5:14 "a young woman is forced to wear the blinding mask, which is exactly what it sounds like."

Me: "Ah, a mask with no holes for the eyes so she can't see."

"A mask with two spikes where the eye holes would be, so when worn, the woman is blinded."

Me: 😮

Resident Evil is actually called Resident Evil because the Biohazard name had already been taken in America by a different game and a band. The all devs actually voted for Resident Evil to be the name and while its definitely a weird choice, that weird name was part of its charm and allure especially in the early days of the franchise. You see name like that on a shelf in '96 and you ask yourself "what is this game?" And here we are 25 years later still talking about RE and its strange name.

Seconding something that has been commented a few times -- in Japanese culture the concept of "duty" shares a lot with the concept of "social obligation", and the obligation being not just difficult, time-consuming or not what the person wants to do, but actively world-endingly horrible is a very normal part of a duty narrative. In Shinto particularly, bad influences and demons are often born from a disregard of duty, or a refusal to accept failure. Fatal Frame's narrative is completely in line with Japanese conservatism in this regard.

This game is certainly an old favourite. One of the reasons for this is an aspect that you skipped over by immediately covering the story chronologically. I really enjoyed that it is an odd kind of time-travel story, that the mansion itself is spiritually falling back through time as Miku explores it. The first night that she is there the mansion reflects the most recent events with what happened to Takamine and his assistants. The second night it falls further back in time to when Munakata and his family were there. Then finally it falls back in time to when the ritual was carried out and failed. I really enjoy when a narrative plays around with the linearity of time (so long as it is done well of course) and a surprising amount of the games I’ve enjoyed over the years have involved some aspect of time travel.

I can't believe you're going to make us wait a year for the second video :o
Least its not 10 years

I think the ending makes a lot of sense when looking at it through a lense of Japanese values. There's a lot of importance placed on living a life that benefits others (not just living for yourself) and the burden of duty. The rituals are tragic and horrible, but this is how the world is, and the choice to sacrifice girls (although deeply painful on a personal level, as evidenced from the ghosts), was just part of the hand they were dealt.

Either way, thank you for making this video I love having a listen to all of your stuff while working!

I wish the 1st Fatal Frame wasn't such a market failer when it was first released. The story is amazing and would look great in remastered graphics.😢❤

So I haven't played the first Fatal Frame, but regarding what you said about the ending... rather than establishing the rituals, the folklore, the culture, as something good or bad, would the game not be about duty as a painful thing? You mentioned that all these people could've just let go of their need to know, to figure out what was happening at the mansion, but wouldn't have been their duty to know? Whether it's filial bond, or duty related to their profession, it seems everyone who was drawn or trapped in the mansion was brought into it because they had to, rather than chose to. As you remarked, no matter how they felt about what happened, the threat remained, and it remained that the ritual was a way to ensure that everyone be safe. I feel like the game would thus not really have a morale, or a lesson that the characters need to learn to break free, but rather be about how in the end, they must play their part, and their sacrifice does indeed have a purpose. It's horrific, it's revolting, but it is what must be done, and Miku's journey would be about piecing together the stories of those who suffered so they do not have to be forgotten - so the "picture" of their existence can be remembered.

I guess I kind of just eliminate the notion that there is a choice to act differently. I'm more familiar with FF2 and 3, and in both of them, it seems the characters have very little control on what is happening. The traditions, the folklore, is, in some way, "fact". It requires that some fulfil the different rituals, and until that is done, there is no escape.

But really, I'm just asking. I should play it in order to really know what I'm saying, haha! I thoroughly enjoyed this video and will be looking forward to the analyses of the next Fatal Frames :)

Engagement: Engaged
I've been looking forward to this for quite some time, and I'm stoked for the Fatal Frame 2 video.

29:29 that's just reality and a reflection of society and its structures

Also a very creepy fave of mine. Here's hoping that port of 5 does well enough to warrant ports of 1-3 or a first time real release of 4.

Hi there! Before I proceed forward, I'll say this: I appreciated the analysis, it was comprehensive and clear and concise and it was very personal too. I appreciate the effort put into explaining the elements of this game, and how it holds up as a creation, as a work of art.

The following two comments are off-topic, but perhaps might help provide additional perspective for prospective gamers.

1) You can technically play this game. Emulation of PS2 games has now become better, and considering that a significant majority of games are not available for download or have any HD remakes, emulation is definitely a good option to flirt with, if not consider outright. I also mention it because there is an element of NFP (Not For Profit) influencing everyone who helps make it possible, and keeps it running. PS2 has been decommissioned for quite some time now, and I can guarantee you all the units still in circulation, will eventually fade away into obscurity and will be exceedingly difficult to jump start.

