Author Topic: Characters, music, personalities.  (Read 319349 times)

Flandrenonymous

  • Onee~, what's an Extra Boss?
Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #360 on: December 10, 2009, 08:52:19 PM »
Brand new user (actually was directed to this forum because of this thread in particular).  Gotta say you did some awesome work and analysis on a lot of the themes.

If you're still taking requests, I would love to see an analysis of "G Free ~ Final Dream" from Concealed the Conclusion.  Know it's technically a remix, especially since it's a fangame too, but I'd love to see an opinion on it (especially since the song seems to get overshadowed by "G Free ~ Ultimate Dream, unjustly in my opinion).

Fightest

  • Fighter than anyone else
Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #361 on: December 10, 2009, 09:11:44 PM »
Brand new user (actually was directed to this forum because of this thread in particular).  Gotta say you did some awesome work and analysis on a lot of the themes.

If you're still taking requests, I would love to see an analysis of "G Free ~ Final Dream" from Concealed the Conclusion.  Know it's technically a remix, especially since it's a fangame too, but I'd love to see an opinion on it (especially since the song seems to get overshadowed by "G Free ~ Ultimate Dream, unjustly in my opinion).

Ooh, word of my glory spreads across the Interwebs! Soon I shall be immortal!  ;D

Regarding G Free - from what I remember it's a ZUN track that was on one of those music CDs that aren't associated with any of the games in particular. In that case, I'll have to do the original first, then do remixes. I'm fine with that, and it'll go on the agenda. You might have to wait a bit though, as Alternate Themes are next after I'm done with the PC-98 requests.

And speaking of PC-98 requests:

Mugetsu ? Illusion of a Maid ∼ Icemilk Magic

Mugetsu?s theme takes a break from complexity and delivers a refreshingly simple set of motifs that vary in texture and pitch, but not in content, suggesting a single-mindedness in her. Not the manic single-mindedness that I tend to associate with heavy repetition, but a more childish lack of ambition that focuses her on one task, keeping her content as long as she has something to do. All throughout the piece, from the introduction to the end, Mugetsu comes across as someone lost in their own world, in a daydreamy sort of way. Curiously, due to this Mugetsu might appear to be sometimes aloof and alien, especially as she is quite a powerful individual. It is most likely that this is not intentional, however, and it?s even a possibility that she strongly dislikes violence, keeping it as a last resort no matter the situation.

The short 8-second introduction brings in half of the melodic motif that persists for the entire first segment of the piece. It?s a slow, ponderous affair, as if it knows that it?s gearing up for something, but is not sure exactly what. This short segment gives Mugetu an air of energetic air-headedness when combined with the quick tempo of the first segment. You know the type ? eager to get something done, but with no idea how to get started, they pull up their sleeves and charge straight at the problem, hoping that it?ll sort itself out in the collision. More often than not, it doesn?t, and they end up looking silly and confused, not sure what just happened.

The first segment is made up of a single repeating motif that tends to itself hop around the place, changing pitch and harmony as it wishes. Although the motif?s melody is legato, the supporting drum track serves to separate the individual notes, giving a certain jerkiness to the melody that suggests an elegant appearance that hides an inappropriately slapdash approach to things. The single motif avoids repetitiveness by adding different texture when it?s not changing pitch, ultimately showing surprising variety for a four-bar melody. This is what suggests to me a certain childishness ? unable to focus on really big and important things, Mugetsu has a simple train of thought that takes her on fanciful daydreamy rides no matter where she may be. She is not stupid, but merely unaware of any bigger issues that she might need (or not need, for that matter) to be thinking about.

The second part comes in abruptly, completely changing the feel of the piece by switching to an echoing sound, adding an unexpected otherworldly aloofness to a generally down-to-earth character. I believe that this is how Mugetsu is perceived by others when she?s daydreaming. She may have no harmful thoughts to speak of, but her observers have no idea what?s going on through her head. All they see is a girl with unknown powers that pays little heed to things around her, which is something that makes her hard to predict ? which is one of the aspects that makes Yuka such a terrifying entity. Thus, she is made out to be alien and mysterious, when she?s simply entertaining herself, having fun.

