A short but good game: Let's play Misao!

"Donmai likes this"

Is that a yes?

Edit: Another like... I take that as acceptance... Well then, we'll have to take care of the "corpse" part first...

Imgur seems to be behaving again, so let's continue!


Sohta: Those idiotic girls... This... This isn't my face...!


(We're back at the house. And so is Sohta, apparently. He walks out the door and we examine the shelv he was standing in front of. We find a yearbook.)


Barbie: Sohta? Could this be Mr. Sohta?

(Scene change. New flashback incoming.)




Barbie: (Mr. Sohta...?)
Boy A: You just stink up the class!
Boy B: Go home, you filth!
(Once again, I ask: why is everyone in this game an asshole?)

(Scene change.)


Sohta: She dropped her handkerchief... Should I give it to her...?


Girl A: Huh? What? What is it?
Sohta: You... Dropped your handkerchief...
Girl A: ! No way! Ewww! Sohta touched it...!!
(Misao truly is a game about how badly bullying can fuck a person up.)

Sohta: Huh...?
Girl A: Don't touch my things with those filthy hands of yours!
Sohta: I-I'm sorry, I'll give it back...
Girl A: I don't WANT it back now! You're GROSS!


Girl B: You're the worst! Don't even bring your grubby mitts to school!


(That's supposed to be "...")

Sohta's voice: No one accepts me...


(The door opens on its own.)

(Going through the door brings us to a different part of the house. Just like it would in real life! Is that a cat? It looks hurt! Let's go help it!)


(Oh.)
(It's subtle, but there is a difference in his portrait. He looks less creepy!)


(See!)

(Splat.)


(Hahahaha he's killing us in his own memories. It's been a while since we saw this screen!)

(What you're supposed to do is trigger the "No one accepts me"-line, then immediately back and hide in this closet. Which really makes no sense, as he should totally be able to see you hiding.)




(It's really intense. There's heartbeat sounds in the background and everything. Anyway, let's wait a little until the coast is...)


(FFFFFFFFFF---)
(I actually jumped here. I wasn't prepared for that at all.)

(SPLAT. DEAD. KEEP GOING.)

Isn't that what life is? :T
But that's kind of impressive that he killed you, when no one else in all these flashbacks has managed to even see you, since you don't actually exist in those times. :/
Anyway, Sohta apparently is so badass that he kills you even when you're trying to redeem him.

And okay, yeah, it's a sad past, it's not a nice thing to happen to anyone, yadda yadda. But in no way is it a satisfatory explanation, and it doesn't suddenly make all his actions in the future okay. Bullying can fuck people up, yeah, but you don't need to become a bully yourself (no doubt, he probably sees his actions as a means of getting back at his classmates when he was a kid, and all the others who "look down on him" - that's the impression I get of how he perceives the affection/admiration of his students, the "motive" behind their emotions, as it were if that even makes sense; not sure what I'm saying anymore. orz)

In short, it does not make me like him. I feel sorry for him, of course, but that's as far as this truth route is going to make me feel about him— well, other than my intense hatred for him, that is~ :3

Also, that last screenshot... /screams CREEPER! Do not want~! D'X

No, the Truth doesn't really redeem Sohta, but it does show why he became so effed up. It makes me sad that such a nice person could become such a fucked up creep, but it doesn't make me excuse his actions (though the game/Barbie kind of does).

Yeah, so far, Sohto's backstory seems to be less 'Alas, poor villain,' and more an explanation for why he acts the way he does. Gonna have to wait till the end till really make a real judgement.

Jesus Christ on a cracker is he creepy, though. He reminds me of the Father from Mad Father, but I feel like Mad Father explored that better.

If you leave the closet instead of staying, Sohta is gone and you can proceed.


(Caaaat!)

(Flashbaaaaaack!)


(Sohta comes walking.)
Sohta: Why does everyone reject me...? I hate it... I...
Cat: Meowww...


(Sohta walks closer to the cat.)
Sohta: It's wounded...
Cat: Me...oww...
Sohta: You look so fragile... I need to get you to a hospital...!


(Sohtaaaaa why did you have to grow up into... THAT guy)


Sohta: No...! .....


Barbie: Teacher...


