Disarmed me with a smile

There’s also an avenue which left me a little frustrated: Yumizuka was another fascinating character who, in my opinion at least, is crying out for a side-story of her own. Whether the rumoured re-release of Tsukihime will resolve that I don’t know; it certainly continued to give a ‘one rewrite away from brilliance’ feeling because the emotional clout of the story was stretched too thin: after all those replays I found myself wondering if I was able to care about all of them enough. Forgive me then if this post very much about Akiha.

Hisui is, I suppose, deliberately written in as quiet and reserved but I don’t really have much to say about her; my e-PostIt notes from that time don’t help much, either. Like Ciel’s route Hisui’s was more rewarding on the exposition front than the characterisation one but I guess she’s so intrinsically linked to Kohaku that the two blurred together in my head a bit (I rectified a similar mistake I made in the previous post so I hope it’s now factually accurate). Kohaku’s route is a lot darker and tragic, which makes the contrast of her cheerful personality all the more hard-hitting but still takes second place here.

A rare moment of lulz in the Tohno household

Yumizuka could, after a merging of the Hisui and Kohaku routes and a relegation of Ciel into supporting character, make a fully-fledged story thread on her own: there’s this wonderful dilemma of what to do with a close friend who has been turned into a vampire. I recall a similar situation in the BBC series Being Human in which a character is faced with the choice of killing someone he knows when she is turned; after taking pity on her and ending her life, the vampire’s flatmate looks aghast. “I thought you were going to save her life!” he yells. To which the vampire replies, “I did.” There’s a veritable moral goldmine there I think.

At the end of it all though, Akiha was THE heroine of the Far Side of Tsukihime for me. That aura of hers is hard to explain: perhaps it’s the image of her as the Childhood Friend, waiting patiently for years and enduring who knows what until her soulmate returns to her; or it’s the fact that, on a non-romantic level, she shows Shiki the sisterly loyalty, knowing full well that his origins lie in a rival family. I can see where the groundwork for Heaven’s Feel in Fate/Stay Night came from in that the whole basis for the characters’ relationship uses false appearances in a very similar, and similarly effective, way.

Why are they more alluring when classically trained?

My fanboying respect for Akiha’s character was in no small part due to my recent viewing of the sixth instalment of Kara no Kyoukai: if the premise of Sakura Matou’s story was inspired by Akiha’s, the blueprint for Akiha’s own personality lies with Azaka Kokutou. Aside from the similarities in character design between the respective couples, both girls share a similar ability in manipulating heat; Akiha can use her hair as a weapon while Azaka honed a skill of ignition through what I’m guessing is her own magic circuit. There’s also the issue of…well, whatever the female equivalent of a siscon is called. Fortunately in Akiha’s case it’s not really an inappropriate attraction since it turns out they’re related by adoption rather than by blood so once I re-adjusted my view on their relationship accordingly, I couldn’t not respect her.

I’ve taken on the subject of the tsundere archetype a number of times but feel I’m able to justify my personal favourites with genuine reasons. For Akiha then it’s all down to her making a conscious effort to hide her affections and keep Shiki out of harm’s way; the sense of love held at arm’s length is what makes their dynamic so compelling and makes the moments where she fusses and worries over him all the more endearing.

Interestingly the difference in ending to her route depended on a decision concerning Shiki’s self-sacrifice for Akiha’s sake; personally I preferred the True Ending. Not just because I’m old-fashioned in those romantic gesture things, but also because it suited Akiha’s dignified persona better to have her survive unscathed and waiting for Shiki’s return. The image of a zombie-fied Akiha does a personality of her calibre a disservice I think.

“Squee!” moments in the Nasuverse seem to hit me when the woman is holding a deadly weapon. A coincidence, honest

Even without the decision that leads to her route’s True ending Akiha lost her brother not once, but twice. That I think is the real insult to injury and why I felt so sorry for her: in addition she finds herself as the heir to the household and carries all the responsibility that the role requires. She throws herself into it wholeheartedly but taking a step back it’s actually a combination of family duty coupled with a desire to keep her adoptive brother safe and prevent him being tainted by the Tohno curse that has affected her and the ‘true’ Shiki. Akiha sacrifices so much and puts so much pressure on herself, but not for her own ends.

Just for future reference in case any of you are making more cross-franchise connections, I really appreciated the little background details that tied in with Kara no Kyoukai. The Nanaya family are in fact one of several that include the houses of Ryougi and Fujyou, the latter cropping up in the first movie as the antagonist. The mage who is able to help Shiki with the old Stringy Vision is of course none other than Aoko Aozaki, sister of Touko; I’d love to experience the Mahoutsukai no Yoru story between those two.