Flandrenonymous

  • Onee~, what's an Extra Boss?
Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #362 on: December 11, 2009, 04:28:27 PM »
One thing I do have to note about the songs (you seem to have a much better overall grasp on music theory than I, so I won't get into that) is the percussion.  While I love ZUN's stuff, I have to admit that a lot of his songs are kind of...overwrought with inhumanly fast percussion, especially post EoSD.  I think that's why Cosmic Mind stood out for me as a final boss theme.  It's very...measured and sedate compared to past boss themes, percussion-wise.  Same with Solar Sect of Mystic Wisdom.  It doesn't quite have the more natural percussion of Septette or Cosmic mind, but throws in much deeper bass drums (and I think rarely used toms) to give it a much different flavor.

On a different note...while I'm not about to list MoF as my favorite of the soundtracks, I do have to note one thing: most of the songs on the soundtrack sound like...well...actual songs.  Verse, refrain, bridge, etc.  The tracks feel much closer to modern song composition than the others on the whole (though SA has a couple tracks kinda like this too, like Satori Maiden and Lullaby of Demonic Hell).  Most of the other tracks seem to go more through movements than verses.

Fightest

  • Fighter than anyone else
Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #363 on: December 17, 2009, 10:04:51 AM »
Where's my thread? Ah, here it is. *blows off the dust*

Gengetsu ? Cute Devil  Innocence

I find this piece to carry a strong feeling of unapproachability throughout. There is this disregard for all things mundane and mortal, as if the piece tells us of a character that transcends comprehension by its own nature. The piece gives me the impression that Gengetsu was always such ? operating on a level beyond human (and humanesque, in the case of most youkai) understanding and never stepping down, as it were, to understand things beneath her. However, I believe that this is not deliberate on her part. I get the impression that Gengetsu?s realm is a lonely place with little opportunity for her to express herself, and, even beyond that, I feel that Gengetsu is only vaguely aware of herself ? she can perceive and respond to things, but she has trouble understanding what?s doing the perceiving and responding. Considering the fact that she resides in a dream world (although the limited profile in the wiki seems unclear on this) it only makes sense, as there is not really such a thing as a concrete form or self there. With the arrival of the protagonists, Gengetsu is able to more root herself in reality, and gain a degree of self-awareness.

The introduction sets the mood immediately. We have what amounts to an organ slowly and regally playing through a somber chord progression. Nothing else distracts from this very moody sequence and the feeling is present that the listener is all alone in a vast void. Here and there is heard a harsh crack of a drum to reinforce the feeling of coldness and inhospitability. This is Gengetsu?s realm and, at the moment, essentially Gengetsu herself as an entity that exists but does not know itself.

We are then presented with a few repeats of the accompaniment that will be present in the background for the rest of the piece. To continue established themes, it?s a cold, harsh and unwelcoming motif, in minor to boot ? the accompaniment is designed to keep the listener uncomfortable throughout, although in later stages it tends to be drowned out by the more humane developments.

Soon enough the characteristic main theme begins, and will be heard throughout most of the piece, in differing pitches and textures. It?s a very straightforward theme with a lot of momentum ? as a strict series of broken chords with a cadence at the end, it does not allow for much harmonic leeway. Additionally, there is very little emotion in this motif, a feature that is further augmented by the choice of ?instrument? used ? an echoing, soft sound that almost literally distances the listener from the melody. The constant repetition of this motif, along with the features added by the accompaniment, really emphasizes this as a key aspect of Gengetsu, whose ability to respond to stimulus ? at this point in the piece ? is limited to a distant lack of involvement. It is much like trying to elicit an emotional response from the vacuum of space.

As the piece goes on, the core motif builds up strength and character as more and more texture is added in the form of a drum accompaniment and a quick, scattered melodic study in the background. Additionally, the ?instrument? used changes subtly ? there?s still the echo, but there is a greater down-to-earth force in it. All in all, the impression is that of a growing awareness, a greater confidence in the self that develops in Gengetsu, as if limbs and sensations that had long been disused are firing up again, or, possibly, awakening for the first time.