( ;___; )


(Oh... I have a feeling this next flashbacks gonna be... Special.)

Kitty. ;_;

Sohta comes off like part of a vicious cycle. All those tiny minor offenses (plus, presumably, some big revelation to come) warped his personality and he ended up displacing those feelings onto his students and hurting kids who didn't deserve it. And then one of his victims snapped and ended up becoming just like him. It's a classic method of villainous downfall; meeting your end at the hands of the monster that you yourself created.

Sohta's a lot less sympathetic than Misao, though. He doesn't have being raped and murdered as an excuse (presumably), he's committed both those aforementioned crimes as opposed to just murder, and also he's a grown-ass man who should know better and not project his memories of those mean kids back in school onto the current generation. (See: Severus Snape)

Sohta: But she was different...


Girl: This dump is the perfect place for Sohta, huh?
Boy: Ahaha, You said it! (The boy shoves Sohta) Hey, say something!
Sohta: .....
Boy: You're lame. Let's go.
(They do.)

Sohta: Sigh...


Sohta: (Takano...)
Barbie: (She... She was in Mr. Sohta's class...)

Takano: Do you mind if... I sit with you...?
Sohta: Huh?!
Takano: It's okay if you don't want me... Sorry...
Sohta: N-No... Nothing like that!
Takano: So I can?
Sohta: Y-Yeah...


Sohta: (What do I do...? What do I say...? Takano's not saying anything either... Why did Takano talk to me...?)


(asdfghjkl DON'T)

Takano: Hey, do you always eat lunch here?
Sohta: Uh...! Ah... Y-Yeah...
Takano: I see... It's nice here... It's quiet and calming...
Sohta: Y-Yeah... I guess it is...
Takano: ... Yeah.
(Such ELOQUENCE.)

Takano: ...Sorry.
Sohta: W-What is it?
Takano: I couldn't do anything while you were being teased...
Sohta: D-Don't...
Takano: Can I come again tomorrow?
Sohta: Uh...
Takano: Let's eat luch together.
Sohta: Huh...? You... If you eat with me, you'll just be teased...


Takano: I was feigning ignorance out of fear. I always turned from reality. But I'm going to stop. From now on, I'll protect you, Sohta.

(This is too good to be true. I'm waiting for the horrible reveal.)

Sohta: W-Wha?!
Takano: Am I... bothering you?

(Sohta starts to sputter that she's not, but he would feel guilty if she got teased because of him, and he'd only get teased more if a girl was protecting him. He says he really appreciates the thought, though, and they agree to get to know each other better. The conversation is chock full of "Uhhh"s and "ummmm"s, and I really don't feel like typing it out.)

(And now imgur seems to be overloaded again. Sigh. That's a weird place to quit, though, so I'll attach the rest of the screenshots for this update. )




Sohta: Conversation wasn't necessary. My heart was at ease with her there... We were happy...

With that "This isn't my face" line, I'm anticipating a plot twist wherein he cuts her face off and has it transplanted over his. Maybe her hands too, those "greasy mitts/pretty hands" lines were pretty sinister if you ask me.

(Words is a pretty accurate description of that post of mine, actually. Just me, rambling like normal. Sorry to inflict that on you, folks. orz)
Yeah, that is true. And I agree - it is sad that the sweet boy he was when he was younger turned out like that later in life. It is sad. D:
But that's part of the reason that it irritates me, even as I feel like that: because it's obvious that the game is trying to say that, "It isn't his fault~ He couldn't have helped turning out that way~ He had no choice but to become a monster to protect himself from being hurt by all the bullying~"

Or maybe I'm only interpreting it like that.
Sorry. orz

This is what I was going to/trying to say! What happened to him is, in my eyes, not really enough for him to turn out the way he did (of course, we're not at the end of this section yet, so it could always get worse). Which might sound a little heartless/cold/whatever, but that's just how I feel... ^^;

I don't think getting bullied is enough for him to decide to rape and murder his students. :T

Though, I guess that something similar to what happened with Kudoh and Misao is going to happen with this Takano girl...?
And, since she's been the only one to accept him, he is going to take it very badly. :I

Imgur stop working then not working all the time plz


Takano: ..... Ah... That cloud looks like a sheep!
Sohta: ! (It's true...)
Takano: It's cute...
Sohta: ... Y-Yeah... (Takano's smiling... She's cute, too...)


