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(They actually only kiss, but it's pretty hot)
AND SO. THE CONCLUSION OF THE EPIC STORY OF KAZAMA CHIKAGE, DEMON DOUCHELORD.
It was pretty good! I don't know how to word it, I'm just Having A Lot Of Feels. It is designed as the final chapter to the story, and works well in that regard.
I have now played all the original love interests. I will definitely play some of the others, but I've seen the whole of the original Hakuoki narrative. And it was pretty great :)
** Spoilers, mention of suicide**
Summary: "I made my way back to Edo to find the Shinsengumi."
No? To fight your evil dad and his vampire army? ANOTHER FUN SURPRISE FOR NEW PLAYERS I GUESS.
Oh ok, there's another summary which goes into the evil dad business.
Chizuru is all MUST GET TO EDO but Kazama points out that things are in a lull, battle wise, which means nothing will happen with Stabdad or the Shinsengumi for a while. They take shelter in an abandoned house and sit by the fire.
Chizuru is struck by how little she knows about Kazama, and demons in general. Time for some more SEXY (and only partly made up) JAPANESE HISTORY
The walkthrough said to ask "Why do you oppose the Shinsengumi" but I couldn't resist the option to ask about Chizuru's clan, the Yukimura. Unfortunately, Kazama doesn't know much: the clans are so distant they largely don't communicate. Which I guess does explain the "why don't they end up at war" question.
Kazama is clearly uncomfortable talking about his complicity in human war. He says there is nowhere left for demons to hide. The average human doesn't know about them, but the leaders do.
Two hundred years ago the leaders of a human military coup persuaded a demon clan to help them set up what would become the shogunate. That clan was the Yumikura.
And the opponents of the shogunate allied with two other demon clans: the Kazama and Amaguri. Everything happening now is just an extension of these centuries old alliances.
(Except for Shiranui. Kamzama doesn't know what his deal is, apparently unaware of the Imperialist human boyfriend)
But now the shogunate has been destroyed and the demons are free of any obligation to humans.
Time for bed! Chizuru has a sudden moment of awareness of being alone with Kazama, and tries to surreptitiously shift his bedding further away from hers.
He laughs. "You think I'm some sort of boorish creep, don't you?"
I WONDER WHY.
Kazama: Don't worry, I won't lay a finger on you until our marriage is finalised.
Chizuru: BUT I DON'T WANT TO-
Kazama: Just go to sleep >:/
She wakes and realises he stayed up all night keeping an eye on the fire, but when she tries to thank him he gets pissy and leaves.
The encounter Amaguri, who is still working with his human allies, much to Kazama's disdain. Amaguri offers some advice and Kazama gets DEEPLY OFFENDED at the idea that he needs HELP to deal with HUMANS. Chizuru manages to talk Kazama down before he causes a scene.
Chizuru nearly has a bad fall as they climb a difficult mountain path, so he insists on holding her hand.
Turns out female demons lack the enhanced physical strength of male ones, and so he has been raised to see them as needing protection. The gender essentialism of this is annoying but at least we have Sen's ninja bodyguard Kimiguku as proof that female demons can be physically badass regardless.
I don't want to be another ignorant white person with a Hot Take on Japanese Issues With Race but it's hard not to read the demons as an Xmen-esque exploration of the mistreatment of Japan's indigenous people, where they have superpowers and there's no representation of actual Ainu etc (or any variation in ethnicity amongst the characters at all, asides from Shiranui being a little brown) I'm not really judging because it's SO outside any context I can speak on with authority, just wanted to take note.
They arrive at last in Edo...to discover that the Shinsengumi have already moved on.
Kazama: Welp, I got you to Edo. Bye.
Chizuru: But we need to work together against my dad and brother!
Kazama: How delusional can you be if you think either of them will entertain any of your asinine opinions?
Chizuru: So you're just going to kill them?
Kazama: ...just don't go near them. They see you as a bothersome fly.
And then he walks off.
With no other options, Chizuru decides to investigate her old family home, and is overcome by memories of her father as a kind, empathetic doctor. And then...he appears in the flesh.
She asks how he can plan on murdering so many people when he had dedicated his life to saving innocent lives.
Stabdad: My blood is more human than demon, and as a child I was very ill. I studied medicine from all over the world to help others avoid the same pain.
Chizuru: :D
Stabdad: But humans are twice at efficient at creating tools of death, leaving orphans like you and Kaoru. I cannot allow these imbeciles to run this country into the ground!
Chizuru: D:
Stabdad goes into his demon form, saying the vampire serum has allowed him to regain his lost demon heritage. As he keeps ranting, she realises the father she once loved is gone.
Chizuru ponders how at least the Shinsengumi had multiple viewpoints stopping them from going Full Vampire Army, and that Stabdad has no such influence.
Something I find interesting is that the serum is based on the blood of French demons eg vampires. Why didn't he use Japanese demon blood and avoid the vampire side effects? Maybe vampire blood is more potent? *insert metaphor about the westernisation of the Japanese military here*
Also, Stabdad says "Kaoru has also learned to unlock his demon heritage". Why is this remarkable? Kaoru is 100% ethnically demon, a guy, and was raised by demons. Amuguri and Kazama seemed not to have any trouble (I don't remember Shiranui ever going full demon). Is it because Kaoru is only in his early 20s? Then how old is Kazama?
Stabdad: Now, come with me, Chizuru. As a pure blooded demon, by mating with the vampires we can guarantee even more powerful offspring!
STABDAD NO
NOOOOOOO
OH GOD
SEE. I HAD WONDERED HOW HE PLANNED TO REBUILD THE CLAN WITH A PAIR OF TWINS AND AN OLD MAN. AND NOW I CAN NEVER UNLEARN THE ANSWER.
(oh god is this why Koaru was ok with Chizuru keeping Okita around? Portable juicebox and father of uberdemons? D: Was this also Stabdad/Sanan's plan with Hijikata/Heisuke/Sen etc?? D: D: D:)
And then....