Finally, a unique melody develops, with characteristics appropriate to a character that experiences and feels in a way similar to how a human or a humanoid youkai would. The melody does not last long, but it has plenty of emotion while it lasts. It?s fast-paced, firey and ornamented. Gengetsu develops a proud personality, eager to get things done and extremely confident in one?s own abilities. I would say this mirrors the personality of any of the protagonists quite well, so it?s possible that Gengetsu is imitating them, for lack of a better point of reference, perhaps looking for something that suits her in this outburst of emotion.

It?s hard to say if she really finds anything for herself, as she seems to withdraw quite quickly, perhaps shying away from an overexposure to new experiences, putting up the usual front of distant indifference. Gengetsu remains a mystery, but it is certain that she maintains an almost na?ve curiosity towards new things and experiences, of which there are certainly plenty for a being like her.


Phew, this finishes Lotus Land Story. Seems I'll have to do most of the characters in Phantasmagoria of Dimensional Dream, though after that things seem to ease up.

Solais

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Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #364 on: December 17, 2009, 11:15:54 AM »
So, Gengetsu is like 'nothing' and she 'borns' when the heroine meets her?

...

Woah.

Seian Verian

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Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #365 on: December 17, 2009, 11:19:39 AM »
I was wondering when you'd finally update this thread again. ...Well, since I'm posting, might as well make a comment on the update itself :V Hm... Pretty nice.  I think I want to listen to her theme again after reading that.

Fightest

  • Fighter than anyone else
Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #366 on: December 17, 2009, 11:47:30 AM »
So, Gengetsu is like 'nothing' and she 'borns' when the heroine meets her?

...

Woah.

My take on Gengetsu is probably quite a bit out there, since by this interpretation, Gengetsu is essentially created by the heroine. Whoulda thunk it?

Solais

  • Developer fairy
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Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #367 on: December 17, 2009, 11:54:17 AM »
Well it is a dream world, so who knows? Maybe the heroines dream about Extra Stages and fighting with their inner Demons there.

Zengar Zombolt

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Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #368 on: December 17, 2009, 12:59:37 PM »
My take on Gengetsu is probably quite a bit out there, since by this interpretation, Gengetsu is essentially created by the heroine. Whoulda thunk it?
...
Holy shit
It all makes sense
The characters had nothing to do there
They were pretty bored by the looks of it after beating Mugetu
So they create a more powerful enemy to beat her up and have some fun
WHY IS THIS SO FITTING

Fightest

  • Fighter than anyone else
Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #369 on: December 17, 2009, 01:17:28 PM »
Heh, Touhou seems to be getting more and more deconstructionist by the day. Jung states that dreams have one of two purposes: compensation or wish-fulfillment. Most likely not the former, Gengetsu is an archetypal enemy that was formed to accomodate the heroines' boredom. As a dream-created entity, her personality would have aspects of the heroines themselves, as Freud states something along the lines that every character in a dream is a fragment of the dreamer himself.

Finally, this being Gensokyo, it would be no surprise that the entity that was created acquired self-awareness.

Solais

  • Developer fairy
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Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #370 on: December 17, 2009, 08:09:16 PM »
This makes two theories:

- Gengetsu is Not Real

-OR-

- Rin Satsuki is pretty much Real

Moerin

  • What's punk? It's an explosion of suppressed dissatisfaction.
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Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #371 on: December 17, 2009, 08:16:38 PM »
Or...

GENGETSU IS RIN SATSUKI OH MY GOD!

...Ahem.

On a more serious note... I have to say that that's my favourite analysis thus far, Fightest.  I've always thought of Gengetsu (and, by extension, her sister) as something... Unlike anything else encountered in the entire series.  Like there was something... Different, something utterly alien about them.  The idea of her being a figment of the characters' imaginations made real is a very fascinating one to me.

Excellent work~  You really have topped yourself this time~
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Byakuren Hijiri

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Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #372 on: December 17, 2009, 08:24:06 PM »
Can I say this is a nice thread? It is. Have not read everything, but once I have time, I will do so.