2) your description in "The Tragedy of Kirie" as well as how religious obligation / cult obligation to contain demons, actually got me thinking about the Inquisition. The actual Spanish Inquisition and not the Monty Python comedy sketch, even though some elements of how they lampoon the actual thing is scarily close to the truth. The comfy chair, for instance, is funny as far as MP is concerned, but the actual torture WHEEL? or any paintings which depict the Spanish Inquisition... fundamentally, those in power who ran the Inquisition (a search on the topic says it ran from November 1 1478 THROUGH TO JULY 15 1834... WHAT?!) had tortured everyone and anyone who was in disagreement with them, because if they allowed such "creations" to "coexist" it will "bring the revelations upon us as the Anti-Christ and his Devilish Ways will consume us all", or whatever bullshit such zealots believe. A part of me finds this game fascinating and your analysis remarkable, is how the game subverts the stereotype and shows Kirie as taking the task of holding back the demons willingly, as a part of her fate. And in that context, I also bring it up because the first ting which popped into my head was the game "Blasphemous" specifically "The Penitent One". He's part of "The Brotherhood of SIlent Sorrow", he has a hero's journey to kill three patriarchs, pass through the bridge of the three cavalries, reach the mother of mothers, through to the rooftops of the archcathedral and then defeat the last son of the Miracle and by extension the miracle, and he has to become the next miracle, or turn to ash in the process of becoming so.

I share this because what you said about horror stories essentially being tragedies, is very true. And it makes the tragedy so much more traumatizing and horrifying once you realize how they are subverting the expectation of "hero wins the day by conquering fear" and replacing with "hero simply took out something, but he's still nothing to no one, and the hero isn't going to become better for it".

I appreciate your analysis, I'm just highlighting this because I kind of appreciate the insight which these videos give me. Thank you for all that you do. Keep it up.

we have to wait years? please do 2 and 3 next!!! don't make us wait!.

A correction about Junsei Takamine. His purpose of visiting the mansion in the first place wasn't to find out about what happened to Munakata. Miku, in the narration of the first cutscene describes him as a, "famous novelist". His purpose of visiting the mansion was to try and gather material about the dark and mostly undocumented Shinto rituals, which he would use as inspiration for his next book. A well-hidden document of his can be found on the first night in the Fireplace room, called "Black Notebook Scrap 1". He describes the plot of his next work (which partially reflects what you will experience throughout the game, a great use of foreshadowing), as well as a brief history of Himuro Mansion as he knows it. I don't believe he even knew the existence of Munakata until he began finding documents left by him during his time living in the mansion.

Your deep analysis and explanation of Fatal Frame as well as Fatal Frame II make me really happy :D It's so exciting to be able to hear other passionate fans of the series speak about it, as well as explain the story's meaning on a deeper level than I've ever thought about.

I wish I had more of a constitution for horror.
I couldn't play The Forst for more than a few hours, but there're so many solid games out there my damn jelly spine is barring me from!

Hey there! This is one of my favorite series, and it was great to see it get a really thorough look like this. I honestly tend to kind of overlook the first one a little in terms of the sort of theming and messages it offers, and this was a really cool insight to them that gave me a lot to think about. Very much looking forward to your entries on 2 and 3!

I don't really have much to add thematically about the tragedy of Kirie, and I agree a lot with what you have to say about how it potentially undercuts the horror of the rest of the game. I did personally feel that it was scary in its own way, in the sense that it presents a situation where we're given two really horrifying outcomes, and while one is perhaps, shall we say, mathematically correct (a handful of people suffering > hell spilling into the world), both answers end up feeling morally repulsive - and the thought of being put in such a situation is honestly kind of scary. I wouldn't say the game nails this concept perfectly by any stretch - it's still ultimately just a trolley problem (but spooky) - but it's a neat idea that I think a lot of horror games shy away from by making their antagonists just evil for evil's sake, instead of doing evil things out of necessity, if that makes any sense.

Personally i really liked the way it ended. I feel like when we enter the mansion, we are subjected to the absolute horror and tragedy of many many souls that suffered there. We are onlookers and to us it all seems cruel and unfair however, ultimately it is a necessary evil. An evil which I'm certain not even the people conducting the rituals were entirely happy about performing on the daughters of the village. But they knew it had to be done and noone involved in the ritual would be unscathed. Ultimately the story of the game is tragic and i love that for it . One of my favourites

What unspeakable things are happening all around us that we don't know about or choose to ignore? What horrors do/would you visit upon the few to save the many? What excuse is custom and tradition?

The best stories confront us with our own hypocrisies and blind spots. Intentionally or otherwise.

This was a great analysis that I really enjoyed and agreed with, I'm definitely going to check out your other content. One word about the ending... I see that other people have already covered the general cultural issues of collectivism vs individualism and how it is easy to misinterpret things from a Western perspective due to that... I wanted to add that the true necessity of the sacrifices is emblematic of that, but also, that this does not inherently justify all the psychological manipulation and cruelty employed by the head of the family in order to achieve that end. This is, as you pointed out, emphasized by the mask showing him to be a demon inside, little different from the "evil" he is holding back. I always read the ending that way, that while yes the demon gate is a real thing that requires some form of sacrifice to keep closed, the methods employed, the members of the family chosen to be the sacrificial victims, even that the sacrifice needed to be one person's life rather than daily smaller sacrifices from the whole family collectively... all of that was chosen by that man, not the demon gate, and that's why he is the true villain. That's how I always took it.

If you didn't like the ending, how would you do it differently?