NEVER HAVE I BEEN SO GLAD TO SEE KAZAMA
Realising he's outclassed, Stabdad throws Chizuru at Kazama and makes his escape.
Kazama: Why did you disobey my order to keep out of sight D:<
Sadly there's no "Fuck off, you don't get to give me orders" option so I pick "This involves me too".
Kazama: But you're a girl.
Chizuru: Put yourself in my shoes. Would you be able to stand by and do nothing?
Kazama: o.O (Girls are people???)
Kazama: ...understood. Perhaps I am too forward, but I see in you the virtues befitting the leader of the Yukimura clan.
Kazama you have the WEIRDEST ideas about what counts as "too forward".
Kazama: Anyone who thinks of abducting you under my watch will be punished without mercy. Come with me. You will feel better after watching me peel the flesh from their bones.
Chizuru isn't entirely sure she would feel better watching Kazama viciously murder her dad, but appreciates the sentiment.
Aw. They bump into Amaguri, who says he's glad to see they're both well.
Koaru is marching with an army of vampires towards the Shinsengumi. Tensions between the Shogunate and Imperialists are increasing and soon Stabdad may have the Edo bloodbath he's hoping for. Kazama says he'll warn his Imperialist allies and tells Amaguri to get Shiranui to do the same, but Amaguri says Shiranui has become a ghost lately and perhaps tires of this sick game. (I think his boyfriend died :( )
Chizuru dreams of the day her village burned, of she and Kaoru running and being rescued by a distant relative, the man who would later call himself her father. She wakes in tears.
Shiranui arrives, looking for Kazama. He sits waiting on Chizuru's bedroom floor, cleaning his gun. She worries that the people of Edo may soon suffer the same fate as her home village.
Kazama: Nah, it's cool. The shogunate made a deal with the Imperialists! They sent the Shinsengumi off to the middle of nowhere to be murdered as a peace offering :D
Chizuru: D: D: D:
Kazama, Chizuru and Shiranui discuss the likelihood of the Imperialists using vampires even once they've been warned about Stabdad's plans, and how this would end Very Badly, especially once the various Imperialist subfactions inevitably start turning on each other.
But for now, there is peace, despite all of Stabdad's schemings. And his vampire army must be growing hungry.
They decide he'll probably go for the closest thing to a war front, a heavily populated region housing the last pro-Shogunate forces in the Edo area. As they approach they encounter...
Kaoru.
Chizuru asks Kazama to stay his hand so she can try to talk to them.
Kaoru: I think I know what you're going to say. Come in! Your father is waiting ^_^
Me: *looks up synonyms for 'trap' that don't have transmisogynistic connotations to get across my sense of OH NO THIS IS A SNARE*
But they seem genuinely surprised that Chizuru isn't there to be all YES LET ME BEAR MANY VAMPIRE BABIES THAT WE MAY DROWN JAPAN IN BLOOD
Kaoru's backstory continues to have Weird Gender Issues I am going to GLOSS OVER.
Eventually Kazama decides it's stabbing time and draws the shiny demon killing sword that has been passed down through his family.
Kaoru smiles and takes out some vampire serum. He drinks it and attains his demon form.
Kaoru: Now it's a fair fight ^_^
Kazama: Lol *transforms into his demon form*
Kaoru's disconcertingly adorable demon form:
They fight, but Kaoru seems to be gaining the upper hand. And then Stabdad calls in the vampires. As Kazama and Amaguri are overwhelmed, Stabdad "rescues" Chizuru.
Chizuru: Do you really expect me to make babies with vampires??
me: *coughs as I recall the events of previous paths*
Stabdad: By combining Western and Japanese bloodlines we will create the strongest demons that have ever existed!
Ohhhhhhhh. Could you not have just gotten her a cute french vampire boyfriend?
Not wanting to be part of destroying the world, she tries and fails to kill herself with her sword.
Kazama approaches, and looks Chizuru in the eye. She nods, and he kills her father. She collapses in tears and Kazama gives her a hug, trying to cheer her up by saying Kaoru didn't die, he escaped... with a major injury from a demon-killing sword.
Kazama, Amaguri, and Shiranui murder the vampire army, and then Kazama says she can return to the Shinsengumi if she so wishes.
Kazama changes into a very fetching floral western style jacket.
Chizuru: Oh no he's hot.
Kazama: What is with your face? Do you want one too or something? Perhaps one day I will have a set made for you. Look forward to it ;)
Outside, she sees Shiranui, but he won't meet her eyes.
Shiranui: Do you...remember the Shinsengumi captain Harada?
Chizuru: ...oh no...
Shiranui: He died in the fight last night. We crossed paths and when I explained the situation he said he wanted to fight beside me. Maybe it's me. Everyone I fight beside ends up dead :(
:(
As they attempt to catch up to the Shinsengumi, Kazama gently tells her that Kondou is dead. They follow a trail of lost battles and painful defeats. Kazama, who had predicted all this, repeatedly asks her if she wants to continue. Eventually he gets frustrated: the Shinsengumi are clearly all going to die. What does she think she can do, except die with them?
They get into an argument that ends with Kazama angrily walking away.
Amaguri: Kazama may be a sourpuss, but he's not the sort to just storm off. You should follow him.
(he absolutely is the sort to just storm off, but never mind)
So she does. As they walk, she is increasingly overcome with a sense of deja vu. And then they reach the end of the path, and are at the overgrown ruins of her childhood village.
And there on the hillside, in a bed of flowers, is...
Kaoru.
Dead. The wound he received from Kazama never healed, and so he came home to die.
She has a flashback to their childhood, Kaoru saying he wasn't allowed to take her to the field of flowers because it was too dangerous for a girl, and it was his job as a boy to protect her.
Kazama helps her dig a grave, and pours out sake from the canteen at his hip.