Nobu

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Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #373 on: December 17, 2009, 09:03:05 PM »
Can I say this is a nice thread? It is. Have not read everything, but once I have time, I will do so.

This is pretty much how I feel. :V It's an interesting thing you've got going here, but there's soooo much to catch up on. @_@
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Miasma Melancholy

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Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #374 on: December 18, 2009, 04:28:26 AM »
...

After reading this, Satori's theme really scares me now.

Montblanc

  • I'll drive my toe into your eye socket,
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Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #375 on: December 18, 2009, 09:41:59 AM »
I read everything. Everything.

Mind=blown

Also, jumping on the bandwagon and requesting Reincarnation, Complete Darkness, Strawberry Crisis!!, VANISHING DREAM ~ LOST DREAM, Sailor of Time, and Now, Until the Moment You Die.

Miasma Melancholy

  • Innocent Deadly Flower
    • Team Fantasy Maiden
Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #376 on: December 18, 2009, 04:55:29 PM »
I read everything. Everything.

Mind=blown

Also, jumping on the bandwagon and requesting Reincarnation, Complete Darkness, Strawberry Crisis!!, VANISHING DREAM ~ LOST DREAM, Sailor of Time, and Now, Until the Moment You Die.

This, as well as Sleeping Terror.

Fightest

  • Fighter than anyone else
Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #377 on: December 18, 2009, 08:17:02 PM »
This, as well as Sleeping Terror.

Already called, yeah. It's gonna be in alternate themes.

TheMasterSpark

  • Lunatic lemurialist
Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #378 on: December 19, 2009, 05:46:25 PM »
What you've done so far is nothing short of awesome, Fightest. If you find some time and will to do it later, an interpretation of A Drunkard's Lemuria from Uwabami Breakers would be very cool as well. :)

Fightest

  • Fighter than anyone else
Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #379 on: December 22, 2009, 08:23:33 PM »
Having finished Lotus Land Story I move onto Phantasmagoria of Dimensional Dream. At this moment, I feel like I'm grabbing the biggest bull with the pointiest horns in town, as the next character is... *drumroll*

Mima ? Reincarnation

More than anything else, this track feels like a collection of images of different aspects of Mima?s existence due to the immense contrast in tone between the three major parts. I should emphasize the degree of difference here, as I feel it says something about her ? the different stories that these parts tell show a completely different Mima every time, and because these are parts of one character it suggests an immense depth to her, the possession of an ancient trove of life experience that she holds clear in her mind, letting her age and knowledge shape her. I will explore the three different stories presented in this piece and hope to get some consistent characteristics out of them. Before I continue I?ll note that the piece does a single repeat where every part is the same bar the first one. The changed part I?ll ignore as it essentially serves as an extended introduction to the repeat?s second part.

The first part is the longest and most melodically developed of the three. The tempo is slow, although a degree of urgency is added by the quick accompaniment, and the mood is quite mysterious. The latter is carried out by virtue of the ending chord in each little phrase being a non-tonic chord, thus leading the listener along, offering a tidbit of resolution here and there, but never quite reaching a final goal. The key is mostly minor, making this segment feel quite somber, but, due to the lack of a powerful accompaniment, the atmosphere avoids being oppressive. It?s a very private piece of music, showing a ponderous thought process going on in one?s mind, each chord logically going from one to another, never making leaps of faith. All sorts of thought flit about, some darker than others, and the thinker is being very careful at keeping all these feelings and emotions within themselves. If I may make comparisons to the Major Arcana in Tarot, here Mima plays the role of the withdrawn Hermit, looking within herself for answers and resolutions. Here, she is utterly alone; the center of her own solipsistic universe, and the power that she gets from the resulting self-comprehension is undeniable.

