Visionary Fairies in Shrine latest chapter discussion

[Polaris]

Thought it would be nice to have a thread dedicated to discussing new chapters of the manga as they come out. I thought the latest chapter (chapter 10) in particular was especially interesting so I feel like we could have some interesting discussion. Any thoughts?

[Shizzo]

Hidden Star in Four Seasons 2 is looking pretty great so far!

Heh, jokes aside, I've really enjoyed the cameos in this episode.  There's been a ton of them compared to previous chapters, I'm impressed.

[Suspicious person]

Personally, I'm just glad that the manga became monthly. I was kinda worried that it'd take 6 month for the last story (chapter 9) to fully develop, especially with the coming back of the FS formula where we get a setup in a first chapter and a resolution in a second one.

Anyway, I feel like the latest chapter (chapter 10 9.5 or 9 part 2, whatever ...) brought a number of clarification and some new stuff (but nothing TOO important), particularly regarding the fact that

Spoiler:

the true nature of Clownpiece's madness inducing power is essentially her messing with other people's lifeforces, consistent with fairies' lifeforce powers ; and the fact that Larva somehow got hold of some of the unusual lifeforce from HSiFS and is pretty good at actively making use of it, unlike some people ; and the fact that giant butterfly wings apparently double as a coat ; and the fact that Eternity seems to have both a sense of reserve and actual common sense (omg Piece you *don't* start trouble around the police

; all in all a pretty ordinary chapter : nothing too major happened, some new-but-not-groundbreaking revelations were given. Maybe the thing that you could consider to be somewhat "major" that happened in this chapter is

Spoiler:

Clownpiece meeting Eternity

: what new horizons does that opens, particularly in regards to the possible mischiefs or games that could be done in the future ? Or stuff happening in general, idk.

There doesn't seem to be some sort of supper hidden secret implication in this chapter (chapter 10) that already weren't in the previous chapters imo. Compared to other touhou stuff like SSiB or WaHH, this seems to be a pretty transparent and self explanatory Touhou manga. So, all in all, uh, not much to say that hasn't already been said in the manga  :X



Anyway, on a side note, while it has already been fairly obvious, this chapter makes it even more evident that lifeforce is gonna be the central theme for this manga series. This makes me wonder if we'll get Narumi and / or Okina in the future to give an expert perspective on lifeforce, or at least to give some manner of demonstration of their ability towards it.

Also is it me or the three fairies are getting their manga hijacked from them

[Polaris]

Yeah I like that this manga in particular has the much stronger theme of lifeforce being under the fairies' control, compared to the previous iterations of the three fairies' manga. I dunno why it took until this chapter to realize it but in retrospect it's really obvious from previous chapters, with the Hanasaka Jii-san chapter and the Tanabata chapter and fairies doing some crazy things.

I think the reveal this chapter also recontextualizes Hecatia having Clownpiece stay in Gensokyo. At first it seemed to be going for Piece being an outsider that doesn't really fit in (having this weird power of making people go mad and being generally un-fairy-like) with the story eventually having her fit in, but now we know that her power is something that's extremely fairy-like when used in the right way (which really puts her in the running for, dare I say it, the strongest fairy). So it could turn into less of an "outsider finding her place in Gensokyo" story and more of a "going back to her fairy roots" story?

^ also that's a good point about Narumi and/or Okina showing up, I never actually considered that they could show up in this manga but they'd definitely fall right into place thematically. Makes me excited for future chapters more than I've ever been for the previous fairy mangas.

It also makes me wonder if ZUN planned all this out in advance or if he's just making it up as he goes along, and either way it's pretty impressive how well everything ended up being tied together.

[Clarste]

Fairies controlling lifeforce is pretty much spelled out in narration in chapter 3.

[the old guy]

All I'm hoping is that ZUN finally does something with the hint that Larva is a descended Deity.