Chizuru: Do think it's wrong for me to remember them as good people, despite everything they did?
Kazama: Do as you please. The demon's code has no bearing on matters of the heart.
The demon's code is: never get involved with humankind, never kill kin, never break a vow.
Chizuru asks what led to her village dying, and he explains that the Kazama and Shiranui clans had already agreed to help the growing human Imperialist coalition that was growing in secret, and only her own stuck to the demon code: do not get involved in human affairs. They were such pacifists that they refused to fight humans even while their village was being destroyed.
Kazama: Do you not feel resentment at the injustices done by humans towards you kin?
Chizuru: Some, yes. But mainly I am just heartbroken. Is there no way people can live in peace?
Kazama: ...perhaps. I tire of war.
He tells her he understands that she wants to see the Shinsengumi but she needs to be patient, and affectionately mocks her tendency to throw herself recklessly into situations where she's likely to get herself killed.
Chizuru: You may have a point.
Kazama: Obedience is a good look on you. You are well on your way to becoming the ideal wife.
KAZAMA. KAZAMA YOU ARE AN ASS.
Chizuru: Way to miss the point! Besides, I'm not your wife.
He doesn't argue, and she sighs and takes one last look at the village, vowing to keep her ancestor's memory in her heart.
Amagiri returns with news: Okita has died of tuberculosis. Saito and Nagakura are both missing in action, presumed dead. Sanan and Heisuke are both dead, the Imperial army having been briefed on vampire weaknesses by Stabdad.
Only Hijikata remains of the original captains, still fighting as hard as he can with the few men he has left. They are far north, on the remote island where they will make their final stand.
Kazama doesn't understand why they haven't given up, but also quietly respects it.
My choices are:
"I cannot burden you any further"
"Come with me and witness the end"
I'M NOT CRYING YOU'RE CRYING
Ahhhhhh this is why people say to play this path last. Because it's the end of everyone's stories as they actually happened, without any self insert helper to soften their pain and loss. We are an outsider, unable to help as we watch them all die from a distance ;_;
(Well, except that irl not everyone did die but shh)
OH GOD.
Just before they're about to leave, Shiranui runs up, saying he heard they were going and rushed as fast as he could.
And then he hands Chizuru Harada's spear ;_;
Shiranui: Tell them Harada was one of the bravest, most ferocious warriors I ever met :D
Kazama: This is just another worm you've let crawl into your insipid heart.
Shiranui: Speak for yourself. Who exactly are you travelling all this way for?
Kazama: I am merely a passenger of circumstance.
She misses their ship and stands watching it sail away, fighting back tears. She feels she has no right to cry, and Kazama tells her that just because she doesn't use a sword doesn't mean she hasn't been fighting, and hasn't suffered. He turns to give her privacy, and she collapses in tears against his back.
Kazama: I vow I will get you to them safely.
It occurs to me that he has broken every other rule of demon law, and I wonder if he will be forced to break this vow.
They find it near impossible to get passage for two random civilians to enemy territory, and are stuck renting a mansion in the harbour town. Amagiri and Kazama search for leads while Chizuru maintains the household.
Kazama still acts like an ass, but she's gotten better at (a) figuring out his actual feelings and (b) standing up to him, and he pretends not to enjoy it.
Chizuru: Thank you for everything you've done for me.
Kazama: That's more like it, humility is very attractive on you. Feel free to compliment me more in future :D
Chizuru: I JUST DID DON'T MAKE ME REGRET IT
By the time they find a ship, things have gotten so bad for the Shogunate forces they cannot be sure if there will be anyone left alive to see.
As they land on the beach, they are rained with cannonfire and bullets: they have arrived in the middle of what may be the final battle. Kazama unexpectedly hugs her from behind. "Nothing can deter you from going, can it?" She puts her hands on his, and asks him to stay with her until the bitter end. He whispers that he will follow her, no matter the distance.
As they walk, Kazama points out that the canons have stopped. The last remaining Shogunate forces have surrendered.
Souma and Yamada: HOLY FUCK CHIZURU WHY ARE YOU HERE YOU COULD HAVE BEEN SHOT
Kazama: As if I would let that happen!
Souma and Yamada: OH NO THE EVIL DEMON LORD STAND BACK WE'LL PROTECT YOU
Chizuru: no, you guys, he's cool now
And then they tell her that Nomura and Hijikata are dead :(
We see a flashback of Hijikata's last stand, furious and unbowed to the last.
Just as I'm thinking "well at least Yamada and Souma are ok"...
Kazama: Souma, is it? I hear you were promoted to Chief and are the one who took responsibility for surrendering. Why did you set yourself up to have your head put on a pike?
Souma: Somebody had to step up to the responsibility.
Souma ;_; I never even bothered looking him up so had no idea a page ended up Chief when everyone else was dead, and don't know what happens to him next.
Kazama: Judgement is coming for them. We need to leave.
Souma: See you in the next life :)
(I looked it up: The real Souma didn't get executed, just exiled. But he eventually committed suicide, six years after the end of the war)
They search for Hijikata's remains, but in the end Chizuru can only hope that some kind soul buried them.
Chizuru: Do you still believe that humans only ever fight for power?
Kazama: No. *sigh*
Kazama: Take a last look at this place. It is a graveyard, but to you and the people who mattered, it is a memorial to the will and testament of the Shinsengumi's character. They followed their principles to the end, and it killed them.
She thinks, sadly, over the events of the past few years.
Chizuru: Where do you plan to go next?
Kazama: Before engaging in the bane that is human affairs, Demons lived a peaceful, secluded life. I pine to return to it. But I suspect it is only a matter of time before the Imperial army digs it's slimy fingers into my affairs. I must prepare my clan to go into hiding.
It occurs to Chizuru that she has been travelling with Kazama for a year and a half, and part of her had liked to imagine they would keep travelling together indefinitely.