The second part is far shorter, but far brighter and prominent. Punctuated with strong chords every second beat, this part is a powerful declaration, a dedicated march in a single, focused direction. The key is major and thus this entire segment carries a more positive tone. The instrumentation is what makes this part stand out, as the accompanying sound is close to that of a harpsichord, a baroque keyboard instrument whose characteristic is that its strings are plucked, never allowing for smooth transitions between notes. This part is Mima with a goal to be achieved. She will tend to be old-fashioned in her approaches ? more specifically, she established her approaches a long time ago and never found any reason to deviate from tried-and-true methods. Mima enjoys a good challenge, and will put her all into overcoming it. She will go out of her way to find these challenges, as overcoming them gives her a sense of satisfaction. She doesn?t hide these feelings, and is, in fact, very open about this ? probably the strongest emotions that she shows revolve around this - which might lead to others seeing her as being perpetually confrontational and even maybe belligerent when the challenges involve other people and their property. A good way to summarise would be to say that when she does something, she does it mind, body and soul.

The third part is Mima in all-out action. Focused and determined, the motif has exactly one rhythmic structure that enforces the obedience of the few broken chords that serve as the melody. The key is, once again, major, and the whole segment has an upbeat, maybe even a little careless feel due to the staccato notes. This carelessness combined with the determined focus gives a picture of Mima being utterly confident in herself to the point of being perhaps a bit foolhardy and arrogant. There is usually little malice in her actions, however, and make no mistake, her actions have been very thoroughly thought through.

In conclusion, the confident old-fashioned-ness that Mima projects suggests a great age to her, with her having a vast collection of experiences to draw from. Considering the contrast between the darker inner and lighter outer attitudes she has it is likely that she is still struggling with the issues that emerge from being as old as she is ? world-weariness and cynicism ? but her optimistic attitude and passion for difficulty and challenges easily carry her through these issues every time they arise.

Solais

  • Developer fairy
  • is working for a game developer now.
Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #380 on: December 22, 2009, 09:31:50 PM »
Being one of my most favorite themes from Touhou, I was thinking a lot about Reincarnation in the past. The three parts for me were like: The first part is about Mima when she was Alive, the middle part is her "Reincarnation" to a spirit, and the last part is herself Now.

Also, somehow from your depiction of Mima, I got a feeling that she's a lot like Marisa, or and older Marisa. What is interesting.   

Fightest

  • Fighter than anyone else
Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #381 on: December 24, 2009, 10:48:14 AM »
shameless bump

I'll be on holidays from today onwards, so my extremely punctual and regular updates (:V) will be on hiatus until beginning January.

Fightest

  • Fighter than anyone else
Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #382 on: January 05, 2010, 08:32:17 AM »
Fightest Sign - Thread Resurrection Butterfly!

Ellen - Tabula Rasa ~ The Empty Girl

Even before reading her profile on the wiki, I would have pegged Ellen as not all there due to the usual criterion that comes up every once in a while - the constant repetition of a motif over and over without pause for interruption or development is present in this piece, especially towards the second half. Reading her as an almost-immortal who regularly loses her memory qualifies her for not-all-there status rather neatly, as well as conveniently providing the nature of her disorder. Interestingly, depending on interpretation, this can paint the whole piece in a rather heartbreaking tone, which I will discuss later.

The entire piece is strongly melody-centric. What little texture there is in the accompaniment is there for basic harmonic support, and this allows the melody to stand as the centerpiece throughout the whole thing. An interesting feature of the melody is that there are almost no meaningful pauses in it bar the one that separates the first and the second parts. The melody just keeps on going, never repeating itself, and expressing a good-natured, perhaps a little happy-go-lucky train of thought that never really idles in one place. It?s important to note that practically the whole piece is in major ? there is nary an ill intention in the whole thing. I feel these few properties paint Ellen as an ultimately positive, if somewhat airheaded person for whom the glass is always half-full.

What put me on edge are the final bits of the first half and the whole second half of the piece. Anyone will notice that the piece becomes far less varied, preferring to focus on one short motif, repeating it in a variety of textures and ?instrumentations?. It is as if the piece suddenly loses all personality and puts on a templated positive appearance, an idiot grin on the surface where there?s nothing underneath. In spite of this positive fa?ade, a truth begins to emerge ? Ellen?s condition is quite the curse. She will never develop as a person, as she never remembers the hardships she goes through, always retaining her charming naivet?, but, worst of all, neither will she remember all the positive things that happen to her either. She will never remember new friends, or personal achievements. The piece is incredibly aptly-named, for she will always remain a Tabula Rasa ? a blank slate, forever breaking the hearts of anyone whom she makes friends with and forgets them soon after, all the while remaining positive and cheery.