[andykhang]

And I'm hoping that Star could be related to some aincient star goddess, but that isn't nessesary going to leave it with good character. Zun might just leave those hint as hint alone and that's that, and that could actually make the character more mysterious.

[PK]

https://twitter.com/hirasaka8/status/974180128782565376

Damn.

[Polaris]

The tweet states that the next chapter will come out in April as per the original schedule (instead of March), and then after that the issues will come one month earlier, so the next next chapter is in June.

Was the February chapter just a special case? I don't really know what's going on :v

[PK]

One month earlier?
You mean it goes June-September-December etc, or it's actually a month less between chapters, making it bimonthly like WaHH?

[Polaris]

The first one, I think.

[the old guy]

And I'm hoping that Star could be related to some aincient star goddess, but that isn't nessesary going to leave it with good character. Zun might just leave those hint as hint alone and that's that, and that could actually make the character more mysterious.

This is late, but:
Larva being hinted as an deity is something that was literally stated in the game she was revealed in. Not like the weird thing you said about Star.

ZUN not telling us more about that would be counter productive, she's not like Sakuya, who's mysteriousness is a part of her character. Larva has been chosen by ZUN to be a major character in a manga all about the fairies, it would be a odd choice to not use that as an plot point somewhere, implied or not. Plus that stuff she did with Clownpiece's powers feels like ZUN is hinting at it in some indirect way.

I'm just interested in the story that could be told about that. Imagine if this manga ended with Okina paying Larva a visit, giving her some sort of offer that she rejects because it requires her to abandon her friends.

[Clarste]

For the record, my assumption whenever a fairy does anything big and notable is that they're acting as an avatar of nature itself. They've always had this power, they're just too dumb to use it effectively.

[Lebon14]

So, actually chapter 10 just came out. You know where to read it. (last two chapters were chapter 9)

And huh.

Spoiler:

I get the feeling that a new incident is brewing up. It'll be in Hell but there are chances that it affects Gensokyo directly.

.

[PK]

Wooh, this

Spoiler:

definitely smells like an incoming incident. And with Hecatia and Hell itself no less! I hope it doesn't get resolved offscreen.

[CyberAngel]

I doubt whatever is being foreshadowed will be resolved in the manga. It just feels too out of place. So I guess it can be a sign of

Spoiler:

playable Piece in a future game

.

[Polaris]

Spoiler:

tbh I feel like it would be a little out of place for Touhou for Hell's affairs to spill over into Gensokyo, even if it was in a game. But then again, I guess th15 had a relatively "serious" incident around the Lunar Capital, so maybe it'll be something like that, where .

Spoiler:

Also it looks like Hecatia was wearing her Earth hat in this chapter, which was a fun little detail.

[PK]

According to Hirasaka's tweets, it seems like he's doing the "chapter split in 2 parts" thing again. This means the second half is supposedly next month.
Also he mentions this time's story being important for Touhou's and VFiS's future development...?

[Lebon14]

"important" is a very underwhelming word with Zun. I wouldn't expect anything.

[PK]

Can't argue with that :V

Anyway, the whole Hell thing seems to be relevant and might be leading to a game or a big narrative arc, and Hirasaka also says this story is quite long and will be going on for 4 chapters or something like that.
Since VFiS is quarterly (at least theoretically), it means that it should be complete in a year. This also coincides with the time we should be expecting another main game announcement from ZUN (one every 2 years).
So yeah, maybe this won't be "Touhou as a whole will be changed" important, but it might at least serve as the next game introduction.

[Suspicious person]

So much cynicism and indifference inside the latest Chapter 11. I see that although the land may bear the color of fantasy, it's denizens' hearts still be made of stone ... THIS is what happens when you let your children play too much danmaku games ...

Anyway, it seems that a lot of things may potentially go wrong, and oh so TERRIBLY wrong. In any case, it has been quite a while since I last read the older three fairies manga so I do not quite remember the circumstances that lead them to live where they are now, but I still kinda remember that their home tree(?) plays some sort of important-ish role when it comes to supporting the barrier.