Kazama: What about you?
Chizuru, realising she has no purpose and is entirely alone in the world: I don't know. I think I will stay here for a while.
Kazama, staring at his fingernails: To begin with I was only interested in you because you were a demon and a girl. But fate brought me closer to you, and the Shinsengumi. You have overcome loss with maturity, and shown there is more to you than meets the eye.
He slowly reaches his arms towards her, and then kisses her.
At first she's surprised, but then it becomes passionate and mutual.
Kazama: Let this kiss be proof that I do not consider you a stranger.
Chizuru, still dazed: What?
Kazama: When you are done here, come find me. And if you don't, I will come find you.
And then they part.
Final Chapter:
Chizuru is cleaning out her old childhood home. The nice doctor dude has offered to let her stay with him, as has Sen.
A neighbour pops by and says she's so glad Chizuru returned safe after being gone for so long, but it's not safe for a woman to live alone, and there's this lovely boy down at the medicine shop...
Alone again, Chizuru ponders the idea of getting married, and has a flashback to making out with Kazama. She's not sure any other man could ever understand or support her the same way. He said he'd come back, but...
And then there he is, in a new shiny floral kimono. (Everything he wears is floral and I love it)
Kazama: Chizuru, I have come for you :D
Chizuru: o.O
Kazama: Is that truly the warmest welcome you can muster after months deprived of my company?
OH MY GOD KAZAMA CAN YOU EVEN...JUST...
Chizuru, crying: I haven't heard anything from you in six months!
Kazama: Tell me how much you missed me :D
Chizuru, internally: Damn it. I did miss him, and there's no hiding it, but does he have to be so smug abou-
He kisses her.
Chizuru: WHAT ARE YOU DOING
Kazama: Are you deaf? I have come to claim you.
...look I could claim to be outraged but I would be lying. Carry on, game.
Kazama: I have made preparations for the Kazama clan to be moved to a safe, hidden location. The last piece of the puzzle is you. I will tolerate no resistance.
Chizuru: But-
Kazama: What is your answer?
Chizuru, thinking, and eventually coming to a conclusion she isn't sure she can voice: ...
Kazama: There was no need to even ask, was there? :D
They kiss again, and she doesn't even pretend not to be totally into it.
THE END
So. He never stopped being an egotistical asshole, not even in the "an asshole to everyone but you" way Okita did, but somehow it was pretty endearing anyway. Also, they managed to have fun with Sexy Abduction Tropes while making it feel like he respected her agency, which is a clever trick not many romance writers can manage. I can see how a lot of people would prefer Harada's brand of smug sexist paternalism but this sort appeals a lot more to me. I AM A PERSON OF MANY LAYERS, SOME OF THEM INCONSISTENT.
AND MY FEELS. ABOUT EVERYONE. I HAVE FEELS ABOUT KAORU. *flails*
God. When I started I was all "huh, this is based on some real samurai group called the shinsen...something. Eh, whatever" and now I'm all THE NOBLE SACRIFICE OF THOSE HONOURABLE MEN ;_; (I mean I'm not sure how I feel about the actual Shinsengumi and their general historical context. But within the emotional landscape of this story, I care a lot) The extent to which Kazama ended up caring about them got a little much for me in parts, but I understand that this game is aimed at people who have more investment in them than some random Australian who hadn't heard of them before.
I'm glad I played the game like this, starting with Hijikata (well, I did him second, but luckily Saito's path covers a lot of similar ground), covering the other original Shinsengumi love interests, then finishing with Kazama. It does all tell a single, multi layered story, and I suspect the others won't fit in as neatly.
Of the other love interests, Nagakura, Sanan, Yamizaki, and Souma all get mentions in this story, if generally short ones. If nothing else I am more curious (and also nervous) to play Souma's route now, I never realised that he was the last Shinsengumi commander. But Ibo and Sakamato don't get mentioned at all. I have still, to my memory, never seen Sakamoto show up on screen.
I mean I do think it would have made a good end to play this after all of them. But I was, if anything, too curious to wait that long.
The very final path in the game's list is an apparently short one with no choices, called "Yukimura Chizuru". I think I will leave that one to the very end, if I do end up playing the others (possibly minus Sanan. Brr)
I'm not sure where to after this. A few of the remaining paths look appealing, plus there are all the bad ends I haven't seen. Maybe I'll take another look at that poll :)
Oh that's right I was expecting them to go into demon forms/power and how Chizuru can access hers but it didn't come up? I WANT TO KNOW.
Haha ok I just added links between posts and reread everything and watching my descent from "this game is ok but a bit dull" to VAMPIRE SAMURAI HELL is amusing. Also I am so bad at predicting plot twists. Yamada didn't die once. (ok, Kondou, did eventually, but so did...everyone else)
Next: Yamazaki
(They actually only kiss, but it's pretty hot)
AND SO. THE CONCLUSION OF THE EPIC STORY OF KAZAMA CHIKAGE, DEMON DOUCHELORD.
It was pretty good! I don't know how to word it, I'm just Having A Lot Of Feels. It is designed as the final chapter to the story, and works well in that regard.
I have now played all the original love interests. I will definitely play some of the others, but I've seen the whole of the original Hakuoki narrative. And it was pretty great :)
** Spoilers, mention of suicide**
Summary: "I made my way back to Edo to find the Shinsengumi."
No? To fight your evil dad and his vampire army? ANOTHER FUN SURPRISE FOR NEW PLAYERS I GUESS.
Oh ok, there's another summary which goes into the evil dad business.
Chizuru is all MUST GET TO EDO but Kazama points out that things are in a lull, battle wise, which means nothing will happen with Stabdad or the Shinsengumi for a while. They take shelter in an abandoned house and sit by the fire.