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.

I recently dug out and rewatched my old copy of the first disc of the Lunar Legend Tsukihime TV show and although I now know all its background and hence its failings, on reflection it’s still not a complete loss. I hope the There Is No Tsukihime Anime joke is old news now but should anyone feel the need to dig up that old fossil I do offer the choice of whether you want me to use the knife or needles on you, at no extra charge. There IS a Tsukihime anime but it’s a very different, and less well-fed, beast. The creature of the night that spawned it however comes highly recommended.

Experiencing it after its spiritual follow-up, Fate/Stay Night, was for me like listening to Loveless then picking up Isn’t Anything afterwards: the signature elements are there but are less polished and cohesive but with the added bonus of seeing the ideas in their embryonic form, in glorious 20/20 hindsight. Indeed, Tsukihime features themes and devices that weren’t carried as far and it doesn’t appear to have nearly as much cash thrown at it either but, like the MBV efforts, that doesn’t get in the way of what really matters.

Aesthetically Tsukihime is rougher around the edges than F/S N and doesn’t have as many pans and zooms across the screen which does lessen the impact a bit, but not by much. VNs are after all less reliant on moving images, which I guess is one of the benefits the anime has; there was no soundtrack to the edition I have either, although there are occasionally sound effects (which kinda annoyed me anyway). There’s greater difficulty in whipping up an atmosphere in this format which I suppose is the main reason why I still quite like the anime: while the storyline is a mess it has atmosphere in spades. In the VN’s case I was actually impressed with how Nasu and Takeuchi can play to the strengths of a more interactive but less kinetic form of presentation.

Even though it has a lo-fi, home-cooked appearance (photographs instead of background art!) I still can’t find fault in Takeuchi’s character designs, which are universally excellent. The drawing is sketchier but the poses and facial expressions are every bit as emotive as those of F/S N so once you take on board the fact that this was a literally amateur project I can’t hold its doujin origins against it. The small but very effective nuances in the sprites, especially when displayed sequentially in a fashion that’s as close to animation as the VN gets, really highlight this.

It’s still thought of as an eroge which I agree with reluctantly when, for each route, there is about as much sexual content as your average movie or TV show that has the token bedroom scene and carries a 18 certificate or equivalent; however you look at it though there are H-scenes and they don’t skimp on the detail either. As opposed to certain moments in F/S N I didn’t think the sexual content on the whole was as neatly integrated into the rest of the narrative; not something that should be a major issue given the primary function of the sauce, but even so I preferred them to have more context in the story as a whole.

For instance, I thought the second H-scene of Saber’s route and its equivalents in Heaven’s Feel felt less gratuitous than many of those in Tsukihime in that they had more relevance: they literally consummated the characters’ relationships and came across as being more integral to the plot progression and less forced-in for fan service reasons. Again, the VN format is an ideal situation for this sort of thing because of the first-person perspective; not an excuse for including it I know, but credit where credit’s due and all that.

Overall it is less focused in its storytelling than F/S N was, which is perhaps because there are more heroines to choose from: two main routes, each with more than one heroine. It has a more sprawling structure than three defined routes and there are one or two characters who felt a bit under-used while one or two others would have served a better purpose to the story in supporting roles too, but I’ll leave for the follow-up posts.

An analogy for the two VNs’ relationship that may mean more to you than late 80s/early 90s post-pop albums is thinking about how Fate/Stay Night is the spiritual successor to Tsukihime as the movie Pan’s Labyrinth is to The Devil’s Backbone. In both cases the sequel is superior in most aspects but it still owes much to its predecessor (not to mention the fact that I again watched the ‘sequel’ first). While the events of the pairs of films/VNs are not directly connected chronologically nor feature the same characters, the setting (the Spanish civil war of the 1930s and the Nasuverse, respectively) and issues addressed are the same. Themes are either approached from a slightly different angle or revisited, or the writer has taken an idea and run with it a bit further in his second project.

Incidentally I think Guillermo del Toro and Kinoko Nasu would actually get along quite well, language barriers aside, if they were to meet: both have a penchant for gothic-tinged supernatural horror and write thematically dark stories concerning morality, the loss of innocence and philosophical musings concerning life and death. Anyway. There is plenty of common ground between Nasu’s VN efforts and, indeed, Kara no Kyoukai too, in a lot of areas but in all honesty I’ve blasted through the thousand word barrier already. There will be more to come. WILL CONTINUE.