Incidentally, if - big assumption here -

Spoiler:

Clownpiece letting the flame part of her torch rest on the tree of the three fairies end up burning the tree

(like I said big assumption here), could that have some sort of unintended big effect and weaken the barrier ? Or we just get a minor

Spoiler:

fire

incident that get resolved in a jiffy. Like, maybe the

Spoiler:

Kappa are going to get dragged into the possible fire issue and solve it for everyone

in the next chapter or something ; and something happens with Clownpiece cuz she seems to have a bit of consciousness and decency unlike some other people (cue possible character developement ? Or nah, cuz she's a fairy ? Eh, we'll see)



Also this comes a bit late, but regarding the thing about the

Spoiler:

Hell power struggle

introduced in Chapter 10 ... AFiEU Hecatia gives off this impression that she is not particularly interested in power but is more than glad to make use of it. Maybe this really is still about giving a good time to Clownpiece, but some sort of super big reason was needed to keep Clownpiece motivated, and the thing about the

Spoiler:

Hell power struggle

kinda popped up as a convenient explanation ? Or she was serious all around, but c'mon, it's Hecatia. Like, maybe since

Spoiler:

Hell is a meritocracy

, introducing a Super buff Fairy familiarised with powers that people down there don't exactly understand AND get said Fairy (who is on her side btw) to snatch some kind of important position amidst the

Spoiler:

power struggle

could be a power play that basically gives Hecatia more power and control over

Spoiler:

Hell

without having to do much of her own.

Personally, the way I view the reason why Hecatia puts Clownpiece in Gensokyo goes pretty much along the lines of how Shiiekeieeiek views things : primarily to give Clownpiece a good time. The rest, however seemingly important they may be, are actually secondary.

Also let's see if ZUN still remembers that Kishin chief Suiki dude is a thing, if he decides to give him some manner of relevance

[Lebon14]

Anyway, it seems that a lot of things may potentially go wrong, and oh so TERRIBLY wrong. In any case, it has been quite a while since I last read the older three fairies manga so I do not quite remember the circumstances that lead them to live where they are now, but I still kinda remember that their home tree(?) plays some sort of important-ish role when it comes to supporting the barrier.

Incidentally, if - big assumption here -

Spoiler:

Clownpiece letting the flame part of her torch rest on the tree of the three fairies end up burning the tree

(like I said big assumption here), could that have some sort of unintended big effect and weaken the barrier ? Or we just get a minor

Spoiler:

fire

incident that get resolved in a jiffy. Like, maybe the

Spoiler:

Kappa are going to get dragged into the possible fire issue and solve it for everyone

in the next chapter or something ; and something happens with Clownpiece cuz she seems to have a bit of consciousness and decency unlike some other people (cue possible character developement ? Or nah, cuz she's a fairy ? Eh, we'll see)

You're reading waaaaaaaay too much into this.

Spoiler:

Clowpiece is known to have control over the flame.

In VFiS chapter 5, it's implied that

Spoiler:

Clownpiece is in control of its hellfire. So, her putting her stick next to the tree means nothing unless SHE decides that the fire starts burning the tree. So, that renders the point moot.

As for the Kappa side of things,

Spoiler:

they're just taking advantage of the amount of water of the ravine. They caught the fairies laughing at them and will take them as immortal scapegoats for their "ride". As for the title of the chapter, it might just reference the noise rapids does to a dragon, hence "pseudo-dragon"

.

The Hell portion of things is not relevent yet. Until proven otherwise of course.

[Suspicious person]

Spoiler:

Clowpiece is known to have control over the flame.

In VFiS chapter 5, it's implied that

Spoiler:

Clownpiece is in control of its hellfire. So, her putting her stick next to the tree means nothing unless SHE decides that the fire starts burning the tree. So, that renders the point moot.