Chizuru is struck by how little she knows about Kazama, and demons in general. Time for some more SEXY (and only partly made up) JAPANESE HISTORY
The walkthrough said to ask "Why do you oppose the Shinsengumi" but I couldn't resist the option to ask about Chizuru's clan, the Yukimura. Unfortunately, Kazama doesn't know much: the clans are so distant they largely don't communicate. Which I guess does explain the "why don't they end up at war" question.
Kazama is clearly uncomfortable talking about his complicity in human war. He says there is nowhere left for demons to hide. The average human doesn't know about them, but the leaders do.
Two hundred years ago the leaders of a human military coup persuaded a demon clan to help them set up what would become the shogunate. That clan was the Yumikura.
And the opponents of the shogunate allied with two other demon clans: the Kazama and Amaguri. Everything happening now is just an extension of these centuries old alliances.
(Except for Shiranui. Kamzama doesn't know what his deal is, apparently unaware of the Imperialist human boyfriend)
But now the shogunate has been destroyed and the demons are free of any obligation to humans.
Time for bed! Chizuru has a sudden moment of awareness of being alone with Kazama, and tries to surreptitiously shift his bedding further away from hers.
He laughs. "You think I'm some sort of boorish creep, don't you?"
I WONDER WHY.
Kazama: Don't worry, I won't lay a finger on you until our marriage is finalised.
Chizuru: BUT I DON'T WANT TO-
Kazama: Just go to sleep >:/
She wakes and realises he stayed up all night keeping an eye on the fire, but when she tries to thank him he gets pissy and leaves.
The encounter Amaguri, who is still working with his human allies, much to Kazama's disdain. Amaguri offers some advice and Kazama gets DEEPLY OFFENDED at the idea that he needs HELP to deal with HUMANS. Chizuru manages to talk Kazama down before he causes a scene.
Chizuru nearly has a bad fall as they climb a difficult mountain path, so he insists on holding her hand.
Turns out female demons lack the enhanced physical strength of male ones, and so he has been raised to see them as needing protection. The gender essentialism of this is annoying but at least we have Sen's ninja bodyguard Kimiguku as proof that female demons can be physically badass regardless.
I don't want to be another ignorant white person with a Hot Take on Japanese Issues With Race but it's hard not to read the demons as an Xmen-esque exploration of the mistreatment of Japan's indigenous people, where they have superpowers and there's no representation of actual Ainu etc (or any variation in ethnicity amongst the characters at all, asides from Shiranui being a little brown) I'm not really judging because it's SO outside any context I can speak on with authority, just wanted to take note.
They arrive at last in Edo...to discover that the Shinsengumi have already moved on.
Kazama: Welp, I got you to Edo. Bye.
Chizuru: But we need to work together against my dad and brother!
Kazama: How delusional can you be if you think either of them will entertain any of your asinine opinions?
Chizuru: So you're just going to kill them?
Kazama: ...just don't go near them. They see you as a bothersome fly.
And then he walks off.
With no other options, Chizuru decides to investigate her old family home, and is overcome by memories of her father as a kind, empathetic doctor. And then...he appears in the flesh.
She asks how he can plan on murdering so many people when he had dedicated his life to saving innocent lives.
Stabdad: My blood is more human than demon, and as a child I was very ill. I studied medicine from all over the world to help others avoid the same pain.
Chizuru: :D
Stabdad: But humans are twice at efficient at creating tools of death, leaving orphans like you and Kaoru. I cannot allow these imbeciles to run this country into the ground!
Chizuru: D:
Stabdad goes into his demon form, saying the vampire serum has allowed him to regain his lost demon heritage. As he keeps ranting, she realises the father she once loved is gone.
Chizuru ponders how at least the Shinsengumi had multiple viewpoints stopping them from going Full Vampire Army, and that Stabdad has no such influence.
Something I find interesting is that the serum is based on the blood of French demons eg vampires. Why didn't he use Japanese demon blood and avoid the vampire side effects? Maybe vampire blood is more potent? *insert metaphor about the westernisation of the Japanese military here*
Also, Stabdad says "Kaoru has also learned to unlock his demon heritage". Why is this remarkable? Kaoru is 100% ethnically demon, a guy, and was raised by demons. Amuguri and Kazama seemed not to have any trouble (I don't remember Shiranui ever going full demon). Is it because Kaoru is only in his early 20s? Then how old is Kazama?
Stabdad: Now, come with me, Chizuru. As a pure blooded demon, by mating with the vampires we can guarantee even more powerful offspring!
STABDAD NO
NOOOOOOO
OH GOD
SEE. I HAD WONDERED HOW HE PLANNED TO REBUILD THE CLAN WITH A PAIR OF TWINS AND AN OLD MAN. AND NOW I CAN NEVER UNLEARN THE ANSWER.
(oh god is this why Koaru was ok with Chizuru keeping Okita around? Portable juicebox and father of uberdemons? D: Was this also Stabdad/Sanan's plan with Hijikata/Heisuke/Sen etc?? D: D: D:)
And then....
NEVER HAVE I BEEN SO GLAD TO SEE KAZAMA
Realising he's outclassed, Stabdad throws Chizuru at Kazama and makes his escape.
Kazama: Why did you disobey my order to keep out of sight D:<
Sadly there's no "Fuck off, you don't get to give me orders" option so I pick "This involves me too".
Kazama: But you're a girl.
Chizuru: Put yourself in my shoes. Would you be able to stand by and do nothing?
Kazama: o.O (Girls are people???)
Kazama: ...understood. Perhaps I am too forward, but I see in you the virtues befitting the leader of the Yukimura clan.
Kazama you have the WEIRDEST ideas about what counts as "too forward".
Kazama: Anyone who thinks of abducting you under my watch will be punished without mercy. Come with me. You will feel better after watching me peel the flesh from their bones.
Chizuru isn't entirely sure she would feel better watching Kazama viciously murder her dad, but appreciates the sentiment.
Aw. They bump into Amaguri, who says he's glad to see they're both well.
