#subahibi critical

[mylittlemiyaomeow]

Okay but do you know how fucking brilliant it would've been if Hasaki's assertion that her brother wasn't mentally ill was treated like a cope by the narrative instead of. You know. *jesters wildly with middle fingers at Jabberwocky II*

Like, it can be scary knowing that something is wrong with someone close to you that you can't understand. Some people cope with that through denial, or by looking for other explanations.

For Hasaki, her explanation was that her brother had two other spirits residing inside of him. This was a convenient enough explanation. If Minakami Yuki is a spirit rather than an alternate personality taking the shape of her dead childhood friend, then it's okay for her to exist.[1] If Mamiya Takuji is a vengeful spirit rather than an alternate personality taking the shape of her other brother, then it means that everything wrong with Mamiya Tomosane's brain is a curse, rather than a mental illness. And if Yuuki Tomosane is the true form of her older brother, then it means that he wasn't lost. Deep down, he still exists as he did so long ago, even if he just forgot everything due to the curse.

[1] It's a common misconception that in order for DID to be cured, it would mean getting rid of every alternate personality until only the "real" one is left. SubaHibi itself mentions that misconception (but does fuck all with it and the conflict it provides because of the ghost cop-out).

However, it is possible to have more than one person in your mind without it being a disordered. Often among systems, the goal is more so to improve internal communication and reduce memory problems and whatnot, rather than living as a singlet again. After all, the other personalities already exist, and in general the idea of fusing into another person or disappearing is existentially terrifying. Don't think that changes just because you happen to be sharing a body with someone else.

Even among accounts I've read of people who have gone through Final Fusion, it's more like incorporating each of your personalities into one singular person rather than getting rid of them.

[2] Okay I didn't put this note in the text but I need to put an obligatory disclaimer that introjects exist. Introjects are alternate personalities based on outside sources, such as real people or fictional characters. I've even heard of introjects based on songs.

That is to say, it would not be unrealistic for Mamiya Tomosane to have two alternate personalities based on people he knew.

[pastel-sweet-jirai]

Introductory post

Hello. You can call me Sugar. Basic info included here, more (extensive DNI, BYF, interests and so on) below the cut.

ꨄ 25 y/o MNDI, may post content inappropriate for minors (ageless blogs are subject to possibly being blocked. I won't block minors that just like my posts in passing (esp reblogs)- but you're on thin ice.)

ꨄ 'Lifestyle jirai' menhera demigirl. They/She pronouns (no he plz)

ꨄ This is a vent blog. Blog content warnings include: discussion of, or artwork depicting- S/H, E/D/dieting, hypochondria/health anxiety, suicidal ideation, OCD/ intrusive thoughts, financial trouble (I won't ask for money or provide avenues for donation or anything- I just want to vent), chronic illness, malingering, alcohol consumption and general sexual content. -- If any of this will be triggering for you, reconsider following or interacting and do what's best for your health. If any of this will be bothersome for you, just block and move on, plz don't report. I need this space. I don't have anywhere else. {Note- I will edit this post to include tags for theses topics so that my posts containing triggering content can be properly avoided. I do not condone unhealthy behavior, and would never encourage others to participate in any of the harmful behavior I may display.}

Interests

♡ Manga. I do not watch anime- I do collect and read a lot of manga. ♡ GL/Yuri (I'm so very gay, I love women) ♡ Alt J-Pop/chiika idol groups and girl bands. -(Faves are Minnanokodomochan, Zenbukiminoseida, Phantom Siita, CARAMEL CANDiD, MAD MEDiCiNE, AdamLilith and Misolade-Edison) ♡ Horror video games -esp classic action like ResEvil and Silent Hill -but also, Outlast, FNAF, Phasmophobia, Homicipher, I'm on Observation Duty, It Moves, and loads more -My alltime fave game ever is Yume Nikki ♡ Visual Novels - Faves include Subahibi, DDLC, 7 Days with the Ghost, Katawa Shoujo, and many more

BYF

♡ I kin spiritually- but I'm largely A-OK with doubles. This blog isn't for kinning, so I likely won't post much about it, but it as a part of my life and identity. Unsure if I'll ever include a kinlist on this blog.

♡ I don't concern myself with pro/anti stuff. I don't personally like (or romanticize) ships that include things like incest or pedophilia or whatever. But I don't care to censor or abolish that kind of content existing, and I consume content containing taboo subjects often, and with a critical mind. I won't post about discourse, but I might mention some games or manga that contains that content. If that stance bothers you, feel free to block.

♡ I'm shy, so sorry if I don't respond to DMs- but I'll probably follow back if you follow me. I'm new to posting to Tumblr so IDK the whole deal about 'having moots', or caring to talk to people. But I guess I'm open to it. I will say, while I want to be supportive and be a listening ear, please don't come to me for support when it comes to considering dying. I've had too many horrible past experiences with sui-baiting and I will NOT be in any position to give you the help you need.

