びつきと言われたっていい。

I could probably also connect this with 弱き神 but I don’t think I understood it enough...

And like Sakuuta/Sakutoki, Nanasis is no stranger to large amounts to passing time. Episode 5.0, the one released after Episode 4.0 sends the timeline forward to 2043 when 4.0 took place in 2035.

The emotions felt from seeing this video out of nowhere were unparalleled. Besides the obvious point of seeing the idols that were children grown up it was then that I felt Motegi truly understood 刻のロマン and the resulting scenario did not disappoint in that front. I feel the fact that this released before 6.0 is a result of this understanding.6.0 advances the time from 4.0 to 2036, where even more harrowing developments than 4.0 await. But due to the existence of 5.0, you know that the image of “idols” 777☆SISTERS holds will continue to the new generation, which helped tremendously when reading 6.0. The credits of this final chapter feature the future plans of each of the 12 members of 777☆SISTERS to further show how they will continue to grow no matter what path in life they take.

I really do love Nanasis and I never knew it would become my favorite story in a mobile game when i first downloaded it nearly eight years ago. While the story team is now different than before, they’ve taken the timeline even further into 2053 (with a completely different player character) and I wonder what they are planning to do with that.

刻 is a crucial element in Sakutoki and Naoya’s final painting in V is the embodiment of this. While it is indistinct, the act of trying to define it for yourself is also important so if you managed to make it all the way down here I encourage you to think about it on your own.

そこにロマンがなければならない。

時間がなければならない。

音楽も、風景も、地平線の彼方へ消え去るように。

つまり刻とは、

足が立つ、この大地。

#not 水増

0 notes