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The Meiji Restoration was the start of a new age for Japan as the country changed from a feudal society to one driven by a market economy and heavily influenced by the West. This lead to a sharp rise in industrialization which strengthened Japan's military power. Unfortunately for the warrior class, the Meiji Restoration abolished the samurai system and many were faced with unemployment and poverty, while ninja were forced underground or abandoned their lifestyles completely. However, some managed to find a living by travelling overseas and becoming bodyguards or assassins for the rich and powerful. "Shuriken to Pleats" centers on Kirio Mikage - a young girl who is descended from one such clan and is currently under the employ of James G. Rodd. A kind and loving humanitarian, James treats Mikage more like a daughter than a shinobi and plans to adopt her officially. Before this can happen, he's assassinated by unknown assailants and Mikage finds herself alone in the world. To honor the wishes of her fallen master, Mikage tries to live life as a normal girl, but sinister forces at work will make that impossible.
Kirio Mikage
Written by "Vampire Knight" mangaka Matsuri Hino, "Shuriken to Pleats" is a shoujo (girl's) comic with elements of action and romance. While I enjoy manga where the ladies take center stage, I typically stay away from shoujo as romance and friendship are themes I rarely find captivating. However, I was drawn to this manga because while those themes are still in play, they're not the major focus of the story. Shuriken to Pleats's major highlight are its characters and how they interact with one another. There isn't much of an emphasis on romantic interactions, but the nuances in human relationships and the dynamics thereof. Kirio Mikage is on a personal journey to find her place in a world that doesn't really need her while trying to find her own identity.
Promise ~
Mikage is a shinobi and only knows how to live in the darkness. Her clients have always treated her with fear or loathing, but this never bothered her because she sealed her emotions. She wasn't prepared when she became James' bodyguard and not only did he see her as a human being, but he grew to love her. Mikage herself couldn't help loving James in a way she couldn't really describe. After James was assassinated she was forced into a new, unfamiliar life, but it was one of emptiness and loneliness. Romance is the furthest thing from her mind as she's juggling an existential crisis that few would understand. Worse yet is that trouble seems to find her wherever she goes.
She will protect this life.
Mikage later encounters Wakashimatsu Mahito - a seemingly sinister individual with a sarcastic wit, pompous attitude, and stubborn streak. Despite being an abrasive individual, Mikage finds herself helping him because she remembers that her master would never leave a person in need. The plot thickens when the same assassins who are after Mahito may have been responsible for the death of James which forces Mikage to choose between pursuing her new life or blaze a trail towards vengeance. These are complicated situations for equally complicated characters and building these complex dramas is something that Matsuri Hino handles quite well.
Fighting for her future.
Fans of Matsuri Hino are familiar with her art style and several characters look like they walked out of Vampire Knight. The environments don't sport a whole lot of detail, but this is because each panel is drawn to emphasize the characters and the story unfolding between them not just in dialogue, but in their non-verbals such as their eyes. There is a painful story etched onto the faces of these characters.
Breathe
This is a manga that took me by surprise. As I mentioned I don't like shoujo, but this isn't a traditional shoujo-style manga. The characters struggle with deeper issues such as tragedy, family turmoil and self-perception. Matsuri Hino's artwork and writing are captivating. "Shuriken to Pleats" may not appeal to everyone, but I find it to be an enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes next.
This review covers Scarlet Symphony and Stranger's Requiem.
One year ago, the vampire Remilia Scarlet shrouded Gensokyo in a blood mist which allowed her to walk in the daylight. Unhindered by the sun, Remilia sought to spread her terror throughout the realm, but she was defeated by a powerful shrine maiden named Reimu Hakurei who imprisoned her in Scarlet Devil Castle. One year has passed since Reimu's victory and the people of Gensokyo have enjoyed a return to the days of peace. However, upon leaving her shrine to tend to important matters, Reimu notices that blood mist has begun to creep into the realm once again. To make matters worse Scarlet Devil Castle has reappeared. Believing that the evil vampire Remilia has returned to spread her evil across the realm, Reimu enters Scarlet Devil Castle to destroy her once more.
A shrine maiden's work is never done.