Koaru is marching with an army of vampires towards the Shinsengumi. Tensions between the Shogunate and Imperialists are increasing and soon Stabdad may have the Edo bloodbath he's hoping for. Kazama says he'll warn his Imperialist allies and tells Amaguri to get Shiranui to do the same, but Amaguri says Shiranui has become a ghost lately and perhaps tires of this sick game. (I think his boyfriend died :( )
Chizuru dreams of the day her village burned, of she and Kaoru running and being rescued by a distant relative, the man who would later call himself her father. She wakes in tears.
Shiranui arrives, looking for Kazama. He sits waiting on Chizuru's bedroom floor, cleaning his gun. She worries that the people of Edo may soon suffer the same fate as her home village.
Kazama: Nah, it's cool. The shogunate made a deal with the Imperialists! They sent the Shinsengumi off to the middle of nowhere to be murdered as a peace offering :D
Chizuru: D: D: D:
Kazama, Chizuru and Shiranui discuss the likelihood of the Imperialists using vampires even once they've been warned about Stabdad's plans, and how this would end Very Badly, especially once the various Imperialist subfactions inevitably start turning on each other.
But for now, there is peace, despite all of Stabdad's schemings. And his vampire army must be growing hungry.
They decide he'll probably go for the closest thing to a war front, a heavily populated region housing the last pro-Shogunate forces in the Edo area. As they approach they encounter...
Kaoru.
Chizuru asks Kazama to stay his hand so she can try to talk to them.
Kaoru: I think I know what you're going to say. Come in! Your father is waiting ^_^
Me: *looks up synonyms for 'trap' that don't have transmisogynistic connotations to get across my sense of OH NO THIS IS A SNARE*
But they seem genuinely surprised that Chizuru isn't there to be all YES LET ME BEAR MANY VAMPIRE BABIES THAT WE MAY DROWN JAPAN IN BLOOD
Kaoru's backstory continues to have Weird Gender Issues I am going to GLOSS OVER.
Eventually Kazama decides it's stabbing time and draws the shiny demon killing sword that has been passed down through his family.
Kaoru smiles and takes out some vampire serum. He drinks it and attains his demon form.
Kaoru: Now it's a fair fight ^_^
Kazama: Lol *transforms into his demon form*
Kaoru's disconcertingly adorable demon form:
They fight, but Kaoru seems to be gaining the upper hand. And then Stabdad calls in the vampires. As Kazama and Amaguri are overwhelmed, Stabdad "rescues" Chizuru.
Chizuru: Do you really expect me to make babies with vampires??
me: *coughs as I recall the events of previous paths*
Stabdad: By combining Western and Japanese bloodlines we will create the strongest demons that have ever existed!
Ohhhhhhhh. Could you not have just gotten her a cute french vampire boyfriend?
Not wanting to be part of destroying the world, she tries and fails to kill herself with her sword.
Kazama approaches, and looks Chizuru in the eye. She nods, and he kills her father. She collapses in tears and Kazama gives her a hug, trying to cheer her up by saying Kaoru didn't die, he escaped... with a major injury from a demon-killing sword.
Kazama, Amaguri, and Shiranui murder the vampire army, and then Kazama says she can return to the Shinsengumi if she so wishes.
Kazama changes into a very fetching floral western style jacket.
Chizuru: Oh no he's hot.
Kazama: What is with your face? Do you want one too or something? Perhaps one day I will have a set made for you. Look forward to it ;)
Outside, she sees Shiranui, but he won't meet her eyes.
Shiranui: Do you...remember the Shinsengumi captain Harada?
Chizuru: ...oh no...
Shiranui: He died in the fight last night. We crossed paths and when I explained the situation he said he wanted to fight beside me. Maybe it's me. Everyone I fight beside ends up dead :(
:(
As they attempt to catch up to the Shinsengumi, Kazama gently tells her that Kondou is dead. They follow a trail of lost battles and painful defeats. Kazama, who had predicted all this, repeatedly asks her if she wants to continue. Eventually he gets frustrated: the Shinsengumi are clearly all going to die. What does she think she can do, except die with them?
They get into an argument that ends with Kazama angrily walking away.
Amaguri: Kazama may be a sourpuss, but he's not the sort to just storm off. You should follow him.
(he absolutely is the sort to just storm off, but never mind)
So she does. As they walk, she is increasingly overcome with a sense of deja vu. And then they reach the end of the path, and are at the overgrown ruins of her childhood village.
And there on the hillside, in a bed of flowers, is...
Kaoru.
Dead. The wound he received from Kazama never healed, and so he came home to die.
She has a flashback to their childhood, Kaoru saying he wasn't allowed to take her to the field of flowers because it was too dangerous for a girl, and it was his job as a boy to protect her.
Kazama helps her dig a grave, and pours out sake from the canteen at his hip.
Chizuru: Do think it's wrong for me to remember them as good people, despite everything they did?
Kazama: Do as you please. The demon's code has no bearing on matters of the heart.
The demon's code is: never get involved with humankind, never kill kin, never break a vow.
Chizuru asks what led to her village dying, and he explains that the Kazama and Shiranui clans had already agreed to help the growing human Imperialist coalition that was growing in secret, and only her own stuck to the demon code: do not get involved in human affairs. They were such pacifists that they refused to fight humans even while their village was being destroyed.
Kazama: Do you not feel resentment at the injustices done by humans towards you kin?
Chizuru: Some, yes. But mainly I am just heartbroken. Is there no way people can live in peace?
Kazama: ...perhaps. I tire of war.
He tells her he understands that she wants to see the Shinsengumi but she needs to be patient, and affectionately mocks her tendency to throw herself recklessly into situations where she's likely to get herself killed.
Chizuru: You may have a point.
Kazama: Obedience is a good look on you. You are well on your way to becoming the ideal wife.
KAZAMA. KAZAMA YOU ARE AN ASS.
