Summary
: “Kamui’s remains, turned into Swiss cheese by the sharpshooters, were quickly dealt with by the crime scene clean-up crew. Following Kamui’s death, there were, obviously, no big changes felt within society.”
: “And all those media crews that had followed Kamui so closely were stubbornly silent. As Kamui was executed, so too were the words of the people.”
: “And the few who saw hope in Kamui also lost a part of themselves. I, too… lost a part of myself. And so… Kusabi, Morikawa, and Chizuru from the 24 Wards HC Unit were never seen again after Kamui’s execution.”
: “And in the midst of this commotion, a single man kept at his work. It was Timrod…”
: Damn right. I’ve been watching though a partial LP of Flower Sun and Rain recently, and all I can say is that we’re lucky that this version of The Silver Case even exists.
: Originally, Suda had wanted a DS port of this game. Thankfully, that never happened, though it might’ve made the localization of the DS version of FSR less garbage.
From: Tokio Morishima
To: Timrod
Subject:
Date:
I guess you realize that, up until now, we never really got along very well. And now? To be honest, I’m really not sure.
But whatever the case, I’ve decided to trust you. To entrust you with the future, if you don’t mind the cliche. But this is not an exaggeration. The future was once something that unexpectedly changed from one hand to another. Like a roll of the dice.
There’s a man called Kinjo. He’s an expert in illegal investigations and he heads his own illicit organization, and the HC unit has been working with him. Well, actually, the organization is technically legal. Anyway, he should be able to explain quite a few things to you. After that, you’ll probably understand what it is that you need to do. Or at least, that’s what I think.
And the die will be cast again. Thanks. And, I guess… you’re not so bad after all.
: This is the same place that Big Dick visited at the end of Kamuidrome.
: On the fourth floor, just outside the Flower Sun and Rain reference, is the first Kurayami Dance. In case you missed it, I explained this whole thing two posts up.
: If you’d like to read Kurayami Dance for yourself, the people at that “believeinthenet” site translated it.
: Just know that there’s a spoiler for the end of Lifecut in it, but it’s not something you would know is a spoiler unless you’ve actually finished it.
: It also has a lot of references to Suda’s other games, including two or three chapters in which the protagonist goes through Flower Sun and Rain all over again.
: Oh, and then there’s this:
: Sounds like a good time. I should LP it someday.
: Salty Vanilla’s been busy, but I absolutely would’ve had a pic here of Big Dick the chinchilla thinking this guy is a Dreamcast come to life and running out of the building.
: “Do you remember me? No, I don’t suspect that you do. Since, you know, we’ve never met before. Don’t be so tense. You’ve got nothing to worry about…”
: I like to think he opens his mouth and the Dreamcast VMU “out of battery” beep comes out, and Big Dick is traumatized for life.
: “I’ve got a message from Morikawa. He wanted to see you, but I didn’t ask him anything else. So don’t ask me a lot of questions either. I’m just a messenger.”
: “Oh, yeah… I forgot about introductions. I’m Takeshi Kinjo. I run a Back-up Shop. Even though Morikawa helped me out, you could say that I have been contracted for a variety of jobs.”
: “A ‘backup shop’ runs illegal investigations, like a private police organization. We mostly work with private businesses. If all goes well, then we just disappear.”
: “But if there’s a mistake in the plan… it’s the end of the line, literally. Heads are cut, bodies dumped away in a liquid nitrogen tank…”
: “Well, all that unfortunate business aside, I’ve been given a very important job from Morikawa. I’m to entrust all of these riddles to you, Timrod. This might take a minute…”
: “Need a bathroom break before we get started?”
: You might’ve noticed this in a couple of the longer conversations, and now I can finally explain why: it’s because in the PS1 version, you could only save at specific points, rather than anywhere.
: “Yes, one of them is a syndicate involved in the redevelopment business in the 24 Wards. This may sound suspicious, but you know the truth.”
: “In the redevelopment business, large amounts of money change hands, and this is a competition to try and take that money. The group that can get this money is guaranteed capital.”
: “In other words, they’ll have the country in their hands. The 40-year plan for the 24 Wards included the relocation of the capital. Government agencies are based in the 24 Wards.”
: If you’ve played Killer7, a lot of this will sound familiar. Killer7’s entire plot was basically this but in the United States.
: “That makes this the heart of the government. And if you control the heart? That’s right. You may use this country in any way you wish: through the distribution of electricity, by controlling the flow of information, through the arrangement of public transportation.”
: “There are games about building cities, right? Separate the land, invest in high-quality properties, absolute control over administrations. It’s all huge game.”
: That last sentence isn’t a typo on my part.