Sohta: I fell for her. My first love.


(Uh-oh...)

Sohta: T-Takano...
Takano: Hm?


(NO. BAD.)

Takano: W-What's the matter? Let... let go...
Sohta: T-Taka... no... I-I love... you...
Takano: Huh? W-What?
Sohta: Um, so... I love you! I love you, Takano!
Takano: ! Ahh!! (She shoves him away from herself)


Takano: You creep...!
Sohta: Huh...? W-Why...
Takano: I-I'm sorry...!




(This is not good.)

Takano: Um... look... I'm really sorry... I didn't mean to get close to you for that kind of thing... I just felt bad for you, Sohta... ... Sorry... It's nothing... We should... stop meeting here... okay?
(ELLIPSES.)

Sohta: ... Huh?




(Oh no. He's snapping.)


(ABORT MISSION. ABORT MISSION.)

Takano: Sohta! Stop!
Sohta: WHY?!? WHY?!?
Takano: Somebody, help!!


Sohta: AAAAAGHHH!!!


(And then Sohta changed his name one entire letter and went into hiding... No, that's not it.)


(And he walks through the door on the right, leaving us no choice but to follow him.)

It doesn't really read to me as the game providing an excuse for him. It's providing an explanation, which is different. Even Misao didn't start murdering people until after much worse provocation than that, including being murdered (and thus turned into a vengeful ghost, essentially); Sohta snapped and killed someone for rejecting being asked out on a date.

And I kinda like getting the tragic backstory thing, because snapping at that--not at some major cruel trauma, but at someone going "Woah, boundaries!" at him--does show his moral failing even as it's providing explanation of how he turned out so horrible. It's the difference between empathy and sympathy; we can understand how he got there without approving of how he responded to trauma.

You're more than likely right that that's what the game is actually doing. :3

I guess I'm just construing it the way I am because of the mood I'm in at the moment, and 'cause of things. ^^;
Maybe if I actually go to bed and sleep (now watch as I don't follow my own advice), I won't be so raege-y over this.

I do realise that I'm looking at it the wrong way, and interpreting it all wrong, but I just— ugh, personal feels getting in the way of any objectivity I could have re: this matter. I'm not usually this bad I swear orz - I think it's probably just 'cause I'm tired and have a headache. >.> Probably.
... I'll go to bed now.

But I do feel sorry for Sohta. /petpats :<

To me it's too early to say if the game's going for "sympathetic" or "explaining". It depends on how Barbie reacts to it, how Ogre and the game itself treats it once this is all done with.

Also, with how the others treat him, he seems less like "that ugly kid" and more like "that one kid who always smells of piss and clearly hasn't washed or changed clothes for a month".

I'm a lit major, or used to be. I believe strongly in the death of the author. Which means... I think your reading of it is also valid! Every text is built of what's brought by the writer and what's brought by the reader, such that the text is essentially a slightly (or greatly!) different text for every reader, and sometimes for every reading of it. That this text happens to involve images and interactivity doesn't change that.

*coughs, turns off the pontificating*

Anyway, I think that "This is trying to justify the horrible things he does, and that pisses me off" is just as valid of a reaction as mine. For what it's worth and all that.

We follow Sohta.


(There's no music for most of this long hallway. Just a stabbing sound that gets louder the closer you get. Near the end of the hallway, the music starts.)


(At the corridor's end, we have Sohta stabbing Misao's corpse over and over again.)


(Kid you? Because everyone in this game are assholes. Adult you? If we're talking Broken Forum, it's because you're an insane creep who rapes and murders your students.)

Sohta: What did I ever do?
Barbie: Teacher...
Sohta: My face... I thought if I changed my face...


Sohta: I was accepted at last... I was happy... But...I soon realized it wasn't me who people were welcome to. It was my face. No one looked inside me... Always my appearance... This fabricated face... This isn't me...!

(Sohta... Everyone gets judged based on their appearance. Most people don't turn into psychopathic killers because of it.)


(This kind of makes me wonder about Sohta's family. Is he an orphan? Or do his parents hate him too?)

Barbie: That's not true, teacher...