Chizuru: Way to miss the point! Besides, I'm not your wife.
He doesn't argue, and she sighs and takes one last look at the village, vowing to keep her ancestor's memory in her heart.
Amagiri returns with news: Okita has died of tuberculosis. Saito and Nagakura are both missing in action, presumed dead. Sanan and Heisuke are both dead, the Imperial army having been briefed on vampire weaknesses by Stabdad.
Only Hijikata remains of the original captains, still fighting as hard as he can with the few men he has left. They are far north, on the remote island where they will make their final stand.
Kazama doesn't understand why they haven't given up, but also quietly respects it.
My choices are:
"I cannot burden you any further"
"Come with me and witness the end"
I'M NOT CRYING YOU'RE CRYING
Ahhhhhh this is why people say to play this path last. Because it's the end of everyone's stories as they actually happened, without any self insert helper to soften their pain and loss. We are an outsider, unable to help as we watch them all die from a distance ;_;
(Well, except that irl not everyone did die but shh)
OH GOD.
Just before they're about to leave, Shiranui runs up, saying he heard they were going and rushed as fast as he could.
And then he hands Chizuru Harada's spear ;_;
Shiranui: Tell them Harada was one of the bravest, most ferocious warriors I ever met :D
Kazama: This is just another worm you've let crawl into your insipid heart.
Shiranui: Speak for yourself. Who exactly are you travelling all this way for?
Kazama: I am merely a passenger of circumstance.
She misses their ship and stands watching it sail away, fighting back tears. She feels she has no right to cry, and Kazama tells her that just because she doesn't use a sword doesn't mean she hasn't been fighting, and hasn't suffered. He turns to give her privacy, and she collapses in tears against his back.
Kazama: I vow I will get you to them safely.
It occurs to me that he has broken every other rule of demon law, and I wonder if he will be forced to break this vow.
They find it near impossible to get passage for two random civilians to enemy territory, and are stuck renting a mansion in the harbour town. Amagiri and Kazama search for leads while Chizuru maintains the household.
Kazama still acts like an ass, but she's gotten better at (a) figuring out his actual feelings and (b) standing up to him, and he pretends not to enjoy it.
Chizuru: Thank you for everything you've done for me.
Kazama: That's more like it, humility is very attractive on you. Feel free to compliment me more in future :D
Chizuru: I JUST DID DON'T MAKE ME REGRET IT
By the time they find a ship, things have gotten so bad for the Shogunate forces they cannot be sure if there will be anyone left alive to see.
As they land on the beach, they are rained with cannonfire and bullets: they have arrived in the middle of what may be the final battle. Kazama unexpectedly hugs her from behind. "Nothing can deter you from going, can it?" She puts her hands on his, and asks him to stay with her until the bitter end. He whispers that he will follow her, no matter the distance.
As they walk, Kazama points out that the canons have stopped. The last remaining Shogunate forces have surrendered.
Souma and Yamada: HOLY FUCK CHIZURU WHY ARE YOU HERE YOU COULD HAVE BEEN SHOT
Kazama: As if I would let that happen!
Souma and Yamada: OH NO THE EVIL DEMON LORD STAND BACK WE'LL PROTECT YOU
Chizuru: no, you guys, he's cool now
And then they tell her that Nomura and Hijikata are dead :(
We see a flashback of Hijikata's last stand, furious and unbowed to the last.
Just as I'm thinking "well at least Yamada and Souma are ok"...
Kazama: Souma, is it? I hear you were promoted to Chief and are the one who took responsibility for surrendering. Why did you set yourself up to have your head put on a pike?
Souma: Somebody had to step up to the responsibility.
Souma ;_; I never even bothered looking him up so had no idea a page ended up Chief when everyone else was dead, and don't know what happens to him next.
Kazama: Judgement is coming for them. We need to leave.
Souma: See you in the next life :)
(I looked it up: The real Souma didn't get executed, just exiled. But he eventually committed suicide, six years after the end of the war)
They search for Hijikata's remains, but in the end Chizuru can only hope that some kind soul buried them.
Chizuru: Do you still believe that humans only ever fight for power?
Kazama: No. *sigh*
Kazama: Take a last look at this place. It is a graveyard, but to you and the people who mattered, it is a memorial to the will and testament of the Shinsengumi's character. They followed their principles to the end, and it killed them.
She thinks, sadly, over the events of the past few years.
Chizuru: Where do you plan to go next?
Kazama: Before engaging in the bane that is human affairs, Demons lived a peaceful, secluded life. I pine to return to it. But I suspect it is only a matter of time before the Imperial army digs it's slimy fingers into my affairs. I must prepare my clan to go into hiding.
It occurs to Chizuru that she has been travelling with Kazama for a year and a half, and part of her had liked to imagine they would keep travelling together indefinitely.
Kazama: What about you?
Chizuru, realising she has no purpose and is entirely alone in the world: I don't know. I think I will stay here for a while.
Kazama, staring at his fingernails: To begin with I was only interested in you because you were a demon and a girl. But fate brought me closer to you, and the Shinsengumi. You have overcome loss with maturity, and shown there is more to you than meets the eye.
He slowly reaches his arms towards her, and then kisses her.
At first she's surprised, but then it becomes passionate and mutual.
Kazama: Let this kiss be proof that I do not consider you a stranger.
Chizuru, still dazed: What?
Kazama: When you are done here, come find me. And if you don't, I will come find you.
And then they part.
Final Chapter:
Chizuru is cleaning out her old childhood home. The nice doctor dude has offered to let her stay with him, as has Sen.
A neighbour pops by and says she's so glad Chizuru returned safe after being gone for so long, but it's not safe for a woman to live alone, and there's this lovely boy down at the medicine shop...
Alone again, Chizuru ponders the idea of getting married, and has a flashback to making out with Kazama. She's not sure any other man could ever understand or support her the same way. He said he'd come back, but...