Flandrenonymous

  • Onee~, what's an Extra Boss?
Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #383 on: January 05, 2010, 04:56:35 PM »
Wow.

Considering the character comes off as simply an amusing ditz and comical, that's....very depressing.

Then again, when I listen back to the actual song, it doesn't exactly feel like it holds much cheer either, and it's not the limited PC-98 instrumentation that does it.

Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #384 on: January 06, 2010, 02:21:52 AM »
About your Reincarnation analysis, did you use the original version from PoD.D? Because I always get a much different feeling from the song than what you wrote. Were you listening to ZUN's depressing arrange from Dolls in Pseudo Paradise?

Fightest

  • Fighter than anyone else
Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #385 on: January 06, 2010, 07:31:54 AM »
About your Reincarnation analysis, did you use the original version from PoD.D? Because I always get a much different feeling from the song than what you wrote. Were you listening to ZUN's depressing arrange from Dolls in Pseudo Paradise?

I was using the core version, to my knowledge. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hws4X0skF1Y. I've been trying my best to avoid remixes for the moment.

Fightest

  • Fighter than anyone else
Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #386 on: January 11, 2010, 08:42:24 PM »
Looking over this one, my thoughts are all over the place. This track wasn't the easiest to decipher and write about.

Kotohime - Maniacal Princess

This hard-to-crack piece, for me, reveals something about the nature of solitude and what effects it has on those experiencing it. Once again I will play the card of youkai being approximately similar to humans in terms of psychological construction (with an additional supernatural calling based on their nature) and try to understand what Kotohime is all about. I will note the wiki's statement that Kotohime is somehow "weird" to everyone who encounters her and attempt to decipher just what it is that is weird about her, considering our roster of other characters (in this game at least) being a vengeful ghost, an apparently immortal blank slate girl and the shrine maiden/witch comedy duo.

Throughout the piece, and in the first part in particular, the instrumentation jumps out as the first unusual aspect. They were prevalent in Mystic Square, but the resonant, echoing tones that are present here are so far unique, and indicative of someone ethereal, otherworldly. This feeling is reinforced by the curious reversal in melody and accompaniment - the former is usually high-pitched and the former low-pitched, whereas the opposite is true in this case. Such a change in roles certainly speaks of an unusual mentality, an approach to things that, whilst sensible from the point of view of the one doing it, is rather alien to outsiders.
The tone of the first segment is quite sombre, despite its twinkling accompaniment - the key is minor, the pitch of the melody low and there is very little variety in melody and accompaniment. All of these combine, to me, to speak of stagnation and solitude, an inability to develop due to lack of external influence. Oddly, this does not reflect poorly on Kotohime herself, as we'll see in the next part of the piece, and in the pseudo-loop section.

The second part undergoes a change of tempo and instrumentation, the main melody being played by an unusual mandolin-like instrument which makes the melody unusually lyrical, yet down-to-earth with its flat sound lacking in resonance. This section is very strongly convicted to itself, the tempo never dropping, the melody always holding strong due to the technique used to keep long notes going. It is as if this part shows Kotohime's dedication to her purpose that she maintains constantly, yet almost subconsciously. The wiki mentions that she collects things, and if we take into account the name of the track, it's entirely possible that she has a mania of sorts - probably a compulsive need to do something - that developed due to her solitary existence. She does not consciously fulfill her need to collect things, yet she does so with dedication - that's what this section says, to me. Curiously though, she holds no complexes relating to the issue - she is entirely comfortable with her situation, and this, I feel, is the core of her weirdness: she has an otherworldly intensity combined with inexperience with strangers, yet she is also a balanced person that is in touch with herself.