(No. They think he's a kind and reliable teacher.)

Sohta: They... they...?
Barbie: And I know. You're a really nice person, Mr. Sohta. Just a little awkward sometimes... And I like you for who you are...

(Barbie. He killed your best friend. Then again, Barbie probably isn't totally "normal" either, considering how easily she murdered Tohma in the bad ending...)

Sohta: Wh...


Barbie: I... Everyone... We all love our kind teacher.
(Game, no. I can actually feel sorry for Sohta, simply because he's so screwed up and clearly needs help. But saying that he's actually a good guy and trying to redeem him doesn't work. He's a rapist and a murderer.)




(Especially when they're currently standing next to Misao's corpse.)




(............)

One of the reasons I didn't have my usual "NO" and "FUCK IT"-reactions here is because of the background music playing in the hub level now. It's very calm and soothing, and slightly sad. It was playing in the background as I was writing, and I just couldn't get worked up.

Anyway, we only have one more grave left to deal with. Let's do this.

Can I just do one teensy, tiny thing? Then I swear I won't will go to bed.

(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

That is all.

But at least he didn't get reincarnated (or whatever it is exactly that's going on) as a baby/person... I guess. :T

Oh. Okay. Wow. Didn't realize that the game will actually go there.

Look game, I can I get behind the sequence of Sohta's story; it showed how a kid with a shitty life and neglected mental and emotional health can lead to him snapping and turning to a terrible person. It gave reason to Sohta's actions rather than evil creeper. It can even make you sad that such a nice kid can go so downhill and how it could've possibly avoided he had gotten some help.

But just because someone has a tragic story and reasons for why they do things, it doesn't excuse the things they actually do. You shouldn't expect the reader to accept what they did. God, I hate it when stories mix these things up. It happens entirely too often.

Hm. I dunno. I don't think we-the-player are necessarily supposed to think "It's okay, you had a shitty childhood" is the intended message, here. I mean, not to go all "What does the author intend???" about it, but given how much we've noticed Barbie's got a kinda skewed view on a lot of things...I would be surprised if we were supposed to read all of her reactions as the legitimate, endorsed ones, any more than we're supposed to read Aya's as the Author's View Of Morality in that game.

That said, clearly a lot of people are reading it that way, so if we're supposed to be reacting with "Wow, Barbie, you are kinda messed up, this is still totally not okay," maybe the game's being a little too coy about pushing that.

As we head towards the last grave...


Onigawara: Take this...
Barbie: It's... A hand mirror?
Onigawara: I think it may be useful.
(Onigawara vanishes)
Barbie: I wonder what for...


Barbie: Tohma's grave?! So Tohma is in here? So Misao possessed Tohma to drag him into the other world!


(Yes. Let's finish this.)


Misao: Stay back!!! The others can go free... But I won't give you Tohma.
Barbie: Why not Tohma? Tohma was just playing you!


Misao: I hate him so much... Yet I love him... It's strange...
(Awww ;__;)

Barbie: If you love Tohma, then free him for his sake!
Misao: Barbie...You love him too, don't you...?
Barbie: ! I...
Misao: I just had an idea. Barbie, you should stay here too. We can get along here... The three of us happy together.

(Threesome end?)

Barbie: That... I can't...


Misao: Tohma...!
Tohma: ... Hm?


Misao: T-Tohma...? I-It's just me... Misao? I'm not a mon...
Tohma: GYAAAAHHH! GO AWAY, MONSTER!!
Misao: Tohma...


Misao: It can't be...


(That isn't too bad, considering she got chopped to pieces.)

Misao: This is... me? No... no...
Barbie: Misao...


Tohma: Get me out of heeeeeere!!
(STFU TOHMA.)

Misao: Ahhh... sniff... Why... Why does all this happen to me... What did I do?! Tell me!!
(That last part is reminiscent of Sohta...)

Barbie: Misao...
Misao: I wanted to live a long life... I wanted to be happy with someone... I don't want to be alone again... I'm scared... Sob... sniff...
(Misaaaaaooooooooo)


Misao: !


Misao: Barbie... Why would you...
Barbie: Because we're friends, aren't we?!
Misao: ! Friends...?
Barbie: Yeah! Friends!