And then there he is, in a new shiny floral kimono. (Everything he wears is floral and I love it)
Kazama: Chizuru, I have come for you :D
Chizuru: o.O
Kazama: Is that truly the warmest welcome you can muster after months deprived of my company?
OH MY GOD KAZAMA CAN YOU EVEN...JUST...
Chizuru, crying: I haven't heard anything from you in six months!
Kazama: Tell me how much you missed me :D
Chizuru, internally: Damn it. I did miss him, and there's no hiding it, but does he have to be so smug abou-
He kisses her.
Chizuru: WHAT ARE YOU DOING
Kazama: Are you deaf? I have come to claim you.
...look I could claim to be outraged but I would be lying. Carry on, game.
Kazama: I have made preparations for the Kazama clan to be moved to a safe, hidden location. The last piece of the puzzle is you. I will tolerate no resistance.
Chizuru: But-
Kazama: What is your answer?
Chizuru, thinking, and eventually coming to a conclusion she isn't sure she can voice: ...
Kazama: There was no need to even ask, was there? :D
They kiss again, and she doesn't even pretend not to be totally into it.
THE END
So. He never stopped being an egotistical asshole, not even in the "an asshole to everyone but you" way Okita did, but somehow it was pretty endearing anyway. Also, they managed to have fun with Sexy Abduction Tropes while making it feel like he respected her agency, which is a clever trick not many romance writers can manage. I can see how a lot of people would prefer Harada's brand of smug sexist paternalism but this sort appeals a lot more to me. I AM A PERSON OF MANY LAYERS, SOME OF THEM INCONSISTENT.
AND MY FEELS. ABOUT EVERYONE. I HAVE FEELS ABOUT KAORU. *flails*
God. When I started I was all "huh, this is based on some real samurai group called the shinsen...something. Eh, whatever" and now I'm all THE NOBLE SACRIFICE OF THOSE HONOURABLE MEN ;_; (I mean I'm not sure how I feel about the actual Shinsengumi and their general historical context. But within the emotional landscape of this story, I care a lot) The extent to which Kazama ended up caring about them got a little much for me in parts, but I understand that this game is aimed at people who have more investment in them than some random Australian who hadn't heard of them before.
I'm glad I played the game like this, starting with Hijikata (well, I did him second, but luckily Saito's path covers a lot of similar ground), covering the other original Shinsengumi love interests, then finishing with Kazama. It does all tell a single, multi layered story, and I suspect the others won't fit in as neatly.
Of the other love interests, Nagakura, Sanan, Yamizaki, and Souma all get mentions in this story, if generally short ones. If nothing else I am more curious (and also nervous) to play Souma's route now, I never realised that he was the last Shinsengumi commander. But Ibo and Sakamato don't get mentioned at all. I have still, to my memory, never seen Sakamoto show up on screen.
I mean I do think it would have made a good end to play this after all of them. But I was, if anything, too curious to wait that long.
The very final path in the game's list is an apparently short one with no choices, called "Yukimura Chizuru". I think I will leave that one to the very end, if I do end up playing the others (possibly minus Sanan. Brr)
I'm not sure where to after this. A few of the remaining paths look appealing, plus there are all the bad ends I haven't seen. Maybe I'll take another look at that poll :)
Oh that's right I was expecting them to go into demon forms/power and how Chizuru can access hers but it didn't come up? I WANT TO KNOW.
Haha ok I just added links between posts and reread everything and watching my descent from "this game is ok but a bit dull" to VAMPIRE SAMURAI HELL is amusing. Also I am so bad at predicting plot twists. Yamada didn't die once. (ok, Kondou, did eventually, but so did...everyone else)
Next: Yamazaki
no subject
Date: 2018-12-09 08:32 pm (UTC)Seriously, Dad, when I'm dating a vampire you want me to marry Kazama and now I'm dating Kazama and you want me to marry a vampire. Can't you ever be happy with the man I'm with?????
Kaoru's disconcertingly adorable demon form
Indeed.
Kaoru's death scene was so sad in this one. At least he has people mourning him.
humility is very attractive on you. Feel free to compliment me more in future
Feel free to humble yourself before me, but only as much as you want to.
Kazama: What about you?
Do you want to come with me? Because if you do I'm happy to steal you away against your will, but only if you don't mind.
Kazama: I will tolerate no resistance.
Chizuru: But-
Kazama: What is your answer?
I will tolerate no resistance and force you to come with me, but only if it's what you want.
And I love it, the way he presents himself as totally domineering but at every stage only does what she wants, and usually only what she asks for. The scene where they're playing house is very cute and makes me think they'll have a very good marriage in which the way they communicate is totally incomprehensible to anyone else.
I feel like there's something meta in this route with Kazama as a demon learning to respect the 'fake' demons representing something about the Shinsengumi as fake samurai being recognized as the best of the samurai. In Hijikata's route when he shouts at Kazama that he didn't do all this fighting to earn Kazama's recognition, that's a really powerful moment because there's a sense in which he sort of did. Here we just get Kazama's admiration of Hijikata and the Shinsengumi without Hijikata's pushback, which is powerful in a different way.
no subject
Date: 2018-12-20 01:23 pm (UTC)Seriously, Dad, when I'm dating a vampire you want me to marry Kazama and now I'm dating Kazama and you want me to marry a vampire. Can't you ever be happy with the man I'm with?????
Yeah I think the only time one he approves of is...Takeda D:
Actually on second thought as I recall he seemed pretty happy with Hijikata, too, as long as he was cool running the vampire army.
And I love it, the way he presents himself as totally domineering but at every stage only does what she wants, and usually only what she asks for.
I know, it was so delightful and unexpected.
I feel like there's something meta in this route with Kazama as a demon learning to respect the 'fake' demons representing something about the Shinsengumi as fake samurai being recognized as the best of the samurai.
Yeah, I think you're right.