? I don't believe there is an instance where it was mentioned that Clownpiece got the power to dictate her fire to selectively burn such or such thing in particular. Also fires are not necessarily stuff that can come only from the use of an ability. I don't also recall there being a moment where it was said that Clownpiece has some kind of fire regulating ability, her powers have always been that of insanity inducement by means of lifeforce disruption for those who stare too much into her fire.

Regarding the flame on Clownpiece's torch, Chapter 9 part 2 pretty much explain how it works :

Spoiler:

going by the remarks of Clownpiece, who's NEVER seen the torch be put off, it's pretty much safe to say it's a nigh inextinguishable fire ; and going by what the omniscient narrator says at the very end, the torch burns with the lifeforce of those who fell to Hell :

however special that sounds like, a flame is still a flame : it burns. Incidentally, that same chapter make it clear that

Spoiler:

Clownpiece herself does not exactly understand how her torch works and does not have complete and perfect control over it.

The thing that made me give the argument - which, like I mentionned up there, makes the supposition 

Spoiler:

that the tree house burns

- does not only take all of the above into account, but is also related to the unnatural and unarguably unnecessary close up of

Spoiler:

the flame part of Clownpiece's torch leaning against the three fairies home tree(?) :

as far as I'm concerned, there would be no reason to put an emphasis on that if there is literally no sort of implication that could be derived from it : getting to see something that you can already clearly see in the PREVIOUS panel is redundant and awkward.

So, if you put together

Spoiler:

a nigh inextinguishable fire, and the fact that Clownpiece don't have complete control over the fire, and the fact that Clownpiece is pretty much falling asleep, and the fact that the fire part of the torch is leaning on the tree house, and the fact that trees figures in the list of combustible things,

then you pretty much get the formula for a disaster,

Spoiler:

a disaster that could potentially be circumvented by Kappas, who are water specialists, who got themselves involved with the three fairies who own the house that might possibly be put on fire.

Anyway, that's my take on what could possibly come in the next chapter.

The thing about the barrier and the tree house might be reading a little bit too much, but eh, I'd still put it there purely for the reasons I listed previously. Likewise for the

Spoiler:

Hell

related speculation, that one in relation to another previous chapter that I didn't get to put my input on due to reasons.

[CyberAngel]

Plot twist:

Spoiler:

she just sets her clothes on fire by accident and runs towards the ravine to douse them. Fun water ride ensues. Also, she blames the trio for that just because.

Also, that last panel looks like it will definitely serve as a setup for an R-18 doujin.

[Lebon14]

I actually missed the fact that

Spoiler:

she fell asleep next to the 3 fairies tree

. I dunno how I miseed that tbh.

Plot twist:

Spoiler:

she just sets her clothes on fire by accident and runs towards the ravine to douse them. Fun water ride ensues. Also, she blames the trio for that just because.

That's probably the most probable outcome tbh.

[Lebon14]

New chapter is out. You know where to read it.

Spoiler:

Nothing tragic happened! Only comedy. Also one-piece swimsuit Marisa and fairies.

That fake-dragon scene though. lol

Cameos:

Spoiler:

Suwako, Sanae, Yuyuko, Youmu (+swimsuit), Sekibanki, Kogasa, Aunn, Sukuna, Aya (sneaky-sneaky), and one I couldn't identify (in the first group).

[CyberAngel]

Spoiler:

and one I couldn't identify (in the first group).

That's

Spoiler:

Ichirin, in her fighting game outfit.

There are also

Spoiler:

Rumia, Tewi, Reisen and Orin.

[PK]

After the last WaHH getting delayed to next month, looks like there's no VFiS this month either. Damnit.

[PK]

Spoiler:

More Hell-related stuff this time. Piece seemed pretty suspect tbh

[Lebon14]

Spoiler:

More Hell-related stuff this time. Piece seemed pretty suspect tbh

Yup.

Spoiler:

Like Clarste said on his tumblr, I pretty much suspect that these crystals they find are fairies. Obviously, because Zun, the three fairies of light are conveniently still alive. Stuff's getting intense!