The first route of Tsukihime focuses on the aspect of the story concerned with Arcueid’s battle against the True Ancestor Roa and the vampire Nrvnsqr Chaos, with poor old Shiki caught in the middle. I must confess Arcueid is my favourite character of the lot here – one of the two memorable heroines from the VN as a whole. What is it about female vampires like her that captures my attention? Maybe that goes without saying but she’s a brilliantly-written character whose playful yet self-assured personality and fascinating background make for a suspenseful and entertaining read.

My cup runneth over/like blood from a stone

Ciel’s part in the piece however is an example of the issue I had with Tsukihime‘s sprawling structure – perhaps the reason why it’s being given the re-release treatment sometime in the future is because the current version feels one re-write away from the level of quality that Fate/Stay Night spoiled me with. In my opinion Arcueid is a fantastic heroine for the story but Ciel was better suited to a prominent supporting role; the Arcueid part of the route had a much more convincing chemistry between the heroine and protagonist while the Ciel aspect was more rewarding in the exposition department.

Part of Saber’s appeal in Fate/Stay Night is that of a character who is stronger, faster and more intelligent than the protagonist she’s paired with; in the same way Arcueid has the enhanced physical and mental attributes of a centuries-old vampire princess and, like F/S N‘s main heroine, is effectively immortal. This makes for a character you can’t help but look up to but again there’s an added factor thrown into the mix: as in Saber’s case, circumstances dictate that this immortal heroine is dependent on the mere mortal male lead to fulfil her purpose, like the old favourite plot device of a female character who requires the quintessential promise of protection. Is there some sort of ‘immortality moe’…immoetality at work here?

There’s certainly a fascinating blend of fiery independence and cute vulnerability here, although it also falls back on the idea explored by Ann Rice in her Vampire Chronicles in posing the question, “What happens when vampires feel human emotions?” Granted, Arcueid was born a vampire so had no prior experience of life as a mortal to draw from but it’s always fascinating to see humanity and vampiric nature existing side-by-side in a personality such as hers.

Not quite human, but near enough

Similarly, what made Coppola’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel interesting for me was how his humanity – the tortured soul who still remembers his lost love throughout the centuries – was emphasised more than it was in the novel. Gary Oldman’s performance makes you feel for a character who, in the original text, was more of a heartless monster; similarly we’re shown here someone who is supposed to be a creature of folklore, but shows human qualities too. She was born for the sole purpose of killing other vampires – her own kind in many ways – but when ‘off duty’ she’s comically, and endearingly, human.

Another interesting issue is that of the imagery used in Tsukihime: that of the Moon especially. In the recent Epic Darker Than Black Rewatch Owen and Hige reminded me of a moment in that show in which someone describes moonlight as symbolic of atonement. Even if it’s merely an idea invented for that series as I suspect it is (googling for anecdotes to back this up yielded a lot about the Moon in Japanese cultural tradition but no hints on this particular one), it reminded me how so many characters in the Tsukihime story are trying to repent for something.

Both Arcueid and Ciel are victims of others’ obsession with immortality but feel that they should make amends for this. Ciel was plucked from an ordinary life by Roa to be transformed into a being who is neither normal nor one of the Immortal realm: not even the Church really know what to do with her, so she spends the time killing vampires (allowing the Church to keep its hands clean in the process) and using all manner of ESP-derived mind control to fabricate a normality among those she meets in which to live when she is not at work. Like Arcueid, Ciel struck me as a rather lonely character who had never really grown to be comfortable with who she was and as a result tried to justify her existence through an activity that became her raison d’être: killing monsters without a second thought or shred of remorse, and never making any long-term bonds with those around her.

So close, yet just out of reach…

Arcueid’s life, for want of a better word, was also ruined by Roa so her role of True Ancestor was governed by exacting revenge on him, caught in a cycle of elimination that never ends because he is an enemy she can never defeat. Rather than clinical elimination this fight is perpetuated by a personal motive; an effort that is ultimately futile but she does it anyway. I suspect she feels somehow responsible for her current situation, even though she was the victim of a deception. It’s a repetition that never ends.

Finally Shiki is also motivated by repentance: he kills Arcueid for reasons unknown (at least, unknown until you learn the background in the Far Side route, but more on that next time) and as a result he feels a moral obligation to help her. Killing her once made her vulnerable so he stays by her by way of apology and make amends for his ‘mistake’ until she recovers.

Nrvnsqr: true evil that denies the usage of vowels

What’s interesting here is that although these three individuals see themselves as in a position where they feel the need to let themselves suffer, they are victims of factors outside their control or field of knowledge. Ciel was chosen by Roa as a vessel without her consent; Arcueid was tricked by him to betray the True Ancestors to forward his own agenda; Shiki kills Arcueid unconsciously but makes a conscious decision to help her succeed in her mission, no matter how much danger it places him in.

A final point that wraps things up nicely if you’re a Nasuverse fanboy as I am is how it ties in with F/S N‘s terminology in terms of magic circuits, mages and so on. The two stories are not directly related plot- or character-wise but the recurrence of the jargon, not to mention familiarity in character types and themes addressed, makes it easier to get into, whichever NV you happen to play first.