: “There was a fight that took place 20 years ago, below the surface of it all. At that time, people from the syndicates were taken out in a series of murders.”
: “The eldest members of the syndicates were killed. So, ‘silver’… a simple name, don’t you think? That’s when these idiots gave the serial murderer a name: ‘Kamui’…”
: “And the groups that gave him that name were the tech faction and the civic faction. The TRO/CCO alliance. Those factions currently make up a major portion of the police force:”
: “Between Central and Public Security, Central represents the tech faction’s TRO while Public Security represents the civic faction’s CCO. This area was originally run by secret societies.”
: And now we have the truth about Kamui. Kamui isn’t even real - he’s effectively a bogeyman made up by the TRO/CCO alliance to cover up a bunch of assassinations.
: This means that like the execution we saw last update, the person Kusabi arrested in 1979 was probably also a scapegoat.
: “The last faction, the frontier faction… basically, the conservative party’s FSO. This created a clear distinction in the government’s war. Because of Kamui, the frontier faction has been forced into disassembly.”
: Oh yeah, the timeline on the game’s website explains why the weird government factions exist. I’ll talk a little more about that at the end of the update, since it’s going to require some background knowledge.
: “Kamui doesn’t kill people over personal grudges. He kills for the syndicates. It has nothing to do with resentment. It’s just a conditioned reflex. This is how the syndicates operate. It’s a free for all.”
: “It’s a fight to win. If you don’t fight, you don’t win. The frontier faction wants to win, so they’ll keep fighting. It’s not about goals.”
: “It’s just a natural instinct. A spat between parties, with each faction trying to outwit the other. A catfight, if you will, a real shit show. It’s just that this quarrel has reached a larger scale. That’s just how it is…”
: “The FSO, the ones shaking up the previous agreement between the TRO and CCO. That’s the answer to all this turmoil.”
: We first heard of the Shelter Kids in Decoyman - at this point, we know that the Kamui we met there, as well as Ayame, are both Shelter Kids.
: This, by the way, is another plot point Suda re-used in Killer7.
: “That’s what Kamui Uehara is. Kamui lives outside of simple existence. If you open that storage device, Kamui will be resurrected.”
: “Someone from the ‘Kamui’ stock will be chosen, and he’ll be called back into existence once again. Except next time, the name may not be Kamui Uehara…”
: At its core, the entire Kamui plot is basically a more intelligent version of Shido’s plan in Persona 5 to kill his opposition and blame it on the Phantom Thieves.
: “Sorry… my time is up. It seems I’ve been called as well. Timrod, I leave the rest to you.”
: “I thought for sure…”
: “I wouldn’t be done in by such a small fry.”
: “That’s too bad, eh. Come to settle the score, then?”
: The dialog makes it seem like Kusabi sent that hitman, but he didn’t.
: “No, I’m fine. Actually, I quite like you. I don’t want to kill you.”
: “Well, look at you. Seems you’ve grown up, Munakata.”
: “Let’s set the jokes aside…”
: “Sure, just for a sec… hey, maybe you can help me out, huh? Could you just give me a summary of what exactly the fuck ‘Kamui’ is?”
: “Oh, Tetsu… just where did you come from?”
: “Huh? What the fuck does that mean?”
: “Your faction.”
: “I’m no fucking politician.”
: “Don’t try to hide it…”
: “Hm… I guess the old man bit the dust…”
: “You killed him, didn’t you?”
: “Well, yeah. He was saying something about the FSO…”
: “The FSO are the conservatives. They used Kamui for their fake world restoration. They’re really just trying to recover their political power.”
: “Then the FSO will control the next capital-to-be, the 24 Wards.”
: “The government…? I don’t get it, they’ve all lost their fuckin’ minds.”
: “There are two large syndicates and one tiny one. While the two larger groups go at it, the smaller group is making a grab for the country. And their soldier is Kamui. This is the real situation…”
: "Huh… thanks for keeping it simple. Nice and simple… anyway, I got it. So, Munakata… what do we do now?’
: “Who knows…? Maybe we should just do whatever we please…”
: “Oh yeah? You really think so? Really? So I should just take care of those evil little shits then, right?”
: “That’ll be easy.”
: “I know exactly who to go after. Thanks.”
: “…”
: “Unfortunately, we did lose a few of our own. Kusabi and Morikawa… these two abandoned the mission. If you should discover their whereabouts, you have the authorization to dispose of them on sight.”
: “Hachisuka has already started taking care of preparations for their disposal. Mikoshiba, Natsume, I want you two to prioritize their elimination.”
: “This is your debut in the elimination business. Now get this done!”