When I mentioned the pseudo-loop, I was talking about the part which essentially repeats the first two segments (first minute or so), yet adds a few embellishments here or there. This, to me, says that Kotohime doesn't grow outwards, but, rather, inwards, never really changing her appearance or mannerisms, but refining what she has, adding things here, trimming others there. She is a perfect hermit, withdrawn from society and alien to those she encounters, but in her own way she is totally in touch with herself and the nature around her.

RainfallYoshi

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Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #387 on: January 11, 2010, 10:24:48 PM »
I didn't think it was possible for me to love Kotohime more but you've made it happen. This analysis brings a lot more depth to Kotohime and shows that she's not a maniac. I've always viewed her as "that eccentric girl that is into weird things but is actually rather smart".

For some reason this makes me think of Lucca from Chrono Trigger... but perhaps it's only because I can't think of a better fit at the moment.

Fightest

  • Fighter than anyone else
Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #388 on: January 24, 2010, 09:59:49 PM »
Holy crap, have I let this stagnate.

Kana Anaberal - Vanishing Dream ~ Lost Dream

According to the wiki, Kana is a poltergeist that came into existence from the mind of someone who is mentally ill. This is an important point to keep in mind when analyzing this piece, as the concept of a poltergeist, brought into contrast with the piece itself, really brings out her character features.

The piece is strongly lyrical, always emphasizing the melody over the accompaniment. The melody flows strongly and smoothly, with few interruptions whether by disharmony or actual pauses, and the accompaniment never rises above the melody. Now, one would expect a poltergeist to be mischievous at best, downright vengeful at worst - either way a melody associated with such a behaviour would be unsettling, overbearing, maybe even disorientingly unstructured; certainly not have the gentle, sometimes melancholic character of this piece. Immediately I am led to think that Kana is an oddity, someone who fights against her very nature, yet never seems to show it on the outside, occasionally only letting slip a hint of her internal struggle. Why does she do so? I believe that the structure and content of the piece can hint at that.

The piece has three characteristic parts, distinct from one another, yet sharing melodic and harmonic qualities that show that they all are parts of a single, undivided whole. Unlike that of the person that spawned her, Kana's mind is whole and healthy. Each melody is well-developed, increasing in complexity from the rather simple first part to the almost elaborate third part, which hints at a quickly developing character, one with reason and intelligence, able to learn and evolve from experience.

I would like to put forward my personal take on Kana's existence. Starting from the piece's name, which uses the word "dream" twice, and considering the nature of Gensokyo, I would postulate that Kana was created from the dreams of the mentally ill person. Jung states that a person's unconscious often manifests in dreams as the anima, and serves as a balancing factor for the conscious. He postulates that dreams serve as either wish-fulfillment or compensation to ensure the balance of the mind. Perhaps then, due to the strong unbalance of the mind, the anima - Kana - was thus able to manifest. In that case, it would be Kana's objective to fulfill those things that the mentally ill person could not - experiences, emotions, steady thought and reason. Hence the melodies are so calm and collected.

Then what about her being a poltergeist? It most likely stems from the mental illness as well: the person rails against the affliction, unable to fight it, and this hostility spreads initially into the nature of the dream-manifestation that is Kana.

Hence the bizarre duality in Kana's existence - her nature is to be angry and vengeful, but yet her function is to balance and aid. Acquiring self-awareness, this turns into a vicious internal struggle that she keeps strictly within herself. We see the suffering that this causes her in the calm melancholy across each segment of the piece, yet this never develops into anything stronger than that, showing remarkable mental strength.

Thus Kana wanders, experiencing exotic places and many emotions, responding to them with an enthusiastic, but calm intelligence. All this she does to perform her role - that of a guiding and aiding entity, a weight on the other end of the balance, to a single, ill person. We do not know if her efforts are rewarded, yet she never complains or rebels against her lot. Perhaps the piece title is some indication - maybe she's even forgotten why she does what she does in the first place, losing touch with herself, her self-assurance through action fading, along with her own existence. Perhaps she will eventually disappear entirely.

Solais

  • Developer fairy
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Re: Characters, music, personalities.
« Reply #389 on: January 24, 2010, 10:15:18 PM »
This reminds me of the EWI video WiNN did, where she does disappears at the end.