Th07/omake.txt/en

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Touhou Youyoumu (Eastern Ghostly Dream)　Perfect Cherry Blossom

Afterword   Shanghai Alice Correspondence vol. 3

Team Shanghai Alice Leader ZUN 2003/08/17

There's lots of spoilers here, so if you haven't finished the game, read it or don't.

Also, the REAL spoilers are all collected in characters setting.txt. So, the people who read that should either have cleared the game, or not really care about the story.

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======================================================= 0. Omake Afterword Table of Contents

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1. Special Afterword 2. Secret Music Comments 3. Extra Stage Story

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======================================================= 1. Omake Afterword

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Nice to meet you, I'm ZUN. And for those of you I've already met, nice to not be meeting you, I'm ZUN. We've come now to my 7th work.

PCB ... isn't a very smart game. A lot more people have started playing my games, so it would have been nice to make something a lot more fanservicey, but in the end, it's just more of the same ...

Even the enemies' attacks, the dizzying danmaku, the hard modes where pattern recognition is indispensable to capturing, the spellcards that don't seem completable without lots of effort.

Of course, it's all on purpose. *g* Since it's a doujin game, it's not like the games companies put out these days that are geared towards getting users, but it's more like the old days where the developer just did whatever he wanted. Even if people do end up playing it.

It's easier to express yourself when thinking about things you like. I think this is an advantage on the side of doujin, or otherwise free, software. This is meant to be kind of like a limited-run commercial work, and I do enjoy playing commercial games.

So, the basic point of this game is to 1cc Normal, which is relatively easy. But, for those of you who can't clear the game, or perhaps those of you who don't play STG that much, it might be nice to play easy mode.

This time, you get the good ending even if you 1cc Easy, so you can finally get a good night's sleep *g*

Different people all have different goals (or limits). I suspect the differences are even more striking with respect to STG. I wonder what people have been able to clear Gensokyo's EXTRAs in the past? I'm really curious.

I suppose people who have cleared the extra stage on earlier games will have no problem with this game. Maybe it's even too easy. (By the way, it seems there are a lot of people who have 1cced Normal on their first try in this game...)

I hope that kind of person will continue to aim for a higher level of difficulty, and a higher goal. If they do so, they ought to discover this game's true form *g*

Fortunately, since it's so easy to distribute replays of PC games, it's also possible to enjoy watching replays over the scent of freshly-brewed tea.

Everyone's best form of amusement, and their goals, are all different; each person sets their own goals and works toward them. One can always enjoy watching the efforts towards their own goals of those who have attained a higher level than oneself. Isn't this also a fun thing about shooting games?

(Still, is it too easy? Well, I'm about at my limit ... )

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―― Do the sounds of Hourai disturb the sleep of spirits?

By the way, what do you think of the music this time? I was going for songs that were intense, emotional, and a little exotic. Well, I guess that's all I ever write. It's full of high tempo songs that can tire you out suddenly and don't have any sort of healing properties at all. Well, STG music has always been like that *g*

I started composing thinking it would be great to have music that had a super mature feel to it. I think the music has grown up about a year's worth compared to EoSD. I've gotten a year older, and the people who played EoSD have probably gotten at least a year older too, so...

Even so, normally I make Western style music that still has some Oriental elements in it, but this time I tried to make Oriental music that still somehow has Western-feeling elements in it.

Not being able to have things come out the way I want is a sure sign I'm no professional ^^;

Well, it's a blending of Eastern and Western, so...

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―― That cherry tree would never blossom again

So, PCB. Some of the contents might be hard to follow. None of the terminology is specific to the game, so there's no real good explanation of a lot of things in the game itself.

Still, if there are any terms you don't understand, you can consult a dictionary or look around online, so I don't think there's much of a problem, but due to the choices I've made, it may be more of a case of "the people who don't know don't know what they don't know".

Particularly, I chose to represent a lot of things (or phenomena) with danmaku; since that's a fairly abstract way of doing things, it may be hard to understand... (On the other hand, Touhou users probably have very strong imaginations, so maybe they understood too much ^^; )

Well, the story itself is very simple, anyone can enjoy it. (Whether they really understand the contents is something else.)

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―― Danmaku Barrier ~ Border of Shooting Games

It took too long for me to get Youyoumu out. I had lots of support for the demo version, so it didn't take as long, but...

The programming is the easiest part. Since there isn't much question of aesthetics, the results usually don't differ from my predictions, so everything normally goes according to plan. Compared to that, the music and art are... (--;

And that aside, now that I think of it, the alcohol level really piled up a lot, too. PCB is about 90% alcohol (well, same as ever). There are scenes where the Touhou characters are drinking, but underage drinkers will be punished, since there are laws against that sort of thing in Japan these days. Since there are no such things in Gensokyo, it's not a problem. (Underage drinking is not permitted by law in modern Japan, so I hope my underage users will abstain...)