Barbie: We'll always be together!


(Awwww..... Look at how pretty she is when she's smiling...)




Barbie: Misao...


Barbie: H.Huh...? Was it a dream...?


Barbie: Misao... I'll never, ever forget you.

Let's end it here for tod---for now. It's ten to five in the morning here. We'll take the credits and maaaaybe the special content... Later. MISAAAAAAAAOOOOOO

D'aaaawwww!
Barbie is a fucked up kid, but she's a good friend (to Misao)!

So... Barbie would sacrifice everyone everything for Misao? Though I don't really see why she could kill Tohma so easily earlier and she now tries to save him...
...

She totally loves Misao and wants to keep her for herself, doesn't she?
And I'm having issues with the fact Barbie told Misao: 'No, we can't live together with Tohma, look at you, You're ugly. Ugly people shouldn't have boyfriends.'

And Sohta! Ugh, he WAS accepted! Not as potential boyfriend material, but somebody actually did like him! You do NOT fucking try to kill that person!
How could he...

Damnit.

(And Barbie's class is looking pretty empty. Hehehe~)

That's not what the mirror scene was for, I don't think- if you reread the text right before it, Tohma is freaking out and calling her a monster, but she doesn't realize why. It's more to show her what she's becoming, not that she's ugly or anything. That's how I took it, at least.

Ya'know, I'm wondering why the game made the Truth section a whole another part after the end. The game didn't need the end, it could easily been formated into the main game. I thought the truth section meant you had play through the whole game again with these flashback parts included. Weird.

Ah, I read it as "You are dead, lady, you've got to move on," with the appearance being proof of that, rather than "You are not pretty!" But I can totally see it being read any of those ways.

My computer has been fixed! To celebrate, here are some of my comments to my friend from back when I was playing this game for the first time, since this was a non-blind LP. Update will come soon.

Comments placed in spoiler tags because it's long and some people might not want to read them.

As you can see, I have a tendency to capslock when excited.

I said pretty much the exact same thing when I saw that conversation in the flashbacks. xD

Credits time!


(It seems Misao and Barbie left Tohma behind in the spirit world. Oops!)
(Thanks for making this game, Sen!)


(But he meets Ogregawara. Maybe he can help him out.)


(Ogregawara is bringing Ayaka back in the other world!)


(Y'know, Ayaka having a crush on Ogregawara is a hilarious thought.)





TRUE END ACCOMPLISHED. It's been a nice ride, despite computer trouble!

There's one more thing, though...


If we know the secret password (which I do), we can get to the developers' room, where we have additional info about the characters, design notes, comments from the creator and some other stuff. Do we enter the developers' room?

Why not?

Yes we do!
And aww~ Thank you Ogre! :D Bringing back the one who didn't deserve to die (and rescuing Tohma) is the best end possible!

Yes, more please! :D

Though they're stuck in the Other World, taking care of the awful babies. (Otome and the green-haired kid weren't too bad, I guess, but Yoshino.... (¬д¬。)) I suppose it's better than being dead at least.

BTW, did I miss something with Sohta and his "this isn't my face"-ness? I was expecting him to have some sort of horrible accident that required reconstructive surgery to become creepy pretty. But really, it seems like all that happened was his acne cleared up and he got a better haircut.

I think it's implied he got plastic surgery at some point, it's not really clear.

He kinda lifted his eyes.
That is a real that happens in real game life, isn't it?

Looks like he got some cream for his oily skin, too. Whatever it was, it worked wonders.

(Wait, is that what you're supposed to use for oily skin?

...My sweaty palms thank thee.)

Yeah, moisturizer is actually pretty good for oily skin if you don't overdo it. Mostly you just wanna wash with warm water and a gentle cleanser. And then there's blotting paper... Basically if you've got a greasy face there's tons of potential treatments. Maybe if he'd asked Takano for skincare protips instead of a date things would've had a happier ending. Ain't no way the prettiest and most popular girl in school isn't an expert on that sort of thing.

It's like a rite of passage or something; a woman's bathroom having like five times the variety of soap and lotion and so on is a total stereotype but on the other hand, it also seems to be an accurate stereotype. I'm not even all that into cosmetics and I've still got an entire cabinet full of the damn things.