: “With Kamui Uehara’s elimination, the crime ring, TRUMP, was forced to reboot. Now TRUMP is comprised of four people. Here are the materials.”
: Donald, Don Junior, Eric, and Ivanka?
: “They are experts, so be careful… as it is extremely likely that TRUMP will try to contact Timrod. I want you to keep your eyes on him, Natsume. Mikoshiba, you use my route to search for their hideout.”
: “But… how can we turn on our friends so easily…?”
: Nakategawa just signed his own death warrant.
: “It’s not like I want to do it, either. It’s just our job.”
: “Is this an order…?”
: “An order? You could say so. Would that make it easier? Just do as you’re told.”
: “Is that really how you feel?”
: “Is that a bad thing? Look, it doesn’t matter… this is bullshit.”
: “What’s with him…? No matter how many orders are given, to come to such a clean decision to just kill a former colleague!”
: “There aren’t many people who could do that.”
: “What do you mean?”
: “You’re kinda slow. Nakategawa’s upset now… he’s upset about having to take out his friends. More than anyone…”
From: Takeshi Kinjo
To: Superstar
Subject:
Date:
I deeply regret that lack of hospitality the last time we met. I wanted to offer some tea, but I was well aware that it was not the time nor place.
And now, on to business. There’s a smoke shop called Mulholland, run by a cool old lady. If you go quickly, she should definitely be there. The vending machine is pretty cool, too. It has ‘Placebo’ written on it. I’m pretty sure it should be right next to it. If you’re bored, you should stop by for a visit. The future is sure to bloom
P.S.: Give my regards to the old lady.
: Huh. I wonder what happened if someone wanted a, uh, “Thunder Lemon”. There’s a lot of very slow-moving scenes here and I’m going to skip a significant number of them because they’re identical.
: This staircase takes the camera a full minute or more to navigate.
: We then spend another 30 seconds or so going down this hallway.
: That leads us to this room, with this weird crystal thing in it.
: The crystal room has a second door that leads to an escalator.
: I’d just like to point out that several minutes have elapsed between when we got to the smoke shop and now.
: “You shouldn’t go any further than this. It’s a trap and the risk is too great. I’ll go back. From here on out, it’s a different world. Our kind of ‘common sense’ will be of no use there. It’s a strange place.”
: Tokio’s right. This is kind of the line where the surrealism you see in all of Suda’s other works starts to take over.
: “Their mental state is unstable. Probably from Kamui’s influence. The guy with the glasses, what the hell was his name…? Oh, ‘Morikawa’.”
: So uh… this is the point where I’m going to spoil something in Flower Sun and Rain. We never find out what’s in the notebook in this game.
: Tokio appears at the very end of FSR - this isn’t really a spoiler because he’s in the intro video by name - and tells the main character of FSR that the notebook is blank.
: Tokio’s reasoning is that Morikawa gave him the blank notebook as a way of telling him to succeed Morikawa.
: “Well, it seems I know too damn much. It’s a long road ahead… Timrod, don’t die out there.”
: There’s a two-minute segment that’s just flashbacks to the older stories that I’m going to skip.
: Once we enter Thanatos Train Station, we have exactly three hours to complete the dungeon, during which we have to find all five mirror shards and make a run to save Jihei’s Persona.
: “During the redevelopment 20 years ago, there was something made in top secret…”
: “Oh, Timrod, you made it here in one piece. This’ll be our last meeting… from now on, the war is on. And I really wanted to get out my last will and testament.”
: “Tetsu and Chizuru are both gone. Timrod, you’re about the only one left. Will you hear me out?”
: “Listen, Timrod! You have to find Kamui. Don’t get distracted by the chaos. Search out the truth with your mind’s eye.”
: I think when he was writing this game, Suda did intend for the notebook to be important, but then he changed his mind during production when making Flower Sun and Rain.
: Remember Tokio’s nightmare? With the train?
: Wait, that’s Morikawa. How the hell…
: I mean, I guess this makes sense given that Morikawa wanted to kill Kusabi, but how’d it happen so quickly? We were just talking to Morikawa.
: Edit: I looked it up. Apparently, the idea is that Kusabi was on the train, got off the train, shot Morikawa and then fled.
: That tower we saw earlier? That’s the transmitter.
: And now we’re off to what is presumably Thanatos Tower.
: If you can’t see the text in the image, it reads “THE WAY TO TRUTH” with an arrow pointing at the door. Suda is not being subtle.
: Big Dick gets off the train…
: And goes through the door.
: Wait, is this the Velvet Room? Did Big Dick finally unlock his Persona? I mean, we all know his Persona would be Mara because you can’t be called “Big Dick” and not have Mara as a Persona.