Since there are no clear laws in that area, you might find it a bit dangerous. However, it's also possible to have peace where there are not many laws. (Except for the part about youkai eating humans :-b )

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―― Next time

I want to keep making the same types of work, but I wonder how long the world will let me do that. I guess I can only do the same thing over and over. Come to think of it, that's exactly right, is what I suppose I have to say (^^; Since I intend to keep doing the same thing.

(Well, I think people who have been playing Touhou for a long time realize that, but I wonder about those who have only been playing since EoSD...)

Honestly, I wonder if I just want to keep making the same thing over and over, replacing the story and game data, and making improvements over time. Maybe I could arrive at a new world by creating the same work and not being distracted by tomorrow's novelties. You know, more haste, less speed.

Well, in any case, if you don't mind that I hope we'll continue to get along well from here on m(__)m

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======================================================= 2. Music Comments

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=======================================================　Sounds are first recognized as songs when they're given a name. The nameless ones might just be coincidental mashes of sound. So, with that in mind, here are a few (extra) comments of mine.

♪1. Phantasms' Dreams　~ Snow or Cherry Petal It's the title screen music, so it's solemn. Is it snow or cherry blossoms that fall over Gensokyo? That's the meaning packed into this song title.

♪2. Paradise　~ Deep Mountain "Mukau no kyou". In a word, deep in the mountains, away from the village (Laughs)

♪3. Crystallize Silver An image of silver snow crystals. Definitely not crystals of silver.

♪4. The Fantastic Legend of Tohno Places deep in the mountains of Japan make me think of old man Yanagita. Is it an academic thing or an occult thing? Well, does it really matter?

♪5. Diao ye zong(withered leaf) Burnt orange. More of a fall thing than winter. Personally, cats bring to mind images of autumn. They don't like dealing with a harsh winter or summer, and even spring's freshness doesn't really suit them. That sort of image.

♪6. The Dollmaker of Bucharest Alice has dolls from many different places. I really wanted to write in some clay figures or terra cotta warriors.

♪7. Doll Judgement　~ The girl who plays with people's shapes If you throw away a broken doll, say, in the forest, it makes you shiver a little. That's probably because it's a doll in the shape of a person. Even if you find a broken human in the forest, it doesn't make you shiver. That's just disposing of a corpse, which is a lot easier to understand than disposing of a doll.

♪8. Heavenly Flower Capital We don't notice it, but the heavens are full of gardens, cities, castles, and birds. The truth is, the skies may be completely saturated, and we just don't know about it. We shouldn't fly passenger planes through the sky so lightly. (← afraid of heights)

♪9. Phantom Ensemble ~ Phantom Ensemble The phantom ensemble. By the way, poltergeists and phantoms as we Japanese think of them are a little different. They're the most pedestrian of the foreign spirits. They can hold musical performances without using their hands or feet or instruments, but they're not theremins. And even though they can make sound without instruments, they use them. As pointless as that is, it's absolutely wonderful. After all, ghosts themselves are pointless in the first place.

♪10. Eastern Mystic Dream　~ Ancient Temple An old temple. All of a sudden, the atmosphere and pace change with this song. This is the song that most directly expresses the feeling of this game, hence this title.

♪11. Wherein Hiroari Shoots a Strange Bird　~ Till When? Needless to say, Hiroari refers to the famous youkai bird hunter Oki no Jirouzaemon Hiroari. The image of the song was that mysterious youkai, hence the feel of the song. "Till When?" is just a pun, pay it no mind (Sweats)

♪12. Ultimate Truth Ultimate reality. That is, absolute truth. Though, it's not that magnificent of a song...

♪13. Bloom Nobly, Cherry Blossom of Sumizome　~ Border of Life It's good to have an easy to understand Japanese title. It's a very straightforward name. There's nothing more to say. Is this, too, the cherry tree's charm...?

♪14. Border of Life The boundary between life and death. For proof of life to be possible, there must be the dead. So, there is no living thing that won't die. If something isn't alive it can't die, and something that can't die isn't alive either. I believe the true state of life is this unyielding state of limbo.

♪15. Phantasms' Domination Pronounced "yoyo-bakko". When they first become youkai, all creatures enter a world where they do as they please. In this world, even humans, lords of creation that they are, are trifling creatures.

♪16. Maiden's Illusionary Funeral　~ Necro-Fantasy Many ways to bury the dead have been devised according to different regions, climates, and religions. There's cremation, interment, open burial, and now even consecration to space. I think it would be fun to play a trick by leaving in my last will and testament instructions to perform an "illusionary funeral" (please don't)

♪17. Phantasms' Domination　~ Who done it? Or, whodunit. I don't really know too much about foreign languages, but it seems the proper usage is "Who did it?" It turns out to be this character who shows up suddenly at the end, which seems pretty unreasonable.