Created in 2009 by Frontier Aja "Koumajou Densetsu" combines the 2D side-scrolling action of Castlevania with the bullet hell elements of Touhou Project games. Similar to Castlevania, there is a vampire threatening the world and our hero must enter his (her) castle and destroy them. The castle is monstrous in size and players will face all manner of deadly creatures, sinister traps, and nightmarish bosses that will push your skills and dexterity to the breaking point. Reimu Hakurei who is essentially the main character of many Touhou Project games takes the place of the Belmont character who is typically the main character of the Castlevania games. Similar to a Belmont, Reimu has an enchanted whip which serves as her primary weapon. She also has other tricks up her sleeves such as the ability to fly for a short amount of time. As Reimu makes her way through the castle she takes on a variety of bosses - some of whom join her after being defeated. She can call in these "allies" for assists during combat.
She's actually one of the easier bosses.
The bullet hell elements come into play when you fight the bosses - some of which have attacks that fill up 80% of the screen and can kill a player in one shot. Of course that's assuming you even make it to the bosses as the stages are filled with enemies that will dog-pile you, coordinate their attacks, or fill up as much of the screen as possible with their own attacks to force you into traps littered throughout the stages - some of which (the spikes) will kill you instantly. If this sounds unfair that's because in some ways it's supposed to be. Castlevania and Touhou Project games are series known for their difficulty. This is before developers introduced the concept of nerfing to make games more accessible to the casual audience. Back in the day if you weren't good enough to beat the game as-is you just didn't beat the game. In the same vein as Castlevania and Touhou Project there is no lowering the bar which makes Koumajou Densetsu absolutely punishing. Punishing, but not impossible. Strangely enough the difficulty becomes a make or break paradox for these games.
There's two more mid-bosses in this very room.
While the learning curve isn't exactly steep and the game puts up a good challenge, the more brutal aspects of the gameplay are owed to bad game design more than intelligent A.I. There's no option to customize the games' controls which almost cripples the experience if you're playing this using a keyboard. The controls themselves aren't the most responsive and while they usually work fine, usually isn't always. The bullet hell boss fights are also a major problem because in bullet hell games 360 degree movement is the major component. You can move your character in all directions at anytime and because the games are presented in a top-down view gravity usually isn't a factor. That style of gameplay doesn't exactly transfer to a side-scroller where your character doesn't have free-range of movement and spends most of their time on the ground. These issues never break the games (at least not in their entirety) but it does require nearly as much patience to get through them as it does skill.
Stranger's Requiem
If Scarlet Symphony pays homage to Dracula's Curse, Stranger's Requiem is more similar to Symphony of the Night. Stranger's Requiem takes place sometime after the first game and places you in the role of Izayoi Sakuya - one of the major antagonists from Scarlet Symphony and servant of the vampire Remilia. Despite Remilia's past actions, she seems to have adopted a more peaceful lifestyle and all seems right in Scarlet Devil Castle. However, the supernatural forces in the castle have become restless and Remilia seems to have disappeared without a trace. While looking for her master, a mysterious witch attacks Izayoi and hints that she is responsible for Remilia's disappearance. Before Izayoi can press her for more information the witch disappears. And so Izayoi sets off into the night to find answers and her master - now having to contend with the very same evils she once called her allies.
Brand new tricks.
Gameplay-wise there isn't too much to discuss where the sequel is concerned. Izayoi fights with a sword rather than a whip and she has a few additional tricks that Reimu didn't have such as a quick slash and the ability to hold two sub-weapons in addition to a partner. The game is every bit as difficult as the first if not more so, but it comes with a much darker tone which I thought was fitting. Scarlet Symphony didn't take itself seriously and characters had few issues making light of the severity of their situation or taking comedic jabs at each other's expense. It was quite similar in tone to Touhou Project games. Stranger's Requiem is played quite a bit more serious and leans more into the Castlevania side of things. While there's still some humor the game is darker overall.
As you've seen the artwork pushes a very dark aesthetic which is a sharp contrast to Touhou Project's traditional character designs. Long story short if Touhou Project is Astro Boy then Koumajou Dentetsu is Vampire Hunter D and I couldn't be more drawn to it. The music is a mix of classical/jazz/generic rock and while it's not at the level of Castlevania's multitude of fantastic soundtracks, it's still pretty good. There's an added anime aesthetic in the games' openings as well.
There will be blood.
As an old-school gamer who grew up with games of this style and that were this difficult (and often more so) I enjoyed Scarlet Symphony and Stranger's Requiem despite their many flaws. Let it be said they won't appeal to everyone. If you came into gaming after the 8-bit and 16-bit eras then the difficulty level in this game may not be something you'll be able to deal with. The short-length might also be a turn-off for some. If you're skilled you can probably beat the first game in an afternoon. While newcomers to these types of games should be wary, old-school gamers will find a pleasant homage to some era-defining classics.