: “Why am I here? I bet you’re surprised, right? I’m here to get rid of the humans that are in the way. Timrod, are you going to get in the way? If so, I guess I’ll have to get rid of you, but…”
: And Chizuru has gone full-on Yuriko. I like to think that Bloody Destiny is playing in the background.
: “But… killing humans who don’t die isn’t much fun… you know what I mean, right? You don’t understand? It’s fine, don’t worry about it…”
: “Anyway, have you seen Kusabi? I have to kill that guy. I thought I saw him get on the train earlier, so I was going to ambush him here, but… then I would’ve shot you, Timrod.”
: “That was very dangerous. Are you here to turn people into murderers?”
: Big Dick isn’t. I mean, he was an elite special forces chinchilla, but given that he couldn’t shoot an armed guy in Lunatics I have my doubts about him having a body count.
: “But… I really did love Morikawa… go ahead, shoot…”
: And now Chizuru is dead. That’s half the HCU wiped out in one chapter.
: So yeah, like I said, I don’t think Big Dick has ever killed anyone.
: “Let’s go, Timrod…”
: I know we’ve been through a lot, but I’m going to keep going for a bit, because there’s a part right after this I very much want to get to before we stop.
: “To be called on by such an unusual person… the situation must’ve taken a turn for the better. I’d be happier if it were some reward or something, but anyway, how goes it.”
: " ‘Mad Nobleman’ Morichika Nakategawa, of the frontier faction?"
: By “frontier faction”, he means Nakategawa works for FSO. Presumably, this is what Kotobuki was talking about before Kusabi killed him.
: “That’ll shorten your lifespan, you know. Once you know too much…”
: “Well, knowing a lot is how I pay the rent… besides, people are the ones who feed off of affairs, scandals and rumors, no matter their age or sex. I’m not wrong, am I…?”
: “You’re not even close to being useful. Depending on what happens today, I may dispose of you. Understand?”
: “No sense of excitement, huh. If you tell me that from the get-go, then it’s just no fun, is it?”
: “I’ve never been one for melodrama. Let’s just hurry this up. Talk or die. Pick one. You’re TRO, right?”
: Okay, now it’s time to talk about the government factions a bit. The police are split into two factions - the HCU and Central. We met Central in Parade in the form of Kosaka and Sakaguchi.
: The HCU (at least in theory) works under CCO, while Central works for TRO. Because TRO and CCO are allies, both groups work together.
: Nakategawa is a mole who works for FSO, the small faction behind Kamui. We don’t actually know who Munakata works for - Naka’s theory is that he’s TRO because Munakata works for Central.
: Now here’s the tragic part. Kusabi doesn’t work for anyone. Neither did Morikawa. Morikawa only really wanted Kusabi dead because he didn’t know who Kusabi actually worked for.
: Chizuru’s deal will be explained in a minute, but she effectively works for FSO.
: “Was I…? Maybe? Wait a sec…”
: “…”
: “Just kidding, just kidding!”
: “Where did Kusabi and the rest go? I know you know.”
: “I think… they went to your guys’ hideout. That familiar place where 20 years were spent in silence.”
: “But why did Kusabi know about…?”
: “Morikawa, was it? The guy who went off ahead.”
: “Morikawa… thanks…”
: "Well, now I guess I can go, huh?
: “That won’t work.”
: “I thought so! In most cases, I’d be killed.”
: “Yes.”
: “Don’t worry. You’re my 21st.”
: “You keep count?”
: “I’m very methodical.”
: “Is that something you say about yourself?”
: “Show off your strong points. That’s the key to success.”
: “Just like everyone says, quite the eccentric.”
: A couple of plot analyses I read of this game thought that this was Nakategawa projecting onto Munakata or some shit. That’s not what it is.
: Nakategawa has completely fucking lost it. He’s watched everyone he knows get killed or abandon him over faction loyalties, and now he’s in a world that no longer makes sense.
: “Are you talking to yourself? Or to me?”
: This term is very important.
: “An enemy of women is also my enemy.”
: “So you’re a feminist?”
: “I’m the secretary for the International Feminist Confederation.”
: “Seriously?”
: “Either way, I cannot forgive you for that.”
: “I picked the wrong target, huh…”
: “There was no border between adversaries and allies 20 years ago. You could call it an illusion. Things like factions have no specific shape. You just buy a person’s will with money.”
: “The revolutionary patriots that came before us are just old men now. These old men just feed on empty theories. We’re losing pieces to this game. And this is why we should take away their wealth.”
: Okay, that part’s not so crazy.
: “What are you saying…? That there was a traitor? That’s why ‘Ayame’ knew…”
: “You still don’t get it? There are no traitors.”