♪18. Necrofantasia Necro-Fantasia: a fantasia of death. It sounds pretty hardcore. You can't savor death while you're still alive. Death is always a phantasm to the living.

♪19. Dream of a Spring Breeze A spring breeze can't help but scatter the cherry blossoms. Whether you're asleep or awake, can you find such a breeze unpleasant?

♪20. Sakura Sakura　~ Japanize Dream... Among all of our well-known songs, I think Sakura Sakura is the most Japanese-style. Something's been bothering me, though: is the song called "Sakura Sakura", or just "Sakura"? Or is it something else entirely? I just can't remember...

3. Extra Stage Story

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This is the Hakurei Shrine, which lies on the border of Gensokyo. Even the cherry blossoms have finally reached their full bloom, out of season. The near-daily flower viewings, too, have begun to lose their sense of novelty, and are slowing back to normal frequency.

To the extent that this was a normal daily life, or perhaps that it was a futile way of life, Reimu realized that it was all simply for fun.

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Reimu: "Flower viewings are nice, but..."

Yuyuko: "But?"

Reimu: "There have been more ghosts lately." Marisa: "Man, I'm tired of flower viewings and phantom viewings."

Yuyuko: "They're all coming to see the world of the living that they left so long ago. It's sightseeing, which they don't get to do very often."

Marisa: "Well, it's nice that the shrine finally has so many visitors." Reimu: "But nobody's leaving any donations."

Yuyuko: "Phantoms don't believe in the powers of the gods. Going to shrines is just like a field trip for them."

Reimu: "Maybe I'd better get to exorcising..."

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This shrine that receives few human visitors had somehow become a popular sightseeing spot for the ghosts. Around that time, a particularly out-of-place human came to visit the shrine.

Sakuya: "So this is where you were, ghost princess." Yuyuko: "Who, me? What business might a maid like you have here?" Marisa: "With this ghost-infested shrine, humans sure seem outta place."

Reimu: "How rude!"

Sakuya: "While you've been drinking tea in such a hyon place unbothered, the rest of us have been flooded over with ghosts from the Netherworld. They must be mistaken somehow since they came close to the mansion, so I came here looking for you to complain." Yuyuko: "I haven't just been sitting around this hyon place and drinking tea. I have already requested that the barrier of the Netherworld be repaired." Marisa: "Then why're ya lazing around this hyon place? You won't be able to get home soon, y'know?"

Reimu: "Who are you calling hyon?"

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Then one more person came seeking the princess of the dead. Or rather, not a person, but perhaps one half of a person.

Youmu: "Lady Yuyuko! Why are you in such a myon place... Anyway, something bad happened.
 * note= "Myon-na" is a portmanteau of "hyon-na" (unexpected) and "myou-na" (strange).

Reimu: "It sounds like you've been listening to us since before."

Youmu: "?? Anyway, even though we asked her to mend the border, it looks like she's still sleeping."

Yuyuko: "Well, she does sleep all winter. But, it seems it's been spring for a while now." Youmu: "It hasn't been spring in this world for very long."

Marisa: "Yeah, and it's your fault." Yuyuko: "I'll just go visit and wake her up myself. This happens every year, doesn't it?"

Human x3: "It's not fine."

Youmu: "But instead, strange people have been coming to the Netherworld.

That person, what was she? A helper? Her familiar? Someone like that is going out of control."

Yuyuko: "Well, can't you just cut her down good with your sword?"

Youmu: "What? How absurd. There's no way I could draw my sword against someone in service to a friend of Milady."

Reimu: "Then why don't I go teach her a lesson?" Sakuya: "Then I will cut her down good." Marisa: "Real good."

Yuyuko: "Well then, I'll leave it to all of you." Youmu: "Is it really okay? Isn't she your friend's servant?" Yuyuko: "The servant of a friend is not my friend."

Reimu: "Well, if you're all going to the Netherworld, there's no use in me bothering, right?" Sakuya: "What are you talking about? I'm too busy for this." Marisa: "I don't really care, but I'm not just gonna go in place of you. Why don't we solve this with a game of rock-paper-scissors?"

Reimu: "How conventional." Sakuya: "Indeed."

Marisa: "Okay, then whoever doesn't cheat has to go."

Reimu: "Sounds good." Sakuya: "I'm fine with that."

All 3: "Rock, paper..."

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And so, the three humans traversed the boundary between this world and the weakened Netherworld. They also wound up having to restore order in the Netherworld. Even as they set out, the princess of the dead would stay here at this myon shrine, or not, doing as she pleased.

Yuyuko: "In any case, Youmu. She is a shikigami, not a familiar. They are rather similar though."

Youmu: "Why aren't you doing anything about it, Lady Yuyuko?"

Yuyuko: "My, I believe I did leave cleaning the garden up to a certain someone."

Youmu: "Myon!"

The ghosts failed to tell the humans that the real danger wasn't the shikigami but the melancholy is.