♡ I am pro recovery, even if I don't center recovery in my venting. I'm currently in therapy by my own volition. ♡ I do wear the fashion- I like dark girly-kei, medikawa, and many other j-fashion substyles. I don't really know or care to know about discourse having to do with Jirai "fashion" vs. "lifestyle" or whatever. If I say something incorrect feel free to correct me. I like asking clarifying questions, and I never use sarcasm or have the intention to be passive aggressive, and my questions are always genuine.

♡ I have a poor memory (among other issues) due to my physical and mental health, so I might post similar (or the same) things, over and over again. Sorry if it's annoying. Genuinely can't help it right now.

DNI

✗ Bigots (Racist, Transphobic, Homophobic, et cetera.) ✗ Zionists ✗ Pedos (or even just adults who think being 23 and dating a 16 year old is chill.) ✗ Minors (I mean it)

About Me

Wow, you read to the bottom, thanks. I've struggled with S/H for something close to a decade now, and with depression and anxiety much longer than that. My E/D struggles are recent and I'm only coming up on a year of having it. I'm chronically ill and have been my whole life. I find it hard to interact and connect with people. I mask so hard constantly so I think people think I'm a better person than I really am. I'm formally diagnosed with depression and anxiety, and am being officially treated for PTSD and OCD by a therapist (not for long though). I don't currently take meds. I literally just need a space where I can speak freely without burdening everyone around me all the time. If anyone wants to talk at me about tips on how to navigate tumblr feel free

[batbeato]

i had the horrible realization that while on twitter i'd be too limited by horrific character limits to rant about this in a satisfactory way, here on tumblr? here, i am free.

no one can stop me from ranting about subahibi. no one. none of you understand how long i've been holding this in (two years. two. years.)

...subahibi spoilers and my rage-fueled criticism of it to follow.

so. subahibi. yeah. look, I think most people know it as "that one VN where the girl gets fucked by a dog" and you know. it is that VN. it's a denpa eroge, heavy emphasis on eroge, with a side of the usual (in)comprehensible denpa rambling about the meaning of life love the universe everything with references ranging from Satie to Cyrano. it also vaguely ties into some other game by the same studio by virtue of local cryptid girl who is never explained in subahibi. classic.

now, I have nothing against the genre. I actually really like CROSS CHANNEL, another denpa eroge. most of the eroge parts don't interest me in CC but they're tolerable, sometimes hold plot relevance, and while the VN itself sometimes goes into absurdity and becomes laughable when it's trying to be sincere, it does try its best and has interesting elements, if underutilized. Some elements are utilized incredibly well, too!

however. subahibi is one of the worst VNs I've ever read, checking off all the boxes of:

horrific failure at depicting mental illness (the fantastical depiction of DID bears little resemblance to the actual condition. if it was confirmed to be spiritual possession, it might be different, but the VN does its best to act as though it's "unclear")

sex scenes clearly there for gratuity that drag on (yes, I know it's an eroge. there was no need to have an entire sex scene devoted to a random teacher raping her father. she wasn't even a main character.)

transphobia that goes from the usual subtle gender essentialism to so blatant it's horrific (the f slur, Mamiya being insulted by the 'good' protagonist for his femininity and forced crossdressing)

boring brocon brother/sister incest.

the VN does have some interesting components. I think the idea of someone taking on Zakuro's name to get revenge for her, but they're actually a very fucked up person who never really know her? interesting. the way the story is told from these varying unreliable narrators? interesting. the idea of taking a plural character and telling the same story/time period with the different alters' perspectives? again, interesting.

however, it completely fails to make use of any of these interesting components, especially with its depiction of DID being so bad that I wonder if anyone working on Subahibi had so much as met someone with any degree of disassociation in their lives, ever. also the rejection of mental health professionals as being capable of helping. it all comes across as some chuuni author insisting that the only way to reach happiness and mental wellness is to stick your dick in something and beat up bad guys.

I see people talking about how unique and deep Subahibi is, praising it as a great piece of media, and while I do think that, yes, it is interesting, it's more interesting when you realize that it's a flaming trashfire product of its time and its writers, with a moral message so flimsy that an infant could break it in half.

You see, it's not the pieces of media so irredeemably bad that they have nothing new to them that really make them stick in my brain for me to absolutely despise. It's the pieces of media that have just enough interesting elements to grab my interest, then vomit in my face. Subahibi is infuriating to me because it was such an awful read when it could have been a great one. It's infuriating to me because I thought I was going to read either something really amazing or something laughably bad that had a girl getting fucked by a dog. I got something infuriatingly bad that had a woman pissing on the street.

...Yeah. I could go on for days about the details of subahibi's failure to respectfully depict mental illness or DID, but......