: “Then…”
: “It can’t be…”
: “I told you before. You’re quite slow on the uptake, aren’t you? There is no TRO, no CCO, and no FSO. From the very beginning there were no factions. It’s all part of one big group.”
: “If you hadn’t planned Project Elbow, then there would have been nothing to carry out. And that is what pisses me off…”
: I’m pretty sure what’s going on here is that Nakategawa thinks Munakata is someone he isn’t. Anyway, now we know the truth - the factions are just like Kamui.
: They don’t exist, but do exist because people think they exist.
: “You were behind it all…”
: “Me? I’m just another pawn. Someone else is at the top.”
: “Then, who is it?!”
: “I’m tired of talking… do you have any last words?”
: “Chief…”
: “Most of it, probably. These people only know your face and the leader’s face. They’re just fighting without knowing who is pulling all the strings.”
: “But in the file, the tech faction and the civic faction…”
: “Don’t fall for what you see in a file. Formal records and offiical announcements, they’re all one big trick. Forgeries and fake evidence are par for the course.”
: “So now what? These guys are just…”
: “They’re worker bees. The type of people that can’t continue living without someone to fight against.”
: “Chief, what do we do next? You’re going after the ‘Silver Case’, right?”
: “No one cares for your opinion on this, so don’t do anything stupid.”
: “Let me handle it. Next is Kusabi, right? Right? He’s connected to the Silver Case, isn’t he? Who else is there?”
: Another gunshot.
: “The government created the new International Environment Agency as a scapegoat. One part of that generation raised the flag to the cultivation of the ‘New Human’.”
: “The International Environment Agency. To most, they seemed to be working for the protection of nature and the environment, but they were also working to improve the human condition.”
: “That is to say, they wanted to improve the lives of those living in the wards… but below the surface, they were removing ward residents who were deemed unsuitable.”
: “After checking for ward residents with a high propensity for criminal behavior, they would turn these people into data, search them out, and slowly take over.”
: “This unbelievable plan was executed over the course of 20 years. Those living within the 24 Wards right now are its most ‘suitable’ residents.”
: “And the instrument necessary to the prevention of crime in the 24 Wards is the Heinous Crimes Unit. You were a member. The Special Forces Unit my father supervised was another part.”
: “The goal of this agency was to dispose of negative elements, and an experiment that was used to assert absolute control over the 24 Wards. And they were not only involved in elimination.”
: “They also had a hand in raising and educating kids. That was the Shelter Kids policy. The location we’re heading to now is ground zero for this entire operation.”
: “They lead normal lives while being controlled… they live at the central organization while being controlled… they’re used as samples, then go from being controlled to being set free. Where they control their lives on their own.”
: “For some of them, their names are erased, and they’re assigned to the Special Forces… they’re placed under the control of the Central PD. All memories of their past are erased… it’s different than the goal for Kamui.”
: “These samples are for the research and development of criminal power… it’s a tragedy. To control life like that, making Kamui believe he had something to live for, when actually, there’s nothing.”
: Also, have this pic of Big Dick considering how little sense the plan to “create a new human” is when he’s a chinchilla.
: “He is a manufactured human. Like yourself. To be more precise, you are Kamui, too. The stock for Kamui are the ‘Shelter Kids’. Even if Kamui is destroyed, Kamui’s life isn’t over.”
: Kamui is kind of a deconstruction of the idea of having “lives” in a game, among other things.
: “There are plenty left to inherit his legacy. Even if all the stock is destroyed, Kamui won’t disappear. If the next generation of stock is born, then Kamui will be reborn. And not only Kamui.”
: “There is another policy in effect. Kamui is the male stock unit. There is a female unit that exists as well… ‘Ayame Maspro’.”
: “That’s right. The Ayame serial murderer that confined Kamui is “Ayame”. That girl is a sample Ayame… there is stock of 1,440 girls.”
: I like to think that Big Dick is waving his arms and going “Hold on, does that mean Chizuru is a chinchilla?”
: “She was a sacrifice of her father, Mayor Hachisuka, and was the first subject of this experiment.”
: Just to clear something up before I end the update, the game (as well as the sequels) will use the term “Kamui Maspro” for anyone who could be Kamui, and “Ayame Maspro” for anyone who could be Ayame.
: The Kamui Maspro we know about are Big Dick, the Kamui from Decoyman, and probably Tokio. Sumio is not a maspro, and Furuya/Oldman wasn’t either.
: The Ayame Maspro we know about are Chizuru, the Ayame from Decoyman, the three women Ayame killed in Decoyman, and Sakura.
: Next time, I think we’ll finish Lifecut.