[advancedpottery217x2]

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��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。

[witchofcustom]

Doki Doki Literature Club: Babbys first horror VN. Honestly this game is so weird. Like it seems to play on your expectations of VNs, but if you’ve already played stuff like Totono like I have, it’s not really gonna be all too amazing. I feel like if I was younger and less experienced with the genre I’d like it more. It feels kinda unnecessarily edgy as well. I have nothing but respect for the people who made this and I feel bad for criticizing something made by such a small team, but when a bunch of 13 year olds are acting like this is the pinnacle of the genre before they’ve even played stuff like Umineko or SubaHibi… Yeah…

That being said I might give DDLC+ a try in the future.

[super-sexy-commando-kyouko]

for my own reference

Subarashiki Hibi ~Furenzoku Sonzai~ - critically acclaimed but very nsfw vn with some yuri romances (subahibi)

Subarashiki Kono Sekai - critically acclaimed sfw ds game also featured in kh (subaseka, twewy (eng))

Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! - one of the shounen isekai ln series that's currently popular (konosuba)

[mylittlemiyaomeow]

You know, I actually think it's fine that Hasaki spends her POV chapter being worried about TomoYuki. Like, those are the people closest to her. It's normal to be worried about people that are close to you. What gets me though is that the narrative doesn't really seem interested in her aside from that. It felt like it just went "Eh, we learned enough about her from other people's perspectives" and just used her as a pure answer arc.

For those of you who don't know an answer arc refers to an arc that exists to answer the questions set up by previous arcs. This term is mostly used in When They Cry circles but I think it's applicable here. The thing that makes answer arcs work in When They Cry is that they answer the questions while still giving us new narrative conflicts to chew on. They are interested in their POV characters beyond answering questions.

Jabberwocky I is an example of a good answer arc for this reason. Tomosane isn't just wandering around as a pair of eyes to show off other angles of shit that happened; He is a character with interests outside of the plot. He's a gamer. He's edgy. He beats up delinquents and confiscates their drugs (which subtly explains why the hell all these kids were willing to go along with Takuji's cult thing so quickly). He pushes people away because he thinks it's inevitable that he will disappear someday. I don't think the plot threads introduced in Jabberwocky I are resolved in a satisfying way at all, but they are there.

What we learn about Hasaki in That Which Dreamt It is... She doesn't use the computer a lot because she isn't good with technology, and she believes her brother is a system because of ghosts. Can't really think of anything else that we don't already learn from other characters, which is a shame because I can see a lot of opportunity. Like, the narrative really takes for granted that Hasaki does not seem to go to school at all (despite her wearing what looks like a school uniform). Why doesn't she go to school?

Is she actually interested in kendo or was Kagami and Tsukasa being in the kendo club something that Yuki's delusions cooked up? I believe there was a line suggesting that Hasaki knew some martial arts at least. If I'm correct, add that to the above list of knowledge we learned from this chapter. Kinda wish we got to see Hasaki use martial arts at all though if that line really was there. Though maybe it doesn't matter a lot. Still, would've been a cool connection to expand on.

[mylittlemiyaomeow]

Hey! Why the hell didn't we get a "That Which Dreamt It" POV of Takuji's classroom Joker speech??? Kagami and Tsukasa were right there for that, so by SubaHibi's logic, it follows that Hasaki would also be right there for that! I want her fucking reaction!

Like, you don't have to rewrite it or anything because I get that this scene already happened twice, but this is where you implement a neat narrative trick called "skipping past the shit you already saw unless it's absolutely relevant".

[mylittlemiyaomeow]

Live happily! Unless you have one of the scary mental illnesses I guess.

[mylittlemiyaomeow]

Very curious where the SubaHibi wiki sources it's claim that Hasaki is around 16-17 from. Also very curious why Hasaki is wearing a school uniform but we never hear about her school situation. As far as the story is concerned she might as well just be staying home 24/7 to be Tomosane's live-in wife.

Like you know, it does make sense for Hasaki to not go to school. She apparently had to undergo mental health treatment for a while so it makes sense that it would interrupt her schooling to the point where she just gave up. But I don't think the story ever mentions that.

(Side note I want to research how mental health treatment works in Japan so I can type a proper rant about this game's understanding of the psychiatric institution because every time it's like "this character was mentally ill so they went to the hospital" and the most other depth you'll get is that Kimika has a special interest in chemicals over it, or that apparently in this world the insanity defense is basically a get out of jail free card and not just a go to a different jail card. Like I guess the "and then he used the insanity defense and the police and the doctors were very understanding" endings are supposed to be like an ideal versions of events or whatever but that doesn't change the fact they suck.)

[mylittlemiyaomeow]

You know if anything were to temp me into becoming a YouTuber it would be writing a long ass essay critically analyzing how SubaHibi portays mental illness that I know no one would engage with otherwise.